📚 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)
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Lots of intense survival training — guns, hand-to-hand combat, wilderness prep
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A simmering, slow-burn tension between Tess and J.T.
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A smart and vicious villain leaving bodies in his wake
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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…
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Strong, resilient heroines (think The Silent Corner by Dean Koontz)
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Slow-burn danger with a touch of romance (try Hidden by Laura Griffin)
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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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