Author: Jeneva Rose
Publisher: Bloodhound Books
Publication Date: July 2020
Genre: Suspense / Thriller
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: Sarah Morgan is a successful and powerful defense attorney in Washington D.C. As a named partner at her firm, life is going exactly how she planned. The same cannot be said for her husband, Adam. He's a struggling writer who has had little success in his career and he tires of his and Sarah’s relationship as she is constantly working. Out in the secluded woods, at the couple’s lake house, Adam engages in a passionate affair with Kelly Summers.
But one morning everything changes. Kelly is found brutally stabbed to death and now, Sarah must take on her hardest case yet, defending her own husband, a man accused of murdering his mistress.
My Thoughts: A very enjoyable domestic thriller filled with lots of twists, turns and surprises. The Perfect Marriage by new to me author Jeneva Rose explores the marriage of a couple who, on the surface, appear to have it all. Attorney Sarah and writer Adam have been married for several years. The reality is Adam is struggling with his career and Sarah is the primary financial contributor to the household, which Adam deeply resents. He resents the time Sarah spends away from him working. Sarah purchases a vacation home for them where Adam goes on the weekends supposedly to clear his head and get some writing done. Instead, he begins an affair with a local girl who is married to one of the sheriff’s deputies.
Everything changes for Adam when the murdered body of his mistress is discovered in the bedroom of the vacation house and Adam is subsequently arrested and charged for the crime. Everything changes for Sarah when she learns about Adam’s arrest and decides to defend him at his trial.
First of all, let me start out with a big BOO HOO for Adam. None of this would have happened if he had just manned up and quit whining about what is missing in his life and instead tried to be a little more appreciative for Sarah carrying the burden. The writing isn’t working for you? How about get off your behind and get a different job? It would be an understatement to say that I found Adam to be less than likable and felt minimal sympathy for him.
As the story progresses and my shock that Sarah is willing to defend him subsides, the question of Adam’s guilt becomes more of an issue as several potential suspects exist which left me wondering if Adam really committed this murder or if he was being set up. Everyone from Kelly’s husband, a creepy stalkerish customer of Kelly’s, to the sheriff himself appeared to have motive and opportunity as well. This story kept me engaged all the way to the end.
In addition to the interesting plot, I thought the characters were well developed and interesting. In addition to Sarah and Adam, there was Adam’s mother who was completely awful to Sarah throughout the entire book. Sarah’s friend Matthew was entertaining and characters from Sarah’s firm brought more depth to the story.
My Final Verdict: I highly recommend this story to fans of the suspense and thriller genres as well as readers who enjoy stories that pull out all the stops to provide the reader with numerous twists that keep the reader in a state of heightened anticipation for what is coming next.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of The Perfect Marriage from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
