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Troubles in Paradise


Title Troubles in Paradise
Writer Elin Hilderbrand
Date 2025-01-06 04:50:13
Type pdf epub mobi doc fb2 audiobook kindle djvu ibooks
Link Listen Read

Desciption

Travel to the bright Caribbean one last time in the satisfying conclusion to the nationally bestselling Winter in Paradise trilogy by Elin Hilderbrand. After uprooting her life in the States, Irene Steele has just settled in at the villa on St. John where her husband Russ had been living a double life. But a visit from the FBI shakes her foundations, and Irene once again learns just how little she knew about the man she loved. With help from their friends, Irene and her sons set up their lives while evidence mounts that the helicopter crash that killed Russ may not have been an accident. Meanwhile, the island watches this drama unfold -- including the driver of a Jeep with tinted windows who seems to be shadowing the Steele family.As a storm gathers strength in the Atlantic, surprises are in store for the Steeles: help from a mysterious source, and a new beginning in the paradise that has become their home. At last all will be revealed about the secrets and lies that brought Irene and her sons to St. John -- and the truth that transformed them all.


Review

*2.5 stars*As much as I hate to admit it, given my love for the majority of Elin Hilderbrand’s work, the Paradise series overall was an unbalanced mess of sorts. For me, the intrigue of the secrets and a new island to explore made Winter in Paradise (book 1) a promising start to the trilogy. Yet, What Happens in Paradise (book 2) presented itself as a missed opportunity, given the stagnant storyline. Worst of all, I found Troubles in Paradise (book 3) to be a hodgepodge of chaotic decision-making. What happened to Hilderbrand’s skillful character creation?What sets Hilderbrand apart from other women’s fiction in the beachy space is her penchant for creating interesting characters. Characters that pour their hearts out to readers and command their undivided attention—regardless of their misdeeds (infidelity is a big one with her lately), gossipy nature, or their unwillingness step outside of their status quo. This time around, the wishy-washy feelings crowding every space, the declarations of love muttered all too easily, odes of marriage, and the continued naivety was absurd. An underdeveloped mess that left my head spinning with regret for subjecting myself to these people—again. Troubles in Paradise picks up right where What Happens in Paradise ends, with the FBI kicking Irene out of the picturesque St. John compound her dead husband bought with dirty money. Her place in paradise gone, along with her bejeweled Victorian in Iowa and most of her worldly possessions. Far from what anyone would consider a surprise twist given the depth of Russ' misdeeds. Yet, readers are spoon-fed a dose of misconstrued shock as Irene and Cash scramble to find alternate accommodations. One thing to be thankful for, Ayers finally making a decision when it comes to Baker and Cash. Yet, her indecisiveness and wishy-washy behavior continue to run rampant, this time with a Steele brother, an ex, and the predicament she finds herself in (a storyline arc I despise). And then there’s the messiness Irene finally decides to confront—her feelings for the stepfather of her dead husband’s lover. Three books in and she does an about-face, questioning his knowledge of the infidelity. It all felt a little too late.A host of ridiculous antics, underdeveloped relationships, and a data dump to finish things off, left behind a lingering taste of regret. Hilderbrand chose to string readers along for a trilogy when the Steele story likely would have been more impactful housed in a single novel. I can't say there's a gaping hole in my heart left from the end of this series.One thing I will always treasure is the time my husband and I spent in St. John. We booked a spontaneous holiday trip to the island in December 2018 after I devoured Winter in Paradise. Our time in St. John/St. Thomas proved to be one of our most memorable vacations. So, while these characters didn’t do it for me, the place certainly did. Now, if only I could convince my husband that we need to get to Nantucket. *wink**Thanks to the Little, Brown and Company for providing a copy in exchange in for the honest thoughts I shared here.

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