Another amazing novel from B.A. Paris. Every single novel she has written has been 5 star and I don't give them out lightly!
I read it in a single day while on holiday - I couldn't put it down.

If you haven't discovered this author yet, it is time that you did.

This book did not disappoint its full of intrigue and danger and I absolutely loved it. The story switched back and forth between a kidnapping and what had happened before it all took place as we race towards the conclusion about who was actually involved and why and it how sometimes people will do anything to see the untouchable get their just deserts. This would be a great tv thriller please someone get the rights soon.

Amelie is a survivor. Orphaned as a child, she has struggled to build a life for herself. She moves from her hometown Parisvand finally settles in London, where she is swept into a glamorous lifestyle when she marries Billionaire Ned Hawthorne.
Is her life and marriage everything it seems?
Amelie, awakens one day in a pitch black room, where is she and who is holding her hostage? And why does she suddenly feel safer here than before?
Narrated from 2 time points in Amelie’s life we get to know present day Amelie and past Amelie after her mothers death, when her and her father move to the UK before his death.
I felt drawn to Amelie and felt the author described her well, making me like her and want things to turn out for her. There were twists and turns as usual in BA Paris style. Some I saw coming, others I did not. There were times I struggled to put the book down, just wanting to keep on reading to find out where it was going and others where it slowed down in pace.
All in all a good read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this title

Set in two time lines we start in the present. Amelie wakes up one night to find a man in her room she is taken to a dark oppressive room with no light by her kidnappers. Why? Why is her husband in a different room taken as well? The story delves into the past to bring out a truth worth killing for. This story has a gripping start you feel like your in the locked basement with Amelie feeling your way around in the dark. The story loses a bit of momentum in the middle but is worth staying with. Your rewarded with more twists and turns at the end.
Thank you NetGalley and (publisher, Hodder & Stoughton) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This was a rollercoaster of a read, the narrative unfolding in two timelines, both told from the perspective of Amelie Hawthorpe (née Lamont). It opens with the kidnapping of Amelie and Ned Hawthorpe from their luxury London home. The pair are in a car; Ned is in the boot, Amelie is in the car interior, then Amelie finds that she is imprisoned in a dark room at the top of some stone steps. A page-turning, taut tale with plenty of twists.

A special thank you to Hodder & Stoughton, B.A. Paris, NetGalley and Pigeonhole for the opportunity to read. This review is my unbiased opinion.

The Prisoner centres around Amelia, when she and millionaire husband, Ned are kidnapped. Told from two points in time, the present when the kidnapping is taking place and the past, explaining Amelia’s tragic past when she is orphaned, living on the streets of London, then befriended by Carolyn, who takes her in and helps build up her life. Soon, the 2 parts starts to interlink and will Amelia to escape from her kidnappers.
A really gritty tale and on par with B.A Paris’s normal standard. An excellent read.

THEN - Amelie has always been a survivor, from losing her parents as a child in Paris to making it on her own in London. As she builds a career for herself in the magazine industry, she meets, and agrees to marry, Ned Hawthorne.

NOW - Amelie wakes up in a pitch-black room, not knowing where she is. Why has she been taken? Who are her mysterious captors? And why does she soon feel safer here, imprisoned, than she had begun to feel with her husband Ned?

I have read a couple of B.A. Paris books and was excited to read this new novel and expected great things. The story did grip me and I liked the beginning story of Amelie getting through the loss of her father and making her way in London. I loved the relationship with her newly found female friends and new role. Some parts were a little far fetched it has to be said but it didn’t spoil my enjoyment, I’d say the ending was a bit of a disappointment even though I quite liked the outcome. Hard to explain but I felt a bit let down reading the last chapter or so. I’d give this 4.5 stars I think.
Thanks for NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
#ThePrisoner #NetGalley

One of many books that I have read by this author but my least favourite. Who wouldn't want to be married to a billionaire. All is not as it seems. I found the plot a little confusing but by the end most of my questions had been answered. Not enough pace and suspense for me.

After several attempts to immerse myself in this book, I stubbornly refused to give up although eventually accepted I was unable to connect or to enjoy. From the early pages their was a sense of frustration and irritation. Characterisation was one dimensional, The moving between timelines disruptive to the flow of events. and a reluctant strong belief that this writer had not done justice to what could have , should have been a gripping abduction mystery. Perhaps experiencing a run of incredibly good books, gripping reads from brilliant authors all deservedly receiving 5* reviews, has resulted in this failure on my part to fully engage or enjoy. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Amelie Lamont left Paris after the death of her father. Life is hard until she is fortunate enough to meet Carolyn in a coffee shop. Carolyn offers her a place to stay & introduces her to her friends at the high class magazine where she works. Amelie also manages to get a job there where she meets the rich owner Ned Hawthorne who sweeps her away to Las Vegas. Once there she tells him of her desire to study law but it will take a long time to save up. He offers her a deal. So he can avoid parental pressure to marry a family friend they should get married here. In a month once home they could announce they had made a mistake & go their separate ways- only Amelie will have the funds to go to college! Sounds too easy? Well it is because before they get settled back in the UK she is abducted & taken somewhere where she is put in a room which is pitch black & has a mattress in & that's all. There is a bathroom, but the light is on a timer .Who has taken her & what do they want?

This was an engaging read- if a little implausible, but that's why it's called fiction isn't it? I didn't think it was as good as some of the authors other books but an enjoyable read none the less. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

I thought this was a great read ! Had me gripped from the first page to the last. Told in the past and present a highly original storyline that had me completely hooked !

Amelie is the central character and focus in this captivating story. Orphaned in her late teens, Amelie finds friendship and support through Caroline who offers her a job and a home. The pace really picks up later on through the short chapters when Amelie is whisked away to Las Vegas with her new boss and returns married to him in a business arrangement which she thinks will able her to pursue her dream to study law.
Her husband Ned is a manipulative man who relies on his position and money to allow him to do and treat people without thought and without consequence. Amelie is left terrified when she wakes up in a dark room after being kidnapped, she finds her inner strength and her survival instinct kicks in as the days in captivity continue.
Deceit is foremost in this book and the fast pace kept me focused throughout.
My thanks to Net galley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton and B.A. Paris for an ARC in return for an honest review.

'The Prisoner' by B.A. Paris.

Amelie is a survivor, but her survival is pushed to the limit when she wakes up imprisoned in a dark room. Amelie must try to figure out what is going on in order to survive.

This book runs with two timelines for Amelie, past and present.
It is a slow-starter but ramps up quickly.
I enjoyed this book and liked the twists and turns, however, I did find it a little predictable.
I love B.A. Paris's other novels but unfortunately this one didn't quite do it for me.

I enjoyed previous novels by the author and was excited to receive this arc. However, I struggled to get into the story and failed to finish.

This book took me so long to get into and it was quite a while until it held me attention and made me want to keep coming back. Whilst the overall story is good and there are twists and turns I prefer books that grip me right from the beginning

I thought this book was fantastic! It was gripping, intricate and twisty, keeping you on your toes and making you unable to put it down!
I thought the characters were well developed and interesting, Amelie the main character is vulnerable and without support that makes you side with her and feel really protective. It makes it all the more thrilling as she experiences the series of horrific events.
A cracking thriller and although I did guess where it was going, I was utterly intrigued as to how we would get there!
I love books by B. A. Paris, yet another exceptional read!

Sadly, The Prisoner by B.A. Paris did not grip me like her other books I have read by her, but it was a good read. I found the beginning was really good then just went down hill and became very long and I became bored with it which is not like me. (Sorry) But, the main thing was I finished it and never gave up on it like I would other books.

Big Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Prisoner’ by B.A. Paris.

When Amelie's father died leaving her homeless and alone at sixteen years old, she took herself from Paris to London, aware that she had to rely on opportunitues she could create for herself. With a little help from a kind-hearted person who gave her a chance when her life was at its lowest point, things took an upward turn, but Amelie has never forgotten the dark time that shaped her. Amelie's new career in the magazine industry has been looking promising, but meeting the magazine's wealthy owner Ned Hawthorne, and being persuaded to enter into a marriage of convenience with him, has proved to be a dangerous mistake.

Now, Amelie has been taken captive alongside Ned, the man she has come to despise for very good reasons. Imprisoned in a pitch-black room, she has no way of knowing where she is being held, who has taken her, or what they want. But strangely, she feels safer here away from Ned than in the luxurious trappings of his privileged life. Can she survive this ordeal, and get away from the husband that wants nothing more than to see her dead for knowing too much about the man he really is?

You always know you are in for a gripping ride when opening the cover of a B.A. Paris thriller, and The Prisoner proves that once again she knows how to suck you into a story that keeps you turning the pages all the way to the bitter-sweet end.

As is Paris' forte, this is a story based deliciously around themes of control, and the dark secrets people keep hidden beneath the surface. Amelie's narrative drives the action with compelling intensity as the chapters flip back and forth between the past that has brought her to this terrifying situation, and the present events that play out from the moment she and Ned are taken. Amelie appears vulnerable and naive, which seemingly makes her an ideal candidate for manipulation by the rotten-at-heart Ned Hawthorne, but she has a steely determination to survive gained through relying on her own wits and this makes her a great character to get behind.

The tension rises notch by notch, as every moment of Amelie's heart-stopping experience of being held prisoner by the kidnappers is given in aching detail, beginning with her initial exploration of the space in which she is being kept, and taking you through her unflinching determination to keep her sanity and escape. In parallel, you put together all the little pieces of Amelie's backstory, which builds the picture of why she and Ned have been taken - and why she was a prisoner in her marriage too. This works beautifully, as you have absolutely no idea how the story will unfurl from one minute to the next. While you scrabble to make sense of it all, Paris pulls the wool over your eyes with accomplished skill, twisting the story on its unsettling axis at crucial moments to flip your perception about everything you think you know. She then hits you with a brilliantly contrived surprise or two that take things in a really intriguing direction - but no spoilers from me!

This is a highly entertaining, read in one sitting book. Pacy, claustrophobic, menacing, and totally addictive, this cements her place at the top of the psychological thriller genre. Long may she reign!

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton, BA Paris and NetGalley for the ARC of The Prisoner.

This book kicked off with some real promise for me. We meet Amelie - a young woman who has had a difficult childhood and was left orphaned when her Dad passes away. With no one to turn to, she is taken in by a kind woman called Carolyn as a housekeeper. She meets a man called Ned, who promises her £100k if he marries her for a month - an attempt to avoid an arranged marriage by his father.

Wanting to go back to university, Amelie agrees, before learning that Ned has done some very bad things. Suddenly Amelie feels trapped and things go from bad to worse when they are kidnapped.

The scenes of Amelie's capture are detailed and immersive and this really held my attention but unfortunately this book lost its way in the second half. I kept waiting for a big reveal, a big twist, a big OMG moment, but it all fell a bit flat for me. I found myself simply sighing when I turned the last page, which is a real shame as i felt there couldve been so much more.

A generous.3 from me.

This was a book that I quite enjoyed but was left disappointed that I didn’t love like previous books by the author.

Amelie has led a difficult life, orphaned at 16, befriended by an older kindly lady then meets a captivating man who proposes a marriage of convenience from which she will come out of a rich woman. Sadly the man is an abuser and when they are both kidnapped things become very bleak for Amelie.

There are some very good descriptions of the kidnap and it feels very real for the reader. I felt underwhelmed by the book sadly and it took me longer to read it than I had planned.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.