BLOG TOUR REVIEW: The Paris Widow – by Kimberly Belle

Hello and welcome to my stop of the The Paris Widow HTP Summer 2024 Blog Tour! A huge thanks to Kali Luckhee for inviting me to be part of this blog tour. I’ve enjoyed Kimberly Belle‘s writing in the past and I always love an international setting, so of course I couldn’t resist The Paris Widow. I think it might be my new favorite book written by her! Want to know why? Please join me while I share my thoughts…

Title: The Paris Widow
Author: Kimberly Belle
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
First published: June 11th 2024
Publisher: Park Row
Finished reading: May 16th 2024
Pages: 320

“A giant bag of lies, a hit list of betrayals, and all this time I had no idea. His poor, blind fool of a wife.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Park Row in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

REVIEW

!! Happy publication day !!

I tend to enjoy Kimberly Belle‘s writing, so I was interested in The Paris Widow even before I read the blurb. Then I saw that the premise promised an international setting, an explosion and a husband with a secret life, and I wanted to read this story even more. And I have to say that this is probably my new favorite book written by this author! This is EXACTLY my kind of thriller: fast-paced, action-packed and highly engaging. And while things can be said about the credibility of it all, it sure provides you with an absolutely riveting and thrilling rollercoaster ride!

If you like thrillers with an international setting and/or travel element, you are in for a treat with The Paris Widow. This story takes you to different locations in Europe, although the main country is France. The descriptions make it feel as if you were part of the couple’s journey, and I liked what the travel element added to the plot in general. Like I said, the story is mainly set in France though, and the majority in its capital Paris. I loved how important this city was in the plot, and the use of French phrases only helped give the setting authenticity.

The Paris Widow uses a dual POV structure to tell the story, with a mystery POV right at the beginning as well (although it’s pretty obvious who it is). We have chapters told from Stella’s POV in the present set in Paris, and there are flashbacks to certain dates in the recent past told from Adam’s POV and in different locations in Europe. Stella’s POV is where the real action is and feels more urgent, while Adam’s POV is mostly to help explain exactly what he was up to. His POV was great for adding an ominous vibe to it all though!

The plot is structured in such a way that you are in the same situation as the main character Stella; clueless about what her husband was really like and in the dark about what was happening after the explosion. This made it so much easier to create a bond with Stella, and I literally couldn’t stop reading as I HAD to know the full truth. Adam’s chapters were a nice touch as well, as it gave us that travel element with multiple European locations as well as little hints at what he was hiding. I had such a great time following Stella as she tried figuring everything out, and I think her character is part of the reason this story works so well.

I do have to say that The Paris Widow is one of those stories where you definitely have to be able to suspend your disbelief to be able to enjoy it, because especially the second half is quite over the top and not exactly credible. It sure makes for an extremely entertaining ride though, and there is plenty of action and danger to be found lurking around every corner. High speed, high octane and exhilarating indeed! The way everything was wrapped up in the end was also quite convenient, but I think it fitted the rest of the story very well.

In short, if you are looking for a story that will deliver the thrill in thriller, The Paris Widow definitely fits the bill. It’s my new favorite Kimberly Belle story and I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed she will write similar stories in the future… I was hooked from the very first chapter!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kimberly Belle worked in marketing and nonprofit fundraising before turning to writing fiction. A graduate of Agnes Scott College, Kimberly lived for over a decade in the Netherlands and currently divides her time between Atlanta and Amsterdam. She is the bestselling author of The Marriage Lie, Three Days Missing, Dear Wife, as well as The Last Breath, The Ones We Trust, Stranger in the Lake, My Darling Husband, and The Personal Assistant.