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The Closing
When Bella Nars, a savvy corporate lawyer in her mid-twenties, is summoned to fly to Moscow for the closing of a multi-million dollar transaction fixed on her birthday, she expects to spend her days locked up in Savoy Hotel Moscow embarking on endless negotiations with an army of bankers and lawyers. An accidental yet intriguing encounter the first evening of her stay in Moscow sends Bella straight to hospital rather than her luxurious hotel room. The person responsible for her injuries is called Dima P, a mysterious figure about whom Bella knows absolutely nothing. The only thing she can be sure of is that he has the most penetrating, indigo-coloured eyes she has ever seen. An incessant source gives her the strength to endure the hardships that turn her world up-side-down. For how long can Bella continue to flirt with a devious game of Russian roulette in the name of love? In a time when countries and economies crumble, and human lives have become disgustingly expendable, how much is a person's life worth in the end?
248 pages, Paperback
First published May 8, 2012
12 people want to read
About the author
Stella K
2Ìýbooks3ÌýfollowersStella K is a writer, a thinker, a lawyer, and a literature enthusiast....
Having graduated from Law School in the UK she pursued a specialisation as a barrister through the Bar Vocational Course and the experience she gained may have changed the course of her life. A growing interest in business has led her to specialise further in corporate and commercial law by obtaining a master’s degree from University College London and to pursue a career in this field of practice.
Literature has been an integral part of Stella K’s life from an early age. It could be her grandfather’s influence who used to read to her Tolstoy, Austen and Bronte in English well before she could speak the language. This love for literature was ever growing and the only way to consummate it was to write. And so she did, writing both in English and Greek. An article of Stella K about studying in the UK as a foreign student won first prize at a competition ran by her undergraduate university and was subsequently published in print and electronic form. Two articles of hers on legal due diligence were published by a Cyprus-Russian newspaper with circulation also in the Russian Federation.
Stella K lives where her heart lies, she reads incessantly and gets passionate about extraordinary things such as her corporate work, her writing, and the morning dew on the roses in her garden.
Having graduated from Law School in the UK she pursued a specialisation as a barrister through the Bar Vocational Course and the experience she gained may have changed the course of her life. A growing interest in business has led her to specialise further in corporate and commercial law by obtaining a master’s degree from University College London and to pursue a career in this field of practice.
Literature has been an integral part of Stella K’s life from an early age. It could be her grandfather’s influence who used to read to her Tolstoy, Austen and Bronte in English well before she could speak the language. This love for literature was ever growing and the only way to consummate it was to write. And so she did, writing both in English and Greek. An article of Stella K about studying in the UK as a foreign student won first prize at a competition ran by her undergraduate university and was subsequently published in print and electronic form. Two articles of hers on legal due diligence were published by a Cyprus-Russian newspaper with circulation also in the Russian Federation.
Stella K lives where her heart lies, she reads incessantly and gets passionate about extraordinary things such as her corporate work, her writing, and the morning dew on the roses in her garden.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 25, 2012
The Closing is full of fast paced action, guns, deals, and a whirlwind romance. Stella K has created characters you will be unable to stop thinking about, even after you put down her book.
From the first strike of Bella’s Gucci heels the action pulls you in and doesn’t quit. The multi-million dollar transaction begins in conference rooms but doesn’t stay there long. The players involved in this momentous event many not all be icons of moral standards, causing some ripples in the otherwise fairly smooth legal process. Before she knows it Bella is kidnapped and in danger of loosing her life. A traumatic experience, and one that forces her to choose if love is enough will leave its mark.
Bella is a highly successful lawyer, she has sacrificed many things in her personal life to get where she is. And her trip to Moscow to close on the biggest deal of her life happens to fall on her birthday. She is a professional and goes into the trip ready for all work and no play. Then she is blindsided by Dima, or seriously injured depending on how you look at it.
Dima, ahhh Dima. The devastating evasive Dima who manages to infuriate, pamper, and save Bella all within the span of a few short days. He is a powerful force and will suck you in the moment you lay eyes on him. Dima is a well crafted character with many secrets, and to make sure there are no spoilers that is all you will get until you pick up The Closing for yourself.
I can’t say enough about The Closing. This book was so much fun to read I finished it within a few hours. Stella knows her way around lawyers and it shows in how well she wrote Bella. Every single character in this book feels so real and brings the events to life. If you are in the mood for a thrilling adrenaline inducing story with a great romance, pick this up.
Review posted at Reading Between the Wines:
From the first strike of Bella’s Gucci heels the action pulls you in and doesn’t quit. The multi-million dollar transaction begins in conference rooms but doesn’t stay there long. The players involved in this momentous event many not all be icons of moral standards, causing some ripples in the otherwise fairly smooth legal process. Before she knows it Bella is kidnapped and in danger of loosing her life. A traumatic experience, and one that forces her to choose if love is enough will leave its mark.
Bella is a highly successful lawyer, she has sacrificed many things in her personal life to get where she is. And her trip to Moscow to close on the biggest deal of her life happens to fall on her birthday. She is a professional and goes into the trip ready for all work and no play. Then she is blindsided by Dima, or seriously injured depending on how you look at it.
Dima, ahhh Dima. The devastating evasive Dima who manages to infuriate, pamper, and save Bella all within the span of a few short days. He is a powerful force and will suck you in the moment you lay eyes on him. Dima is a well crafted character with many secrets, and to make sure there are no spoilers that is all you will get until you pick up The Closing for yourself.
I can’t say enough about The Closing. This book was so much fun to read I finished it within a few hours. Stella knows her way around lawyers and it shows in how well she wrote Bella. Every single character in this book feels so real and brings the events to life. If you are in the mood for a thrilling adrenaline inducing story with a great romance, pick this up.
Review posted at Reading Between the Wines:
March 13, 2013
Bella, a young lawyer, falls onto things, literally. Dima? Well, way too cool to fall onto anything.
A wonderful story, fast pace, and full of surprises!
Thank you.
A wonderful story, fast pace, and full of surprises!
Thank you.
July 21, 2012
This review can also be found on my book blog, .
The Closing was a pretty enjoyable read. The premise of the book was intriguing and while it wasn’t what I expected, it still turned out to be an interesting read. Perhaps it may not have been the best read of my life, but it is certainly a book that I don’t regret having read.
The prologue of The Closing instantly grabbed my attention. It threw me straight into the action and kept me wanting to read on. I must admit though, I was a little lost when it went right back to the start. The transition was a little awkward and I was just a bit confused. But it’s really minor.
Dima, as most commonly known in the book, is a Russian metal tycoon. He is a rather shady character and not much is really known about him, which is a point I felt rather lacking. I would have liked to know more bout his background so I would be able to understand and identify better with him. He is someone that I didn’t expect at all. When I first read about him, I thought he would be those kind of cold-hearted jerks and all. But, I guess I really can’t judge. He is a very nice person to the people he loves. Ok, I know he should, but I felt he accepted Bella, the heroine, a little too easily and too quickly. I mean, being in his line, wouldn’t he be a little wary of new people? But he opened up to Bella so easily. It was kind of sweet though, I guess. And well, he’s Russian and he’s hot. What’s not to love?
As for Bella, she’s a rather funny character. She was very real and I think it was rather easy to identify with her. I liked her. At the beginning, I felt she was a little whiny and self-centered. But throughout the course of the book, I could see how she changed bit by bit and that was something I truly enjoyed. I love character development in books and in this area, it didn’t disappoint.
Overall, the plot was good and pretty fast-moving. Several times, it was just a little too fast and left me overwhelmed. Generally speaking though, the pace was good and I loved the interactions between the characters. The way Dima and Bella met were also really good. A little cliché to be sure, but I for one love clichés that are pulled off well and I felt this was good. Also, I felt that it was a very realistic book. At first, after the fight at the end, I thought Bella recovered a little too easily. But later, it was shown that she was undergoing trauma and it was depicted well! I actually liked the kidnapping part too, I felt it made Bella a more real person.
When she started to doubt Dima’s love for her, it just made Bella into a much more real character. It’s hard to hold on to that love especially when she was going through all those times and when she heard about Dima’s actions. But I really do truly admire Dima’s actions. It just proved his love for her in one clean stroke. It was sweet and rather powerful. Their reunion was also rather touching.
I have several complains though. I could never really feel the characters and as such, it made it difficult for me to get absorbed into the book. However, the plot was good enough to keep me hooked and keep on reading. I couldn’t really feel the love between the characters which was a little bit of a disappointment. Once in a while, I did though. Also, some transition points were a little weird. I can’t really remember where but I do know that at several places I was a little confused due to the transitions. The ending was a little abrupt, but it was rather sweet and did round off the story.
The speech did strike me as weird once in a while. I don’t know, maybe I’m a bit too used to colloquial English and am not sure how the Russians speak. But, I felt that it threw the tone off the book a little. Like when ‘don’t� would be a better option, the words ‘do not� were used instead. Again, little things. I hardly noticed but when I did, it just got a little on my nerves. But, I’m not the best person to judge, am I?
I enjoyed this book and certainly didn’t regret picking it up. It was interesting and generally, I liked the characters. They were realistic and fun to read about, most of the time.
Disclaimer: An ecopy of this book was provided to me free of charge by the author in exchange for an honest review. I received no other compensation. All views in this review is mine and mine alone.
The Closing was a pretty enjoyable read. The premise of the book was intriguing and while it wasn’t what I expected, it still turned out to be an interesting read. Perhaps it may not have been the best read of my life, but it is certainly a book that I don’t regret having read.
The prologue of The Closing instantly grabbed my attention. It threw me straight into the action and kept me wanting to read on. I must admit though, I was a little lost when it went right back to the start. The transition was a little awkward and I was just a bit confused. But it’s really minor.
Dima, as most commonly known in the book, is a Russian metal tycoon. He is a rather shady character and not much is really known about him, which is a point I felt rather lacking. I would have liked to know more bout his background so I would be able to understand and identify better with him. He is someone that I didn’t expect at all. When I first read about him, I thought he would be those kind of cold-hearted jerks and all. But, I guess I really can’t judge. He is a very nice person to the people he loves. Ok, I know he should, but I felt he accepted Bella, the heroine, a little too easily and too quickly. I mean, being in his line, wouldn’t he be a little wary of new people? But he opened up to Bella so easily. It was kind of sweet though, I guess. And well, he’s Russian and he’s hot. What’s not to love?
As for Bella, she’s a rather funny character. She was very real and I think it was rather easy to identify with her. I liked her. At the beginning, I felt she was a little whiny and self-centered. But throughout the course of the book, I could see how she changed bit by bit and that was something I truly enjoyed. I love character development in books and in this area, it didn’t disappoint.
Overall, the plot was good and pretty fast-moving. Several times, it was just a little too fast and left me overwhelmed. Generally speaking though, the pace was good and I loved the interactions between the characters. The way Dima and Bella met were also really good. A little cliché to be sure, but I for one love clichés that are pulled off well and I felt this was good. Also, I felt that it was a very realistic book. At first, after the fight at the end, I thought Bella recovered a little too easily. But later, it was shown that she was undergoing trauma and it was depicted well! I actually liked the kidnapping part too, I felt it made Bella a more real person.
When she started to doubt Dima’s love for her, it just made Bella into a much more real character. It’s hard to hold on to that love especially when she was going through all those times and when she heard about Dima’s actions. But I really do truly admire Dima’s actions. It just proved his love for her in one clean stroke. It was sweet and rather powerful. Their reunion was also rather touching.
I have several complains though. I could never really feel the characters and as such, it made it difficult for me to get absorbed into the book. However, the plot was good enough to keep me hooked and keep on reading. I couldn’t really feel the love between the characters which was a little bit of a disappointment. Once in a while, I did though. Also, some transition points were a little weird. I can’t really remember where but I do know that at several places I was a little confused due to the transitions. The ending was a little abrupt, but it was rather sweet and did round off the story.
The speech did strike me as weird once in a while. I don’t know, maybe I’m a bit too used to colloquial English and am not sure how the Russians speak. But, I felt that it threw the tone off the book a little. Like when ‘don’t� would be a better option, the words ‘do not� were used instead. Again, little things. I hardly noticed but when I did, it just got a little on my nerves. But, I’m not the best person to judge, am I?
I enjoyed this book and certainly didn’t regret picking it up. It was interesting and generally, I liked the characters. They were realistic and fun to read about, most of the time.
Disclaimer: An ecopy of this book was provided to me free of charge by the author in exchange for an honest review. I received no other compensation. All views in this review is mine and mine alone.
July 31, 2012
Brief synopsis - (No spoilers)
Bella Nars is a corporate lawyer. Her birthday is coming up and sadly for her, she is not going to be celebrating it at home with her friends drinking cocktails, she is being sent to Moscow on business to deal with a contract. She is not happy and pictures herself stuck in a boring Moscow hotel alone for her Birthday. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Without giving anything away, a stranger comes into her life whilst she is there, completely catching her off guard. Things then get quite intense in more ways than one and Bella wonders if she will ever see home again.
My review.
The book starts off with a snippet of what is to come later in the book, which is very intriguing. Then the book goes into Chapter 1, which starts with Bella being told she has to go to Moscow. This part was a bit slow for me, after the thrilling snippet at the start, but I gradually got into it a bit more.
I found Bella, the main character a strong and personable young woman, and instantly liked her. I found that once Bella arrived in Russia, the story itself seemed to flow better. I expected it to be all about corporate law, a quite immotive subject, but that couldn't have been further from the truth. The book was well paced and kept me hooked. I felt myself very distrusting of the other main character, Dima, but eventually warmed to him.
I like the added intrigue which brought in some other characters to the fold too. Bella remained a strong character throughout the book which was good, as some authors take a strong female character and then turn them into weak and feable characters.
I loved the authors talk of Mauritius, having been to the places she mentioned and having stayed at the hotel she talked about I was able to picture it in my mind too.
In all, this was a well written book, with personable characters and a good storyline. I awarded it 4* as I really liked it, only dropping a * as I found chapter one a bit slow.
This book was given to me by the author to review. I was not paid for the review and the words are entirely my own.
Bella Nars is a corporate lawyer. Her birthday is coming up and sadly for her, she is not going to be celebrating it at home with her friends drinking cocktails, she is being sent to Moscow on business to deal with a contract. She is not happy and pictures herself stuck in a boring Moscow hotel alone for her Birthday. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Without giving anything away, a stranger comes into her life whilst she is there, completely catching her off guard. Things then get quite intense in more ways than one and Bella wonders if she will ever see home again.
My review.
The book starts off with a snippet of what is to come later in the book, which is very intriguing. Then the book goes into Chapter 1, which starts with Bella being told she has to go to Moscow. This part was a bit slow for me, after the thrilling snippet at the start, but I gradually got into it a bit more.
I found Bella, the main character a strong and personable young woman, and instantly liked her. I found that once Bella arrived in Russia, the story itself seemed to flow better. I expected it to be all about corporate law, a quite immotive subject, but that couldn't have been further from the truth. The book was well paced and kept me hooked. I felt myself very distrusting of the other main character, Dima, but eventually warmed to him.
I like the added intrigue which brought in some other characters to the fold too. Bella remained a strong character throughout the book which was good, as some authors take a strong female character and then turn them into weak and feable characters.
I loved the authors talk of Mauritius, having been to the places she mentioned and having stayed at the hotel she talked about I was able to picture it in my mind too.
In all, this was a well written book, with personable characters and a good storyline. I awarded it 4* as I really liked it, only dropping a * as I found chapter one a bit slow.
This book was given to me by the author to review. I was not paid for the review and the words are entirely my own.
July 10, 2013
A captivating story. The course of a young lawyer's life will be forever altered by the sudden and unexpected encounter with Dima, a shady business man. On her journey, Bella Nars will face love and death more than one time. Stella K wrote an action-packed love story that will intrigue, excite and dumbfound the reader... I hope for a sequel.
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