#BiteSizeSaturday ft. Honeymoon with Death by Vivian Conroy and The Honeymoon by Rona Halsall

Hi and welcome to #BiteSizeSaturday!

Today the common denominator is quite obviously honeymoons gone wrong! While one title sounds a lot more ominous than the other, these both centre around a honeymoon from hell and actually, they could both also be used as a cautionary tale about the risks of marrying someone you hardly know. The Honeymoon’s tagline – Marry in haste, repent at leisure – speaks volumes, and applies to Honeymoon with Death just as much. In both books the newlyweds have known each other for a very limited period of time before tying the knot, and well, let’s just say a longer courtship might not have been the worst idea…

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Vivian Conroy’s Honeymoon with Death is a delightful cosy murder mystery. I loved A Testament to Murder, Vivian’s previous 1920s murder mystery (read all about that here), so when she informed me that Honeymoon with Death was available for request on NetGalley, I didn’t even read the synopsis, I just requested it. And so I was pleasantly surprised to bump into Jasper again. A main character from A Testament to Murder, Jasper is a retired Scotland Yard inspector who once again can’t enjoy his holiday because a murder has been committed and he has to find the culprit and save the day. The setting is the fictional Greek island of Kalos and the couple on their honeymoon are Mr and Mrs Ramsforth. Right from the start, and without there even being a body yet, I was properly intrigued by the mystery surrounding the couple. Mr Ramsforth is supposedly rich, but things don’t seem to add up; while Mrs Ramsforth finds big black beetles in the flowers in their suite and a skull on their bed, but there’s no trace of either a moment later. I loved Damaris Ramsforth right from the get-go so I was really rooting for her and hoping the “death” in the title would not strike her. Did it, did it not? Read the book and find out! If you’re an Agatha Christie fan, this is a series that you must look into. The finale of this second instalment involves an intricate denouement, Hercule Poirot-style. Like A Testament to Murder, Honeymoon with Death is a quick, fun read, perfect for a (beach) holiday when you need your dose of murder and mystery, but you don’t want to overexert those little grey cells with an dark and long-winded thriller. Recommended!
Honeymoon with Death is out on 1 July!
Many thanks to Vivian Conroy for inviting me to request Honeymoon with Death and to Canelo and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

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In Rona Halsall’s The Honeymoon we meet Chloe and Dan, about to embark on their honeymoon to the Maldives… Or so Chloe thinks, because once at the airport, she finds out her lifelong Maldivian dream won’t be coming true any time soon, because she’s going to Menorca, which is a unilateral decision made by her brand-new husband. I don’t know about you emancipated gals out there, but I’m not even sure I would have stepped foot on that plane without a proper explanation. Chloe on the other hand is annoyed but somehow also rather meek, which was, quite frankly, the beginning of the end of our friendship. And it got worse before it got better: very soon I disliked both Dan and Chloe. Dan is controlling and secretive, Chloe is the queen of inner turmoil, continually complaining and doubting everything, but too meek to actually pose her questions and demand answers. I was constantly rolling my eyes and sighing at them both. Don’t get me wrong: I love a character I can hate, but in this case I just got annoyed by all the whining and whinging, and it all but ruined the story for me too. Mind, this is a personal hang-up, the story is well-written and well-paced, going back from present to past, and finding out both Chloe’s and Dan’s secrets and it has a nice flow to it, so if you like the premise, give it a whirl and don’t let my own whinging about the characters stop you! I do have to say, the finale did surprise me and somewhat redeemed the novel in my eyes, making me land on 3 stars: overall an okay read that most will probably enjoy more than I did.
Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

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Thanks for joining me today! Have you read these, what did you think? Or if you want to know more, holler! Happy reading x