Book Review: The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

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The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray is a historical fiction novel that spans many years and tells of the friendship between former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune. I don't know if I would have picked up this book if it hadn't been the August selection for one of the book clubs I belong to in my area because I don't read a lot of historical fiction. However, I am so glad that I read it and was able to learn many things I hadn't learned about in any of my history classes.  I don't recall learning anything about Mary McLeod Bethune, and she is an important part of American history. The things she helped spearhead to provide African American people equal rights is quite impressive. One of the things I was horrified to learn about is Franklin D. Roosevelt's resistance to stop lynchings because he was afraid of losing the Southern Democrats backing for his New Deal Bill. Another thing that I fo...

Book Review: The Prisoner by B.A. Paris

Book Review The Prisoner by B.A. Paris ba paris
The Prisoner by B.A. Paris opens with Amelie losing her father to cancer and striking out to make it on her own as she doesn't want to be a ward of the state.  She eventually marries billionaire Jed Hawthorne, but one night, Amelie is awakened and finds herself and Jed being kidnapped.  Why are they being kidnapped, and who are her captors?

A big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the Advanced Readers Copy of The Prisoner by B.A. Paris in exchange for my honest review.  This author is one of my favorite authors, so I was ecstatic that my request to review this book was approved.

The first thing that struck me about The Prisoner were some of the similarities between this book and The Family Game by Catherine Steadman.  Both books feature a main character that has been orphaned and a handsome, wealthy man who is isn't who you think he is.  However, that is where the semblance ends.  With that being said, there were times that I was getting the two confused since I read both books back to back.

The Prisoner was told from alternating timelines, which added mystery to the story.  This was done exceptionally well without detracting from the reading experience.  It was action packed and well written.  I found myself rushing through the book to finish because it was that engaging, and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen.  It was so captivating that I read The Prisoner in less than twenty-four hours.  I wanted Amelie to be okay and couldn't care less about what happened to her husband because he turned out to be that despicable. The only thing that I didn't particularly care for was the ending, which seemed a little abrupt to me.  I wish there had been a bit more backstory to Ned and more character development of Amelie's friends.
 
Four out of five stars is what I gave The Prisoner by B.A. Paris and can't wait to read her next novel.  I guess I'm in for a long wait.

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