Just One Look (Escape to New Zealand, #14) by Rosalind James

Just One Look (Escape to New Zealand, #14) 

Elizabeth Wolcott is one of the youngest Neurosurgeons in one of America's most prestigious hospitals. Prickly, a bit defensive, and untrusting anyone at first. Independent, brainy, awkward socially, but confident in her career/business side. She's the very Opposite of fashionable - awkward with her style, but sticks to the classics and dresses simply, but more for function than fashion. She is even tempered -or highly controlled because she was raised to be that way. She came from a rich (self-built) wealthy family (surgeon dad) who lost her mother at a young age. Dad is a snob and highly critical of Elizabeth's maternal family side (grandmother from the deep south) and her mother's countrified, unsophisticated ways.

How I related to Elizabeth:
In some ways Elizabeth is like any woman who has been raised to be fiercely independent and strong - she is very sure of herself in her career realm, but just as insecure in her personal life. Her dad, widowed when Elizabeth was 4, wasn't the most compassionate, or affectionate father. In fact, he hardly allowed Elizabeth to be a child or display any sort of childish "nonsense". She was a brilliant prodigy and entered college at 16 to become a neurosurgeon in her twenties. Elizabeth realizes after her long-term relationship ended that she needs a reboot of her life and decided to relocate to New Zealand for a year, to find herself (or learn how to let her human side out). She really struggles to hold onto her self-worth and dignity, with her father mainly, who was rigid, cold and cruel with her growing up. She learned to be selfless, generous with her affection and passionate in her love life, despite the early setbacks, relationship-wise. It has been a joy to "watch" Elizabeth grow in her confidence and her self-worth throughout the story.

Luka is a late career, tough rugby player with a heart of gold. He is sexy, without being an overly 'over-the-top' womanizer. He's strong, brave, self-sacrificing, dedicated to his family, but was brought up without a father, and mother withheld love and affection, so he doesn't have a healthy view of family.
• Kind, safe, slightly younger than Elizabeth - 33 years old -
is nearing end of his rugby career due to neck injuries
• Thinks of others before himself, and smart and educated too. He's a physio therapist - with college degree as a backup for his rugby playing career.
• Happy to get his hands dirty and be inconvenienced for the sake of someone in need

How I related to Luka:
Luka was raised by a single mother and never knew his father. Raised on a farm, with sisters and a grandmother to raise him, he learned early on to be strong and independent. In fact, he is not given a warm, loving home to grow up in, so he learned to fend for himself, and decided to make something out of himself with his love of Rugby. Fortunately for Luka, he is very talented and rewarded by succeeding in a career playing the sport. He meets Elizabeth shortly after her arrival from the States, as she is to perform a "routine procedure" on his neck - to which he protests out of sheer disbelief in her competence. The magic ensues from there as they develop a friendship and serious hot chemistry for each other.

Luka needs to find love and acceptance, outside of the superficial trappings of celebrity, fame, and surface only-type of relationships. Elizabeth is brought out of her shell - in many ways thanks to Luka, and in part, due to her lessons learned so far away from home. Luka breaks down her walls and barriers pretty quickly. Those lessons include "casual dating" that became not so casual, as they found they were more than just attracted to each other. Lessons learned also were in caring for a very large, disobedient, and very hairy dog named Webster, who I fell in love with almost instantaneously. His antics had me laughing my behind off, along with the wonderful chemistry and humorous tone of the story. Rosalind has a way with intertwining soul-stirring humanness, tenderness of emotion, smart, funny dialogue, and hilarious antics with the dog, and this book has ALL the feels. She had me laughing, crying, falling in love with these characters, and intrigued to see how they would develop and overcome many hurdles. It has a feel-good-ending, which is no surprise for Rosalind James fans, but still very satisfying. 

This book is part of a series based in New Zealand, and includes a few characters you might have read before in earlier books, but this is still a very good standalone, and you will not feel like you have missed the plot without reading the others. I do recommend reading the rest of the series for full enjoyment, though. It's always nice to revisit our favorite characters now and then. This book is such a refreshing cup of delightful imagery of New Zealand, and everything I can imagine about Auckland. This is a great weekend escape read that will take you on a wonderful journey!

Happy Reading!

Devil In Disguise, by Rosalind James

 Review of "Devil in Disguise"

Football Romance Meets Geek Chic

Devil in Disguise is the 4th installment of the Portland Devils series, and I had a little bit of a hard time getting into it, mainly because the lead character, Dyma is so young in the story, and it took a long while to get the story moving along at a faster pace..However...it does get better. This is a beautifully written story, with scenic backdrops from a small ranch on the plains of North Dakota to metropolitan Portland, and the college town of Seattle. This sweet love story will capture your imagination and the characters will capture your heart. We met them in a previous book in the series, Shame the Devil, as the main female character Jennifer, is Dyma's mother in that book. This story is for Dyma and Owen. 

Owen, a Portland Devils NFL center, and also owns a ranch in rural Wyoming - divorced and has been (platonically) dating his best friend's girlfriend's 19 year old daughter, Dyma. Dyma is worlds apart different from a farm-girl rancher type. She's loud, opinionated, a feminist vegetarian, science and math geek that looks more like a punk rock star, rather than a rocket scientist in training. She's edgy, she's confident, and yet vulnerable and ready to rumble. Owen is a gentle giant, a romantic young gentleman who has high standards, honor code and traditional values/work ethics. He really sounds too good to be true. He's almost too perfect, really.

They met under unusual circumstances out at Yosemite National Park, where the previous book kicked off. Dyma was too young (in high school) at the time and Owen was a gentleman (also not interested in going to jail or losing his NFL career). We pick up the story though, where Dyma is bit older and finished with high school and is still very much attracted to Owen, who is 6 years older than her. Neither one had any long term plans for a relationship, but somehow that is what might be forged out of a very deep case of like for one another. Owen is star struck by her dynamo energy and sparkly personality and is holding himself in check because she's just turning 19 now and just barely finished with high school. These two can't wait to become more than just friends, but in order to work, their relationship still must develop slowly, and they go through some adjustments along the way. There are some embarrassing and hilarious 'firsts' in here, but I won't spoil it for you. Be prepared to laugh, sit back, and remember what it was like to be young and in love.

I loved these characters, their maturity, their sense of humor and their energy between each other as they grew closer and realized they were falling in love.  I love how Rosalind showed how they grew close to each other over time, and developed the relationship, as nothing long-lasting ever really happens overnight. Though technically a standalone, this book is best read after another one in the series, "Shame the Devil" as it will make more sense with the references to other characters previously mentioned.

Enjoyed this book very much! Now I will have to recover from book hangover!

Shame the Devil, by Rosalind James

 Review of "Shame the Devil"

Another winner for the very talented Rosalind James!

Shame the Devil is the 3rd installment of the Portland Devils series, and I am so excited to review this book! A beautifully written story, with scenic backdrops from Portland, OR to a small town in Idaho, a beautiful spa resort in New Mexico, to the plains of North Dakota. This beautiful love story will capture your imagination and the characters will capture your heart.

Harlan, a Portland Devils wide receiver, who looks like a Viking or a Norse god. His blond hair waves to his shoulders, and he is built like an Olympic champion body builder who is lightning fast. Harlan also owns a movie theater in a small town called White Horse and is known for being a playboy who is anything but serious. Harlan has a seriously sad childhood upbringing and no desire to dig into that part of his life. He's about to have his life shaken up a bit - in more ways than one.

Jennifer is a single mom with her fledgling daughter about to leave the nest for college. She's about to experience freedom for the first time as a single adult - as she had her daughter when she was very young, in her teens, and has known hardship, loss and challenges her whole life while making something of herself, providing for her daughter, and building a future. What she has never known is success in relationships - the romantic kind, anyway.

Jennifer and Harlan meet in unusual circumstances, and it seems like fate has put one another in their paths. They are immediately attracted to each other and decide to have a short fling that is only supposed to be a night of amazing adventure and then go their separate ways. Fate had other plans and these two wind up becoming very much wrapped up in each other's worlds. Neither one had any long term plans for a relationship, but somehow that is what might be forged out of a very deep case of like for one another. Jennifer challenges Harlan in ways he never dreamt of -and Harlan surprises Jennifer with his very serious and romantic side. Both have a lot of things to overcome, and a lot of things to learn, but we get to watch their kindling fire relationship unfold into a full-fledged inferno -and you hope to just not get burned sitting there on the edge hoping they make a go of it. 

There is another couple's romantic beginning here as well, as Jennifer's young daughter and the younger friend and team-mate of Harlan - Owen- share an attraction and he knows she is still too young yet.  Owen is starstruck by her dynamo energy and sparkly personality and is holding himself in check because she's barely 18 and not finished with high school yet. This one will wait a while to mature (hopefully Rosalind will give them their own book later down the road..we will have to be patient for these two to become more than friends). 

I loved these characters, their maturity, their sense of humor and their energy between each other as they grew closer and realized they were falling in love, and could not just walk away from a fun one-time weekend. The two learn so many things through each other and learn to trust and open up with each other. They each get the rare gift of healing from their past hurts and developing something brand new and beautiful.  I love how Rosalind showed how they grew close to each other over time, and developed the relationship, as nothing long-lasting ever really happens overnight.

Enjoyed this book very much and Looking forward to hearing more about Dyma and Owen. 

Shame the Devil (Amazon)

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3681695785  (Goodreads)

Fabubulous book!! Book review - Kiwi Strong, by Rosalind James

Title: Kiwi Strong (New Zealand Ever After, #3) 

Fabubulous book!! I couldn't stop reading- great escape book!
By Rosalind James
6/27/2020

Absolutely amazing book! This is one with multiple heroes and is my all-time favorite book of Ms.James now. I didn't think it was possible - I was not expecting the depth of this story. The strong male lead is not the only one bad-ass enough to be the hero here! Daisy is smart, funny, a survivor of a cult upbringing and she needs help to rescue her younger sisters who were left behind ten years ago. Gray is kind, patient and wise - a gentle giant of a man who has been hurt and shut himself off from romantic relationships but will give the shirt off his back for a friend in need.

Daisy and Gray meet on a dark road one night when he accidentally runs her off the road into the river. Her car has completely been submerged and he attempts to rescue her but discovers she has already rescued herself. The next several hours set up the rest of the story in a magical way that takes you on a journey of discovery to learn about two amazing heroes and their family members, secondary characters and a villain or two.

Calm before the storm...
After helping Daisy rescue her sisters, she learns just how much love and care another human can have. Gray is a beautiful, sweet, caring soul who blows her away with his continual strength, kindness, and giving nature. He sees past all her walls and brings her out of her shell, one step at a time. He teaches her to trust and have faith in another person, and falls in love with her before she even recognizes that she has fallen for him too.

This is a remarkable story, one that spans the journey of Daisy's family declaration of independence (quite appropriate, I think, given the time of year this book is released in). It is also a story of Gray learning that he can open up, trust and lean on a woman like Daisy, who is an amazing healing force in his life. She truly is his yin to her yang.

You will meet some really funny, sweet secondary characters in the story, and you will quickly want to cheer them on too. I loved Daisy's sisters and Gray's mom. They are like super cool people you wish you could meet and you want to be friends with. I was sad when the story ended, and hope we get another glimpse at their lives down the road, as Rosalind often writes into her future books some of the past characters she had introduced in earlier ones. I would love to hear more about Daisy's sisters down the road.

The obstacles the pair face are realistic and the villain is scary. The story has a very satisfying conclusion (not giving anything away, but it's good. Get your tissues out and keep them handy!) Daisy is a force to be reckoned with

Rosalind James is a wonderful American writer and has spent a considerable amount of time in New Zealand and Aussie-land. She shares her amazing experiences with the New Zealand culture (and imaginative, creative story-telling) with us and we are lucky indeed to enjoy the results of her work. Another great one - and my new favorite. This one will check off all of your boxes for a great romantic story! A job well done!

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

All the best,

Esther

Stone Cold Kiwi (New Zealand Ever After, #2) by Rosalind James (Goodreads Book Review)

Title: Stone Cold Kiwi (New Zealand Ever After, #2) 
Amazing, Emotional, heart-stoppingly beautiful story
By Rosalind James
3/7/2020

This story features a woman on the verge of her life and marriage falling apart and handsome doctor with a Casanova-complex, some really funny secondary characters, relatives, a dog and a duck. Not necessarily in that order.

Poppy and her children, whom we met in the previous novel in the series, Kiwi Rules, is a successful entrepreneur, children's book author and illustrator, when her brother Jax - the hero in Kiwi Rules - and Karen were getting married. And at their wedding Poppy meets a handsome and unattached Maori doctor, Dr. Matiu Te Mana, a relative of Karen's side of the family.

Poppy and Matiu meet each other again in the crisis of the birth of Poppy's third baby, Isobel. She is in a very public place with her two young children and suddenly went into labor and it escalated to crisis point very quickly. My impression of Poppy were that she kept incredibly calm under the circumstances, and put her young children's needs above all else -to ensure they were not afraid and kept them safe. Dr.Te Mana comes on the scene right outside the emergency room of the hospital - on the grass where Poppy is about to give birth.

What Poppy will soon learn, just after the birth of her child, is that her husband of 8 years, and her children's father had been betraying her in the worst way, and her marriage is essentially over. The story begins with Poppy's world crashing into flames, and is all about how this woman rises out of the fire as a phoenix and overcomes her challenges, and explores a new relationship possibility - with the last person she thought she would be attracted to.

This story is so much more than a woman in a rebound situation, finding love with her doctor hero and savior. This story is so emotionally deep, complex, and rich, and becomes more symbolic of Poppy's journey towards her freedom of spirit and courage. Through this blossoming friends-to-lovers romance with Matiu - it ends up enlightening and changing him too - changing HIS views on himself and his expectations for female relationships, along with his sense of character and integrity. Matiu is a much deeper and a stronger character than he gives himself credit for.

The dynamics of the ex-husband-and the extended family members who are lovingly - or not-so-much - trying to interfere with Matiu and Poppy's emerging relationship. Some of these moments are hilarious - and some are heartbreaking as you see Poppy's inner strength develop and flourish, allowing her to stand up for herself and become the confident and bold woman she never thought she had in her. I love this vulnerability that Poppy showed-and how she overcame her internal self-doubts and self-image issues. I can sure relate to all of these issues. Poppy's story brings to light all the doubts of a new post-partum mother, with her body changes and challenges, explores her emotional responses to some very real horrific events. Ms.James really gets it right in all her descriptions of the physical and emotional exhaustion, the realities of post-birth issues, and the truths that all of us women who have been down this road instinctively know.

No cliff-hangers or other parts to buy after this story.. and though I highly recommend going back and reading the beginning of the series of books, "Kiwi Rules" (Jax and Karen's story), and check out the "Not Quite a Billionaire" series (Hemi and Hope's story).

Rosalind James is a wonderful American writer and has spent a considerable amount of time in New Zealand and Aussie-land. She shares her amazing experiences with the New Zealand culture (and imaginative, creative story-telling) with us and we are lucky indeed to enjoy the results of her work. Another great one - and possibly my new favorite (it's at least in the top 3 now). This one will check off all of your boxes for a great romantic story! A job well done!