Joshua Miles has spent his early twenties spinning his wheels. Working dead-end jobs and living at home has left him exhausted and uninspired, with little energy to pursue his passion for graphic art. Until he meets Gemma Henare, a vivacious out-of-towner from New Zealand. What begins as a one-night stand soon becomes a turning point for Josh. He can’t get Gemma out of his head, even after she has left for home, and finds himself throwing caution to the wind for the first time in his life.
It’s not long before Josh is headed to New Zealand with only a backpack, some cash, and Gemma’s name to go on. But when he finally tracks her down, he finds his adventure is only just beginning. Equally infatuated, Gemma leads him on a whirlwind tour across the beautiful country, opening Josh up to life, lust, love, and all the messy heartache in between. Because, when love drags you somewhere, it might never let go—even when you know you have to say goodbye.
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AND LORNA’S REVIEW!
Where Sea Meets Sky
by Karina Halle
Series:
n/a
Genre:
New Adult
Contemporary Romance
Publisher:
Atria Books
Publication Date:
March 31, 2015
Karina Halle. What can I say? She’s just one of the best writers out there. My opinion. One of my all time favorite series, Experiment in Terror, was written by her, so of course I am also reading this series. And three books in, still loving it.
Josh is brother to Vera, the main character from the first two books in this series. It’s not absolutely necessary to read the first two, but if you love romance, you really need to read those. Not sure but this might be considered a stand alone. Josh is tattooed, pierced, way too good looking, and has no real goal in life-except for his art. One night at a party in Vancouver, he meets Gemma, a young woman from New Zealand. They have an immediate connection, and end up spending the night together. Problem? She’s leaving the next day to go home. A short time later he follows her to New Zealand. Bigger problem? He doesn’t know her last name or phone number.
What follows is almost a love letter to New Zealand. I knew very little about NZ, other then that it is beautiful-and a long ways away from where I live. Once the two meet up(finally), Gemma is preparing to leave for a trip around the country with her cousin Amber, as she is visiting from America. She invites Josh to come on the trip with her. Rounding out the group is Gemma’s sometime boyfriend, Nick. The only reason he goes is to keep an eye on Josh. Of course he doesn’t know about Gemma and Josh’s hook up in Vancouver. Interesting trip? You have no idea!
The beauty of New Zealand, the hiking trails, caves, the mountains, the rivers, the ocean, and even Maori sacred grounds are explored by the group. The reader is immersed in all things NZ, and of course, all things Josh and Gemma-with a side of Nick and Amber. Josh was my favorite character of the book. He was just such a good guy,so caring, but also probably with a bit of a bad boy mixed in there. Gemma was a good character in her own right as well. She’s pretty complex, and almost broken inside. Since the story is told in alternating points of view of the two, we really grow to understand what motivates both characters. Amber was a good character; she gets thrown into the mix as the extra female, as Josh is the extra male. Interesting times. Nick? Well Nick was, to me, the villain of the story, to say the least.
I was completely engrossed with this read, and almost couldn’t put it down. I loved the romance, the characters, and the descriptive writing about New Zealand. I also found the celebrating of the Christmas holidays in the middle of their summer really different. I completely want to visit New Zealand now. Keep in mind it’s a very adult read. Highly recommended!
The review copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Karina Halle is a former travel writer and rock music journalist and the USA TODAY bestselling author of Love, in English, The Artists Trilogy, Experiment in Terror and other wild and romantic reads. She lives in a 1920’s farmhouse on a bucolic island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails, and devours a lot of books.
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