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 naive. 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.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Date: May 26, 2023
May 2023 Must-Read Books

This is my first book by Danielle Ramsay so I didn’t have any expectations. If I did this story would have blown them away! From the very first chapter we know Sophie married the wrong type of person. The book details their relationship including domestic violence. Sophie’s strength during this story is unmatched. I love her character and how determined she was to see her husband brought to justice and save herself. This is not one of those books that you are yelling at Sophie why she is putting up with Jay. It is a story that you are cheering her in as she finds a way out. Excellent book!

Sometimes you get so invested in a book, that your emotions go on a complete rollercoaster journey. This is raw, terrifying and unfortunately experienced by too many woman.

This is a book that will chill you to the core. I’ve had tears streaming as I’ve read this book. Ramsay has taken taken a subject that we hear about more and more, shone a spotlight onto it and provided an account of horror, evil and survival. Parts of this have been completely terrifying, I’ve been so caught up I’ve forgotten to breathe.

I was hooked by this from the beginning. Ramsay is a great writer and is able to make the reader forget reality. I devoured this book in just one sitting. I have no regrets and I’m a converted fan of this author. I need more.

This has been a truly addictive read and one that I was unwilling to put down. I have loved Sophie from very early on. Her experiences are horrific at the hands of her husband and although I’ve gasped in shock, unfortunately this is real life for too many individuals.

Ramsay is remarkable and this is a wonderful read. I have been completely enthralled, emotional and impressed by this one

The book is very well written. I only wish the book went over some days before they got married so we had more details. I love the look of the cover page and how the book is laid out. The epilogue at the end was very well and tied it up perfectly.

The fact this story is based on a True story is deeply unsettling, the author had me turning the pages so fast I was so absorbed and desperate for Sophie to get her happy ending. The way Jay is the perfect example of a master manipulator and his behaviour is exact definition of gaslighting. This is such a well plotted story that made you feel Sophie's emotions perfectly and I was constantly on edge trying to guess his next move.

If you love pulse pounding thrillers that will take your breath away this is a must read, well done Danielle Ramsey.

•𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℙ𝕖𝕣𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥 ℍ𝕦𝕤𝕓𝕒𝕟𝕕
•𝔻𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕖 ℝ𝕒𝕞𝕤𝕒𝕪

Thanks to @rachelsrandomresources for a space on this tour with this @danielle.ramsay.author thriller published by @bookandtonic

Sophie & Jay have an interesting start to their marriage with Sophie ending up at A&E after 'she slipped'.

Jay appears to be the caring, doting husband but is all as it seems?

This book had my heart racing with anticipation of what was going to happen next! Absolute unhinged behaviour displayed that's for sure!

This was inspired by a true story & I can totally see how this happens & how manipulative people can be 😔

4🌟

#boldwoodbooks #books #bookstagram #danielleramsay #rachelsrandomresources

I received an advance review book for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you Danielle Ramsay, Netgalley, and Rachel's Random Resources. I'm excited to be a part of this tour.

Based on a true story, this book is graphic at times and is not for all readers. The book includes the following TWs – gaslighting, spousal abuse, and the death of a pet. The book was hard for me to read at times, yet I understand the importance of the TWs to move the story forward. It’s a bit of a slow burn but once it starts, the pieces fall into place.

The plot is realistic, and I have known women in these types of relationships. Reading this book took me back to those times. Sophie’s thoughts were important to the story, and I found myself empathizing with her after her marriage to Jay. I was disappointed that her mom and sister seemed to abandon her. Though having lived through this with a friend I understand the power of isolation and the role it plays in perpetuating the abuse.

Jay’s ability to chip away at Sophie’s memories, sanity, and self-esteem achieved the results he wanted while costing Sophie everything. Overall, if you can get past the triggers the book is an engaging page turner you won’t want to put down.

This definitely a one sitting book, such a fantastic start! Completely showing Jay‘s true personality!

The author has created such addictive characters, I was urging Sophie to come to her senses quicker, she was shouted at a lot, it portrayed gaslighting perfectly, especially how it is used to isolate.

The writing is really intense and mixed with the terrifying nature of domestic violence, will mean you won’t be able to turn the page fast enough.

A story that will not be easy to read for some as it has a few trigger warnings e.g. physical and physcological abuse, domestic abuse, alcoholism etc. but I found myself riveted and on the edge of my seat throughout dying to know what would happen next. Sophie has just married Jay but ends up in hospital on her wedding night and it just gets worse from there. Who is this man she has married and how is she going to get away from him? A physcological thriller with action galore and will keep you on your toes. I was not expecting the ending but it was a beauty and I loved it.

☆☆☆
Inspired by a true story! It would be interesting to know what details are accurate.

How do you know if you've married the wrong person? In this case, I’d like to point out that Sophie and Jay only dated for eight freaking months but I don’t want to be a hypocrite. I dated my current husband for six months before we got married but….we’d known each other for 14 years.

Another clue might be that he was perfect during those eight months. Impossible! And then he turns into Mr. Hyde on your wedding night. Red flag…run!

Sophie’s fiancee just called off the wedding when she meets Jay. He’s caring, devoted, mature, and older than her. He’s a guitarist, on the verge of fame, but currently out of work because his band members are dicks and threw him out of the band. He’s full of stories like this and sounds sleazy throughout the book. No looks, no job, no money. What does Sophie see in him?

The writing was good but this plot has been overused and it’s hard for an author to add anything that makes it exceptional.

#ThePerfectHusband #DanielleRamsay #boldwoodbooks #netgalley #rachelsrandomresources #honestreview #giftedARC #thrillerfriendsunite #mysteryandthrills #readwithme #bookaddict #thrilleraddict #thrillersofinstagram #bookstagrammer #lovebooks #bookreviewersofinstagram

I received a complimentary copy of this book "The Perfect Husband" and all opinions expressed are my own. The subject matter made it a little hard to read but overall a page turner. I didn't realize it was based on a true story. I couldn't believe that her family would just say no more, goodbye, don't want to see you without further investigating. How do you just give up on your daughter? Overall okay book.

This domestic thriller starts out strong and keeps going right until the end. On her wedding night, Sophie finds herself in the emergency room with a broken wrist, wondering how her groom has so suddenly transformed into a monster. In the days that follow, things only get worse. The protagonist is a likeable woman who is plunged into a nightmare and I absolutely could not put the book down. It felt too real, like something that could happen. The book's Amazon page said it's inspired by a true story, which leaves me wondering how much of this could be real.

✨ Book Review - ARC ✨

📖: The Perfect Husband
✍🏼: Danielle Ramsay
⭐️: 3.75/5

Book releases 5/26

*Please make sure you check TW - especially those related to DV*

✨ “ It was as if I had found myself in a warzone, surviving one day to the next, unable to plan for the future.”

✨ “I had no idea what had happened to the man I fell in love with and married. His personality had radically changed hours after exchanging our vows. There was no forewarning, no red flags in the months, let alone days, leading up to yesterday. Nothing precipitated him calling me such vile, hurtful names. Misogynistic slurs that I couldn’t bring myself to repeat.”

✨ “Freeing yourself was one thing, claiming ownership of that freed self was another.”

Sophie marries the man who she believes is the love of her life. She learns quickly who she married isn’t who he is.

On the night of their wedding, Jay snaps Sophie’s wrist and breaks it. He makes up a lie to tell everyone that Sophie fell. She goes along with it afraid of what would happen if she didn’t. That was only the beginning of her nightmare.

The way DV starts and how abusers work and change scenarios and get in the mind of victims is portrayed really well in this book.

Jay gets into Sophie’s head and makes her start doubting herself and also altering events that happen to make Sophie think they didn’t really happen the way she remembers.

She knows something isn’t right, but she doesn’t know what.

She’s alone.

She’s been isolated from friends and family.

Jay has taken over everything including Sophie’s finances. He had nothing when they got together.

Sophie starts to discover secrets.

She needs to get out and away from Jay safely.

But, is it too late?

This was a very powerful and disturbing read involving gaslighting, spousal abuse and pet death. I was really tense the entire time I read this but I couldn't stop and wound up binging this in one day. I really liked how the victim's inner thoughts were included, her own inner voice to talk reason to herself. I found it terrifyingly plausible how someone could find themselves in this type of relationship. Her husband slowly isolated her from her family and friends and chipped away at her self esteem, sanity and her own recollections and memories of events. If you can get past all the triggers this was a real pager turner!

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Danielle Ramsay for an advanced reader copy.

The Perfect Husband - But not the perfect book.
2 Stars

The book fails to build the necessary tension. It is slow and fails to engage the reader.

The characters are underdeveloped and shallow.

Thank you netgalley and to the publishers for this arc copy. I really felt for this person while reading this book and all the other women that are in situation similar to this. I couldnt imagine going through something like this. This is not my typically thriller but i enjoyed because i needed something different like this. But i did keep waiting for more to happen . i enjoyed the ending though

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC. I was so excited to read this book but it wasn't anything like i had expected. I also didn't realize it was a true story until later on. It's a hard read with a lot of difficult subject matter. I didn't really see it as a thriller either. It was more so just a sad story.

Wow, a real page turner that brings to life the subject of coercive control and abuse. A totally believable story line that has you almost shouting out load to try and warn the victim. Gripping and addictive this would make such an excellent film and also perhaps raises awareness of things to look out for in relationships

There were just too many triggers for me. Domestic,psychological Abuse but mostly death of a pet

Thanks for allowing me to read this arc

This is a really difficult read as it’s such a raw portrayal of domestic abuse. However, it’s well written and completely drew me in. The story has been handled compassionately and shows real impact. It’s a very good book that will stick with me.