The Closer You Come

The Original Heartbreakers, Book 1

By: Gena Showalter

Narrated by: Savannah Richards

Length: 13 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best-selling author Gena Showalter introduces the Original Heartbreakers, where three not-quite-reformed bad boys are about to meet the women who will bring them to their knees.

Just released from prison, Jase Hollister has only one goal: Stay out of trouble. Strawberry Valley, Oklahoma, sounds like the perfect place for him and his two brothers-by-circumstance to settle down and live a nice, simple life. Model citizen isn't exactly this rugged bachelor's default setting - especially when it comes to a certain hot-blooded Southern beauty - but he's determined to play by the rules.

Brook Lynn Dillon has always been the responsible type. Not that it's done her much good. The down-on-her-luck waitress is broke, single, and wouldn't know fun if it bit her. Or so she thinks. Jase makes bad look oh, so good.

Dangerous, sexy and tempting as sin, he is everything she never knew she wanted. Passion sizzles between them, but is it enough to melt his resistance? After all, the right kind of trouble might be just what he needs...

©2015 Gena Showalter (P)2015 Recorded Books

Wow, so exhilarating!

Okay, I have to confess this is my 2nd time around on this series, and I must say it is my FAVORITE series to date that Gena has done, I really wish she would write more romance series like this one.

I love the relationship of the three boys, West, Beck and Jase! i also liked (not loved) the relationship of the women, Brooklyn was too FICKLE for me and I became annoyed with her numerous times throughout the book. However, when she finally made up her mind, she became more likeable to me.

I am on to book 2!

I also have to give a shout out to Savannah Richards, she did an amazing job bringing this story to life with the perfect tone in voices for the men and women. Wow, Savannah and Gena are top notch in their craft, thats for sure!!

Gena, I need another series like this one, PLEASE!!

Expected

Would you consider the audio edition of The Closer You Come to be better than the print version?

I listened to Audible all the time and I thought this was very good I was wonderful and the price was fabulous

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Closer You Come?

A lot of movement or memorable it unexpected

Which scene was your favorite?

When they film

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes it was

annoying heroine.

Great storyline!! But that broken girl code was just an absolute dealbreaker. Aside of that, there were no qualities in that heroine that made her likable.

Narration saved this from becoming a dnf!

EASY FLOWING COMPELLING CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Three sexy bad boys, brothers by circumstances, with a dark history in their pasts, move into Strawberry Valley in the hopes of starting fresh and putting the past behind them. They're all rich, handsome and charismatic - West and Beck are the 'love em once' type while the tattooed, hard-hearted and very alpha Jase has a very tortured past which doesn't make him a player like his two friends - he's been through Hell and now just wants an easy life. But, when they have a party at their house and a girl throws herself at him what's a guy to do.

Brook Lynn is a hard working beautiful blonde with a spitfire personality who has had to look out for her younger sister Jessie because they were left without parents then used and abandoned by their Uncle which has made them strong, independent but broke. Jessie is a good time girl and Brook Lynn is always having to rescue her from bars, beds and the arms of men which is how she meets Jase.... when she has to drag Jessie's reluctant ass out of his bed. Jase is intrigued and attracted to Brook Lynn and she's noticed his abs, his tats, his body and his handsome face but she is just angry at the same old situation with her carefree sister. But when her circumstances change the outlook is bleak...... until drool-worthy Jase makes her a job offer too good to refuse.

They've got chemistry with eager sly looks at each other and there's witty banter, lust-filled temptation and passionate kisses. But there's secrets from Jase's dark history which could threaten everything like it has done before and there's a bit of angst and drama from a person with a deadly agenda. When Jase and Brook Lynn happily manipulate each other into taking their relationship to the next level it results in some needy, greedy, sexy love scenes because their need for each other becomes all consuming. It's a fun, romantic, contemporary listen with well developed characters and you really feel the close friendship between the guys and the love between Brook Lynn, her sister and her best friend. With a few other likeable characters thrown into the mix and a big OMG shock towards the end which could threaten everything made this a very enjoyable listen.

With a credit? Great start to Gina's new series that's fiery, funny, romantic, sexy, heartbreaking and poignant, told from dual POV's and the narrator did a great job at all the voices, the emotions and the passionate love scenes. So yes creditworthy and I'm looking forward to the next Heartbreaker who will meet his match.

Sizzling

Love this series. Keeps the listener entranced through out the whole book can’t wait to hear the next one! Definite must listen

Awesome Book! Awesome Performance!

Kept me enthralled to the very end. Preformance couldn't have been better. Will listen again.

Savannah Richards narration is Orgasmic!

I chose this book based on the narrators performance in Insidious. Ms. Richards is spot on! Story line is good. Loved it.

Great book

loved the story narration excellent can't wait for next book gonna get started now on it!

A rating overall...

My Review:
Overall.... 4.5
Performance... 4.25
Story.... 4.5

This is the first in a trio of books, each featuring a different hero. I love the premise behind the friendship between these three guys. When they were eighteen, a girl they all loved (one of the guys was her boyfriend, the other two considered her as a sister) was raped at a party. They beat up the guy that did it and that beating killed him. One of the men, Jase, took the fall for all three. The other two had promising futures. He didn't. There was no reason for them all to lose their future. So Jase went to prison for 9 years at the age of 18. He was young and scrawny and the things that you would expect to happen to a kid like that in prison happened to him, until he bulked up and learned how to protect himself. His is a heartbreaking story....but none of these guys came out of this unscathed. The other two are so guilt-ridden over it all, they are more than a little broken, too. But the three are the best of friends and decided with Jase's release that it was time for a new start in Strawberry Valley, Oklahoma.

Jase is a big, muscled, tattooed, scary dude that looks like someone who spent the last decade in prison. He has a cold, harsh edge to him that's more than a little intimidating to most people. But Brook Lynn is not anyone's pushover. She stands up to him, challenging him at every turn and he soon finds himself enamored.

They meet when Brook Lynn shows up to drag her sister out of his bed. Yep, you read that right. The two of them first meet just after he had sex with her sister. Can we say conflict? Yeah, there's that. And as the two of them get closer (something they both fight hard), every time she thinks about him with her sister, I want to just cry for her.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I love how big and tough Jase is, but how gentle he is with Brook Lynn and even eventually with her sister, Jessie Kay. This was a fabulous start to this series. All of the characters within it are so broken. All of them are introduced in this first book, but with that being said...any one of these books can EASILY be read as a stand alone. It's a great series. (As I'm writing this review, I already listened to book #2 and am starting with book #3...nice thing about reading them late is that I can devour the series in back to back readings...well, listens in this case.)

I highly recommend this first book and the entire series.

Note: Overall, I really enjoy this narrator, but she doesn't have much differences between her men's voices. It's okay though because of Gena Showalter's writing...she's always good about identifying who is speaking when the guys are all together. So, although it's a detractor against the narrator overall, the books are definitely good enough that it's not a detractor against the audiobook at all.

Movie Potential!!!

Make this a movie!!! Great story, amazing characters and hot love scenes. will recommend this book to all my friends...