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Stranded in Paradise
A funny-but-touching tale about everything that can go wrong...and what makes it all right!
Tess Nelson is poised to take a well-deserved step up the corporate ladder when it's yanked out from under her. With no job and nothing to fill her days--just a nonrefundable ticket for a trip to Hawaii--Tess decides a tropical vacation is just what she needs. But Tess's journey to paradise is a disaster from the beginning. A sprained ankle at the airport is just the beginning. Then there's the lost contact lens and the lost luggage, the lightning storm at a luau, and the hotel fire. Not to mention the approaching hurricane. And the attractive, annoying young man who keeps crossing her path--and really shaking her up. All Tess wants to do is get her life back under control. But God, it seems, has something else in mind--like opening her heart to everything her life could be.
245 pages, Paperback
First published September 16, 2002
36 people are currently reading
336 people want to read
About the author
Lori Copeland
195 books527 followersLori Copeland was born on 12 June 1941. She had a relatively late start in writing, breaking into publishing in 1982 when she was already forty years old. Over the next dozen years, her romance novels achieved much success, as was evidenced by her winning the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award, The Holt Medallion, and Walden Books' Best Seller award. She has been inducted into the Missouri Writers Hall of Fame.
Despite her success in more mainstream romantic fiction, in 1995, she decided to switch focus. Her subsequent books have been in the relatively new subgenre of Christian romance. She has also collaborated with authors Angela Elwell Hunt or Virginia Smith on a series of Christian romance novels.
Lori and her husband of over forty years, Lance, live in Springfield, Missouri, surrounded by the beautiful Ozarks. They have three grown sons, three daughter-in-laws, and six wonderful grandchildren, and two great-granddaughters. She and her husband are very involved in their church, and active in supporting mission work in Mali, West Africa.
Despite her success in more mainstream romantic fiction, in 1995, she decided to switch focus. Her subsequent books have been in the relatively new subgenre of Christian romance. She has also collaborated with authors Angela Elwell Hunt or Virginia Smith on a series of Christian romance novels.
Lori and her husband of over forty years, Lance, live in Springfield, Missouri, surrounded by the beautiful Ozarks. They have three grown sons, three daughter-in-laws, and six wonderful grandchildren, and two great-granddaughters. She and her husband are very involved in their church, and active in supporting mission work in Mali, West Africa.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
November 24, 2010
a very pleasant read. i felt like i was really tess nelson and i totally felt for her throughout the book. i even cried at the end!
even though it was a christian fiction, i didnt really feel like the author is trying to get the reader to convert to christianity or anything. its more fiction than christian, if you get what i mean. i am not a christian and this book didnt leave me feeling all uncomfortable so it was okay.
the only thing that irked me was how perfect carter is. come on.. a little fantasy is nice but that much perfection is a bit too much.
all in all, a good book read.
even though it was a christian fiction, i didnt really feel like the author is trying to get the reader to convert to christianity or anything. its more fiction than christian, if you get what i mean. i am not a christian and this book didnt leave me feeling all uncomfortable so it was okay.
the only thing that irked me was how perfect carter is. come on.. a little fantasy is nice but that much perfection is a bit too much.
all in all, a good book read.
February 4, 2018
I was disappointed in Copeland's "Stranded in Paradise". Although the plot was interesting enough, the characters didn't seem genuine. Our heroine had a backstory (the hero did not, disappointingly enough), but her actions didn't seem at all unique. It seemed like standard-issue-bitter-working-woman. The "everything going wrong" theme got trite quickly, and it certainly wasn't humorous (despite Copeland mentioning in the afterward that it was supposed to be lighthearted). In addition, there were plot points that didn't make sense (how Stella was popping up everywhere, and why they thought she was crazy when she was a perfectly sensible woman, and hair falling out but being perfectly soft and shiny) and I was really irritated by Copeland acting like she knew anything about Denver when she clearly didn't. If you're going to write details about a REAL location, research it first. It's not that hard. There is no Denver East Park District or Denver Mall. It is an semi-arid plains city. We do not have blizzards six days a week for the entirety of winter. And DIA is NOT that easy to get to. And a Denverite running in heels at DIA??? And what's with a 'sprained' ankle doubling in size, but apparently not painful enough that the character can't hula dance??
The faith and conversion aspect was nice (although a bit too neat and tidy to be realistic), and I liked how the main character addressed the bitterness from her childhood. There was insta-love, but the focus was on our heroine finding her faith and her path, not her man. That was probably the best aspect of this book.
Unfortunately, though, after this book and the past several by Lori Copeland not being much better, I think I'm taking a break from her novels. Her original works were much better.
The faith and conversion aspect was nice (although a bit too neat and tidy to be realistic), and I liked how the main character addressed the bitterness from her childhood. There was insta-love, but the focus was on our heroine finding her faith and her path, not her man. That was probably the best aspect of this book.
Unfortunately, though, after this book and the past several by Lori Copeland not being much better, I think I'm taking a break from her novels. Her original works were much better.
August 2, 2014
It was a fun, lighthearted read. Kept me entertained for a few hours.
My problem was in the writing. Some parts were inconsistent - on page 64 Tess is walking toward her rental car but five pages later she starts the day by renting a car, getting a latte and driving the 2 hour drive somewhere. The picture painted was disjointed.
My problem was in the writing. Some parts were inconsistent - on page 64 Tess is walking toward her rental car but five pages later she starts the day by renting a car, getting a latte and driving the 2 hour drive somewhere. The picture painted was disjointed.
August 18, 2012
This romantic comedy rollicked the heroine from one humorous catastrophe to another. As Tess Nelson is engulfed in repeated disasters, Carter McConnell is drawn into her life. Their mad-capped adventures bring them closer to God and the inner peace for which they're both searching.
October 23, 2024
Oh boy, this book. I try to give everything the benefit of the doubt, but it is truly awful. I even set it aside and had to reset knowing i wanted something different. I needed a palate cleanser from the heavier things i usually read. So light, fun, little bit of romance, and even set in Hawaii? Great!
I was going to give this 2-2.5 stars until the last paragraph of the second to last chapter. (Page 236/240!)
Let me back up first though and say, i am a Christian and even for me the "religion" usage in this book is awful and super heavy. Carter is our Christian goodboy because he "has faith" "just because"... so therefore he's "charming" and Tess just can't ignore him. He's never given more depth though. I could go into this so much more, but honestly this book isn't worth my time. Same with our super flat main character Tess, everything terrible happens to her and she complains the ENTIRE book because she "doesn't have faith". So clearly she needs a life adjustment. *INSERT CARTER, CHRISTIAN GOODBOY TO SAVE THE DAY* Ugh.
So, back to the line that killed this for me. The author has set-up our super traditional roles, and Tess is saved! Praise Jesus! Which she tells Carter over the phone. But omg, i just have to see him. So she goes to the airport and then re-thinks her decision.
"Should she really fly to Chicago? Show up unannounced and uninvited? On the pretext of delivering a greeting card?
Feminists would have a cow."
Oohhhh boy, Ms. Copeland should have done some more research on a great number of things. First and foremost, Hawaiian life and culture. But next, feminism and what it actually means to be a feminist. Feminism isn't about all this old, traditional, gender roles and women not DOING things 'cause they're apparently supposed to stay quiet, and humble, and wait for the man to arrive and do things and make the big grand gesture? Gross. Feminism is about FREEDOM and CHOICE. Not about staying barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen. Tess was making a choice.
But unfortunately so many old stereotypes have made it so "religion" and feminism don't mix. So of course the author had to throw something in there to be anti-feminism.
I was going to give this 2-2.5 stars until the last paragraph of the second to last chapter. (Page 236/240!)
Let me back up first though and say, i am a Christian and even for me the "religion" usage in this book is awful and super heavy. Carter is our Christian goodboy because he "has faith" "just because"... so therefore he's "charming" and Tess just can't ignore him. He's never given more depth though. I could go into this so much more, but honestly this book isn't worth my time. Same with our super flat main character Tess, everything terrible happens to her and she complains the ENTIRE book because she "doesn't have faith". So clearly she needs a life adjustment. *INSERT CARTER, CHRISTIAN GOODBOY TO SAVE THE DAY* Ugh.
So, back to the line that killed this for me. The author has set-up our super traditional roles, and Tess is saved! Praise Jesus! Which she tells Carter over the phone. But omg, i just have to see him. So she goes to the airport and then re-thinks her decision.
"Should she really fly to Chicago? Show up unannounced and uninvited? On the pretext of delivering a greeting card?
Feminists would have a cow."
Oohhhh boy, Ms. Copeland should have done some more research on a great number of things. First and foremost, Hawaiian life and culture. But next, feminism and what it actually means to be a feminist. Feminism isn't about all this old, traditional, gender roles and women not DOING things 'cause they're apparently supposed to stay quiet, and humble, and wait for the man to arrive and do things and make the big grand gesture? Gross. Feminism is about FREEDOM and CHOICE. Not about staying barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen. Tess was making a choice.
But unfortunately so many old stereotypes have made it so "religion" and feminism don't mix. So of course the author had to throw something in there to be anti-feminism.
February 9, 2018
Not too bad after all. I had originally started this one back when I bought it in July. I got about 50 pages in and set it aside, forgetting about it completely. I've been trying to find all the books I've started this past year but not finished so I can either finish them or pass them along. I finished this one this morning in my nice quiet apt. Christmas morning.
It's a nice, light story and worth reading. The author tried to throw in lots of humor along with the gospel message. However, like most Christian fiction I've read, it's a little too predictable. Gotta love the location though, even with all the trouble the characters had on their vacations. You know how the story will end, but at least the journey is entertaining.
It's a nice, light story and worth reading. The author tried to throw in lots of humor along with the gospel message. However, like most Christian fiction I've read, it's a little too predictable. Gotta love the location though, even with all the trouble the characters had on their vacations. You know how the story will end, but at least the journey is entertaining.
October 7, 2025
Very good
I hadn't read any books by Lori Copeland in some time. I'm not sure why. She is a really good writer. I absolutely enjoyed this book. The characters are lovable, and all the situations and relationships are quite believable. Thank you for writing such an entertaining and clean romance book!
I hadn't read any books by Lori Copeland in some time. I'm not sure why. She is a really good writer. I absolutely enjoyed this book. The characters are lovable, and all the situations and relationships are quite believable. Thank you for writing such an entertaining and clean romance book!
August 2, 2019
I picked up this book for $0.25 at a library sale last year, but hadn't had a chance to read it yet. I figured it would be a good, light read for our recent beach trip, and it was! The story was humorous and the characters interesting.
March 13, 2021
Picked this up as I had really liked the Hallmark movie based off it. It was a clean, really sweet book. I didn’t much enjoy the last half, as it dragged a bit. But it was an okay read! Good if you want to read without paying too much attention 😆
January 4, 2025
Honestly I know some people didn’t care for her writing but I got lost in this book. I enjoyed it so much! I was going to the library to read until I couldn’t. Then my grandmother got it for me for Christmas. I loved this book and the story. I definitely would give it a read!
February 27, 2021
I love stories in Hawaii. Everything seems to go wrong on this trip; weather, fire, luggage issues. What Satan means for evil God will use for good. A good positive encouraging book!
April 4, 2021
Super cheesy, but perfect for our beach vacation getaway.
May 5, 2021
I didn't realize it was christian fiction until later and I decided to continue the book.
If you don't mind the religious back ground to it I guess it's okay.
If you don't mind the religious back ground to it I guess it's okay.
January 2, 2022
Light easy cheesy read. Not fantastic writing but faith-filled and pleasant to read while currently on vacation in Hawaii (I found it on the bookshelf in our rental condo here.)
April 10, 2024
I worry and I’m stressed. This book spoke to me. A little rushed at the end but still a great message.
July 28, 2025
Nice. Several typos, a few continuity issues. A bit stilted sometimes. But an okay fun read.
January 26, 2020
Tess is looking forward to finally getting the career promotion she's been working incredibly hard for, but she winds up getting fired instead. She figures her upcoming trip to Hawaii is just what she needs now to give her life a minute to get sorted out. But her tropical vacation leads to one disaster after another, including no less than a violent hurricane in Stranded in Paradise by author Lori Copeland.
This ChristFic novel of comical mishaps and a journey of discovery was once one of my favorite books. It takes a look into Tess's difficult family life, ties back into the Golden Age of Hollywood, and a romance unfolds while Tess simultaneously gains a new perspective on bitterness and trust.
Yet, while I can appreciate the story's central message(s), its style of delivery isn't what I particularly go for these days. The book takes a lot of time teaching lessons on faith and salvation, and through stretches of the read, it does indeed feel more like a spiritual lesson with an evangelistic emphasis than it feels like a story. There are also a number of technical errors that slipped through the editing phase of the 2002 print edition I read, including some recurring errors surrounding the dialogue.
Even so, it's an easy read with likable characters, and though my tastes in style have changed since I first read this book, it was nice to remember how and why the novel changed my life back then.
This ChristFic novel of comical mishaps and a journey of discovery was once one of my favorite books. It takes a look into Tess's difficult family life, ties back into the Golden Age of Hollywood, and a romance unfolds while Tess simultaneously gains a new perspective on bitterness and trust.
Yet, while I can appreciate the story's central message(s), its style of delivery isn't what I particularly go for these days. The book takes a lot of time teaching lessons on faith and salvation, and through stretches of the read, it does indeed feel more like a spiritual lesson with an evangelistic emphasis than it feels like a story. There are also a number of technical errors that slipped through the editing phase of the 2002 print edition I read, including some recurring errors surrounding the dialogue.
Even so, it's an easy read with likable characters, and though my tastes in style have changed since I first read this book, it was nice to remember how and why the novel changed my life back then.
February 5, 2012
I don't read fiction to read about God but I knew what I was getting into when I picked up this book. The setting of Maui always appeals to me. And this was a good fast read. You definitely knew how it was going to end but I appreciated that the author took a different route to getting there. A stressed out air traffic controller is told to take a vacation so he goes to Maui. A high powered business woman is fired so she takes the "business trip" to Maui anyway. Instead of finding each other through winding down, the couple gets to know each other under the circumstances of a hurricane! (& a series of mishaps) A wise elder named Stella figures prominently in the book. She reminded me of the character of Auntie Hannah in the book I read a year ago, "Love finds you in Lahaina, Hawaii" by Bodie Thoene.
August 14, 2014
Good story about the vacation from hell but the wonderful ending. Tess lost her job to her boss's fraternity brother and she decided to use the ticket in her purse that was supposed to be a business trip to fly to Hawaii just for fun. On the way to the airport the cab has no heat, the traffic is a nightmare and then they have a flat tire. She makes it to the airport and as she's running to the gate a little boy runs into her and she twists her ankle and loses a contact lens. I won't tell you what happens next, but just a hint - it gets worse!
Lori Copeland is a Christian writer but not so in your face and this book actually has humor, usual when a books says it's funny I have to wonder on what humor gauge they are measuring.
Lori Copeland is a Christian writer but not so in your face and this book actually has humor, usual when a books says it's funny I have to wonder on what humor gauge they are measuring.
March 23, 2018
A short and refreshing book of the unfortunate Tess Nelson. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because SPOILER: I would have liked some romance between Tess and Carter. They developed a nice relationship, but nothing happened-- I suppose this was because the main point was to follow Tess and her re-discovery of God through the people she meets and the disasters she must face.
:) Tess faces a lot of crap that would never happen to any "one" person (hey, it's fiction), but you find yourself falling in love with her determined character as she struggles to keep control of her chaotic life. I have read this multiple times, and it is truly funny and heart-warming.
:) Tess faces a lot of crap that would never happen to any "one" person (hey, it's fiction), but you find yourself falling in love with her determined character as she struggles to keep control of her chaotic life. I have read this multiple times, and it is truly funny and heart-warming.
June 9, 2013
I needed a quick break from my Scientology book, so I picked this up; yep it was pretty bad. I find Christian realistic fiction fascinating, because while I consider myself a Christian (and that is a lot to live up to I know) I don't go talk about God in regular conversations. In fact, I think it is a bit abnormal just how much God was brought up in these characters chats. BUT, I do know people who find strength in doing that, and more power to them. Not for me, in terms of the talking and the book overall, but I knew beforehand it would be a somewhat to very weak chick lit - and it was. No surprises there ;)
July 21, 2008
I bought this book at a yard sale unknowing it was a book by a "woman of faith". I generally do not like reading books about faith because I tend to find them preachy or somehow insinuate that their faith is the only way. However, this was a charming romance that had the Christian faith interwoven throughout it. It was about one woman's realization that she was not who she wanted to be although she had everything she wanted. Finding faith helped her be who she wanted to be, and of course finding a wonderful man along the way.
March 20, 2008
I had a day where everything I touched fell, broke or went the opposite of how I wanted it to go....or so it seemed. This book made me realized sometimes God can use "problems" to do wonderful things. It also made me laugh as I have been wishing to be on a beach lately, and this character's beach experience was just the ticket I needed to realize it is just fine here in the midwest. (pun intended)
January 20, 2011
Delightful very quick read about a career oriented young woman who is losing her hair from stress and the calamity of being fired and going to Hawaii. In the process she finds love and seeks to know who God is and is pleasantly surprised by God's grace when she is given a new career. Loved the book and highly recommend as it is a good message for us all to read. This is a woman of faith fiction.
January 22, 2011
When everything goes wrong in your life, what do you do? Do you pray? Do you just complain and continue on?
In "Stranded in Paradise", Tess loses her job, sprains her ankle - not once, but twice, loses her contact lens, has to abandon her hotel and all her belongings, is caught up in the middle of a hurricane, has a rather emotionless mother, and then sprains the other ankle.
If this was you, what would you do?
In "Stranded in Paradise", Tess loses her job, sprains her ankle - not once, but twice, loses her contact lens, has to abandon her hotel and all her belongings, is caught up in the middle of a hurricane, has a rather emotionless mother, and then sprains the other ankle.
If this was you, what would you do?
January 26, 2014
This was a good book about finding trust in the Lord, but my complaint is that it is a pretty formulaic read. The humor however was very good. If you want to read a book about a trip to Paradise where just about everything that can go wrong does, and how the Lord uses that to get attention, then you will probably still enjoy it.
July 11, 2015
Cute story... but big lessons... what I needed at the time pg. 96 "Lord, you know my heart. Let me do more thanking and less complaining. Grant me patience to wait on you. I recognize my need for your assurances, for your strength for your hand on my life. I stand guilty of weak faith and the if-I-can't-fix-it-by-Friday then I'll turn it over to God thinking..."
July 12, 2011
This is my 1st book by this author, and I will read more. I never expected this to be as funny as it is. Great summer read, even though it isnt set in the summer, just the whole Hawaii thing, sunshine, etc. This is our Aug book club book, looking forward to seeing what others thought, if they enjoyed it as much as I did.
August 1, 2015
Cute, read this in one day. Tess goes to Hawaii on a non-refundable ticket from the job she just lost--to de-stress & re-group. but one disaster follows another. A handsome stranger (what else?) keeps crossing her path & they soon are thrown together in survival mode by a tropical storm. Predictable, but still enjoyable.
June 3, 2010
A good read if you need a quick laugh and want to see the funnier side of love. Another thing I liked was the fact that although this is a christian book it doesn't bash you over the head with religion.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews