The Honeymoon by Rona Halsall was a good book and when I began it, I thought it was going to go off in one direction but it went in another which I didn’t expect. If I were writing a book like this, I’d make it very sinister and dark. I was anticipating something different than what it was but still, a good book that kept me reading late into the night.

There was all kind of red flags going off when Chloe and Dan get married especially when he switches their honeymoon destination without telling Chloe. Dan’s behavior is also weird and if I were Chloe, I think I would have turned around and come home.

The plot:

Chloe had a dream wedding. Dan is her perfect man. They haven’t known each other for long, but as she walked down the aisle and saw him standing by the altar, tears glistening in his eyes, she knew this was forever.

Later, as they relax on a beautiful island, settling into their new married life together, they congratulate themselves on their lovely wedding day, and Dan jokes that he’d like them to stay there forever. But as the honeymoon goes on, he becomes increasingly adamant. They shouldn’t leave. In fact, he won’t let her…

I like the twists in this book, parts of it definitely kept me guessing!

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Ooh, I love him - but does he love me as much? Ooh, he smiled - but wait; his lip curled ever so slightly. What did I do to make him angry? Oh, silly me - a bug must have flown up his nose. But why didn't he tell me, and why didn't I see it fly out? I know I'd have sneezed, so why didn't he? Silly me again because I still love him. Don't I? Ah, but if he lied about a bug, what else is he hiding from me?

And there you have it - at least two-thirds of this book. So suffice it to say that with a main character this insecure, it'll never make it to my list of favorites. But bear with me: There's also a pretty good story in here - a thrilling one, even - it's just that after the first chapter, all I cared about was throttling Chloe's incessant second-guessing to the point of hoping that Dan not only wanted to do her in, but would be successful. Put another way, if my new (or in my case, old) husband treated me anywhere near the way Dan treats Chloe, he'd be toast. And waste even a second worrying whether his self-centered, controlling behavior toward me was MY fault? Fuhgettaboutit!

Still, the writing is excellent, and done in such a way that it's very easy to read. There's a rather chilling plot, beginning with Chloe's whirlwind marriage to the man of her dreams (well, depending on which hour you ask her) and a honeymoon that takes her away from her physical therapist job and caring for an ailing grandmother who would rather she didn't. But her longed-for honeymoon could put things right; that is, until Dan pulls a last-minute hustle that takes her to a place she didn't know they were going and doesn't want to be. And then, for reasons he doesn't want to reveal, he insists that they stay there. Forever.

Clearly, Dan isn't the man Chloe thought she married - and now she fears the worst (that part's nothing new; I'm sure she'd have feared the worst even if he'd taken her to Disneyland). And putting the blame on him goes only so far; it seems she's brought a few secrets of her own to their secluded location. Twists and turns as the end nears add some spark - once I got to the last quarter of the book, I didn't put it down till I got to the last page.

Overall, then, it does have thriller appeal - and I'm sure many readers of this genre will love it. Even if it's not quite my cup of tea, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

I’m not sure why this is described as “gripping.” There was too much internal dialogue, too much telling instead of showing, and very little action. I felt this was slow. Neither main character was likable, particularly Chloë. Characters were flat and the gaslighting trope was unoriginal. I wasn’t a fan.

The premise for this book sounded interesting. Chloe marries Dan, a man she has only met 2 months earlier. They go on honeymoon and immediately things go wrong. Dan has booked Menorca rather than the Maldives which causes Chloe to go into a massive huff. Much more worrying is that he starts to show controlling behaviour: her phone and bag vanish leaving her dependent on him. Both have secrets which turn out to be not that interesting.

I didn't enjoy this book. The story was very one dimensional and characterisation was thin. It didn't help that Chloe acted like a spoiled child throughout meaning you could have little sympathy for her plight. There are twists but they leave you unmoved.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

The Honeymoon sounded so good and I was excited to get my advanced copy from Netgalley but unfortunately it didn’t live up to my expectations. It had a lot of promise because it is one of those situations that with a little more subtlety could have played out really well. Unfortunately the husband was outright weird and it was hard to understand Chloe’s reactions/actions to him and his behavior. Another thing that was over the top and didn’t work for me was Chloe’s the relationship with her family; just can’t see all of them having the same feeling and need to be hateful to one person. I feel like I am being hard on this book because it was so close to being really good but none of the characters acted in a way that seemed close to realistic. On the positive side it had some good tension, a decent plot and it was a quick read.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with a copy of this book for my honest review.

The Honeymoon was an enjoyable read for me. I finished it in about 24 hours. I wanted to shake the main character, Chloe, many times! Some of the ideas or actions are a little unrealistic, but overall great, quick read that I enjoyed. Also the cover is gorgeous!! Perfect for this story.
Thank you NetGalley, author and the publisher for an advanced copy. 3.5/5 ⭐️

The Honeymoon by Rona Halsall is an easy to read psychological thriller with a few twists but nothing too dramatic.

Dan is the ultimate catch, but as soon as he marries Chloe, he becomes cagey and secretive. Reading the book, I was as confused as Chloe was. While the storyline kept me reading, just to find out what was actually going on, I didn’t feel like it was an edge of your seat thriller keeping me up all night.

I didn’t like either Chloe or Dan, and so it was difficult for me to connect with either of these characters. I also felt the character development was a bit weak. I enjoyed the beginning of the book and felt that initial hook, but a third of the way through I was frustrated and just wanted Chloe to start standing her ground.

Overall, a quick, light read.

#thehoneymoon #ronahalsall #netgalley #bookouture

A unique and intriguing read that left me guessing and confused right alongside the heroine, feeling everything she was feeling and just as confused! When you marry some one you have only known 8 weeks you can't ever really know them, not truly. But are the things you don't know going to destroy your life leaving you in danger, scared and confused with no one to trust? I highly doubt it! An easy read that I just had to finish before I could go to sleep, and definitely worth a look for anyone who loves a thrilling read where you don't really know what's going on until the very last page.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I will most definitely be ordering it in to sell to customers at my work!

Rating: 4.5/5.0

The Honeymoon, marry in haste, repent at leisure! This was a fantastic suspense thriller. Kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. Chloe is physiotherapist who meets Dan, falls in love with him & in a very short period of time they get married & decide to go on a honeymoon. They both keep secrets from each other, but Chloe gradually feels that her husband is not the man she thought he was!

Pros:
- Great writing style. This is the first book I read for Rona Halsall & I really enjoyed her style of storytelling. I need to grab her other books now.
- The story is unpredictable. Every time I felt that the story was going to go to a cliche direction the author proved me wrong by going a different way which I appreciate very much. In the beginning, I thought that the story was going to be like B.A. Paris' Behind Closed Doors but it didn't. This is offering lots of new things. Lots of secrets & lies.
- Although we don't have many characters here the main characters stand out very well. They have depth to them & lots of grey shades.
- Let us not forget to mention how gorgeous the cover is. Perfect design for the story.

Cons:
- Some actions of the characters cannot be justified, but that does not mean real people won't do them. While reading you may ask why the main characters did something instead of doing something else. This is not a big con because people are different in real life & they have different perspectives.

Final Thought:
Grab this book when it is going to be released (7th June 2019), I highly recommend it for anybody who loves a gripping story.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for providing me an ARC copy. This is my honest & unbiased review.

This is the book that makes you stay in with a cup of tea and forget about he whole world. It is quick, makes your brain work 100 mph and still, the ending is very unexpected. Highly recommended.

3.5 Fun, fast paced quick beach read. Entertaining and fun! I enjoyed this book on a quick flight to the Bahamas. Chloe made me a little frustrated but glad she came to her senses. I love when a book wraps things up on the very last page!!

I greatly enjoyed this book. The cover art is great and really pulled me in. The twists and turns kept coming and it was not predictable at all, which is harder and harder to find in books as I read more and more mysteries and thrillers. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

A great read from start to finish. Lots of twists and turns and unexpected outcomes. Strong characters and a great setting. A fab story

Meet Chloe and Dan, married after only two months. The Honeymoon is the story of what happens after such a hasty stupid decision. At the airport, your destination has changed. Upon arrival to said destination, your new husband, Dan, acts different and strange. He says you are going to stay in this place and live here. He's scary at this point. Maybe Chloe made a mistake with this guy? Seriously, I wanted to slap her, and wake her up! This story is engrossing and thrilling. There are so many twists and turns all the way to the end. The setting is beautiful. The characters are complex and definitely flawed. I loved and hated them. Overall, I recommend for anyone looking for a solid thrill ride of a story. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I have to say I absolutely loved this book…..Chloe and Dan are rushing to the airport to go on their honeymoon to the Maldives, only when they get to the check in desk, it turns out that Dan had changed their plans and they were in fact going to Menorca…. Not exactly the Maldives and Chloe is beyond words at her new husband….. Chloe and Dan met only two months previously and they are already married, things had been blissful in that time but lets face it, the “honeymoon period” always is!!! But for Chloe it was shortlived as things change when they get to Menorca…. Dan seems to be very controlling, her phone disappears, her passport goes missing….. what secrets has Dan got? Does she really know him at all, NOOOOOO you feel like shouting at her, how could you after just two months!!!!

When Dan announces that he wants them to stay and live in Menorca, Chloe is dumbfounded, she loves her job as a physiotherapist and she has her gran to look after, she is her carer, how can she leave everything in Brighton…. Dan says he just wants to keep her safe, from what exactly… HIM???? He’s the only one she is scared of right now and she is questioning everything, not that she knows that much about him to begin with… how could she have been so naïve!!!

A great rollercoaster of a read with plenty of twists, this book had me gripped….I was “WTF” a lot…definitely recommend it, it’s a great quick read that you won’t want to put down because its one of those books that you just have to know whats going to happen next.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Both Chloe and Dan were infuriating characters to me, making this a difficult read. The action was solid, which saves this books from a lower rating. Chloe never seems to learn from her past and doesn't seem to know how to treat anyone around her without demeaning herself. While I realize this is a reality for some, I just couldn't connect with her and found myself wanting to sit down and have a serious heart-to-heart with her about who gets to determine her worth (herself and no one else!). Dan's behavior was too reminiscent of abusiveness and gaslighting to ever make him likable or relatable and I constantly wanted to give him a swift kick in the pants. While I realize perhaps this was the intent, I don't think it did the story any justice as I had to take breaks to get away from the frustration he caused. The twists kept coming through this which made it difficult to put down and I was grateful for the later twists that ultimately made the ending unpredictable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a review.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

While this book started out interesting and strong, I fell a little out of love with it as I advanced. The writing was good, definitely. But I couldn’t connect with Chloe as much as I wanted to. There was something a tad unrealistic about it that kept me from fully devoting myself to the book.

Chloe and Dan got married within two months of meeting. She thinks she knows him and that she loves him but begins to discover some things on their honeymoon that make her question that. I found this book got off to a fantastic start and I was really gripped early on. There are a few twists in the story but I found them too ridiculous and unbelievable which was disappointing. It’s not a bad holiday read but I wish it had kept up the same suspense and drama as was created early on.

DNF

I was hoping for a thriller but within a few pages I was rolling my eyes at how cheesy this was.
There is this obvious description:
"He was also one of the biggest men she'd ever encountered, at six feet six, towering above her not-insignificant five feet nine inches."
How many people know how tall they are? And this appears only so that our main character can realise this:
"For the first time, she understood the strength of him, and a new emotion stirred in her belly, one that made her feel queasy".
The whole thing is blatantly obvious.
I guess if you are looking for a weird romance this might be for you.