Wintry Monsters Press

Do you read a lot of romance? Are you looking for something more mysterious and twisty, something that calls to mind the soap operas that once dominated daytime television? Then So Close might be just the start to a new obsession you’ve been waiting for.

Synopsis (Provided by Goodreads): You can’t believe all of them, but can you trust any of them? Widower Kane Black is still ruinously married to his late wife, Lily. Grief has hollowed him… until he sees a woman with his wife’s inimitable beauty on the streets of Manhattan. He whisks her up to his towering penthouse, protectively under guard, nestling her in dark opulence where Lily’s memory is a possessive beguiling force. Aliyah, Kane’s mother, deals in science. There are too many questions, too few answers, and too much at stake. “Lily” has dangerous control over Kane and there can be only one queen on the throne. Amy, Kane’s sister-in-law, has been bloodied by deceit and betrayal, and she’s devolving into murderous rage. She’s paid too high a price and now intends to claim what she’s owed. Three women, linked by buried secrets, circle the man who unquestioningly accepts the return of his beloved long-dead wife. Kane is happier than he’s ever been, and he’ll do anything to stay that way. Propulsive and sly, So Close is a lushly gothic novel of domestic suspense with the emotional intensity, scorching sensuality, and complex exploration of female trauma that are the hallmarks of multimillion-copy international bestseller Sylvia Day.

The Review: Let me start by saying you can consider this an “outsider review” because this is not my usual genre of choice at all. I took on the book because the publicist has set me up with many great books over the years and I figured, why not try something outside my comfort zone? Now, that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s begin. The writing is quite good; I can tell this is an author that’s been around the bend a few times. There’s a definite focus on mystery here, beyond the happenings of the supposedly-dead wife of Kane Black somehow returning from the dead. There’s also the whole “is Kane a good or a bad guy” question that will probably cycle with readers throughout. Personally, I was bored by him but I’ll circle back to that. So Close has a strong mystery that will continue in at least one other book. It has also has a delicious cast of assholes high on themselves or hating themselves for wanting/having Kane. Everyone is eying the other, everyone has their own hidden agenda. Kane is a chess piece being fought over. There’s some good tension sprinkled throughout. If you like multiple POVs, you certainly have that variety here. Unfortunately, this book has a lot of slow sections, and the character jumping was a bit confusing at times. Because I would have trouble latching onto a particular character, I would end up zoning out and trying to figure out what was really happening. This is definitely a soap opera show in novel format. Who’s bad? Who’s good? Is anyone good? Why is Kane obsessed with his missing wife, yet fucking everyone in the city? I checked out reviews from other readers to try and make sense of stuff and was left wondering if I was supposed to have read this Crossfire series first; I’m still not sure, but a lot of readers compared this to that. Are they related series? I know this was supposed to be the author’s debut in thriller (from what I read) but this still felt very much like a romance novel to me. Dark, sure, but still a romantic mystery soaked in obsession. You have your typical rich dude that all the women want (cliché), as well as the women that guide him for their own purposes, or sleep with him for their own pursuits for hunger and power. I don’t understand why someone would fake their death and then remain in the city where their husband lives. Did you really not think you’d ever cross paths with him or someone who knew him? Maybe I missed something there. Like I said, I did zone out at times because this isn’t my forte.

The Bottom Line: Do you read a lot of romance? Are you looking for something more mysterious and twisty, something that calls to mind the soap operas that once dominated daytime television? Then So Close might be just the start to a new obsession you’ve been waiting for.

Buy it here on Amazon. Review it here on Goodreads.

Thanks to the publicist for setting me up with this and giving me the chance to branch out and try something new.