This book started out so promising, but it went on for way, way too long considering all of the scenes were essentially the same. Also, none of the characters' ages worked for me. The children were written much older than the 7 and 4 they are declared, and Jenna read much younger than 30 - extreme naivete in modern heroines is one of my least favorite tropes, especially when that woman has been married and didn't grow up in a crazy religious household. There was also a lot of time spent on flashbacks for Jenna that I just didn't think were necessary and slowed the pace down. The chemistry between the characters was nice in the beginning even if it took way too long to come to something, and, once I just mentally aged up the kids, I liked them. But this book got so bogged down that my feelings about the characters suffered. Also, all of these characters were basically perfect people, which meant there wasn't a lot of conflict that wasn't manufactured - "Oh, you're my employer and lalala." All that said, I really enjoyed the NZ setting and the rugby talk, and that ended up being my favorite thing about this. I don't know if I'll read more from this author or not - maybe if there are some freebies - but this one didn't compel me to go out and read the others in this series. First, I would like to say Claire Bocking does an excellent job. Her voice is very clear and very likeable. She does an excellent job of switching from reading from book to book so the characters have a unique personality and sound to them. Everyone sounds realistic, and with a romance like this that might be even more important to be able to hear the chemistry in the voices. I have a personal theory when it comes to romance books that depending on where you are in life (married, single, divorced, parent, non-parent, etc) or your personality different books and characters will appeal to you in specific ways and to different degrees. Its one of the things that makes rereading or relistening to a book so much fun. The female protagonist Jenna is a very maternal and nurturing sort of woman, very likeable and intelligent (which I love). Even though I would normally gravitate towards a different kind of female protagonist, I found this book to be as infectious as the previous books and hard to stop listening and I found Jenna to be a very enjoyable character to follow and to root for. I respect her and I think she is one of those characters the more I think about her is one you can learn from. Finn is likeable and believable, and not too perfect but everything you could hope for in a romantic lead. I love how Rosalind James focuses on relationships-romantic, friendships, family. I am also coming to realize how much James does not gravitate towards the recent literary trend of consumerism porn where the book is littered with expensive labels and just enjoy the financial security and opportunities in a relaxed way just as Finn does.I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.
What do You think about Just For Now (2000)?
Every book in this series has made me want to visit New Zealand,to visit and someday live.
—jhizzy
This was an easy read but at times the writing and language were a bit strange.
—iva
Fast read. Fun book with good characters.
—Michelle
