Member Reviews
New series to captivate…new book boyfriends to drool over…new romances to warm our hearts. Haven, Montana is the new setting for Jill Sanders new series and as she brings Tyler McGowan and Kristen Howell “Closer To You”.
Tyler McGowan is thrown into running the family’s oil business after his father’s death, a job he takes seriously and to heart, working hard to make sure the legacy becomes strong and rich. And definitely has no plans of selling it to anyone no matter how enticing and beautiful on two legs may be.
Convincing Tyler to sell his business is the means to her goal of getting to the top of the corporate ladder. But she never dreamed that the resistance can be stubborn and damn sexy with alpha tendencies, and she never thought her heart would get entangled in the take over.
As attraction flares, so do the evil forces around Tyler and Kristen, as they seem to be headed into trouble waters. But the tenacious Kristen and a determined Tyler will have to join heart, body and soul to protect what they care for. A very interesting and captivating story of love and intrigue, betrayal and lies, “Closer To You” is a great start to Jill Sander’s new series.
And as always, Jill delivers a story worth reading. The chemistry between Tyler and Kristen is fiery, the equation between the brothers and mother is a treat to read and the suspense and intrigue is strong enough to keep the readers captivated.
Received an ARC from Montlake Romance via NetGalley for an honest review.
For about 75% of Closer to You I was in it and I was invested. I liked Tyler and Kristen and thought they were good together. But there was a lot of other stuff happening in Closer to You as well and near the end I just wanted it to be finished so I could figure out what the hell is happening.
I really enjoyed this book, I love books that have a strong family feel to them, this one also had the perfect blend of drama and suspense, and it had a well developed plot and strong characters to pull it off.
This was my first book by Jill Sanders and it won’t be my last! I look forward to more of this series and plan on digging into some of her others in the meantime!
The three McGowan brothers, Tyler, Trent and Trey inherited equal shares in their father's business, McGowan Enterprises in Haven, Montana. Tyler, as the oldest was named head of the company and with reluctance he returned home from the city.
Kristen Howell works for JB Holdings and she has been sent to Montana by her boss to persuade the McGowan brothers to sell their company to JB Holdings. A city girl with Gucci luggage and Jimmy Choo shoes, she is like a fish out of water in small town Montana. But there is an attraction between her and Tyler which only grows as her boss insists she stays in Haven until she gets the brothers to sign, even if it means digging up dirt.
There's bad blood between the McGowan brothers and their Uncle Carl, between the McGowan brothers and their secretary Rea's son Brian and between McGowan Enterprises and the protesters who have set up camp protesting the oil fields and the oil pipelines owned by McGowan Enterprises.
Writing this review there are a lot of things going on in this book: the mystery of why JB Holdings wants to buy McGowan Enterprises so desperately; the mystery of who is behind the sabotage on site; the mystery of who trashes Kristen's room at the hotel; the mystery behind the unpaid invoices; even the mystery of who is behind the kidnapping. And yet, the overwhelming impression I was left with was of a book which sagged in the middle with scene after scene of fairly greige sex, I just skipped pages and pages of same-same looking for a story. In fact I don't believe that some of these plots were ever tied up properly, as if the author just threw them in for a bit of mystery but couldn't be bothered to make up a real motive. Frankly the 'baddies' were such cardboard cutouts that I couldn't really tell them apart.
I felt that this book suffered from a genre crisis, it had too many plots for a small town romance but not enough plot development for a mystery romance.
Overall, it was okay, I didn't hate it and I would probably read Trent and Tyler's books (I expect Trent will have been in love with Addy, one of the protesters, since they were at school) but it didn't make me want to go and look up Jill Sanders' previous books.
Tyler McGowan and his two brothers are running the families oil business since their father passed, and have found that he along with his brothers are doing a fine job at it. Kristen Howell has been sent to Montana by her firm to convince Tyler and his family to sell their business. Right from the start she is not used to the Montana winters and when Tyler picks her up and carriers her to his truck she does not understand the feelings she is having at that moment. There is an attraction between them but do they want to start something when she is going to be heading back to New York. Also someone wrecks the office of the McGowan’s, and then goes after the hotel room that Kristen is staying in. she is also questioning her reasons for being with the company she is with and if it is all worth it. The scenes between Tyler and Kristen are very passionate and keep the story moving along. Also all of the supporting characters help with the story as well. My only down on the book is that some of the things that happened in the story, accidents, break-ins and such are never explained. That is my only negative, but the characters and the rest of the story are good and it flows along nicely. Overall a good book
Closer to You is the first book in A Haven, Montana series. Tyler decides to settle down as he takes over for his father, running the family's oil business. Kristen is a city girl, and when she goes to small-town Haven, she is determined to convince Tyler to sell. The sparks fly between them. Is there any possibility of these two having a meeting of the minds? Will they each find more than they were looking for? I really enjoyed Tyler and Kristen's story, and I look forward to more in this series.
When Kristen is sent in by her company to make a deal to purchase the McGowan's farm, Tyler is not having it. He is however willing to have Kristen. As the questions come in that her boss can't answer and things keep happening at the farm. They keep their ears and eyes pen to get to the bottom of who is sabotaging them.
This was a great book I was not able to put it down.
** I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
First in a new series, i really enjoyed this book. Kristen and Tyler are cute together! City girl meets country Montana boy, and sparks fly when she tries to get him to sell his business to the company she works for and he is not interested. Cute, sweet and sexy, I enjoyed it. I look forward to learning more about the other brothers in this family.
Closer To You by Jill Sanders was given to me for free by NetGalley for an honest review. This is book one in Jill Sanders new series, Haven Montana. After the sudden death of his father, Tyler McGowan takes on the main reigns of running the McGowan Enterprises along with his brothers Trent and Trey. Tyler runs McGowan Enterprises in the office and in the field, so to speak and more than satisfied with companies current direction. Kristen Howell is tasked to go to Montana to get the McGowan brothers, especially Tyler to sell their company. The moment Kristen steps off the plane from New York, she knows the five working up the company ladder will hopefully pay off. However, the moment Tyler and Kristen eyes lock neither of them could deny the sparks between them.
Kristen hands Tyler the newest proposal and with each time, he replies no. After the latest proposal and the response to Kristen, she wants to find why her company is so bound and determined to acquire McGowan Enterprises. As she digs, she finds herself not wanting to go back to New York but falling for one of the McGowan brothers.
I thoroughly enjoyed Closer To You by Jill Sanders. The novel is a great romance novel mixed with action, suspense, and enough heat between the characters to satisfy me. The novel moved at a great pace, and did not see a few things coming and how they were resolved which is great. I love books that make me say, "I did not see that coming".
First time reading this author. It was an interesting story, but nothing I hadn’t read before. Uppity woman Kristen falls for country boy Tyler. In addition to the love story, there’s a mystery they’re trying to figure out. Tyler has two brothers, and the mystery that they're trying to figure out isn’t resolved by the end of this book.
A very good debut of a series.
The action both of the romance and the suspense came slowly. I began to like the characters in the second half of the story. But then I really liked them and wanted them to reunite and solve their problems.
The suspense is still thick at the end of the book but ok, I expect to learn more in the next one.
Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com
Too dang adorable and yet it had so much content. The romance of Kristen and Tyler is slow and steady but has so adorable scenes. There is a bit of suspense to the book which fortunately I never figured out until I read it which to me is a sign of a good suspense.
This is the first book I have read from Jill Sanders but it will not be the worse by a long shot.
Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I was thoroughly captivated by this book! Reading for hours when I should have been sleeping. The characters of Tyler & Kristen were both very complex characters.. Seeing them evolve in their relationship was beautiful. I also enjoyed the bit of mystery to the story. The other characters of the book were each well developed and their role in the story portrayed exactly right. I think this is a great book for a weekend read!
“I received a free, advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.”
First time reading this author. It was an interesting story, but nothing I hadn’t read before. Uppity woman Kristen falls for country boy Tyler. In addition to the love story, there’s a mystery they’re trying to figure out. Tyler has two brothers, and the mystery that they're trying to figure out isn’t resolved by the end of this book
More than a love story. More than a mystery. More than romantic suspense. It is all one could want from a story and more. I skipped over the sex scenes, but the overall tale is interesting and exciting. Lots of family and friends (or are they enemies?) involved.
The city mouse meets the country mouse in this delightful and intriguing new romance from Jill Sanders. Closer to You is set in Montana, and the winter weather in the small town of Haven, plays a huge part in the narrative. This story is about the brothers McGowan, and they are all gorgeous, smart, and down-to-earth.
After his father's death, Tyler McGowan, along with his two brothers, are running the family business. Tyler is shocked to be in charge, but he is doing a good job and business is booming. Then the smart and beautiful Kristen Howell pops into his life. Kristen is from New York City and the firm that she works for wants to purchase McGowan Enterprises, which is not for sale. Kristen believes she is next in line for a high-level corporate position if she is able to get the brothers to sell.
Right off the bat, Tyler and Kristen share a sizzling chemistry, and overtime they explore their feelings for each other. Mixing business with pleasure ends up working out for the two of them. However, a few barriers and unwelcome surprises along the way keep them on their toes.
This is a nicely written romance with a bit of suspense, that twists and turns in all the right places.
Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
This book is a definite must read! Tyler and Kristen are great together. Their chemistry is strong and makes for a great love story. Definitely a page turner as you never know what is going to happen next. The secondary characters help build the story and lead into an amazing new series. I love the writing series and how the story flows together. I would definitely recommend this book to friends and family. ***I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley***
Action packed, emotionally thrilling, sweetly sexy romantic adventure filled with mystery, danger and lots of "I so can not put this book down or I might explode" twists.
Tyler McGowan is sexy, charming and so determined to buckle down and keep his family business alive in the wake of losing his father. Kristen Howell is sassy, sexy and determined to get McGowan Enterprises to sell so she can continue her climb up the corporate ladder. Sparks fly, emotions run deep and family bounds are tested, loved every heart pounding turn. Looking forward to more visits to Haven, Montana.
This is the third book I've read by Jill Sanders and it is the best by far! This gripped me by the heart and by the throat from the opening scene. Tyler pulls a caveman style move on Kristen in the first couple of minutes after meeting her. That could be a turn-off, but it definitely wasn't in this case. Tyler is just too busy to mess around with the pretty city girl who doesn't have a clue how to dress for the Montana weather. Kristen's indignity is soon replaced by practicality--points for her! Kristen just continued to prove to herself and to Tyler that she wasn't all fluff. She was a very easy character to like. The attraction between Tyler and Kristen was sizzling from the beginning and things just got hotter and hotter.
When trouble comes, you can't be sure if it's aimed at Tyler or at Kristen. Try as you might (or at least try as I might), who the bad guy is just isn't easily apparent. Sanders keeps changing the script in order to keep you on the edge of your seat as you quickly flip through the pages. This book has small town, family issues, romance and sexy time, mystery and danger. What more could you want? Please tell me the next one in the series comes out soon!
I received this book through Netgalley and this is my honest opinion.
Closer to You by Jill Sanders
Haven Montana #1
Wonderful beginning to what should prove to be an excellent series if this book is anything to go by. I am sure that brothers Trent and Trey will have books of their own BUT since the series is named after the location and not the brothers this could also include others who live in Haven.
The McGowan brothers are HOT and all the women in town seem to know it. However, when Kristen Howell shows up in her designer clothes and is “swept off her feet” it is not because she is immediately filled with lust by Tyler, the eldest McGowan. Nope…she assumes he is “the help” and not “the owner” she was sent to negotiate a deal with. Over time the two do become closer to one another and things heat up but with her living and working so far away there is little chance of a long term relationship, right?
This was a complex story with jealousy, kidnapping, embezzling, threats, fisticuffs, a taste of oil rigging rigors including life in an oil town, protestors and more. I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Tyler and Kristen and rooted for them to end up with a happily ever after ending – they were perfect for one another. The family dynamics of the McGowans were warm and loving and everything a close family of brothers should be.
Words that came strongly to mind while reading and as I finished were: priorities, values, family and community…and how important they are in making lifelong decisions.
This was my first book by Jill Sanders but I enjoyed it so much that I want to read more of her work whenever I find it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars