Winter Solstice

Posted on December 8, 2017 by opesopinions

Author: Elin Hilderbrand
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Genre: Holiday Fiction
Source: Purchased

Goodreads: Raise one last glass with the Quinn Family at the Winter Street Inn.

It’s been too long since the entire Quinn family has been able to celebrate the holidays under the same roof, but that’s about to change. With Bart back safe and sound from Afghanistan, the Quinns are preparing for a holiday more joyous than any they’ve experienced in years. And Bart’s safe return isn’t the family’s only good news: Kevin is enjoying married life with Isabelle; Patrick is getting back on his feet after paying his debt to society; Ava thinks she’s finally found the love of her life; and Kelly is thrilled to see his family reunited at last. But it just wouldn’t be a Quinn family gathering if things went smoothly. A celebration of everything we love–and some of the things we endure–about the holidays, WINTER SOLSTICE is Elin Hilderbrand at her festive best.

Ope’s Opinion: This was such a good winter / holiday read. It is part of a series, but you can read it alone. Each year, Elin HIlderbrand writes another book about the Quinn family. I look forward to each book.

Each chapter was written from a different persons perspective to move the story along. It was great to see the whole families perspective. The story brought a good conclusion to each member of the family.

It is sad to see this series come to an end. I hope she start another series like this one next year.

Winter Storm

Posted on November 28, 2016 by opesopinions

Author: Elin Hilderbrand
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company
Genre: Holiday Fiction
Source: Purchased

Goodread: Gather under the mistletoe for one last round of caroling with the Quinn family in this heartwarming conclusion to Elin Hilderbrand’s bestselling Winter Street Trilogy.

Some of the stormy weather of the past few seasons seems to have finally lifted for the Quinns. After a year apart, and an ill-fated affair with the Winter Street Inn’s old Santa Claus, Mitzi has returned to rule the roost; Patrick is about to be released from prison; Kevin has a successful new business and is finally ready to tie the knot with Isabelle; and best of all, there’s hopeful news about Bart, who has been captured by enemy forces in Afghanistan.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t a few dark clouds on the horizon. Kelley has recently survived a health scare; Jennifer can’t quite shake her addiction to the drugs she used as a crutch while Patrick was in jail; and Ava still can’t decide between the two lovers that she’s been juggling with limited success. However, if there’s one holiday that brings the Quinn family together to give thanks for the good times, it’s Christmas. And this year promises to be a celebration unlike any other as the Quinns prepare to host Kevin and Isabelle’s wedding at the inn. But as the special day approaches, a historic once-in-a-century blizzard bears down on Nantucket, threatening to keep the Quinns away from the place–and the people–they love most. Before the snow clears, the Quinns will have to survive enough upheavals to send anyone running for the spiked eggnog, in this touching novel that proves that when the holidays roll around, you can always go home again.

Ope’s Opinion: This is the third and last in the series. I liked how all the characters were in this last book. As you read, you are reminded where we left everyone from the last book, which is good because it has been a year since I read about these characters.

The ending was very satisfying. Everyone’s story was complete.

If you get a chance, reading all three in a row would be a fun holiday read.

Here’s To Us

Posted on June 14, 2016 by opesopinions

Author: Elin Hilderbrand
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Genre: Fiction
Source: BEA 2016

Goodreads: Three romantic rivals. One crowded house. Plenty of room for jealousy.

Laurel Thorpe, Belinda Rowe, and Scarlett Oliver share only two things; a love for the man they all married, Deacon Thorpe–a celebrity chef with an insatiable appetite for life–and a passionate dislike of one another. All three are remarkable, spirited women, but they couldn’t be more different. Laurel: Deacon’s high school sweetheart and an effortlessly beautiful social worker; Belinda: a high-maintenance Hollywood diva; and Scarlett: a sexy southern belle floating by on her family money and her fabulous looks. They’ve established a delicate understanding over the years–they avoid each other at all costs.

But their fragile detente threatens to come crashing down after Deacon’s tragic death on his favorite place on earth: a ramshackle Nantucket summer cottage. Deacon’s final wish was for his makeshift family to assemble on his beloved Nantucket to say good-bye. Begrudgingly, Laurel, Belinda, and Scarlett gather on the island as once again, as in each of their marriages, they’re left to pick up Deacon’s mess. Now they’re trapped in the crowded cottage where they all made their own memories–a house that they now share in more ways than one–along with the children they raised with Deacon, and his best friend. Laurel, Belinda, and Scarlett each had an unbreakable bond with Deacon–and they all have secrets to hide.

Before the weekend is over, there are enough accusations, lies, tears, and drama to turn even the best of friends–let alone three women who married the same man–into adversaries. As his unlikely family says good-bye to the man who brought them
together–for better or worse–will they be able to put aside their differences long enough to raise a glass in Deacon’s honor?

Ope’s Opinion: This book read like a day time soap opera. There were multiple marriages, affairs, drug abuse, lies, and drama all over the place. The Nantucket house never saw a dull moment.

Laurel was the only character that I had some sympathy toward and had some moral standards. Angie blindly loved her father and I understood how she had difficulty with relationships – she was watching all the other females in her life, who weren’t able to give her a decent road map.

The chapter before the epilogue wrapped up everyone’s story. The epilogue went back to Deacon’s story.

Coming Soon….

Posted on May 30, 2016 by opesopinions

…. On a Bookshelf near you!

In June I hope to read….

Here's to Us Publication Date: June 14, 2016
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Goodreads: An emotional, heartwarming story from New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand about a grieving family that finds solace where they least expect it.

Celebrity chef Deacon Thorpe has always been a force of nature with an insatiable appetite for life. But after that appetite contributes to Deacon’s shocking death in his favorite place on earth, a ramshackle Nantucket summer cottage, his (messy, complicated) family is reeling. Now Deacon’s three wives, his children, and his best friend gather on the island he loved to say farewell. The three very different women have long been bitter rivals, each wanting to claim the primary place in Deacon’s life and his heart. But as they slowly let go of the resentments they’ve held onto for years and remember the good times, secrets are revealed, confidences are shared, and improbable bonds are formed as this unlikely family says goodbye to the man who brought them all together, for better or worse–and the women he loved find new ways to love again.

Also Coming Soon….

…. On a Bookshelf near you!

I hope to read…

First Comes Love: A Novel

Publication Date: June 28, 2016
Publisher: Ballantine Books

Goodreads: In this dazzling new novel, Emily Giffin, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Something Borrowed, Where We Belong, and The One & Only introduces a pair of sisters who find themselves at a crossroads.

Growing up, Josie and Meredith Garland shared a loving, if sometimes contentious relationship. Josie was impulsive, spirited, and outgoing; Meredith hardworking, thoughtful, and reserved. When tragedy strikes their family, their different responses to the event splinter their delicate bond.

Fifteen years later, Josie and Meredith are in their late thirties, following very different paths. Josie, a first grade teacher, is single—and this close to swearing off dating for good. What she wants more than the right guy, however, is to become a mother—a feeling that is heightened when her ex-boyfriend’s daughter ends up in her class. Determined to have the future she’s always wanted, Josie decides to take matters into her own hands.

On the outside, Meredith is the model daughter with the perfect life. A successful attorney, she’s married to a wonderful man, and together they’re raising a beautiful four-year-old daughter. Yet lately, Meredith feels dissatisfied and restless, secretly wondering if she chose the life that was expected of her rather than the one she truly desired.

As the anniversary of their tragedy looms and painful secrets from the past begin to surface, Josie and Meredith must not only confront the issues that divide them, but also come to terms with their own choices. In their journey toward understanding and forgiveness, both sisters discover they need each other more than they knew . . . and that in the recipe for true happiness, love always comes first.

Emotionally honest and utterly enthralling, First Comes Love is a story about family, friendship, and the courage to follow your own heart—wherever that may lead.

What is coming soon …. to a bookshelf near you?

Let me know – I am always looking for a good read!

The Rumor

Posted on October 21, 2015 by opesopinions

Author: Elin Hilderbrand
Publisher: Little,Brown and Company
Genre: Fiction
Source: Purchased

Goodreads: Madeline King and Grace Pancik are best friends and the envy of Nantucket for their perfect marriages, their beautiful kids, their Sunday night double dates with their devoted husbands. But this summer, something’s changed, and if there’s anything Nantucket likes better than cocktails on the beach at sunset, it’s a good rumor.

And rumor has it…

…that Madeline, a novelist, is battling writer’s block, with a deadline looming, bills piling up, and blank pages driving her to desperation–and a desperately bad decision;

…that Grace, hard at work to transform her backyard into a garden paradise, has been collaborating a bit more closely that necessary with her ruggedly handsome landscape architect;

…that Grace’s husband, successful island real estate developer “Fast Eddie” Pancik, has embarked on quite an unusual side project;

…that the storybook romance between Madeline’s son, Brick, and Grace’s daughter Allegra is on the rocks, heading for disaster.

As the gossip escalates, and they face the possible loss of the happy lives they’ve worked so hard to create, Grace and Madeline try mightily to set the record straight–but the truth might be even worse than rumor has it.

Ope’s Opinion: I am a fan of Elin Hilderbrand, so I was really looking forward to her latest book. I am sad to say this was my least favorite of all her books.

I usually like having a book written from a bunch of different points of view. This time I never got attached to anyone of the characters. There was an affair going on and I didn’t even know if I wanted them to get caught. I just never got that involved. The story did not keep me wanting to come back for more.

The drama in this book was over the top. No one was a stable anchor. Each character had their own set of issues going on – all at the same time.

I hope her next book will be one that holds my attention.

Rating: 3 – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.

Winter Stroll

Posted on October 13, 2015 by opesopinions

Author: Elin Hilderbrand
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Genre: Holiday book
Source: BEA

Publication Date: October 13, 2015

Goodreads: The Quinn family celebrates their most dramatic Christmas yet in this enchanting sequel to Elin Hilderbrand’s bestsellingWinter Street.
Christmas on Nantucket finds Winter Street Inn owner Kelley Quinn and his family busily preparing for the holiday season. Though the year has brought tragedy, the Quinns have much to celebrate: Kelley has reunited with his first wife Margaret, Kevin and Isabelle have a new baby; and Ava is finally dating a nice guy.
But when Kelley’s estranged wife Mitzi shows up on the island, along with Kevin’s devious ex-wife Norah and a dangerously irresistible old fling of Ava’s, the Inn is suddenly overrun with romantic feuds, not to mention guests. With jealousy, passion, and eggnog consumption at an all-time high, it’s going to take a whole lot more than a Christmas miracle to get the Quinns–and the Inn–through the holidays intact.

Ope’s Opinion: It took me a little while to get into the book because it has been almost a year since I read Winter Street. Elin Hilderbrand did an awesome job of reminding me who everyone was.

The story moved all the characters story lines along. I really enjoyed visiting Nantucket again. Once the story got going, it moved along quickly. I am looking forward to her next one – which the ending ( or lack there of ) left it wide open for a sequel.

Rating: 4 – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.

Coming Soon….

Posted on September 29, 2015 by opesopinions

…. On a Bookshelf near you!

In October I hope to read….

Publication Date: October 13, 2015
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

What is coming soon …. to a bookshelf near you?

Let me know – I am always looking for a good read!

Winter Street

Posted on December 19, 2014 by opesopinions

Author: Elin Hilderbrand
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Genre: Holiday Book
Source: Purchased

Goodreads: In bestseller Elin Hilderbrand’s first Christmas novel, a family gathers on Nantucket for a holiday filled with surprises.

Kelley Quinn is the owner of Nantucket’s Winter Street Inn and the proud father of four, all of them grown and living in varying states of disarray. Patrick, the eldest, is a hedge fund manager with a guilty conscience. Kevin, a bartender, is secretly sleeping with a French housekeeper named Isabelle. Ava, a school teacher, is finally dating the perfect guy but can’t get him to commit. And Bart, the youngest and only child of Kelley’s second marriage to Mitzi, has recently shocked everyone by joining the Marines.

As Christmas approaches, Kelley is looking forward to getting the family together for some quality time at the inn. But when he walks in on Mitzi kissing Santa Claus (or the guy who’s playing Santa at the inn’s annual party), utter chaos descends. With the three older children each reeling in their own dramas and Bart unreachable in Afghanistan, it might be up to Kelley’s ex-wife, nightly news anchor Margaret Quinn, to save Christmas at the Winter Street Inn.

Before the mulled cider is gone, the delightfully dysfunctional Quinn family will survive a love triangle, an unplanned pregnancy, a federal crime, a small house fire, many shots of whiskey, and endless rounds of Christmas caroling, in this heart-warming novel about coming home for the holidays.

Ope’s Opinion: This was the perfect read for your holiday season or to buy for your favorite book person.

There were a lot of characters and I did have to look back at the flap on the book to remember facts about who was talking. It didn’t take long to be invested in each person’s personal story.

I come from a family of five children, so seeing how these siblings were together, took me back home! They all love each other, but are also some times frustrated with each other. At the end of the day, they support each other. They want what is best for the other ones.

I would love to see where everyone is next Christmas!

Rating: Five Chairs – This book is so good it will be passed on and on and on….

The Tailgate

Posted on July 16, 2014 by opesopinions

Author: Elin Hilderbrand
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: Purchased

Goodreads: A digital edition short story about young lovers at separate colleges, exploring the early years of the central relationship in Elin Hilderbrand’s forthcoming novel, The Matchmaker.

Clendenin Hughes first kissed Dabney Kimball during a Nantucket snowstorm freshman year of high school. Ever since that moment – God, the rush, the chemistry! – Dabney has known that she and Clen are an unsplittable unit – essentially the same person in two different bodies.

Of course, with Dabney now at Harvard and Clen at Yale, those bodies are 140 miles apart. And traveling is a serious challenge for Dabney, for reasons she’d prefer not to discuss, reasons having to do with her mother (or lack thereof). But with the big Harvard-Yale game coming up, Dabney is determined to make the trek to New Haven to see Clen. She’s even borrowed a sexy black outfit from a classmate down the hall.

But when she arrives at the tailgate to see sparks flying between Clen and Jocelyn, a girl with dark blue eyes and luscious black hair, Dabney fears the collapse of a bond she has never questioned before, a bond so important that she’ll be lost without it. A stirring portrait of young love at a crossroads,

THE TAILGATE introduces two irresistible characters and invites us into a world we don’t want to leave. To learn the fates of Dabney and Clen, read Elin Hilderbrand’s forthcoming novel, The Matchmaker.

Ope’s Opinion: This story is very short and so will this review be. It is exactly what it is meant to be – a sneak peak into The Matchmaker to tempt you into reading the book.

This introduction will make you want to know more about Clen and Dabney. If you have already read The Matchmaker ( which I did – review June 9th ) this will be an interesting look at where it all began.

As usual Elin Hilderbrand, caught my attention and left me wanting more!

Rating: Four Chairs – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.

The Matchmaker

Posted on June 9, 2014 by opesopinions

Author: Elin Hilderbrand
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: A friend

Note: Available to buy tomorrow. June 10.

Goodreads: A touching new novel from Elin Hilderbrand in which a dying woman sets out to find love for those closest to her – before it’s too late

Dabney Kimball Beech, the 48-year-old fifth generation Nantucketer, has had a lifelong gift of matchmaking (52 couples still together to her credit). But when Dabney discovers she is dying of pancreatic cancer, she sets out to find matches for a few people very close to home: her husband, celebrated economist John Boxmiller Beech; her lover journalist Clendenin Hughes; and her daughter, Agnes, who is engaged to be married to the wrong man.

As time slips away from Dabney, she is determined to find matches for those she loves most – but at what cost to her own relationships? THE MATCHMAKER is the heartbreaking new novel from Elin Hilderbrand about losing and finding love, even as you’re running out of time.

Ope’s Opinion: Elin Hilderbrand did it again. She wrote a book so good you will remember the characters long after you have finished the read. This book is all about the characters and their relationships to each other.

I really liked the way HIlderbrand wove the people Dabney matched together with what was going on in the present time of Dabney’s life. It worked so well to give history in a refreshing way.

The end of the book gave you a feeling of everything being wrapped up.

I am ready for Elin Hilderbrand’s next book. She does not disappoint!

Rating: Five Chairs – This book is so good it will be passed on and on and on….

Ope's Opinions

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Tag Archives: Elin HIlderbrand

Winter Solstice

Winter Storm

Here’s To Us

Coming Soon….

…. On a Bookshelf near you!

Also Coming Soon….

…. On a Bookshelf near you!

What is coming soon …. to a bookshelf near you?

Let me know – I am always looking for a good read!

The Rumor

Winter Stroll

Coming Soon….

…. On a Bookshelf near you!

Publication Date: October 13, 2015
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

What is coming soon …. to a bookshelf near you?

Let me know – I am always looking for a good read!

Winter Street

The Tailgate

The Matchmaker

…. On a Bookshelf near you!

Also Coming Soon….

…. On a Bookshelf near you!

What is coming soon …. to a bookshelf near you?

Let me know – I am always looking for a good read!

…. On a Bookshelf near you!

Publication Date: October 13, 2015 Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

What is coming soon …. to a bookshelf near you?

Let me know – I am always looking for a good read!

Publication Date: October 13, 2015
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company