Book Review: Close to You by Kara Isaac

This review previously appeared at Iola's Christian Reads.

Extremely Biased Review Ahead 

Amazon Description

A disgraced scholar running from her past and an entrepreneur chasing his future find themselves thrown together—and fall in love—on a Tolkien tour of New Zealand.

Allison Shire (yes, like where the Hobbits live) is a disgraced academic who is done with love. Her belief in “happily ever after” ended the day she discovered her husband was still married to a wife she knew nothing about. She finally finds a use for her English degree by guiding tours through the famous sites featured in the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies. By living life on the road and traveling New Zealand as a luxury tour guide, Allison manages to outrun the pain of her past she can’t face.

Jackson Gregory was on the cusp of making it big. Then suddenly his girlfriend left him—for his biggest business competitor—and took his most guarded commercial secrets with her. To make matters worse, the Iowa farm that has been in his family for generations is facing foreclosure. Determined to save his parents from financial ruin, he’ll do whatever it takes to convince his wealthy great-uncle to invest in his next scheme, which means accompanying him to the bottom of the world to spend three weeks pretending to be a die-hard Lord of the Rings fan, even though he knows nothing about the stories. The one thing that stands between him and his goal is a know-it-all tour guide who can’t stand him and pegged him as a fake the moment he walked off the plane.

When Allison leads the group through the famous sites of the Tolkien movies, she and Jackson start to see each other differently, and as they keep getting thrown together on the tour, they find themselves drawn to each other. Neither expected to fall in love again, but can they find a way beyond their regrets to take a chance on the one thing they’re not looking for?

My Review

To the best of my knowledge, Close to You by Kara Isaac is the first novel from a New Zealand author contracted and published by a major US Christian publisher. That alone is worth five stars, at least from this parochial Kiwi reader. Those of you who can’t see the appeal of a romance novel set in the Land of the Long White Cloud (and the land of hobbits) should leave now and go back to … I don’t know. What do people who don’t like New Zealand or hobbits read? Do they read? Can they read?.

Anyway, on to the novel.

Allie is short of money, as her funds are currently tied up in a messy divorce. She’s working as a tour guide delivering high-class (i.e. seriously expensive) tours of New Zealand’s Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movie locations, making good use of her PhD in English literature. Unfortunately, she now loathes all things Tolkien.

Jackson’s company has just gone bust, and he’s accompanying a long-lost—and rich—uncle on Allie’s Lord of the Rings tour in the hope he can persuade uncle to invest in his next business idea. Unfortunately, he knows nothing about Tolkien, hobbits or Lord of the Rings … despite telling his uncle he’s a die-hard fan.

Naturally, Allie and Jackson start off on the wrong foot and equally naturally (this is Christian romance!), things change as they start to get to know each other. Throw in a tour bus full of seriously eccentric characters, a wily uncle and a weasly almost-ex-husband, and the stage is set for fun and romance.

I loved all the Kiwi touches, from the nail-biting approach to Wellington Airport to the lush greenery of the Waikato, the “scents” of Rotorua, the majesty of Queenstown, and the Tolkien tourist mecca of Hobbiton (which is even better in real life). The writing was good, with a good dose of humour (people actually speak Elvish?) and a subtle underlying Christian theme.

Recommended for fans of Carla Laureano and Susan May Warren. And New Zealand, and Tolkien. So that should cover pretty much everyone.

Thanks to Howard Books and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review. You can find out more about Kara Isaac at her website, and you can read the introduction to Close to You below:

About Iola Goulton

I am a freelance editor specialising in Christian fiction, and you can find out more about my services at my website (www.christianediting.co.nz),  subscribe to my monthly newsletter at CES Newsletter or follow me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/christianediting), Twitter (@IolaGoulton) or Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/iolasreads).

ACRBA Tour The Pounamu Prophecy by Cindy Williams

7 - 11 March

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is introducing

The Pounamu Prophecy

(Rhiza Press, 1 October 2015)

Cindy Williams

About the Book:

Since she watched her village burn to the ground, Mere’s life has been anything but dull. Now as an older woman she has come to stay with Helene and James to finish writing her life story – a tale of injustice, revenge and reconciliation.

But Helene and James have their own problems. After five years together, their marriage has become dull, predictable, boring … and it starts to unravel. 

Weaving fiction with the traumatic history of the Ngati Whatua tribe of Auckland, The Pounamu Prophecy sweeps from the sultry heat of Australia to the verdant shores of New Zealand.

About the Author

Cindy Williams lives in Sydney with her husband and teenage son.

As a child growing up in a culturally rich part of New Zealand she enjoyed writing, not copious screeds, but short intense pieces that brought tears to her eyes and made people think. She marvelled at the power of words to inspire far beyond the intentions of the author.

Then she became a dietitian – all science and seriously researched facts. She completed a Master of Public Health and a Graduate Diploma in Communication and spent many years encouraging and inspiring people to live a healthy life.

She writes a nutrition blog – www.nutritionchic.com – and is working on her second novel, set in first century Israel. She teaches scripture in schools, and swim and cycles. She is also studying for a Diploma of Theology and trying to improve her abysmal French! 

Christian Fiction from New Zealand Authors

By Ellie Whyte

With Waitangi Day being celebrated this coming weekend in New Zealand, the spotlight today falls on Christian fiction by New Zealand authors. While the offerings are small (for now), they definitely aren't new. I’ll share with you some that have been around for many years, and one that’s up and coming and something to be VERY excited about! 

The first Christian fiction series by a New Zealand author that I ever heard of was the Frencolian Chronicles by Carolyn Ann Aish. First published in the early 1990’s, this series, originally consisting of titles Treasures, Castles, and Kingdoms, has since been expanded to include three earlier titles in the series. Set in the fictitious kingdom of Frencolia, the stories centre mainly around brother and sister Luke and Jobyna as they seek to protect their kingdom from the evil King Elliad.  

Here's the Amazon bio for Carolyn: Born in the country of New Zealand, and named "Carolyn Ann Gundesen", she was the second child of five. While in the U.S.A., Carolyn took a class in journalism in the Bible College. Her teacher, Marie Chapman, told her, "You must write, Carolyn; you have it in you, and you must write." The example of seeing Mrs Chapman use every moment to jot down thoughts, recording them in her notebook, left a lasting impression on Carolyn also used her spare moments to write. In 1991, Carolyn's first novel, TREASURES, was published in the United States of America; followed by CASTLES. In 1992, a third in this series, (The Frencolian Chronicles) was published, KINGDOMS. Three prequels in this series have been published since then, but fans are asking for more. SECRETS, Book 7, is the next book in this series and is at the stage of some simple expansions, proofing and editing. Another five books at the least, are in progress for this widely known and loved series, The Frencolian Chronicles. Another well-know series of children's books by Carolyn are: "The Nine Lives of Rastus the Famous Motor-cycling Cat". Also Carolyn has a Guiness World Record for the longest hymn ever published. Over 80 of her books are already in print and one-by-one will be reformatted to be published and presented on both Amazon in print and eFormat for Kindle.

Another author I had heard of is Rosie Boom. While aimed more for a younger audience, her stories are well received. Her most popular series is The Barn Chronicles, based on the adventures of her own family living in a converted barn in the far north of New Zealand. All 4 of the books have won or been nominated for awards such as the Caleb Prize and the CSP International Book Award. 

Rosie’s description of the series: “The Barn Chronicles is a work in progress – actually we are still living it! It is a series of four books that tell the story of our family’s move to the country and our attempt to simplify our lifestyle as we live in a 90-year-old barn in rural Northland, New Zealand. They relate our dramas and adventures, mistakes, fun, laughter and tears. The books are written through the eyes of Milly, who was ten when we moved into the barn. She is a feisty, plucky girl who loves adventures and animals. She has gathered an evergrowing menagerie around her – chickens, Indian Runner ducks, a horse, a house cow … life is never dull with Milly around!”

And then we have Grace Bridges. Not only is Grace an author herself, but she is also a publisher, owning and operating Splashdown Books. A graduate of the University of Auckland, Grace translates German and edits novels for a living, and writes from her hilltop in New Zealand although faraway places call to her just as often. Her short works of fiction and nonfiction are found in multiple international anthologies and literary journals, and she continues to work on novels in The Vortex of Éire series. 

Splashdown Books is a hybrid imprint publisher that arose when Grace kept running across fabulous manuscripts in fiction critique groups, but the writers needed help to get their stories out there. Grace's continuing mission is to find her favourite kinds of books and make them available to the world. These are science fiction, fantasy and paranormal, all with that special something, a flavour that hints: if you like one, you'll like more. You can find all the books in print and electronic formats, and information on each author and title, at www.splashdownbooks.com. 

And now we have the upcoming debut novel from Kara Isaac, releasing in April this year from the major US publisher Howard Books, which is so exciting! Entitled Close to You. this novel is not only written by a Kiwi, but also set in New Zealand. 

A disgraced scholar running from her past and an entrepreneur chasing his future find themselves thrown together—and fall in love—on a Tolkien tour of New Zealand. 

The novel has already garnered some wonderful endorsements from other authors:

• "I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a debut novel so much. Close to You is filled with warmth, wit, and more than a few laugh-out-loud moments! Kara Isaac has proven herself to be an exciting addition to the world of Christian romance" --Carla Laureano, RITA ® Award-winning author of Five Days in Skye and Under Scottish Stars
• "Close To You is a tasty blend of unlikely romance, lovably flawed characters, and dialogue just snarky enough to make me want to pull up a chair and watch. Kara's unique voice and fresh premise combine to create a compelling story that lingers like your favorite dessert long after the last page"-- Betsy St. Amant, Author of All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes and Love Arrives in Pieces

Kara Isaac is an award-winning writer who lives in Wellington, New Zealand, where her career highlights include working in tourism as Private Secretary for the Prime Minister. She loves great books almost as much as she loves her husband and two Hobbit-sized children. Following the release of Close to You, two more novels will follow from Howard Books.

A couple of others very well worth mentioning are New Zealand-born but Australia residing author Andrea Grigg, author of the irresistible novels A Simple Mistake and Too Pretty, and Australian-born but New Zealand residing Julianne Jones, author of the Distant Land series and The Scent of Rain.

Are there any other Kiwi authors of Christian fiction you know of? Any aspiring novelists in Kiwi-land out there? I know Cat Hudson is one, and I myself am finally making headway on a novel set in 1850’s New Zealand. With the support of online communities such as ACW and organizations like ACFW which have opened their membership up to outside of the US in recent years, there is plenty of scope for quality fiction yet to come from Down Under.

ELLIE WHYTE is a long-time supporter of Christian fiction and is the founder and owner/operator of Soul Inspirationz // The Christian Fiction Site which relaunched after a 5-year hiatus in January 2013. Ellie also has aspirations for her own writing career, and has begun working on a project set in New Zealand in the 1850s. 

http://soulinspirationz.com

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