Elin Hilderbrand’s Paradise Series whisks you away to St. John for a change of pace. This post shares the trilogy’s order, summaries, reviews, tips, and more. If you love a good beach read with a bit of romance and a bit of family drama, you’ll love this guide to Elin Hilderbrand’s books. Let’s get literary!
Elin Hilderbrand’s Paradise Series Order
Read the Paradise series in the order of publication below, as they follow one continuous storyline with the same characters over a year:
- Winter in Paradise (2018)
- What Happens in Paradise (2019)
- Troubles in Paradise (2020)
PRO TIPS
- A boxed set containing all three Paradise books in the series was published in 2021 as The Paradise Trilogy.
- The Paradise series is different from Elin Hilderbrand’s Nantucket series and her Winter series, which is a Nantucket Christmas series.
- Ellen Pompeo is set to produce a limited series at ABC based on the trilogy of Paradise books.
Paradise Series Characters
It can be hard to keep track of the main characters in this series, especially if you aren’t reading the three books in order, so below is a quick guide (without spoilers) to help:
- Russ, a businessman, and Irene Steele, who works for a magazine, are the middle-aged Iowa couple at the heart of the story.
- Their oldest son, Baker, is married to Dr. Anna Schaffer and has a young son, Floyd.
- Their youngest son is Cash.
- This family becomes entangled with islanders, including Rosie Small and her twelve-year-old daughter, Maia. Rosie’s stepfather, Huck, was married to her now-deceased mother, LeeAnn. Her best friend is local restaurant worker Ayers Wilson, who has a complicated relationship with Mick.
- Agent Colette Vasco is an FBI agent investigating the helicopter crash.
- Douglas Vickers is Russ’s Caribbean property manager. Paulette is his wife.
- Todd Croft is Russ’s boss.
- Tilda is another worker at the restaurant.
Reviews of the Books in the Paradise Series Set on St. John
I’ve always been a big fan of author Elin Hilderbrand’s books, as well as authors like Elin Hilderbrand. While most of her best beach reads take place on her home island of Nantucket, Massachusetts, the Paradise series transports the reader to another desirable beach destination — the Caribbean Island of St. John!
There are some minor spoilers below since the Paradise series follows one continuous storyline. However, I have tried to minimize spoilers as much as possible when describing the books.
Related Post: Elin Hilderbrand Books in Order
Book #1 of 3: Winter in Paradise (2018)
Winter in Paradise is the first of three books in Elin Hilderbrand’s Paradise series. It’s a very different kind of book set in Winter, but it’s also one of Elin Hilderbrand’s best books.
Winter in Paradise will whisk you away to St. John for a change of scene. As a middle-aged Irene Steele rings in a cold Midwestern New Year, she learns that her beloved husband, Russ, who was away on “business,” was killed in a helicopter crash on the Caribbean island.
After Irene and her two sons, Baker and Cash, arrive at St. John, they discover that Russ was living a secret life involving some of the locals. In the process of coping with their shock and grief, they, too, begin to develop bonds with the islanders he knew.
It’s pure drama and winter escapism with some heart. Visiting a new location through Hilderbrand’s trademark writing was also fun. It’s a great “pool” read, which I still see being devoured by readers at the pools I visit.
Book #2 of 3: What Happens in Paradise (2019)
What Happens in Paradise picks up shortly after Irene Steele and her sons learn that the patriarch of their family, Russ, has been living a double life on the island of St. John.
They return to St. John, where they become more entangled in the islanders’ lives and discover more questions surrounding Russ’s mysterious life and death.
This one has a very “middle of a trilogy” feel. It expands on the first book but leaves a cliffhanger to excite you for the series’s third and final book.
Reading Tip: Hilderbrand says at the outset that it can be read as a standalone, but I think it works best after reading Winter in Paradise.
Book #3 of 3: Troubles in Paradise (2020)
The sequel to Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand is What Happens in Paradise.
Troubles in Paradise, published in 2020, is Elin Hilderbrand’s third and final book in the Winter in Paradise series. It concludes the story of the Steele family, who investigate the death of their patriarch on the island of St. John.
In Troubles in Paradise, Irene is back in St. John, having uprooted her American life and settled into the villa of her deceased husband.
Yet again, Irene gets shocking news about her husband via a visit from the FBI. As Irene and her sons try to create a fresh start for themselves, it becomes more clear that the helicopter crash that killed the patriarch of their family may not have been an accident after all.
Meanwhile, some dramatic twists in the Steele family’s love lives keep the plot juicy and interesting.
The island is watching as an ominous story gathers strength in the Atlantic Ocean, threatening trouble.
Fun Fact: This brings a surprise appearance by one of the main characters in Hilderbrand’s Winter series! It was such a fun treat to get updated about those beloved characters and learn how the Caribbean characters connect to the Nantucket ones.
All is finally revealed, and life begins anew as the story comes to a satisfying conclusion.
About Elin Hilderbrand
about
Elin Hilderbrand is one of the most famous book authors today. A Pennsylvania native and graduate of Johns Hopkins University, she also attended the University of Iowa writers workshop and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree.
Notably, she has three children, lives on Nantucket island (which often serves as the setting for her beachy romance novels), is a breast cancer survivor, and has a twin brother.
She planned to retire after her book, Swan Song, was released in 2024. However, she has already signed a deal to co-author two books set at a New England boarding school with her daughter, Shelby Cunningham.
Recap
Elin Hilderbrand’s Paradise series order is: (1) Winter in Paradise (2018); (2) What Happens in Paradise (2019); and (3) Troubles in Paradise (2020). They should be read in order of publication, following a continuous storyline in three separate parts.
Unlike Hilderbrand’s books that transport the reader to Nantucket, this series sweeps the reader away to tropical St. John, where the Steele family navigates the death of their patriarch and the mysteries left behind after that.
You can buy the books separately or as a full set on Amazon:
remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules
