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I\u2019m not much of a contemporary romance reader, in fact I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever read one before, but I\u2019ve seen the author online and love her down-to-earth approach, so I thought I\u2019d see what it is that makes her so successful. And yes, I enjoyed it very much – a nice, easy read that I finished in a couple of days.<\/p>\n
The plot\u2019s a simple one: responsible, work-a-holic American, Hannah, takes a holiday to New Zealand to get some much needed relaxation from work. While there, she goes for a dip in the sea and is caught by a rip-tide, only to be rescued by local rugby player, Drew. And not just any rugby player; Drew is captain of the famous All-Blacks, New Zealand\u2019s national team. I wondered for a long time whether Drew was in fact Maori, as many of the All-Blacks are, and the book was maybe half gone before it emerged that he wasn\u2019t. It surprised me that this wasn\u2019t mentioned upfront, to avoid any confusion, but maybe we were just supposed to assume it.<\/p>\n
After such a romantic hero-rescues-heroine beginning, it\u2019s not surprising that our lead characters are drawn together by something perilously close to instalust. Drew\u2019s thoughts are quite clear right from the start – he skips from admiring Hannah\u2019s cute behind in shorts to wanting to rip those shorts right off her, and I was a little disappointed at the rapid transition from attraction to sex. I\u2019d have liked at least some indication of deeper feelings, but it felt at first as if all he wanted from her was sex.<\/p>\n
From there the romance develops in easy stages. It wouldn\u2019t be quite true to say that nothing happens, because Hannah quits her job and moves to New Zealand, which is quite a big step for an independent lady, but really there are no bumps in the road for this couple. He develops an unswerving devotion to her, for no obvious reason (but then love can be irrational sometimes), and she agonises about every step but then does it anyway, while confidently predicting that it won\u2019t last, he\u2019ll get tired of her, she isn\u2019t worthy, etc. But it does and he doesn\u2019t and\u2026 well, that\u2019s about it, really. I\u2019ll leave the question of whether she\u2019s worthy as an exercise for the reader.<\/p>\n
I enjoyed this one more than I expected to, and my only real complaint is that Drew is just too perfect. A top sportsman with a perfect physique, a gentleman in bed and everywhere else, strong but caring and so on and so on. I\u2019d have liked a flaw or two to make him more human. But otherwise, a pleasant easy read. Four stars.<\/p>\n