Kiwi Strong

New Zealand Ever After, Book 3

By: Rosalind James

Narrated by: Emma Wilder, Tom Janson

Length: 15 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's Summary

People who say “love is trust” probably didn’t grow up in a cult. 

My name is Daisy Nabhitha Kittredge. I chose it myself. As an RN in the emergency department in one of New Zealand’s largest hospitals, there wasn’t much left in me of the 16-year-old girl, covered from neck to ankle and not allowed to make eye contact with a boy, who’d run away with five dollars in her pocket and terror in her heart. 

Or maybe there was too much left of that girl because I was still slow to trust. Slow to share. And a whole lot slower to get intimate. Which doesn’t put men off much, right? 

Unless the man’s a tough Samoan ex-rugby player with sweetness and strength to spare. One who keeps fronting up to help even when you tell him you don’t need it. And what’s even harder to resist - one who wants to help your sisters, too. 

I was going to end up sharing. I wasn’t going to be able to help it. But when my walls came down, would he want the person behind them? 

Also - who was the person behind them?

©2020 Rosalind James (P)2020 Rosalind James

So Much More Than A Romance - Not To Be Missed

My best and favorite description of Rosalind James' stories is that they are not just love stories but life stories. And Kiwi Strong is no exception to that. Kiwi Strong is an emotional ride featuring a cast of strong women and men. While the story focuses on Daisy and Gray - the supporting cast are just wonderful. And they are all brought to life by the exceptional vocal talents of Emma Watson and Tom Janson. Although the steam doesn't rise in this book as early as some other of Rosalind's books - the heat does rise in this story. This story and performance are not to be missed!

Not just strong, but Kiwi Strong

Rosalind James does it again with a wonderful new book based in New Zealand.

This is story of Daisy Nabhitha Kittredge, formerly known as Chastity Worthy. I fell in love with Daisy in Stone Cold Kiwi, but I could not have imagined what had made her the strong and independent woman she is. This story begs the question, what would you do to help you sisters? Would you risk it all? Risk your life breaking back into a religious cult to free them? Then there is Gray Tamato, a former All Black player, who is struggling the effects of multiple concussions from playing rugby.
Wondering if CTE is in his future. It shows the true ties of family, both family of blood and family of the heart.

Emma Wilder and John Hartley are the narrators of this book. They are two of the best, bringing a level of emotion and intensity to make you love the main characters even more.

This is a fantastic story, filled with challenges not familiar to many of us, all set in the beautiful country of New Zealand.

Fabulous Story

What’s it like to live in a cult? What’s it like to escape from that cult? This story is about turning a life or two around with the help of a stranger. This is a story you won’t want to stop listening to. Rosalind writes with her heart on her sleeve. Great characters, a fabulous story. You won’t regret listening to this one.

The best!!

The best Rosalind James book ever!! And I love them all but this one....so good. The name of the book suits!!
The narrators were perfect!

Stronger than you think

What a great addition to this series. We met Daisy in the previous book and I was a little hesitant with what she was going to be like in her own book. She did not disappoint. The story starts out as a thriller with the suspense of her being in an accident, getting out of her car on her own and Gray, being there to "rescue" her. The chemistry between Daisy and Gray is instantaneous. How many men do you know that would help her as much as he did within the span of a few hours? The book has serious issues to deal with too. Daisy gets her 2 sisters out of the cult that they were in and Gray is dealing with his migraines from injuries from rugby. They work together well, and the help they get from Gray's mom, Honor, is just amazing. What a wonderful character she is. This book truly opens your eyes to life outside of the "norm". There is a lot of excitement with this book, but also, a lot of deep soul searching with Daisy and her sisters. What a different world life is on the "Outside". As always, great addition to this series.
I got a bit more used to having 2 narrators for this book. I still prefer Emma Wilder doing both the female & male roles, but I think Tom Janson did a better job with this book.

Breathtaking Ending!

I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this story at first. The beginning between Daisy and Gray seemed to fast and implausible. Gray and Daisy are in a car accident resulting in Gray's car knocking Daisy's into a river. Daisy rescues herself and Gray meets her at the riverside. Immediately after, he offers to help her rescue her sisters from a local cult and invites them to stay at his house.......REALLY?? What stranger would get involved like that?! As the story progresses, I'm drawn back into the story when her deeply suspicious friends inform her that she's crazy and real life does not work like that. The story became more believable from that point making me angry, laugh, tear up, and smile. One scene reminded me of when I met my own future mother-in-law. The end scene was superb! It had me jumping in my seat, gasping for breath and all but hollering "Yes!".

Rosalind does not fail to deliver. Her story always touches on real life situations with plausible resolutions mixed with a sprinkling of fantasy. It's a writing style that keeps me coming back every time.

Excellent!!

All Rosalind James’ books are wonderful & the performances just add to the enjoyment. I highly recommend all her books!

Not Your Typical Kiwi Romance

Although 3rd in the series, this book can be read/listened to as a stand-alone novel. Some characters from other books and other series appear, but familiarity with their background is unnecessary.

Disclaimer: I am a big Rosalind James fan and love her writing, but I do not (generally) like 1st person romance!

So, I guess it's a good thing that this wasn't much of a romance novel! Okay, yes, there is a romance and a HEA, but it's overshadowed by the primary story of Daisy's background and that of her sisters.
Fascinating and suspenseful, RJ weaves an intricate story with a cast of interesting characters. I was particularly taken with the detail involved with how Daisy's sisters tackled the real world outside the cult. How every single aspect of their lives and their perceptions are turned upside down.

As typical of this series, the POV creates more angst, assumptions, and drama than I'm used to in RJ's books. The narration emphasizes this more than on my initial reading of the book. The switching between his and hers POV was well defined as the narrators switched back and forth.

I find that normally I wish I could be friends with the main characters in her books, but in this series I'm not feeling that same fondness for these people. They're fun to hear about and observe, but that's where it ends. They are complicated and very real!
I did very much appreciate the attention to the issue of CTE, although rugby took a back seat in this novel. The final standoff at the cult gates was still a bit contrived for my taste.

Overall, I recommend this book for the intriguing suspense and cult recovery and care. It's really quite captivating.

More James’ Goodness

Rosalind James links two of her NZ series together in this one.
Daisy of her New Zealand Ever After series meets Gray, who is linked to the All-Blacks from her Escape to New Zealand series. Of course, NZ Ever After is an offshoot of her Not Quite a Billionaire series.
Daisy is an Emergency Room nurse and coworker of Matiu Te Mana. She’s driving late at night to rescue her two sisters when her car gets pushed off the road into the river. Between the fog and his migraine, Gray wasn’t able to react fast enough to avoid the accident but makes up for it by rescuing Daisy from the river, then her sisters who still live in the cult they were born into. Gray’s life is complicated enough but he can’t walk away from Daisy and her sisters. The girls all learn that both kindness and cruelty can exist anywhere. And we get to enjoy Daisy and Gray rebuilding their lives after major life changes and finding love in each other.
Wilder and Jansen do a good job with narration. I really enjoyed the Kiwi accents.

WOW, What a TERRIFIC book!

Just WOW! This books starts out with a bang, literally! Daisy meets Gray after he accidentally rams her car from behind on a foggy night sending her flying into a river. Fast forward a bit... Daisy has a stealth mission she needs to complete and she's behind time-wise; Gray, the retired All Black is up for the challenge. He helps her rescue two of her sisters from a cult, the one she and her twin brother escaped from 16 years before. We met Daisy in the previous series book, she is an ER nurse who works with Matiu. She is feisty, clever and strong-willed, but she has a problem with intimacy that was caused by her life in the cult. Gray now owns and runs a commercial building firm, his financial partners include some of our favorite ABs from many of Rosalind's previous books and their partners. Gray has a problem, he has severe migraines from all the concussions he received while playing rugby. With the help of Gray, Daisy, Gray's mom, Honor and his friend, Iris the 2 sisters, Frankie (originally Fruitful) and Oriana (originally Obedience) begin to adjust to life "outside" the cult. Daisy and Gray are just what the other needs, Gray is a nice, gentle, caring man who can introduce Daisy to the pleasures of intimacy with a special person; Daisy can help Gray with his migraines, finding a way to ease the pain and uncertainty. Did I mention that Gray's migraines are bad right now from needing more workers on his building projects and two deadlines he needs to meet? Did I mention that Daisy knows that her ex-husband from the cult, Gilead who is now married to 16 YO Frankie is psycho and out to destroy her and take Frankie back? So many problems to solve, isn't it just great that the two of them have so many friends and family to come to the rescue!
Emma Wilder and Tom Janson were terrific narrators. They truly brought Rosalind's character's to life! I can picture Daisy and Gray in my mind as I listen to their wonderful narrations, almost like a movie! Great job by Emma and Tom!
As always, Rosalind's descriptions and characters are so beautiful and complex. This is a wonderfully woven story. Just terrific!!

brilliant, as always

The story and narration are excellent. Draws you in and doesn't let go, housework can wait! Felt as though you were there, description of scenery and characters very well drawn, voices superb. Another great book, waiting eagerly for the next one.

Real romance that deals with serious issues

Unusual romance under unusual circumstances. An ex professional sportsman dealing with the results of too many serious concussions, and a woman who had escaped from a controlling and abusive cult, and was in the process of rescuing her sisters from the cult. The action starts from the first chapter and never really lets up, and the romance was beautifully and sensitively written. The narration was excellent, especially as the story is told from the POV of both main characters, Both characters had issues to deal with alongside a romance that developed, almost without either of them realising until it was too late to avoid. A beautiful book that deals with some sensitive issues in a realistic way, along with lots of humour.

Story and telling wonderful

Really enjoyed their telling, and read again the kindle book again, too. Such a great narration in this audiobook.

Of course, also very powerful message and great writing skill.

Great listen,drama with strong engaging characters

It was such an engaging listen while it has a HEA it doesn't just follow the standard boy meets girl, it deals with real and unconformable issues around health and well being. Gray and Daisy are strong characters who are strong and independent but willing learn to lean on each other. It shows the true ties of family as they fight both for Daisy’s and to become one. It has create emotional connection for the listener. The narrators really gave the characters live you could image that it really was Daisy and Gray talking.
Great listen and well worth the download.