Ratings4
Average rating3.1
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 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. "I will just say that, 24 hours after I started this book, I purchased its sequel, What Happens in Paradise, and I did not leave either book to be enjoyed by strangers at the end of my vacation." —Elisabeth Egan, New York Times
Reviews with the most likes.
Really more of a 3.5
Irene Steele has a picturesque life. Her husband, Russell, loves and dotes on her. She has a beautiful home and family, and a fulfilling job as editor of a popular magazine. Even though her husband works and travels away from home often, she is happy in her bubble. Until that bubble bursts...
Crippling news comes in the form of a phone call from her husband's boss's secretary...there has been an accident and her husband has died. Worse even still...he died in a helicopter crash on a small Caribbean island, with only the pilot and a local woman aboard. What was her husband doing there and who were the people he was with?
Irene and her sons, Baker & Cash, travel to St. Johns to unravel the secrets of Russell Steele and the devastation he's left behind.
This is the first in a series and my first Hilderbrand book. I've seen her all over Bookstagram and was highly intrigued. Since I actually had this book collecting dust on my shelf I decided...why not? Who doesn't love a good beach read?
I can see what all the fuss is about as the writing is good and the characters are well written. The story itself is cliche and I could see where it was going from the first chapter, but then I'm sure that was meant all along. How could it not be?
It's a very quick and enjoyable read and I will continue the series although I'm sure I know where it's going and the secrets that unfold will likely not be a surprise.