The Honeymoon tries so hard to be a psychological thriller but it is basically a beach read with a twist. The plot is engaging but only on a superficial level and while there are many questions asked of the reader throughout the book, it is very hard to care enough to wonder about the answers.
The main plot of the female lead left me feeling disappointed, as she was weak and manipulated by everyone in her life and she didn't learn from her mistakes. I wanted to shake her and she frustrated me, because I wanted to ask her 'How did you think you could agree to spend the rest of your life with someone you only met?' I'm a firm believer in love at first sight and romance, but the signs were there while they were dating and I just thought 'REALLY?' Too unbelievable.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good premise that I thought I would really enjoy but it ended up being generally pretty boring. Chloe marries Dan after only knowing him for 2 months. He is late for the wedding and then when they get to their honeymoon destination, he has switched it from a beach resort in the Maldives, her dream honeymoon, to a house in Menorca. Dan lies and acts weird throughout, telling Chloe they are in danger but he can’t tell her why. Chloe behaves like a fool continually forgiving him and not confronting him about why the hell they are in danger. She was too stupid for me to deal with. I was pretty bored until end where there were some reveals and mild surprises but I just wanted it to be over by then.

Chloe really wanted to get married and have a family. And then the man of her dreams came along and swept her off her feet. They were married in just a few months. On their honeymoon, Chloe saw an entirely different side to her new husband. He became very controlling. She realized then that she really didn't much know this man at all. What ensued was a nightmare of trying to get out of his grasp. Great suspenseful read!

Really enjoyed this book and it kept me hooked which meant I read it in a day. A good page turner that has you guessing and doubting yourself over and over. Will definitely be recommending this to friends to read. A good solid read

This is a very good idea and it works. There are a few cliches but it was so multi-layered that they didn't spoil anything.  I have read all three of Rona Halsall's books now and each one just gets better, stronger and more tightly written.

The story begins as newly wed Chloe is racing through the airport with husband Dan who is everything she wanted and never thought she'd find; caring,  protective, strong, what could possibly go wrong?

With a past that won't go away for either of them, family problems snaking through Chloe's reactions and reasoning and an idyllic location spread out before them the scene is set very quickly and expertly. Gradually the tension increases, little things racking up the pressure and changing everything. None of this is totally new but the difference in this psychological thriller is the way Chloe internalises and analyses everything and that cuts out any chances of there being disbelief in her situation.

There was a need to keep reading, to find out what happens next with the main characters, all of whom worked, alone and as a group, and the whole story was, once completed, a very satisfying experience.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to any fan of this ever improving author or fans of very good British psychological thrillers.

This is a classic example of a marriage in haste! Dan and Chloe meet and are engaged in a month and married only two months after meeting each other.

Most of Chloe's expectations are not met, however. This, due to a controlling new husband. Honeymoon in the Maldives? Nope. Menorca. And the little villa is already chosen by Dan - and it is locked tight a drum at all times.

Dan's controlling attitude has Chloe thinking that he is hiding something from her. In my opinion, Chloe does not handle the changes in her honeymoon plans well. She also is derogatory about any and every little thing. If she had learned to "pick her battles" with Dan, and maybe kept some of her thoughts to herself, Chloe wouldn't be in the predicament she ultimately finds herself in. Eventually, she "escapes" back to Brighton and finds out her Gran doesn't need her there. In fact, she feels completely alone.

After a few days, Chloe returns to Menorca and to Dan. Now the fun REALLY begins...

A winner in my opinion!

Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for a great read!

Chloe meets Dan, and they have a quick, exciting courtship. Before Chloe knows it, they are getting married and off on the honeymoon of her dreams. Except, not quite.

First off, the cover of this books is gorgeous. It’s what drew me to it initially.
The story inside is delightful. Vivid and captivating, it’ll keep you in your toes.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book!!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of "The Honeymoon".
I am not familiar with the author Rona Halsall, but the cover and description of the book had me wanting to read on and see what would unfold.
As with all very good Physcological Thrillers, The Honeymoon had me hooked when i started it early on Friday evening, I woke Saturday morning replaying the events in my head as you would with a good TV series... I decided today -Saturday- would be spent at home finishing this storyline, I was so intrigued as to what the twist would be, as well as feeling on edge and frustrated by the 2 main characters! Anyway, it's now 2.30pm and I've finished the book! It totally gripped me, I felt compelled to read on and not stop!, At 91% I thought the story had come to it's conclusion.... But no I was wrong!! That last 9% still had more sneaky horrors waiting to unravel themselves! I thoroughly enjoyed reading my first book by this author, would DEFINITELY RECOMMEND AND DEFINITELY READ ANOTHER BOOK By this author! Bravo, great writing without a second thought!

This book is pacy and tense and everything you’ll want from a thriller!

Rona Halsall is an expert in misdirection and had me racing through The Honeymoon. I thought I knew exactly what this book was going to be about but I was wrong. Fantastic!

Wow what a book, I knew I would like it from the very first page and I was gripped from the first chapter. I just loved Rona's style of writing it was a fantastic page turner, plenty of twists and turns and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout with a great twist at the end.

I can thoroughly recommend this 5+* star read, you will not be disappointed and I look forward to Rona's next masterpiece.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this fantastic book.

What a read!!! I recently went on my honeymoon (which was nothing like this story) but knew I had to read it as soon as I read the title! You just gotta love those novels that really make you go O.M.G. Rona Halsall did an excellent job with this book and I cannot wait to read more!

Firstly thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this advanced copy , in exchange for an honest review.

I really immediately loved the cover , and also after reading the tagline , i already was so intrigued by the story and what could be to come. Also this is my first book by this author but after reading this i am excited to read others as i really enjoyed the writing style , i found it so easy to get stuck into and i didn't want to put it down!.

I am a big fan of the way it switched between past and present tense, it allowed us to get background on the characters and see what had happened before their big day, this was very interesting and i feel it added something really great to the story. I also liked the little sections of other narrative aside from the main character Chloe (not that i disliked her at all because i didn't).

The whole atmosphere comes across so well in this book, the whole feeling of tense relations and people being careful not to say the wrong thing had you feeling on edge for them!. Also the feeling of being trapped and boxed in , really came across so well too.. You wanted to reach in the book and save her yourself.

The characters are interesting and unpredictable , just like their backstories. I loved how many twists there were too, it made it so exciting to read and the whole book i was dying to know what was going to happen next and how things would end up. And i could never have guessed what would have happened, which i love in a good thriller, the last section of the book was such a rollercoaster ride of events!.

Also another thing i really did like was how grief was explored and manifested so differently for the characters and all the emotions and guilt it brought forward. And how consuming it was for them, that came across really well and was interesting to read about.

I would highly recommend this thriller to anyone who is looking for a quick to get into , exciting and twisty read.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Bookoutre for another crowd pleaser, The Honeymoon by Rona Halsall.

After a whirlwind romance Chloe and Dan take the plunge and decide to get married. A small affair, nothing too flash. But a lovely wedding day nonetheless. So Dan and his mother were late to the ceremony and Dan seemed a bit flustered but all is right now. After all, Chloe is really excited to be going on a dream honeymoon in the Maldives. A week of pampering, alone time with her new husband oh and don’t forget the turquoise water and white sandy beaches.

But at the airport why does Dan have them in Menorca? Sure it’s pretty but it’s not what was planned. Why wasn’t Chloe consulted? Come to think of it, why is nothing going as planned?

Do we ever really truly know the person we’re married too? So many inconsistencies, so many unexplained questions arise with regard to Dan that have no easy answers. Chloe is going to have to meet each challenge she faces head on. Because if she doesn’t, well, that’s not going to bode well for her future.

Sad to say, but this book fell short of my expectations. I really do feel bad when I don't like a book! The second half of the book was filled with unrealistic situations and behavior of the characters that was very hard to imagine could/would happen in real life.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This falls into the “just ok” category. The plot had potential, but dragged in some places or seemed a bit far-fetched in other spots. And I didn’t really like the characters. Feel like this gets more of a 2.5 but I rounded up to 3.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book. I really did appreciate the way the author took us from the present to the past. That being said ,I did not find the plot believable. Nor did I find the characters believable. It seems a bit far-fetched for a reasonably intelligent well off woman to get married after only knowing someone for two months, and knowing little if anything about his past. The relationship between Chloe and her siblings felt theatrical and hokey. I gave this book 2 stars.

Great premise, and a fantastic start, but this gets outlandish and goes a bit off the rails halfway through. I had a really hard time with willful suspension of disbelief when it came to the plot. It redeems itself a bit at the end, but I can’t get past the crazy plot twists.

This is a book that hooks you in from the start so well done to the author on that front. Perhaps the latter half of the book loses pace a bit, it did feel as if it dragged at times. However, it is certainly what I would refer to as a good holiday read and would recommend for that.

I found this really easy to read and couldn’t put this down actually. I really enjoyed the book for about the first half or just a little bit less but I feel like that’s where it lost me a little.

There was a lot of build up but i felt like the reveals didn’t do much to keep my interest like the first part of the book did.

Would I recommend this? Yup, absolutely, it was really easy to read, you want to keep turning the pages to find out what was going to happen but I had an issue with the protagonist and the reveals.

Thanks so much to @Netgalley and @Bookouture for this advanced digital copy of The Honeymoon, by Rona Halsall



Chloe and Dan meet through his Mother Alma, and after a whirlwind courtship, (2 months) and they marry. Right after, they head to the Maldives for the Honeymoon of their dreams.
Soon into their honeymoon, Chloe wonders if this man is really who he says he is, and even more so, when he does not want to return home. He changes, and she wonders what he is hiding. Of course, they both have secrets and in the end, with a twist, we learn why Dan does not want to return.
And I will leave that for the other readers to find out.
***The book was well written, and sucked me right in from the beginning (And I loved the cover by the way) and it was full of twists and turns. I did feel like the ending of the book dragged a bit, but overall, it was a good book!!
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