From bestselling author Melanie Summers comes the wickedly funny, ridiculously romantic spinoff of her highly-acclaimed Crown Jewels Series… Twenty-nine-year-old workaholic Libby Dewitt lives by the motto ‘if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.’ She’s finally about to start her dream life with her steady-as-a-rock fiancé, Richard Tomy. Together, they’re the perfect power couple—right down to the … couple—right down to the fact that he’s agreed to use their honeymoon to help further her career in mergers and acquisitions. But ten minutes before the wedding, her dreams dissolve via text message.
Devastated and humiliated, Libby escapes to Paradise Bay alone. She’s got two goals for her trip: to devise a plan to get Richard back and to convince resort owner Harrison Banks to sell his property to her company. Unfortunately, when she arrives, she discovers that tall, dark, and built, Harrison is not about to make anything easy for her.
Instead, he derails her plans while at the same time, bringing out a side of Libby she’s kept carefully tucked away—a carefree, adrenaline junkie. After a few days together, Harrison’s got her wondering if the life she always wanted was meant for some other girl. Suddenly, Libby must decide which version of herself she wants to be.
Will she go back to her comfortable, safe life, or risk everything to be with the only man who’s ever made her feel truly alive?
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Today I’m recommending my new release (as Melanie Summers), The Honeymooner. If you are a fan of my romantic comedies, please follow Melanie Summers on Bookbub for advanced notice of new releases and special deals.
(I’m unable to promote it as MJ Summers so as not to confuse people.)
Anyway, about the book…
The Honeymooner is a wickedly funny, ridiculously romantic spinoff of the highly-acclaimed Crown Jewels Series.
Twenty-eight-year-old workaholic Libby Dewitt lives by the motto ‘if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.’ She’s finally about to start her dream life with her steady-as-a-rock fiancé, Richard Tomy. Together, they’re the perfect power couple—right down to the fact that he’s agreed to use their honeymoon to help further her career in mergers and acquisitions. But ten minutes before the wedding, her dreams dissolve via text message.
Devastated and humiliated, Libby escapes to Paradise Bay alone. She’s got two goals for her trip: to devise a plan to get Richard back and to convince resort owner Harrison Banks to sell his property to her company. Unfortunately, when she arrives, she discovers that tall, dark, and built Harrison is not about to make anything easy for her.
Instead, he derails her plans while at the same time, bringing out a side of Libby she’s kept carefully tucked away—a carefree, adrenaline junkie. After a few days together, Harrison’s got her wondering if the life she always wanted was meant for some other girl. Suddenly, Libby must decide which version of herself she wants to be.
Will she go back to her comfortable, safe life, or risk everything to be with the only man who’s ever made her feel truly alive?
The perfect escape. This sweet fun romance is set on a tropical island and features a woman who plans everything with a spontaneous, sweet guy.
A darling, funny, happily-ever-after romantic comedy. I loved every minute of it. I especially loved my wonderful trip to the Caribbean! An absolutely perfect escape!
I was in the mood for a beachy read and this book kept showing up on my amazon feed, so I thought I’d give it a try. Being the first book I’ve read from the author I’ll admit I was a little nervous because I didn’t know if I’d enjoy it or connect with the characters. Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised and found this to be a charming and funny novel. The characters were wonderful; character growth is important in novels like these ones, and seeing Libby go from a workaholic, regimented woman to a carefree one who lets her heart determine her paths in life was fantastic. It also helped that we meet the swoony hero who steals her heart as well as the readers!
Another important thing with this novel is the authors writing. She truly transported me to the tropical island of Paradise Bay with her vivid imagination and I could practically feel the sun on my skin as I was reading. I love an author who can write a setting in a way that readers can imagine it being real and that’s exactly what Melanie Summers did with this book.
If you’re looking for a funny, lighthearted read with wonderful characters and a plot thick with love and excitement then this is a great summer read for you. I’m excited to read more books by this new to me author!
Another fun rom com from one of my favourite chick lit authors! Some laugh-out-loud moments mixed in with some more tender ones, it’s a real pageturner that had me wanting the heroine and hero to work things out! Highly recommended.
Since I discovered her work last year, Melanie Summers has become one of my favorite RomCom authors and I awaited the release of The Honeymooner with unabashed excitement. I am happy to say that the book lived up to all of my expectations. Reading this story was the next best thing to going on a vacation because the author’s vivid descriptions transported me to a tropical paradise where I got to experience island life and fall in love, with both the place and the hunky hero, right along with the protagonist, Libby.
Libby has two goals when she arrives at Paradise Bay: 1) Prove to the fiancé who just left her at the altar that she can be spontaneous and adventurous and win him back in the process. 2) Get resort owner, Harrison, to sign off on a takeover by the big hotel group she works for. Naturally, both things prove to be very difficult. Libby hates stepping outside of her comfort zone and trying new things and Harrison tells her in no uncertain terms that he has no intention of selling his family-owned property no matter how much the business is struggling.
Sparks fly between Libby and Harrison from their very first meeting, and you would think that it’s a case of opposites attracting–Libby being a regimented, Type A control freak while Harrison is a fun-loving, risk-taking guy who likes to enjoy everything life has to offer. But as they get to know each other better, they find they have a lot more in common than either of them thought. One of the things I really liked about this story was that both characters had really interesting backstories and family histories that informed their personalities and how they approached life. Could these two people who are both carrying a lot of emotional baggage be exactly what the other needs?
This book was chock full of laugh-out-loud comical moments, swoony romance, and scenes that gave me all the feels. And the author did a wonderful job of setting the stage for future Paradise Bay books starring Harrison’s siblings, which I can’t wait to read! If you haven’t read a Melanie Summers books yet, what are you waiting for? They are a guaranteed good time.
Honeymooner was a wonderfully charming and funny romance. I couldn’t put it down. I loved Libby and Harrison. They couldn’t be more different as far as personalities go but are absolutely perfect for each other. I can’t wait to read the next book!
This delightful rom-com features a jilted buttoned-up corporate type and a devil-may-care resort owner. Harrison Banks and Libby Dewitt couldn’t be more opposite if they tried. She’s at Paradise Bay to try to convince Harrison to sell the resort to her company. He’s not going to let that happen. There are missteps along the way but there’s something magical about being on a Caribbean island that lends itself to romance and happy endings.
A Melanie Summers romance never fails to warm your heart, give you a chuckle and sometimes make you laugh out loud. Her characters are charming, witty, sexy and genuinely likeable. There’s just enough conflict mixed in with romance to give you a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience.
The Honeymooner by Melanie Summers
Rating 4 out of 5
Liberty (“Libby” for short) Dawn Dewitt is a business analyst for GlobalLux Inc and has been pursuing new properties to expand GlobalLux’s asset holdings as the world’s premier luxury hotels. The company has its eyes set on Paradise Bay and is currently in negotiations/talks with the resort on possible acquisition when the book starts.
Libby is also a jilted bride (left at the altar) by her long-time boyfriend, which sucks big time for her. To get ahead and seal the deal (win-win in her books), Libby booked her honeymoon at Paradise Bay without realizing that she will be going alone. Note that she did push-through with her honeymoon to Santa Valentina Island, where Paradise Bay hoped to get a “win” in her professional life since her personal life isn’t doing very well.
Harrison Banks is the owner of Paradise Bay Resort. Harrison is very behind on his loan payments. He has a full load of responsibilities – keeping the resort afloat, supporting his siblings (one of them is finishing off her education), and still keep his sanity. His priority – to find a way to pay off the resort’s loans and turn the resort into a profitable one. Libby’s company acquisition offer at first was out-of-the-question, but as he had to sell an essential piece of his family’s possession at the start of the book, he realizes that maybe he might have to “cave-into” the offer whether he wants to or not.
The story is told from Libby’s and Harrison’s POVs.
The writing is witty and hilarious as readers dive into the crazy minds of Libby and Harrison. There were many laugh-out moments that I kept chuckling, but there were also slow moments. There were a few moments when I wanted to shake Libby to let her know that in no way should she go back to her ex-fiance, even if he does beg and grovel.
Libby’s been too uptight as a person, most likely because she wants to make sure she has everything planned and controlled compared to her mother, a free-spirited, nomad woman, who did not even know who Libby’s father is aside from a 3-day stand. She got lost along the way to her forever when she started looking forward versus looking to the present and “being” with her ex-fiance, which was what I believe the latter mentioned as the downfall of their relationship. She felt alone and lost when it all imploded.
In comes Harrison, who has this protector complex and easy-going nature, having trouble finding a solution to save the resort. He knows that he needs to focus on making the resort a profitable one.
The sparks were not immediate, but there was something – call it intuition, and learning more about each other brought them together in the book. They tried to avoid each other when they found out that Libby’s job was to find a way to have Harrison sell the resort to the company she works for, but things do not turn out that way.
Both characters have their flaws. For Libby, it is her constant need to “control” everything, trying to find a way to make her ex-fiance come back to her and avoid anything remotely “adventurous.” For Harrison, his compulsion to think of everyone else but himself drives everyone around him nuts.
Along the way, things get a bit more complicated aside from finding a way for the resort to survive, Libby’s and Harrison’s feelings for each other, and keeping Libby’s sanity. Something happened near 3/4ths of the book that I appreciate the author bringing it in. It gives the first part of the story, Libby’s past, its worthy “closure.” This event has to happen and be “sorted out” before anything can even start with Libby and Harrison. That resolution becomes the book’s turning point that will make Libby and Harrison decide if there is anything to pick up after it happens.
Will Libby’s expertise in restructuring help Paradise Bay get back to its original splendor, or have it all sold to the highest bidder?
Will Harrison’s desperation in helping everyone part of the resort means the end of anything that can spring up on a remote island?
In summary, I enjoyed reading The Honeymooner. It’s got a piece of everything for readers who love second chances, redemption, self-discovery, steadfast love, and humor. Yes, the book comes with a HEA ending for both main characters, the resort, and even the jilted ones that will surprise you how the author resolved Libby’s past and what she had to do for her future. And oh boy, did she come out of her comfort zone – to a new and improved without recognition Libby!
PS: I love the book’s inclusion of the wedding invitation, a map of the island, and even a resort brochure! That’s a lot to start, then the prologue in the form of email correspondences are perfect!
PSS: I’m glad that Libby didn’t end up with her ex-fiancé. Her full married name would be a real laugh-trip! I pity her future kids with it. You would have to read the book to get it, but I choked on my drink when the author explained how pronounced it was. **LOL**
1/2021 – A classic chick-lit novel that keeps you engaged from the beginning to the end. The characters were great, and I was cheering for them throughout the novel. Although it was predictable, it still kept you entertained with twists and turns throughout the book. A great beach read.
Cute – I really enjoyed this series.
Solid beach read. Writing is good. Nothing spectacular.
I don’t know when exactly it happened, but ever since I started reading the Crown Jewels series – I’ve become this crazy super fan of Ms. Summers. I just love her books, her writing style and the way she sucks me into her books. I find myself only wanting to read and sadly ignoring all my adulting obligations (good thing my kids are teenagers and can sort of feed themselves). These stories are fun to read – it’s like reading a Rom-Com movie. They are funny, witty, full of sexy characters that have you laughing and crying and cheering when they get their HEA. Thank you for writing such great books and for keeping me so thoroughly entertained.
This is a MUST have author to include in your book collection. BUY these books!!!!
Happy reading…enjoy!
slow start
The most fun I’ve had visiting a tropical island. This is a fun must read Book 1 of what I’m sure is a fantastic series. Once you finish this book you are immediately reaching for the next. Melanie Summers had me believing I was there on the island watching and laughing at the antics of slightly uptight guest Libby and drop dead gorgeous resort owner Harrison. Read it , love it, and grab the next one in the series.
This story was hard to put down. It was a fun read and I would recomment it.
I read all 3 in this series back to back…I hope she writes more!!!
Great start to a series. A pleasant change from all the sad and bad news both on television and in the print media right now.
This is a fun read and a great escape!
childish