Closer

Contemporary Billionaire Romance Novel

By: Aria Hawthorne

Narrated by: Emma White

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 be the 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?

When 28-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. 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 5000 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...

©2015 Aria Hawthorne (P)2017 Aria Hawthorne

Unique twist!!

I listened to the audible version of this book. I enjoyed Inez and Sven's story. I thought it was a unique twist to the usual Billionaire stories. I really got a kick out of Inez's grandmother!! She's hilarious!! Loved how the book ended!
The narrator did a good job. I was a little thrown off by the narrator's accent at first but once she got into the story and all the other characters come into play it all seemed to come together. This is my first book by Aria Hawthorne and I will definitely read more by this author.

Great narrator

What does Emma White bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Emma White did a great job with the accents and different characters in the story. It was a smooth transition between each of them.

love the story

the story line was awesome! the characters were fun to love or hate. the narrator was not my favorite. if I had to stop the book it would take me time to get back in the roll of the story. I try not to complain about a narrator because we all like different voices but this one almost made me walk away from the book in the first chapter. I'm glad I didn't give up on it but I will avoid other books read by her. I want to be nanna when I grow up.

Great Romance Story

The narrator was awful!!. It really destroyed it . It sounded as if a robot was read it.

I am hoping for a redo on the reading of this book

The story is captivating, I was excited to find an audible version after I read the book. Much to my dismay, the chosen narrator was horrifying. It made for a screeching monotone and a huge let down for such an interesting book. Please, please do this book over with a better narrator. Emma White ruined it.

Great story but..

I loved the story but the accent from the woman reading the story was awful.

a breathtakingly unconventional and heart-stopping

What did you love best about Closer?

Closer is a breathtakingly unconventional and heart-stoppingly sensational journey of the constant struggle between pride and trust. No struggle is more vicious and yet no reward greater then when you can rest one aside for the sake of the other. Only truth and love can crush through the insurmountable steel walls of pride in order to envelop and permeate a person with the pleasure and joy of truly trusting another person. The most terrifying and yet the most satisfying gift that you can give another person is one that must be earned with blood, sweat, and tears. It’s not easy and yet it will change your life without question. It is worthy of giving if the other is one who treasures and honors it in every possible way.

Also, I loved the narrator and her ability to brings these wonderfully complex characters to life. She had a wonderfully entertaining knack for performing each of them with heart and depth that made me want to know all I could about each one.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters that you meet along this wonderfully heart wrenching journey are some of the most complex and yet incredible examples of a wonderfully talented and beautifully loving author. The exquisite care of the creation and transformation that happens before your eyes will take your breath away, and have you longing for so much more of their story. Nothing is truly impossible if we have a heart that listens and guides us throughout the dark corners and grey stormy days of life. While no life is perfect. We can choose to love perfectly, build carefully, and restore at every turn.

What does Emma White bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Emma White is a very versatile narrator that brought a very special quality to this reading. She made each character so very special and unique. I never wanted to stop listening to her performance. Her special skills brought a wonderful life and light to this brilliant storyline.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Aria Hawthorne weaves a stunning story of courage, determination, and heart that will overtake all of your senses. You will lose yourself to the incredible depth and breathe of this fabulous world whose characters will steal your heart and wisk you off your feet. Don’t be afraid to feel and to imagine the things you want to claim, achieve, and unravel. Sometimes our very hopes and dreams can take form before our very eyes if we take the chance to do what we never would have normally dared to do. Never stop dreaming, never stop loving, and never stop hoping.

Well Done!

Loved the narrator and her accents. A really great story I totally immersed myself into. Exciting and entertaining love story.

REALLY Enjoyed the Storyline and Narration!

This is my first book of Aria Hawthorne and first audiobook of Emma White so I did not know what to expect from the storyline and how the narrator would do with all the different voices. But I thought this was a really good story and narration. I loved the banter between Sven and Inez and she was just a really strong heroine, which i love! I hated Hans and Celeste and Elliott, i wanted to reach into the book and strangle them but that's what made you invested in the book! I LOVED Inez's grandma, she was a hoot! The narrator did a really good job with all the voices and I loved that she read the non-dialogue parts with an accent! This was a really enjoyable book!

Who Knew Blind Danish Billionaires Were So Sexy?

(I received an Audible credit so that I could listen to the book and give it an honest review)

So... I loved the story - if you've been reading my reviews lately, you'll notice that I have quite the thing for damaged characters (because aren't we all damaged in our own ways?) and this book featured two beautifully damaged characters. It's hard to say how so without giving away spoilers, but I fell hard for Inez -her strength, her sass, and her courage. And while Sven was quite the a$$hole to start, once we got to know more about him, it was totally understandable. I really appreciated that they didn't just jump into bed with each other, it made it that much more gratifying when it actually happened.

As far as the narration, hmmm.... I thought the voice talent did a good job with giving each character a distinct accent and voice, but I found her actual accent (the one used for the narration) to be slightly awkward and indiscernible. I actually chose to listen to it at 1.25x speed as opposed to regular speed and that helped. But I really did enjoy the story itself and listened to it twice!