What Happens in Paradise (Paradise, 2)

Let me start off by saying that this series is my first by Elin and I quickly fell in love with it. I went into this book with an open mind after reading reviews, and really wanted to like Rosie and russ. But after binge reading this book I can say with all certainty that I feel a strong hatred for both Russ and Rosie. Irene most definitely deserves to come out of this with the most beautiful and inspiring ending after all that those two have put her through, Rosie is just as much to blame as Russ is. All in all 10/10 recommend this series to anyone! Can’t wait to start reading book number 3 tomorrow!!

What Happens in Paradise: Paradise series Book 2 is by Elin Hilderbrand. This is fantastic. The writing is such that it takes you right to St. John and places you in the exact places the characters are in. You can visualize the stunning beaches and the turquoise water as well as the bars and restaurants. When they are on The Mississippi, you can visualize what they are seeing and feeling. Elin’s way with words is amazing. The book continues the story of Russell Steele and his dual lives. One life was with his wife Irene and their two sons, Cash and Baker in Iowa City. The other was on St. John with Rosie and his daughter, Maia. How he managed to keep Irene from knowing about his twelve-year affair with Rosie is amazing. She just put his being absent off on his job with Tom Crofts. On the other hand, Rosie knew from the start that he was married but continued to hope that he would leave Irene and stay on St. John with her. In the meantime, he also managed to keep everyone from knowing just what he did to make all the new money that he had. Irene and both her sons end up back on St. John. Cash to work on the tour boat, Treasure Island, with Ayers and hopefully get her to like him as much as he likes her. Baker and his son Floyd come to the island with the intention of moving there. His wife has left him for Louise and they are moving to Cleveland so it no longer matters where he lives as long as he gets Floyd to Cleveland for his visits. He intends to marry Ayers as soon as his divorce is final if she will have him. Irene comes back to work for Huck on his fishing tours. It gives her something different to so which she loves. She hopes to come to some final closure on the death of Russ. Now, waiting for the final book in the series will be difficult. I can hardly wait to see what happens to all of the characters. Russ certainly left a mess behind him.

What maybe this could have been was just Rosie's Diary and/or Russ's story because the other storylines seem a bit drawn out and Ayer's relationship with Mick is irritating to me. I liked her better in the first book. Unfortunately how it ends is of no surprise because if that didn't happen I'd say they were living on Fantasy Island instead of St. John but I am anxious for the next one now to see how it all plays out. Irene is just a victim in all of this and deserves to be the winner! It's funny that I don't like Rosie and Russ at all and feel zero sympathy to either of them, but would be curious to find out what was really going on.

I was skeptical about purchasing this book based on reviews, but I'm glad I did. I enjoyed the storyline, even though the plot moves a little more slowly in this 2nd book. Both books in the series feel a little like an advertisement for restaurants on St John. I think she mentions almost every restaurant on the island prior to Irma/Maria. I especially appreciated the shout-out to The Tourist Trap, which was gone long before Sept 2017, and was one of my favorite places on earth (RIP Larry and Buster). We've been visiting the island since 1998 and this book is definitely geared toward the "No Shoes Nation" type of visitor who has started coming in recent years, which is why i gave it 4 stars rather than 5. We've seen first hand the influx of visitors who are coming to party and don't appreciate the island for the pristine natural environment and peace that can be found there. I hope that anyone considering a visit will take the time to research and respect the culture and natural environment of St John.