Spend your winter on sunlit shores in the New York Times bestselling follow-up to Winter in Paradise, where secret lives and new loves emerge under the bright Caribbean sky.
A year ago, Irene Steele had the shock of her life: her loving husband, father to their grown sons and successful businessman, was killed in a helicopter crash. But that wasn’t Irene’s only shattering news: he’d also been … Irene’s only shattering news: he’d also been leading a double life on the island of St. John, where another woman loved him, too.
Now Irene and her sons are back on St. John, determined to learn the truth about the mysterious life — and death — of a man they thought they knew. Along the way, they’re about to learn some surprising truths about their own lives, and their futures.
Lush with the tropical details, romance, and drama that made Winter in Paradise a national bestseller, What Happens in Paradise is another immensely satisfying page-turner from one of America’s most beloved and engaging storytellers.
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How about predictable?
1-star…
“What Happens in Paradise” by Elin Hilderbrand
I knew this was a book in a series… I did not realize it was one chapter in a “SERIAL” had I known I would not have bothered with this story. Not worth nearly 8 discs of background to be left with a cliffhanger.
Probably will not bother with another story by this author… once burned twice shy.
The story seemed to start with the death of the husband… then spend the rest of the time popping back and forth twixt the present and the revelations from his other companion’s diary’s view of the last 12+ years of ‘his’ other life. AND, none of the current living primary characters had reached a conclusion to the changes in their lives caused by the deceased “life-style” for the past 12+ years.
I am guessing there is or will be a book “3” or maybe 4,5,6,, a never ending series??
Very glad I got my copy from the library so the only thing I wasted was time and not money..
This could have been a very good book.. to bad greed got in the way.
Book 2 of the new trilogy left the readers with another cliffhanger. Can it be next October already so we can find out what happens? Great story, fast paced and lovable characters…everything Elin Hilderbrand is known for!
This is the second book of the series and it was just as great as the first one. I can’t wait for the third book to come out.
The second of Hilderbrand’s trilogy that began with Winter in Paradise set on St John, USVI. I’m sure to be anxiety-ridden until I get my hands on the concluding Book #3 next October! A great, good yarn that ebbs and flows as beautifully as the crystalline turquoise waters that the story unfolds upon.
I loved the first book in this series, Winter in Paradise, and couldn’t wait until this book came out. This is book two of the trilogy. I love Elin’s writing. Her descriptions of St. John are amazing and make you feel like you are looking at what she is describing yourself. You can feel how much she loves the island when you are reading this book. I like the characters and the situations that they get into are what could happen in real life. I also enjoyed the parts included from Rosie’s diary which help to understand Russ more and the relationship that he had with Rosie and being on the island. The reader also learns a little more about his job and what he was doing in the Caribbean. Although I liked the book, it ends with a real cliffhanger which is not ideal, and it seemed a little abrupt.
I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Little, Brown and Company through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Can’t wait until the next one!!!!
Great sequel to Winter in Paradise. This one leaves you hanging at the end as there is another book coming in the series. Can’t wait until it comes out. Highly recommend!
Though this can be read as a stand-alone, I highly suggest reading book one of the trilogy, Winter in Paradise, first in order to fully understand the characters and their relationships.
Elin’s descriptions are so spot on, readers will feel like they are literally in St John with our favorite characters. Book two delves further into Rosie and Russ’ relationship (with the help of Rosie’s journals which Ayers finds). We also see Irene, and her boys all make the move to St John to pursue new lives.
Another winter win for Elin Hilderbrand, only downside is waiting a full year to find out what really happened in paradise!
There had better be a sequel. Left me hanging.
What a wonderful second book of this paradise winter series! It totally exceeded my expectations. It is backed with so much drama told to readers through multi character’s points of view, including Rosie, which was absolutely amazing! I feel like a lot of secrets were uncovered, but of course there is still more to be discovered in book three and I cannot wait. I would highly recommend this book and series. I personally liked it even more than the first one! Thanks Elin for writing such wonderful novels. Looking forward to the fall of 2020!
WHAT HAPPENS IN PARADISE is the second installment in Elin Hilderbrand’s Paradise trilogy. Here, she returns readers to the Virgin Islands and immerses them in the lush of the tropics with their beautiful beaches, mouth-watering restaurants, and a family that is hurt and trying to find answers as to what happened to their husband and father. In the first book of the series, WINTER IN PARADISE, they learned of his tragic death and the double life he led, which they knew nothing about. Hilderbrand sheds some more light on her characters and the storyline in this sequel, but still leaves room to discover what really went down, as well as truths about their own lives.
Russ Steele worked for Ascension, a hedge fund operation where he made loads of money and traveled constantly. But somehow, bit by bit, the operation and job turned shady. His wife, Irene, was oblivious to his employment and his life, as were his sons, Baker and Cash. Following Russ’ death, his family traveled to St. John in WINTER IN PARADISE trying to find out what happened and peel off the layers as their lives were turned upside down and forever changed. At the end of that book, readers were ready to watch the Steele family adjust and see how everything would play out.
At the beginning of WHAT HAPPENS IN PARADISE, they have all come back to their respective homes, but are now returning to the $15 million villa Russ owned. Each family member feels that maybe there’s something more for him or her in this tropical paradise. In true Hilderbrand style, there is much riveting dysfunction among her characters, which keeps readers turning pages. Irene decides to return to work on Huck’s fishing boat. Huck and Irene form a friendship, but there’s certainly a little more than that going on between them as each feels the chemistry. Huck is Rosie’s stepfather. Rosie is Russ’ mistress and mother to their 12-year-old daughter, Maia. In this book, we learn more detail and background as to how Russ and Rosie’s relationship formed.
And then there’s Ayers. Baker and Cash are both drawn to her, and, as in the previous novel, their brotherly rivalry revs up and both are cautious. Baker is married to Anna, who announces she is a lesbian and is moving to Cleveland with her lover. Baker and Anna have a four-year-old son, Floyd, but Baker has always been his caretaker as Anna is driven by her medical career as a doctor and surgeon. Since they will be divorcing now, Baker decides to take Floyd with him and move to St. John. He is also driven to move there as he is smitten with Ayers and wants more. However, so is Cash…or so he thinks.
Ayers is caught in the middle of the two brothers, so she lets Cash know there’s a job on the boat where she works if he’d like it. Off to St. John goes Cash to apply for the position and live at the villa. Irene, Baker and Cash have no idea that each of them decides to return to the villa and live there. Is this crazy or what? In every novel, Hilderbrand’s characters are smartly written, and so are their flaws, which is what makes her books so good and relatable.
Hilderbrand knows how to leave readers intrigued and wanting more, and I’m usually quite pleased with her work. However, this story needed more. I waited for a zing until the very end. It didn’t have what I call the “WOW” factor as most of her books do. Amazingly though, I know that in the final volume, she will spin her web and form a conclusion — delivering a fantastic novel with a lot of punch and pow, and leave readers feeling extremely satisfied.
The second book in the St John’s series. This carried the story forward and leaves a cliffhanger at the end. An easy no brainer read but entertaining. Can’t wait for the next book, even though I believe I can predict the outcome…