REVIEW: The Honeymooner by Melanie Summers

Title: The Honeymooner (Paradise Bay #1)
Author: Melanie Summers
Narrator: Matthew Lloyd Davies, Esther Wane
Publisher: Indigo Group
Publication Date: August 2018
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: He’s tall, dark, and built. The kind of man whose abs have abs. And I only want one thing from him—to forget the last twenty-four hours. Forever.

It was supposed to be the best day of my life. The sun was shining. The church was packed. I was dressed in white and ready to marry my steady-as-a-rock fiancé.

There was just one big, fat problem—he didn’t show up.

So I did the only thing a girl can do under the circumstances—escape to the Caribbean for our honeymoon.

Alone.

Enter Harrison Banks.

Somehow he brings out a side of me I didn’t know existed—a carefree adrenaline junkie. After a few days together, Harrison’s got me wondering if the life I always wanted was meant for some other girl.

I should go back to my safe, comfortable life, right?

That would be the sensible thing to do.

I can’t risk everything to live out some tropical fantasy with a guy I’ve just met, even if he is the only man who’s ever made me feel truly alive…

The Honeymooner is a laugh-out-loud, opposites attract romance about a heroine who’s used to staying inside her comfort zone and a hero who knows exactly how hard to push. It’ll have you laughing, swooning, and sipping fruity blender drinks.

My Thoughts: The Honeymooner, my first book by Melanie Summers, caught my attention because it is the first installment in a series—and since I already have the third book waiting on my to-be-read mountain, I knew I needed to start at the beginning. Yes, I am absolutely one of those readers who has to read a series in order. Thankfully, this book did not disappoint.

This interconnected series is centered around a Caribbean resort, which immediately intrigued me. I love the warm, fuzzy atmosphere that often comes with vacation romances, and Paradise Bay provides the perfect backdrop. The secondary characters also added plenty of fun, and I hope many of them continue to appear throughout the series.

Being jilted practically at the altar is never easy, but I appreciated how the author used that moment as a catalyst for Libby to reclaim her confidence. Instead of sinking into despair, Libby takes the honeymoon trip anyway. The trip also doubles as a working vacation, since her employer is interested in buying Paradise Bay and has tasked her with evaluating the resort’s viability.

Harrison, the resort’s owner, is struggling to keep Paradise Bay afloat. He does not want to sell, but he is running out of time and options. I liked both Libby and Harrison, and their connection felt immediate. Their chemistry gave the story energy, and their dynamic made the romance easy to root for.

My Final Verdict: The Honeymooner is a fun, lighthearted contemporary romance with a dreamy Caribbean setting, likable characters, and plenty of chemistry. Libby and Harrison’s story is sweet, humorous, and easy to root for, making this a great choice for readers who enjoy vacation romances, opposites-attract dynamics, and series with an inviting cast of side characters. I’m looking forward to returning to Paradise Bay and continuing the series.

REVIEW: The Dead Girls Club by Damien Angelica Walters

Title: The Dead Girls Club
Author: Damien Angelica Walters
Narrator: Devon Sorvari
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: December 2019
Genre: Thriller
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Red Lady, Red Lady, show us your face... 

In 1991, Heather Cole and her friends were members of the Dead Girls Club. Obsessed with the macabre, the girls exchanged stories about serial killers and imaginary monsters, like the Red Lady, the spirit of a vengeful witch killed centuries before. Heather knew the stories were just that, until her best friend Becca began insisting the Red Lady was real—and she could prove it. 

That belief got Becca killed. 

It's been nearly thirty years, but Heather has never told anyone what really happened that night—that Becca was right and the Red Lady was real. She's done her best to put that fateful summer, Becca, and the Red Lady, behind her. Until a familiar necklace arrives in the mail, a necklace Heather hasn't seen since the night Becca died. 

The night Heather killed her. 

Now, someone else knows what she did . . . and they're determined to make Heather pay.

My Thoughts: From the opening chapters, this book reminded me of the eerie slumber-party games many of us played at that age—Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board, Bloody Mary, and other rituals meant to scare us just enough to be fun. In this story, however, that childhood fascination with fear takes a much darker turn. Becca becomes consumed by the legend of the Red Lady and convinced that the rituals will prove the spirit is real, setting the stage for a tragedy that leaves one friend dead and the other carrying the weight of what happened. 

That part is revealed early, so the real question is not simply what happened, but how two best friends reached such a devastating point. I was especially interested in the emotional fallout: Becca’s death, Heather’s silence, and the scars and trauma Heather continues to carry nearly thirty years later. 

The story becomes even more compelling when someone reveals they know Heather’s secret and begins stalking her. As Heather scrambles to discover who is behind it and why, the author effectively portrays her as a woman on the edge of a breakdown, desperate to appear in control while steadily unraveling. Her panic leads to rash choices that are not only reckless but also deeply unethical. 

The shifting timeline also works well. By moving between the past and present, the narrative gives readers a close look at Heather and Becca’s friendship and the events leading up to Becca’s death. Walters adds several effective red herrings, keeping the mystery of Heather’s stalker uncertain for much of the book. 

Overall, I enjoyed the story, though the slow burn felt a little too slow in places. I also did not feel the finale fully fit with the rest of the book’s buildup.

 

My Final Verdict: The Dead Girls Club is an atmospheric, unsettling thriller with a strong sense of childhood fear, guilt, and long-buried secrets. While the pacing occasionally drags and the ending did not land as strongly as I hoped, the dual timeline, creepy premise, and Heather’s unraveling kept me invested. Readers who enjoy slow-burn psychological thrillers with a supernatural edge may find this one worth picking up. 

Thank you to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.

REVIEW: If I Don't Kill Them...Who Will? by Beck Lewis

Title: If I Don’t Kill Them…Who Will?
Author: Beck Lewis
Publisher: Goody and Grant Narrative Works, Ltd.
Publication Date: May 2026
Genre: Thriller
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN

Description: I thought a corporate weekend away in Wales was going to involve too much wine, awkward nostalgia and listening to Daniel Bartlesham talk about himself.

I didn’t expect to discover that most of my friends are apparently fine with revenge porn, suicide and corporate cover-ups – just as long as nobody’s bonus is affected.

My friend Eve is dead because Daniel uploaded that video of her.

And everyone at Bartlesham wants to call the whole thing an unfortunate misunderstanding and move on with their lives.

I’m not having that.

Which is probably why I’m currently locked in the boot of a car. Daniel’s mate in the driving seat is going to murder me when we stop.

But now that I’ve realized how many terrible men are protected by money, power and people willing to look the other way… I’m starting to think killing them all might be the only reasonable response.

I mean, if I don’t kill them… who will?

My Thoughts: If I Don’t Kill Them…Who Will by Beck Lewis is over-the-top, intense, surprising, a little scary, and a lot of fun. The story comes with plenty of trigger warnings as the bodies begin to pile up, but I was completely invested in Nicole’s pursuit of justice—not only for Eve, but for anyone harmed by the rich, the powerful, and the bullies who expect to get away with it.

The book opens with Nicole trapped in the trunk of her coworker’s car, convinced she will be murdered as soon as the car stops. That explosive opening immediately pulled me in, and Lewis does a strong job weaving in the backstory that explains how Nicole ended up there while keeping the suspense moving forward. The tension was riveting from the start.

Nicole faces several jaw-dropping twists, and I found myself reacting right along with her. She is an easy character to root for, but her grandmother was an absolute standout. Every young woman deserves a grandmother like hers.

I highly recommend If I Don’t Kill Them…Who Will to readers who enjoy dark, twisty thrillers with sharp edges, fierce characters, and a revenge plot that does not hold back. It is intense, chaotic, and unexpectedly entertaining, with enough suspense and surprises to keep the pages turning.

Thank you to the author, Beck Lewis, for the opportunity to read and review this book.

REVIEW: The Missing Wife by Sam Carrington

Title: The Missing Wife
Author: Sam Carrington
Narrator: Kristin Atherton
Publisher: Avon Books UK
Publication Date: June 2019
Genre: Thriller

Description: You think you know those closest to you. You are wrong…

A sleep-deprived new mother approaching her fortieth birthday, the very last thing Louisa wants to do is celebrate.

But when her friend Tiff organizes a surprise party, inviting the entire list of Louisa’s Facebook friends, Louisa is faced with a room full of people she hasn’t spoken to in years – including someone she never expected to see again: her ex-boyfriend, Oliver Dunmore.

When Oliver’s wife Melissa goes missing after the party, everyone remembers the night differently. Someone knows what happened to Melissa, and Louisa is determined to find them. But the truth could be closer, and the deception more devastating, than she’d ever imagined…

My Thoughts: As a fan of twisty psychological thrillers, I found The Missing Wife by Sam Carrington to be an okay read. I was interested enough to see how the story would unfold, but it never delivered the edge-of-your-seat suspense or satisfying payoff I usually look for in this genre.

None of the main characters were especially likable, which can sometimes make a thriller more compelling. Here, however, the story felt unfocused. Despite the title, the missing wife did not always feel like the central focus, and the number of secondary plot points made the direction of the story confusing at times.

I also never fully understood the connection between the events in Louisa’s past and her present-day time lapses. I wish that thread had been explored more deeply, as it could have added stronger emotional weight and clarity to the overall mystery.

My Final Verdict: The Missing Wife had an intriguing premise and enough mystery to keep me curious, but the uneven focus and underdeveloped plot threads kept it from becoming the gripping psychological thriller I hoped for. While it may appeal to readers who enjoy slow-burn domestic suspense, it ultimately fell short of delivering the tension and payoff I expected.

Thank you to Avon Books UK for providing an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.