Meet Me in Paradise by Libby Hubscher – a Review

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / Google Play / Apple / BAM / Book Depository

Description:
Marin Cole has never:
Seen the ocean
Climbed a mountain
Taken a risk on love
….But if her sister’s plan works, she just might do all three.

Ever since her journalist mother died on assignment, Marin has played it safe, refusing to set foot outside the state of Tennessee. Her wild-child younger sister, Sadie, has trotted the globe as a photographer, living off of art and adrenaline.

When Sadie returns from a tough assignment abroad and looks a little worse for wear, Marin reluctantly agrees to a sisters’ spa weekend on the tropical island of Saba. But her lifelong fear of travel is affirmed when Sadie misses the flight, Marin’s luggage gets mixed up with another passenger’s, and an episode of turbulence sends her hurtling into the lap of Lucas Tsai, the handsome stranger who stole her sister’s seat.

For the first time in a long time, Marin has to step outside of her comfort zone as she explores the island with Lucas and learns what she’s been missing out on. With each breathtaking new experience, Marin gets closer to her real self, the man she’s falling for, and the heart-wrenching truth about why she’s there in the first place.

Review:

Meet Me in Paradise by Libby Hubscher is a excellent standalone romance novel. We meet Marin Cole and her sister, Sadie; after their mother’s death, Marin stepped up to watch over her younger sister. As they get older, she constantly worries about Sadie’s wild adventures, as she does a lot of traveling, being a photographer and thinks nothing of doing fun and dangerous things.   When Sadie comes home after a time in China, she plans a sister getaway, forcing Marin to open up and go with her to a tropical island, Saba.  When Marin gets on the flight, Sadie was late and missed the flight, promising that she will take the next flight out.   A man who came in the last minute takes her sister’s seat, much to her chagrin.

Lucas Tsai is the handsome stranger, who ends up helping Marin during the flight, as she was a mess, being scared about the turbulence.  When they arrive in Saba, she learns that Lucas Tsai is a wealthy man, who is a hotel tycoon, and owning the resort in Saba.  Lucas goes out of his way to make Marin comfortable and to enjoy her stay; though he does notice that she is uptight about everything, since she has not really experienced a true vacation and time to learn to enjoy the things that her sister most certainly would have had. 

In a short time, Marin will learn that Sadie has no intention to coming to Saba, and wants her sister to enjoy the things she has never had the time to do.  Lucas will go out of his way to take her touring and taking chances to thing she was too afraid to try; such as going on trails, mountains, diving for pearls; not to mention having lost her luggage, etc.  Marin begins to open up, and allow herself to have fun, especially spending time with the gorgeous Lucas, as well as befriending many of the local people.  What follows is a slow build romance between Marin and Lucas, but will it last when she plans to return home?

Things will change when Marin learns the truth of why she is there, and why Sadie is doing everything to keep her on vacation.  What follows becomes an emotional rollercoaster for the last third of the book; as anxiety, grief, tears, sadness changes everything.  We spend a lot of time with Marin, Sadie, Felix, and Lucas during the emotional story line closer to the end. 

Meet me in Paradise was an excellent story, split into two parts; one the fun and escapades that Marin did with Lucas and local friends and the complete change when grief and sadness take control.  I do not want to give spoilers, since you need to read this book. I thought Libby Hubscher did a fabulous job in writing this wonderful novel.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher