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Happy Friday! Today I have a review of Winter in Paradise, the first installment in a shiny, new series from Elin Hilderbrand and now available from Little, Brown!

My Thoughts:

Elin Hilderbrand’s newest book and first in a series, Winter in Paradise, takes a break from cozy Nantucket and whisks us away to sunny St. John! 

Irene Steele is the main character that has it all. We know the one- fantastic husband, kids, the job, and home. That perfect facade has cracks, though, when her children are grown and don’t need her as much, her husband is distant, and her job is pushing retirement. The cracks shatter when she receives the late night phone call no one wants. Her husband has been found dead under mysterious circumstances. He was found far away on the island of St. John…

Irene flies to St. John with her two sons to figure things out, and she is confronted with more unexpected news: her husband has a second family. 

Even with all the deceit staring her in the face, Irene won’t give up until she finds out the truth. 

I know some of you may be thinking this sound dramatic and predictable, but not when Hilderbrand writes it. It reads as if this is happening to your best friend, and Irene becomes your best friend. She is human, her emotions are raw and honest, and she is fierce. She takes on all these secrets and fights for closure and peace for herself and her family. 

With themes of heartache, love and loss, and most of all, hope and healing, Winter in Paradise is a stunning beginning to a new series, and I’ll be biting my nails waiting for book number two! (This is why I don’t often read series- ahh! The waiting!). 

Thanks to Little, Brown for the opportunity to read and review an early copy. All opinions are my own. 

Synopsis:

Spend the coldest days of winter on a Caribbean beach with New York Times Bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand.

Join New York Times Bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand on the stunning beaches of St. John for the beginning of her thrilling new winter series-The Paradise. 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. This exciting first book in the Paradise series will transport readers to a new beach locale-another world that Elin knows as well as her beloved Nantucket-and have them longing for winter.

Have you read Winter in Paradise? Are you an Elin Hilderbrand fan? Happy Reading! ~ Jennifer THR