Rosalind James

This romance was so good and made me sigh. I ended up feeling a bit unsatisfied though cause we have the heroine's mother and stepfather still asses at the end of this, and it continues through the next couple of books. I have an epic rant about the Christmas book in this series, so prepare yourselves. I was so mad I told my friend in Honduras about it and he agreed with my points as well. Back to this book, Marko and Nyree have a past (he doesn't remember) and really work. I also loved the show more story with Marko's cousin and how that affects an older fan favorite couple in this series. I maybe blubbered like a baby during parts of this book.

"Just Say (Hell) No" follows Marko Sendoa who is a rugby flanker. He gets in a spot of trouble and is told by the rugby team's PR manager that he needs some positive press. This has him doing some photography at the local ASPCA where he poses with the world's cutest freaking kitten and finds himself with a new cat (Cat Cat) who loves to climb and ride his shoulder. Marko runs into Nyree who he already had his somewhat earlier meet-cute with. Too bad Nyree wasn't interested. And now that Nyree is on tap to photograph Marko and some of our fellow All Black players (yes we get some updates, nope won't tell you who!) making appearances. What Marko doesn't know is that he and Nyree do have a past, he just doesn't remember it.

I loved watching Nyree dance around her feelings for Marko. Her family life though does impact her a lot. Her mother and stepfather are jerks. I got no other words for it. Her stepbrother didn't sound too hot either (it takes two more books to revisit him). I loved Nyree's passion for her art and realizing that she may not make it, but wanting to go for it anymore.

Marko has a loving family, though slightly crazy at times. When his cousin runs away to him since she is pregnant and her mother is losing it, he agrees to take her in until the baby is born. I thought Ella's maturity about realizing she was an unwed mother, and not ready to be a mother was wonderful. I also loved how this tied into an earlier book and how wonderfully everything worked out.

The love scenes were HOT HOT HOT. And I have to say Cat Cat's love for Marko had me giggling and laughing.

The ending was really good and sad at times, but it worked for me. show less

I was excited to read this because it takes place in New Zealand. Hannah meets Drew on her vacation in NZ and she doesn't realize how famous he is as the captain of the All Blacks rugby team.

Hannah has some hang-ups, the biggest one being that she is too independent and doesn't know how to let someone into her life completely. Drew has his work cut out for him from the beginning. I really loved Drew. He seemed like the perfect boyfriend. Hannah got on my nerves. I don't mind insecure show more characters because it is interesting to read how they grow and change when they find the one person who was made to love them. Hannah didn't get a clue until THE VERY END OF THE BOOK! I wished that the author could have moved that part of the story along. Otherwise I loved the setting and I loved the rugby aspect.

There are quite a few more books in this series. I plan to try another one. show less

I'm fairly certain I picked this up from a BookBub promotion probably a couple years ago now (okay, I just checked and I exaggerate, it's only been almost a year) but it's another that I have no clue why I picked it up. It's continuing on in my apparent interest in reality TV show style books, but this is a little more rustic.

This was one hell of a ride.

Mira Walker has entered a "living history" reality show, in hopes that it will do something to shake up her life. She entered with her show more boyfriend--as you come in teams of two--in hope that maybe this will help them rekindle some of their affection, which has been absent recently. And hey, the prospect of winning a million dollars is cool too.

On the other side, we have Gabe and Alec Kincaid, twins and another team in the game. Given how close twins can be (especially these two) it seems a given that they'll be able to win the prize--and since Mira's boyfriend Scott has painted a target onto his own back on the first day, they're no threat in the least. What could go wrong?

Everything. Of course. This is both reality TV and a romance. Everything can and will go wrong.

A lot of romances (read as: pretty much all of them) set up something like this triangle at the start. Girl is with guy, things may or may not be going well for them--until enter dramatically the sexy swoon god and how could you POSSIBLY ever stay with your established relationship? I'm always a little hazy on whether or not the rationale behind the inevitable switch in relationship is valid or not. At first, I was hesitant for this. It's lust at first sight, Mira's focused on Gabe instantly, despite the fact that she's here with her boyfriend.

Except Scott kills any chance of me rooting for him very early on. I have never wanted to punch someone so much in my life. How Mira has lasted this long in the relationship I cannot EVEN fathom--though knowing what I do about toxic and abusive relationships, it's not uncommon. But dear God, he starts bad and goes downhill from there.

It allows this to be more than just a romance, more than just a competition--it acts as a way for Mira to re-find herself and make sure she's really on the path she wants to be. Gabe also toes the line nicely between alpha male and restrained gentleman, which is a nice change from the Super Hardcore Alpha Males that seem to show up in every romance and are incapable of having a conversation without it ending in sex. (I may have some opinions on this.) The banter between him and Alec is perfectly believable, and his handling of Mira and the competition as a whole is perfect.

And of course, in addition to this, it allows the romance to have a much wider cast of characters than just our two leads--since this is a TV show after all. Each character was well-thought-out, they all had their own story, and none of them felt like cardboard cutouts there because something had to be there. (Except for the characters who fit those stereotypes, in which case...that's the point.) You really get a feeling for who all these people are and grow connected to them, almost as if you were watching the show yourself.

And if you like dramatic endings, this one is a serious doozy. Just saying.

Solid writing, fun characters, interesting premise. Can't ask for much more than that.

Rating: **** (Recommended) show less

A new favorite author. This is the story of Koti and Kate who meet meet on the beach beach in New Zealand and do not hit it off. Kate is an American who is hoping a violent, ex-boyfriend doesn't find her so far from home. Koti is a rugby player who is more of "good times" kind of guy that pretty much only dates tall blondes so Kate, who's small and dark isn't his cup of tea. I love that even though Kate has been a victim she is far from "being" a victim - she's strong, passionate and not show more afraid of giving her opinion. And Koti while being a love-email-and-leave-'em kind of guy still has strong family ties and deep roots into his culture. Good story and I enjoyed learning a little about New Zealand. Will be reading more by 's. James. show less