Death By Honeymoon (Caribbean Murder Series Book 1) - Jaden Skye

Title: Death by Honeymoon (Caribbean Murder Series Book 1)
Author: Jaden Skye
Genre: Romance/Mystery
Published: 2011
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
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Alibris UK

When I was asked to read this novel I wasn't very sure if I should as it was described as a Romance novel and this is probably the one genre I usually try to avoid. However, the description also implied that a little bit of mystery was involved and therefore I decided to bite the bullet and give this novel a try. After reading it, I have decided that I still have no actual intention of searching out books like this to read but I won't just disregard them out of some sort of misguided principle.

The story itself follows a young woman named Cindy who has married a man she truly loves and is on her honeymoon in the Caribbean when tragedy strikes. Her husband seemingly dies in a terrible accident whilst out surfing although she doesn't believe that it really was an accident. She therefore undertakes her own grief stricken investigation into the death, all the time trying to deal with her husband's now uncovered secrets and his family who blame her for his death.

It is quite a short story and has therefore been written in a rather quick and pacey which had both advantages and disadvantages. The quick pace did help to keep me reading as there was no place to get bogged down in any excessive detail. However it also meant that some of the red herrings and mystery aspects of the story were dealt with within a few pages after being introduced, therefore any intrigue and suspense built up was rather limited in my opinion and the novel became a little bit predictable.

I was actually happy to see that the novel actually had romance in it and was not just about sex or eroticism as I have seen in many other books, especially paranormal romance. It is just a shame that the various characters that the romance and the other relationships were based around seemed rather one dimensional. It just meant that I didn't really feel any attachment to the characters.

The main issue I actually had though is that I found it too obvious regarding what had actually happened to Cindy's husband. I couldn't work out the full mechanics straight away or why it had happened but I think it was too obvious who the "bad" guys actually were as I worked it out within only a few chapters of the husband's death. Then, due to the short nature of the novel, none of the twists and turns were able to maintain enough suspicion to actually distract me from that initial viewpoint.

To be honest, I don't really know how this novel compares to other romance mysteries out there but I did find it to be a reasonably enjoyable read if you are after something just to divert your attention for a while. It is quite a light read so don't expect it to tax your mind or leave you thinking about it for weeks after you finish. In all honesty, I think it is the type of pulpy novel you can just quickly skim through for a fast and easy read during travel or on the beach etc.