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Perfect
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Plot Summary of Perfect
"Zachary Benedict was wrongly convcited of murdering his wife after he found out she was having an affair. While escaping from prison, he is forced to take Julie Mathison hostage. An unlikely love kindles between the two. From Texas to Colorado to Los Angeles. This is a great book about love, betrayal and forgiveness. You will fall in love with these characters from the beginning!"
Casee Miller, Resident Scholar

"Zachary Benedict's life, love and Academy Award winning acting/directing carrer is shattered when a real gun is substituted for a fake on the set, and he ends up killing his adulterous wife. He escapes from a Texas prison, abducts Julie Mathison and ends up falling in love with her as he holds her captive in a mountaintop masion in Colorado.

Julie, who was adopted by the Mathisons at a young age, has spent her entire life trying to make herself perfect in the eyes of her loving family. Her feelings for Zack scare her, but she knows that she has fallen in love forever. The trouble intensifies when Zack, unwilling to hold Julie captive, lets her go back home. Julie is determined to uncover the truth about the murder Zack is accused of and in the course of her haphazard investigations, she meets his grandmother, who convinces her that Zack has always been violent - perhaps mentally ill.

Julie betrays Zack's whereabouts to the authorities after they promise to treat his 'mental illness', but suddenly, the true murderer is discovered and Zack's name is cleared. Now, Zack believes Julie to be a betrayer, and wants nothing to do with her. Can Julie go back to her 'perfect' small-town life as if Zack had never come into her life? "

Nandini Seshadri, Resident Scholar

"Julie never strayed from the straight and narrow since entering the Mathison family. She offered a ride to a man who helped changed her flat tire but he was the criminal on the loose. Now, he kept her hostage and before long, took refuge in a beautiful retreat up in the Colorado Mountains. She plotted escape and was successful in duping Zack into believing she fell into the pond but Zack didn't try to make it back to safety. Instead, he gave himself the death sentence as punishment by lying shirtless on the frozen floor. At that moment Julie realized he was innocent. She helped him back to safety, and nursed him, never once thinking of turning him over to the authorities.

Zack (Zachary Benedict) was flabbergasted with the elementary school teacher who happened to be the daughter of a reverend and sister of a sheriff. She was passionate and sweet, with a heart of gold. Making love to her was a foregone conclusion. In so many years, he had never felt so at peace even though he was branded a criminal for the murder of his wife. The week with Julie at Colorado was like a beautiful dream but it must end. He would jeopardize her further by staying with her. He would let her go back to Texas.

"

Sharren Khoo, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Perfect
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of story - 1980's-1999
Forbidden/mismatched love? Yes
How mismatched? - loving criminal
Captor, in love with Yes

Main Male Character
Profession/status: - accused criminal
Age/status: - 20's-30's
How sexual is this person? - somewhat promiscuious
How romantic is this person? - somewhat romantic
Sex makes him - guilty
Sex has good effect on him Yes
Sex makes him - confident - blissful
Sex has bad effect on him Yes
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Physique - very athletic

Main Female Character
Age/status: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - teacher
How sexual is this person? - naive virgin
How romantic is this person? - somewhat romantic
effect of sexing - confused - scared
Sex has bad effect on her Yes
Sex has good effect on her Yes
Effect of sexing - blissful
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Texas
Small town? Yes
Small town people: - nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
Misc setting - Fancy Mansion

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - descript of kissing - touching of anatomy - actual description of sex - descript. of female anatomy (the big B's) - descript. of female anatomy (the big V) - descript. of male nudity (the big P)
Focus of story - equally on him and her
How much dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
How much sexing? - 3-4 sex acts
Most similar books to Perfect
Touch the Wind by Janet Dailey
Like a Knife by Ann Solomon
Jackson Rule by Dinah McCall
Sealed By Revenge by Elly-Royce Laurens
Sex and the Serial Killer by Jennifer Skully


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Judith McNaught Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Sharren Khoo  

SCHOLARS:
Katrina Lo  Casee Miller  R.D. Watkins  ladyfriend  Jess  amenor  Juli  Nandini Seshadri  Tanya  


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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