By: Danielle Ramsay
Narrator: Alicia Grace Turrell
ISBN: 9781837511006
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Publication Date: 05/26/2023
Format: e-book
My Rating: 4 Stars (ARC)
How do you know if you've married the wrong person?
It was a whirlwind romance and we had the perfect relationship.
He was my dream partner, loving, caring, attentive… until the day I married him and things became toxic.
I spent my wedding night in A&E with an ‘unexplained’ broken wrist – but I knew what happened….
My romantic illusions shattered. My fear of the future heightened.
The man I had fallen in love with wasn’t the man I married.
And that was just the start of things to come.
Quickly things escalated. He isolated me from family and friends, and with no one to turn to, he began to control every part of my life.
I tried to escape, but he watched my every move.
Until one day he went too far, and I found my strength to fight back.
I no longer wanted to be a victim.
I wanted to live.
I wanted my life back.
But at what cost?
In sickness and in health and till death us do part…
My Review
Inspired by a true story, Danielle Ramsay's latest gripping domestic suspense thriller, THE PERFECT HUSBAND —a woman is trapped, caught up in an abusive marriage—a terrifying emotional tale of survival.
Sophie thought she had met the one: the perfect older husband, Jay.
Within the past year, her father had died, followed by Ben breaking off their engagement and Jay entering her life. She had sold her flat in London and bought an overly-priced cottage overlooking the ocean in Cornwall. She was newly married, but had she married the wrong person?
However, on her wedding night, she is at the hospital with a broken wrist at the hand of her new husband, Jay. A man who had spent eight months adoring her, blinding her with his love. He was supposed to be her soulmate, her best friend—the wedding on the Cornish beach.
Now he is her worst enemy. What happened to the man she married and fell in love with? A husband of eight hours has turned into a MONSTER.
How will she ESCAPE?
Her wedding to Jay was the antithesis of the wedding Ben, her ex, and she had planned. Jay controlled it all. An older musician out of work. What does she see in him?
Were there warnings that she ignored?
She ran away from Ben and the memories to Cornwall, and then there was Jay. What was Jay running from? She recalled Tom's words, "How well do you know him?"
Jay controls every part of Sophie's life, goes through her phone, monitors everything she does, manipulates and humiliates her, all typical of an abuser—jealousy, gaslighting and isolating her from her family and chipping away her self-esteem.
The plan was Jay would make money from his music. Sophie would have countless bestsellers and film deals. And children. That had been the plan.
From before the wedding, and after the wedding, Barbados and after.
Sophie thinks of herself as a feminist. She is financially independent, successful, clever, and attractive, so how could she have ended up with someone like this?
Jay manipulates, physically, and mentally assaults and abuses her. Till death do us part. Will he let her go? She feels she is losing herself and her mind. Now she is a shadow of her former self.
Now her mom and sister are cut out of her life due to Jay. She has no one. He is stealing her money, and she had been naïve. He had purposely isolated her, leaving her at his mercy. Now he is raping and drugging her. Her life has turned into a horror nightmare.
She is grateful she is still on the pill and would not have children with his man. She must get away from him. She needs a plan. He says he will kill and torture her if she considers leaving him. Then her cat.
"I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear." —Rosa Parks
If the authorities do not see her husband as a threat, how can they protect her? She refuses to be one in three women killed weekly by a man in the UK.
As with all abusers, he makes himself look like the good guy and her the irritating, hysterical woman—deranged and delusional, spitefully making a drama out of a minor domestic.
Now that Jay has lost the image of the perfect husband, friend, and neighbor, he is even more dangerous. What else does he have to lose?
When will he come for her?
However, now Sophie also has nothing else to lose. Will she find the courage to escape this psychopath, this nightmare—survive and get revenge? Outsmart him?
"The most dangerous thing of any society is the man who has nothing to lose." —James Baldwin
Emotionally compelling, a cautionary tale of revenge and betrayal, THE PERFECT HUSBAND will haunt you long after you race through the pages. I loved all the remarkable quotes.
The author does a fantastic job with the highly-charged topics of domestic suspense, fears, and anxiety with compassion and delves deep into the devious mind of the psychopath and the victim. As usual, he has done this before.
Often difficult to read, as I have experienced this kind of relationship firsthand with my first marriage. Fortunately, I finally escaped. Sadly, often nothing can be done to protect the victims until someone is seriously injured or dead—too late.
Thanks to the author for this story and her work with domestic violence, which I highly support. I think it would have been helpful to include an author's note and resources for victims of domestic abuse like other authors have done.
"A man attaches himself to a woman—not to enjoy her, but to enjoy himself."—Simone de Beauvoir
If you enjoyed THE PERFECT HUSBAND, I highly recommend reading Kimberly Belle's My Darling Husband, The Marriage Lie, Stranger in the Lake, and especially, Dear Wife. Also check out Lisa Gardner's The Perfect Husband.
My first book by the author, and I look forward to reading more.
Thank you to #Boldwood and #NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Date: May 26, 2023
About the Author
Danielle Ramsay is the best-selling Scottish author of seven novels, including five Jack Brady crime novels set in a small seaside resort in the North East of England, one of which, The Puppet Maker, Martina Cole described as 'Totally fabulous'. These were followed by a thriller,The Last Cut. Her latest book, the first in a series of three standalone psychological thrillers, is The Perfect Husband.
Danielle spends her time wild water swimming, running, and beach walks with her Westie.
Danielle is the Patron of the charity SomeOne Cares which counsels survivors of domestic violence, rape and child abuse. WEBSITE
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