Life doesn’t always turn out as we plan, does it? This is what Roxy Drake (aka Daisy Carter) discovered one hour prior to marrying the tall, handsome man of her dreams, Connor Barrington. Honeymoon Roulette by Irene Woodbury is a great story about making decisions, consequences, and regretting or welcoming the choices that we make. Roxy’s life changed once she and her family found out about Connor’s secret past. Little did she know that once she made the tough decision not to marry Connor that this decision would drastically alter the course of her life and impact her future. Now living as Daisy Carter, she reflects on whether she made a mistake. She began to question whether or not what she learned about Connor was enough to throw it all away and start a new life. She realized that maybe being Mrs. Barrington is a lot better than living as Roxy Drake.

I enjoyed reading this story because it reminded me of the phases that one travels through when experiencing the rites of passage. Throughout our lives, we encounter various forks in the road of life which influence the next step. In reading Honeymoon Roulette, the reader is able to live vicariously in the lives of Roxy/Daisy as they each transition through different relationships from friendships to intimacy. Within each plateau and turn, Roxy/Daisy must decide who will be allowed close to learn about her secrets and who to keep at a distance. Honeymoon Roulette is for mature audiences only. Highly recommended. Enjoy!

Irene Woodbury in Honeymoon Roulette tells the story of Roxy Drake who runs away on the morning of her wedding to Connor, a local businessman. A secret is revealed about her fiancé which shocks her to the core. She flees to Las Vegas and begins a new life under another name. There follow several adventures, one of which is life-threatening and lasts for months, and then she falls in love again. But life continues to throw her curve balls, preventing her from making a decision between the past and present. She receives advice from all sides, her best friend, the intended mother-in-law, her landlord’s son, but she still remains indecisive. The plot takes us from Chicago, south to the desert, and then on to the cruise destinations in the Caribbean before the shocking conclusion.

Honeymoon Roulette by Irene Woodbury is a good beach read as it flows easily and is aimed at the young adult market. I did get a little annoyed at Roxie/Daisy’s indecision and I wanted to shake her. Toward the end, she lost my empathy a tad. The plot moves at a steady pace, except for some long descriptions of the Caribbean Islands and I now know where to go and dine in Las Vegas. At no point did I get the characters confused and the dialogue was realistic. The descriptions of the farm and its inhabitants were fun (though I knew it was not supposed to be!). There are a few unanswered questions at the end, but this is closer to real-life than the fairy tale ending, which is something I approve of. This book should do well.