🌻 REVIEW 🌻 The Power Couple

I hate leaving bad reviews but this was just okay. The Power Couple is fast, but almost too fast. We jump right in and there isn’t enough time to get to know the characters. And then we jump into the past to hear about the parents and how they came to be, which I found myself skipping because it wasn’t interesting.

I was hoping for a trip within the pages, a family on vacation in Barcelona, the daughter goes out and is missing... that’s about it. I honestly think I’m spoiled with my favorite, Daniel Silva, so maybe my expectations are too high. Some may love it, it just wasn’t for me.

⭐️ Pub Date: February 9, 2021 ⭐️

3/5 🌻🌻🌻

Thank you @simonbooks and @netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

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I've been a longtime fan of Mr. Berenson's John Wells series.
This is a stand alone novel, and not related to the Wells' series, but is enjoyable in its own right.

I read this in one sitting.
The pros:
The characters, are all real, flawed people...who all make mistakes. Its easy to see each person's point of view, and why they did what they did
The plot is taut, and careens from scene to scene without breaks

The cons :
Its hard to choose a side to root for.
The ending, while expected, leaves us vaguely unsatisfied.

Domestic thrillers are my favorite genre ever and this one is the perfect example of why. I seriously couldn't get enough of The Power Couple.

This novel introduces us to Rebecca and Brian Unsworth, an upper class couple living in a pretty house on the outskirts of DC with their two teenage kids, Kira and Tony. But Rebecca and Brian's marriage isn't actually doing so well, so they decide to take a family vacation in Europe to have some fun and revive their sex life.

The key here is that they don't have average jobs, either - Rebecca works in counterterrorism for the FBI while Brian is a coder at the NSA. And when on one night in Barcelona, their daughter Kira is abducted, a literal s* storm starts. The Power Couple is more than a domestic thriller - it's also an espionage thriller, and an excellent one at that. As Kira attempts to break free from her kidnappers, Rebecca and Brian learn more than they ever needed to know about each other while they go through the ultimate test of their marraige.

I highly recommend Berenson's novel to any thriller junkie. I finished it way too late in the night because it really is that good.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exhcnage for an hoenst review.

Wow. I finished The Power Couple moments ago and that was all I could say. This book is a surefire hit on publication. It's a hardcopy book I will be adding to my own personal collections as soon as it is available for purchase. From start to finish, The Power Couple sucks you in and makes you pay attention to every detail. Just when you think you know what turn the story is about to take, it turns in the opposite direction. There were moments I could feel my heart beating furiously as I read the most crucial moments of the story. The character development was impeccable. I had a love-hate relationship with Brian and Rebecca and could see both sides of their stories while also loathing them entirely. It wasn't until I was in the last chapter that I really had a grip on who the "bad guy" of the story actually was. In the age of thriller and suspense books coming out just about every month, this is a book that really grips you and keeps you reading, with a plot and ending that is atypical of books in this genre. This will be one that I know I can wait a few months, reread knowing the ending, and still feel all the emotions I felt reading the book for the first time.

So, an Alex Berenson novel that does not feature John Wells. The Power Couple is quite different. It's a family tale, or a tale about a family, sometimes a bit of a soap opera, but essentially the ups and downs in a marriage with children. Brian is a handsome house husband for much of the novel, Rebecca is an ambitious, pretty FBI agent. The novel takes off after Brian gets a job with the NSA, now privy to as many secrets in his job as Rebecca is in hers. Their 20th anniversary trip to Europe explodes when their daughter is kidnapped. Searching for her is much of the drama, but it also strains the marriage again.
Berenson writes strong characters who are interesting if not likable. The surrounding cast are given personalities too, adding to the interest. How the kidnapping occurs and how it is resolved are the prime reason to read The Power Couple, unless you need marital advice, then you get that too! I liked the novel a lot, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't mind seeing John Wells again!
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Power Couple!! Really good book! Love the story-line! Great read! Recommend this one!!!!!! Mixture of the movie "Taken" and the Natalie Holloway story. Love it!

Very good story line. Enjoyed the writing style and the characters. The author did a very good job of intertwining their lives. I really enjoyed this story and look forward to more from this author.

Wow, wow, wow! What an amazing espionage thriller! What began as a (literal!) rollercoaster honestly never slowed down. The characters were well executed with a taut, clever storyline that flowed perfectly. I highly recommend this book. I couldn't justify putting it down for anything. Now to catch up on housework that I gladly put aside to read this novel.

I would like to thank Alex Berenson, Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

On the outside, this type of book seems like a book I normally wouldn't read. I have read all of Berenson's John Wells novels, so I figured I'd give it a whirl. And I'm glad I did because it went from something I was 'meh' about to a book I couldn't put down. The pacing was just right and the way Berenson broke up the book, while risky, works incredibly well. While seemingly different than anything he's written before it still feels familiar yet totally fresh.

This was an incredible espionage thriller that started of as a literal rollercoaster and never slowed down. The characters were well drawn and the storyline flowed seamlessly. Highly recommended!

A domestic thriller with an espionage twist! An international domestic thriller! Great fast-paced and original book. I don’t normally read espionage thrillers and didn’t know this was going to be one — and I’m glad because I wouldn’t have wanted to miss this. Though it’s a spy story, it’s primarily a story about a marriage — what happens when that marriage is thrust into crisis and long-held secrets bubble to the surface.

I think it’s best to go into this book as blind as I did for maximum fun with the reveals. I really enjoyed the tough female characters (both mother and daughter), the backstory of the marriage and the fast paced plot. This book is My Lovely Wife meets the CIA. It is wickedly delightful.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster, Alex Berenson and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book. A totally different kind of domestic thriller that was very fun.

This book was hard to put down. I loved the way the author carried the reader back and forth from the present to the past to reveal more about the main characters. I did not love the ending, but maybe it was the only logical conclusion. I would read anther by this author!

Part thriller part romance. A couple whose marriage gets stale gets thrown in headlong into a mystery they must solve together. I highly recommend this.

Oh my lord I loved this book. I loved how close I got to know the characters and their lives. The end blew me away and I’m not okay. Throughout the whole book I was wanting more and more. I loved the way things ended up and I’d totally buy a physical copy to read again.

Loved it!! What a great book. It grabs you from the start and all the twists will keep you wanting more. Definitely grab a copy of this amazing book.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Brian and Rebecca are on vacation in Barcelona when there 19 year old daughter is kidnapped. A parents worst nightmare. This book kept me interested from start to finish.