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Title: Close to You
Author: Kara Isaac
Series: Standalone
Genre: Contemporary
Audience: Adult
ABOUT THE BOOK
A disgraced scholar running from her past and an entrepreneur chasing his future find themselves thrown together—and fall in love—on a Tolkien tour of New Zealand.
Allison Shire (yes, like where the Hobbits live) is a disgraced academic who is done with love. Her belief in “happily ever after” ended the day she discovered her husband was still married to a wife she knew nothing about. She finally finds a use for her English degree by guiding tours through the famous sites featured in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies. By living life on the road and traveling New Zealand as a luxury tour guide, Allison manages to outrun the pain of her past she can’t face.
Jackson Gregory was on the cusp of making it big. Then suddenly his girlfriend left him—for his biggest business competitor—and took his most guarded commercial secrets with her. To make matters worse, the Iowa farm that has been in his family for generations is facing foreclosure. Determined to save his parents from financial ruin, he’ll do whatever it takes to convince his wealthy great-uncle to invest in his next scheme, which means accompanying him to the bottom of the world to spend three weeks pretending to be a die-hard Lord of the Rings fan, even though he knows nothing about the stories. The one thing that stands between him and his goal is a know-it-all tour guide who can’t stand him and pegged him as a fake the moment he walked off the plane.
When Allison leads the group through the famous sites of the Tolkien movies, she and Jackson start to see each other differently, and as they keep getting thrown together on the tour, they find themselves drawn to each other. Neither expected to fall in love again, but can they find a way beyond their regrets to take a chance on the one thing they’re not looking for?
Allison Shire (yes, like where the Hobbits live) is a disgraced academic who is done with love. Her belief in “happily ever after” ended the day she discovered her husband was still married to a wife she knew nothing about. She finally finds a use for her English degree by guiding tours through the famous sites featured in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies. By living life on the road and traveling New Zealand as a luxury tour guide, Allison manages to outrun the pain of her past she can’t face.
Jackson Gregory was on the cusp of making it big. Then suddenly his girlfriend left him—for his biggest business competitor—and took his most guarded commercial secrets with her. To make matters worse, the Iowa farm that has been in his family for generations is facing foreclosure. Determined to save his parents from financial ruin, he’ll do whatever it takes to convince his wealthy great-uncle to invest in his next scheme, which means accompanying him to the bottom of the world to spend three weeks pretending to be a die-hard Lord of the Rings fan, even though he knows nothing about the stories. The one thing that stands between him and his goal is a know-it-all tour guide who can’t stand him and pegged him as a fake the moment he walked off the plane.
When Allison leads the group through the famous sites of the Tolkien movies, she and Jackson start to see each other differently, and as they keep getting thrown together on the tour, they find themselves drawn to each other. Neither expected to fall in love again, but can they find a way beyond their regrets to take a chance on the one thing they’re not looking for?
~ MY REVIEW ~
**3.5 stars**
Close to You by Kara Isaac wasn't exactly what I expected. (I was thinking it was YA, when it is, in fact, about two adults.) But I still enjoyed! It was fun, quirky, and filled with details about J.R.R. Tolkien and Middle-Earth. Also included, were faith matters and some deep struggles.
A novel about a used-to-be Tolkien fan who's now a guide in a Tolkien tour, with a client who doesn't know the least bit about this author and his famous fantasy books, is a novel that cries out for me to open it! Allison Shire and Jackson Gregory don't have much in common, unless you count their betrayed hearts and shattered futures. When they are thrown together in a Tolkien-esque part of New Zealand for a few weeks, things are about to get exciting ... and complicated.
It was an interesting and fun journey. From the first page, you're pulled into this contemporary, yet intriguing, setting. And there's plenty of action and humorous moments.
I did have a couple complaints. One, I would liked to have seen Allie's faith grow more. Two, there were a couple incidents that bordered on inappropriate. Nothing obscene, but I just felt some characters weren't exactly living out their Christian walk with all purity.
But, overall, it was quite real. There was character growth. Things developed slowly. Even the romance, (though when you count the actual days they were together was rather fast,) felt like it took time to happen. There was no immediate kissing and declarations of love. The characters held themselves back from certain actions - knowing deep down the time wasn't right. I really appreciated that. Past immorality was confronted. Wrong choices weren't excused. So even though some of the themes felt a little edgy compared to what I usually read, everything was dealt with. Right choices were made. Characters decided to wait on God. There was a lovely bit of faith that echoed through Close to You.
One of my favorite aspects of Close to You was the Tolkien theme. Hobbits, elves, dwarves, and orcs! I learned new tidbits about J.R.R. Tolkien and The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books/movies. And even The Silmarillion! It was all so fun and delightful and interesting. I felt like watching all the movies over while reading this book! And though old books intimidate me, I think I must give at least The Hobbit a try. So that was really cool. Great job, Kara Isaac!
Now I'm so excited about picking up a copy of Can't Help Falling! I'm ready for a Chronicles of Narnia-esque contemporary novel from Kara Isaac! *grins*
A novel about a used-to-be Tolkien fan who's now a guide in a Tolkien tour, with a client who doesn't know the least bit about this author and his famous fantasy books, is a novel that cries out for me to open it! Allison Shire and Jackson Gregory don't have much in common, unless you count their betrayed hearts and shattered futures. When they are thrown together in a Tolkien-esque part of New Zealand for a few weeks, things are about to get exciting ... and complicated.
It was an interesting and fun journey. From the first page, you're pulled into this contemporary, yet intriguing, setting. And there's plenty of action and humorous moments.
I did have a couple complaints. One, I would liked to have seen Allie's faith grow more. Two, there were a couple incidents that bordered on inappropriate. Nothing obscene, but I just felt some characters weren't exactly living out their Christian walk with all purity.
But, overall, it was quite real. There was character growth. Things developed slowly. Even the romance, (though when you count the actual days they were together was rather fast,) felt like it took time to happen. There was no immediate kissing and declarations of love. The characters held themselves back from certain actions - knowing deep down the time wasn't right. I really appreciated that. Past immorality was confronted. Wrong choices weren't excused. So even though some of the themes felt a little edgy compared to what I usually read, everything was dealt with. Right choices were made. Characters decided to wait on God. There was a lovely bit of faith that echoed through Close to You.
One of my favorite aspects of Close to You was the Tolkien theme. Hobbits, elves, dwarves, and orcs! I learned new tidbits about J.R.R. Tolkien and The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books/movies. And even The Silmarillion! It was all so fun and delightful and interesting. I felt like watching all the movies over while reading this book! And though old books intimidate me, I think I must give at least The Hobbit a try. So that was really cool. Great job, Kara Isaac!
Now I'm so excited about picking up a copy of Can't Help Falling! I'm ready for a Chronicles of Narnia-esque contemporary novel from Kara Isaac! *grins*
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