Today, I have a new review for Honeymoon Suite, Wendy Holden's latest release. This is my first book by Wendy Holden, but she has published already 10 books, all top bestsellers.
Title: Honeymoon Suite
Author: Wendy Holden
Published: January 26th by Headline Review
Blurb: When Nell is marooned at the altar, her feisty best friend Rachel says she'll come with her on honeymoon instead. Why waste a week in a posh country hotel?
So the duo, plus Rachel's Agatha Christie-obsessed small daughter Juno, head for the hills and idyllic Edenville, on the edge of the beautiful Pemberton estate. Awaiting them is a cast of colourful characters from Jason the harassed hotel manager to the ruthless Angela, Director of HR. Not to mention the handsome Dylan, a bestselling writer on the run from his past.
Nell doesn't want to go back to London, so when a job on the estate comes up, she's happy to stay. Even if it is arranging weddings in the Big House! As she becomes entangled in the lives of the locals - and they weave their way into her heart - she realises there might be a way to reach the rainbow's end after all
Review: Honeymoon Suite is my first book by Wendy Holden. I know many people who have loved her previous books, so I was really curious to discover her writing. I could tell from the beginning that it was going to be an eventful story with the air of a romantic comedy movie, where many coincidences bring two people together.
In the first few chapters we get to know the two main characters separately, Nell and Dylan. I really enjoyed this part and found both characters really interesting. Especially Dylan, a writer who is struggling to write his second book after his debut was a huge blockbuster. But once the introductory part was done, the story moved in an incredible fast pace. So many things were happening at once, new characters appeared, played their part and then disappeared in a couple of pages. Then, the impression I got was that this was more a soap opera style novel than a romantic comedy as I had first thought.
The first part of the story takes places in London but then, after a few chapters, it moves to a hotel in the countryside where the two main characters meet again. The hotel and its staff start then playing quite major roles and we forget for a while about Nell and Dylan and that they had first met in London by chance. I think it was a bit too much for me for a moment there. As I said, I was interested in those two characters and a possible romantic story between them but then, they didn't really get to know each other until we were almost 300 pages in. And some of the new characters were a bit two dimensional to me.
All in all, I have to say that I had fun reading this story, especially during the first and last chapters, and it kept me in my toes for most of it, as I literally had no idea where it was going to go next. But I also found it a a bit overwhelming. There were a few chapters there, when I couldn't keep up and most things that happened were quite implausible. That's why I think Wendy Holden's style is not for me.
Rating: 3 stars
I would like to thank the publishers for sending me a copy of this book. This is my honest opinion.
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