I can't say I've ever really hated a James Patterson novel per se. It's not as simple as a hit or miss for this best-selling author. I've come across many Patterson novels that I've loved (like the Alex Cross series); he is such a genius when it comes to writing page turners that it's hard to dislike a book of his that you feel compelled to finish. At the same time, he's also written many sappy love stories that I don't particularly enjoy. His latest effort, "Honeymoon" (co-written with Howard Roughan), though, is an ideal beach read, a combination of a thriller and romance novel swirled together in terse chapters that any junior high school student could easily whip through.

"Honeymoon" is unique. Giving away the novel's opening paragraphs would be as detrimental as giving away its ending. It's amazing how easily Patterson and Roughan are able to draw in readers. I was hooked within the first few pages and read the book in one sitting.

The main premise of the novel is simple. Nora Sinclair leads the perfect life. She's a sexy, smart and talented interior designer for the rich and famous. Men swoon over her and women want to be her. Nora is married to Jeffrey Walker, a very handsome and wealthy novelist. For the sake of his business they have kept their marriage a secret for fear of losing his devoted female contingency. The problem is that Nora is also engaged to the attractive and affluent business executive Connor Brown. You would think that Nora has a difficult decision to make. You have no idea. "Nora loved being with Connor and Jeffrey equally," write Patterson and Roughan. "Which made her decision that much harder. Which one was she going to kill? First."

Patterson and Roughan's story isn't groundbreaking in the least. The femme fatale character has been used previously in movies such as "Fatal Attraction" and "Basic Instinct." In order to compensate for the lack of an original premise, the authors throw seemingly random and unexplained characters into the mix to enhance the novel's overall suspense. Their efforts to increase the book's readability, however, are so plentiful that they actually hinder one's reading experience.

Patterson's trademark short and concise chapters are notorious for forcing readers to continuously turn pages to find out what happens next, but in "Honeymoon," they seem to interrupt the storyline rather than fuel one's curiosity. In addition, the authors' language and style are too simple for my liking. Every other line is indented as well as italicized, just in case readers aren't able to pick up on important revelations or plot developments by themselves. Despite these downfalls, I'm sure that Patterson and Roughan, masters of popular fiction aimed at the masses, are not trying to write a literary masterpiece. Their novels serve their purposes well-they are quick and easy thrillers that are sure to whet one's appetite.

One thing I am fairly disappointed by is the novel's "shocking" ending. Patterson and Roughan were careful not to leave any breadcrumbs leading toward the book's final paragraphs, but the novel's format becomes so repetitive that it is incredibly easy to predict its outcome. All in all, "Honeymoon" is nothing earth-shattering, but it's a surefire source of entertainment that will help you kill a couple of hours.