This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Susan Lobban
Your honeymoon is something you look forward to … right? Well, not in the case of these two couples.
Emma has been with Tom for forever and doesn’t see the need to marry. Emma lives for their kids, so when Tom keeps on about being a complete family he may have a point. Just because they have kids together is no reason to get married though, then, to add to insult to injury, a surprise honeymoon has been organised – no kids allowed!
Winston, meanwhile, is a well-known breakfast fitness star, so when he marries Melissa after a whirlwind romance, he is determined to have a honeymoon away from prying eyes. Melissa is reluctant to leave her children behind, but surely they can manage without her for a week?
Rosie is the owner of Villa Rosa – the couple’s honeymoon destination. After fleeing England years ago, pregnant and alone, she has made a home for herself and her son Jack in Greece. Usually she welcomes her guests with open arms, but these couples may just ruin her peaceful idyll.
After the Honeymoon follows two couples on the lead up to their weddings, but instead of focusing on their big day, we are treated to what goes on during their honeymoon and beyond. Right from the start, cracks are shown in both relationships. Emma and Winston have doubts about their upcoming nuptials, but these are pushed aside to please one another and this eventually leads to disaster on what should be the most romantic holidays of their lives.
Emma had thought a honeymoon was beyond their budget, but her friends at work have chipped in and booked a week away for her. What should be peaceful and romantic sounds like a nightmare to Emma, especially as her beloved children are not invited. Most mothers will relate to being torn between spending time with their other half and leaving their children behind. We follow Emma as she struggles to cope without them and then decide to let go and relax albeit without Tom, who wastes the opportunity being ill!Winston is an intriguing character in that a secret past is colluded to, but it is ambiguous what this entails exactly. He is an ex Marine and when he meets Melissa, even though the relationship is fast, you believe he must know what he is doing. His step children are particularly odious and he is shown to have the patience of a saint a number of times. Melissa was the only character in the book that I did not take to as she was so blind to her children’s horrendous behaviour and managed to see the good in everyone except her own husband, who was the nicest of the lot!
Just when you think it is simply a case of mismatched couples on honeymoon, Rosie is thrown into the mix. She left England a long time ago after being disowned by her father for being pregnant and she hasn't been back since. She has sworn off men since her son Jack was conceived, but now she is seeing her good friend Greco through different eyes. That is until the honeymooners arrive and throws her own life into disarray.
This story offers a fresh take on relationships and goes to show that honeymoons are not always perfect. It is fascinating to watch how two seemingly unrelated couples come together after their weddings and then show the aftermath of life after the newlywed bubble bursts.
9/10