Book Review: Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand

Book: 98/150

Rating: 4/5

Summary: Welcome to Paradise, the first book in the Paradise series, has everything that readers have come to know and love about an Elin Hilderbrand novel, plus a healthy dose of intrigue. Irene Steele’s idyllic life-house, husband, family-is shattered when she is woken up by a late-night phone call. Her beloved husband has been found dead, but before Irene can process this tragic news, she must confront the perplexing details of her husband’s death. He was found on St. John island, a tropical paradise far removed from their suburban life.

Leaving the cold winter behind, Irene flies down to the beautiful Caribbean beaches of St. John only to make another shocking discovery: her husband had a secret second family. As Irene investigates the mysterious circumstances of her husband’s death, she is plunged into a web of intrigue and deceit belied by the pristine white sand beaches of St. John’s.

Thoughts: I'm really trying to read more books that I own: I have absolutely no reason to be buying more books (or even borrowing from the library) judging by the amount I have on my shelves! I received this one for Christmas two year ago. Figured it was about time to get to it.

I've really enjoyed all of the books I've read so far by Hilderbrand. I think this is her only series that she has written that doesn't take place in Nantucket. She does an exceptional job of making the setting another character in the book and I loved getting to learn more about St. John. She had a beautiful author's note at the beginning where she acknowledges the incredible damage the island endured from hurricanes in the fall of 2017, and places mentioned in the book are based on real places before most were destroyed or forced to close following the storm.

This book sets up the rest of the series really well; if you are looking to get into a series this one is worth checking out. There are lots of little twists and turns along the way and while there are quite a few characters to keep track of I liked seeing all of the relationships build. I like book series' that don't end in a life or death cliffhanger, and while this one does give you a bit of a tease for the next book, it's not one of those cliffhangers that makes you lose your mind until you've read the next book.