-
Close to You
- Sunshine and Happiness, Book 3
- Narrated by: Tristan James
- Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $24.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's summary
Sunshine and Happiness: Book Three
It's hard to recover from a first love. Some people never do.
How hard would you fight to keep your best friend? Marc Lucas and Tomas Santos have been best friends forever, but now their friendship is in a crisis. When they were boys, betrayals ripped their world apart. They thought it was fixed, but some parts remained broken. Ever since he saved him from a humiliation at school, Marc has loved Tomas. The last thing he expects is for Tomas to love him back. To keep his best friend, Marc revisits an abusive past he's tried to forget.
For Tomas, loving Marc has been anything but easy. His upbringing told him it was wrong, so why did it feel so right? Accepting who he is as an adult, Tomas decides he needs a committed relationship. To his deep sorrow, he can't seem to find it with Marc.
When the two find themselves alone and in the grip of a hurricane, long-buried feelings emerge. Being "just friends" is no longer an option. They must risk it all on love.
More from the same
Related to this topic
-
A Murder to Remember
- By: Brynn Kelly
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley, Max Roll
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jane Austen fan Amelia Bennett sneaks away from a dull tour of an English country manor, only to run into a man more dashing than Mr. Darcy himself. About to lose his ancestral home to family debts, charming aristocrat Tom Calder invites his American guest to join him in drinking his way through the estate’s priceless wine collection. But when they wake in his bed the next morning, they’re convinced that in their drunken haze they witnessed a murder. Problem is, the body has vanished and no one believes them.
-
-
Loved this sweet, surprising, and laugh out loud story
- By Ginger Warburton on 03-03-24
By: Brynn Kelly
-
Verity
- By: Colleen Hoover
- Narrated by: Vanessa Johansson, Amy Landon
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of best-selling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish. Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read.
-
-
intriguing but skip if triggered by child abuse
- By Amazon Customer on 05-16-19
By: Colleen Hoover
-
Credence
- By: Penelope Douglas
- Narrated by: Sofia Willingham, Greg Tremblay, Carson Beck, and others
- Length: 16 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tiernan de Haas doesn’t care about anything anymore. The only child of a film producer and his starlet wife, she’s grown up with wealth and privilege but not love or guidance. And when they suddenly pass away, she knows she should be devastated. But has anything really changed? She’s always been alone, hasn’t she? Jake Van der Berg, her father’s stepbrother and her only living relative, assumes guardianship of Tiernan who is still two months shy of 18. She's sent to live with him and his two sons, Noah and Kaleb, in the mountains of Colorado.
-
-
😒 creepy underage vibes/horrible narration
- By Chelsea Wentworth on 05-28-21
By: Penelope Douglas
-
You Only Die Twice
- By: Brynn Kelly
- Narrated by: Alan Carlson, Stacia Newcomb
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When high school English teacher Alice Thornton helps her dying Russian neighbor write a spy thriller, she thinks she’s just doing a good deed. But when a sexy mystery man shows up in her classroom, claiming to be the novel’s dashing antihero, Alice is swept into a lethal conspiracy. Enigmatic former CIA operative Carter Beck warns her that the sensational murder plot wasn’t fiction. And because she knows too much, the killer wants her silenced—making Carter her only hope of survival.
-
-
"Survive the day!"
- By Lacey Jane on 08-08-22
By: Brynn Kelly
-
Birthday Girl
- By: Penelope Douglas
- Narrated by: Andrew Eiden, Jennifer Mack
- Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We're not free to give into this. She's 19, and I'm 38. And I'm her boyfriend's father. Unfortunately, they both just moved into my house.
-
-
Serious perfection
- By Misty Walker on 08-09-18
By: Penelope Douglas
-
Told You So
- By: Leeanne Slade
- Narrated by: Bel Powley
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lucie Redway knows one thing for certain: her best friend will have the most perfect destination wedding. She may not know if she’ll still have her agony aunt column next month, or if her love life will ever be more exciting than a midnight swipe right, but Lucie would rather exhaust herself than let Stacey down on her Big Day. Not even Charlie, the insufferably attractive and hateful best man, can get in her way. Before the flight touches down in Spain, Lucie is hit with a curveball. Sat next to world-famous psychic Miranda Bloom, she’s told she’ll leave the wedding with the love of her life.
-
-
Not even done yet but I need more
- By Anonymous User on 10-11-23
By: Leeanne Slade
-
A Murder to Remember
- By: Brynn Kelly
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley, Max Roll
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jane Austen fan Amelia Bennett sneaks away from a dull tour of an English country manor, only to run into a man more dashing than Mr. Darcy himself. About to lose his ancestral home to family debts, charming aristocrat Tom Calder invites his American guest to join him in drinking his way through the estate’s priceless wine collection. But when they wake in his bed the next morning, they’re convinced that in their drunken haze they witnessed a murder. Problem is, the body has vanished and no one believes them.
-
-
Loved this sweet, surprising, and laugh out loud story
- By Ginger Warburton on 03-03-24
By: Brynn Kelly
-
Verity
- By: Colleen Hoover
- Narrated by: Vanessa Johansson, Amy Landon
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of best-selling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish. Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read.
-
-
intriguing but skip if triggered by child abuse
- By Amazon Customer on 05-16-19
By: Colleen Hoover
-
Credence
- By: Penelope Douglas
- Narrated by: Sofia Willingham, Greg Tremblay, Carson Beck, and others
- Length: 16 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tiernan de Haas doesn’t care about anything anymore. The only child of a film producer and his starlet wife, she’s grown up with wealth and privilege but not love or guidance. And when they suddenly pass away, she knows she should be devastated. But has anything really changed? She’s always been alone, hasn’t she? Jake Van der Berg, her father’s stepbrother and her only living relative, assumes guardianship of Tiernan who is still two months shy of 18. She's sent to live with him and his two sons, Noah and Kaleb, in the mountains of Colorado.
-
-
😒 creepy underage vibes/horrible narration
- By Chelsea Wentworth on 05-28-21
By: Penelope Douglas
-
You Only Die Twice
- By: Brynn Kelly
- Narrated by: Alan Carlson, Stacia Newcomb
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When high school English teacher Alice Thornton helps her dying Russian neighbor write a spy thriller, she thinks she’s just doing a good deed. But when a sexy mystery man shows up in her classroom, claiming to be the novel’s dashing antihero, Alice is swept into a lethal conspiracy. Enigmatic former CIA operative Carter Beck warns her that the sensational murder plot wasn’t fiction. And because she knows too much, the killer wants her silenced—making Carter her only hope of survival.
-
-
"Survive the day!"
- By Lacey Jane on 08-08-22
By: Brynn Kelly
-
Birthday Girl
- By: Penelope Douglas
- Narrated by: Andrew Eiden, Jennifer Mack
- Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We're not free to give into this. She's 19, and I'm 38. And I'm her boyfriend's father. Unfortunately, they both just moved into my house.
-
-
Serious perfection
- By Misty Walker on 08-09-18
By: Penelope Douglas
-
Told You So
- By: Leeanne Slade
- Narrated by: Bel Powley
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lucie Redway knows one thing for certain: her best friend will have the most perfect destination wedding. She may not know if she’ll still have her agony aunt column next month, or if her love life will ever be more exciting than a midnight swipe right, but Lucie would rather exhaust herself than let Stacey down on her Big Day. Not even Charlie, the insufferably attractive and hateful best man, can get in her way. Before the flight touches down in Spain, Lucie is hit with a curveball. Sat next to world-famous psychic Miranda Bloom, she’s told she’ll leave the wedding with the love of her life.
-
-
Not even done yet but I need more
- By Anonymous User on 10-11-23
By: Leeanne Slade
What listeners say about Close to You
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tammy M
- 01-25-17
The soul is full of passion and pain.
What made the experience of listening to Close to You the most enjoyable?
Finally getting Tomas and Marc's story. Been waiting 3 books for this!
What other book might you compare Close to You to and why?
The other 2 books in the series. It centers around the same group of friends and while they each have their own issues, their lives are forever intwined, and it's interesting to see how things play out.
Have you listened to any of Tristan James’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
LOVE Tristan James. This is just as good as any of his, he always does an amazing job bringing characters to life.
If you could rename Close to You, what would you call it?
Don't like this question.
Any additional comments?
Let me start with my only hiccup with this story, the time jumps. Perhaps it flowed better in the written version, but there were no pre-cursors in the audio so at times, I was quite confused if I was listening to teenage Marc and Tomas, or present day Marc and Tomas.
Other than that, thoroughly enjoyed this story. If you've been listening since book 1 then you are very familiar with these guys. And I, for one, was not so patiently waiting to get their backstory. Friends since they were in grade school, Marc and Tomas have been through it all together. They fell in love pretty much at first sight, but as teenagers, didn't fully understand their feelings, what to do with them, how to react and such. Now they are grown ass men but the same issues that have kept them apart still linger.
I liked the way Cates approached Marc's anxiety not only over being loved, but being in love. Deep seeded abuse by his father still festers in his soul and prohibits him acting on his feelings for Tomas fully. This book goes back and forth between the past and the present, showing the reader what these two young men dealt with growing up and how that past still stifles their future. Let me just say, when Marc finally comes to a point where he can love himself enough to love Tomas, it's an extremely passionate thing.
If you've followed the series of course you'll want to read/listen to this one as well, and while I always recommend reading a series from the start, you could probably dive right into this one and not be completely lost. Definitely worth a listen, in my opinion.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Morgan A Skye
- 12-29-16
Fantastic narration for a fantastic story
This is an amazing series. Though, technically, each is a stand alone, the MCs in the other books all lived together at one point and are all interwoven in the other’s lives, so they pop in and out and having read the previous books will only add to your overall enjoyment of this book – plus they’re all so beautiful.
We’ve met Tomas and Marc – two friends who are clearly avoiding the elephant in the room – that is – why aren’t they lovers?
Finally, we find out their backstory. It’s not a pretty one. This is definitely a book where you need your big-girl-panties, because it’s filled with angst and pain and separation.
But, it’s beautifully written and Skylar Cates gives us an amazingly sweet Epilogue (my favorite!) to sort-of balance things out a little.
The bulk of the story is written in both first person present tense as well as in a series of flashbacks. So, fair warning, those aren’t always a favorite way to read a story. For me, the flashbacks worked, but I wasn’t a big fan of the present tense.
That being said, it was still a gripping and beautiful book about two men finally finding the courage to overcome the past to find love and hope, today.
4.5 of 5 stars
Audio
Mmmmm Tristan James. Man I love this guys voice! He's so, so easy to listen to. I have to say I wish there'd been more done with Tomas' accent, but he did a nice job differentiating all the different characters (there are a LOT of them!). (Tristan does a great job with the other Hispanic accents!) Tristan is great with pacing and at telling the story in a way that makes sense, with the right inflections and emphasis placed on the right words and phrases. I think this is a great way to enjoy this story and recommend it to fans of the author, the narrator and the series.
4.5 of 5 stars
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful