I’ve read quite a number of Rona Halsall’s novels. She is an author that always either sits in my tbr list for too long, or I am convinced I’ve already read them and pass them by. I note that again it seems this title was published some years ago, I don’t know if there’s been a change of publisher or simply that it’s not been available in audio format before, however I’m not complaining, I was pretty excited to be approved to listen to this title as I’ve never been disappointed yet.

The Honeymoon didn’t disappoint. We meet Chloe and Dan as, following a whirlwind romance and wedding, they embark on their Honeymoon to the Maldives, only there’s an issue, that only becomes apparent as the appear at the airport and Chloe notices that the tickets are actually for Menorca, infact their destination is a remote villa amongst farmland. From the minute they arrive Dan’s behaviour is shifty to say the least, and Chloe is wondering how well she really knows this man. Something is definitely amiss, her phone has gone missing, Dan’s insistent that they shouldn’t return to England and as his behaviour becomes increasingly out of control, inevitably Chloe has to escape him.

However when she returns to England to a life completely upended, and unable to get in touch with her husband who seems to be behind all the chaos, she has no choice but to head back to Menorca to face the music and get to the facts. What plays out is intense……

The writing is excellent, and whilst the story shifts back and forth it becomes apparent that there are in fact 3 sides to every story. His, hers and the truth.

This one will have you doing mental gymnastics, and wondering if anything can be believed, and the ending will have you lifting your jaw back up.

The narration by Naomi Frederick was good, if a little slow for me, I struggled a little to find the right pace. There were some definite sound issues, it felt like the volume was lost at stages, however I’m sure this will be corrected in time for publication.

I’d like to extend my thanks to Bookouture Audio via NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this title in return for an honest review.

3.5 stars, infact, just short of 4🌟

This felt a bit rushed and there were some plot holes. I enjoyed the narrator and it was a okay thriller. Thank you to netgalley & bookouture for the advanced audiobook.
3/5 stars

Red flags at full mast from the very beginning, watch out there's peril about, not every marriage is plain sailing and this one certainly isn't. Constantly switching between gripping and irritating (the characters make you want to scream at them) it's a satisfying read albeit with a slightly drawn out ending.

This was a quick thriller with a lot of holes in the plot. While I enjoyed the ending, it was predictable and the first 80% of the book just took too long to muddle through. I'm glad I received this on audio from NetGalley, since that made it easier to digest quickly, if it had been a physical copy I may have moved this to DNF just given the pace of the actual storyline.

Chloe lives a pretty solitary life working as a physical therapist and taking care of her aging grandmother. When Chloe’s mother passed away, her brother and sister blamed Chloe while her grandmother turned cold and distanced herself from Chloe.

Due to her otherwise isolated life, it’s not surprising that Chloe quickly agrees to go out to dinner with the handsome son of one of her therapy patients. He instantly wants to spend all of his time with her and quickly plans a wedding. Chloe feels so happy knowing someone is focusing only on her yet….there’s a voice in her head telling her he’s moving pretty fast.

Within a few months, they’re married and honeymooning in a different location than they’d originally planned because Dan changed the location without speaking to Chloe. Then Chloe can’t find her phone although she was sure she had it. And Dan is talking about staying at their vacation spot. FOREVER! He doesn’t seem to consider her job or responsibilities. Everywhere they go, Dan seems on edge, frantically looking around. Chloe wonders how well she actually knows Dan. As soon as she begins contemplating packing up and heading home, she realizes her period is late further compounding her situation. Even if she goes home, who would be there waiting for her? Chloe can’t help but think maybe she’s better off with someone who loves her even if she’s seeing a few too many red flags.

This was a solid 3 star read. I didn’t really like or connect with either character in this book and felt there were too many times they agreed to “start over” after a nasty argument. But, I love Rona Halsall’s books and I’m sure fellow fans will want to make sure to check this one out!

Thank you to @netgalley & @bookouture for the advanced audiobook.

The Honeymoon is a cautionary tale of love at first sight. How well do you really know someone? Especially when you’ve only known them for 2 months…Whirlwind romances can get you into trouble.

This was an enjoyable story but there was a slow buildup that just lead to a rushed resolution. It felt like something was missing.

Overall, it was an interesting concept but the execution left something to be desired.

Chloe and Dan have a whirlwind romance and set off for their honeymoon but things start going very wrong. Who is behind all these things happening and why?

I liked this one and couldn't stop reading until I knew what was going on between Dan and Chloe. There are a lot of twists and clue that point to certain characters but the one secret Dan was hiding seemed a little out there and played a bigger role in the book than I thought it would.

The ending was a little rushed with a lot of "_ weeks later" but a lot happens and it still leaves you wondering what will happen next!

3.5⭐

After a whirlwind romance- we are talking a month or two here - Chloe and Dan decide to get married. They are in love. They are soulmates. They are going to live happily ever after. Or are they?

That is the premise here. There are many books out there that ask the question, "How well do you know someone?" Can you really know someone in a months or two time so much so that you marry them and are off on your dream honeymoon - except, it turns out to not be a dream – It’s more like a nightmare.

This book had some twists and turns and lots of warning bells went off in my head while reading this. This was a fun, escapism book which didn't disappoint. At the very beginning of the book, some bells and whistles go off as I read along as the Chloe experiences her honeymoon. It's not the honeymoon she always dreamed about. Chloe and Dan both had secrets going into their marriage, and both are haunted by them.

This proved to be a fast read which kept me on my toes. The characters were interesting. With this book, the reader will see things unraveling and yet, the Author still pulled off more twists at the end. Sure, some of the "relationship issues: we have seen before (I wont name them to avoid spoilers) but this book still felt fresh. There is one twist toward the end, which had the “Oh come on” light going off over my head, but overall, a gripping and enjoyable read.

Thank you to Bookouture audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced audio book.

The premise of this book sounded intriguing--a woman who marries someone after only two months of dating only to find that on their honeymoon he refuses to let them leave the island they're on--but the characters felt entirely unbelievable. From the moment that the wife learned that her husband had changed the location of their honeymoon without telling her, she acted as though he'd done nothing more than changed her dinner order. I couldn't connect to either character, which left me unable to finish this one.

What a read!
Chloe is going on her honeymoon after a whirl wind romance and we are dropped into the action right away and the story pretty much never lets up until the last page! Absolutely packed full of twists and turns, I actually started to feel anxious whilst listening to this whilst my kids were at their swimming lessons, wondering what on Earth poor Chloe was going to do next! Also I did want to shout at her and certain family members at times as well.
Would absolutely recommend taking this on holiday, you’ll have it finished in a day!
10/10 for narration

I hated Dan from the beginning, which is the point right? But I am telling you the second a man was like "no we can't open the window" I would leave. I will open all the windows whenever I crave open windows. But we have screens here.

But he gets so much worse, even though he says he has a reason for this.
I just could not understand why Chloe kept going back or calling him or staying close.
The narration was wonderful!

This was delicious!

Premise - What happens if you marry in haste... and it turns out you really didn't know your fiancé, after all? Dan is hiding SECRETS from Chloe, but Chloe has a big one of her own. Marrying fast can be a mistake and not all mistakes are survivable.

The characters were well developed, the settings were exciting, the pace was breakneck, and the twists were dizzying (in the best way)! I really enjoyed the prose, as well - it's a conversational style that gets out of the way of the story, but also has a nice rhythm. It was a cozy read, even though it's fast-paced and high drama.

<spoiler> This would have been a 5 star, but the sleeptalk confession was too deus ex machina for me, especially given the speaker doesn't regularly say incriminating/intelligible things in their sleep.

I look forward to reading more from Rona Halsall!

Thanks, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This audiobook was made available for me to listen to and review by Rona Halsall, Bookouture Audio, and NetGalley.

This story starts in the airport, after the wedding of Chloe & Dan and on the way to the honeymoon. Chloe has dreamed all of her life about a romantic beachside honeymoon but Dan has surprises planned for her on the honeymoon and not all of them are romantic.

Chloe's the youngest of 3 kids. She lost her Dad young and her mom after university. All she has left is a strained relationship with her sick grandmother and a job she loves. Her 2 older siblings blame her for an unnamed incident in their shared family past. This incident is the catalyst for the strained relationship with her siblings and grandmother. Chloe meets Dan through work she is doing for his mother. Dan and Chloe spend every day together and get married 8 weeks later. The novel moves between the present honeymoon storyline and a past storyline of them meeting 8 weeks previously.

The action in this novel is both unnerving and frightening at times. This story has quite a bit of domestic violence as plot points. The story itself starts off strong, slows down in the middle, speeds up towards the end and has an extremely satisfying ending. The action requires the reader to place their common sense in an air tight container with lid firmly closed for much of the story which is frustrating. Chloe was a frustrating protagonist and I found myself talking out loud to her while listening to this.

The narrator of this domestic thriller is Naomi Frederick. This is told almost exclusively from Chloe's point of view and Ms. Frederick's voice perfectly encapsulates her character. Her voice has the perfect blend of fear and shock.

Thank you to Rona Halsall, Bookouture Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

The Honeymoon
By: Rona Halsall
Pub date: June 7, 2024
Publisher: Bookouture
4🤍🤍🤍🤍

Get ready for another wild ride with this author!
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Chloe and Dan get married after two months of knowing each other! CRAZY! Chemistry, love or whatever brought these two together changes quickly.
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Chloe is very naive and Dan is controlling as we discover as they are whisked away on their honeymoon. Let the secrets begin!
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So many twists and lies. Nothing is what it seems.
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Thank you Bookouture for this gifted copy.

#thehoneymoon, #ronahalsall, #bookouture, #booksconnectus, #stamperlady50

I liked the premise or what I thought would be the premise for this book. (Husband keeping new wife hostage oj honeymoon) It has become so unbelievable the only word that comes to mind is “silly” and I can’t stick with it. I did like the narrator

sorry!