Authors I've Been Meaning to Read - Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand

At the beginning of the year, I made a list of authors that I've been saying I need to read and commit to reading at least one book by each of the authors in 2025.  Here's my thoughts on one of those books/authors.

Goodreads:  Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand

Blurb:  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

My Thoughts:  My family visited St. Thomas last fall as well as Tortola and so I really loved being able to visualize exactly what the location looked like in this book and I really enjoyed my virtual visit. I also love a secret life and Irene's husband definitely had that!  I enjoyed the complicated relationships between the remaining Steele family.  I also really loved the relationships between Ayers, the Steele brothers, Maia, and her grandfather.  The characters all felt like people you know and their reactions felt authentic.   This has an open ending and I'm so glad that I already have the second book sitting on my shelf as I want to see more of these characters and learn more of the story.  This was my first book from Elin Hilderbrand but it definitely won't be my last.  My Rating: Really Liked It! (4.5 Stars)