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fyreprincess's review against another edition
4.0
So after a break from Judith McNaught, I’ve decided to come back and read another one of her books because they are just so amazing and I can’t keep away. Perfect was a good one to re-start with – although it is not historical, I did really enjoy the book. As said before in previous reviews of McNaught’s work, the character building and world-building are fantastic. And the storyline was very well thought out, there were so many twists and turns and I could never predict them until they hit me in the face.
The male protagonists in which McNaught creates are always four main things: tall, dark, sexy, and rich as hell – and Zachary Benedict is no exception. He was originally from a wealthy family before being disowned and he still managed to make his own wealth by becoming a hot-shot movie star. Zack is arrogant, and he’s strong willed, and he’s very sexual – I have to commend McNaught on her ability to write such scenes, they are so so great.
Julie Mathison is not the perfect girl that she strives to be. She is also as strong willed as Zack is she also has made her own pretty much on her own. At the beginning, Julie was in the system, a petty thief, and was illiterate until about the age of twelve. She is also determined, which is how she overcame these obstacles, and she constantly tried to outsmart Zack and escape when he kidnapped her.
They were only together for a week, but the relationship between them grew and the daughter of a minister ended up giving him her virginity. In one small week, their relationship grew from hostility and hate, to love – on both accounts. I find that fact slightly unbelievable, can love really grow from just a week together? Well they did spend every single moment together for a week so maybe it’s possible.
Overall, the works of Judith McNaught never fail to impress me and I very much enjoyed reading this story – with it’s twists and turns and the growing relationship between Zack and Julie. Also, the roles of the minor characters were well placed and very relevant – with the likes of Ted and Carl, and Katherine, and her parents. They all had little stories and problems of their own going on and the story wasn’t just focused on the relationship between Zack and Julie.
The male protagonists in which McNaught creates are always four main things: tall, dark, sexy, and rich as hell – and Zachary Benedict is no exception. He was originally from a wealthy family before being disowned and he still managed to make his own wealth by becoming a hot-shot movie star. Zack is arrogant, and he’s strong willed, and he’s very sexual – I have to commend McNaught on her ability to write such scenes, they are so so great.
Julie Mathison is not the perfect girl that she strives to be. She is also as strong willed as Zack is she also has made her own pretty much on her own. At the beginning, Julie was in the system, a petty thief, and was illiterate until about the age of twelve. She is also determined, which is how she overcame these obstacles, and she constantly tried to outsmart Zack and escape when he kidnapped her.
They were only together for a week, but the relationship between them grew and the daughter of a minister ended up giving him her virginity. In one small week, their relationship grew from hostility and hate, to love – on both accounts. I find that fact slightly unbelievable, can love really grow from just a week together? Well they did spend every single moment together for a week so maybe it’s possible.
Overall, the works of Judith McNaught never fail to impress me and I very much enjoyed reading this story – with it’s twists and turns and the growing relationship between Zack and Julie. Also, the roles of the minor characters were well placed and very relevant – with the likes of Ted and Carl, and Katherine, and her parents. They all had little stories and problems of their own going on and the story wasn’t just focused on the relationship between Zack and Julie.
amlibera's review against another edition
4.0
Did this for a reread challenge, at about the midpoint, I was somewhat embarrassed that I had liked it so much back in the day (woof, there are a lot of tropes here that did not age well). But by the end, I was tearing up and having all the feelings. McNaught was very very good at the thing she did and it's a little bit like heroin, providing both intense feeling and oddly addictive.
sarahbaileyreads's review against another edition
5.0
Judith has done it again! I loved the mystery in this romance novel too. Love love love the character development and that’s what separates Judith from all the rest of this genre.
readfrenzy's review against another edition
5.0
I've never read anything by Judith McNaught before but this book was highly recommended so I decided to check it out of the library. The story grabbed me from the first chapter and I found myself staying up until the wee hours of the morning desperate to see what the characters would do next and yet dreading the end of the story.
Zack is a former movie star and convicted criminal who kidnaps small-town teacher Julie when his escape from prison goes awry. The two seemingly have nothing in common but you know it's just a matter of time before passion gets the best of them. They get together about a quarter of the way into the book and I wondered what could possibly be of interest to fill up the remaining three quarters. Boy, was I wrong! McNaught takes her time in unfolding the story, indulging the reader with fulfilling dialogue and detailed character exploration. This book has some of the most touching, romantic, heart-wrenching scenes I've ever read. Zack and Julie are unforgettable characters that are sure to linger in my memory for a long time.
By the way, after finishing the book I promptly purchased my own copy (a first edition hard copy - it's THAT good!) so that I can read it again and again!
Zack is a former movie star and convicted criminal who kidnaps small-town teacher Julie when his escape from prison goes awry. The two seemingly have nothing in common but you know it's just a matter of time before passion gets the best of them. They get together about a quarter of the way into the book and I wondered what could possibly be of interest to fill up the remaining three quarters. Boy, was I wrong! McNaught takes her time in unfolding the story, indulging the reader with fulfilling dialogue and detailed character exploration. This book has some of the most touching, romantic, heart-wrenching scenes I've ever read. Zack and Julie are unforgettable characters that are sure to linger in my memory for a long time.
By the way, after finishing the book I promptly purchased my own copy (a first edition hard copy - it's THAT good!) so that I can read it again and again!
medinajlynn's review against another edition
4.0
Cover Beauty Score: 6 out of 10
Goodreads Score: 4 out of 5
Plot Blurb: Zachary Benedict is a famous movie star and director with a complicated past that gets framed for his wife's murder on a movie set. Julie Mathison, once an orphan on the streets, was raised to be the perfect daughter in her small town, and has so far succeeded. After Zach escapes from prison in an attempt to clear his name, he kidnaps Julie in a desperate plan to run away into the Colorado mountains. As they spend time with one another, they find that they have a lot more in common than they thought and they just might have found the person who can truly accept them, flaws and all. Together and apart, they try and solve the mystery that landed Zach in jail five years earlier.
My Reaction: I reread this book because I was eager for a romance set in the snowy hills of the mountains, and we all know I'm a huge McNaught fan. I hadn't touched this one since I bought it, probably around 5 years ago or so. It really drove home to me why I love McNaught, although I do have to say I prefer her historical novels. The plot is very character driven, and its 600 some pages can be attributed to the fact that each and every character has a detailed background that the reader gets to know.
McNaught's writing is superb, hands down. I love reading a book knowing you're not going to get the dribble that passes for acceptable these days. She really can weave a story that keeps you reading without becoming bored. The fact that she puts the entire background of a lot of the characters really educates me as a writer as to the extent we should be thinking about these characters. It's really phenomenal, how well she knows each of them.
So how do I feel about the book? I think I refer McNaught's historical novels because the dynamics between the men and women are very traditional. In the sense that there is a feeling of domination (not in a bad way necessarily) that works better for me set 100+ years ago. But let's face it. Zachary Benedict is kind of a dick. He totally redeems himself by the end, but still... chill out a bit, dude. It's the 20th century (in his world, at least).
And I hate to say this, because I ADORE McNaught, but all those "darlings" at the end? It felt like the lovin' was getting laid on pretty thick, there. I dunno. Maybe that was a popular endearment in the 80s. I'm sure my kids will shudder that we call each other "bae" right now.
Long story short, you'll never regret picking up a McNaught novel. But if you have to choose just one, go with one of her historicals. Then work your way through her full repertoire. Judith McNaught writes romance novels the way they should be - beautifully and with attention to detail and a deep meaning about the essence of a real relationship.
Like my reviews? Read more on my blog, The Thoughtful Novelist.
Goodreads Score: 4 out of 5
Plot Blurb: Zachary Benedict is a famous movie star and director with a complicated past that gets framed for his wife's murder on a movie set. Julie Mathison, once an orphan on the streets, was raised to be the perfect daughter in her small town, and has so far succeeded. After Zach escapes from prison in an attempt to clear his name, he kidnaps Julie in a desperate plan to run away into the Colorado mountains. As they spend time with one another, they find that they have a lot more in common than they thought and they just might have found the person who can truly accept them, flaws and all. Together and apart, they try and solve the mystery that landed Zach in jail five years earlier.
My Reaction: I reread this book because I was eager for a romance set in the snowy hills of the mountains, and we all know I'm a huge McNaught fan. I hadn't touched this one since I bought it, probably around 5 years ago or so. It really drove home to me why I love McNaught, although I do have to say I prefer her historical novels. The plot is very character driven, and its 600 some pages can be attributed to the fact that each and every character has a detailed background that the reader gets to know.
McNaught's writing is superb, hands down. I love reading a book knowing you're not going to get the dribble that passes for acceptable these days. She really can weave a story that keeps you reading without becoming bored. The fact that she puts the entire background of a lot of the characters really educates me as a writer as to the extent we should be thinking about these characters. It's really phenomenal, how well she knows each of them.
So how do I feel about the book? I think I refer McNaught's historical novels because the dynamics between the men and women are very traditional. In the sense that there is a feeling of domination (not in a bad way necessarily) that works better for me set 100+ years ago. But let's face it. Zachary Benedict is kind of a dick. He totally redeems himself by the end, but still... chill out a bit, dude. It's the 20th century (in his world, at least).
And I hate to say this, because I ADORE McNaught, but all those "darlings" at the end? It felt like the lovin' was getting laid on pretty thick, there. I dunno. Maybe that was a popular endearment in the 80s. I'm sure my kids will shudder that we call each other "bae" right now.
Long story short, you'll never regret picking up a McNaught novel. But if you have to choose just one, go with one of her historicals. Then work your way through her full repertoire. Judith McNaught writes romance novels the way they should be - beautifully and with attention to detail and a deep meaning about the essence of a real relationship.
Like my reviews? Read more on my blog, The Thoughtful Novelist.
rissa83's review against another edition
4.0
This book is about a love that blossoms in the most oddest and treacherous situation.
Another great one from Judith Mcnaught. The Characters are so developed that she has a way of making you feel like they are close friends of yours.
Another great one from Judith Mcnaught. The Characters are so developed that she has a way of making you feel like they are close friends of yours.
jessorella's review against another edition
4.0
Considering she's one of the powerhouses of American romance fiction (30 million+ books in print), it's surprising to me that this is the first of Judith McNaught's books that I've read. My copy is a PROPER doorstep American romance from the nineties, with large swirly lettering and a cover emblazoned with pearls, roses and lots of pink. I loved it on sight.
This book reminded me of the time when I first started reading real romance books, when I experienced those frissons of excitement as the characters fell in love, the wrenching pain when they were split apart, and the feverish page turning in the lead-up to the inevitable reunion. It did not disappoint me. Yes, it's got a slightly un-PC plot with a set-up that doesn't seem entirely plausible (although I know next to nothing about the US legal and penal systems, so my misgivings could well be misplaced). Yes, there are times when the heroine is a little too simpering, a little too perfect, a little too rom-com kooky. There are also times when the hero is just that little bit too mean, too stand-offish, too brutish. But them's the breaks in nineties romance, when the overhanging mist of the Mills & Boon boss/secretary dynamic was still pervading many books.
This book, for me, was like a great cheeseburger. It may not have been the most literary, most politically correct, most plausible or most feminist-friendly book I've ever read, but it really satisfied me. It brought me the thrill, the satisfaction, the agony and the yearning of a Proper Romance Novel and that was exactly what I wanted. I'll certainly read more of Ms McNaught's books.
This book reminded me of the time when I first started reading real romance books, when I experienced those frissons of excitement as the characters fell in love, the wrenching pain when they were split apart, and the feverish page turning in the lead-up to the inevitable reunion. It did not disappoint me. Yes, it's got a slightly un-PC plot with a set-up that doesn't seem entirely plausible (although I know next to nothing about the US legal and penal systems, so my misgivings could well be misplaced). Yes, there are times when the heroine is a little too simpering, a little too perfect, a little too rom-com kooky. There are also times when the hero is just that little bit too mean, too stand-offish, too brutish. But them's the breaks in nineties romance, when the overhanging mist of the Mills & Boon boss/secretary dynamic was still pervading many books.
This book, for me, was like a great cheeseburger. It may not have been the most literary, most politically correct, most plausible or most feminist-friendly book I've ever read, but it really satisfied me. It brought me the thrill, the satisfaction, the agony and the yearning of a Proper Romance Novel and that was exactly what I wanted. I'll certainly read more of Ms McNaught's books.
swagginswanigan's review against another edition
5.0
The way this book consumed all of my thoughts every time I opened it. From the very beginning, the characters were so distinct, and I couldn't wait to see how the story was going to play out. I absolutely loved it at every point. Very clearly Judith and wow what a fantastic story teller she is. Also, loved the appearance of Matthew and Meridith from 'Paradise'. Wow, my entire heart was consumed by this and towards the end it was physically hard to read because of how deeply I was feeling the events in the book. Common Judith W.