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Escape to New Zealand
Series · 19
books · 2012-2023

Books in series

Just For You book cover
#0.5

Just For You

2014

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 36,000-word (120-page) novella 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 stand-alone book, even if this is your first escape to New Zealand.
Christmas Down Under book cover
#1

Christmas Down Under

Six Sexy New Zealand & Australian Christmas Romances

2015

100% pure Christmas. It's hot sun and hotter men, warm sand and crystal-clear water, prawns on the barbecue and cricket on the beach. It's sweet, slow kisses and long, lazy days. It's Christmas Down Under. Warm your heart, and maybe a little bit more, too, with six sweet, sexy stories of Down Under lovin' from six bestselling authors who know how to do it right, from a little bit steamy all the way up to OMG. Whether it's the beaches of Australia or New Zealand's subtropical Far North, it's nothing but feel-good love for Christmas this year. So if you're feeling a little chilly? Pour a cold glass of wine or a hot mug of cocoa, curl up on the couch, and enjoy! · Six standalone books (no cliffhangers!) spanning 1,000+ pages · Over 95% off retail for the individual books sold separately · Only available through December—get your copy today! Six perfect indulgences to get you in the Christmas spirit: ROSALIND JAMES - Just for Now (Escape to New Zealand) SERENITY WOODS - A Festive Treat (Treats to Tempt You) ANNIE SEATON - Christmas With the Boss KRIS PEARSON - Christmas Holiday Hearts (Heartlands) JOANNE HILL - Promising Penny TRACEY ALVAREZ - Hide Your Heart (Far North) INDIVIDUAL BOOKS INCLUDE 5 Full-Length Novels & 1 Long Novella. No cliffhangers! Over 1,000 pgs!
Just This Once book cover
#1

Just This Once

2012

Everyone needs to be rescued sometimes. Everyone but Hannah Montgomery, that is. She just needs a vacation. Three weeks in New Zealand to sort out her life, figure out what she wants, seems just right. Oh, and to relax. She should definitely put that on the agenda. She certainly isn’t looking for a sexy fling with a professional rugby player, no matter how attractive he is. Hannah doesn’t do casual. But maybe just this once ... As much as he’s shared with Hannah, Drew Callahan has kept one very big secret. And learning the truth, now that she’s back home again, has made Hannah warier than ever. Drew knows that she’s right for him. But how can he convince her to let down her guard enough to explore what they could have together? Note: This romance, like New Zealand, contains some steam. If that isn't your cuppa, you may want to visit another country ... er, book.
Just Good Friends book cover
#2

Just Good Friends

2012

Some bets were made to be lost. Kate Lamonica isn't Koti James' type. Too small. Too dark. And heaps too much work. So it's an easy bet that he can be her friend for six weeks without making a move on her, no matter what his mates would have said. Kate can't believe she's made the bet at all. New Zealand had seemed like the perfect escape from the stalker who'd threatened first her peace of mind, and then her life. She certainly doesn't need any more trouble. Why on earth has she agreed to spend time with a Maori rugby player who's far too handsome and charming for his own good—and knows it? But there's more than one game Koti's good at playing... Note: This STAND-ALONE romance, like New Zealand, contains some steam. If that isn't your cuppa, maybe visit another country ... er, book.
Just for Now book cover
#3

Just for Now

2014

There’s no place like home ... For teacher Jenna McKnight, nothing spells “heartbreak” like finding her husband with somebody else—in her bed. It’s clearly time to reinvent herself. A new body, a new city, and a new job later, she’s done just that. The beautiful Auckland villa isn’t really her home, though. Finn Douglas and his kids aren’t really her family, however much she wishes they were. And playing house can be a dangerous game. Rugby star Finn Douglas is just looking for a temporary nanny and housekeeper. Not a girlfriend, and definitely not a wife. He can’t resist Jenna’s cooking, it’s true. Who knew he’d have so much trouble resisting her? He wants to do what’s right for his kids. But waiting is so hard ... Note: This STAND-ALONE romance, like New Zealand, contains a bit of steam. If that isn't your cuppa, you may want to visit a different country ... er, book.
Just for Fun book cover
#4

Just for Fun

2012

What if the person who broke your heart turned out to be the only one who could mend it? Nic Wilkinson is a responsible, organized, disciplined rugby player at the top of his game. Emma Martens is a sometimes-scattered, often-emotional, and always-broke would-be designer with a big chip on her shoulder where Nic's concerned. They have no history together, except one perfect week. Nothing in common anymore, except the most important thing of all. Getting together again would be messy. Complicated. Scary. And, just maybe, worth every risk.
Just My Luck book cover
#5

Just My Luck

2013

A little distraction can be a wonderful thing. Nate Torrance has a job to do, and the biggest rugby boots in the world to fill. He can't afford to lose his focus, especially not to a brown-eyed Canadian who pushes all his buttons and looks much too good in a climbing harness. Allison Villiers may not know what she wants to do with her life, but she's clear about one thing. She's not impressed by the new captain of the All Blacks, however big a deal he is to the rest of New Zealand. If only her unfortunate taste for adventure didn't keep leading her astray . . .
Just Not Mine book cover
#6

Just Not Mine

2014

Destiny can sneak up on you. Or it can smack you in the face. Hugh Latimer’s coping with a few problems just now. A broken hand, missing the European rugby tour . . . and a half-brother and sister who are playing havoc with his love life. Instead of packing down in the scrum, he’s driving the carpool to ballet—or forgetting it’s his turn. When he hears his neighbor wailing out bad pop in the wee hours, it’s the last straw. Josie Pae Ata is a fortunate woman. A new house, good friends, a gorgeous boyfriend—oh, and stardom, too. Getting involved with her new neighbors would bring risks she doesn’t need. But life has a way of changing the rules. And when you get more than you can handle, sometimes all you can do is hang on for the ride. Note: This romance, like New Zealand, contains a bit of steam. If that isn’t your cuppa, you may want to visit a different country . . . er, book.
Just Once More book cover
#7

Just Once More

2014

What does true love look like once the honeymoon's over? Eight smoking-hot rugby players. Eight partners. Seventeen kids. Beaches and barbecues and beer, salt and sand and sea. Family and good mates and no worries. December in New Zealand. One very pregnant, very tired Hannah Montgomery Callahan playing hostess to it all, doing her best and wondering if her best is good enough. And one legendary All Black captain willing to do whatever it takes to show her that when he promised to be there for her forever, he meant it. Note: This book, like New Zealand ... aw, heck. Three steamy scenes, as usual. And they're good ones.
Just in Time book cover
#8

Just in Time

2015

What happens in Vegas… Will Tawera doesn’t do commitment, except on the rugby field. Moving to Las Vegas to become a kicker for the NFL would be a big change from New Zealand rugby, but then, he’s ready for a change. And when he’s asked to do a little modeling on the side? Thousands of dollars to hold a beautiful blonde while looking dark, dangerous, tattooed, and Maori? He could do that. Faith Goodwin doesn’t do dark, dangerous men. Especially not when they make her laugh, take her miniature golfing with four-year-olds, and are far too sexy and sweet for comfort. But when Will finds himself in hot water back in New Zealand, who’s he going to call? And who would be able to resist answering? Note: This book was previously published in Brenda Novak's SWEET TALK boxed set. This version contains an added chapter and added steam. If you prefer your books without steam...this may not be the book for you!
Fierce book cover
#8.5

Fierce

2015

A sexy new STAND-ALONE NOVEL by the bestselling author of the Escape to New Zealand series I never asked Hemi Te Mana to rescue me. It was true that I had a lousy job. Not to mention a lousy apartment and too much responsibility, although it was a responsibility I wouldn’t have given up for the world. That still didn’t mean I needed rescuing, if that was what you’d call the situation I ended up in. And anyway, I knew that a multimillionaire Maori CEO with too many muscles, a tribal tattoo, and a take-no-prisoners attitude was way, way out of my league. So, no, I didn’t ask him to, but he rescued me anyway. Because Hemi was fierce. But you know what I found out? So was I. Note: This is the “book within a book” that Faith is writing in Just in Time: Escape to New Zealand. Hemi isn’t Will, but you may see some of Faith’s feelings about Will coming out...
Just Stop Me book cover
#9

Just Stop Me

2016

Sometimes you have to run away to find yourself. Lots of young women dream of being a princess. Nina Jones isn't one of them. After escaping from her palace/prison in the back of a gardener's van, she ends up in a beach cottage on New Zealand's South Island. She's meant to be looking after a cantankerous widower. Too bad she doesn't know how to boil an egg. Iain McCormick may be an All Black, a member of New Zealand's elite rugby team, and a bona fide celebrity. During the offseason, though, he's meant to be a regular Kiwi bloke. A good son, a good neighbor, and a good citizen. But civility comes harder when you've been dumped at the altar. He doesn't need anybody he has to look out for. He definitely doesn't need to fall in love. Yeah, right.
Just Say Yes book cover
#10

Just Say Yes

2017

Some fires warm you up. And some burn you down. Kevin McNicholl may be a brutal force on the rugby field, but off the field, the star New Zealand All Black is a famously nice guy. His new tenant, though, arouses more than his protective side. She sets him on fire. Pity he’s evicting her. Every woman deserves her dreams. Chloe Donaldson can’t afford dreams, so she's given them up. Marriage, her ballet career, and now, her beautiful tower apartment with its view of the sea. Her new landlord is kicking her out, along with her three-year-old son, Zavy. She should hate him. But when a man looks at you like that, it’s so easy to lose your focus. NOTE This STAND-ALONE romance, like New Zealand, contains a bit of steam. If that isn't your cuppa, maybe visit another country . . . er, book.
Just Say (Hell) No book cover
#11

Just Say (Hell) No

2018

Even a hard man needs a soft side. Marko Sendoa isn’t a beach man. He’s not an Auckland man. He’s a hard man. Born Basque tough, raised in the heart of New Zealand’s Southern Alps, and bred on hard work, discipline, and getting the job done. It’s not easy for a rugby flanker who’s played 13 bruising seasons to make it to age 32 at the top of his game, but he’s done it. Next year is the Rugby World Cup, and he’ll do whatever it takes to be on the field in the black jersey when the anthems are sung. He doesn't need a kitten. He doesn't need a pregnant cousin. He definitely doesn't need a too-short, distractingly curvy, totally unimpressed Maori barista and part-time pet portraitist who fills his house and his life with too much color, too much chaos, and too many secrets. He’s getting them anyway.
Just Come Over book cover
#12

Just Come Over

2019

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. 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.
Just Say Christmas book cover
#13

Just Say Christmas

2019

There are all kinds of Christmases, and all kinds of families. The family you’re born into. The family you make. And the family you choose. Christmas means summer in New Zealand, and All Blacks wedding season, too. Plans made and plans changed, because no matter how well you plan, life happens. Especially if, say, you’re marrying your late husband’s brother, you’ve got a couple of kids in the mix, and everybody’s talked too much about all that already. And then there’s the rest of the family. A stepbrother who’s carried too big a secret for thirty years and needs to lay that burden down. Another whose romance with the maid of honor went south, for reasons neither of them quite understand. A sister who wants her teenage romance to stick, and the man who wants to make that happen. From the beaches of New Zealand’s Far North to the shadow of the Southern Alps, Christmas brings family tensions and family bonds, secrets revealed, and promises kept, including the most important promise a person can make: to be there. Note: You will enjoy this book even more if you’ve read JUST SAY (HELL) NO and JUST COME OVER. (Escape to New Zealand books 11 and 12.)
Just One Look book cover
#14

Just One Look

2021

Luka Darkovic has some tackling skills. He hadn’t planned on using them to bring down a runaway dog the size of a Shetland pony, though, especially not when his neck is already buggered. At 33, a rugby forward protects his vertebrae.. He’s even less happy when the dog’s incompetent owner turns up in his hospital cubicle the next day with a plan to fix those vertebrae. He prefers his life simple and his neurosurgeons drama-free. And definitely less distracting. Dr. Elizabeth Wolcott just needs a reboot. Or possibly a life. The one place she hadn’t planned to look for it is New Zealand, site of some of her most humiliating adolescent moments, yet here she is. As for adding more humiliating moments? No, thank you. She’s already responsible for the world’s biggest, hairiest, and least obedient dog. She’s not even going to think about a rugby star with a broken nose and a face that crumples when he smiles, not to mention too many supermodels in his past. She is disciplined. She is professional. Also, she is realistic. Did she mention that he was the love of her adorable blonde stepsister’s life?
Just for Me book cover
#15

Just for Me

2023

Luke Armstrong doesn’t want to be a pioneer or an inspiration. He just wants to be a prop. What’s it like to be the first All Black to come out while he’s still playing rugby? Luke has spent over thirty years not wanting to find out, but hiding has become so hard. He’s a man who doesn’t get tired, but now, he’s soul-weary. Hayden Allen knows that if you keep that smile on your face, they won’t know they’ve hurt you. Never let them see you sweat, that’s his motto. What happens, though, when everything you’ve never realized you needed shows up bang in front of you? Every man has his limits. And even the strongest man can fall.
Escape to New Zealand Boxed Set book cover
#1-3

Escape to New Zealand Boxed Set

Just This Once, Just Good Friends, Just for Now

2015

Three sweet and steamy New Zealand rugby romances—Just This Once, Just Good Friends, Just for Now With more than a quarter million ebooks sold since the release of Just This Once in 2012, the Escape to New Zealand series has rapidly become a contemporary romance reader favorite, as strong, sweet, sexy New Zealand rugby players find the women destined to win their hearts. Now, for the first time, Books One through Three are available as a boxed set in this special offering. Book One – Just This Once Everyone needs to be rescued sometimes. Everyone but Hannah Montgomery, that is. She just needs a vacation. Three weeks in New Zealand to sort out her life, figure out what she wants, seems just right. Oh, and to relax. She should definitely put that on the agenda. She certainly isn’t looking for a sexy fling with a professional rugby player, no matter how attractive he is. Hannah doesn’t do casual. But maybe just this once … Book Two – Just Good Friends Some bets were made to be lost. Kate Lamonica can’t believe she’s made a bet to be “just friends” with playboy star Koti James. New Zealand had seemed like the perfect escape from the stalker who’d threatened first her peace of mind, and then her life. She certainly doesn’t need any more trouble. Why on earth has she agreed to spend time with a Maori rugby player who’s far too handsome and charming for his own good—and knows it? But there’s more than one game Koti’s good at playing … Book Three – Just for Now There’s no place like home ... For teacher Jenna McKnight, nothing spells “heartbreak” like finding her husband with somebody else—in her bed. It’s clearly time to reinvent herself. A new body, a new city, and a new job later, she’s done just that. The beautiful Auckland villa isn’t really her home, though. Finn Douglas and his kids aren’t really her family, however much she wishes they were. And playing house can be a dangerous game. Read on in the series for more New Zealand rugby love! With eight books available and two more coming in Spring 2015, your own Escape to New Zealand awaits! Prequel - Just for You (Reka & Hemi) Read free with Kindle Unlimited! Book One - Just This Once (Hannah & Drew) Book Two - Just Good Friends (Kate & Koti) Book Three - Just for Now (Jenna & Finn) Book Four - Just for Fun ( Emma & Nic) Book Five - Just My Luck (Ally & Nate/Kristen & Liam) Book Six - Just Not Mine (Josie & Hugh) Book Seven - Just Once More (Hannah & Drew again/reunion) Coming Spring 2015! Book Eight - Just Say Yes (Chloe & Kevin) Book Nine - Just in Time (Faith & Will) - available for preorder in Melody Anne & Brenda Novak's Sweet Talk boxed set

Author

Rosalind James
Rosalind James
Author · 43 books
Rosalind James writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense published both by Montlake Romance and independently. Her stories are set in New Zealand, Idaho, California, New York . . . really, anyplace that seems cool. (Research trips, especially those involving lots of rugby, are a bonus.) Her books are available in ebook, paperback, and audio formats. Rosalind is a former marketing executive who spent several years in Australia and New Zealand, where she fell in love with the people, the landscape, and the culture of both countries. She attributes her rapid success to the fact that "Lots of people would like to escape to New Zealand! I know I did!"
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