2.5 stars

A surface level romantic suspense that has aged rather poorly, it's pretty incredible how much more sophisticated storytelling in the romance/thriller genre has become in the past decades; other than nostalgic re-read, there's really no point picking up this relic from the 2000s.

Mr. Perfect also has a conservative undertone that's slightly off-putting reading in today's climate; adults were constantly corrected on their cussing (in a joking way, but the novel brings it up constantly), and the romantic couple immediately set a date for their wedding, while they were still in bed after just having their first sex (am I reading a historical romance now? ha!). The central premise involves a list of criteria for a perfect man 'going viral' (obviously not yet a concept when the book was written), and the amount of chastising (and leading to murder) these women received for voicing liking big dick is a little hard to comprehend in today's mindset (I've lived through the 2000s and don't recall we were that prim and proper as a society). There is a twist, but it's very much Alfred Hitchcock Psycho inspired, and that was nothing new since the 60s.

I still finished Mr. Perfect, but mostly due to my own morbid curiosity, rather than its quality as an enjoyable novel. The 2000s is definitely an awkward era to read now, because it's not distant enough to evoke a nostalgic atmosphere (like the 30s, or even 80s), but also different enough from today's world view that things often come across slightly off-key. I simply had to cringe-chuckle when the male romantic interest utters phrases like "your sperm-eating egg" and "PMS is called PMS because 'mad cow disease' was already taken", as acceptable fun banter material. After 2 mediocre experiences (the other being Dream Man), I can officially say Linda Howard is not an author for me.