Review of Close to You by Kara Isaac

Angela here and let me just say, I LOVE this story! With writing deadlines and three kids to keep up with, I find there are not a lot of books that I literally can't put down. Alright, I did have to set this book down a few times, but I really didn't want to...so it followed me to the playground, the kitchen, bed, and other places we will not mention. 
Here is a little about Close to You:

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?

I must admit the whole Lord of the Rings idea really grabbed my interest, but after I opened Close to You, Kara Isaac had no trouble holding my attention with a wonderful array of wit and humor, romance off to a rocky start, deep dark pasts to overcome, twists to keep you on your toes...not to mention piles of little known Lord of the Ring and Hobbit facts that will keep any fans smiling. 

I highly recommend Close to You, not only to Tolkien fans, but anyone who enjoys a good clean contemporary romance. I'm definitely looking forward to more from Kara Isaac!