Title: Closer
Author: M.C. Vann
Publisher: Self Published
Date of publication: July 17th, 2017
Genre: Romance
Number of pages: 393
POV: 1st person
Series: Closer
Closer – Book 1
Forever – Book 2 (expected publication date: Fall 2017)
Together – Book 3 (expected publication date: 2018)
Where you can find Closer: Amazon
Book synopsis (from Goodreads):
When Alexandria Summers (Ally) bumps into Henry Pearce during the Sunny Valley Tulip Festival, she never thought she’d see him again in her hometown, the Windy City. Despite several warnings telling her to stay away, Ally finds herself falling deeper for this strange man. But little did she know, their fated encounter is just the beginning of a larger scheme.
This beautiful man was flawed.
He was real … real in a sense that he was human after all.
Fragile. Pitiful. Lonely.
Henry was all of these things — elements that I never could imagine him having.
The more I got to know Henry, the more I realized how much of a mystery he was.
A dark, but beautiful mystery.
*** Trigger Warning: Intended for audiences 18 and older. Contains situations some readers might find objectionable. Ends on a cliffhanger.
*** Book 1 of the Closer Trilogy, a Dark Romance
Trigger Warning: domestic violence
My review:
I like dark romance. What I like even better than dark romance, is a dark romance that is written right. A book that draws you in and makes you go “What the heck did I read.” That is exactly what Closer did for me. When I was done reading the book, I felt that I had been through the wringer. Believe me, it’s a good thing that I felt that way. I haven’t gotten that into a book in a while.
Closer’s plot seemed to be simple. Ally is on vacation with her friends when Henry walks into her. What happens after seems to be something out of a fairytale. Ally cannot believe that Henry is interested in her. She does have some reservations about how fast the relationship is moving. But Henry sweeps them aside. He maintains his mystery status until the night of their wedding. That is when a huge twist is revealed. That huge twist took me by surprise. It knocked me for a loop because I did not see it coming. The simple plot became twisted with one shocking revelation after another.
Closer doesn’t seem like it will fit into the dark romance genre when you first start reading it. It actually seems like it is a regular romance. But like I said above, the twist is what changes everything. After that twist, the romance becomes completely dark.
Ally drove me nuts during the first half of the book. She was so indecisive that I wanted to shake her and yell “Make a decision, will you“. Her feelings for Henry were part of that indecisiveness. She wanted him. Then she didn’t want him. Then she got mad because he wasn’t texting her. Drove. Me. Crazy. The song “I Hate You/I Love You” reminded me of their relationship.
Ally earned my pity after they got married. I was a little perturbed that she didn’t know key details about certain important and key events. I also couldn’t believe that she (or her sister or brother) didn’t have any clue who Henry was. That one detail blew my mind. But it didn’t excuse Henry’s behavior to her. Nope, it didn’t.
I loved Henry, at first. He was so suave and debonair. He also seemed to like Ally and seemed to fall head over heels for her. My love for him turned to disbelief and horror when he revealed to Ally why he married her. I had a “What the hell” moment. I was as crushed and confused as Ally was. I did dislike him for a while in the book. That was until he explained why he was doing what he was doing to her. Then, believe it or not, I felt bad for him. But there is more going on and you need to read the book to find out what it is!!
The sex scene didn’t do it for me. I couldn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to because of what was going on at the time. Not that it wasn’t good, it was. I couldn’t get into it knowing why Henry was treating Ally the way he did.
The end of the book was a surprise for me. I wasn’t ready for the last bombshell that Henry dropped on Ally. But, I also wasn’t ready for Ally’s bombshell. I can’t wait to see what is going to happen in book 2!!
4 stars
My Summary of Closer:
Closer is a dark romance that will have you alternately crying and raging at the book. I can’t even begin to describe how I felt while reading this book because my emotions ran the gauntlet. I wouldn’t recommend this book for anyone under the age of 18, though. There are some scenes, later in the book, that is more suited for mature readers.
Will I reread: Yes
Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes
Age range: Adult
Why: Sex, violence, and language
I would like to thank M.C. Vann and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Closer
All opinions expressed in this review of Closer are mine and I was not compensated in any way for this review.
**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**
