A husband’s secret life, a wife’s new beginning: escape to the Caribbean with #1 New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand. Irene Steele shares her idyllic life in a beautiful Iowa City Victorian house with a husband who loves her to sky-writing, sentimental extremes. But as she rings in the new year one cold and snowy night, everything she thought she knew falls to pieces with a … falls to pieces with a shocking phone call: her beloved husband, away on business, has been killed in a helicopter crash. Before Irene can even process the news, she must first confront the perplexing details of her husband’s death on the distant Caribbean island of St. John.
After Irene and her sons arrive at this faraway paradise, they make yet another shocking discovery: her husband had been living a secret life. As Irene untangles a web of intrigue and deceit, and as she and her sons find themselves drawn into the vibrant island culture, they have to face the truth about their family, and about their own futures.
Rich with the lush beauty of the tropics and the drama, romance, and intrigue only Elin Hilderbrand can deliver, Winter in Paradise is a truly transporting novel, and the exciting start to a new series.
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Second book in a series by Elin Hildebrand…another winner. Cash and his brother Baker, along with their mother Irene once again return to St John to pick up the pieces of their lives after the mysterious helicopter crash killed Their father Russell and his Long time girlfriend Rosie. She Is survived by their daughter Maia, father figure Huck and best friend Ayers. The survivors lives are more intertwined as everyone struggles with the secret lives of their loved ones. Throw into the mix repeated questioning and Investigation by the FBI. Will the truth come out? At what cost to Irene and her sons?
I love the references to the beauty of the Virgin Islands and the great description of Caribbean lifestyle
This is the beginning of a series. I love St John’s so it was a no brainer to read this. The story has been written before but Elin Hilderbrand makes her story and characters come alive.
Fun an interesting book. Can’t wait for the follow-up. Loved the characters and the story line.
I don’t really want to read the other books in this trilogy, but now I have to because she ended it wiiiiiiiide open. Job security, I suppose.
Certainly not a bad read, hence the four stars, but not really my thing.
LOVED the last page!!!!
Elin Hilderbrand has been a longtime favorite author of mine. With great verve, she has done it again with her latest novel, WINTER IN PARADISE, the first book in a planned trilogy. She is witty and engaging, and keeps her readers intrigued with a memorable set of characters. Be prepared for a new escape with their drama, romance, a little comedy and dysfunction, which succinctly add flair and make her stories all the more satisfying. Following her previous novels, in which she writes about her beloved Nantucket, Hilderbrand now brings us to a different location — St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Irene Steele is an Iowa City housewife and the Executive Editor of Heartland Home & Style magazine. She is married to Russ, her beloved husband of 35 years, who makes tons of money at his job at Ascension, an investment firm. They live in a beautifully restored Victorian house that Irene has been able to renovate exactly the way she dreamed of, sparing no expense for the last six years. As a result, the house is now a showpiece and her pride and joy. However, Russ is constantly traveling and rarely home, although Irene never questions his absences. Life has been good, and his job has afforded them a very nice lifestyle in Iowa.
All of a sudden, though, everything changes when she receives a phone call on New Year’s Eve, which she’s celebrating without Russ. The news is tragic: he has been killed in a helicopter crash in St. John. Irene’s world is rocked to the core, and she asks herself: Why on earth was he in St. John?
Cash and Baker are Irene and Russ’ adult sons. Cash is a ski instructor who also owns and operates two outdoor supply stores in which Russ invested, but the businesses go belly-up. Baker intuitively knew that the stores were going to fail as he knows his brother well. Their sibling rivalry adds more flavor to the story; it began when the boys were in high school, and Baker slept with Cash’s then-girlfriend. Oops! Baker is married to Anna, an esteemed cardiothoracic surgeon, and they have a four-year-old son named Floyd. He was a day trader in tech stocks, but now is a stay-at-home dad who takes care of the household as Anna is always working and never has time for or pays much attention to Floyd. Adding more spice to the mix, Anna tells Baker that she wants a divorce as she’s in love with a female doctor at the hospital. Whaaaaat??!!
Irene has no idea what lies ahead for her as she makes the decision to travel to St. John, and Cash and Baker accompany her to begin unraveling the details to all the mystery that’s awaiting them. Apparently, Russ had been living a secret life, and they soon learn about his lies and deception. Here’s where the story really takes off and gets quite interesting and juicy.
Hilderbrand is known for visiting St. John, writing her novels on the island. In WINTER IN PARADISE, she again takes her readers to beautiful beaches, appetizing restaurants and other enticing venues. Her descriptions are limitless. As always, she delivers a story with much detail, weaving her characters and storylines expertly. In true Hilderbrand style, she gets her readers on board quickly and involved with her characters as she’s such a masterful writer. As I’ve mentioned in my past reviews, her imagination is endless, and her expert strategy to deliver her novels in riveting fashion makes them so delicious to read.
I’ve been reviewing Elin Hilderbrand’s work for a few years now, and she continues to amaze me. I never tire of her stories as each one has a flair of its own, and she genuinely keeps her readers interested and wanting more. Be prepared to read a fast-paced and entertaining novel for several hours, which will keep you longing for the second book in the series.
Great book club read. I enjoyed the characters and the story line. Anxious for the next book in the series!
Read in basically 24 hours Anxious for next book
Beautifully written novel by Elin Hilderbrand (of the infamous Winter Street series) about a family who loses their patriarch in a tragic accident only to later find that he was not the man they thought he was. Set mostly in the scenic US Virgin Islands, Hildebrand clearly considers this location her home away from home as she writes with passion and devotion about the land.
Looking forward to the next book in this new series.
Loved this book from beginning to end. It just shows you how you think you know someone, even someone you think you are so close too. It also shows you how a lot of money can make you not ask questions as well. Looking forward to Book 2 and how it will all play out.
Too much description of the island
Another winner by Elin Hilderbrand. A good read wether you are sitting on a beach or on the couch under a blanket. As you’re reading you know that this story isn’t going to end on the last page so be ready for part two.
Wow!! Great book but can’t believe I have to wait 10 months for the next one!!! Great story! Great characters!!! End of book really leaves you wanting to find out what’s going to happen next!! Can’t wait for its release in October 2019.
It was very good read kept me quite entertained.
I have read everything she’s written. She’s one of my favorite authors. Unlike her other novels, this one does not take place in Nantucket but rather the Virgin Islands. The description of the island made me want to book a trip.
The story line grabbed my interest from the first few pages. It then became a page turner because I had to find out how it would end. The characters are so believable I felt like I was on the side lines watching the drama unfold in a tropical paradise!
Irene Steele devoted her time to renovating the beautiful Iowa City Victorian house she owns with her devoted husband, Russ, thanks to his promotion to a well-paying job with a boutique investment firm that made their financial situation much easier even though it required him to travel extensively. Now the house is a showpiece and when at home with her and spending time with their two grown sons, Russ is a doting, sentimental husband.
And then tragedy strikes. Irene is notified that Russ has been killed in a helicopter crash on the Caribbean island of St. John, but she has no idea what Russ was doing there when he was supposed to be on a business trip.
Ayers Wilson, a waitress at a popular restaurant in St. John, rings in the New Year without her best friend and coworker, Rosie, who is spending the evening with the “Invisible Man.” That’s the name ascribed to the mysterious boyfriend Rosie spends time with when he is on the island. She does not reveal any details about him and Ayers has long suspected he is married. When Ayers learns that Rosie and the Invisible Man have been killed in a helicopter crash, she is devastated and heartbroken for Rosie’s stepfather and young daughter, Maia.
Irene and her sons travel to St. John to attempt to make sense of Russ’s untimely demise and are shocked to learn that Russ has been leading a double life. He owns a gorgeous, secluded home that he has obviously been sharing with another woman. Irene sets out to learn the full extent of Russ’s deceit and, in the process, finds herself drawn into the magical, spiritual island culture.
Winter in Paradise is the first installment in a new series from best-selling author Elin Hilderbrand. And the series is off to a find start. Employing her signature style, Hilderbrand creates vibrant, complicated, but endearing characters. In addition to Ayers and Irene, the cast includes Rosie’s stepfather, Huck, a fishing captain; young Maia; Nick, the longtime unfaithful boyfriend with whom Ayers broke up; and Irene’s sons, Cash and Baker, both of whom are smitten with Ayers, but have left their own life complications back in the U.S.
The action moves at a brisk pace, never stalling or stuttering, as Hilderbrand pulls readers into the complexities of the characters’ lives and their struggle to come to terms with the secrets Russ kept, as well as understand how Rosie came to be in the helicopter with him and lost her own life. There are many questions about Russ’s financial dealings, the business interests of the mysterious company where he was employed, and what the future holds for Irene and her sons, not to mention Maia. Hilderbrand injects details about the beautiful island, a place she knows well and clearly loves. The combination of setting and character mesh perfectly into an enjoyable, compelling story with a jaw-dropping ending that sets up and leaves readers clamoring for the next volume.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book.
This was quite an entertaining story and the tropical setting was great. However, I had to cringe whenever the author referred to a non-white person in the story as “West Indian” or “local”, as if they were somehow deficient!! Apparently this novel is the first of a trilogy so I hope the author doesn’t continue doing this.
I am ready for the second book in the trilogy…
This book kept me engaged throughout. I loved Elin’s character development and I can’t wait for the next installment.
How fun to read the first in this new series! Elin Hilderbrand never disappoints and this was the perfect escape leading into the holiday season.