"We're all the center of our own universes. We're told not to be selfish, not to put ourselves first, but if not us, then who?"
Close Quarters is Kandi Steiner at her best!
The angst. The sizzling sexual tension. Characters you will love AND hate. The visual scenery. The words that absolutely devour our beings. Theo. Enough said!
Well, well, well. First, I'll say that I'm not a huge fan of billionaire romance. You're going to have to do something different or sweep me off my damn feet in some sort of way. But Kandi frickin Steiner brought it! Ms Steiner wasn't playing! Not only did she go for billionaire romance, she was going to add in a love triangle? I went in slowly and very tentatively because I was afraid that this book just wouldn't be for me. BUT I should know that Kandi don't play that. She swept me off my feet with the storytelling and the characters and I am so glad that I gave this book a chance.
Aspen Dawn has recently graduated and is set to travel around Europe by herself taking photographs. It's been her dream to do this forever. She is an introvert and this time to travel alone and see places on her bucket list is something she's been looking forward to. Her boyfriend Joel takes a job on a Super Yacht that is owned by billionaire, Theo Whitman. When Theo notices Aspen taking his photo, he offers her a job to take photos for him and in exchange she gets to travel around the Mediterranean for free on his yacht. Although she won't be alone like she has desired, she will be with her boyfriend and that is something that appeals to both of them. And this is where our story and the angst begins.
The first part I fell in love with was the travel and the way I got to see the places the crew on the yacht traveled to. I could see everything through Aspen's lens (theoretically and literally since this story is told all from her POV). I liked getting her introvert perspective, but it really made me dislike Joel more and more as the story went on. And other members of the crew too. There was obviously a big disconnect not only in our couple, but in the people that worked on the yacht. The partiers and the ones there to work and enjoy what they were given. Joel was a partier; Aspen, not so much. You could feel their relationship slowly unravel until it became something ugly. But while one relationship was crashing, another was burning. You could feel the sizzling sexual tension between Theo and Aspen begin. I could taste it coming right off the pages. I could feel it in my chest. It was painful yet beautiful and carnal. But they built a friendship and saw each other more deeply than anyone else ever had. I absolutely loved seeing what they had develop, even if it was at the detriment of another relationship.
"Do you want to know what I thought the first time I saw you?"...."Mine."
This isn't really a story of a love triangle, but more a story of self discovery and want. Close Quarters has the feels, the angst, the romance and even a side of suspense. We feel all those things, but it's also a slow burn where your book or your kindle is slowly simmering until it explodes with a boil that goes over. And that is Theo. He may have the money to do anything he wants, but it's his grand gestures that were a step above and meaningful. Can I get a Theo for myself??
I am so glad I took a chance on a book that I questioned. It wasn't what I expected and also so much more. It moved at a comfortable pace for the relationship(s) and for all the travel taking place. I wish I would've gotten Theo (and don't hate me, but maybe Joel's) POV to understand them more, but it didn't take away from all the emotions and life that Aspen was going through. I LOVED this book and loved seeing the characters grow from the beginning to end. It was a whirlwind of emotions for me and kept me turning those pages. The scenery was beautiful and man oh man, do I want to have the chance to travel on a super yacht like this one. For now, this book will have to do! 4.5 stars!
"...if I've learned one thing this summer, it's that now that I know you exist in this world, I cannot live without you existing in mine, too"
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Popular Highlights in this book
“You are the voice I’ve always been afraid to have.” Theo held me closer. “And you are the life I’ve been waiting to live.”Highlighted by 762 Kindle readers- “However, if you were mine?” His eyes traced their way over my collarbones, down the line of my cleavage, to my waist, my hips, my thighs, and back up again. “You wouldn’t have even made it to that top stair before I was dragging you back to the room for my eyes only.”Highlighted by 682 Kindle readers
- “You are consequential,” he said, voice low and rasped. “You’d do well to realize that and use it to your advantage.”Highlighted by 548 Kindle readers
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Reviews with images
Love this Age-Gap and I swooned for this Alpha Billionaire
🛳Age-Gap🛳Billionaire Romance.“I’m growing tired of this game, Aspen.”“What game?”“The one where you pretend like you don’t want me...And I pretend like you’re not already mine.”.Review: I have been wanting to read this book ever since it came out. I am always drawn to pretty covers. The blurb sounded good, but I was a little weary of possible cheating as I'm not a fan of it. This book turned out just fine and I really enjoyed it! It is single POV, which I generally struggle with, but Kandi does really well with single POV..Aspen is a photographer planning to travel around Europe and take photos for her portfolio while her boyfriend works on a yacht for the next few months..Theo is a Billionaire and is getting ready to set off on his yacht for business meetings along the Mediterranean..Aspen meets Theo on his yacht where she is leaving her boyfriend for the summer. Theo is instantly intrigued by Aspen and offers her the opportunity of lifetime on his yacht. As they work together and continue to get to know each other, they both feel the undeniable pull between them. I loved these two. Theo could truly see Aspen and not the front she put on for others. I love that he cared, wanted to get to know her better and help her. I could relate so much to Aspen, as a photographer and as someone who struggles like she does, it pulled on my heartstrings. So much wisdom, which I am finding in Kandi's books, and truly loving. I feel like I am learning how to improve my life through her words. Kandi does such a beautiful job explaining the scene that you feel like you are there. I shed a few tears and swooned so hard. Theo is an absolute dream and is respectful. I worried he was going to be going after Aspen dead set to steal her away, but that was not the case. I definitely fell for Theo and want to steal him. I listened to the Audiobook by Hannah Chiclana. This was my first by her and after the first chapter I was completely sucked in. I really enjoyed this one.
Top reviews from other countries
Tiffany Ross
Everything I didn’t know I needed, but everything I craved
Reviewed in Australia on February 20, 2021