“But love is messy, complicated and unfair.” A sentiment fitting for just about everyone in this angsty start to Elin Hilderbrand’s newest winter series. For readers looking to fill the void left behind after four holiday seasons spent with the Quinn family, brace yourselves. The enormity of the betrayal and questionable decision-making here is sure to go one of two ways. The curiosity of how things could play out—*spoiler* things end on a bit of a cliffhanger—may be enough to warrant a retu

5 sun kissed take me to the beach stars Elin Hilderbrand heard the silent sobbing of her devoted readers after she ended the Winter Street series and has rewarded us by creating a new trilogy series set in the Virgin Islands; specifically St John. Irene Steele, second cousin to Winter Street's Mitzi Quinn, is at 57 facing a lot of challenges. It's the end of another year, her employer wants her to retire, her husband, Russ, is away on business, her mother in law is ailing and her two grown son...

This book is everything it should be!Set in the islands it’s a perfect read for those of us in the midst of winter. What a wonderful escape from the cold. I typically read serious books and this was an entertaining change!When doesn’t the beach give us pleasure...4 out of 5 stars

Happy publication date to this book <3 <3. Oh MY!! Ok.. my first thought is why in heck have I waited SO long to read a Elin Hilderbrand book?! No excuses! This was FANTASTIC!I've got to go back to all her previous series and get going here! ;).I fell in love with everything about this book. The characters are relatable, deep, emotional, and the setting is godly! haha. Hilderbrand I think you've just convinced me where I want to take my honeymoon with my new husband next year!Irene's husband die...

4 Stars!This was my first Elin Hilderbrand book. It certainly did not disappointed! It was exactly what I needed going into the holiday season: beach, love, loss, betrayal and mystery. What could be a more perfect combo?Ireene has a great life. She has a successful husband who is away on business quite a bit but still makes time to send her flowers. She has two boys who are grown and out of the house. She has her dream house, which she just remodeled. She has great friends who she spends holiday...

My feelings about this book have truly shocked me. I absolutely loved Elin’s last Winter books so to say I was excited about this new series is an understatement. Unfortunately, for me, this story was way over the top and at times a bit boring. Irene Steele is celebrating New Years Eve at home alone and receives the worst news anyone can ever get— her husband, who is away on business, has died in a plane accident. When facts about the accident come to light, she realizes that her husband was lea...

4.5 stars, rounded up.It’s never fun to find out your life isn’t what you think it is. At least that's what happens in Elin Hilderbrand's Winter in Paradise .It’s New Year’s Eve. With her workaholic husband traveling for business, Irene meets a friend for dinner and then heads home for a quiet, solitary evening. But her peace is shattered when she learns her husband Russ has died in a helicopter crash near St. John in the US Virgin Islands.What was her husband doing in the Virgin Islands when...

It's New Year's Eve in chilly Iowa, and Irene Steele has just enjoyed a lovely evening with a friend--her husband away on business per usual. But Irene's idyllic life is quickly shattered when she receives a phone call: her husband Russ' helicopter has crashed on St. John island, in the Virgin Islands. It was carrying him, the pilot, and a woman. Irene had no idea her husband was even in St. John. So, she heads to warmth of the Caribbean with her two sons, Cash and Baker, and they are shocked to...

I used to think that Elin Hilderbrand's books were not for me. And then I read my first Elin Hilderbrand novel (The Perfect Couple), only a couple of months ago and I loved it! 3.5 starsWinter in Paradise is another perfect light beach read, with plenty of family drama set in the beautiful surroundings of St John's (Virgin Islands). Irene Steele has been happily married to Russ for 35 years, and they have two grown up sons together. Russ is a successful businessman who is always away 'on busines...

I devoured this book in a single day. The thing I love about Elin Hildebrand novels is she always packs them with fascinating characters and then you get drama, drama, drama and the twists just keep coming! This one is set in both Iowa and the Virgin Islands. After the death of Russ, a businessman who is often away, his Iowa family discovers he’s been keeping a HUGE secret down in the Virgin Islands. The characters are really great, and there are hints Elin Hildebrand may yet be able to turn thi...

Gosh. I’m so torn on this one. I’m a big fan of this author but this one just kind of missed the mark for me. I found the love triangle part really annoying and unlikely. I mean… both brothers fell head over heels in love with this girl immediately? And am I really supposed to believe that a day trading pothead from Houston would use the words “unwashed floozy”? Honestly both brothers seem like jackasses to me.Also I feel like there was a lot of telling us instead of showing us. I wish there was...

4 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️I’m not an experienced Elin Hilderbrand reader, but I can say this...what a fantastic start to her latest series! I loved it!What’s inside: The island of St. John, love, loss, deception and betrayal. A Caribbean setting AND juicy drama? I’m hooked. I currently have major thriller burnout going on, so this book is just what the doctor ordered. The author did such a great job of creating relatable characters and relationship scenarios. You won’t necessarily like all of the charact...

Elin Hildebrand signature style of writing & a Caribbean island - what is not to love?! I devoured this book in one day and loved every single page. My only regret is now I need to wait a year for book two in this amazing Paradise series! When Irene receives a middle of the night call informing her her husband has died on St. John USVI, she is baffled - what was her husband doing there?! Irene along with her two sons, Cash & Baker (who both have quite a few issues of their own) travel to St. Joh...

If you’re anything like me and were super sad when Hilderbrand’s last series came to an end then I’m sure you’re going to fall in love with this new series as well. Per usual the characters are immediately relatable and feel like fast friends and the setting is idyllic. It’s a departure for the author, it’s not set in Nantucket but in St. John and I’m currently trying to figure out how to talk my husband into taking me there for our tenth wedding anniversary!Irene’s husband dies in a tragic acci...

This book is an excellent read! I like the mentioned of Eileen Fisher and Montessori because my son attended that school and I took noticed of that brand of clothing due to its crazy high price tag. It's real and relatable how Irene's family is spread out across United States, just like my family. It's funny how small town people react when hearing the names of the islands in the Caribbean. I can imagine I feel the same way about the Virgin Islands. Cash's view is honest and cute when he reveals...

I went into Winter in Paradise thinking that it would be the perfect beachy blend of mystery and family drama. Irene gets a phone call on New Years that her devoted husband has died from a helicopter crash while away on business. What follows is the dangling of the proverbial mystery bait, where hints abound that not everything is as it seems. And then some more bait dangling. And then the book just ends, on a cliffhanger, without anything being resolved.Ugh! That was not at all what I expected....