He’s a hot billionaire losing his sight. She’s a struggling single mom who needs his money. It’s all business until they get so much closer…
When twenty-eight-year-old, woefully unemployed, Inez Sanchez, arrives to her interview with hotter-than-hell billionaire architect, Sven van der Meer–mastermind behind The Spire–she quickly realizes his job proposition isn’t what she was anticipating. … realizes his job proposition isn’t what she was anticipating. He’s hiding a life-changing secret, one that could ruin his career as the most influential architect in the world, and he’s willing to pay her five thousand dollars a day–just to help him keep it. Will she accept his offer to become his “pretend girlfriend” for the next four days in order to ensure the success of the most important week of his life? Or will her sassy flair for independence and smartass sarcasm keep her from submitting to his stern authoritative commands, no matter how sexy his European accent might be? And what will happen when he discovers she’s hiding a secret, too–one that could threaten the stability of their arrangement and prevent her from getting too close to the one man in the world who might be capable of gaining her trust…
Famous Dutch architect, Sven van der Meer, has just completed the greatest achievement of his professional life–the design and construction of The Spire, Chicago’s tallest, most controversial skyscraper. But a shameful secret threatens to destroy his prestigious career–he’s losing his eyesight. Now, he’s run out of time and the only woman qualified to help maintain his charade of invincibility is also the one woman who despises him and The Spire. And he’s fairly certain she’s hiding something as well. Will the fiery, but enchanting Miss Sanchez bethe right woman to play the role of his pretend girlfriend? Or will the temptation of getting too close, too fast jeopardize their business arrangement and the future of his entire career?
Contemporary Billionaire Romance – Steamy love scenes suitable for mature readers; 18+ years- Full-length, stand-alone novel with HEA. Included in the Chicago Billionaires Series Boxed Set!
Please note that all of Ms. Hawthorne’s billionaire romances are stand-alone novels set in Chicago with minor subplots and secondary characters that intersect, but each book can be read and enjoyed in any order.
2015published, both-pov, Chicago, contemporary, m-f-romance, office, read, romance, sex
I was expecting a lot more of this book.
I don’t suppose it is erotic or steamy, the sex scenes are good, but not hot enough for me. Perhaps because I read this recommendation: Suitable for mature readers; 18+ years. I have already read books without this recommendation hotter than this one.
I like Sven and Inez, I could understand Sven bitterness and Inez walls.
All people in Sven’s world are spoiled, selfish and don’t respect the other, so if you are rich you are mean, it was hard to read his universe.
I couldn’t believe they could fall in love in two days, 2 dates, they didn’t have time to talk to each other to get to know each other, they act as a couple and suddenly they are in love, really?
The writer spent two chapters to describing their outfits for a date, and more pages and pages to describe other things, maybe if these pages were with dialogues between them it was easier to believe in this story.
I would wish to know more about her grandmother, his mother, about Luna, about their life together.
A really good book. Enjoyed it. Keeper my hooked and I read late in night, I just couldn’t put it down. Great ending too.
Closer is a steamy romance filled with suspense and secrets that holds your attention until the end.
“When you’ll find your servant is your master”- Sting,
“Devil and the deep blue sea behind me
Vanish in the air you’ll never find me
I will turn your face to alabaster
When you’ll find your servant is your master”- ” Wrapped around Your Finger” – Sting
Reading this book is an absolute refreshing delight and revelation not to mention a toe curling, spine tingling erotic romantic masterpiece!!! I hope to give my ultimate best in this review for you, the potential reader of this book.
This author is a brand new discovery for me by way of a review copy furnished to me. Life is so magical sometimes when something as enthralling as this book is placed before you. Oh…where to begin. (I loved it so much, I bought my own copy.)
Inez, our heroine, is a beautiful, intelligent young woman of substance and character. She is a struggling single new mother taking care of an adorable baby girl and her very lovable grandmother who is blind but feisty and nurturing to both of them. While searching for a job to support the three of them, Inez meets an enigmatic beautiful famous Dutch architect/billionaire who needs a particular type of assistance in projecting a strong and invulnerable appearance during a weeklong round of social engagements. You see, our architect, Sven is blind in one eye which is covered with an eye patch and inexplicably going blind in the other eye. His legacy would be jeopardized should his failing eyesight become public knowledge. For her efforts, Inez would be compensated five thousand dollars a night.
Sven is much like the wounded lion in Aesop’s fable wearing his eye patch over his injured eye like the splinter the lion had in its paw, disagreeable, dismissive, roaring commands…Only Sven’s injury/splinter is more than physical. He is a gorgeous blond Dutchman with obvious physical beauty and strength. He is a genius architect with class and sophistication.
Their first meeting is everything for which the heart of a romance lover yearns. Inez stands on her inner strength, intelligence, wit and sense of self worth butting up against the arrogance, almost deprecating attitude of this genius billionaire whom she senses is so desperately alone and in need of her in the week ahead.
Into this setup, Ms. Hawthorne weaves a dramatic, breathtakingly, achingly romantic tale that captures us, the reader. It seems almost trite for me to expound on this author’s skill of description. But, rarely are we as readers so enamoured by the power of the description of an author’s words are we with this author’s words that insinuate themselves in our mind’s eye and forge an intimacy with us.
Our imagination is captured with the view of the gleaming “Spire” against the night sky from on the lake or the “angels” view of Inez’s beloved city, Chicago. We feel our own heart beat with desire from the blisteringly hot, breath stealing frank erotic scenes sizzling from the words on the page.
Into this captivating narrative our author also weaves
some beautiful references to art which add a lovely richness to this work set in the world of arrogant, often shallow, billionaires and architects.
Having experienced myself temporary blindness, I was completely impressed with this author’s familiar description of the terror Sven felt and how utterly dependent he was on Inez at a crucial point in the novel.
The epiphany Sven had concerning the beautiful but also wounded and enchanting Inez reminds me of the lyrics from the song written by Sting I quoted at the beginning of this review.
Despite this epiphany, and without giving anything away, there is so much drama that follows Sven’s revelation to himself. Drama that enthralls us, charms us and puts us in agony at the very same time.
“And it always started with his hands. His hands…they never failed to remind her of his desire to be closer to her,”- Inez
This gorgeous read will bring us “closer” to that heaven the reader of romance finds for a precious few moments after reading a deliciously sexy and heartbreakingly romantic novel. One click to heaven!
If I could, I would give it a 10* star rating!