{"id":3476,"date":"2013-07-04T20:41:26","date_gmt":"2013-07-05T00:41:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=3476"},"modified":"2016-12-26T06:15:39","modified_gmt":"2016-12-26T11:15:39","slug":"review-lick-stage-dive-1-by-kylie-scott","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=3476","title":{"rendered":"Review: Lick (Stage Dive, #1) by Kylie Scott"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4><strong>Buy: <a href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/1Uvl3IY\" target=\"_blank\">Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/1pO4b2O\" target=\"_blank\">Paperback<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><!--Yasr Overall Rating Shortcode--><div class=\"yasr-overall-rating\"><div class=' yasr-rater-stars'\r\n                           id='yasr-overall-rating-rater-967b6eb49e595'\r\n                           data-rating='4.5'\r\n                           data-rater-starsize='32'>\r\n                       <\/div><\/div><!--End Yasr Overall Rating Shortcode-->\n<hr \/>\n<h4><strong>Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n<blockquote><p><strong><em>\u201cLove isn\u2019t always smooth or straightforward. It can be messy and painful \u2026 Doesn\u2019t mean it isn\u2019t still the most incredible thing that can ever happen to you.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Woohoo! A new rock star for me to fawn all over! David Ferris\u2026 I LOVE YOU!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>4.5 swoony stars for this one! I had never heard of this book until I saw it pop up in my GR feed yesterday, and I tossed aside everything else in my TBR to start it immediately, and I am not disappointed!<\/p>\n<p>Evelyn wakes up wickedly hungover the morning after her 21st birthday spent in Vegas, with a half naked, tattooed, gorgeous man next to her. He knows her, but she has no clue who he is, although he does seem vaguely familiar, and then he hits her with this\u2026<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u201cLet me get this straight, you don\u2019t remember anything?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cNo \u2026 What did we do last night?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cWe got fucking married\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Oh, and she also has his name tattooed on her ass. Whoops!<\/p>\n<p>Figuring the best plan is to forget the whole thing ever happened, Evelyn makes a hasty retreat, with her brand new husband promising to organize an annulment. Only when she returns home does she discover that her husband is actually David Ferris, lead guitarist, songwriter, and rock god, for the band Stage Dive (Evelyn is more of a country girl, so is not exactly a huge fan!).<\/p>\n<p>Harassed by the paparazzi, David comes to Evelyn\u2019s rescue by offering her an escape to the privacy of his house in LA while the details of the annulment are figured out. She agrees. But the plans go awry when the two of them are together again and the chemistry between them starts to sizzle. David remembers everything about their one night together, and quickly sets about trying to jog Evelyn\u2019s memory.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u201cHow far did we go that night?\u201d<br \/>\nHis gaze dropped to the neck of my tank top and the curves of my breasts. \u201cSecond base.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cShirt on?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cOff. We were both topless. Topless cuddles are best.\u201d He watched as I absorbed the information, his face close to mine.<br \/>\n\u201cBra?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cAbsolutely not. \u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>It is obvious that David has actual feelings for his wife, and when things around them get nasty, he quickly whisks her away from his crazy life of parties, groupies, drugged-up band mates, and evil lawyers. As they get to know each other, Evelyn becomes determined to give her relationship with her rocker husband a try. And the banter and teasing between them is fantastic!<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u201cSo, come on,\u201d he said softly, taunting me. \u201cWhat\u2019s the plan here, Ev? \u2026\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cOh. Well, I was um \u2026 I was going to seduce you, I guess. And see what happened. Yeah\u2026\u201d<br \/>\n\u2026<br \/>\nHe licked his lips, but I saw the smile. \u201cRight. Come on then, show me your moves.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cMy moves?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cYour seduction techniques. Come on, time\u2019s a-wasting.\u201d I hesitated and he clicked his tongue, impatient. \u201cI\u2019m only wearing a towel, baby. How hard can this be?\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I really liked Evelyn. She is usually logical, organized and responsible, but being with David opens up a whole new side of her. But she remains true to herself. She doesn&#8217;t let the fame and celebrity affect her, she&#8217;s totally down to earth, and nothing but real with David, and she&#8217;s accepting of his passion for music. And, of course, I love David! He has a past, and secrets that he hides, but he is funny, sweet, swoony and uber hot! And once things start happening between the two of them, I love the way he treats Evelyn \u2013 he so obviously cares for her, he respects her, they communicate well (most of the time), and the two of them are explosive in the bedroom\u2026 HOTNESS!!!<\/p>\n<p>While their relationship is not insta-love, things do progress very quickly, and there are some aspects of it that I found to be a bit unrealistic, but hey, it\u2019s fiction, so it didn\u2019t bother me too much. There are also some moments of stupid, and it\u2019s definitely not all smooth sailing for our two lovers, but the issues are resolved (in sensational style), and there is a happy ending. Squee!<\/p>\n<p>I have to stay something about Mal, Stage Dive\u2019s drummer, and Dave\u2019s best friend. He\u2019s not in the book a lot, but he\u2019s a massive scene stealer \u2013 hilarious, caring, and supportive of both Dave and Ev, with some epic lines, I adored him!<\/p>\n<p>This is my first book by this author, and I really like her writing style. The dialogue, in particular is really well written. It\u2019s realistic, honest, funny, and really tight. There\u2019s also a lot of time spent in Evelyn\u2019s head, but again, it\u2019s well done, and it never seemed over the top. I love Evelyn\u2019s voice, and her inner monologue had me laughing out loud a number of times.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u201cThe man was shirtless, staring back at me with only a pair of jeans on. How the hell did he keep losing his shirt? The sight of his bare chest brought me to the dribble point. The jeans pushed me right over. No one wore jeans like David. And having caught a glimpse of him without them only made it worse. My imagination went into some sort of sexual berserker rage. The pictures that filled my head \u2026 I have no idea where they all came from. The images were surprisingly raw and detailed. I was quite certain I wasn\u2019t flexible enough to achieve some of them.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I was completely sucked in from page 1, and was enthralled the whole way through. I loved it, and can\u2019t wait for more from this series.<\/p>\n<p>4.5 stars.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><strong>The Stage Dive\u00a0series<\/strong><\/h4>\n<div data-post-id=\"15583\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-15583 \"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=3476\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"3473\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?attachment_id=3473\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Lick.jpg?fit=150%2C234&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"150,234\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Lick\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Lick.jpg?fit=144%2C225&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-3473\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Lick.jpg?resize=80%2C122&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Lick\" width=\"80\" height=\"122\" \/><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=3481\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"3474\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?attachment_id=3474\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Play.jpg?fit=150%2C234&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"150,234\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Play\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Play.jpg?fit=144%2C225&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-3474\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Play.jpg?resize=80%2C122&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Play\" width=\"80\" height=\"122\" \/><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=3488\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"3472\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?attachment_id=3472\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Lead.jpg?fit=150%2C234&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"150,234\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Lead\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Lead.jpg?fit=144%2C225&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-3472\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Lead.jpg?resize=80%2C122&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Lead\" width=\"80\" height=\"122\" \/><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=3492\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"3471\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?attachment_id=3471\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Deep.jpg?fit=150%2C234&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"150,234\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Deep\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Deep.jpg?fit=144%2C225&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-3471\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Deep.jpg?resize=80%2C122&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Deep\" width=\"80\" height=\"122\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"27540\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?attachment_id=27540\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Strong.jpg?fit=150%2C225&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"150,225\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Strong\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Strong.jpg?fit=150%2C225&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-27540\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Strong.jpg?resize=80%2C122&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"80\" height=\"122\" \/>\u00a0 <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"40491\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?attachment_id=40491\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Closer.jpg?fit=200%2C299&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"200,299\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Closer\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Closer.jpg?fit=150%2C225&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-40491\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Closer.jpg?resize=80%2C122&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"80\" height=\"122\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Closer.jpg?resize=80%2C122&amp;ssl=1 80w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Closer.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=80%2C122&amp;ssl=1 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 80px) 100vw, 80px\" \/> \u00a0<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"54405\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?attachment_id=54405\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Love-Song.jpg?fit=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"200,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Love Song\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Love-Song.jpg?fit=150%2C225&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-54405\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Love-Song.jpg?resize=80%2C122&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"80\" height=\"122\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Love-Song.jpg?resize=80%2C122&amp;ssl=1 80w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Love-Song.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=80%2C122&amp;ssl=1 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 80px) 100vw, 80px\" \/> \u00a0<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"56359\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?attachment_id=56359\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/The-Rhythm-Method.jpg?fit=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"200,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"The Rhythm Method\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/The-Rhythm-Method.jpg?fit=150%2C225&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-56359\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/The-Rhythm-Method.jpg?resize=80%2C122&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"80\" height=\"122\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/The-Rhythm-Method.jpg?resize=80%2C122&amp;ssl=1 80w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/The-Rhythm-Method.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=80%2C122&amp;ssl=1 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 80px) 100vw, 80px\" \/> \u00a0<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"62550\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?attachment_id=62550\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Just-What-I-Needed.jpg?fit=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"200,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Just What I Needed\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Just-What-I-Needed.jpg?fit=150%2C225&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-62550\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Just-What-I-Needed.jpg?resize=80%2C122&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"80\" height=\"122\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Just-What-I-Needed.jpg?resize=80%2C122&amp;ssl=1 80w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Just-What-I-Needed.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=80%2C122&amp;ssl=1 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 80px) 100vw, 80px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Lick (#1)<\/strong> (David &amp; Evelyn)<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=3476\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Review<\/a><br \/>\nBuy:\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/1Uvl3IY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amazon \u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/1pO4b2O\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Play (#2)<\/strong> (Mal &amp; Anne)<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=3481\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Review<\/a><br \/>\nBuy:\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/1Y2kbcM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amazon \u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/1VVSpQv\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Lead (#3)<\/strong> (Jimmy &amp; Lena)<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=3488\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Review<\/a><br \/>\nBuy:\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/1VbhGFC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amazon \u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/1TlsYaw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Deep (#4)<\/strong> (Ben &amp; Lizzy)<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=3492\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Review<\/a><br \/>\nBuy: \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/1pO4sD1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amazon \u00a0<\/a>| \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/1Tlt5CM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><strong>Strong (#4.5)<\/strong> (Sam &amp; Martha) &#8211; spin off<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=36859\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Review<\/a><br \/>\nBuy:\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/2zCve9N\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><strong>Closer (#4.6)<\/strong> (Ziggy &amp; Mae) &#8211; spin off<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=46328\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Review<\/a><br \/>\nBuy:\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2TMewME\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amazon \u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2TRhmzJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><strong>Love Song (#4.7) <\/strong>(Adam &amp; Jil) &#8211; spin off<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=55446\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Review<\/a><br \/>\nBuy:\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/32wpyLs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amazon\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2QwiJEa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><strong>The Rhythm Method (#4.8)<\/strong> (David &amp; Evelyn)<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=62039\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Review<\/a><br \/>\nBuy:\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/36XH9PJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3wvpIBj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><strong>Just What I Needed (#4.9)<\/strong> (Dean &amp; Jude)<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=67066\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Review<\/a><br \/>\nBuy:\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/30cQ7In\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/37KK9Cq\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"81830\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?attachment_id=81830\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Stage-Dive-Short-Stories-Novellas.jpg?fit=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"200,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Stage Dive Short Stories &amp;#038; Novellas\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Stage-Dive-Short-Stories-Novellas.jpg?fit=150%2C225&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-81830 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Stage-Dive-Short-Stories-Novellas.jpg?resize=80%2C122&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"80\" height=\"122\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Stage-Dive-Short-Stories-Novellas.jpg?resize=80%2C122&amp;ssl=1 80w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Stage-Dive-Short-Stories-Novellas.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=80%2C122&amp;ssl=1 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 80px) 100vw, 80px\" \/>Stage Dive: Short Stories &amp; Novellas<br \/>\n<\/strong><em>A compilation of previously released short stories and novellas<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Contains short stories <span class=\"a-text-bold\">\u201cCocky\u201d<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<span class=\"a-text-bold\">\u201cMal and Anne + 1\u201d\u00a0<\/span>and the 5 novellas listed above<\/em><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong>Buy:\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4qSSvuD\">Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>See our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?page_id=2247\" target=\"_blank\">Contemporary Romance Recommendations<\/a> page for more great reads.<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Buy: Kindle Ebook\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Paperback Review \u201cLove isn\u2019t always smooth or straightforward. It can be messy and painful \u2026 Doesn\u2019t mean it isn\u2019t still the most incredible thing that can ever happen to you.\u201d Woohoo! A [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3473,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":4.5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"Product","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[454,94,9,29],"tags":[212,48,213],"class_list":["post-3476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-audio-recommendation","category-rockers","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-kylie-scott","tag-review","tag-stage-dive"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Lick.jpg?fit=150%2C234&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-U4","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3476"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3476\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}