New Release:
Just One Look by Rosalind JamesMy rating: 5 of 5 stars - One of the Best
Review Copy Provided by Author
Rosalind James has a habit of finding real life issues and peeling the curtain back so we can see her characters struggle and evolve. Just One Look in the Escape to New Zealand series is another excellent example of this.
Elizabeth Walcott is a 34 year old neurosurgeon when her boyfriend breaks up with her on Christmas Eve. This shines a light on what she thinks is “wrong” with her life and she makes the drastic choice to move to New Zealand for a year. This brings her into the path of Luka, an elite rugby player facing his own potential crossroad.
I appreciated that Ms James let us see Elizabeth’s struggle. While the issues that shaped Elizabeth are unique, I think a lot of people can relate to how she sees herself outside of the professional setting. The evolution of Elizabeth’s character was internal (as old wounds were opened) and external (as she pushed herself out of her comfort zone). While there are some awkward moments, overall watching her spread her wings made me like her more and root for her to get things figured out.
Luka is another great male lead is a long line of great James rugby player leading men. He comes to the story with his own set of baggage, but this really just makes him an even better fit for Elizabeth.
Ms James’s excellent story telling skills are on full display as she pulls the various threads together in Just One Look. Not only do we see two interesting characters battle their demons to come out stronger, we see a relationship develop from acquaintances to friends to more. Interwoven with those is a fantastic secondary cast that helps our leading couple in their journey.
Loyal Escape to New Zealand readers will enjoy several of the cameos that pop into the story, but don’t worry if you are just finding the series here- Elizabeth and Luka definitely stand on their own. After this trip to Auckland, I am curious to see what in store for us with James’ next project.
Rosalind James has a habit of finding real life issues and peeling the curtain back so we can see her characters struggle and evolve. Just One Look in the Escape to New Zealand series is another excellent example of this.
Elizabeth Walcott is a 34 year old neurosurgeon when her boyfriend breaks up with her on Christmas Eve. This shines a light on what she thinks is “wrong” with her life and she makes the drastic choice to move to New Zealand for a year. This brings her into the path of Luka, an elite rugby player facing his own potential crossroad.
I appreciated that Ms James let us see Elizabeth’s struggle. While the issues that shaped Elizabeth are unique, I think a lot of people can relate to how she sees herself outside of the professional setting. The evolution of Elizabeth’s character was internal (as old wounds were opened) and external (as she pushed herself out of her comfort zone). While there are some awkward moments, overall watching her spread her wings made me like her more and root for her to get things figured out.
Luka is another great male lead is a long line of great James rugby player leading men. He comes to the story with his own set of baggage, but this really just makes him an even better fit for Elizabeth.
Ms James’s excellent story telling skills are on full display as she pulls the various threads together in Just One Look. Not only do we see two interesting characters battle their demons to come out stronger, we see a relationship develop from acquaintances to friends to more. Interwoven with those is a fantastic secondary cast that helps our leading couple in their journey.
Loyal Escape to New Zealand readers will enjoy several of the cameos that pop into the story, but don’t worry if you are just finding the series here- Elizabeth and Luka definitely stand on their own. After this trip to Auckland, I am curious to see what in store for us with James’ next project.
One Night to Fall by Kelsey Kingsley3.5 Stars - Worth a Reader's Time
Book was Free at the time of purchase
This is a book that I picked up as a freebie about three years ago, and I'm a little sad that it took me so long to read it!
Patrick and Kinsey were childhood friends/sweethearts, but have been apart for over 10 years when we meet them for the first time. Author Kinglsey uses the alternating timeline very well to let us see these two fall in love for the first time and reconnect at the same time.
One Night to Fall is a fairly quick read. I enjoyed the way the story was told, but I do with we had seen a little bit more of the reconnection/relationship building.
This is a book that I picked up as a freebie about three years ago, and I'm a little sad that it took me so long to read it!
Patrick and Kinsey were childhood friends/sweethearts, but have been apart for over 10 years when we meet them for the first time. Author Kinglsey uses the alternating timeline very well to let us see these two fall in love for the first time and reconnect at the same time.
One Night to Fall is a fairly quick read. I enjoyed the way the story was told, but I do with we had seen a little bit more of the reconnection/relationship building.
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