Thank you Victory Editing and NetGalley for the ARC, this review is my personal, unbiased opinion.

Claire left Boston and travelled to New Zealand in an attempt to put a distance from and escape her determined stalker. Her plan is to stay a year on a temporary worker's visa and manages to find a job as a bartender in Wellington. A few nights into her new job, a very drunk rugby player tries to go behind the bar to serve himself and his friends. Claire stops him. He insists. She again denies him entry. They argue. He shouts that he's the boss and fires her. The woman who employed Claire is Tane's sister, Nina, brother and sister are partners in the pub, so Kane is her boss. The next morning Tane can't remember what happened but apologises and from then on they avoid each other.

A few weeks later Nina suggests that Tane invites Claire to a family wedding pretending she's his girlfriend. After Nina convinces them that if Kane shows up with a girlfriend it will stop their mother from matchmaking him with a distant cousin, they reluctantly agree. The trip will be a chance for Claire to see Auckland and Nina thinks it'll be fun. Famous last words.

Perfect escapist reading for a dreary afternoon.

The story
Claire is a bartender who has moved across the globe to escape a stalker, Devon. Coming from Boston, her sister Iris helped her financially to get a visa that allows her to stay and work in New Zealand. She has found a job working for Nina in her bar, and is staying in a youth hostel. But the night when she meets Nina’s brother Tane, co-owner of the bar, it’s the opposite of a “meet cute”. Will she keep her job?

My thoughts
I adore this series! This is third book of Liz Alden’s that I have read and I feel like I am armchair traveling with her characters. I appreciated this tiny cameo appearance by Lila and Mia from two previous books, but this one is definitely a standalone read. Claire is tough without being hard, unafraid to say what she wants and needs, and is caring of Tane’s heart. She introduces Tane’s Māori culture to the reader, in a way that is respectful. I so enjoyed reading this lovely story! ❤️

This is the first book I’ve read by Liz Alden, thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy. I thought the book blurb sounded good and I am happy to report that this book is very entertaining and I enjoyed it. I agree with the other reviewer that said it isn’t exactly believable, but I’m happy to suspend reality for a well written book. Claire is an extremely likable female lead and I did really enjoy her entire storyline. While this book does have a stalker included, it isn’t the main storyline and the book would have been just as strong without it. Our male lead is Tane and while he is a jerk at the beginning of the book he is by far not the biggest jerk Hero I’ve ended up enjoying in the end. Very good book. Looking forward to more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author Liz Alden for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Claire leaves Boston to escape a past that keeps following her, and finds herself working temporarily in New Zealand. Enter Tane, an ex-rugby player who doesn't know his limits, but who has unlimited good looks. He might not be right, but when a wedding comes up that has Claire posing as his girlfriend, she asks herself, could this be so wrong?

I am so excited to have reached a point where I am pre-approved for Liz Alden's books! This is the third novel of hers that I've read and enjoyed. I like that even though the main focus is the romance, the supporting characters aren't "background" but rather wrapped into the story. Claire and Tane's sisters, Iris and Claire, really added to this. Is it completely realistic? Well, maybe not. However, this is romance, and everyone loves a happy ending.

A quick, easy and fun read that was well written, had a great storyline and well developed and relatable characters. It was funny, it was romantic, it had the fake dating trope and it was light-hearted. A great read.

3.5 stars. This was a wonderful travel romance. I enjoyed the interactions between Tane and Claire. He's a bit of grump and she's a take no crap. When they first meet there's a bit of a miscommunication and a rocky start. But, meddling siblings and fake dates force these two together and sparks fly. I enjoyed this romp through New Zealand and will look forward to any more books in this series.

I enjoyed this romance a lot more than I expected. I loved the Maui culture wrapped in the storyline. Darcy and Tane were hot and heavy after a pretty weird first meeting. They are instantly attracted.
I wasn't too happy that the cover was completely accurate - some slight things are missing. I loved that there wasn't too much drama between Tane and Darcy once they realized they wanted to be together.

The backstories were pretty simple and explained pretty well. I enjoyed the spicy scene as well. Hot as expected

I had a great time reading this one - I would read more in this series for sure

I LOVED THIS BOOK! The story was different then what I was expecting, it has some serious topics brought up like alcoholism and stalking. The characters are relatable, and you can easily fall in love with them. Read this book! Its a solid 4/5 for me and guys there is spice !

It’s an interesting enough story of a woman escaping a stalker by moving half way across the world, and working for a former rugby player who’s facing his own demons. I enjoyed the overall storyline but can’t give it full marks as I didn’t appreciate the graphic sex scenes, I feel it would’ve been better if they’d just been alluded to as it spoilt the flow of the story

I’ve read past works of the author, and I think it’s just not for me. The story was okay, but I didn’t want pick it up once started, I wasn’t engaged to it.

I’m not going to lie, what pulled me in was the cover and the title. Then I read the description and it’s like The Player in New Zealand was written for me. Bartender main character, all my favorite tropes, and a hot rugby player?! Sign me up.

Liz Alden did an excellent job with giving the reader a feel for the magic of New Zealand through Claire’s experiences. The characters are easy to love and have distinct personalities to make them stand out. I personally loved Nina. There were moments when I had to stop and laugh for a second because of the dialogue, and that doesn’t often happen for me.

All in all, I throughly enjoyed reading The Player in New Zealand and would recommend it to others. Thank you so much for the opportunity!