Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand

 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. 

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I love it when novels are set on islands! Hilderbrand sets the perfect image of the island of St. John’s in the US Virgin Islands. I want to book a trip to St. John!

Irene receives a phone call saying the worst possible news…her husband has been involved in a plane crash and has died. Irene is shocked and unfortunately her husband’s death comes with lots of questions, such as what was he doing in St. Johns? Why does he have a house on the island?

I’ve had a problem in the past with Hilderbrand’s characters and Winter in Paradise was an improvement in some aspects. I really enjoyed the female characters, Irene and Ayers (a waitress/tour guide in St. John), but couldn’t stand the male characters, Baker and Cash (Irene’s sons). I liked the storylines, but none of the surprises came as much of a shock. I also didn’t enjoy the storyline involving Baker and Cash.

This is the first (and so far only released) novel in the trilogy. I’m torn on the concept of a trilogy as this novel ended on a cliffhanger (I hate cliffhangers). I’m sure by the time I read the second novel in the series (in a year or so), I will have forgotten about the ending and the characters.

3 calculators out of a potential 5. The novel will be best read on the beach with a fruity cocktail! I’ll have to keep that in mind when I read the next novel!

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