Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!
Secret lives. Hidden truths. And a man at the center of a mystery that will bring several lives together. What more could you possible want in a book? In the case of Elin Hilderbrand's latest novel, we take the mystery to the US Virgin Islands where the sand is bright, the water clear, and deception is the name of the game.
Winter in Paradise is the first book in a new trilogy written by Elin Hilderbrand. It is published by Little Brown & Company, an imprint of Hatchet Book Group. In it we are introduced to Irene Steele, a magazine editor on the way to having her role reduced at her job and her pay cut by thirty percent. She enjoys an evening with a friend for New Year's Eve to take her mind off of things. But New Year's Day is shattered by the news that her husband, Russell was killed in a helicopter crash in the US Virgin Islands. Calling her sons, Irene is ready to travel to St. John to investigate for herself what happened. Her husband was a traveling man for his job, and could be away for weeks on end. But what was he doing in the Virgin Islands when he was supposed to be in Florida?
Simultaneously on St. John, waitress Ayers is getting her evening started at the restaurant she works at for the New Year's Eve crowd. Her faithful friend Rosie is off for the night on a romantic evening with her mystery man that Ayers has yet to meet. The night is abysmal starting with her ex-boyfriend, Mick, coming to dine at the restaurant with the woman he left her for. The night cannot get any worse. Then the next morning Mick is at Ayers' apartment pounding on her door. He tells her that Rosie is dead. Soon the community gathers to mourn their beloved Rosie and console her family. Rosie's step-father, Huck, is entrusted with looking after Rosie's daughter, Maia.
As Irene and her sons begin to investigate Russell's business dealings, they are shocked to find that his business partner had arranged identification of the body and had it cremated. And the villa that Russell owns in the Caribbean has been stripped of all belongings prior to their arrival. Irene is uncomfortable that these measures have been taken on her behalf to save her the grief, which makes her more suspicious than ever. Irene continues to look into the life her husband kept from her, she comes across information about a woman, named Rosie. As Irene and her sons dig deeper during their Winter in paradise, they find that Russell Steele had many secrets. Could these secrets have caused his death? And what of his secret life... who is Rosie?
Winter in Paradise was a fun getaway to another life and another place. Vividly depicted by Hilderbrand, the Virgin Islands unfolds in front of the reader like a beautifully unfurled tapestry. She pays homage to places no longer in business due to the severe hurricanes of past, and shows the reader a paradise that they will not want to leave. The romance and family drama is forefront as the reader is given more clues to what Russell's true business dealings may have been. The novel is filled with relatable characters that I loved. I am happy that this is only book one, because I want more of these characters. When the mystery is unfolded slowly saving more for the second and third installments. The truth circled like a hungry shark under the crystal blue waters, ultimately surfacing on the end page to deliver a shocking cliffhanger. I am excited to see where the story goes after what we have learned.
I read this novel in part with the narration of actress, Erin Bennett. I enjoyed her slow and smooth reading style that paired very well with being sped up 1.2x or 1.5x. She has never disappointed me with her voice work, and Winter in Paradise is no exception. I hope that she reads the next two novels.
Winter in Paradise was a welcomed four star read during a cold New England Winter. I loved the way it whisked me away to a tropical paradise and gave characters that I was invested in. I loved the family drama and underlying mystery. And the cliffhanger finale left me wanting more. The second novel, What Happens in Paradise, is scheduled for release in October of 2019. With a story as entertaining as this one, it will be worth the wait. Shake off the Winter chill with this novel. You will not be disappointed.
Have fun reading this week. Let me know in the comments below what you are reading this week.
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