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Escape to New Zealand #5
Just My Luck
A little distraction can be a wonderful thing.
Nate Torrance has a job to do, and the biggest rugby boots in the world to fill. He can't afford to lose his focus, especially not to a brown-eyed Canadian who pushes all his buttons and looks much too good in a climbing harness.
Allison Villiers may not know what she wants to do with her life, but she's clear about one thing. She's not impressed by the new captain of the All Blacks, however big a deal he is to the rest of New Zealand. If only her unfortunate taste for adventure didn't keep leading her astray . . .
Nate Torrance has a job to do, and the biggest rugby boots in the world to fill. He can't afford to lose his focus, especially not to a brown-eyed Canadian who pushes all his buttons and looks much too good in a climbing harness.
Allison Villiers may not know what she wants to do with her life, but she's clear about one thing. She's not impressed by the new captain of the All Blacks, however big a deal he is to the rest of New Zealand. If only her unfortunate taste for adventure didn't keep leading her astray . . .
380 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2013
475 people are currently reading
1179 people want to read
About the author
Rosalind James
55 books1,219 followersRosalind James writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense published both by Montlake Romance and independently. Her stories are set in New Zealand, Idaho, California, New York . . . really, anyplace that seems cool. (Research trips, especially those involving lots of rugby, are a bonus.) Her books are available in ebook, paperback, and audio formats. Rosalind is a former marketing executive who spent several years in Australia and New Zealand, where she fell in love with the people, the landscape, and the culture of both countries. She attributes her rapid success to the fact that "Lots of people would like to escape to New Zealand! I know I did!"
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
January 19, 2019
HERO: I am a commitment-phobe who has no room in his life other than for professional rugby.
HEROINE: Let's date!
HERO: I am a commitment-phobe who has no room in his life other than for professional rugby.
HEROINE: Let's have sex!
HERO: I am a commitment-phobe who has no room in his life other than for professional rugby.
HEROINE: I love you!
HERO: I am a commitment-phobe who has no room in his life other than for professional rugby.
HEROINE: WHAT????!!!! Why didn't you tell me? Waaaaaaahhhhh *runs away crying*
Then, there's the conversation heroine has with her roommate where her roommate has to explain to her that men sometimes lie and have one-night stands. Also, she lets everyone, from her ex-boyfriend of six years, to her ONS who took sex pics of her without her consent and published them on the Internet, to her boss at work who steals her ideas, belittles her and finally wrongfully terminates her, WALK ALL OVER HER WITH TOTAL IMPUNITY. (Her response to the suggestion that she prosecute the CRIMINAL who violated her privacy: how can I file a police report against him when he has moved to another country ? *face palm*)
To add insult to injury, there is a B plot with the Perfect Romantic Couple that seems to have been inserted in the book just to hammer the point that heroine is a HOT MESS.
I am sorry, Rosalind James, your lovely New Zealand travelogue cannot make up for the deficiencies of this particular heroine.
With this book, I have unfortunately broken my New Year's Resolution to automatically DNF at the first sign of Doormat.
HEROINE: Let's date!
HERO: I am a commitment-phobe who has no room in his life other than for professional rugby.
HEROINE: Let's have sex!
HERO: I am a commitment-phobe who has no room in his life other than for professional rugby.
HEROINE: I love you!
HERO: I am a commitment-phobe who has no room in his life other than for professional rugby.
HEROINE: WHAT????!!!! Why didn't you tell me? Waaaaaaahhhhh *runs away crying*
Then, there's the conversation heroine has with her roommate where her roommate has to explain to her that men sometimes lie and have one-night stands. Also, she lets everyone, from her ex-boyfriend of six years, to her ONS who took sex pics of her without her consent and published them on the Internet, to her boss at work who steals her ideas, belittles her and finally wrongfully terminates her, WALK ALL OVER HER WITH TOTAL IMPUNITY. (Her response to the suggestion that she prosecute the CRIMINAL who violated her privacy: how can I file a police report against him when he has moved to another country ? *face palm*)
To add insult to injury, there is a B plot with the Perfect Romantic Couple that seems to have been inserted in the book just to hammer the point that heroine is a HOT MESS.
I am sorry, Rosalind James, your lovely New Zealand travelogue cannot make up for the deficiencies of this particular heroine.
With this book, I have unfortunately broken my New Year's Resolution to automatically DNF at the first sign of Doormat.
July 25, 2013
3.5 stars.
I really do adore the author's writing, her ability to transport us to other places (or "time," as in Welcome to Paradise), and her keen attention to detail while never making it feel instructional or pandering. I'd read and greatly enjoyed all in her previous Escape to New Zealand series so it was an absolute "duh" to get this one tout de suite.
There are two main characters, Ally, a Canadian-American, and Nate, the (new) All Blacks (national rugby team) captain, and two lesser characters (more than supporting but not as main as Ally + Nate), Kristen, a recently divorced American (and younger sister to Just This Once's Hannah) and Liam, a Maori rugby player, teammate and good friend of Nate. This story takes place in Wellington, so it was fun to learn a bit more about NZ and its cities.
At Kristen's behest, Ally moves to NZ with her for a year for an adventure (for Ally) and for Kristen to heal after the painful dissolution of her marriage (her husband was a jerk and cheated on her). Ally is an outdoorsy woman, loving adrenaline sports and works as a rock climbing instructor: she works for a misogynistic blowhard, which is hard on her but she plugs away. Ally does not have really any disposable income -- she is living month-to-month, and that's refreshing -- so many romances have characters who seem to have not a financial worry in the world. Just like the rest of us, eh? Ha ha. Ally is forthright and maybe a bit brash for the depicted Kiwi polite, restrained culture -- to me, she felt like a breath of fresh air, and I loved how she didn't play coy or cute -- she is who she is and she feels how she feels. The only time(s) she faltered were when she didn't stay true to herself. Good girl -- she is what I wish for young women.
While rock climbing, Ally and Kristen first come across Nate and Liam, and so the story goes. Nate seems like a good enough guy but he's not looking for anything serious (code for easy sex), except Ally gets under his skin (in a good way). Because Kristen has had one disappointing and failed relationship after another, she has decided to not date and instead work on herself, figuring out what she is bringing, or looking for, or attracting, so she can break that cycle. Liam is taken with Kristen, of course for her statuesque beauty, but probably more for her quiet determination. He recognizes something of himself in her steely resolve to "fix" herself, and he responds positively to it.
There are strong Pride and Prejudice influences at play here -- Devon is Wickham with Ally the unsuspecting Elizabeth (and later, a touch of Lydia), Nate is Darcy with Kristen the ethereal and good Jane and Liam the pure and also good Mr. Bingley (but not naive like Mr. Bingley); the story line itself is even similar in that Jane and Mr. Bingley are strong supporting characters in P+P and we root for them without ever getting as "inside" their characters as we do Elizabeth and Darcy. There are also strong similarities to the first in the Escape to New Zealand series, Just This Once, with Nate this time drawing a parallel to Hannah and her devotion to anything but a relationship and how it could fulfill her personally. Nate is taken with rugby to the exclusion of being willing to have a serious relationship with anyone, including himself. And, just as it did Hannah, it hurts him. It hurts those who love him. (It's also fun the way the author peppers the titles from her previous books throughout, but not as titles -- as expressions.)
While I understand why the two story lines (Nate and Ally's and Kristen and Liam's) were told in one book (as they are concurrent in time) I would have wished for them to be separate. I would have liked to spend a lot more time with both Kristen and Liam, together and individually, especially inside Kristen's head and how she is doing with her self-work. It felt as if we got a better handle on Liam and how he had healed himself, which was terrific to read, but I wanted as much from Kristen. I also would have loved to spend more time in their relationship because it was so gentle, so tender, so frail-seeming, and I'm not just talking about their sex life (although that was so different to read because most of the sex lives of the couples in the Escape to New Zealand series seem to have rougher, more gymnastic couplings) but about their hesitant interactions with one another. They are both rather careful with the other.
Also, Nate just wasn't my favorite. He wasn't a bad guy but his priorities were messed up, and I got exasperated / bored with him. I loved that the author painted such a full picture of him that we understand why he is the way he is (that as a young teen he was sent away from home to attend school and to focus on rugby, because he was gifted at it), why rugby is his focus. During those formative years he wasn't around his parents to see how adults live and love together, the way they can be focused on outside pursuits but still make time for their significant other and how that SO can actually enhance those outside pursuits. So he's a bit stunted. But I still resented how he took advantage of Ally's emotional largesse and kinda led her on -- unknowingly, unintentionally, but led her on all the same. Early on, even when he hadn't admitted it to himself (thought he was after a quick lay), he was pursuing her in a relationship sense -- to have sex with her he wouldn't go on a big hike with her. He wouldn't pursue her at the rock climbing gym where she works, wouldn't accompany her to the ladder-diving off the quay near Te Papa (museum in Wellington), wouldn't have let it go on so long.
**SPOILERS**
I do also wish we'd spent more time at the end with Nate and Ally as they figured out how to have a loving, committed relationship, and how they did that while Nate was still pursuing his rugby and Ally pursued her education. By the end, it appeared that in that elapsed time (fourteen months) Nate had grown and changed *a lot*, and I would've really enjoyed being present for that. Really enjoyed it. Also, it would've been a treat to spend more time with Kristen and Liam as they planned their traditional Maori wedding. Just because.
**END OF SPOILERS**
Anyway, the writing continues to be quite good with characters you can get behind, invest in, root for, even if occasionally you aren't in love with them. I'll read anything by Rosalind James because she's a romance writer for smart readers.
I really do adore the author's writing, her ability to transport us to other places (or "time," as in Welcome to Paradise), and her keen attention to detail while never making it feel instructional or pandering. I'd read and greatly enjoyed all in her previous Escape to New Zealand series so it was an absolute "duh" to get this one tout de suite.
There are two main characters, Ally, a Canadian-American, and Nate, the (new) All Blacks (national rugby team) captain, and two lesser characters (more than supporting but not as main as Ally + Nate), Kristen, a recently divorced American (and younger sister to Just This Once's Hannah) and Liam, a Maori rugby player, teammate and good friend of Nate. This story takes place in Wellington, so it was fun to learn a bit more about NZ and its cities.
At Kristen's behest, Ally moves to NZ with her for a year for an adventure (for Ally) and for Kristen to heal after the painful dissolution of her marriage (her husband was a jerk and cheated on her). Ally is an outdoorsy woman, loving adrenaline sports and works as a rock climbing instructor: she works for a misogynistic blowhard, which is hard on her but she plugs away. Ally does not have really any disposable income -- she is living month-to-month, and that's refreshing -- so many romances have characters who seem to have not a financial worry in the world. Just like the rest of us, eh? Ha ha. Ally is forthright and maybe a bit brash for the depicted Kiwi polite, restrained culture -- to me, she felt like a breath of fresh air, and I loved how she didn't play coy or cute -- she is who she is and she feels how she feels. The only time(s) she faltered were when she didn't stay true to herself. Good girl -- she is what I wish for young women.
While rock climbing, Ally and Kristen first come across Nate and Liam, and so the story goes. Nate seems like a good enough guy but he's not looking for anything serious (code for easy sex), except Ally gets under his skin (in a good way). Because Kristen has had one disappointing and failed relationship after another, she has decided to not date and instead work on herself, figuring out what she is bringing, or looking for, or attracting, so she can break that cycle. Liam is taken with Kristen, of course for her statuesque beauty, but probably more for her quiet determination. He recognizes something of himself in her steely resolve to "fix" herself, and he responds positively to it.
There are strong Pride and Prejudice influences at play here -- Devon is Wickham with Ally the unsuspecting Elizabeth (and later, a touch of Lydia), Nate is Darcy with Kristen the ethereal and good Jane and Liam the pure and also good Mr. Bingley (but not naive like Mr. Bingley); the story line itself is even similar in that Jane and Mr. Bingley are strong supporting characters in P+P and we root for them without ever getting as "inside" their characters as we do Elizabeth and Darcy. There are also strong similarities to the first in the Escape to New Zealand series, Just This Once, with Nate this time drawing a parallel to Hannah and her devotion to anything but a relationship and how it could fulfill her personally. Nate is taken with rugby to the exclusion of being willing to have a serious relationship with anyone, including himself. And, just as it did Hannah, it hurts him. It hurts those who love him. (It's also fun the way the author peppers the titles from her previous books throughout, but not as titles -- as expressions.)
While I understand why the two story lines (Nate and Ally's and Kristen and Liam's) were told in one book (as they are concurrent in time) I would have wished for them to be separate. I would have liked to spend a lot more time with both Kristen and Liam, together and individually, especially inside Kristen's head and how she is doing with her self-work. It felt as if we got a better handle on Liam and how he had healed himself, which was terrific to read, but I wanted as much from Kristen. I also would have loved to spend more time in their relationship because it was so gentle, so tender, so frail-seeming, and I'm not just talking about their sex life (although that was so different to read because most of the sex lives of the couples in the Escape to New Zealand series seem to have rougher, more gymnastic couplings) but about their hesitant interactions with one another. They are both rather careful with the other.
Also, Nate just wasn't my favorite. He wasn't a bad guy but his priorities were messed up, and I got exasperated / bored with him. I loved that the author painted such a full picture of him that we understand why he is the way he is (that as a young teen he was sent away from home to attend school and to focus on rugby, because he was gifted at it), why rugby is his focus. During those formative years he wasn't around his parents to see how adults live and love together, the way they can be focused on outside pursuits but still make time for their significant other and how that SO can actually enhance those outside pursuits. So he's a bit stunted. But I still resented how he took advantage of Ally's emotional largesse and kinda led her on -- unknowingly, unintentionally, but led her on all the same. Early on, even when he hadn't admitted it to himself (thought he was after a quick lay), he was pursuing her in a relationship sense -- to have sex with her he wouldn't go on a big hike with her. He wouldn't pursue her at the rock climbing gym where she works, wouldn't accompany her to the ladder-diving off the quay near Te Papa (museum in Wellington), wouldn't have let it go on so long.
**SPOILERS**
I do also wish we'd spent more time at the end with Nate and Ally as they figured out how to have a loving, committed relationship, and how they did that while Nate was still pursuing his rugby and Ally pursued her education. By the end, it appeared that in that elapsed time (fourteen months) Nate had grown and changed *a lot*, and I would've really enjoyed being present for that. Really enjoyed it. Also, it would've been a treat to spend more time with Kristen and Liam as they planned their traditional Maori wedding. Just because.
**END OF SPOILERS**
Anyway, the writing continues to be quite good with characters you can get behind, invest in, root for, even if occasionally you aren't in love with them. I'll read anything by Rosalind James because she's a romance writer for smart readers.
July 21, 2013
This has to be the weakest and the least enjoyable book in the "Escape to New Zealand" series. The story was way too long, not to mention boring beyond belief. Ally and Nate's story just went on forever! Half-way thru the novel I had no choice but to start skimming thru quickly just to end my misery. I also have to say that while I did like both Kristen and Liam, including their story, I absolutely hated both Ally and Nate. As for their story, it just didn't work for me. They both came across as childish and immature. I don't know if I'll continue with the series which is too bad because I really enjoyed book 1. Oh well. May not be to my liking, but I'm sure others will enjoy it.
February 17, 2022
This one had two cute romance pairs in one book. Double value LOL.
December 24, 2014
Oh, my! I think I had escapes too many with the series. Here is what you find reading the stories:
1. New Zealand is a paradise on Earth
2. The only men worth considering in the paradise are the rugby players because they are:
• The most intelligent
• The most sensitive and hardworking
• Best looking on the outside (most of them) and inside (all of them)
• Sex gods who can change any woman to a sex kitten willing to try anything
• Great in bed despite all the hard work and bruising they receive on the rugby fields
1. New Zealand is a paradise on Earth
2. The only men worth considering in the paradise are the rugby players because they are:
• The most intelligent
• The most sensitive and hardworking
• Best looking on the outside (most of them) and inside (all of them)
• Sex gods who can change any woman to a sex kitten willing to try anything
• Great in bed despite all the hard work and bruising they receive on the rugby fields
August 22, 2014
3.5 stars
Just My Luck starts off with strong Pride and Prejudice influences. There are two couples stories here - Ally and Nate (the main couple), and Kristen and Liam. Kristen is the recently divorced sister of Hannah from Just This Once. She was headed to New Zealand to try and heal from her divorce and such and convinced Ally to come with her for a year for a bit of adventure. Nate and Liam are both rugby players for the All Blacks, Nate being the new captain. I love the setting and the rugby player romances that these books are. I don't know that much about rugby, but I did see the All Blacks at some community thing that we happened upon while visiting New Zealand. I love the writing and how the Kiwi dialect is in there, seeing what they say that is different from me. I like learning all of that.
As for the story, it was good. It wasn't my favorite of the Escape to New Zealand stories, but it was a good read. I only wish we would have had a separate book about Kristen and Liam though as I loved their story and wanted to see more!
Ally and Kristen meet Nate and Liam for the first time at the climbing gym where Ally is working. Ally is a bit of an adventure junkie. She loves to rock climb and cliff jump and anything active and exciting. The first few meetings between Ally and Nate don't go so well. Nate just keeps stuffing it up somehow and it really was kind of endearing. Unfortunately Ally is believing the terrible things Devon is telling her about Nate. Not sure why she believes them, especially after Devon acts kind of weird with her (like wanting to take her and her friend out, not just her). Devon is obviously after the connection to the famous rugby players, but Ally believes Devon when he tells her how horrible Nate it. I know Nate messed up at times, but he seemed like a genuinely nice guy. Eventually it works out and Ally gives Nate a chance, but there are more issues there.
Nate is a very organized guy. He has his life scheduled out in detail. He has only one thing he really cares about, rugby. He needs to focus on that and cannot afford any distractions, especially since he is the new captain. He has some big shoes to fill and Ally would be a distraction. He is so focus and organized he doesn't see how he could fall for Ally, have a real, serious relationship with her and focus on rugby. He is kind of geeky and one of those really smart people that doesn't see the obvious things that are right in front of him. I did enjoy reading him as he seems like such a nice guy.
Ally tries to keep things relaxed with Nate, but there are of course issues at the end to work through. Nate does take her for granted at times. He just assumes she will always be there when he needs/wants her, but he won't commit to a deeper relationship. They are exclusive, but eventually Ally wants more. I am glad they were eventually able to work everything out.
As for the secondary relationship I loved Kristen and Liam. Kristen is beautiful and she often times has issues with that. Guys don't want a relationship with her. She is not the one they have deep conversations with because they only see her beauty. Liam is different. He sees her at a party and sees how uncomfortable she is surrounded by a group of guys. He saves her from that situation, but doesn't press her for more. She also is still trying to figure out how to be on her own and doesn't want to depend on another guy. She has given herself a year to be by herself without a guy. Liam is so incredible with her. He likes her, wants to be with her, but knows that he needs to go incredibly slow with her. They are friends, hang out often and have a lot of fun together. Kristen does grow to care for Liam, but she wants to stick to her timeline. She needs to know she can do it herself. They were great together and I wish the entire book would have been about them. I would have loved to have seen more of their outings and them growing closer and closer. I liked their story more than Abby and Nate's story.
So overall I did enjoy this book. Nate was so nice, even if he didn't see what was right in front of him or took Abby for granted at times. I loved how he was different from the other guys from prior books. Kristen and Liam were great as well and I loved watching their relationship grow. A good read and I look forward to more from this author.
This review was originally posted to Jen in Bookland
Just My Luck starts off with strong Pride and Prejudice influences. There are two couples stories here - Ally and Nate (the main couple), and Kristen and Liam. Kristen is the recently divorced sister of Hannah from Just This Once. She was headed to New Zealand to try and heal from her divorce and such and convinced Ally to come with her for a year for a bit of adventure. Nate and Liam are both rugby players for the All Blacks, Nate being the new captain. I love the setting and the rugby player romances that these books are. I don't know that much about rugby, but I did see the All Blacks at some community thing that we happened upon while visiting New Zealand. I love the writing and how the Kiwi dialect is in there, seeing what they say that is different from me. I like learning all of that.
As for the story, it was good. It wasn't my favorite of the Escape to New Zealand stories, but it was a good read. I only wish we would have had a separate book about Kristen and Liam though as I loved their story and wanted to see more!
Ally and Kristen meet Nate and Liam for the first time at the climbing gym where Ally is working. Ally is a bit of an adventure junkie. She loves to rock climb and cliff jump and anything active and exciting. The first few meetings between Ally and Nate don't go so well. Nate just keeps stuffing it up somehow and it really was kind of endearing. Unfortunately Ally is believing the terrible things Devon is telling her about Nate. Not sure why she believes them, especially after Devon acts kind of weird with her (like wanting to take her and her friend out, not just her). Devon is obviously after the connection to the famous rugby players, but Ally believes Devon when he tells her how horrible Nate it. I know Nate messed up at times, but he seemed like a genuinely nice guy. Eventually it works out and Ally gives Nate a chance, but there are more issues there.
Nate is a very organized guy. He has his life scheduled out in detail. He has only one thing he really cares about, rugby. He needs to focus on that and cannot afford any distractions, especially since he is the new captain. He has some big shoes to fill and Ally would be a distraction. He is so focus and organized he doesn't see how he could fall for Ally, have a real, serious relationship with her and focus on rugby. He is kind of geeky and one of those really smart people that doesn't see the obvious things that are right in front of him. I did enjoy reading him as he seems like such a nice guy.
Ally tries to keep things relaxed with Nate, but there are of course issues at the end to work through. Nate does take her for granted at times. He just assumes she will always be there when he needs/wants her, but he won't commit to a deeper relationship. They are exclusive, but eventually Ally wants more. I am glad they were eventually able to work everything out.
As for the secondary relationship I loved Kristen and Liam. Kristen is beautiful and she often times has issues with that. Guys don't want a relationship with her. She is not the one they have deep conversations with because they only see her beauty. Liam is different. He sees her at a party and sees how uncomfortable she is surrounded by a group of guys. He saves her from that situation, but doesn't press her for more. She also is still trying to figure out how to be on her own and doesn't want to depend on another guy. She has given herself a year to be by herself without a guy. Liam is so incredible with her. He likes her, wants to be with her, but knows that he needs to go incredibly slow with her. They are friends, hang out often and have a lot of fun together. Kristen does grow to care for Liam, but she wants to stick to her timeline. She needs to know she can do it herself. They were great together and I wish the entire book would have been about them. I would have loved to have seen more of their outings and them growing closer and closer. I liked their story more than Abby and Nate's story.
So overall I did enjoy this book. Nate was so nice, even if he didn't see what was right in front of him or took Abby for granted at times. I loved how he was different from the other guys from prior books. Kristen and Liam were great as well and I loved watching their relationship grow. A good read and I look forward to more from this author.
This review was originally posted to Jen in Bookland
October 10, 2019
3.5 stars
November 5, 2015
I found this story disappointing. I've enjoyed all the other rugby romance books I've read by this author but this one left me dissatisfied. Nate and Allie just didn't spell HEA for me. He's a immature jerk and she's a whinny girl. I liked Kristen and Liam's story much better. Wish that had been the principal arc in this novel.
December 27, 2025
Review to come.
June 22, 2021
Nate may be the new captain of the All Blacks and know a lot about rugby, but he is really bad at relationships and manages to make the worst possible impression on Ally in their first encounters. But he knows how to persist. Ally is a lovely, outspoken character and perfect foil for Nate.
I really enjoyed Kirsten and Liam's romance and would have liked to have had more insights into Kirsten's thoughts.
I really enjoyed Kirsten and Liam's romance and would have liked to have had more insights into Kirsten's thoughts.
April 21, 2019
I liked this one although Nate drove me nuts with his cluelessness. How did he get to be so old without having any clue how to deal with women?
I'm glad he made up for it and I hope to see these two in future books. It as also nice to see the other couples from previous books.
I like this narrator. I think she does a great job, especially with all the accents. I can't wait to continue on with this series.
I'm glad he made up for it and I hope to see these two in future books. It as also nice to see the other couples from previous books.
I like this narrator. I think she does a great job, especially with all the accents. I can't wait to continue on with this series.
August 11, 2015
Love this one just as much as the first 4...I'm not sure which of the guys was hotter: Mako or Toro! Either way it was great to see how they both struggled with getting into a relationship and how it affected there careers and future.
August 29, 2020
3.5 stars. I'm happy to say that I mostly enjoyed this book - I think it was much much better than the previous one. Once again, listened to it on Audible Escapes, and the narrator really is fantastic. It kinda blows me away how good she is with voices and all the switches in accents.
This book features two couples instead of one. The two heroines, Ally & Kristen, moved to NZ together and are living as roommates when they meet their partners, who are both Rugby players and best friends. Oh to live in a romance novel... LOL.
First couple is Nate & Ally, they are the MCs with the majority of the book focused on them. Ally is a rock climbing instructor and meets Nate at the gym where she works. He's a little standoffish with her and she doesn't get the best first impression of him. Their next few encounters don't go very well either, and leave her disliking him. Nate is clearly drawn to Ally though, because he keeps going back for more, and signs up for rock climbing lessons to spend more time with her. He eventually brings her around to see that he's not such a bad guy, and they begin to date. Unfortunately, Nate is really focused on Rugby and being the best Captain of the All Blacks team, and leaves Ally with very little of his time. They do eventually work their shit out and end up with a HEA. I've read some other reviews about this book and did go into this story expecting Ally to be a total doormat. However, I found that she wasn't quite as bad as all that. She definitely takes too much shit from Nate, but he does a pretty good job of keeping her on the hook. I thought he deserved much more of the blame than she did, and she did a good job of taking back her life at the end. Do I wish she was more assertive? Of course. But she's not perfect and she does learn and grow.
The second couple is Kristen (Hannah's sister from book 1) and Liam, and they are a friends to lovers story. Kristen is recently divorced and not looking for anything new right away. She decides to do a year of celibacy to ensure that she works on herself instead of jumping into another new relationship. Liam basically meets her and falls in love at first sight. However, since she's unwilling to be anything more than friends, he decides to go along with it. He joins her on the celibacy journey and they spend the next several months getting to know each other. This is a much lighter story. There's minimal angst in their relationship and it works well as a side by side for the other story.
Safety is good; there's not the same level of double standard that the other books had. Neither of these heroines are near virginal, thank god. Heroine 1 does have sex with OM at the beginning, but it's not descriptive, just mentioned after. Not sure if revenge porn is a trigger to anyone, but I figured I would include it just in case. Does have mentions of cheating by and to the MCs, but all off page and in the past.
This book features two couples instead of one. The two heroines, Ally & Kristen, moved to NZ together and are living as roommates when they meet their partners, who are both Rugby players and best friends. Oh to live in a romance novel... LOL.
First couple is Nate & Ally, they are the MCs with the majority of the book focused on them. Ally is a rock climbing instructor and meets Nate at the gym where she works. He's a little standoffish with her and she doesn't get the best first impression of him. Their next few encounters don't go very well either, and leave her disliking him. Nate is clearly drawn to Ally though, because he keeps going back for more, and signs up for rock climbing lessons to spend more time with her. He eventually brings her around to see that he's not such a bad guy, and they begin to date. Unfortunately, Nate is really focused on Rugby and being the best Captain of the All Blacks team, and leaves Ally with very little of his time. They do eventually work their shit out and end up with a HEA. I've read some other reviews about this book and did go into this story expecting Ally to be a total doormat. However, I found that she wasn't quite as bad as all that. She definitely takes too much shit from Nate, but he does a pretty good job of keeping her on the hook. I thought he deserved much more of the blame than she did, and she did a good job of taking back her life at the end. Do I wish she was more assertive? Of course. But she's not perfect and she does learn and grow.
The second couple is Kristen (Hannah's sister from book 1) and Liam, and they are a friends to lovers story. Kristen is recently divorced and not looking for anything new right away. She decides to do a year of celibacy to ensure that she works on herself instead of jumping into another new relationship. Liam basically meets her and falls in love at first sight. However, since she's unwilling to be anything more than friends, he decides to go along with it. He joins her on the celibacy journey and they spend the next several months getting to know each other. This is a much lighter story. There's minimal angst in their relationship and it works well as a side by side for the other story.
Safety is good; there's not the same level of double standard that the other books had. Neither of these heroines are near virginal, thank god. Heroine 1 does have sex with OM at the beginning, but it's not descriptive, just mentioned after. Not sure if revenge porn is a trigger to anyone, but I figured I would include it just in case. Does have mentions of cheating by and to the MCs, but all off page and in the past.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 6, 2025
This story follows 2 friends Kristen and American (sister of Hannah book 1) and her friend Ally a Canadian who go to New Zealand for a fresh start. I am not a fan of two totally different plots in the same book though it was interesting, but taking off 1*.
Kristen is gorgeous looks like a supermodel and is looked at by most men a conquest or arm candy. She is recently divorced as her Ex found a new trophy. She is thought to be stuck up, conceited by women but in reality is shy, avoids crowds and has anxiety attacks. She is total sweetheart.
Ally was in a 6 yr relationship which was comfortable and she thought someday would lead to marriage but in reality it was just convenient for her boyfriend, no great passion and when she said she was going to New Zealand he said yeah, a good idea so she realized he was not serious, she was not enough.
The girls start over and meet some All Black rugby players as Hannah is married to the former team captain. Kristen meets Liam who "sees" her and even though she is taking a year to be celibate and get her life together he offers to be her friend (he is SO attracted to her) and be there for her. They have a sweet relationship and Liam is just a really good guy.
Now Kristen hits it off all WRONG with Nate, Liam's teammate. She thinks he is arrogant jerk and ends up falling for a line his enemy Devon gives her and making a huge mistake. When she sees she was fool to believe Devon, she and Nate end up being friends then lovers. This ends up with 20 shades of erotica for a good part of their time together which felt weird to me. His full attention is rugby and he is not ready for a committed relationship, she finally gets this (after she is in love with him) and the last 1/4 of the book is pretty rocky, emotional and totally opposite of Kristen and Liam.
Kristen is gorgeous looks like a supermodel and is looked at by most men a conquest or arm candy. She is recently divorced as her Ex found a new trophy. She is thought to be stuck up, conceited by women but in reality is shy, avoids crowds and has anxiety attacks. She is total sweetheart.
Ally was in a 6 yr relationship which was comfortable and she thought someday would lead to marriage but in reality it was just convenient for her boyfriend, no great passion and when she said she was going to New Zealand he said yeah, a good idea so she realized he was not serious, she was not enough.
The girls start over and meet some All Black rugby players as Hannah is married to the former team captain. Kristen meets Liam who "sees" her and even though she is taking a year to be celibate and get her life together he offers to be her friend (he is SO attracted to her) and be there for her. They have a sweet relationship and Liam is just a really good guy.
Now Kristen hits it off all WRONG with Nate, Liam's teammate. She thinks he is arrogant jerk and ends up falling for a line his enemy Devon gives her and making a huge mistake. When she sees she was fool to believe Devon, she and Nate end up being friends then lovers. This ends up with 20 shades of erotica for a good part of their time together which felt weird to me. His full attention is rugby and he is not ready for a committed relationship, she finally gets this (after she is in love with him) and the last 1/4 of the book is pretty rocky, emotional and totally opposite of Kristen and Liam.
August 2, 2019
This one was just ok for me. I was glad there were two romances going on because I didn't care for Allie and Nate, while I was thoroughly enthralled by Kristen and Liam. Allie came off as a door mat, while Nate wanted someone around, but only on his schedule, someone who was at his beck and call but only when he wasn't busy with rugby and he was always busy with rugby. Allie seemed to give him a lot of time to let her know she was important to him in any little way, he never did, just crushed her. Even at the end when Nate finally clued in, it was too little too late for me.
The romance between Kristen and Liam was great! I loved that Liam was willing to go at Kristen's pace, to stick to her plan. Liam blew me away with his surprise for Kristen towards the end, loved that people were around to film things.
The romance between Kristen and Liam was great! I loved that Liam was willing to go at Kristen's pace, to stick to her plan. Liam blew me away with his surprise for Kristen towards the end, loved that people were around to film things.
May 3, 2020
I can't get enough of this series.
There is something about this series that I love. The straight up, melt your heart romance between both sets of characters: Nate and Ally as well as Liam and Kristen. I feel like I got a bonus story out of this.
There is something about this series that I love. The straight up, melt your heart romance between both sets of characters: Nate and Ally as well as Liam and Kristen. I feel like I got a bonus story out of this.
July 17, 2017
This was too boring to continue on with. DNF
May 13, 2022
I liked the idea of two different love stories, but I could have done with less Nate/Allison. These two were just too immature and repetitive in their negative behaviors. I am still invested in the series, but this one was not a favorite.
November 14, 2017
I have really enjoyed the Rosalind James series Escape to New Zealand. There are 5 books in all, and each one tells a unique story of a relationship blossoming from first introduction on. The first book is Hannah and Drew’s story. It is arguably the slowest of the 5, providing the New Zealand setting and the Rugby football instruction. While the slowest of the 5, it is in no ways a negative on the book itself. In book one, Hard working Hanna meets hard working Drew, and together they learn that sometimes it is ok to relax a little bit and to have someone to share the down time with. Book 2 is the story of Koti and Kate. They have a bet that he can’t be friends with a girl without sex getting in the way. They can barely stand each other, her strong Italian personality a unique experience for him, as well as the fact that she is completely unimpressed with his celebrity status. They have a rocky start, and only begin to like each other when they begin to leave the preconceived notions on the wayside, and take each other at face value. It was refreshing that this couple were together for over 6 weeks before anything happened, and in the end they both end up losing the bet. Book 3 tells of Jenna and Finn. She is a nanny to his children. His love evolves from watching her with his kids, watching her maternal instincts, her strong character. They bond over failed marriages and feelings of unworthy, to learn that it was only because they needed each other to heal. Again, a relationship that develops first as friends over the course of several months before it becomes anything more. Book 4 is about Nic and Emma. One week six years ago was the best of their lives, but when they split apart to go their separate ways, something was left behind, something neither one ever forgot – for him it was a week of his life where he felt unconditional love for who he was, not what he could do on the field. For her it was a son, a son she is unable to let Nic know about even though she tries several times over the years. Chance brings them together again, and while Nic is getting to know his son, Emma and Nic are getting to know each other, too. Emma has to learn how to trust Nic again, even as outside forces try to make her doubt him. This review is about the last book of the series (though I hope not!!!), which is Book 5. This novel tells a dual love story with Nate and Allie, and Kristen and Liam. Kristen and Liam are secondary characters - though their story only gets slightly less development than Nate and Allie's. Kristen is a woman who has been used and hurt and is recovering from past failed relationships and he a recovering alcoholic recovering from a past failed marriage, learning to be strong on their own, and strong together, as this recovery takes place. Nate and Allie’s relationship takes center stage with Nate doing everything he can to ruin the relationship before it ever starts, and Allie a strong independent woman hoping he can learn to get it right.
I came across this series with book 1, a free kindle download. I did not expect to like it, especially when I realized it had a foreign setting. I expected the book to be step 1. Meet at the beach. Step 2. Have wild passionate relationship for 2 weeks. Step 3. Realize you can’t live without each other and get married. End of story. I was so pleasantly surprised that that wasn't the case with book 1, or with any of the books in the series actually. The relationships evolved. The couples courted. You got to see the relationships develop over realistic conversations and realistic events. The books that Rosalind James writes for this series all have this formula. It is refreshing to read a book that doesn't have a couple falling madly in love after 4 days together and living happily ever after. Some of these couples have real problems they have to overcome. Each of these characters stick with you long after the story is over, and it was such a pleasant surprise to have past characters pop up in each new book I read. Rosalind James made believe characters, with believable lives, in a memorable setting that made me want to learn about New Zealand and the world of Rugby Football. And as a nice little bonus, each book comes with a dictionary of common New Zealand terms so that you can see just what it is that these handsome Rugby players are saying. Try the books and you won’t be disappointed. I’m only disappointed that book 5 seems to be the last one.
I came across this series with book 1, a free kindle download. I did not expect to like it, especially when I realized it had a foreign setting. I expected the book to be step 1. Meet at the beach. Step 2. Have wild passionate relationship for 2 weeks. Step 3. Realize you can’t live without each other and get married. End of story. I was so pleasantly surprised that that wasn't the case with book 1, or with any of the books in the series actually. The relationships evolved. The couples courted. You got to see the relationships develop over realistic conversations and realistic events. The books that Rosalind James writes for this series all have this formula. It is refreshing to read a book that doesn't have a couple falling madly in love after 4 days together and living happily ever after. Some of these couples have real problems they have to overcome. Each of these characters stick with you long after the story is over, and it was such a pleasant surprise to have past characters pop up in each new book I read. Rosalind James made believe characters, with believable lives, in a memorable setting that made me want to learn about New Zealand and the world of Rugby Football. And as a nice little bonus, each book comes with a dictionary of common New Zealand terms so that you can see just what it is that these handsome Rugby players are saying. Try the books and you won’t be disappointed. I’m only disappointed that book 5 seems to be the last one.
August 5, 2014
I have loved the previous books in this series but I have to say this was a letdown. There are two stories running concurrently in this book - Allie and Nate's along with Kristen and Liam's. Allie and Kristen are roomies and Nate and Liam are players on the same rugby team.
Allie was selfish and arrogant when she had no right to be. Nate was a bit self centered but not a bad guy, he just had his priorities in the wrong place. I disliked Allie almost from the start and by the end of the book, couldn't have cared less what happened with her.
The only thing keeping me reading was the wonderful story between Kristen and Liam. They deserved their own book and more story time because it was all that was romantic and heartfelt and a true journey that I love to see.
A generous 3 stars - Allie and Nate ruined this for me.
Allie was selfish and arrogant when she had no right to be. Nate was a bit self centered but not a bad guy, he just had his priorities in the wrong place. I disliked Allie almost from the start and by the end of the book, couldn't have cared less what happened with her.
The only thing keeping me reading was the wonderful story between Kristen and Liam. They deserved their own book and more story time because it was all that was romantic and heartfelt and a true journey that I love to see.
A generous 3 stars - Allie and Nate ruined this for me.
September 21, 2013
2.5 STARS
This was my least favourite book in the series. We are given two couples stories that should have been split, but the author may have been running out of ideas. In any case the bulk of the book was with Nate and Ally with a bit of Liam and Kristin thrown in for luck.
Thankfully the author seems to have run out of history lessons however the game of rugby was still being explained to me. To be honest I am quite happy the series has finished as unfortunately this series just didn't gel with me.
This was my least favourite book in the series. We are given two couples stories that should have been split, but the author may have been running out of ideas. In any case the bulk of the book was with Nate and Ally with a bit of Liam and Kristin thrown in for luck.
Thankfully the author seems to have run out of history lessons however the game of rugby was still being explained to me. To be honest I am quite happy the series has finished as unfortunately this series just didn't gel with me.
July 14, 2014
This was a twofer romance story.
I loved Liam and Kristen's second chance story, it was slow and sweet. 4 stars for them
The story between Nate and Ally was good up to a point, and then I got sort of mad at both of them. Him for treating her so poorly and her for letting him squeeze her into the very small spaces in his life - and for caving and forgiving him so easily, she really needed to take some lessons from Kristen and he really needed to do some major groveling. 2.5 stars = pretty good for them.
I loved Liam and Kristen's second chance story, it was slow and sweet. 4 stars for them
The story between Nate and Ally was good up to a point, and then I got sort of mad at both of them. Him for treating her so poorly and her for letting him squeeze her into the very small spaces in his life - and for caving and forgiving him so easily, she really needed to take some lessons from Kristen and he really needed to do some major groveling. 2.5 stars = pretty good for them.
April 17, 2016
A little blah, and honestly I almost gave up on it. Two love stories is really too much for one book. And, honestly, I didn't like the main one at all. The only thing I liked about this book was the rock-climbing --- the protagonist's passion for the sport really came through and I almost felt the need to hunt down a climbing wall and try it myself. Almost....
March 5, 2014
Good, but Ally was probably my least favorite of all female protagonists Rosalind has written about. I definitely didn't hate her; I found her likeable most of the time. I'm not sure I can peg exactly what it was.
July 31, 2014
Absolutely the least enjoyable book in the series. Should have ended after book #4. Liked Liam, Kris was okay but the two main leads annoyed me. Childish and whiny.
January 3, 2017
I have totally binge read a good proportion of Rosalind James' back catalogue over the New Year break after receiving a copy of one of her books (Take Me Back) from NetGalley and realising that I had only read a couple of her Escape to New Zealand series previously.
As a result I am copying and pasting part of this review into the other books. The Escape to New Zealand series is a set of romances featuring players from New Zealand's All Blacks rugby team. All the books are full of En Zed (how the letters NZ are pronounced in New Zealand) slang and contain a handy glossary of terms at the back. Although being English I understood the vast majority of terms, or could guess their meaning from the context there were a few (like Domain and Jandles) which I had to look up. Each of the books also describes at least one rugby match in some detail - although I am English I have to confess I don't really follow/ understand rugby and I tend to gloss over these bits although I am picking up some of the terms.
This books features Nate Torrance and Allison Villiers as well as Kirsten and Liam. Probably three and a half stars.
Nate Torrance has just been named captain of the All Blacks after the retirement of the legendary Drew Callahan. Those are serious boots to fill and he is feeling the pressure. He can't afford any distractions, his focus has to be rugby 100% of the time 24/7.
Ally Villiers and her friend Kristen have just moved to Wellington. Kristen is Hannah Montgomery's (from Just This Once) sister and she is fleeing a brutal divorce. Ally hasn't really decided what she wants to do in life, an outdoor sports kind of woman she currently teaches climbing at an indoor wall climbing gym.
When Nate and his mate go to Mac's wall climbing gym for a laugh Nate is bowled over by Ally's looks and tries to impress her by climbing one of the largest walls but gets tuck half-way. When Ally tries to give him some help he brushes her off, embarrassed by his failure.
Later Drew and Hannah take Kristen and Ally to a party hosted by (wait for it) the new captain of the All Blacks, Nate. In an attempt to make up for his previous rudeness Nate tries to get Ally a beer but ends up spilling it all down her blouse giving her an unfortunate 'Winner of best wet T-shirt competition' vibe.
In an attempt to ease Nate into his role as captain Hannah and Drew also invite him and Liam to spend a few days with them at their bach in Auckland after Christmas, a Christmas spent with Kristen and Ally. At first Ally and Nate seem to be getting on better, kayaking and chatting, until Ally overhears Nate warning Liam that Kirsten is probably a gold-digger and saying that he was only looking for a good time with Ally. Whilst Liam and Kirsten agree to a celibate friendship while Kirsten gets over her divorce Nate and Ally continue to have a love-hate relationship. But as his team and the All Blacks suffer a few defeats Nate gets would tighter and tighter until he can't see what is right in front of his face.
Although I still enjoyed this novel, Nate is probably the hero I liked least of the books I've read so far. His commitment to rugby and his single-mindedness about his schedule was unattractive and I felt he didn't deserve Ally, I can understand why Rosalind James included the sweet romance between Liam and Kirsten as a contrast.
As a result I am copying and pasting part of this review into the other books. The Escape to New Zealand series is a set of romances featuring players from New Zealand's All Blacks rugby team. All the books are full of En Zed (how the letters NZ are pronounced in New Zealand) slang and contain a handy glossary of terms at the back. Although being English I understood the vast majority of terms, or could guess their meaning from the context there were a few (like Domain and Jandles) which I had to look up. Each of the books also describes at least one rugby match in some detail - although I am English I have to confess I don't really follow/ understand rugby and I tend to gloss over these bits although I am picking up some of the terms.
This books features Nate Torrance and Allison Villiers as well as Kirsten and Liam. Probably three and a half stars.
Nate Torrance has just been named captain of the All Blacks after the retirement of the legendary Drew Callahan. Those are serious boots to fill and he is feeling the pressure. He can't afford any distractions, his focus has to be rugby 100% of the time 24/7.
Ally Villiers and her friend Kristen have just moved to Wellington. Kristen is Hannah Montgomery's (from Just This Once) sister and she is fleeing a brutal divorce. Ally hasn't really decided what she wants to do in life, an outdoor sports kind of woman she currently teaches climbing at an indoor wall climbing gym.
When Nate and his mate go to Mac's wall climbing gym for a laugh Nate is bowled over by Ally's looks and tries to impress her by climbing one of the largest walls but gets tuck half-way. When Ally tries to give him some help he brushes her off, embarrassed by his failure.
Later Drew and Hannah take Kristen and Ally to a party hosted by (wait for it) the new captain of the All Blacks, Nate. In an attempt to make up for his previous rudeness Nate tries to get Ally a beer but ends up spilling it all down her blouse giving her an unfortunate 'Winner of best wet T-shirt competition' vibe.
In an attempt to ease Nate into his role as captain Hannah and Drew also invite him and Liam to spend a few days with them at their bach in Auckland after Christmas, a Christmas spent with Kristen and Ally. At first Ally and Nate seem to be getting on better, kayaking and chatting, until Ally overhears Nate warning Liam that Kirsten is probably a gold-digger and saying that he was only looking for a good time with Ally. Whilst Liam and Kirsten agree to a celibate friendship while Kirsten gets over her divorce Nate and Ally continue to have a love-hate relationship. But as his team and the All Blacks suffer a few defeats Nate gets would tighter and tighter until he can't see what is right in front of his face.
Although I still enjoyed this novel, Nate is probably the hero I liked least of the books I've read so far. His commitment to rugby and his single-mindedness about his schedule was unattractive and I felt he didn't deserve Ally, I can understand why Rosalind James included the sweet romance between Liam and Kirsten as a contrast.
May 29, 2017
Just My Luck is book five in Rosalind James’ Escape to New Zealand series. And once again, we’re treated to another story that truly makes me want to escape to New Zealand! In this book, we have the story of two couples...
Nate Torrence is the new captain of New Zealand’s All Blacks rugby team. He has big shoes to fill - Drew Callahan (from book one in the series), the most beloved rugby star in all of the country, has now retired - and Nate is feeling massive amounts of pressure to keep the team on the same track as before. He knows he needs to work extra hard to earn his teammates’ trust, which doesn’t leave much time for anything else in his life once the season begins.
Ally Villiers has escaped to New Zealand after ending a six-year, dead end relationship. When she meets Nate, he doesn’t make the best impression on her. And after that first meeting, he continues to mess things up with her. It’s not exactly an enemies-to-lovers story, but just about, and I enjoyed the journey of their relationship. Parts of it did get a little bit long (again, there’s a lot of rugby action in the story, which I may enjoy more if I knew even the slightest bit about rugby!), but it was great to watch Nate come to the realization that he can have more than just rugby in his life, and that he wants to be with Ally.
The second couple in the story, Kristin and Liam, only got about one-quarter of the story time as Nate and Ally. Which is a shame, because I liked Kristin, and I LOVED Liam.
Kristin has escaped to New Zealand after a nasty divorce, and she’s taken a self-imposed year-long vow of celibacy to make sure she can stand on her own two feet and not make any more mistakes with relationships.
Liam is a best friend and teammate of Nate’s, and has own string of bad mistakes in his not-too-distant past. When he first sees Kristin, he’s immediately drawn to her, but she sets him straight about how things are going to go between them. But he’s not deterred.
“I won’t lie,” he said. “I try not to do that anymore. I want to be your lover. But I accept that that may not happen. And whether it does or does not, I’d like - I’d really like - to be your friend.”
Kristin likes Liam, but just doesn’t trust herself, and tries to talk Liam out of hanging out with her. But Liam wants none of that.
“I’ll tell you what,” he said. “We can be celibate together. You can be my climbing partner, and I’ll be your celibacy partner.”
“I would never ask that,” she said with shock. “That wouldn’t be fair to you. It’s not my business what you do.”
“I’d like it to be your business, though. And I’m not proud to say this, but I’ve had more meaningless sex in my life than is good for any man. I reckon it’s time to hold out for something that’s going to matter. For both of us.”
GAH! I just loved how kind and patient Liam was with Kristin. There was very little drama, and no angst between them. Just a sweet story with a totally swoony man.
I’m wondering if at some point I’ll get tired of this series, but so far I haven’t. I love catching a glimpse of characters from other books, and I love how I feel like I’m reading a story that really is taking place in New Zealand. In my head, I can hear how the rugby players speak, and I love that! I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
Nate Torrence is the new captain of New Zealand’s All Blacks rugby team. He has big shoes to fill - Drew Callahan (from book one in the series), the most beloved rugby star in all of the country, has now retired - and Nate is feeling massive amounts of pressure to keep the team on the same track as before. He knows he needs to work extra hard to earn his teammates’ trust, which doesn’t leave much time for anything else in his life once the season begins.
Ally Villiers has escaped to New Zealand after ending a six-year, dead end relationship. When she meets Nate, he doesn’t make the best impression on her. And after that first meeting, he continues to mess things up with her. It’s not exactly an enemies-to-lovers story, but just about, and I enjoyed the journey of their relationship. Parts of it did get a little bit long (again, there’s a lot of rugby action in the story, which I may enjoy more if I knew even the slightest bit about rugby!), but it was great to watch Nate come to the realization that he can have more than just rugby in his life, and that he wants to be with Ally.
The second couple in the story, Kristin and Liam, only got about one-quarter of the story time as Nate and Ally. Which is a shame, because I liked Kristin, and I LOVED Liam.
Kristin has escaped to New Zealand after a nasty divorce, and she’s taken a self-imposed year-long vow of celibacy to make sure she can stand on her own two feet and not make any more mistakes with relationships.
Liam is a best friend and teammate of Nate’s, and has own string of bad mistakes in his not-too-distant past. When he first sees Kristin, he’s immediately drawn to her, but she sets him straight about how things are going to go between them. But he’s not deterred.
“I won’t lie,” he said. “I try not to do that anymore. I want to be your lover. But I accept that that may not happen. And whether it does or does not, I’d like - I’d really like - to be your friend.”
Kristin likes Liam, but just doesn’t trust herself, and tries to talk Liam out of hanging out with her. But Liam wants none of that.
“I’ll tell you what,” he said. “We can be celibate together. You can be my climbing partner, and I’ll be your celibacy partner.”
“I would never ask that,” she said with shock. “That wouldn’t be fair to you. It’s not my business what you do.”
“I’d like it to be your business, though. And I’m not proud to say this, but I’ve had more meaningless sex in my life than is good for any man. I reckon it’s time to hold out for something that’s going to matter. For both of us.”
GAH! I just loved how kind and patient Liam was with Kristin. There was very little drama, and no angst between them. Just a sweet story with a totally swoony man.
I’m wondering if at some point I’ll get tired of this series, but so far I haven’t. I love catching a glimpse of characters from other books, and I love how I feel like I’m reading a story that really is taking place in New Zealand. In my head, I can hear how the rugby players speak, and I love that! I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
April 10, 2018
I have read worse books but just because this is not the worst doesn't mean I enjoyed it at all - 1*
I enjoyed most of the prior books in the series. So far they have all been some variety of foreign girl in New Zealand meeting and falling for a member of the All Blacks. Sure it is a bit repetitive but they have been pleasant and the people not too OTT other than being the best rugby players in the world and pretty near perfect.
This outing has 2 romances. The secondary one was actually quite lovely. Kristen, the sister of the woman in the first book has come to town and brought her friend Ally with her. Kristen has sworn off men but has a very slow building thing with a slightly damaged but thoughtful Liam. If only the book had been about them. Sadly it was about Ally and Nate, the new captain of the All Blacks.
Nate was awful. Which at least breaks the mold of the perfect kiwi men. He says awful things to her. He treats her poorly. He is basically selfish and thoughtless and accidentally cruel. I would not want my daughter dating anyone like him. Even when Liam gently points Nate in the right direction he manages to be an ass. He apparently is a lawyer but you would not know it from the way he speaks. He just utters whatever is going through his tiny sexed up brain. However Ally was a whiny annoying character so I just wanted them to break up and for her to return whence she came.
I had assumed that Ms. James was from New Zealand when I started the series although I did wonder why some of the phrases were repeated so often. (like every single Kiwi calling their country En Zed). With this book I realised that she was most likely an American author because of her inability to get a Canadian character correct. Ally was supposed to have been raised in Calgary and gone to university in the US to get a math degree. Her comment on Calgary is that it has a big statue of a bull while comparing it to Nate's boring small town of 8000 on the South Island. She seems unable to understand driving speed limits in kilometers despite that being what we have in Canada. She converts it to miles. She also uses words in US specific ways like "college" instead of "university". We use the word college but it has a different meaning here and everyone I know who decided to go to the US still called it going to university. They might change that while talking to an American but not to a New Zealander. As a Canadian I was irked by all of these things but they would not have been enough to ruin the book for me. However it did make me wonder about how good a job she has dome on her NZ facts.
I enjoyed most of the prior books in the series. So far they have all been some variety of foreign girl in New Zealand meeting and falling for a member of the All Blacks. Sure it is a bit repetitive but they have been pleasant and the people not too OTT other than being the best rugby players in the world and pretty near perfect.
This outing has 2 romances. The secondary one was actually quite lovely. Kristen, the sister of the woman in the first book has come to town and brought her friend Ally with her. Kristen has sworn off men but has a very slow building thing with a slightly damaged but thoughtful Liam. If only the book had been about them. Sadly it was about Ally and Nate, the new captain of the All Blacks.
Nate was awful. Which at least breaks the mold of the perfect kiwi men. He says awful things to her. He treats her poorly. He is basically selfish and thoughtless and accidentally cruel. I would not want my daughter dating anyone like him. Even when Liam gently points Nate in the right direction he manages to be an ass. He apparently is a lawyer but you would not know it from the way he speaks. He just utters whatever is going through his tiny sexed up brain. However Ally was a whiny annoying character so I just wanted them to break up and for her to return whence she came.
I had assumed that Ms. James was from New Zealand when I started the series although I did wonder why some of the phrases were repeated so often. (like every single Kiwi calling their country En Zed). With this book I realised that she was most likely an American author because of her inability to get a Canadian character correct. Ally was supposed to have been raised in Calgary and gone to university in the US to get a math degree. Her comment on Calgary is that it has a big statue of a bull while comparing it to Nate's boring small town of 8000 on the South Island. She seems unable to understand driving speed limits in kilometers despite that being what we have in Canada. She converts it to miles. She also uses words in US specific ways like "college" instead of "university". We use the word college but it has a different meaning here and everyone I know who decided to go to the US still called it going to university. They might change that while talking to an American but not to a New Zealander. As a Canadian I was irked by all of these things but they would not have been enough to ruin the book for me. However it did make me wonder about how good a job she has dome on her NZ facts.
April 24, 2024
Not her best
If I hadn’t just off of reading ‘Just Say Yes’, book 10 in this series, this book might have been a better read for me.
Rosalind James has some notable strengths in her writing. One, she is always good about providing a back story for her main characters that explains their current mind set and motivation for most of their actions. Two, she is also very good most of the time, in establishing the chemistry between the two main characters apart from just the sex. Finally, she doesn’t over do the complicating “misunderstandings” so often used in romance novels.
So, what is my problem? I’m going to sound a bit like Goldilocks here, I’m afraid. Ally, has trust issues when it comes to relationships. Her back story adequately explains why. Nate, is driven and single minded in his ambition and sense of obligation to his men, his teams, and his country. His back story does a fair job of explaining why. So, my problem is that, like Goldilocks, none of it felt quite right.
Ally is exceptionally needy. She falters without near constant reassurance that she is Nate’s number one. Nate’s rugby-focused single mindedness makes him unable to focus on more than one thing at a time, which made him fairly clueless as to the effect of that on a person he says he cares about. If the author hadn’t dipped into that well to create the same conflict over and over, for me this would have been a sharper, crisper read. In short, they kept having the same fight over and over.
One more thing. This is a two couple love story. Mako’s and Kristen’s story is satisfying but mainly serves as contrast to the chaos muppets that are Nate and Ally.
Bottom line: this isn’t a bad book, but it’s not one of her best. Nate and Ally’s sexual encounters showed a lustful connection, but apart from that, I question the success of an ongoing relationship built on trust.
If I hadn’t just off of reading ‘Just Say Yes’, book 10 in this series, this book might have been a better read for me.
Rosalind James has some notable strengths in her writing. One, she is always good about providing a back story for her main characters that explains their current mind set and motivation for most of their actions. Two, she is also very good most of the time, in establishing the chemistry between the two main characters apart from just the sex. Finally, she doesn’t over do the complicating “misunderstandings” so often used in romance novels.
So, what is my problem? I’m going to sound a bit like Goldilocks here, I’m afraid. Ally, has trust issues when it comes to relationships. Her back story adequately explains why. Nate, is driven and single minded in his ambition and sense of obligation to his men, his teams, and his country. His back story does a fair job of explaining why. So, my problem is that, like Goldilocks, none of it felt quite right.
Ally is exceptionally needy. She falters without near constant reassurance that she is Nate’s number one. Nate’s rugby-focused single mindedness makes him unable to focus on more than one thing at a time, which made him fairly clueless as to the effect of that on a person he says he cares about. If the author hadn’t dipped into that well to create the same conflict over and over, for me this would have been a sharper, crisper read. In short, they kept having the same fight over and over.
One more thing. This is a two couple love story. Mako’s and Kristen’s story is satisfying but mainly serves as contrast to the chaos muppets that are Nate and Ally.
Bottom line: this isn’t a bad book, but it’s not one of her best. Nate and Ally’s sexual encounters showed a lustful connection, but apart from that, I question the success of an ongoing relationship built on trust.
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