Finally, the story that was in the story...

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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.

You may think that this is just another one of those rich guy shows innocent girl "the ropes" books so common today. You would be wrong. Initially introduced to readers as the "book within the book" in a book in the Escape to New Zealand series, Just in Time, the story can be read as a stand alone and thoroughly enjoyed without knowing any background. However, for fans of the NZ series, it's like watching the heroine of Just in Time (Faith, the fictional "author" of Fierce) fall in love with Will all over again in this book as she works through her feelings by writing a love story. Once again, Rosalind James has given her readers with a little extra gift while crafting an engaging tale that also stands on its own.

Leaving Will and Faith behind in their book, this story of Hemi, Maori multimillionaire who only has arrangements, and Hope, sweet yet strong, quickly moves from that common trope into a story with depth and many layers. The conflicts are not simple and the work and life situations are not simple. Although it is told in first person and has a lot sexual situations, I don't think this book could be characterized as erotic romance. In erotic romance, the sex typically moves the story forward. In this case (because this is what this author does so well), the emotional connection moves the story forward and the very hot sex scenes are the result of that.

If you are a fan of erotic romance, I think you would find this a satisfying read because it delivers on the promise of that genre. The bonus is that it delivers so much more.

As a narrator, Claire Bocking has spoiled me for anyone else. She is amazing. I don't know what else to say about her, other than she nails it every time.

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21 people found this helpful

LOVED LOVED LOVED IT.. HEA BUT PART I OF A TRILOGY

What an enjoyable, well written and wonderfully narrated book this was as Hemi Te Mana, the handsome, charismatic and filthy rich fashion tycoon, finds his very own virginal Cinderella when he meets Hope Sinclair. But, because of past painful personal issues, Hemi has absolutely no intentions of a) getting emotionally involved, b) opening up to her, c) letting her in.. and never d) keeping her. And yet the more he got to know Hope the harder it became to get the tiny, tempting, frustratingly persistent, strong-willed, courageous and kind hearted woman out of his system.

Hope had a difficult childhood - from an early age she'd been responsible for her younger sister and, now that it's just the two of them, she's the sole provider and care giver - so her responsibilities and commitments are high. And yet Hope never complains - she just gets on with things, buys knock-off or goodwill clothes and works on the bottom rung of the fashion industry's ladder - until, out of the blue, she gets a new and very favorable job offer. But behind the scenes Hemi is pulling all the strings and is about to make his move - one that he's done many many times before, one that is strictly short-term and comes with strings, secrets, written agreements.. and absolutely no promises. However, his new employee (and potential new sexual 'arrangement') wants a Prince not a Playmate and is about to uncover a sweeter side to Hemi - one he has successfully buried for years because there's a past and present that he's just not willing to talk about or reveal.

This leads to Hemi and Hope slowly getting to know each other as they both experience firsts.. ones that lead to vulnerabilities, sex, a soul-connection, deep feelings, emotional ties and even love.. but Hemi only wanted one of those things and Hope was.. well hoping for all of them. There was good character development as Hemi eventually let SOME of his barriers down however this is a TRILOGY folks and, even though there's a HEA to this book, Hemi and Hope's journey (and trials) are far from over because Hemi's well hidden past is about to turn up - and the fallout will be bad.

Worth a credit? This dual POV romance was great.. Hope wasn't a sure thing and made Hemi worthy of her V card first.. and on her terms, the characters were likeable, some sex scenes had very lite bdsm play and the book was well described and well written. But what made this such an entertaining and smooth running story was Claire Bocking's awesome narration which had me looking for the name of the second narrator it was THAT good. Genders, nationalities, accents and emotions were absolutely no problem for this talented narrator's vocal abilities. So, YES a very very creditworthy listen and I hope the next two books in this trilogy will be available soon coz they've been written and published already.

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15 people found this helpful

Treat yourself!

I very much enjoyed Rosalind James's novel, "Fierce," and this audiobook is everything the book was and more. The story itself is very intriguing - definitely not your billionaire / poor lost damaged girl tale. The narration by Claire Bocking takes the story up a notch with her dualing narration of both the heroine, Hope Sinclair, and her employer / love interest, Hemi Te Mana. Claire switches seamlessly back and forth between a male with a New Zealand accent and an American woman, and it feels absolutely genuine and feasible - I got lost in the wonderful story and couldn't really say if I was listening to one or two people!

I would highly recommend that you treat yourself to this book - you won't be disappointed!!

"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.”

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5 people found this helpful

The first in a new series!

Another great book in a new series by Rosalind James. It is loosely connected to James' "Just In Time", part of the Escape to New Zealand series. Having said that, this book is definitely a stand alone and it is not necessary to have read JIT to enjoy "Fierce". (If you have read JIT, "Fierce" is the actual, full story that Faith was writing.) "Fierce" contains two vastly different and dynamic main characters. Faith is making her way in the world as a photographer's assistant in New York while trying to raise her 15 year old sister. Hemi is Kiwi of Maori descent who has hit the big time as a designer and works out of New York as well. The pair meets as a result of a photo shoot for Hemi's company. They are about as far apart in personality and principles as they can get. Even so, they are drawn to each other. The story chronicles the twists and turns that their relationship takes them on. Hope is fierce in her determination to do right by her sister and herself and is torn with how to fit Hemi into that scheme. Hemi is fierce in his determination to fit Hope into his life as he sees fit--which includes hanging on to the past and ignoring his heritage. There are moments of frustration, intrigue, wonder, anger, disbelief, sadness along with steamy scenes that will have you blushing and fanning yourself. This book isn't for the faint of heart when it comes to sex. Those scenes are tastefully done but are intense and somewhat blunt. However, those scenes aren't for the sake of sex alone. They chronicle the internal struggles both Hemi and Faith have in and out of bed. Be warned that the "f bomb" gets dropped a few times and Hemi is pretty raw in talking about what he wants. When I read the book, I only rated it 4 stars (would've given it 4.5 if I could have) because the book was good but didn't "suck me in" like books I've given 5 stars to. However I did rate the story a 5 for the audiobook because I found myself getting sucked in to the story through the performance. It is an excellent story that keeps you engaged throughout and includes good character development. There is a believable story that goes along with the relationship.

As for the performance? Claire Bocking is a one woman cast and I feel that, to date, this is her best narration. I am a huge fan of hers but this performance vaulted her in to the absolutely amazing category. I found myself forgetting that only one person was narrating and Hemi? It was hard to believe that he was being read by a woman that normally speaks with an American accent. Every character, once again, has their own voice through tone, cadence, inflection, and accent. The amount of emotion for each scene was done just right--nothing over the top with over-emoting--which made the story that much better.

Overall, well done and can't wait for "Fractured" to come out.

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3 people found this helpful

I struggled with this review

I thought that this was a well written story. There was good character and plot development. However, I did not like the main characters that much. Hope and Hemi had moments when I disliked them a lot. They both had stupid behavior that got on my nerves. Hope was at times too high and mighty, but she acted like a stupid child at times. Hemi was too arrogant, nasty and selfish at times. They both would be like nice characters falling in love. Then a few seconds later will be acting like stupid children. I also did not think the author did a good job on the BDSM sex stuff. I felt like she could have left it out. On the other hand, I did think the story at times seemed like a real romance. Hope did have values. She did not rush to have sex. She made Hemi court her and respect her values. This made the book unlike other romance novels which the women's values go out the widow for a good looking rich guy. if the characters were better, I would have given this book a 4 or 5. The narrator was the best I had ever heard. This lady was better than the book.

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2 people found this helpful

Great Listen!

Fierce by Rosalind James is the first book in James’s Not Quite A Billionaire series, and let me tell you, I am ready to listen to more in the series! This is a great and sexy book (not to be confused with a great sexy book, which it is too). The main character, Hope is a strong, independent, and realistic character. Her romantic interest, Hemi, is a rich Alpha male, Maori CEO living in New York City. There is of course, a whole genre of rich alpha male books out there. What makes this different and noteworthy? For one thing, I feel it is a much better book than some of the popular series out there (Fifty Shades, Crossfire, etc). I truly feel whether or not you are a fan of this particular genre, you will enjoy this book as James has a mature and measured approach to the book. There is drama of course, but it is more of the natural false starts of a real relationship and is not drug out, and I feel this sets it apart from similar books. Hemi and Hope are both works in progress, and you can listen about them changing and maturing in the way that people generally do in a relationship throughout the book. There is a very strong cultural element to this book. James intelligently weaves different locations and cultural information throughout the book. There are strong relationships between women in this book. The love Hope has for her sister Karen is the stuff to rival Elsa and Anna in Frozen. Last, but not least, if you listen to the book the book, and skip over the sexy parts, you are still going to be listen to a wonderful, well thought out and written book (I don’t recommend this though, unless you really don’t like listening sexy parts because those are great as well).

As a fan of her Escape to New Zealand Books, I also appreciate the meta quality of this being the book within a book from Just in Time. You don't have to read/listen to both series however to appreciate this book (or Just in Time for that matter). I always love narrator, Claire Bocking's performances. Her accents are great, her female and male characters are fantastic and distinctive, and since she is also the narrator of the Escape to New Zealand Books, she is a subtle connection to that series that helped remind me that this book has its root in the Escape to New Zealand series.


To sum up: I loved this audiobook, and I think there is a good chance if you like a great romance book you will too.

I received a free copy of this audiobook 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.

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2 people found this helpful

Amazing!

Wow. Claire Bocking was absolutely amazing narrating this book. She made Hemi so sexy that even when I wanted to hate him, I still loved him. I always enjoy listening to Ms. Bocking's narrations, but this one went above and beyond. The first time I heard her reading Hemi, I could have sworn a man was reading.
This book is full of romance, steam and humor. I loved this book and I generally do not enjoy first person type books. This one was definitely the exception. Rosalind James is an amazing author. She just keeps improving with every book she writes.
So, if you are looking for a lot of romance, steam and a super sexy hero who has an amazing accent, this book is for you.

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.

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2 people found this helpful

Yes!

So the book to read, strong woman keeping to strong morals but enjoying life. can't wait for the next in the series.

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1 person found this helpful

Great story!

I really liked this book... The story, the narration... Several parts made me laugh, some gripped me right in the chest. Recommended for a good listen.

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Excellent book

I love a book that can have me shed tears! Hemi was a great man, not overbearing and easily able to fall in love with. karen was a strong teenager especially with her trials.Hope was also a strong woman that survived the stress and fears she had caring for her sister. Hope didn't change her values for a man nor put a man before her sister. Great read. Loved the book and narrator.

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1 person found this helpful