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The Second Honeymoon
It's our tenth wedding anniversary . . . and my husband is planning to kill me.
He's planned the perfect cruise - and the perfect murder. His new girlfriend (my replacement) is waiting in the wings.
Our luxury cruise ship departs from Florida. Its destination - paradise. A surprise gift from Andre. Our first proper vacation in five years. A second honeymoon.
He's bought me the perfect outfit. The champagne is flowing. Everything's going to plan. Andre's plan.
He thinks he'll get away with it. But he doesn't know what I'm capable of. Not yet.
He's planned the perfect cruise - and the perfect murder. His new girlfriend (my replacement) is waiting in the wings.
Our luxury cruise ship departs from Florida. Its destination - paradise. A surprise gift from Andre. Our first proper vacation in five years. A second honeymoon.
He's bought me the perfect outfit. The champagne is flowing. Everything's going to plan. Andre's plan.
He thinks he'll get away with it. But he doesn't know what I'm capable of. Not yet.
294 pages, Paperback
First published July 31, 2025
About the author
McGarvey Black
20 books397 followersSuspense/Thrillers
THE SECOND HONEYMOON - August 2025
He's planned the perfect cruise - and the perfect murder. His new girlfriend (my replacement) is waiting in the wings.
Our luxury cruise ship departs from Florida. Its destination - paradise. A surprise gift from Andre. Our first proper vacation in five years. A second honeymoon.
He's bought me the perfect outfit. The champagne is flowing. Everything's going to plan. Andre's plan.
He thinks he'll get away with it. But he doesn't know what I'm capable of. Not yet.
Also,
—THE BABY I STOLE
—MY SISTER'S KILLER
—THE FIRST HUSBAND
—WITHOUT HER CONSENT
—THE WOMAN UPSTAIRS
—TRUST ONLY ME
—TWICE ON CHRISTMAS
—THE GIRL WHO KILLED HER MOM
Romantic Comedy;
— LOVE ON THE LINE (original title— THE FUSSY VIRGIN).
Morality Tale
—A FAMILIAR STRANGER "It's a Wonderful Life" meets "Wall Street". This novel is a parable of our times.
All my stories are character driven. I try to throw in lots of twists and turns to keep the reader interested and guessing. Most of my writing is inspired by real people or events that trigger my imagination.
I am married with two children and currently live in Connecticut where many of my stories take place. I'm happy to FaceTime or Zoom into your book club if our schedules permit. Reach out and I'll do my best to make it happen.
——McGarvey
You can find me on Facebook or Twitter, too. Thanks for reading my books and if you like them, please leave a review, it helps so much.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 433 reviews
April 25, 2026
Pop the popcorn, suspend disbelief, and just enjoy the ride!
This is pure fun, nothing more, nothing less. At slightly less than 300 pages I flew through the audiobook in one day.
Andre surprises his wife Becca with a dream cruise for their 10th wedding anniversary. He has planned everything down to the last minute detail. Including his wife’s murder.
And that’s all I will say about the plot.
To say Andre is unhinged is an understatement. His character is right up there with my favorite fictional psychos. The dark humor and the appealing secondary characters only added to the fun.
Recommended for fans of Freida McFadden and Daniel Hurst.
This is pure fun, nothing more, nothing less. At slightly less than 300 pages I flew through the audiobook in one day.
Andre surprises his wife Becca with a dream cruise for their 10th wedding anniversary. He has planned everything down to the last minute detail. Including his wife’s murder.
And that’s all I will say about the plot.
To say Andre is unhinged is an understatement. His character is right up there with my favorite fictional psychos. The dark humor and the appealing secondary characters only added to the fun.
Recommended for fans of Freida McFadden and Daniel Hurst.
April 9, 2026
➡️ "It's our tenth wedding anniversary...
And my husband is planning to kill me."
This compulsively readable and OTT popcorn thriller about a husband with a foolproof plan to murder his wife on a cruise ship was engaging and completely bonkers -- all at the same time.
➡️ It checked all of my boxes.
☑️ Was the book's storyline high art? No.
☑️ Was it realistic? Some parts were. (But not too many!)
☑️ Will McGarvey Black fans enjoy this book as much as I did? Absolutely.
☑️ Were the coincidences too convenient? Yes.
☑️ But was it entertaining and gasp-worthy? TOTALLY!!!!!!
I dare you to push the STOP button on your device.
I listened to the audiobook, expertly narrated by Gary Tiedemann and Emily Sutton-Smith.
Both narrators gave outstanding performances.
Loved, loved, loved this Second Honeymoon book!
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
All the stars!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
September 20, 2025
Im not sure if it’s just me or what but i felt like i read a book with no plot twists at all; everything was given to you from the very beginning. There was nothing to figure out which made this book very bland in my opinion.
The book was easy to read and it kept me interested but further than that it didn’t feel like a psychological thriller much less a thriller.
The book was easy to read and it kept me interested but further than that it didn’t feel like a psychological thriller much less a thriller.
June 21, 2026
This was a fun, twisty popcorn thriller that I couldn't put down. When Andre takes his wife Becca on a tenth anniversary cruise, he has some surprises in store for her. An arrogant narcissist, Andre thinks he committed the perfect murder. But there are some surprises in store for Andre, too. Filled with dark humor and twists that I couldn't predict, this was such an entertaining story with a satisfying ending that I totally enjoyed.
July 8, 2025
The Second Honeymoon was a tense, twist-filled psychological mystery-thriller that started out as a romance and escalated into a survival atrocity.
This was the fourth McGarvey Black novel I’ve read to date and I was completely consumed. I loved how this story relied heavily on psychological tension, character-driven suspense, and emotional misdirection. All elements that make a solid psychological thriller-mystery. While the pace started off slow, the story built momentum with intentional precision and layered with tension, until it became impossible to put down.
The Second Honeymoon followed Becca and Andre who had set sail on a luxury cruise to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. Their aim was for a romantic “second honeymoon” in hopes to rekindle their connection. Everything appeared idyllic until soon the idyllic surface cracked, and the narrative quickly became a high stakes showdown.
Contrary to the intriguing plot, the characters were not very likable nor were they relatable, aside from Becca. Becca was a former teacher, smart and vulnerable at first. Due to her autoimmune disease diagnosis and the challenges she faced, she was an authentic and likable character. Not only was she vulnerable, Becca was observant, emotionally intelligent, and underestimated. Even Becca surprised herself with her resilience and ability to outwit those who intended to harm her. Unlike Becca, Andre was a cold, charming narcissist with manipulative ways. He was one of the most unlikable characters (in the best possible way) and therefore he made this narrative more compelling and entertaining.
Aside from the finely tuned characters, the themes addressed brought emotion, psychological tension, and transformation. As in every well written psychological mystery-thriller, themes of betrayal, deception, appearance verse reality, control, and revenge were incorporated. Therefore they kept me engaged, at the edge of my seat, and questioning everything.
The Second Honeymoon stood out from other books in the psychological mystery-thriller genre due to its sinuous plot, final shocking twist, and its emotional and psychological depth that hovered just beneath the surface. I highly recommend this gripping read to fans of Freida McFadden, Shari Lapena, T.M. Logan and Lucy Clarke.
Thanks to Net Galley and Joffe Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
This was the fourth McGarvey Black novel I’ve read to date and I was completely consumed. I loved how this story relied heavily on psychological tension, character-driven suspense, and emotional misdirection. All elements that make a solid psychological thriller-mystery. While the pace started off slow, the story built momentum with intentional precision and layered with tension, until it became impossible to put down.
The Second Honeymoon followed Becca and Andre who had set sail on a luxury cruise to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. Their aim was for a romantic “second honeymoon” in hopes to rekindle their connection. Everything appeared idyllic until soon the idyllic surface cracked, and the narrative quickly became a high stakes showdown.
Contrary to the intriguing plot, the characters were not very likable nor were they relatable, aside from Becca. Becca was a former teacher, smart and vulnerable at first. Due to her autoimmune disease diagnosis and the challenges she faced, she was an authentic and likable character. Not only was she vulnerable, Becca was observant, emotionally intelligent, and underestimated. Even Becca surprised herself with her resilience and ability to outwit those who intended to harm her. Unlike Becca, Andre was a cold, charming narcissist with manipulative ways. He was one of the most unlikable characters (in the best possible way) and therefore he made this narrative more compelling and entertaining.
Aside from the finely tuned characters, the themes addressed brought emotion, psychological tension, and transformation. As in every well written psychological mystery-thriller, themes of betrayal, deception, appearance verse reality, control, and revenge were incorporated. Therefore they kept me engaged, at the edge of my seat, and questioning everything.
The Second Honeymoon stood out from other books in the psychological mystery-thriller genre due to its sinuous plot, final shocking twist, and its emotional and psychological depth that hovered just beneath the surface. I highly recommend this gripping read to fans of Freida McFadden, Shari Lapena, T.M. Logan and Lucy Clarke.
Thanks to Net Galley and Joffe Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
July 31, 2025
THE SECOND HONEYMOON BY MCGARVEY BLACK.
Release day set for the 7th of August 2025.
This is my first book by this author and it won't be the last.
Great cover.
I found this book to be suspenseful and flew through the pages.
Great plot.
Release day set for the 7th of August 2025.
This is my first book by this author and it won't be the last.
Great cover.
I found this book to be suspenseful and flew through the pages.
Great plot.
August 9, 2025
Excellent, finished in one night.
I have read McGarvey's books through the years ,but this one was an all nighters! She has definitely outdone herself. I was holding my breath until l could get to the next page. Make sure you read The second honemoon.
I have read McGarvey's books through the years ,but this one was an all nighters! She has definitely outdone herself. I was holding my breath until l could get to the next page. Make sure you read The second honemoon.
September 29, 2025
I thought this was lightweight and unbelievable.
April 25, 2026
Quick, entertaining, and satisfying popcorn thriller!
April 24, 2026
3.5 Stars rounded up!
Quick paced.
Love short chapters!
A bit sedate for this reader, as there were no mega surprises here. We know what’s happened right out of the gate.
The author does provide a couple of little curves. But I think if you read many thriller/ psychological thriller-type, books, these wouldn’t be unexpected or provide any great shock-value.
The MC was so unlikeable and a complete, pompous narcissist.
Quick paced.
Love short chapters!
A bit sedate for this reader, as there were no mega surprises here. We know what’s happened right out of the gate.
The author does provide a couple of little curves. But I think if you read many thriller/ psychological thriller-type, books, these wouldn’t be unexpected or provide any great shock-value.
The MC was so unlikeable and a complete, pompous narcissist.
September 1, 2025
Stupid!!
September 16, 2025
3.5 stars. Overall engaging and held my attention but like most books in this genre, it was a bit too long and it lost some of its tension.
July 2, 2026
Great read with a heck of a twist towards the end.
July 17, 2026
3 stars ⭐️
August 8, 2025
The Second Honeymoon was a very engaging thriller. The book had me hooked from the beginning and I read it in one day. Once I started I did not want to stop reading.
The story was filled with characters who were unexpected and an awful MMC. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I was reading or what twists would occur. I don’t want to give spoilers so I won’t say anything more, lol.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed the story and I will definitely be reading more by this author.
The story was filled with characters who were unexpected and an awful MMC. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I was reading or what twists would occur. I don’t want to give spoilers so I won’t say anything more, lol.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed the story and I will definitely be reading more by this author.
November 9, 2025
This book is absolutely rife with nonsense. The female lead, Becca, used to be thin and athletic and sexy and beautiful but she now has fibromyalgia. Her husband isn’t interested in her anymore so he decided to kill her. Okay?
He hurls her over the side of a cruise ship and thinking she’s dead he begins his new life with the woman he’s been cheating with. Only Becca is not dead! She’s been rescued by the man of her dreams on an island. She begins to eat healthy and exercise and what do you know? Her fibromyalgia is almost cured!!
The rest of the story is blah, blah, blah. The ex husband gets arrested and she rides off into the sunset with island man.
More gaslighting against those of us who have chronic illnesses. “Just eat better and exercise”. If it were only that easy.
Dumb book.
He hurls her over the side of a cruise ship and thinking she’s dead he begins his new life with the woman he’s been cheating with. Only Becca is not dead! She’s been rescued by the man of her dreams on an island. She begins to eat healthy and exercise and what do you know? Her fibromyalgia is almost cured!!
The rest of the story is blah, blah, blah. The ex husband gets arrested and she rides off into the sunset with island man.
More gaslighting against those of us who have chronic illnesses. “Just eat better and exercise”. If it were only that easy.
Dumb book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 13, 2025
What a fantastic book! I loved it. Becca's husband Andre takes her on a surprise cruise for their tenth anniversary. That's where it all begins and Andre's sinister plans take a shocking turn.
Told from both perspectives – his desperate pleas to everyone who will listen to find his wife, and her desperate fight for retribution– the tension is relentless. He believes she's dead, expertly feigning grief, while she, miraculously alive and in hiding, orchestrates a masterful plan. The novel is peppered with twists, each revelation more stunning than the last. We come to an absolutely brilliant, jaw-dropping ending that took my breath away.
A must-read for suspense fans!
My thanks to Joffe Books for the ARC. This is my honest opinion.
Told from both perspectives – his desperate pleas to everyone who will listen to find his wife, and her desperate fight for retribution– the tension is relentless. He believes she's dead, expertly feigning grief, while she, miraculously alive and in hiding, orchestrates a masterful plan. The novel is peppered with twists, each revelation more stunning than the last. We come to an absolutely brilliant, jaw-dropping ending that took my breath away.
A must-read for suspense fans!
My thanks to Joffe Books for the ARC. This is my honest opinion.
February 4, 2026
I much enjoyed reading this suspense book (my 1st one by the author, but not my last! After a brief life as a cruiser, I could easily imagine the descriptions and details of vacationing on a large ship. It’s a great feeling to be back on one in my imagination. As a long time sufferer from the chronic condition of fibromyalgia, I shared your concerns for the wife, and your handling her kindly. Too bad this character’s clueless husband couldn’t handle it. I told my own husband that HE looked like an angel next to him,ha! Thanks for a very good read. Your book kept my attention and had some strong twists. I have chose a few more books authored by you, and they sit now snuggly on my kindle unlimited shelves today. Well done….Katey
July 8, 2026
Found this book when late night scrolling Kindle to find something to read, having completed my last book of choice. The plot hooked me instantly and I thought it would be excellent.
Unfortunately, this was not the case.
Whilst there was a curiosity that kept me reading to find out what exactly happened, from the first few pages, I knew it didn't capture me.
I felt like the story was spoon fed to the reader too much. There was a lot of info dumping and annoyingly (sorry) there was a lot of moments where potential issues with Andre's plan were explained away very unnaturally. It made me roll my eyes so many times. For example where he pointed out that he made sure to throw his wife overboard in a very sharky area of the ocean. Uh-huh, very easy for a passenger to know the exact expanse of ocean they are sailing in, and the speed the vessel is going to perfectly time the moment his wife would be too out of it for him to toss her overboard. It was unbelievable and frankly cringe-worthy. (Also, what was with the constant reference to her being eaten/inside a fish?!)
On top of that, a huge loophole, investigators surely would have considered the husband first, and in this day and age, pulling from search history and internet activity etc would have been natural. What about all of his convenient/obvious searches. They would have given them everything they needed to get to the bottom of it.
On top of that, I didn't even warm to the victim. Becca initially seemed like someone I could care about, but when she was rescued, she became annoying incarnate. She was a push over with Javi, allowing him to talk her out of going to the police etc for the most ridiculous of reasons, and their plot in the end just seemed so far fetched to me. All in all, I skimmed most of this because I just wondered whether they'd all end up locked up in the end. Overall, the ending was disappointing as it came out of nowhere, having it, once again, conveniently laid out for the perfect resolution.
One other major issue I had, was the disgraceful attitude toward chronic illness being used once more here. This is something that happens far too often in this world, and to see it again in a book where the character has a condition being dismissed as suddenly cured when "eating well and exercising" frankly makes me feel so disappointed and angry. To be honest, her fibromyalgia didn't even need to be in the story. There were other ways she could have resulted in being at home and not working etc, the author didn't ever go into detail of any kind with the character, it was all background info, whenever the character was actually talking about herself, she was always "feeling great" etc. It totally diminishes people's real-world experiences and further pushes the struggles for people to take chronic illness seriously. I really hated that part of this story and if I am being honest, it knocked off another star for me.
Such a shame as this could have been a great book, but ultimately, it didn't hit for me personally.
Unfortunately, this was not the case.
Whilst there was a curiosity that kept me reading to find out what exactly happened, from the first few pages, I knew it didn't capture me.
I felt like the story was spoon fed to the reader too much. There was a lot of info dumping and annoyingly (sorry) there was a lot of moments where potential issues with Andre's plan were explained away very unnaturally. It made me roll my eyes so many times. For example where he pointed out that he made sure to throw his wife overboard in a very sharky area of the ocean. Uh-huh, very easy for a passenger to know the exact expanse of ocean they are sailing in, and the speed the vessel is going to perfectly time the moment his wife would be too out of it for him to toss her overboard. It was unbelievable and frankly cringe-worthy. (Also, what was with the constant reference to her being eaten/inside a fish?!)
On top of that, a huge loophole, investigators surely would have considered the husband first, and in this day and age, pulling from search history and internet activity etc would have been natural. What about all of his convenient/obvious searches. They would have given them everything they needed to get to the bottom of it.
On top of that, I didn't even warm to the victim. Becca initially seemed like someone I could care about, but when she was rescued, she became annoying incarnate. She was a push over with Javi, allowing him to talk her out of going to the police etc for the most ridiculous of reasons, and their plot in the end just seemed so far fetched to me. All in all, I skimmed most of this because I just wondered whether they'd all end up locked up in the end. Overall, the ending was disappointing as it came out of nowhere, having it, once again, conveniently laid out for the perfect resolution.
One other major issue I had, was the disgraceful attitude toward chronic illness being used once more here. This is something that happens far too often in this world, and to see it again in a book where the character has a condition being dismissed as suddenly cured when "eating well and exercising" frankly makes me feel so disappointed and angry. To be honest, her fibromyalgia didn't even need to be in the story. There were other ways she could have resulted in being at home and not working etc, the author didn't ever go into detail of any kind with the character, it was all background info, whenever the character was actually talking about herself, she was always "feeling great" etc. It totally diminishes people's real-world experiences and further pushes the struggles for people to take chronic illness seriously. I really hated that part of this story and if I am being honest, it knocked off another star for me.
Such a shame as this could have been a great book, but ultimately, it didn't hit for me personally.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 22, 2026
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and plan to read more from this author
September 24, 2025
I read this book in one day. Fast paced and easy read. I’m so glad that Becca got her happy ending and Andre ended up o jail.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2026
Easy 3.5 stars. Gave it 4 bc would definitely recommend as a good read.
July 24, 2026
Amaze read in one day
October 6, 2025
This book started off fast, then slowed down in the middle where the author put in big time jumps which for me, disrupted the flow of the story. I felt it was very easy to guess how the book would end but I still enjoyed watching how Becca and Andre got there. Also there was one small twist at the end that ended the book on just the right note.
Want to see spoilers or trigger warnings? Check out www.spoiltheplot.com
Want to see spoilers or trigger warnings? Check out www.spoiltheplot.com
July 14, 2026
Enjoyed reading this book. Loved the revenge plot
August 2, 2025
I hadn’t previously read this author, but the synopsis drew me in. I was hooked from the start. The main characters were well developed, and I became invested into what happened to them ( whether they were like able or not) . Once their characters had been established the plot developed into an easy-to-read mystery thriller with plenty of plot twists which kept me engaged. It developed into one of those books that I just couldn’t put down, needing to read one more chapter! I will be adding more of McGarvey Black’s books to my TBR list.
My thanks to Joffe Books for the copy of this book.
My thanks to Joffe Books for the copy of this book.
October 1, 2025
What a terribly bad book, huge disappointment. Badly written. Not a thriller at all. Andre is a terrible man and Becca is a bore. Like a badly executed fairy tale without the evil stepmother but with an evil husband. And of course she is rescued by a very wealthy fisherman. Such utter BS. I don’t know why I finished it to be honest.
September 8, 2025
Beyond Brilliant
This book just goes to show what a talented author this writer is. Researched beautifully and so witty and ironic that I didn’t want it to end. Of If I could give it 10 stars I would.
This book just goes to show what a talented author this writer is. Researched beautifully and so witty and ironic that I didn’t want it to end. Of If I could give it 10 stars I would.
December 5, 2025
I like when a character gets what's coming to them, but this book was not good <3
Displaying 1 - 30 of 433 reviews