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.

Get an early look from the first pages of Elin Hilderbrand's Winter in Paradise.

As an author, it’s not a stretch to say that books are the one true love of my life. Though there’s magic in all of them, I am most captivated by plot-driven stories that deal with the mysteries of everyday life—stories that pose the question: What if everything you know is a lie?

Irene seems to have the perfect life as a wife, mother, and magazine editor. But when her husband dies in a mysterious helicopter crash in the Caribbean, she’s left to wonder: Was everything really as perfect as it seemed? Leaving the suburbs behind, Irene journeys to the Caribbean in search of answers not only about her husband, but also about herself—about the woman she wants to be and the life she wants to lead.

I was drawn from the start to this vivid story of heartbreak, betrayal, and the life-altering effects of being blindsided by love. Hilderbrand writes with such detail and clarity that I felt like I was on vacation in St. John right beside Irene and her family. Winter in Paradise is as well-crafted as it is compelling, and while—fair warning—this story ends with a cliffhanger, I can’t wait to read the sequel and find out what happens next to the Steele family.