Review: The Closer You Come by Gena Showalter (Original Heartbreakers #1)
Jase Hollister hasn't had an easy life and after spending nine years in prison, he simply wants to put down roots and have some peace and quiet. Unfortunately, the darkness that haunts him is still very much there, preventing him from truly developing friendships or relationships with other people. The only family he has are the two men he met when they were all in foster care as children--Lincoln West and Beck Ockley. When he sleeps with Jessie Kay Hollis and regrets it right after, he doesn't expect to meet her younger sister and to be immediately drawn to the beautiful spitfire who's unafraid to back down from anyone.
Brook Lynn Hollis' had a good life until her parents passed away when she and her sister Jessie Kay were teenagers. Since then, the two have had to fend for themselves, trying to make it through each month by holding down the numerous jobs they have. Between the two of them, Brook Lynn is the more responsible one, and when her sister fails to show up for work yet again and they both end up getting fired, she decides it's time to confront her sister. Hunting her down leads her to the Glass House, the residence where the town's three new bachelor residents live, including the dark and brooding man her sister just slept with.
Jase isn't the type to become involved with any woman and the one girl he loved was someone he walked away from him when he was sent to prison. But the light that Brook Lynn brings with her appears to be something he craves, pushing back the darkness that envelops him. When he hires her to become his assistant, he doesn't fully understand why, but her constant nearness makes him want to be even closer to her. The more time they spend together, the more their feelings deepen, but will Jase lose Brook Lynn when he's finally ready to reveal to her his past and when remnants of it make their way into the present?
The Closer You Come is the first full-length book and the second release in The Original Heartbreakers series by Gena Showalter. This can be read as a standalone, though, as a firm believer in reading books in order when they're part of a series, I do suggest you check out the prequel and then proceed with this one. The main characters from the prequel do make numerous appearances here, so reading about them in the novella will prevent you from wondering who they are and what their love story was all about. Of course, you don't have to, if you don't want to. The reading order thing may just be a bookaholic quirk on my part.
I really liked Brook Lynn and Jase, especially because they initially seemed to be such opposites but they did have certain things in common and they brought a balance of sorts in each other's lives. Brook Lynn was a strong lead female character, one that was smart and sassy but also funny and protective of those she cared about. Jase tried to come off as cold and detached but the pain and hardship the man went through made him such a sensitive lead male character and one who desperately needed to have some good in his life in the form of a partner, not that he didn't have loving and loyal friends in Beck and West.
This book did have its surprises in terms of it going in directions I didn't expect it. That kept it fresh and original, something I always appreciate in the books I read. Also, while the prequel was okay, this one went beyond my expectations, making it an overall enjoyable story to read. While Jase and Brook Lynn's story truly was the star of the book, the other characters, namely West, Beck, and Jessie Kay, are able to also grab your attention and make you want to find out what's in store for them when their time comes. I was able to read The Closer You Come in one sitting and I look forward to the rest of the series. 4.5 stars! ♥
Release Date: 31 March 2015
Date read: 31 March 2015
Learn more about author Gena Showalter here.
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