Just Come Over

Escape to New Zealand Series, Book 12

By: Rosalind James

Narrated by: Emma Wilder

Length: 15 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's Summary

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

Another Amazing Book!!

I absolutely loved this book! Rosalind James and done it again, possibly even better than the previous Escape to New Zealand books. I love them all but this one truly got the emotions flowing! I laughed, I cried, and whole whole bunch of other feelings in there. I cannot wait until the next one! This book makes me want to go back and read all the others again. Thank you Rosalind James for this amazing book and Emma Wilder for her fantastic narration! She never disappoints!

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.

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.”

Impressive

I was so impressed with Emma Wilder’s reading of this book. Her ability to give a distinct voice to all the characters including the kids and Zora’s mom was phenomenal. I had already read Just Come Over when it was first issued but Emma’s narration added to the story plus she was able to pronounce a number of the NZ cities and Maori words that I had to just guess at! I think this may have been my favorite book of the series yet.

Bravo!

If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading or listening to a Rosalind James story then you are most definitely missing out on something special. She is my fave author and even though I enjoy reading her stories there’s nothing to compare to the listening experience of Ms Wilder and all those accents. Ms James takes you on a holiday, an experience really. You see New Zealand through her many lovely characters, the land, customs, beliefs and rituals. It is quite something. Every book in this series has been wonderful with its own unique story. Upon completion I always feel it can’t get any better and then Ms James proves me wrong. Just Come Over is no exception. I felt a myriad of emotions while listening, from laughing to crying and everything in between. I can’t imagine any other narrator but Emma Wilder either. Bravo!

Heartwarming Return to New Zealand

Rosalind James has outdone herself in Just Come Over (Escape to New Zealand Book). The book is one filled with warmth, love and tenderness before culminating with an exciting penultimate passage followed by a climatic finish. This is a book that brought tears to my eyes more than once.  James has always displayed a gift for writing wonderful, deep characters and this is true of Rhys Fletcher and Zora Fletcher, as the former brother-in-law and sister-in-law navigate love and life while dealing with her son by his late brother Dylan and Rhys’s daughter, who coincidentally is actually Dylan’s heretofore secret biological child. Rhys is a strong, caring man who tries hard to do the right thing by everyone, even though his personal reputation takes a hit when he quietly takes custody of Casey, being sure to allow everyone to believe she is his child to protect her. Zora is raising her son, struggling to make ends meet because Dylan did not take measures to protect them. 

This is a wonderful book with which to spend time and feel good in the process. It includes strong messages about family, forgiveness and judging someone by who they are at present and not by their past. I appreciate that Rosalind James has taken steps to keep a long running series fresh. While the book takes place in New Zealand and the world of rugby, Rhys is a 40 year old All Black now past his playing days and coaching The Blues. There are a few characters from previous books, most notable Finn Douglas, who was featured in Just For Now. It is nice to see where life has taken Finn and his wife Jenna. I also very much enjoyed any passage that included Hayden, Zora’s brother.

I read the book in print and then listened to it as an audiobook narrated by Emma Wilder, who did an outstanding job. It is interesting to contrast the voices in my head with those of a professional and astute reader and be able to recognize how different the interpretations can be. Ms Wilder’s narration added quite a bit to my reading experience. 

I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys romantic fiction, especially when it has such heart. Five Stars.

I was given a copy of the audiobook by the author in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions stated are solely my own.

10 Years Of Unfulfulled Love

Zora is the widow of rugby player Dylan Fletcher and the mother of 8-year-old Isaiah. To say that she and her husband had a happy marriage would be a great exaggeration. Now Zora owns her own floral business and her son, Isaiah who is very smart is her self-proclaimed, in-house budget manager etc. especially since they must live on such a small income.

Rhys Fletcher is a retired All Blacks rugby player turned coach of the Auckland Blues. He and his sister-in-law, Zora, have not seen each other in years especially since Rhys played overseas much of the time, one reason being to avoid Zora. There has always been this special “pull” between them since they met 10 years before, but they have never acted upon it.

Rhys and Dylan had a hard childhood in which Rhys had to take care of Dylan until eventually they went to live with their grandmother even though she was elderly. Where Rhys has always pushed himself to be the best, his younger brother, Dylan, didn’t feel he needed to put in the time to advance in Super Rugby like Rhys did. Where Dylan had personality plus, Rhys was a hard-nosed, serious player who worked hard to be one of the best in rugby. Dylan resented Rhys' stature in the rugby world.

As luck would have its Rhys and Zora literally run into each other and the moment they see each other after all these years the feelings of the past are still evident. Rhys “becomes” the father of a cute 6-year-old American girl named Casey. Not knowing a thing about parenting Rhys goes to Zora for help and advice. From there their relationship and feelings become entwined as do their lives with their children. This time the only people who can keep them apart are themselves. Are they willing to take the risk is the question.

Another terrific story by Rosalind James and once again Emma Wilder is the best narrator I have ever listened to. I love that I get to visit with many of my favorite NZ characters from past books. The “Escape to New Zealand” series just keeps getting better and better and that’s saying something!


"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.”

Great love story

LOVE this series and the narrator is awesome. Hopefully this series will continue or the author produces more.

These are absolutely the best books ever all 12.

These are absolutely phenomenal books. There are 12 in the series so far and I could see what New Zealand looks lied and I have been researching rugby because that is God's be a great great sport.

Another hit for Rosalind James!

I loved the story, and the narration was solid well! Anther great hit for Rosalind James! This is a beautiful friends to lovers story you will love (and keep your tissues handy!) This story is set in New Zealand and features a rugby team coach (Rhys), and his former sister-in-law (Zora), who is a widow (Rhys's brother Dylan). There are family related issues, a forbidden attraction between the two main characters, that neither would want to admit, and Maori culture interwoven into the story as the two overcome some major hurdles together and admit their growing feelings for each other surpass their ability to stifle them. Oh, and a secret love child that Rhys claims as his own, that was never really his. The story has lots of twists and turns, conflicts and personal growth, and a beautiful love emerges from the flames of past hurts and betrayals. Familial loyalties that stem from a lifetime of being the big brother and taking care of your family - no matter what, even beyond the grave, and at great personal expense too.. You will love this hero. A more tender, honorable, decent man is hard to find. And Zora is one LUCKY lady to capture his heart! Rosalind James is a wonderful American writer and has spent a considerable amount of time in New Zealand and Aussie-land. She shares her amazing experiences with the New Zealand culture (and imaginative, creative story-telling) with us and we are lucky indeed to enjoy the results of her work. Another great one - and possibly my new favorite (it's at least in the top 3 now). This one will check off all of your boxes for a great romantic story! A job well done! No cliff-hangers or other parts to buy after this story.. and though I highly recommend the series of books (Escape to New Zealand) this book may all be read out of order, or just this one, to enjoy it.
 "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.”

Great addition to this unforgettable series

There are many books in this series which all feature New Zealand All Blacks. Its a credit to the writer that with such a similar theme I am still really enjoying them. This one is up there with the best and features one of the best characterisations of children that I have ever read. The narrator had a real challenge here and was brilliant. It is good to see that children feature front and centre in this romance. So many books the children are pushed into the background and easily farmed off to friends and babysitters to allow the romance to take priority. This book really shows how romance has to work with the kids, not in spite of them. The romance in the book was not super full of angst, it was rather the surrounding lives of the couple that caused the problems. Really enjoyed, and can highly recommend

Great listen

As a listener of the escape to New Zealand series this book was a great addition. Rhys and Zora are a great couple and this book is really heartfelt novel about modern blended families. Rosalind is a great story teller and Emma really breathes life into the characters. There are two kids in this book that I dare any listener not to fall in love with. Throw in a bit of rugby and the rugby player to match and you have got yourself a great listen! Really engaging and enjoyable 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.”

So enjoyable

Brilliant. Sad in places, hilarious in other and steamy too. Emma Wilder's narration is superb as usual. Her vocialisation of Casey was terrific - for example, the wheedling re the suitcase and then the rabbits was so true to life, funny when you read it but hearing it was hilarious. I did wish there had been an epilogue with the wedding day - I love those.