Welcome to Paradise

By: Rosalind James

Narrated by: Emma Taylor

Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

By the best-selling author of the Escape to New Zealand series. They're going to party like it's 1885.

Mira Walker is hoping that competing on a "living history" reality show will give her what's missing from her real life. Maybe she'll get closer to her boyfriend, who hasn't been all that nice to her lately. Get fired up about her job again. Who knows, she might even win a million dollars. Gabe Kincaid and his brother, Alec, are after that million, too, though. Mira and Scott are no threat at all, not when everybody involved is going to want to kill Scott after the first day. And there's no bond stronger than a twin's. What could possibly go wrong?

Note: Despite the TV cameras, things do heat up a bit in the Idaho summer. If you prefer your audio to remain unwarmed, this may not be the audiobook for you.

©2013 Rosalind James (P)2015 Audible Inc.

Very Good Story - Reality TV done well

Welcome to Paradise, for me, is the best in the series. I have listened to the book a couple of times now. Good story and very good narration. Emma Taylor is one of my favorites. The story and the narration makes you want to listen to the other books in the series, which I have.

Cute

Good fun summer read. Narrator was good too. Not great but did a nice job. I am downloading the other books in the series.

Hard work, competition, and romance all in one

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.
A reality show, really? Not something that has ever interested me and I did find it a bit daunting at first, keeping all the characters straight, as some sounded pretty much the same. Mira was intriguing from the beginning, with the glimpses into her family and relationship explaining alot about her situation. The anticipation that built up as I watched her face the challenges, not only in the show, but in herself, kept me wanting more. And the men on her team were such a wonderful counterpoint to her journey of self discovery, each playing a significant role in that journey. Gabe, of course, being pivotal in finding her true fulfillment

Just shy of the fence

I can see how giving a voice to that many characters could be a challenge, but I've heard some narrators (best example Susan Ericksen) do 10 to 12 very distinctive voices naturally and smoothly. In my opinion Emma Taylor had a problem trying to accomplish that and putting some heat into the more passionate scenes which sounded awkward and unsexy.

As for the story, I've read all of Rosalind James' NZ series and enjoyed most of them thoroughly, but in this case it felt like too little of too much. The concept of the reality show was interesting, however we dove into that world really fast without much prior development of the main characters which made them, especially Mira, very inconsistent. I can see a woman not having a lot of options and being so insecure, dependent and afraid she stays with a man like Scott. The way Mira is portrayed from the start, a professional woman from an upper-middle class family, does not make her being with such an asshole believable at all. I have no doubt having an anti hero helps, but you don't need to go that far to make someone dislikable unless you're willing to build a credible story around it. Rosalind James is a good writer but I really felt she introduced too many things and thus lost her focus and some of my interest.

A Very Engaging Listen!

This was a great story to listen to and from work! The narrators were engaging, and I love this story! It is the first of the Kincaid series, and takes place during a taping of a reality show in Idaho. Yes, Idaho. As a Pacific Norwesterner, I appreciate a good story from this corner of the states. The story is one of my favorites, and you won't be disappointed.

Paradise

Excellent read. Would recommend Looking forward to reading more books in the series. Also other Rosalind James audio books

"Partying Like It's 1885!" AND IT'S SO MUCH FUN!

Well, now ... I’ve tried watching reality shows on TV ... really, I have. Don’t like them. Period. However, Rosalind James is one of my favorite authors, so I thought I would give this book a try. Didn’t like it. Nope ... I LOVED it. I will admit that at first I got a little bit confused about who was who and who belonged with what other character, but once you got into the story, everything came together. (There is a list at the front of the ebook with all the characters and a bit about them, and that helped too. Go buy that first!)

You can get the synopsis of the story here and elsewhere, so I won’t get into that. I will say that I loved the burgeoning love interest between Myra and Gabe. Oh, Gabe! Can I have a Gabe? Ms. James writes such wonderful, upstanding heroes. They aren’t cookie-cutter and they are believable ... I guess that’s what makes them so wonderful. And her heroines, too. Just like real people and so relatable.

There were lots of characters to deal with, as I mentioned, but they were definitely NOT 2-dimensional, cookie-cutter characters. Each and every one of them seems real, with their own personalities and quirks and foibles. From the older gents and ladies (Stanley and Zara were absolute gems!) to the young crowd, every single one was limned perfectly.

I loved all the plotting and scheming; all the gardening, and cooking, and canning and plowing, and ... well, just all of it. I still don’t think I like the TV shows, but when the proceedings are playing out inside my head, it’s a whole different thing. I also learned something, so that’s a plus. (I never thought about using a hair pin to pit cherries. Now, if I could just find somewhere that sells hairpins! Ha!)

I do admit to being a tiny bit disappointed in the narrator, Emma Taylor. (I suspect that it’s just because I am so spoiled with Ms. James’s narrator for her “Escape to New Zealand” series, Claire Bocking. Claire is an _amazing_ narrator.) This reading was just rather lackluster and unemotional in comparison. Not awful, but any means ...just not stellar. I’ve only heard her doing an English accent previously and she’s quite good at that. But, a solid 4-stars from me, for this title.

[“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."]

Not a fan of reality TV, but good anyhow

I found much of this book dull because I'm not a fan of reality TV, and there's a lot of description of the various contestants and the challenges. Once the story developed I was able to get into it and enjoy the action. I like that the author doesn't include long, angst-filled scenes where the feelings are hurt because of misunderstandings.I also love the humor and steam that accompanies her stories. Emma Taylor also does a very good job with the narration. Overall, a very good listen.

Love in Paradise

Any additional comments?

Having read the story of Gabe & Mira, it was nice to hear it narrated. This is the first book I've heard narrated by Emma Taylor. She did the book justice. Mira & her boyfriend Scott join a reality show. From the start, you can tell that their relationship is doomed. Enter Gabe and his twin brother Alex who are also on the show. The chemistry between Gabe & Mira starts out slow and she then begins to realize what a true relationship should be like. There is much excitement in the book and it definitely has it's romantic moments as well. All the characters are very likable, except for Scott. It's a great start to this series. However, I do suggest that listeners/readers continue on with the series as it only gets better!!!

"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."

Very enjoyable ...in spite of "SCOTT"!

Any additional comments?

This was a very enjoyable story when you are to follow the basic working of a relationship on tv unraveling, another one blooming, and just all around craziness on the set of a history channel reality show. Contestants are paired up, divided up, and presented with the challenge of living in a world before technology. Building fences, shucking corn, outhouses too! You have to earn your keep, and earn your house mates respect or if you help to lose a challenge, when the time comes you could be the one voted out!
A know-it-all lawyer & his unappreciated girlfriend, a hot doctor and his really hot twin brother, a young superstar miss-priss diva and her mom, a retired gentle giant and his son, a kayak instructor and her not-too flambouant comedic brother, and a retired couple that could sing your stresses away any day...all shooting for that million dollar prize! I thought this was a fun listen-can't wait for book 2 to hear of Gabes twin Alec and what's truly in store for him!