Books On Board

Winter Books in Order

  • 4 Books
  • 2014 – 2017 Published

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Reading order
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The Recommended Reading Order

Elin Hilderbrand’s Winter series (frequently referred to as the Winter Street series) is a continuous holiday saga following the Quinn family on the snow-dusted island of Nantucket. Because the series acts like a seasonal soap opera, with each book picking up during a subsequent Christmas season, it is essential to read them in the exact order of their publication. Skipping a book or reading them out of order will spoil major family dramas, relationship resolutions, and life-changing events.

Here is the recommended reading path for the Winter series:

  1. Winter Street (2014) – The novel that introduces us to the Winter Street Inn, its patriarch Kelley Quinn, and the initial wave of holiday scandals that sets the entire family drama in motion.
  2. Winter Stroll (2015) – Set during Nantucket's famous Christmas Stroll, this installment deals with the messy aftermath of the previous holiday and introduces fresh romantic complications. Note: In the United Kingdom, this book is published under the title Christmas on Nantucket.
  3. Winter Storms (2016) – The family prepares for a highly anticipated wedding while bracing for an actual winter blizzard that threatens to trap them and force long-overdue confrontations.
  4. Winter Solstice (2017) – The final chapter in the Quinn family saga, wrapping up character arcs, celebrating new beginnings, and bringing home the youngest Quinn sibling from deployment.

Meet the Quinn Family

To fully appreciate the cozy drama of the series, it helps to understand the key players who inhabit the Winter Street Inn. The series centers around Kelley Quinn, the warm-hearted owner of the inn, and the children from his two marriages:

  • Kelley Quinn: The patriarch and proprietor of the Winter Street Inn, whose attempt to host a peaceful family Christmas is shattered in the first book.
  • Margaret "Maggie" Quinn: Kelley's first wife and a famous national nightly news anchor. Despite their divorce, she remains a powerhouse figure in the family's life.
  • Mitzi Quinn: Kelley's second wife. Her affair with the inn's resident Santa Claus serves as the catalyst for the events of the first novel.
  • Patrick Quinn: Kelley and Margaret's eldest son, a high-flying Boston hedge fund manager who finds himself embroiled in a federal insider trading investigation.
  • Kevin Quinn: Kelley and Margaret's second son, a local Nantucket bartender and a gentle soul who falls in love with the inn’s French housekeeper, Isabelle.
  • Ava Quinn: Kelley and Margaret's daughter, a dedicated primary school teacher trying to navigate a complicated love life and choose between two very different men.
  • Bart Quinn: Kelley and Mitzi's only child together. The youngest sibling, Bart, shocks his family by enlisting in the Marines and deploying to Afghanistan, leaving a cloud of worry over the family's holiday gatherings.

The Rumor Crossover: A "Double Sequel" Twist

For dedicated readers of the broader "Hilderbrand Universe" (frequently referred to by fans as the Nantucket Universe), the final book, Winter Solstice, offers a delightful surprise. Hilderbrand originally intended the Winter series to be a trilogy ending with Winter Storms. When she decided to write a fourth installment to wrap up loose ends, she chose to create a unique "double sequel" by blending the characters of the Winter series with characters from her 2015 standalone Nantucket novel, The Rumor.

In Winter Solstice, readers are reintroduced to the Pancik family from The Rumor, including the real estate agent "Fast Eddie" Pancik, his wife Grace, and their daughter Allegra. Following Eddie's release from prison, the family is trying to rebuild their lives. The crossover is not just a brief cameo; it is woven directly into the plot. Notably, Bart Quinn meets Allegra Pancik, and their connection plays a key role in helping Bart heal from the trauma of his military deployment. Reading The Rumor before starting Winter Solstice is not strictly mandatory, but doing so will greatly enrich your reading experience and make the Pancik family's appearances feel far more satisfying.

Paradise vs. Winter: Clearing Up the Confusion

A common point of confusion among readers new to Elin Hilderbrand is distinguishing the Winter Street series from her Paradise trilogy. Because the first book in the Paradise trilogy is titled Winter in Paradise, readers often assume it is connected to the Quinn family saga.

However, they are entirely separate projects. The Paradise trilogy—consisting of Winter in Paradise (2018), What Happens in Paradise (2019), and Troubles in Paradise (2020)—follows Irene Steele as she discovers her late husband was living a secret double life. Crucially, this trilogy is set in the tropical warmth of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, a stark contrast to the snowy Nantucket backdrop of the Winter Street series. There are no character crossovers between these two series, so you can read them completely independently of one another.

What to Know Before You Start

Before diving into the cozy halls of the Winter Street Inn, keep these practical reading tips in mind:

  • No Standalones Here: Unlike many of Elin Hilderbrand’s summer novels, which can be read as standalone stories, the Winter series must be read in order. The plot of each book depends heavily on the events, character growth, and cliffhangers of the preceding novel.
  • Set the Holiday Mood: Hilderbrand captures the actual atmosphere of Nantucket during the winter, featuring local traditions like the annual Christmas Stroll. Reading these books during the late autumn or winter months adds an extra layer of cozy immersion.
  • A Blend of Light and Heavy: While the series is marketed as holiday fiction and features plenty of festive cheer, it does not shy away from heavier themes, including infidelity, financial ruin, terminal illness, grief, and the psychological trauma of war.

Frequently Asked

Do I have to read Elin Hilderbrand's Winter series in order?

Yes, you must read them in order. The Winter series is a continuous saga that follows the same family across four consecutive holiday seasons. Reading them out of order will reveal major spoilers and ruin the progression of the characters' relationships and lives.

Is the Paradise trilogy connected to the Winter Street series?

No. Although the first book in the Paradise trilogy is titled Winter in Paradise, it is an entirely separate story set in St. John (U.S. Virgin Islands) about a woman discovering her husband's secret life. The Winter series is set in Nantucket and focuses on the Quinn family.

What is the UK title for the book Winter Stroll?

In the United Kingdom, the second book in the series, Winter Stroll, was published under the alternative title Christmas on Nantucket. They are the exact same book, so be careful not to buy both!

Which Elin Hilderbrand book crosses over with the Winter series?

Elin Hilderbrand's standalone novel The Rumor (2015) crosses over with the final Winter book, Winter Solstice. Characters from the Pancik family appear and interact directly with the Quinns, making The Rumor a recommended pre-read for the finale.

Where does the Winter series take place?

The entire series is set on the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The primary setting is the fictional Winter Street Inn, owned by Kelley Quinn, and the books feature real Nantucket holiday traditions like the annual Christmas Stroll.

How many books are in Elin Hilderbrand's Winter series?

There are four books in the main series: Winter Street, Winter Stroll, Winter Storms, and Winter Solstice. The series was originally planned as a trilogy but was extended to a quartet to give the characters a proper send-off.