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By Virtue, Falling
For the last ten years, James Mitchell has conned numerous groups by impersonating a religious guide. No longer able to take the guilt of scamming people, he decides to call it quits. A trip might be the best way to heal his bruised soul, and New Zealand looks like the perfect place. Under one of the oldest trees in New Zealand, James meets Tane Kokiri, a woodworker traveling the length of the country to scatter the ashes of his recently deceased mother. After several accidental meetings, they decide to road trip together. Among the mountains of the West Coast and the plains around Ruapehu, they begin to connect on a level neither of them expected, and discover they may have found what they need to move forward in each other.
- GenresM M RomanceRomance
200 pages, Paperback
First published December 29, 2013
34 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 2, 2014
Reviewed on Hearts on Fire
2.5 starsThis is one of those somewhat sleepy stories about two men developing a deep friendship and bond as they both try to overcome their past. It’s part travelogue and part religious introspection but not a whole lot romance.
James Mitchell is an American visiting New Zealand to get some perspective and to escape the growing publicity he’s getting from being exposed as a con artist who’s impersonated religious guides of various religions. Tāne Kokiri is a Maori native of New Zealand who’s traveling the countryside scattering his mom’s ashes. Because they keep meeting up they decide to travel together.
The main conflict in the story comes from James trying to come to terms with how he hurt other people due to his duplicity. But because he was in a different country throughout most of the story, it just felt like a distant and in a way not very interesting problem. He impersonated religious leaders but he did give people comfort even if he was an agnostic at the time. It all felt a bit overblown and I couldn’t believe what he did would even merit international news as it did.
The remainder of the book deals with the developing friendship between James and Tāne. Tāne is sweet and kind with the patience of a saint who despite both of them being grown men in their thirties, goes along with the idea of waiting before getting in a sexual relationship. While there’s a few kisses thrown in here and there, James and Tāne throughout have the chemistry of good road trip buddies and not lovers.
Most of the book instead, is a description of the New Zealand landscape, Maori customs with a visit with Tāne’s unwelcoming father and sister thrown in. It’s all very inoffensive, nice and a bit informative. I just wish it was less of a travel guide or religious debate and more of a romance. This is more for those interested in visiting New Zealand but not recommended if you want a hot romantic book to cozy up to on Valentine’s Day.
2.5 starsThis is one of those somewhat sleepy stories about two men developing a deep friendship and bond as they both try to overcome their past. It’s part travelogue and part religious introspection but not a whole lot romance.
James Mitchell is an American visiting New Zealand to get some perspective and to escape the growing publicity he’s getting from being exposed as a con artist who’s impersonated religious guides of various religions. Tāne Kokiri is a Maori native of New Zealand who’s traveling the countryside scattering his mom’s ashes. Because they keep meeting up they decide to travel together.
The main conflict in the story comes from James trying to come to terms with how he hurt other people due to his duplicity. But because he was in a different country throughout most of the story, it just felt like a distant and in a way not very interesting problem. He impersonated religious leaders but he did give people comfort even if he was an agnostic at the time. It all felt a bit overblown and I couldn’t believe what he did would even merit international news as it did.
The remainder of the book deals with the developing friendship between James and Tāne. Tāne is sweet and kind with the patience of a saint who despite both of them being grown men in their thirties, goes along with the idea of waiting before getting in a sexual relationship. While there’s a few kisses thrown in here and there, James and Tāne throughout have the chemistry of good road trip buddies and not lovers.
Most of the book instead, is a description of the New Zealand landscape, Maori customs with a visit with Tāne’s unwelcoming father and sister thrown in. It’s all very inoffensive, nice and a bit informative. I just wish it was less of a travel guide or religious debate and more of a romance. This is more for those interested in visiting New Zealand but not recommended if you want a hot romantic book to cozy up to on Valentine’s Day.
January 9, 2014
Full Review can be found at
On Top Down Under Book Reviews
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James has been a con - a fraud - for the past decade. He has made his living scamming people by pretending to be whatever kind of religious guide the clients wanted. The type of religion didn't matter. He would be whoever one wanted him to be as long as he was paid for it. There was no guilt for what he did (his reasoning is explained in detail in the book) and he took hard earned money without a second glance.
One day that changes and suddenly James is feeling guilt, remorse for all the wrongs he's done and all the people he's conned. Needing to get away, he goes to New Zealand in hopes of finding peace. There he meets Tāne Kokiri, a man who is making his way to his late mother's favorite places in order to scatter her ashes. After a few coincidental meetings between the two men, it is decided that they will take a road trip together. A friendship is born and not much later, real feelings become involved. But James knows that there is no hope of having any type of future with Tāne until he goes back to America and faces the music of what he has left behind.
This is a nice story. Don't go into it expecting a hot and steamy romance as that is not what this story is about. Don't get me wrong, James and Tāne fall in love and their road to get there is described nicely. It's mainly a story about finally doing the right thing and James does so nicely in the end.
This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press in exchange for a fair and honest review.
James has been a con - a fraud - for the past decade. He has made his living scamming people by pretending to be whatever kind of religious guide the clients wanted. The type of religion didn't matter. He would be whoever one wanted him to be as long as he was paid for it. There was no guilt for what he did (his reasoning is explained in detail in the book) and he took hard earned money without a second glance.
One day that changes and suddenly James is feeling guilt, remorse for all the wrongs he's done and all the people he's conned. Needing to get away, he goes to New Zealand in hopes of finding peace. There he meets Tāne Kokiri, a man who is making his way to his late mother's favorite places in order to scatter her ashes. After a few coincidental meetings between the two men, it is decided that they will take a road trip together. A friendship is born and not much later, real feelings become involved. But James knows that there is no hope of having any type of future with Tāne until he goes back to America and faces the music of what he has left behind.
This is a nice story. Don't go into it expecting a hot and steamy romance as that is not what this story is about. Don't get me wrong, James and Tāne fall in love and their road to get there is described nicely. It's mainly a story about finally doing the right thing and James does so nicely in the end.
This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press in exchange for a fair and honest review.
May 30, 2014
By Virtue Falling is about James a con artist that is tired of cheating people and trying ot figure out how to fix his mistakes and how to move on with his life. He took a trip to New Zealand to find himself and what he found was himself falling in love with not only New Zealand but Tane a native that is going around New Zealand spreading his mother’s ashes.
Tane is traveling new Zealand to spread his mother’s ashes in all of her favourite places, his Father and Sister were too busy to accompany him so he had to go it alone. That is until he ran into James a con man, not only once but three times. Could that be a coincidence or destiny?
I thought this is one of the most beautiful books I’ve read in a while. It is so descriptive that I felt I was on a tour of New Zealand. It is full of emotion, not a lot of action, though there was one part I found myself looking down that hole holding my breath….and there is no se at all but I found the budding relationship of James and Tane so sensual and sexy. The slow build of this relationship and deep emotion was very refreshing.
If you like stories based abroad, different cultures, Two men finding love, slow building relationships, Con men, righting wrongs, New Zealand and a very sweet sensual romance this is for you!
I received a free copy for my honest review MMgoodbookreviews http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/
Tane is traveling new Zealand to spread his mother’s ashes in all of her favourite places, his Father and Sister were too busy to accompany him so he had to go it alone. That is until he ran into James a con man, not only once but three times. Could that be a coincidence or destiny?
I thought this is one of the most beautiful books I’ve read in a while. It is so descriptive that I felt I was on a tour of New Zealand. It is full of emotion, not a lot of action, though there was one part I found myself looking down that hole holding my breath….and there is no se at all but I found the budding relationship of James and Tane so sensual and sexy. The slow build of this relationship and deep emotion was very refreshing.
If you like stories based abroad, different cultures, Two men finding love, slow building relationships, Con men, righting wrongs, New Zealand and a very sweet sensual romance this is for you!
I received a free copy for my honest review MMgoodbookreviews http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews