Winter Stroll

by Elin Hilderbrand

Overview

"Happy Holidays 2015! It has been a rough year for the Quinns, but I would like to start by saying thank you for all of the well wishes and positive missives sent our way."

Another Christmas on Nantucket finds Winter Street Inn owner Kelley Quinn reflecting on the past year as he writes a holiday letter to friends and family. Though the year has had its share of misfortune and worry, the Quinns have much to celebrate. Kelley, now single, at least is on better terms with his first wife Margaret, who is using her celebrity to lure customers to the inn in record numbers. Their son Kevin has a beautiful new baby, Genevieve, with the Inn's French housekeeper, Isabelle; and their daughter, Ava, is finally dating a nice guy—her devoted colleague, Scott.

Now the Quinns are looking forward to celebrating Genevieve's baptism, welcoming Isabelle to the family, and enjoying the cheer of Nantucket's traditional Christmas Stroll. But just when a peaceful family gathering seems within reach, Kelley's estranged second wife, Mitzi, shows up on the island after souring on her relationship with the inn's former Santa Claus. Soon Kelley isn't the only Quinn entertaining a surprise guest from Christmases past as lovers old and new gather beneath the mistletoe. 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781478935971
Publisher:	Hachette Book Group
Publication date:	10/13/2015
Series:	Winter Street Series , #2
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 7.60(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Elin Hilderbrand has spent Christmas Stroll weekend on Nantucket since 1998. She enjoys attending the annual Festival of Trees preview party at the Nantucket Whaling Museum and the Friends of Nantucket Public Schools Holiday House Tour. Her other favorite holiday traditions include making cheese fondue and decorating the tree with the help of her three children. WINTER STROLL is her sixteenth novel and the second book in the Winter Street Trilogy.

Editorial Reviews

PRAISE FOR WINTER STREET:"

A holiday package filled with humor, romance, and realism."—Jocelyn McClurg

"Winter Street...[will] get you in the holiday mood."—Kirkus Reviews

PRAISE FOR THE RUMOR:"

We've said it before and we'll say it again: Hilderbrand is the queen of the summer. Rich people behaving badly—perfect poolside."
—Susannah Cahalan, The New York Post

"It wouldn't be summer without a breezy, sensual Nantucket tale from Hilderbrand, and her latest...doesn't disappoint. Intricately plotted and filled with fast-paced dialogue, it's as sweetly satisfying as a glass of Sancerre."—Kim Hubbard, People

"Queen of the beach read, and her latest [The Rumor]...is nothing short of a gift."—Lynsey Eidell, Glamour.com

From the Publisher

10/15/2015
The Quinn family returns in this sequel to the best-selling Winter Street. Their inn on the lovely island of Nantucket, MA, is flourishing again, and the family has mostly recovered from the drama of last Christmas. However, the holiday season seems to be a magnet for former spouses and lovers, whose reappearances cause all kinds of strife and uncertainty among the Quinn clan. As the family gathers to celebrate the baptism of Kevin and Isabelle's baby, Kelly's ex-wife Mitzi (who ran off with Santa last year) pays a return visit. Also threatening to ruin the holidays are Kevin's former wife and Ava's ex-boyfriend. VERDICT Fans of the first book will clamor to read this follow-up and will also be pleased that the conclusion indicates another installment. [See Prepub Alert, 4/6/15.]

Library Journal

2015-07-15
In a sequel to last year's holiday novel Winter Street, Hilderbrand improves on the first by delving deeper into the emotional lives of the Quinn clan. A year has elapsed and the events that closed the first novel have developed: thanks to the generous $1 million loan from his first wife, world-renowned newscaster Margaret Quinn, Kelley can keep his Winter Street Inn open, although it's lonelier now that his wife, Mitzi, has left him for George, their one-time holiday Santa. Kelley and Mitzi's son, Bart, is still MIA in Afghanistan, and Mitzi is falling apart; unhappy with George, she spends most days drunk. The lives of Kelley and Margaret's three children are also in crisis. Patrick is now in prison for insider trading, while his wife, Jennifer, tries to hold their family together with the help of illicit prescription pills. Ava seems to have found "the one" with vice principal Scott, if only she could stop thinking about wild Nathaniel. And middle son Kevin has made good with girlfriend Isabelle and their infant, Genevieve. Hopefully he can avoid his first wife, the troubled Norah, who has returned to the island. This year's Winter Stroll, a Nantucket Christmas tradition, coincides with Genevieve's baptism, bringing together all the Quinns and their issues. Also on island for the festivities is Margaret's beau, Drake, a pediatric neurosurgeon and about as perfect as can be, if only Margaret and he could bow out of their schedules and enjoy each other's company. In the ensuing few days, everyone has life-altering decisions to make—even Ava, now that Nathaniel has returned to the island to propose. Only Nantucket itself is left unscathed by the juicy drama. Described in all its magic (after all these years, one hopes Hilderbrand is on the tourist board's payroll), it seems impossible for such turmoil to exist on the charmed island. Although some of the Quinns' problems are resolved, many are not, happily promising a third installment next year.

Kirkus Reviews