Decir que me ha parecido una novela perfecta, quizá sería un poco exagerado; pero sólo quizás. Creo que una de las cosas más difíciles de lograr al escribir una novela, es caracterizar a los personajes hasta hacerlos reales; y más si hablamos de un psicópata. Y Novak lo ha conseguido con un realismo perfecto! Es más, no le doy las cinco estrellas, porque quiero que me sorprenda aún más con sus otros libros.40 s Pepa982 258

4.5-5 ... con un buen epílogo le hubiera dado las 5

No diré que es una novela romántica porque la relación entre ambos me ha parecido totalmente irrelevante y aunque aporta, se queda en poco. Pero merece la pena por ese Colin y todas las relaciones y personajes que aparecen

Me ha llamado mucho más la atención todo lo demás.

El malo es un personaje que me ha encantado, mucho más complejo de lo que parece.
La autora ha conseguido retratar, creo que de forma bastante acertada, la mente y el comportamiento de un psicópata, sin obviar, esa seguridad, inseguridad, orgullo, mente despiadada
y falta total de sentimientos que aún a él mismo le sorprenden y ese carisma capaz de conquistar a los que le rodean. Su relación con la mujer aporta esa realidad de pareja que me ha tenido más atrapada incluso que la pareja protagonista

Trata tantos temas complejos y delicados que te pasas toda la novela con el corazón en un puño y temiendo alguna escena que te pueda hacer saltar el corazón.
Distintos tipos de relaciones, distintas formas de afrontar una mala experiencia (por decirlo suavemente) en el pasado
Lo única que me ha faltado es más peso en la relación... ya no tan solo a lo largo de la novela sino incluso con ese final que me ha dejado

Una lectura muy recomendable a las que gustáis de las novelas policiacas con una pizca de romancebrenda-novak contemporáneo suspense20 s jenjn79723 259

Rating: 2.5 / 5

What an odd, odd book. I'm not sure how to rate it. On one hand, there was a pretty well-written, bone-chilling, thoroughly disturbing story that even though it was so diabolical and creepy, it kept you reading. But on the other hand, I'm a romance reader and in that sense, this book just did not deliver. So I guess if I could, I'd give it a 4 for story, and a 1 for romance.

Series Note: this book is the 4th book in Novak's Last Stand series about a non-profit group that provides assistance to victims of crime. It was started by 3 women who were once victims themselves. I don't think it's entirely necessary to read these in order, but you would miss some backstory.

Summary: Colin and Tiffany Bell come across as the perfect couple. Both good-looking. Colin's a lawyer. They've got a nice house. But beneath that veneer lurks a sadistic predator and a wife who'll do anything to please her husband. They've done so well hiding it, though, that no one even suspects.

So when thirteen year old Samantha Duncan goes missing, who would think to look at the perfect couple next door? Sam's mom Zoe is frantic to find her daughter. She goes to the Last Stand group - whose founders she knows because Zoe was once a victim too - and asks for help. They send P.I. Jonathan Stivers to investigate. But there are no clues, no leads, nothing and Zoe and Jon are left chasing their tales. It isn't until Colin's acts escalate that the cracks begin to show, pointing Jon in the right direction.

Review: The only reason I bought this book, and the other two of this 2nd trilogy, was because I'd read the first trilogy. After I bought them, I kinda looked at them and wondered why I'd bought them because I hadn't enjoyed the first trilogy all that much...it wasn't bad, just wasn't great either. But I hate not finishing a series so that's why I bought them. After reading this first book of the 2nd trilogy, I'm not sure I'll read the other two. This book was just not for me.

Why? Good question. The storyline was of the super creepy variety. Novak gives a deep, dark insight into the mind of a sociopathic, pedophile killer and a woman so lacking in confidence that she'll do whatever her husband wants to keep him happy. It's a disturbing story to read and not one that'll give you pretty dreams at night. I didn't necessarily have a problem with this aspect of the story - I'm a Karen Rose fan, after all, and she tells very dark stories - I actually thought this part of the story was well done and engaging.

But there was something decidedly bizarre about the way this book was set up and written, especially when you consider that it was a romance novel. There are I think five people who have POV scenes in the book: Zoe, Jon (the H/H), Sam (the daughter), and Colin and Tiffany (the bad guys). Of those five, Colin and Tiffany get an inordinate amount of scenes in this book. To the point that it seemed the book was more about them than anyone else, including the H/H of this book labeled as a "romantic suspense." To me, they seemed to be the main focus of the book. Which yes, did up the diabolical factor and make it a more thrilling thriller/suspense, but it really hurt the romance aspect.

Overall, the romance part of the book was really weak. There are some hints of chemistry and acknowledgment by the H/H that they are attracted to each other, but it's not until over 300 pages into the book (it's 439 pages total) that anything really happens between them. And then they jump right into bed. Even after that, the hero is still saying he's in love with someone else (a heroine from a previous book) and the H/H are at odds when the climax of the book happens.

And the ending does nothing to cement the relationship. There's not really any HEA feeling, or even an HFN one. It's more heroine just thinking there seems to be something there between them. Which made the ending so disappointing from a romance standpoint. I mean, before the climax, Zoe believes Jon is still in love with Sheridan and they are emotionally at odds. Zoe then gets kidnapped and Jon goes after her. The "reunion" is basically a sentence 'then the police showed up, with Jon in tow'...but there's no big hugging, 'I love you' scene. Just that he showed up with the cops. Then it jumps to an epilogue with Zoe and her daughter talking and Jon watching over them with Zoe thinking something is between them.

What kind of ending is that for a romance novel? It just really cemented the rather unromantic feel of the book. Between that and the strange focus on the bad "guys", this book came off more a thriller with some romantic overtones.

That's not what I want from a romantic suspense. I've read ones before that were a little more suspense than romance (Karen Rose books) but those still had satisfying romances. This one didn't. Considering that the author has a strong romance background, it's surprising and a bit odd.

I can't say I have much desire to read the next two books in the series. I'm rather wary of them so I've bumped them onto my "on-hold" shelf. I may still read them, but they may go into "decided-not-to-read" purgatory. I've just got books I want to read much more than these.

So if you're a hardcore romance reader who wants to read romance, then my guess is you'll find this book just a disappointing as I did. If you're someone who s suspense/thrillers who doesn't mind a bit of romance then you may enjoy this one. For me, it just didn't do it.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review2009 genre-romance-suspense info-full ...more15 s willaful1,155 368

A pretty good story, well paced and suspenseful, though quite light on the romance. I was kind of intrigued by the backstory of the heroine, Zoe, a somewhat lost and downtrodden young mother with a history of unsuccessful relationships. As the story begins, she is trying to get ahead in life through marriage to a wealthy man and unfortunately, we never do get a chance to see whether she will pull her life together on her own.

But my biggest complaint is that everyone in the story is so gullible and non-suspicious, including the private eye hero, who should be experienced enough to know better. Doesn't pretty much everyone know at this point that someone who tries to be especially helpful about solving a crime is considered suspicious? (This is not a spoiler, since we know from the very beginning of the story who the villains are.) But the private eye doesn't think about this til the book is almost done. And Zoe ignores/excuses all sorts of odd things the villain does, ignoring every inkling that Something is Not Right. And it's a small plot point, but if I were the parents of a child who'd been found after being kidnapped and abused, I wouldn't let any stranger visit him in his hospital room, no matter how good their story was. Obviously the characters of this story don't read enough thrillers. bye skanky-villains5 s Becky140 10

This is my first book by Novak and I don't think it'll be my last. The Perfect Couple is the first book in a 3 book series. It's a touchy subject, being mostly about the kidnap and torture of teenage children. It was an emotional roller-coaster for me as the reader with many ups, downs and quick twists.

This isn't one of those where you're constantly trying to figure out who the bad guy is. You already know right from the start who he is. The suspense part comes in with wondering when everyone else will figure out who the monster is. Colin and Tiffany Bell are the perfect couple. Tiffany lives her life to do anything and everything that Colin wants of her. He's controlling and manipulative and found the perfect woman in Tiffany. The book starts out with Tiffany taking care of Colin's most recent "pet." She has been told to get rid of him, but he escaped. So, to rectify her mistake, she finds him a new pet.

Zoe and Anton are the Bell's next door neighbors. Recently engaged, and raising Zoe's young daughter Sam, they don't know anything about the horrors that go on next door to them. When Sam goes missing, Zoe puts her whole life into finding her daughter. The search brings her face to face with her past, her father and the father of Sam. While on her journey, she meets Jonathan. Jon's a private investigator who finds this case so captivating that he jumps in with both feet to help Zoe find Sam. This terrible experience forces Zoe to face the fact that she and Anton aren't meant to be together, and Jonathan makes her feel things that she's never allowed herself before. So, with the attraction between them, the work together on a race against the clock to save Sam.

There were things I d and things that bothered me about this book. First, after thinking about it for a bit, the subject of the torture against the kids is only what the reader's mind makes it. Novak does an incredible job of weaving the story without actually creating a horrific image. I think that had she actually completely described what was actually implied, I'd have d this book much less. The ending though is very abrupt. It seems it just stops without settling a few things. I'd have d to know a little more about what happened to some of the background characters. Not much, but they were a part of the story, but then disappeared.



Overall, this book sucked me in. I read it much faster than I thought that I would. I found myself staying up later than normal because I just couldn't stop. It's got a fast pace and left me breathless more than once. I could love it and hate it within just a couple pages!
4 s Ti Emme Rock85 13

Una coppia di vicini inquietanti. Una storia d'amore sbocciata tra i soliti due personaggi belli e impossibili (ma perché?). Un detective che indaga, ma non scopre nulla. Non mi è piaciuto proprio
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