Michigan Reader

Tricky romance with a bit of detective work!

Revisado: 11-14-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Beckett and Quinn have both been around the block before, but find something new in each other. Both have baggage overflowing into the aisles, but they help each other with it - for her, the abrupt end of a champion swimming career years ago and, for him, the sudden death of his wife that leaves him with their two kids and a lingering cloud of suspicion. For such an accomplished person, Quinn does a lot of negative self-talk, but Beckett can apparently handle anything! He moved his kids from an Australian city to a small Montana town where Quinn has her feet very firmly planted. It's a challenge to see how he and his family can fit - or not. I know some people thought Quinn's restaurant scene was funny, but not me. She was so good as a swimming coach though, teaching people afraid of the water like Beckett's son Troy. Troy was my favorite character - such a sincere, caring, scared and observant little boy with so much love to offer.

So many twists to the story, particularly when Beckett's wife's death and how accidental it was comes back into question. A good story, but not my favorite Rosalind James work. I found the heroine a difficult person to like for big chunks of the story. OTH, the hero was awesome.

I received a free copy of the audio version 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.

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Interesting context for a solidly good story!

Revisado: 09-14-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

My only experience with cults was the orange-robed Hare Krishna who used to stand around the corners on my college campus, pressing unwanted flowers into your hands and guilting you into giving them money. The cult that Gabriel and Oriana departed was very different, emphasizing un-ending physical labor, perpetual child-bearing, strict gender roles and absolute patriarchy. And nobody outside the boss got their hands on any money! Practically nothing is the same on the Outside in the South Island of New Zealand. How Gabriel and Oriana struggle to adapt and to construct new lives in a bewildering new culture of vastly different expectations is so empathetic. Rosalind James does a great job of making you feel the constant mental effort this new daily life entails with its unending decisions. Oriana, especially, finds that the history she learned was not at all what the students in her new school have been taught.

This is an engrossing story of two young people growing up and growing in love in their new world while struggling with their family relationships as well. It’s wonderful to catch up with characters from past books, too, especially Hannah and Drew and Daisy and Gray. Highly recommend!

I received a free copy of this audiobook 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. I’d already bought the ebook versions and read it twice, BTW.

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Fun story with romance

Revisado: 04-19-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I enjoyed the audio version of this book more than I did when reading it - the accents make a huge difference, especially because there are two narrators.

Layla is a wonderful character at the same time she is difficult. She has been going through a 20 year rebellion against her religion, it seems, and she really goes all out in the story. She is a widow with two daughters who have distinct personalities that create a lot of the humor that is laced throughout. Lachlan has been avoiding romantic commitment his whole life due to a surfeit of sisters. Both Layla and Lachlan have to confront a surprising past that links them in a strange way and find a way to evolve together in ways that work for both of them. They are very different people, but somehow they fit together so well.

I got such a flavor of New Zealand with this audio book - the slang, the attitude, the area around Dunedin. It just makes me want to visit more!

I received a free copy of the audio version 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.

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Such a fun story!

Revisado: 07-12-21 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Dyma is such an adventure all on her own - just growing up and moving out and on BUT she has this unusual boyfriend - a bit older, a whole lot more experienced NFL player who is so sweet and down to earth you just want to steal him for yourself! But Dyma has Owen wrapped around her little finger and is fighting as hard as she can to figure out college, roommates, new sibling, new stepfather, new friends, new city, basically everything. It’s enjoyable to hear Emma Wilder reading the story as it unfolds with all its quotidian college events and drama. You’ll get more out of this story if you read or listen to the prior one where Dyma and Owen’s relationship begins. I thought this story would take nearly ten years to work out for this couple, but was glad they figured it out much quicker and with a lot less (or different) heartbreak than I expected. Another good story from Rosalind James with memorable and realistic characters!
Although I purchased the ebook, I received a free copy of this audio 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.

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Fun, steamy, sad - all the feels!

Revisado: 02-21-21 El oyente recibió este título gratis

This story is a roller-coaster ride as an unlikely meet-cute at a remote winter resort sets the stage for a one-night stand that keeps evolving into a maybe or maybe-not relationship. There is so much humor in this story and you will fall in love with Harlan, an NFL football player who is kinda rootless, but with a big heart that he's scared to use much. Jennifer is a bit trickier, a responsible mother too young in a not-very-nice small town, and her insecurities make some of the back-and-forth relationship difficult. You see how good these two are for each other, in spite of themselves, that you keep rooting for them as they reel from events around them and caused by them. And Jennifer's daughter, Dyma, is a show stealer with her blunt comments to anyone and everyone. Characters from a previous book make appearances, but this is a stand-alone book. A good story that is hard to put down!

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Such a strong story!

Revisado: 08-31-20

Imagine if you were transplanted into an alien culture and everything you thought you knew about it was pretty much wrong. How would you adapt, especially when there was no return? You are shunned from your old life; you can only go forward. That's what Daisy has done. As a teenager, she left the patriarchal religious cult she'd been raised in and made something of herself, becoming an emergency department nurse and a tri-athlete. While she helps people every day on her job, she never looks for help from anyone else herself. Until the night she gets pushed into a river and loses her car, her wallet, her phone. She has to ask for help on the dangerous journey to rescue two of her sisters from the cult. And she has to ask that help of the man whose car pushed hers in the river: Gray Tamatoa, a man who has had to re-make his own life and has issues of his own.

How Daisy and Gray become a team, helping her sisters escape and helping them adapt to the Outside World as they fall in love themselves makes for an interesting, thought-provoking and enjoyable story.

The narration is engaging, alternating between Daisy's and Gray's POV with Emma Wilder and Tom Janson bring Rosalind James' story to life. This was such a big story, much more than simply a romance. The whole cast of characters was great - especially Honor, Gray's mum and Daisy's sisters. Fun cameo appearances of some All Blacks and Matiu and Poppy from the previous book. Enjoy!

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There's nothing cold about this hot story!

Revisado: 05-17-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Poppy and Matiu are not at all a likely couple with a fun meet-cute beginning. She's giving birth to her third child on the grass outside the hospital while trying to wrangle two toddlers and he's the emergency doc who runs out to deliver the baby. He's just started a new phase in iife, moving to the South Island, and she is sending her cheating husband on his way. Poppy and Matiu had met before - at her brother's wedding to his cousin's sister-in-law, but that just gave them a connection. How can her baby's birth possibly be the start of new relationship? Yet it is. Poppy is an artist and not as scatter-brained as her family makes her out to be since she's a successful children's author. The stress of her failed marriage has meant her muse has deserted her. Can seeing Matiu bring it back? Can she bring a light into his life that he lost years ago?

This is such a good story and filled with such wonderful characters that always make a Rosalind James book multi-dimensional. Poppy's kids are so adorable: the sweet baby, the absolutely imaginative and resolute toddler and the new kindy boy and Matiu connects so well with them. His ancient Koru steps in with his wisdom again and various other relatives chime in. This story moves quickly and lightly and it was a pleasure to have alternating narrators. I liked both Emma Wilder and Tom Janson.

This is the second book in the New Zealand Ever After Series, so you'll enjoy it better if you read the first one, but you won't be lost if you haven't. Like always, you'll want to pay a visit to New Zealand after reading this!

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A whirlwind catch-up that delights!

Revisado: 03-18-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Just Say Christmas is one of those books that gathers all the ribbons of prior stories and weaves them together into a triple-decker epilogue. There's another chapter for Marco and Nyree, Ella and Tom, Zora and Rhys (and Isiah and Cassidy) and a bit more to surprise you. You will want to have read some of the more recent Escape to NZ books to really enjoy this one. There's a lot of poignancy, new understanding and painting you wish you could actually see!
Enjoyable reading by Emma Wilder, too. I always enjoy a Rosalind James book!

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Have never argued with a book so much!

Revisado: 02-18-20

I've never argued so much with a book and kept listening, that is. The first 3 endless chapters were all about don't pay any attention to your passion - you'll acquire it when you land somewhere and get good at what you do. There were some good nuggets in this book, but his constant rants again passion get old very fast. It basically assumes you are somewhere - it's not helpful for FINDING work you love from scratch - but has some solid advice about career capital.

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Fun Kiwi Adventure

Revisado: 07-24-19

Karen - who we met before as Hope's teenage sister in the Not Quite a Billionaire books - is all grown up now and visiting New Zealand on behalf of her brother-in-law Hemi. Her first day in the country, she jumps with both feet into a situation and causes a bit of mayhem. (She actually does that a lot.) When she does jump, she meets an injured soldier, former model and playboy Jax, on the beach and they hit it off, but the mayhem is an issue. They meet again when she takes up her task for Hemi and get to know one another better as they race through many adventures together. The canyoning was very cool!

The two narrators take turns reading as the first person viewpoint switches back and forth between Karen and Jax. This is a surprise when they first switch, even though I expected it, because their voices are so different. You have to get used to the changing voices speaking for Karen and for Jax, depending on who is viewing the scene. I enjoyed both Emma Wilder's and John Hartly's readings and this was an interesting way to perform the book.

I liked Jax, he was complex and determined, but Karen was a difficult character this time around. I found myself disappointed in her and along with her for the time she spent with the ex-fiance and his company. I loved her family again though. Looking forward to the next book in the series!

I received a free copy of the audio version of this story for writing an honest review.

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