The Close-Up (Hollywood Renaissance)

Set in the dynamic worlds of professional basketball and entertainment, two of Kennedy Ryan's most critically-acclaimed series-Hollywood Renaissance and HOOPs-collide in this tale of forbidden romance.

I met Nazareth Armstrong when I was eighteen years old. From the beginning, my brother warned me to stay away from him. Told Naz to stay away from me.

Our hearts didn't listen.

I shared one magical night under the stars with my brother's rival, thinking it was the start of a once-in-a-lifetime something.

But one awful moment ended it all.

Years later when we meet again, we've both pursued our dreams, lived a little, found success...but never found love. What began as a tiny flame when we were young now threatens to consume us. I'm more drawn to Naz than ever, but his complicated history with my brother makes whatever this could be...nearly impossible.

But Naz accepts impossible as a dare.

Through his clever maneuvering and dogged determination, I find myself on a yacht with him and his friends cruising through the Mediterranean. It's a whirlwind set ablaze. Away from reality, surrendering to the tender heat of his touch, I forget that everything could burn.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kennedy Ryan writes for women from all walks of life, empowering them and placing them firmly at the center of each story and in charge of their own destinies. An ESSENCE and EBONY Power 100 Honoree, Kennedy and her writings have been featured in NPR, Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, Glamour, Cosmo, TIME, and many others. Kennedy is an executive producer for her Skyland series, which is currently in development for television at Peacock. The co-founder of LiFT 4 Autism, an annual charitable book auction, Kennedy has a passion for raising Autism awareness. She is a wife to her "lifetime lover" and mother to an extraordinary son.