The Perfect Husband by Lisa Gardner

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📚 Book Review: The Perfect Husband by Lisa Gardner

⭐ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 3 out of 5

A thriller with a killer premise… but not enough steam for this reader’s taste.

🔪 The Premise

Tess Williams thought she married the perfect man. Jim Beckett was a decorated cop, the kind of guy who made everyone swoon. But beneath the charming exterior? A monster.

👉 Jim murdered ten women — and planned for Tess to be number eleven.
👉 Tess managed to survive, testify, and send him to prison.
👉 Six years later, Jim escapes — and Tess knows he’s coming for her and their daughter.

So what does a terrified woman do? Hire a broken, broody ex-mercenary (J.T. Dillon) to teach her how to survive.

💥 What to expect (spoiler-lite)

  • Lots of intense survival training — guns, hand-to-hand combat, wilderness prep

  • A simmering, slow-burn tension between Tess and J.T.

  • A smart and vicious villain leaving bodies in his wake

  • A final showdown that’s brutal and satisfying

🌶 Was there smut?

✔ Some.
There are steamy moments and tension between Tess and J.T. — enough to make me hopeful.

❌ Not as much as I expected (or wanted).
I picked this up thinking I was in for lots of romantic suspense steam. While there were glimpses, this was more survival thriller than smutty romance.

⏳ What worked for me

✅ The premise — a woman fighting to take back her power from a nightmare ex
✅ Tess’s growth — she truly transforms from terrified to fierce
✅ The final stretch — once the action starts, I was hooked

😫 What didn’t work for me

❌ The pacing — the middle dragged. Those endless training scenes made me want to skim.
❌ My own misplaced expectations — I wanted more romance, more heat. What I got was boot camp.
❌ Jim’s brilliance felt almost too unstoppable at times

💡 Final thoughts

The Perfect Husband wasn’t a bad read. In fact, I think many suspense fans would love it. But I came in wanting a romantic suspense heavy on the “romance,” and got a thriller heavy on the “training montage.”

👉 Will I keep reading the series? Probably — I’ve heard The Third Victim and beyond shift in tone, and I’m curious where it goes!

✨ Recommended if you like…

  • Strong, resilient heroines (think The Silent Corner by Dean Koontz)

  • Slow-burn danger with a touch of romance (try Hidden by Laura Griffin)

  • Gritty thrillers with smart villains

📌 Where to buy it

👉 The Perfect Husband on Amazon (affiliate link)

💬 Let’s chat!

Did The Perfect Husband deliver for you? Were you expecting more steam too? Drop your thoughts below!

🏷 Tags:

Lisa Gardner book review | The Perfect Husband review | romantic suspense thriller | Quincy & Rainie series | books with strong female leads | serial killer fiction


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