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!
