Just Come Over

Escape to New Zealand Series, Book 12

De: Rosalind James

Narrado por: Emma Wilder

Rhys Fletcher is not in love with his sister-in-law.

That would be a very, very bad idea, and he doesn’t entertain bad ideas. He also doesn’t lie to himself.

Both of those things can’t be true, so he’ll do what he’s done since the long-ago night when his brother, Dylan, turned up in an Auckland bar after a brutal rugby match between their two teams, and introduced his new girlfriend - a dark-eyed, impossibly short, much-too-young girl named Zora.

He’ll lie.

Now, his brother’s gone, and Rhys is back in New Zealand and settling into his new job as the head coach of the Auckland Blues. Surely, being there for Dylan’s widow and their son is the right thing to do. He can control himself. He’s had 40 years of practice. Until he gets a call from his lawyer, and flies to the States to find that handsome, charming, endlessly irresponsible Dylan has left yet another loose end for his big brother to sort out.

This one is six years old. And her birth certificate says she belongs to Rhys.

©2019 Rosalind James (P)2019 Rosalind James

Complex and fabulous relationships and characters.

Just Come Over is the 12th book in Rosalind James’s Escape to New Zealand series and like the others it is completely stand alone. I loved this audiobook and would heartily recommend it, even if you weren’t particular looking for a romance book. James’s skills as a writer continue to get more and more nuanced with each book and there is a lot of heart in all of her books without ever being cheesy or too idealistic. James also avoids the trap of some series of writing the same book and characters in different ways. Each is unique and worth reading or listening to.

I loved the characters and chemistry in the book. Zora is an extremely likable and relatable character. I love that her career path has taken unexpected twists and she owns her own small business while being a single mother. Rhys is fantastic and I particularly enjoyed his dialogue throughout the audiobook. I like how he matured into the character we see in the audiobook, and that he didn't come out of the womb as a white knight. It was Casey however that says something that had me laughing so hard it turned into a cough, although I won’t put it in this review, because it will be better as a surprise for future readers. I really love how Isiah is allowed and celebrated to be who he is and enjoy his unique interests. For its sheer complexity (as it is with a lot of family dynamics) the character interactions I most found the most fascinating was Zora’s relationship with her mother. It was very easy to visualize these scenes. The only thing I’d have liked to see more of is more and deeper glimpses into Hayden’s non-Zora life. He seems like a great brother and uncle, interesting, and there are hints there is more to his story than we know.

My favorite thing about James’s books in general is that they show the bravery of women in situations that readers will be able to relate to. Everyday sorts of bravery too often get overlooked, much less celebrated and I appreciate more than I can say that this is a regular theme in her books. Zora faces a lot of challenges in this audiobook relating to marriage, divorce, parents, child-raising, love, small business owner, illness, financial, dating after a long absence, and sex. The balance of these challenges throughout the audiobook is expertly done.

Emma Wilder is a great narrator. She dramatizes the right amount, her pacing is great, and does great vocal acting for the different characters, genders, and ages. A listener can relax and enjoy this audiobook and catch every word's meaning. Its also a pleasant voice to hear.

I was given a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any way. The opinions stated are solely my own.

A Sexy Sexy Dragon

This is the 12th book in the wonderful Escape to New Zealand series by Rosalind James. Although this is the twelfth book in a series, this book just like all of the others in the series can be read as a stand alone.

This book is about Rhys Fletcher and taking the higher ground for a long time. Rhys first meets Zora ten years ago when she was his younger brother’s girlfriend. He felt drawn to her but his honor meant he had to step back. He went on to play rugby and tried to forget about her.

Fast forward to today and Rhys is back in En Zed and coaching rugby. He is coaching a local rugby team and trying to adjust to life back at home. He does what everyone does and is in the local grocery store when he bumps into his brother’s old girlfriend and her son. Zora has always had the impression that Rhys doesn’t care for her based on him being stand offish back ten years ago so she isn’t too sure what to make of him now

Zora and her son, Isaiah, are struggling and trying to make the best of things. Rhys’ brother was a bit of a screw up and never made any plans for if something should happen to him. When he died, his affairs were in a mess and he left Zora hurting in many ways, mainly financial. Zora knows that her brother is there to support her and that is it. So while Rhys may be tempting, Zora has to protect not only herself, but her son.

Rhys steps up to the plate and takes responsibility for his brother’s messes and finds himself falling in love with Zora. But can she open her heart and trust him? And can Rhys stand up to the pressures of cleaning up all of his brother’s messes and his own which includes a daughter he knew nothing about in the US?

As with all of Ms. James’ novels, there is a happy ending but her books are always about the path to the ending. There are bumps in the road but her characters are real with flaws but they preserver and find their way to making things work.

This is one time where I have found the audio book to be more enjoyable than the actually written novel. The narrator, Emma Wilder, just makes it so hard to stop listening.

I was provided with a copy of this audio book byt the author in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Great Series!

When I saw that Rosalind James was releasing a Christmas installment to the Escape to New Zealand Series, I was so excited. I absolutely adore this series! It was suggested that you read books 11 and 12 to get the most enjoyment, so I thought I'd re-listen to both books so that they would be fresh in my mind. I'm so glad that I did. I loved both books (and all the others), but Just Come Over has a special place in my heart. Rhys, Zora, Isaiah, and Casey make you want things to work out for them.

Rosalind James has the ability to write characters that are so human and so engaging that you can't help but want them to overcome whatever challenges life has thrown their way. Her characters deal with real issues that sometimes make you hurt for them. However, the storylines never seem contrived, but genuine. Rosalind also has a wonderful way of injecting humor into her stories to give you a break from the heaviness of some of the storylines.

Emma Wilder is a BEAST! I am constantly amazed by the way that she brings a story to life. As someone who has come to love the duet style narration (see Amy Daws' Harris Brothers series), I am awed by Emma's narration. Her characterizations of Isaiah and Casey were outstanding. Each had a uniqueness that was wonderful. Emma perfectly conveyed the hesitation and uncertainty that they sometimes felt.

Although I've bought the Christmas story, I haven't read it yet. I may just wait for the Audible version to be released so that Emma Wilder can work her magic. Bravo to both of these amazing ladies!

Hot! Hot! Hot!

Well written, well read.
Do yourselves a favour.
This book was awesome, enough said!
I received a free copy of the audible version of this book in return for my honest opinion. I was not compensated in anyway and this opinion is my own. I have also purchased it in kindle format.
Cheers Michelle in Australia

He meant what he said and he said what he meant!

Rhys is faithful 100%!
As usual Rosalind has written a book with heart, passion, and complicated well devolved characters who it’s impossible not to fall in love with.

Love it!!!

I really loved this book and the audio version is even better. It's a great story with a wonderful mingle of characters and as usual Rosalind's hot sexy scenes. The narration by Emma Wilder is awesome! I highly recommend this listen.
I received a free copy 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

amazing

yet another wonderfully written book. the ending was so sweet my only disappointment was there was no prologue like in most of the others in the series. and as always the narration is flawless. GREAT job Rosalind keep them coming!!

Love and Honor

James has Rhys in a real twist: if he clears up Casey’s paternity, he hurts both her and Zora, maybe Isaiah. If he doesn’t, his name and reputation suffer. Rhy’s brother Dylan didn’t keep his word and left a real situation for him to deal with. What makes an honorable man? How perfect should you expect your significant other to be?
In following this series, I really like how James has continually added more depth to her characters and stories.
I wish there was an attached pdf with the Kiwi Glossary that was at the end of the ebook version. I checked my Audible library - nothing :(
Wilder does an excellent job with narration: you can hear each character voice distinctly, and each emotion they experience. My emotions were wobbling with Casey at the airport!
Recommend the whole series.

The best...so far.

Rosalind James, once again, gives us characters with depth and mana. Characters to love with and cry with.

Sticky family situations

Rhys Fletcher returns home to coach rugby. He bumps into his sister-in-law, Zora and her son, Isaiah in the store and he realizes that his deceased brother, did not leave them prepared to live on their own. Rhys doesn't know how he is going to continue to be in Zora's life without her realizing how he has felt for her the last 10 years. Fast forward a few days and Rhys gets a phone call that will turn his life upside down......his brother had a secret daughter back in Chicago and Rhys was listed as the father. Many men would not step up to the plate on this situation, but Rhys didn't think twice about it. Casey's mom passed away and she had no other family. Rhys is her family now, and he will do right by her. It was such touching scenes between them from the time he picked her up to the time they landed in New Zealand.
He called upon Zora to help with Casey while he would travel for games. This situation made them be around each other more often than not. Cooking together, doing things with the kids together, etc. It almost felt like a relationship to them both. The sexual tension between them was palpable.
This book offered many ups, downs and in-betweens. I loved how we saw Finn in this book quite a bit, as he is my all time favorite character in Rosalind's books. There is a very similar correlation between Rhys and Finn - they are both family men and they will do anything for their children and the people they love.
This was a great book. A great escape for me, as all of the New Zealand books are. Highly recommend this book.
Once again, Emma Wilder narrated this book spectacularly. It truly amazes me how she does a different voice for each character. I love how she does the kids voices as well. Great job!
"I received a free copy 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.”