I usually enjoy Kimberly Belle's books and took a chance on The Expat Affair despite the premise not sounding appealing. The first 50% was quite slow due to providing a ton of background information on the diamond industry in Amsterdam. Part 2 was a bit more engaging since we learned more about the main characters. While part 3 had a resolution, the overall execution of the book was lacking for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was completely drawn into this story, especially the way it moves between timelines. It didn’t just build suspense—it made the whole experience more immersive. I found myself constantly trying to connect the dots, and I loved that feeling of slow discovery.

The narrator was excellent. Each character felt distinct and real, and I was pulled into their world effortlessly. The mystery around the expat who ends up dead after a one-night stand had me hooked. A lot of people had reasons to want him gone, and that tension kept building as the story unfolded.

What really worked was how the truth unraveled through the people he used to work for. Their lives, their secrets—everything started coming into focus, piece by piece.

There were definitely moments where things got confusing, but strangely, that added to the story’s impact. The ending pulled it all together in a way that made the chaos feel intentional. A strong, layered conclusion to a messy, compelling mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and @HarlequinTrade for this ARC. Rayna wakes up after a one night stand and finds her date murdered in his shower. She runs and calls the police. Soon she finds out he a prominent gemologist who works for the House of Prins and hundred of thousands dollars of diamonds were stolen as well. Willow, the wife of Thomas who is CEO of the House of Prins needs to track down Rayna because she thinks Rayna could be the next victim. The mystery of his murder surrounded by real and lab created diamonds in Amsterdam is a good one! #TheExpatAffair #KimberlyBelle #HarlequinTrade #June2025

What a wild ride of a story! A one-night stand turns deadly when Rayna, an expat living in Amsterdam, wakes up to find the man she was sleeping with dead in the shower. Not knowing where to turn, she runs, becoming entangled in a cat-and-mouse game with the killer.

Willow, the wife of Thomas Prins, the heir to the family diamond business, wants to figure out what happened to her friend and also keep some secrets buried.

As the story unfolds, Rayna’s identity is revealed, and she becomes the centre of attention. She is the woman in the now-famous picture of a girl with a diamond necklace, and she is the last person to see the murdered man alive.

Kimberly Belle’s writing is captivating and keeps you turning pages until the very end. This is a whodunnit mystery that you won’t want to miss.

Thank you to @netgalley and @htp_hive for the early e-copy of this book🖤

This one had me hooked from the very beginning. This is told from two first person points of view from Rayna and Willow. When Rayna meets Xander, who works for a Diamond company, on Tinder, the two of them hit it off and she winds up back at his place for the night. When she wakes up though, she finds him dead in the shower after being strangled by a zip tie and missing one of his fingers.

Willows husband, Thomas Prin, is one of the heirs to the diamond company that Xander worked for. Thomas happened to fire Xander the same day he was murdered in cold blood. While many point the finger at Rayna, since she was one of the last people to see Xander alive, there are some secrets that the Prins family has kept for years that are about to unravel.

This book definitely had me guessing who the culprit was and there were quite a few twists and turns that I was not expecting. I really enjoyed this and would recommend this if you are looking for a good thriller.

Kimberly Belle delivers another gripping page-turner with The Expat Affair, blending scandal, secrets, and suspense in the opulent yet shadowy world of Amsterdam’s diamond trade. The story follows two women—Rayna, an American expat trying to reinvent herself, and Willow, a seemingly polished heiress guarding her own fragile world—as their lives become dangerously intertwined after a high-profile murder and a missing fortune in diamonds.

The dual POVs work well, with both women offering compelling, emotionally charged narratives. Belle does a fantastic job building tension while immersing readers in the atmospheric streets of Amsterdam. The pacing is brisk, and the twists—while sometimes dramatic—are satisfying and well-timed.

The only thing keeping this from a full 5 stars is that a few plot points stretched plausibility, especially in the latter half. But the writing is sharp, the intrigue is addictive, and the stakes stay high throughout. Fans of domestic thrillers with an international flair will find The Expat Affair a decadent and thrilling escape.

This book is a page turner!

The Book:
Dual POV between two American expat's living in Amsterdam, Rayna & Willow.

Rayna fled America after a nasty divorce and is trying to leave the old Rayna behind and live as Rayna 2.0, who is always up for adventure. This includes swiping right on a dating app, which turns into a one-night stand with a handsome businessman (Xander) working in the diamond business, who she finds dead the next morning.

Willow is married to Xander's former boss, Thomas, the heir to the family diamond business, The House of Prins.

Rayna & Willow are pulled into the dangerous world of diamond thieves and killers, as the hunt for Xander's killer and the missing diamonds is on.

My Thoughts:
I thought this was such a fast-paced story. with great twists. There are a lot of secrets and ] family drama & messy relationships as well, which I always find fun to read.

My review will be shared on my Instagram account in a couple of days (Link will be posted below once it's up) and the post will be re-shared on the publication date of the book.

This novel tells the stories of two American woman living in Amsterdam, Willow and Rayna. We see their stories as they both were lead to living as expats due their life’s circumstances.

Rayna left the US after a very ugly divorce and was trying to reinvent herself as Rayna 2.0. This led her to going on dating apps and meeting Xander for a one night stand. She didn’t know much about him before she found herself with a dead Xander in his apartment the morning after.

Willow is married to Thomas, the CEO of a diamond business and who was Xander’s former boss.

Through the investigation Willow and Rayna find their way to each other and we uncover lots of tension, deception and twists on the story.

The story was told as a dual POV which keeps the reader engaged. It had enough mystery to keep me with my kindle for a few hours. Kimberly did another fantastic job and I totally recommend this book!

Thanks Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me to read the ARC of this book.

Rayna has gone through a divorce and moved to Amsterdam to start her new life. She doesn’t know anyone and goes on Tinder to meet someone. She spends the night with Xander, a very wealthy and charismatic man who she finds the next morning murdered in the bathroom and his safe emptied. Rayna is in shock and believes the killer may still be in the penthouse and runs to a shop telling someone to call the police and waited for them to arrive.

Willow, also an expat, is married to Thomas who is to be the next CEO of the House of Prius which is well respected in the family diamond business. Thomas had just fired Xander from the business because he was stealing diamonds and creating lab-grown diamonds that matched the valuable mined diamonds. The Prins family is absorbed with finding the real diamonds before they are devalued by the lab-grown diamonds. Rayna is the most likely suspect and she discovers she’s been a pawn and is a target of the real killer.

This is the 4th novel I’ve read written by Kimberly and I am looking forward to reading more of her books.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley

Kimberly Belle continues to be one of my favorite authors. Therefore, I was excited to be able to get an early copy of her latest, “The Expat Affair.” Set in Amsterdam, the book’s narrators are Rayna and Willow.

Rayna has only been in Amsterdam a few months after a nasty divorce back in the United States. She wakes up to find her one-night stand, Xander, murdered in his bathroom. As she begins to wonder why she was spared, it’s soon discovered that the diamonds in his safe were taken.

Willow is married to Thomas Prins, who is the CEO of the world famous House of Prins. Thomas was Xander’s boss and Willow had a friendship with him. Willow is also from the United States.

I enjoyed the pace of the book and that Rayna and Willow narrated alternating chapters. I will admit I wasn’t all that surprised by some of the reveals in the book, but I highly enjoyed how the book wrapped up for Willow and Thomas’s relationship.

Overall, I recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.

THE EXPAT AFFAIR
KIMBERLEY BELLE
On sale June 3/25

An American woman working as a waitress is wooed by a wealthy Dutch man and becomes pregnant. They marry and she is pulled into the Diamond world of Amsterdam in THE EXPAT AFFAIR.

It starts with another young American woman who wakes up from a one night stand to find the guy she slept with wearing a cable tie around his neck, dead in the shower. Quickly grabbing her clothes, she freaks out and leaves the palatial condo and her phone behind her. As soon as she gets somewhere safe with a pay phone, she calls the police so she is not a suspect, which of course she will be.

These two American women come together to help each other in their own ways to solve this fast paced murder mystery that has to deal with a different language, a different culture and being far from home.

THE EXPAT AFFAIR comes from Kimberley Belle, author of THE PARIS WIDOW.

@harpercollins

I really wanted to give this five stars, because I love Kimberly Belle, but the Expat Affair didn’t bring home that final star for me.

The story begins with a bang - literally - when a steamy one night stand for a divorcé living in Amsterdam turns into waking up to a murder/crime scene. Enter the chaotic world of diamonds and black market diamond training.

You know, I love a dual narrated story and dueling POV 🤌🏻 on one hand, we have Willow — she’s married into the wealthy Prins family, of House of Prins, they’re wildly wealthy and a player in the diamond industry. Willow and the diamond heir had a shotgun wedding when she became pregnant. Our other MC is Rayna, the divorced expat, who moved to Amsterdam to escape a litany of felony charges following her divorce. She goes on a steamy tinder date and that’s how she gets sucked into this whole saga.

Money, lost, lies, and diamonds - oh my! The Expat Affair has it all… but the ending fell short for me. There was so much tension, deceit, and build-up… and then we got a relatively happy ending. Womp womp. Idk what i wanted to happen 😂 just less overall happiness, I guess!

Still a great read!! Add to your summer reading list!

* thanks to #netgalley for the ARC for review!

This is quite a ride! Rayna is newly divorced and moves to Amsterdam to try and get her life back on track. She matches with Xander, on a dating app and they have a wild night together that ends with Xander dead in his shower.
Xander worked for the House of Prins, a major diamond family in Amsterdam. Willow is married into the family and is an American who would do anything for her son.
The story weaves through the mystery surrounding Xander's death and missing diamonds, the change in the diamond industry with the introduction of lab-grown diamonds, and the lengths that greedy people will go to, even if it ruins their family.
I was immediately sucked into this book and kept reading with great interest to see where the story would land. And I've been to Amsterdam many times so it was fun to read a present-day story that takes place in the city.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

Kimberly Belle delivers another twisty, binge-worthy thriller! 🔥 I was hooked from page one. The Amsterdam setting was stunning and fresh, and the diamond world backdrop added such a sleek, high-stakes vibe. Belle really knows how to keep you guessing.
🎧 The audiobook was 🔥—Jennifer Jill Araya and Marni Penning nailed the dual POVs, bringing both Rayna and Willow to life with so much depth and emotion. Totally immersive!
💫 Fast-paced, glamorous, and full of tension—this is a summer thriller you won’t want to miss.

Two American women who are living in Amsterdam have their worlds thrown into chaos after a murder occurs and their lives become intertwined. The cutthroat world of diamonds, both real and manufactured, take center stage. I love Kimberly Belle but this wasn't my favorite. It is fast-paced, twisty and suspenseful but I just wasn't hooked by the characters or the plot. The whole jewelry aspect did not interest me. Still, this will appeal to a wide array of readers.

I just finished reading this book. The plot was absolutely fantastic! It was quite the page turner, and I could not put the book down once I began reading it. I can't wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!

Thank you Park Row Books for the gifted digital ARC!

I went back and forth between listening and physically reading this and it was very enjoyable for this one. I have absolutely loved the pacing of Belle's previous novels and this was no exception.

There was definitely some questionable behavior by a few of the characters but it was without question authentic and realistic. Without giving too much away, my heart broke for a couple characters at the end.

Suffice to say, if you've enjoyed Belle's previous books, you'll likely be into this one as well!

The Expat Affair pub date is June 3.

Rayna wakes from a one-night-stand to find Xander dead on the floor and his safe of diamonds stolen. She posted a picture to make her ex jealous, but instead made herself a murder suspect. Meanwhile, Willow, is watching the news closely since her husband was the heir to those diamonds that originally went missing Xander was working for him.

This book is broken into 3 parts. Parts 2 and 3 were interesting, but Part 1 had more detail and diamond research than I needed. I did enjoy seeing how the two POVs interested though and appreciated the twists at the end.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Amsterdam is the exciting backdrop for the newest thriller from Kimberly Belle.

Rayna Dumont is an expat who has come to Amsterdam to start over after being recently divorced. Determined to find adventure, she spends the night with a man she just met. The next morning she’s taking selfies in the super chic hotel room to post on her socials while Xander is in the shower. But when she attempts to join him she finds him DEAD! The police discover that not only has Xander been murdered; there are precious diamonds missing from his hotel safe. Rayna becomes a main suspect in this heinous crime. Her future is uncertain as an American living in a foreign country.

Tomas happens to be Xander’s now former boss as the heir to an esteemed Diamond House. Tomas is being secretive and not spending much time at home so his wife, Willow, is forced to follow Xander’s murder closely. She fears for her own life and her young son’s safety and future welfare.

Having everything to lose, Willow and Rayna will join forces to find answers in the dark and dangerous world of diamond dealing. Who killed Xander and where are the missing diamonds? And more importantly, who can be trusted?

Thank you Netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on June 3, 2025

The Expat Affair is another edge-of-your-seat adventure from Kimberly Belle that keeps you guessing right until the very end. Set in Amsterdam, this whodunit centered around a jewel heist and murder told from two different characters' perspectives is a true page turner. I read it in one sitting and highly recommend! Five stars!