Just for You (Escape to New Zealand)

De: Rosalind James

Narrado por: Claire Bocking

No shirt, no shoes, no...problems?

Hemi Ranapia isn’t looking for love. Fun, yes. Love, not so much. But a summer fishing holiday to laid-back Russell could turn out to be more adventure than this good-time boy ever bargained for.

Reka Harata hasn't forgotten the disastrously hot rugby star she met a year ago, no matter how much she wishes she could. Too bad Hemi keeps refusing to be left in her past. Sometimes, especially in New Zealand's Maori Northland, it really does take a village. And sometimes it just takes a little faith.

Note: This audiobook begins about six years before the events of Just This Once, and yes, it gets a little steamy at times, because Reka and Hemi are just that way. It can be read as a standalone book even if this is your first escape to New Zealand.

©2014 Rosalind James (P)2015 Rosalind James

Hemi & Reka's beginning

Any additional comments?

Yet another home run for Rosalind James! I was thrilled to finally get to hear Hemi & Reka's story after 'meeting' them in several other books in this series. To me, they've always been the older, wiser, and more mature couple, and I loved their story of how they met and worked through the challenges that came up between them to became the couple that they are today. Without a doubt, I love them so much more now. Reka is a sweet, but strong-willed woman, and Hemi is a romantic man, while still being the rough and tough rugby player that he is on the field. Once again, the author's description of a rugby game is so great that I feel like I'm right there watching it. And I've never been to New Zealand (yet!) but her description is so amazingly thorough that I feel as if I could go there & feel like I'd been there before. The addition of all the fun Kiwi words makes it that much better and authentic. I was only sad because it was a relatively short book in comparison to the others in the series. But if you've read and loved any of the others, you won't want to miss this one!

Loved Claire's narration of this book. She is flawless with the accents & can go from one character's voice to another's like nobody's business!

Note: 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 opinions expressed here are my own.

A Great Prequel!

This was a great listen. There is no need to have listened to or read any of the other Escape to New Zealand books before reading this as it takes place before the events of any of the others (although you can read any of the books in the series as a stand alone book). It is a satisfying novella and a complete story. Sometimes the novellas I find on Amazon can seem either like advertising for a series or just seem a bit too quick of a telling. This was satisfying as a novella and the story felt fully developed. Also, whether reading or listening, sometimes the novella length really hits the spot. One could easily listen to the complete tale during a day trip for instance.

Having read the other Escape to New Zealand Books, I was already familiar with Hemi and Reka who feature in many of the books. Reading about them in those books as secondary characters, Rosalind James really gives you a feel for the chemistry and love between the characters and I was excited to read about how they got together. Reading this novella felt like visiting old friends (including some other old friends from the books) and I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect alongside my overall enjoyment of the book.

One of the things I love about these books, is that the experience of reading them does feel like "Escaping to New Zealand" in a sense. This novella is no exception to that and I love how James naturally interweaves Maori culture and language, as well as New Zealand colloquialisms and describes everyday life in the country. She does an excellent job at describing rugby action, that is easy to follow and read even if you don't follow the sport, but yet is thrilling and gets at the heart of why sports mean so much to people.

Claire Bocking once again does a great job as reader for this book. I am pretty sure I would pick up just about any audiobook if it listed her as a reader, because she is always a sure bet. She is great with accents and reading for both the ladies and the fellas.

I received a free copy of this audiobook 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.

New Zealand short story

I loved the narrator and the storyline. I felt as if I was in NZ, but it never felt like a travelogue. Nice start to a new series, it was interesting to have the hero be a rugby player...a sport I'm not familiar with. Rugby played a key element, but wasn't overwhelming.

My first read by this author, going to download the 2nd book, looking forward to learning more about these hot, hunky men and the women who take them. (Glad it's part of my Romance Package)!

The Backstory We've Been Waiting For!

I’m not usually a fan of novellas (the longer the better for my preferences) but as a fan of the “Escape to New Zealand” series, this was just fine. Better than fine. =)

With this title, we (finally!) get the back-story of the ‘old married couple’ that have been the backbone of most of the EtNZ stories, Hemi and Reka. How they met, how they parted, how they almost didn’t get together the second time ... yeah, all that.

Hemi was a bit full of himself when he first met Reka, having just been chosen to play for the All Blacks. Reka was coming off a bad relationship and needed to feel attractive and wanted and ... well, made a bad decision, especially since Hemi never followed up, never stayed in touch. But a few months down the road, and maybe it wasn’t a bad decision, as Hemi is back and has decided that now he wants to be the kind of guy that ‘sticks.’ A good guy. A guy that wants an all-in kind of relationship. Well Reka has a bit more spine at this juncture and he’s just gonna have to prove a few things first. (Go, Reka!!)

I loved watching Hemi and Reka get to their ‘happily ever after,’ and you can see the people they have become in the later books, as well. I’m so glad we got to find how they started out.

Recommended? No doubt about 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.]

Loved it! I was a bummed out it was so short!

I loved the story. I was a litte sad that it was so short but will definitely be reading the rest of the series next!