Winter Street A novel

It is the Christmas season on Nantucket, a setting that will be familiar to readers of Hilderbrand's previous books. A number of changes threaten to complicate the elaborate festivities at Winter Street Inn, which Kelley Quinn bought 19 years ago and now runs with Mitzi, his second wife. Business has been slow, and Mitzi has decamped with the man who plays the inn's Santa every year. Kelley's oldest son, Peter, is in trouble for insider trading. Second son Kevin and daughter Ava are both sorting out romantic relationships. Hovering over everyone is their anxiety about Bart, Kelley and Mitzi's son, who has joined the military and is serving in Afghanistan. Bart's absence makes even Margaret, Kelley's first wife and a successful network news anchor, feel the need to be surrounded by family, so she cancels a vacation in Hawaii and heads for Nantucket instead. Despite some serious notes, this is a generally frothy tale, and the characters' high-gloss lifestyle is part of the appeal.--Quinn, Mary Ellen Copyright 2014 Booklist

The annual Christmas party at the Winter Street Inn on Nantucket is a much-anticipated affair. This year, though, Kelly, the owner, has just learned that his wife Mitzi has run off with the inn's Santa, with whom she has been having a 13-year affair. He reacts to the news by locking himself in his room to drink and smoke. Kelly's son and daughter Kevin and Ava are having their own issues, while eldest son Patrick is in trouble with the government for insider trading. Then on Christmas Day, Kelly's ex-wife Margaret, anchor of the CBS Evening News and the mother of his three children, arrives to save the day, an event that feels contrived, given that she and Kelly have been divorced for years. While Hilderbrand (The Matchmaker) has created interesting characters awash in traditional holiday spirit, the plot is predictable. Reader Erin Bennett captures the various personalities through her capable narration. Verdict Listeners seeking a feel-good novel filled with the sights and sounds of Christmas on a picturesque vacation island will enjoy this novel. ["The holidays wouldn't be complete without a little family dysfunction, and Hilderbrand writes it well," read the review of the Little, Brown hc, LJ 10/15/14.]-Nancy R. Ives, SUNY Geneseo (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Hilderbrand leaves the beach for this Christmas novelthough it's still set on her beloved Nantucket. The whole island is looking forward to the annual Winter Street Inn Christmas party, except for the inn's owner, Kelley Quinn, who's just discovered the hired Santa kissing his wife, Mitzi. Mitzi and Santa inform Kelley of their 13-year affair and Mitzi's imminent departure from married life. Kelley, retreating to bed with smokes and booze, blasts Mitzi on Facebook and lists the inn for sale, its extravagant restoration having eaten through his once-sizable savings. Thankfully, he has grown children to help, though they have problems, too. Eldest son Patrick lives in Boston with his wife and kids, but the feds will soon be at the door to charge him with insider trading. Bartender Kevin, whose life was derailed by a bad woman, is now on track: He's in love with Isabelle, the Winter Street Inn's beautiful French manager. If only he can muster the courage to pop the question. And finally there's Ava, a schoolteacher with the perfect boyfriend, except that he's really not that into her. But Assistant Principal Scott is. Perhaps the only one who can tie up all these loose ends is Margaret Quinn, Kelley's first wife and mother to the three kids, who sacrificed her family life in order to become the most famous journalist in America but whose arrival on Nantucket just may save the day. Increasingly, best-selling authors are producing Christmas novels, family dramas in which the Christmas Spirit prevails. They often seem like rushed marketing ploys, though occasionally they hold up to the author's own standards. Hilderbrand's falls somewhere in between; her skill at creating character is present, but the plot feels constrained and a little predictable. A quick read to get you in the holiday mood, but not as strong as Hilderbrand's best. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.