Honeymoon for One

by Christine Keniston

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To escape local gossip, jilted bride Michelle Bradford embarks on her honeymoon cruise —alone. Coaxed by a thrill seeking hunk she never expects to see again, she slowly sheds her good girl persona to have some well deserved fun. But unlike Vegas, what happens on the high seas doesn't always stay there.

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Book Details

Genre

Contemporary Romance

Subgenre

Beach

Series

Honeymoon

Audience

Adult

Bell Peppers

🫑

Profanity

2 Mild

Violence

1 None

Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco

1 None

Publication Date

January 4, 2014

Language Versions

English

Fiction Form

Novel

Editorial Reviews

Roxanne St. Claire

Shock with Refreshing with Romance and some Hilarity

AUTHOR: This is a “Friendship to Love” plot and Chris Keniston kept it rolling. Can you spell “shock with romance with laughter”? Chris can. Lastly, allow me to get this straight from me to you. I AM NOT a friend of the author. I DO NOT KNOW the author. I DO NOT say things in a review to be nice. I keep it real.

GENRE: Modern day Romance.

SETTING: small town Bluffview America to a cruise ship and back to Bluffview

CENTRAL FEMALE CHARACTERS: She carried herself like a librarian though she worked for a newspaper. Practicality was necessary as she tried to be a most perfect example to her younger sister. Her two best friends had seen her through thick and thin. She had grown to rely on them and them on her.

CENTRAL MALE CHARACTER: One man did not see the world as she did and yet he was as protective of her regardless of the situation. He was honest about his feelings but a little stuffy. The second man lived to have fun. He worked hard and rewarded himself by traveling. Same old, same old and a player at best.

SYNOPSIS: The signs were all there but she never saw it coming. As a result her friends pushed her out the door and onto a boat. With an “angel” on one shoulder and the “shop girl” on the other shoulder; she redefined herself overnight.

To him, she was refreshing as compared to the same old, same old. He loved the way her eyes sparkled when she tried something new. She was like a kid in a candy store. However, all fun must come to an end or “no”?

SEXUAL EXPLICITNESS: Two (2) sexual events but not over the top and I don’t like over the top. (3) groin; (5) breasts; (1) hard-on; (1) arousal; (2) nipples; (10) uses of the word “shit” (I DO NOT use profanity but I must admit in many cases his use of the word was hilarious considering what was happening at the time); Well that’s about it.

WHAT I LIKED: The author did not get hung up on sex. (1) party (1) car accident (1) get out of jail and I enjoyed the funny parts.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE: Actually could not put the book down. Ya’ know how many books have such a slow start. Well guess what. Nope. Did not happen.

I give this book (5) stars because a good book must have some hilarity. Furthermore, this book continuously moved to the groove. This was my first time reading this author’s books and HONEYMOON FOR ONE is now on my list of romance favs. I’m COMING BACK to his author for more.

not what I expected

Not as good as expected. I had problems finding many of the characters relatable. I didn’t feel Michelle’s cheating fiancé and ex-best friend Beth suffered any consequences for their actions and acted very poorly towards her [SPOILERS] (cheating on her, getting pregnant while still engaged to Michelle, cancelling wedding 3 days before the wedding to Michelle then eloping with Beth the next day, leaving Michelle to cancel all the wedding vendors last minute and deal with the fallout alone, expecting forgiveness for their actions, and the worst, barging into Michelle’s office and loudly announcing Michelle’s baby news before she’s had a chance to process or tell anyone herself. I was glad Michelle moved away and chose not to go back at least. I could agree with that. And the whole thing about her cheating ex justifying his behavior by claiming they loved but weren’t in-love and she would thank him someday.)

The whole theme of loving vs being in love and the cheating ex waiting until he got her ex best friend pregnant and ready to elope before breaking it off last minute and trying to justify it to her, and somehow Michelle coming to the realization that he was right didn’t sit well. If he had doubts about his feelings, you break it off first and cancel the wedding before getting someone else pregnant and proposing to them. Their actions were deplorable but Beth and Steven still get their HEA. Nope. Not my cup of tea.

I actually Pam, the co-worker, to be the best person in the book. Kirk, the H, came around by the end. Mixed feelings about Michelle, the h.

I took off a star due to poor editing. A number of incorrect words were used in place of the correct words, like “of” instead of “off”. It’s unprofessional by the author and distracting to have to stop and figure out the correct word in a sentence over and over. Get a better proofreader and do better! Your readers deserve it.

When Your Best Friend and Fiance Run Off Together, the Best Revenge Is Finding True Love

When Michelle's best friend and fiance run off together just days before the scheduled wedding, she's really more ticked off than devastated. Embarrassment and the prodding of a co-worker and neighbor leads her to the decision to not just take her honeymoon cruise solo, but also to let herself live a little on the wild side. When she engages in a torrid affair with Kirk, neither expect to see each other afterward. But he soon comes to town to manage the company where Michelle works.

There is little romance at the beginning of the novel, but the affair is hot and heavy and believable (in so much as a romance novel can be). Michelle and Kirk are both drawn to each other beyond the bedroom, but neither acts to extend their relationship beyond the cruise. Kirk comes across as a little bit sleazy at first because it's clear that he frequents these cruises where he picks up on single women for short-term affairs. But he becomes a likable character, primarily because he brings Michelle out of her shell and really helps her to feel good about herself. And then when he ends up in her hometown, he is the one that pursues her and is there for her when she needs someone.

This is a light and easy read and I enjoyed the author's style enough to consider purchasing other works.

Letting go and enjoying your honeymoon for one

When your fiance and best friend tell you they are flying to Vegas to be married just before the wedding you have planned what's a girl to do? Go on the honeymoon cruise that's paid for and go all out having fun. Maybe even meet a handsome sexy man to spend that time with.

Michelle has been raising her sister for seven years and. Corrie has been her entire focus leaving very little time for fun in her life or her wardrobe. Embarking on this cruise with a sexy new wardrobe she is determined to explore all the things she has been missing out on before returning to her staid life. Meeting a man was not on her list of things to do but he proves to be a big part of her adventure. But it all ends when she leaves the ship until he unexpectedly comes back into her life.

There was humor while Michelle dealt with her cheating ex and her in my opinion simple minded best friend and small town gossip. Her sister Corrie is a typical teenager and I had to sympathise with Michelle and Corrie both. Being a parent to a teenaged sibling can't be easy and her over protective instincts cause Corrie to act out with serious consequences. I love the way Kirk comes to her rescue and the fact that they so quickly bond.

Kirk has lived his life restrained by his parent's mistakes and his feeling for Michelle baffle him. However he is quick to take action when he finally figures out that feeling is love.

One thing I really loved about the story is the fact that what happened in the bedroom didn't have to be spelled out in detail. It made their relationship so much sweeter for me. Having to page through scene after scene to get back to the story causes me to lose interest. I appreciated the humor my favorite being the one in the lady's restroom. I would have liked a little more in the epilogue. We missed so much of what happened after the big reveal.

I recommend this for the characters, the story line and the way it flows without hesitation from one scent to the next.