Just This Once

Just This Once follows Hannah Montgomery, an American sports therapist who takes a temporary position with a New Zealand rugby team. Her work brings her into contact with team captain Drew Callahan, leading to tension between maintaining professional boundaries and their growing attraction. The story takes place against the backdrop of New Zealand's rugby culture, incorporating both the intensity of professional sports and the laid-back Kiwi lifestyle. Hannah must navigate cultural differences and workplace dynamics while building a new life in Auckland. The romance develops alongside subplots involving team dynamics, career choices, and personal growth for both main characters. Past relationships and family obligations create obstacles that Hannah and Drew must address. The novel explores themes of work-life balance, cultural adaptation, and the challenge of making room for love when career comes first. Through its New Zealand setting, the story highlights how physical and emotional distance can impact relationships.

Readers emphasize the book's sense of place, with detailed New Zealand settings and rugby culture. Many note the slow-burn romance and chemistry between the main characters. Likes: - Accurate portrayal of rugby and New Zealand culture - Strong character development of both leads - Clean romance without explicit content - Supporting characters add depth - Professional sports details feel authentic Dislikes: - Slow pacing in first third of book - Too much rugby terminology/explanation - Female lead can be frustrating at times - Some find the conflicts contrived - Romance follows predictable patterns Ratings: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (6,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (1,200+ ratings) BookBub: 4.2/5 (300+ ratings) Multiple reviewers called it "the perfect beach read" and praised the balance of sports and romance. Common criticism focused on the need for editing, with one reviewer noting "could have been 50 pages shorter without losing the story."

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🏉 The novel's rugby setting authentically captures New Zealand's national sport, drawing from the country's deep-rooted rugby culture and the prestigious All Blacks team. 📚 Author Rosalind James wrote this book after being inspired by a vacation to New Zealand, leading her to create the entire "Escape to New Zealand" series. 💑 The book challenges common romance tropes by featuring a female lead who's professionally more successful than her male counterpart, while still maintaining cultural authenticity. 🌏 The story weaves in genuine Maori cultural elements and New Zealand slang, providing readers with an immersive experience of Kiwi culture. 🎯 The novel launched James's career as an independent author, becoming a self-publishing success story with over a million copies of her books sold worldwide.