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Monday, March 29, 2021

What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand


 What Happens in Paradise in #2 in the Paradise Trilogy and picks up just after the first book, Winter in Paradise concluded.  We read Winter in Paradise in January for the Kewaunee Library Book Club.  I was excited to read book number two, and I read it very quickly on my Kindle!

Irene Steele is still looking into the mystery of what life her late husband, Russell, was living in the Caribbean.  The FBI is now involved and has taken over her beloved Iowa home.  Irene and her sons return to the island of St. John to try to figure out what exactly happened to Russell and to maybe start new lives of their own. 

We also get some answers into how Russell’s relationship started with Rosie, through her friend Ayers.  Ayers helped to clean out Rosie’s old room and has discovered her diary.  She reads through it and the reader makes discoveries.  I’ll admit though, I’m still dubious on Russell and Rosie’s relationship.  Russell was described a mid-forties, pudgy, married man on the island for work.  Rosie was described as a sexy 23-year-old.  I didn’t quite buy that this would work as I really don’t see what Rosie sees in Russell.  When I was 23, my Dad was in my mid-forties and I was not checking out his friends. 

I read this book really fast and stayed up too late reading it on my Kindle at night.  It ended with another cliffhanger, so I am waiting for the third novel from the library.  It’s an entertaining read.  I want to know why Russell and Rosie ended up dead and what bad business Russ found himself in.  I also want their family and friends to have a happy ending.  I enjoy the characters and the plot!

Favorite Quotes:

“She’s a civil engineer.  She builds bridges in the Bay Area, the kind of bridges that can withstand earthquakes.”  - This was about a very minor character, but I am always on the look out for engineers in books!

“Life gave me another chance to be happy.  Only an idiot would say no to that out of fear.”

“Did two good people do something they knew was wrong because there was some kind of magical chemistry involved?  Or was it plain old human fallibility, weakness in the face of temptation?”

“It was so important to stay vigilant where your heart was concerned.  Why didn’t they teach you that in school?”

“Because if you don’t write down what happens in a day, you forget – and that day becomes a blur and that blur becomes your life.”

“But if she did believe it, she might understand that everyone has her baggage and her sad stories.  What differentiates people is how they choose to deal with them.”

“Love is messy, complicated, and unfair.”

Overall, What Happens in Paradise was an entertaining, fast read.  I would recommend reading this after you have already read the first book in the series, Winter in Paradise.

Book Source:  E-book copy from the Kewaunee Public Library

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