I really did love the first novel in the "Escape to New Zealand" series, Just This Once: Escape to New Zealand Book One. I felt as if I was reading an old school romance novel where the men were men and the sex scenes were hot and pretty explicit.

In Rosalind James's second novel, "Just Good Friends: Escape to New Zealand Book Two, features two characters, Kate Lamonica and Koti James.

Kate has fled from the U.S. to New Zealand due to an obsessive ex-boyfriend who would not stop stalking her. Koti is a Maori rugby player playing for the All Blacks. It was really interesting to read about the Maori culture and to have that play a factor in this novel with Koti explaining this side of himself to Kate.

What I thought was very good and interesting is that you do have Kate having some problems initially with trusting Koti due to her last relationship. The two start off as friends and then you get to see their friendship change into something more. I honestly bought their relationship and loved how you did not just have the two romantic leads falling in love with each other after only one day. I will admit at times Kate was hard to like. However, in the end both characters won me completely over.

Also the love scenes once again were smoking. I think most romance reads for the most part are somewhat vanilla when they write love scenes, which is alright. I just love the fact that Rosalind James keeps evoking older romance novels in my mind with how explicit she is when the two main leads have sex with each other.

We have a welcome appearance by Hannah and Drew from "Just This Once" and we get to catch up with this twosome to see how Hannah is liking and settling in living in New Zealand. Even though I only had the first two novels on my to be read pile for 2014 I still plan on continuing with this series. ( )

I didn't expect to like this one as much. Koti just didn't really appeal to me. But, I loved it, in the end. Lots of snark in this one. I liked the snark. And, that Koti really had more to him than you expected. ( )

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 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. ( )

Just when I think I'm about to read another cheesy "chick book", I come across a book like Just Good Friends. Ms. James has filled her book with likeable characters (with just enough depth), a good storyline (that's just believable enough) and the right amount of detail. An enjoyable light read that is perfect for summer (or a Florida winter). Now if I can just convince my husband to go to New Zealand (it sounds beautiful). Oh and you don't need to read Book One to follow this one - they are standalone stories with crossover characters. ( )

When a boyfriend turns into a violent and obsessed stalker, American Kate Lamonica knows her life is in danger, so she flees her home in California for New Zealand, where she lives in hiding and wants to feel safe and live in peace. What she doesn't count on is meeting Koti James, a hot Maori pro rugby player!

Kate takes a position as an accountant with The Blues rugby team, and when a flirty Koti introduces himself, Kate thinks he is a chick magnet and wants nothing to do with him. Kate is wary of men and has a wall up, the last thing she wants or needs is a man who has a reputation for being a player/ladies man. But Koti doesn't give up, so Kate challenges him to a bet that he couldn't be "just friends" with a woman, and the stipulation is that he has to become friends with her for two months and spend "friend" time with her once a week without him making any moves on her.

Can reluctant friends stay just good friends? Or will Kate and Koti's friendship develop into something more?

Just Good Friends is a fun and flirty story of two people whose reluctant friendship turns into love. In the second book of the Escape To New Zealand series, author Rosalind James weaves a sassy tale of romance between two people who challenge each other to become friends, only to discover their mutual attraction along the way. Written in the third person narrative, the author draws the reader in with the sarcastic banter, sexual tension and chemistry between Kate and Koti that heats up the pages as their relationship unfolds. And if that isn't enough for you, the author also adds suspense into the mix with an obsessive stalker!

Rich in detail and vivid descriptions of the setting, the author transports the reader to the picturesque South Pacific island country of New Zealand. The author does a wonderful job of weaving in New Zealand's history and dialect, the Maori culture and traditions, and the nuance of the professional game of rugby into the story. The descriptions definitely will peak the reader's interest and imagination.

I enjoyed the author's character development of Kate and Koti throughout the story. Kate is a sassy little spit fire and Koti is a real charmer with a laid back personality. I really appreciated the author's style of slowly building their friendship from a reluctant start, and utilizing their different personalities and playful banter to grow their mutual attraction and chemistry into a romantic relationship. And a bonus was the addition of Drew and Hannah, the main characters in book one of the series, Just This Once, as secondary characters in this book.

With fun banter in the dialogue and interactions; interesting Maori dialect, culture and traditions; and a storyline that mixes humor, romance, suspense and everything rugby; Just Good Friends is an entertaining story that will whisk you away to scenic land down under!

Just Good Friends is the second book in the Escape To New Zealand series. It can be read as a stand alone book, but once you read one book in the series you'll want to read the others!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Reading Addiction Blog Tours.

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