I found this book to be boring and very slow to get into the actual story. I struggled with it however, I did finish it but I wasn’t enthralled with it.

This is bonkers, and also slightly predictable. But also jolly good fun!
We start with Amelie who didn't have the best start in life, losing her parents at an early age, but has made a go of things. And then she meets Jed Hawthorne, handsome billionaire owner of a magazine. And he sweeps her off her feet. They begin a whirlwind romance - secret initially - but then, on a private flight to Vegas, he pops the question...
And so begins a very different story for Amelie which, as with ALL of this author's books, needs to be discovered as the author intends without spoilers. Needless to say, if you have read this author before, you need to go in as blind as you can with this one too.
The story is told in two timelines. Before and after. Delivered in short punchy chapters the story switches between them seamlessly, the past delivering information to make the present narrative progress and make more sense. It does all escalate a little over the top though but in a "seat-of-your-pants how is she gonna get out of this when all that has happened already" kind of way! You'll understand that if you choose to read the book.
I am not sure how I felt about Amelie. She was a bit game of two halves for me. Not wholly consistent through the book. I get that the bad things changed her, but she really had so much thrown at her... well, you'll see. I just didn't buy into her completely. Some of her choices didn't sit right.
Not the author's best book but a thoroughly decent enough read in itself. Previous comments notwithstanding. And which did leave me mostly satisfied at the end - rolling my eyes, but satisfied. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I have read and enjoyed all B.A. Paris' books but unfortunately I found The Prisoner to only be an OK read. I felt it was too much of a slow burner at the beginning, although it did pick up pace as the story progressed. I also thought it was over long and quite unrealistic. I look forward to reading further books by B.A. Paris but unfortunately this one missed the mark for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for my ARC.

The Prisoner by BA Paris
I give this book 4 stars

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?

This starts with a bang and the books chapters alternate between a past and present storyline which flowed well and l enjoyed the pace..The chapters were short and snappy to keep you engaged and the twists are there along the way to shock you.Will you be able to work out who the kidnappers are before the reveal? While reading you may need to suspend belief a tiny bit (but this was no problem for me it’s fiction after all) It’s a book of two parts and I loved them both.
With thanks to Netgalley,BA Paris and Hodder and Stoughton for my chance to read and review this book

Claustrophobic…
Isolated, alone, in darkness. A terrifying situation for Amelie. Or so you would think. Is she, in fact, safer than she has ever been? Atmosphere abounds in this tension building suspense with a dark and menacing undercurrent. With an immersive narrative, well defined characters and a clever juxtaposition between past and present timelines this claustrophobic read is one for the lights on.

The book starts with young Amelie locked in a dark room with occasional food and drink supplied by a mysterious man.

Apparently she has been kidnapped along with her super wealthy husband Ned, but they are not in the same room. She doesn't know why she is there and the story slowly unfolds as to the reason why.

Other than the kidnapping and Amelie trying to escape, there was little action, but credit to the author being able to describe the darkness and the days Amelie is being held there. To relieve the monotony for the reader the kidnapping is told in the present with Amelie's back story (for what it's worth) told in the past.

An enjoyable yarn but if you want a complicated ending then this is right up your street! Sometimes difficult to believe with Amelie trying to make sense of it all.

Thanks to Net Galley and Hodder and Stoughton for the chance to read and review.

Having read previous books by this author, I was looking forward to her latest one. As with all of her books, this one did not disappoint! A compulsive and compelling psychological thriller, told over two timelines.
Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read and review this gripping arc.

This story starts with a bang when Amelie is pulled from her bed and taken to an unknown destination where she is held in isolation in total darkness. Her husband is held in another part of the house. The story unfolds between the Past and the Present with emphasis on Amelie's character and what makes her the resilient character she is. It is fast paced and a real page-turner.
Part Two is a little slower but what has gone before is gradually explained with more twists and turns.
A little far-fetched in places but a compulsive read nonetheless.
Three and a half stars for me!
Many thanks to Netgalley/B.A. Paris/Hodder & Stoughton for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I was a huve fan of BA Paris' Behind Closed Doors but none of the books from this author have packed the same pinch since. This one did come close though! It was easy to read and exciting so I raced through it, it's told in two parts and makes for a good thriller. I wasn't expecting the twist and didn't find it as exciting as it could have been, but overall a great read

I’d like to thank Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Prisoner’ by B A Paris in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Amelie is dragged from her bed and driven to a building where she’s held isolated in a pitch black room. She spends the long days planning how to escape, not only from her abductors but also from her husband Ned who she doesn’t feel safe with and who she can hear in the room below. Who are these men holding her against her will and who never speak?

‘The Prisoner’ alternates from the past as Amelie’s father dies and she looks for work in London where she meets Ned Hawthorpe, to the present time as she’s taken from her bed and locked in a darkened room. Although it’s well-written with an unusual storyline I’ve not liked the characters and have found it difficult to work up any enthusiasm for this latest book. It’s a little too slow for my liking and other than the initial kidnap and Amelie walking around her ’cell’ plotting her escape it simply isn’t working for me. Which is a pity as it’s the fifth novel I’ve read by B A Paris and thoroughly enjoyed each one, so it could be that my mindset isn’t in the right place and I may need to come back to it later. But despite feeling negatively about this book it won’t deter me from looking forward to reading further novels by this author.

3.5 stars rounded up

Amelie has always been a survivor, from losing her parents, to making it on her own in London. As she builds a life for herself, she is swept up into a glamourous lifestyle where she married the handsome billionaire, Ned Hawthorne. But then 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?

Amelie has been kidnapped and kept locked in a dark room. She has no idea who would kidnap her or why the captors never spoke to her. Her newlywed husband Ned, the son of a billionaire philanthropist, was also kidnapped. The story has two timelines - the past: the events that took place leading up to the kidnap. Present day: what happened after they were kidnapped. This is not one of B. A. Paris' better thrillers, but I still enjoyed it. I was totally gripped for the first 70ish %. The last 30% was a bit weird, the ending seemed to drag out, and then it ended abruptly. There also seemed to be some loose ending left hanging. The story is told from Amelie's point of view. The characters weren't all that likeable/

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HodderStoughton and the author #BAParis for my ARC of #ThePrisoner in exchange for an honest review.

Having read previous books by this author, I was looking forward to this latest one. I quite enjoyed it but didn't think it was as good as the others. Amelie wakes up in a dark room, not knowing what has happened but certain she has been kidnapped. The only good thing is that she is not with her husband who she knows is a very dangerous man. The plot was fast moving but I found it to be over complicated and therefore quite far fetched. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
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An excellent and compelling read. The main character is Amelie who is taken prisoner along with her wealthy husband. The story covers two timelines and the reader eventually becomes aware of the reason for the kidnap.

Well this is an intoxicating read from Paris, I was instantly hooked by this and gripped all the way through as we discover what happens to Amelie. Amelie's story starts tragically, and we follow her as it magically begins to look up but of course things never do run smoothly and soon she is a prisoner. From here, Paris weaves between the past and present day, detailing how Amelie has ended up where she has and what will happen next.
As I have said I was completely gripped by this, not only is the plot compelling and tightly woven but the characters are a delight. They are not all likeable, but they all play their part spectacularly well ensured they brought drama to the plot.
'The Prisoner' is intense and has a few twists along the way.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy.

I’ve missed a B A Paris book.
Behind closed doors will always be one of my favourite ever books.
So, as an auto buy author, I was so happy to receive an advanced copy of the latest novel, and invited to be part of the tour

B A Paris is a fantastic author. She knows instantly how to pull the reader in and she did just that with this book. I was hooked, pulled in and did not want to put this book down
The book is told in two parts. The first one we learn of Amelia’s kidnapping.
The chapters alternate from past to present. My heart really went out for Amelia and her background and the things we learned of in her present; I can really see why they effected her so much
The short snappy chapters just worked perfectly and I found myself whizzing through it.
The writing was dark; tense and suspenseful and the reader just wants more
Part 2 is after the capture. Whilst I enjoyed reading how everything came together and thought it fitted I really did think that the second part could have been a bit longer. It felt a little rushed. We get the answers and there is closure but I would have preferred part 2 to be a bit chunkier
Overall. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I felt the main characters anxiety and desperation to escape the prison. I would thoroughly recommend it and I think anyone who loves b a paris books will love it too!

A fast-paced and claustrophobic read, The Prisoner is a complex and binge-worthy psychological thriller with lots of atmosphere and a number of great twists.

Told over two timelines, the past and the present, The Prisoner, for me, was a book of two halves. The present is incredibly gripping and had me hooked from the beginning. Why was Amelie here? Who had taken her? What did they want from her?

As Amelie is forced into a pitch-black room with no idea what's going on, the story feels instantly tense as the past and present slowly start to meet up with each other to reveal what's going on.

But while it was really interesting to see how Amelie found herself to be in her present situation and get to know her properly, I just didn't find the past as effective. This is only my second book by this author after loving Behind Closed Doors, so I found the fact that Amelie had been gaslighted by a powerful man to be a little tedious as I feel like I had read it all before. I did really like Amelie as a character and thought she was developed well, but I just couldn't invest in her more strongly when I couldn't help but eye-roll at her situation.

And then comes the book's ending, which I found a little underwhelming, as well. The answers themselves as to why Amelie was forced into this situation were unpredictable and cleverly plotted, but it was the setting of the final scenes that took away a lot of the intensity, for me, which left me on a dip of enthusiasm rather than a high of shock.

My criticisms here are likely because I read a lot of thrillers so there are a few tropes that I see too often. But overall, I did find this thriller very entertaining and I will always be excited by what BA Paris writes next.

Found this book okay but think it could have been much shorter. There seemed to be long periods where not a lot happened and at times I struggled to keep interested.

I'm glad I persevered as it did get better as it went on. Good winter read over a cuppa.

Another fast paced psychological thriller from B A Paris. I was hooked from the beginning. As a reader you are kept as much 'in the dark' as the prisoner. The story is told from Amelie's point of view and is moved forward with flashbacks, past and present. . After a while I did feel that the 'present' was a little repetitive. Nevertheless an enjoyable read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the advance copy of this book.

A fast-paced, claustrophobic read that will keep you guessing until the end! I was hooked from the first pages, as Amelie is locked in a pitch-dark room with no idea why. The reason is slowly revealed through flashbacks, and there are plenty of twists to keep you wondering! An entertaining, tension-filled read that's perfect for cold autumn days! Highly recommend.

I really didn't enjoy this book.
I have loved B.A Paris' books in the past, but this one really didn't work for me.

The main issue was the pacing. It just felt so slow, and every time we went back to 'the present' it all just felt very repetitive. It took a long time before anything really happened in both strands of the narrative. But especially in 'the present'
I found the central character unlikeable, despite her misfortunes at the beginning of the book I just couldn't empathise with her.

Would definitely recommend BA Paris's other books over this one.