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From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kylie Scott comes a new story in her Stage Dive series\u2026<\/p>\n
When the girl of your dreams is kind of a nightmare.<\/p>\n
As head of security to Stage Dive, one of the biggest rock bands in the world, Sam Knowles has plenty of experience dealing with trouble. But spoilt brat Martha Nicholson just might be the worst thing he\u2019s ever encountered. The beautiful troublemaker claims to have reformed, but Sam knows better than to think with what\u2019s in his pants. Unfortunately, it\u2019s not so easy to make his heart fall into line.<\/p>\n
Martha\u2019s had her sights on the seriously built bodyguard for years. Quiet and conservative, he\u2019s not even remotely her type. So why the hell can\u2019t she get him out of her mind? There\u2019s more to her than the Louboutin wearing party-girl of previous years, however. Maybe it\u2019s time to let him in on that fact and deal with this thing between them.<\/p>\n
**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it\u2019s an introduction to an author\u2019s world. And for fans, it\u2019s a bonus book in the author\u2019s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**<\/p>\n
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3.5 badass and the bitch stars<\/b><\/p>\n
I will take any chance I get to revisit with the boys of rock band Stage Dive, which is why I couldn\u2019t wait to get my hands on this novella. Though it can be read as a standalone, it will definitely mean more to fans of the Stage Dive<\/i> series as we get to go back into their world for a different kind of romance.<\/p>\n
This is the story of Martha and Sam. Martha is the sister of Ben, from Deep<\/a>, ex-PA for the band, and the ex-girlfriend of lead guitarist, David. Sam, an ex-SEAL, works security for Stage Dive, and has been around since the beginning of the series, existing in the background, and I liked that he is finally getting his story told.<\/p>\n Martha has been living in New York and has moved to Portland feeling broken and a bit lost. She\u2019s always been a bit of a bad girl, she\u2019s closed-off, brash and bitchy, she\u2019s made mistakes in the past, and she\u2019s not proud of them, but she\u2019s grown and changed. And though she\u2019s a hardass who is alone, and that\u2019s the way she likes it, her sister-in-law Lizzy is going back to school so she\u2019s going to help look after her two year old nephew. It\u2019s far out of her comfort zone, but she needed to come home, reluctantly needing her family around her and to get a fresh start, even though it means being around the Stage Dive boys again, which is bound to be all kinds of awkward. But as a bonus, it means she\u2019ll get to see Sam again, and she\u2019s been attracted to the big badass for years.<\/p>\n It\u2019s clear that the \u201cExecutive Protection Officer\u201d has feelings for Martha as well. He may be stoic and laid-back, but he\u2019s also vigilant, and he recognises that all is not well with Martha so he\u2019s there by her side from the very beginning, putting himself right up in her face, whether she wants him there or not.<\/p>\n \u201cYou never did like being out of control of a situation.\u201d Sam is so straightforward and no-nonsense, and I love that! He\u2019s wanted Martha for years, but he\u2019s been biding his time waiting until she was ready. And even though she\u2019s not the most likable of people, she appeals to him like no other and he knows exactly how to manage her and her prickliness.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy do I always feel like a child throwing a tantrum around you?\u201d He\u2019s full of alpha declarations about them and their future, whereas she wants sex only and to keep her emotional distance. Sam doesn\u2019t care about that, finally taking the chance he\u2019s always wants and disregarding her reluctance about it all. The woman never even stood a chance.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m using you for sex and that\u2019s all that\u2019s happening between us right now.\u201d Confession: I went into this book not realising who it was about. It wasn\u2019t until I was reading it and found myself not warming to Martha (despite how much she had supposedly changed from the past) that I went back to Lick<\/a> to look for some details and then my memory came back and woah. Possibly a risky move by Scott writing a story for the villain from book #1 in the series \u2013 especially after she wrote her so well and made her such a nasty bitch. And going back to read over her actions with Dave and Ev just made me hate her all the more, and even though I really enjoyed this novella, Martha never grew on me. But Sam certainly does, and that\u2019s the important thing. And you\u2019ve got to admire a man who can have such strong feelings for such a dislikeable person<\/p>\n The big man tipped his chin, then his hands slowly curled into fists. \u201cMartha, since you don\u2019t seem to have noticed, let me point out something important to you. Even when you\u2019ve done something so breathtakingly stupid that I couldn\u2019t figure out what the fuck you could possibly have been thinking, I have still always been on your side.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The highlight of this novella for me by far, was catching up with the Stage Dive boys. I love, love, love these guys and the scenes where they\u2019re all hanging out together are just gold \u2013 especially with Mal is in fine form as always.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was weird.\u201d I enjoyed this one. My dislike of Martha definitely impacted on my overall feelings, but Sam was great, the Stage Dive boys were better, and I loved the opportunity to be back in this world \u2013 if only for a little while.<\/p>\n 3.5 stars (rated up .5 thanks to Mal)<\/p>\n An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Lick (#1)<\/strong> (David & Evelyn) Play (#2)<\/strong> (Mal & Anne) Lead (#3)<\/strong> (Jimmy & Lena) Deep (#4)<\/strong> (Ben & Lizzy) Strong (#4.5)<\/strong> (Sam & Martha) – spin off Closer (#4.6)<\/strong> (Ziggy & Mae) – spin off Love Song (#4.7) <\/strong>(Adam & Jil) – spin off The Rhythm Method (#4.8)<\/strong> (David & Evelyn) Just What I Needed (#4.9)<\/strong> (Dean & Jude) <\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOoh, busted,\u201d said Lizzy. \u201cThe bodyguard caught you looking.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShut it.\u201d I inched my chin up a bit, trying not to frown because frowning gave you lines. \u201cSam and I have known each other for years and nothing has ever happened. You\u2019re completely wrong about this.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAm I?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, there\u2019s nothing between us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo that\u2019s why you were staring at him?\u201d<\/p>\n I chose not to answer that. \u201cAnd you know he prefers to be called executive protection officer instead of bodyguard.\u201d<\/p>\n At this, Lizzy burst out giggling, a malicious glee in her eyes. No wonder I liked my sister-in-law these days.<\/p>\n Ben shot us both an irritated glance. We both ignored it.<\/p>\n Of course, I\u2019d known Sam would probably be here. Rock stars going out in public could be a delicate thing. People had a tendency to get overexcited. And while one person wanting an autograph wasn\u2019t a problem, twenty or thirty of them suddenly swarming definitely could be. Having once been part of the entourage, I\u2019d seen it happen to Ben and his fellow Stage Dive band members enough times to be wary.\u00a0 And you couldn\u2019t get by with ordinary security. Rock stars needed protection from their over-zealous fans, but on the other hand they didn\u2019t want the fans roughed up or hurt in any way. It required a delicate balance: control, experience, and a whole gamut of scary physical skills. Hence Sam.<\/p>\n Still, Portland seemed generally less crazy than the good old days back in LA. All of the guys seemed calmer and more settled away from the constant craziness of the party scene. Not to mention the effect of all of the wives\/partners and various offspring. The biggest rock band in the world had officially been domesticated.<\/p>\n It was kind of cute. Or sad. I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, I didn\u2019t mean to stir you,\u201d she lied. \u201cWhat do you think of your brother\u2019s new musical bromance?\u201d<\/p>\n On the small stage set up in the corner of the room, a young man wailed his heart out while playing an acoustic guitar. Much angst about a girl who only called him after midnight. Trust a rockster to turn a simple booty call into a heartbreaking ballad. The song was damn good though. He had talent. If only I hadn\u2019t had my fill of the type when I was younger. The kid looked to be in his early to mid-twenties.\u00a0 Lanky with lots of tattoos. Your typical rock \u2019n roll Prince Charming. Gag. These days my type ran more toward\u2026actually, what I needed or wanted in a male was a total mystery.<\/p>\n And my gaze did not stray back to Sam. That did not happen.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Kylie is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. She was voted Australian Romance Writer of the year, 2013 & 2014, by the Australian Romance Writer\u2019s Association and her books have been translated into eleven different languages. She is a long time fan of romance, rock music, and B-grade horror films. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet. You can learn more about Kylie on her website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Facebook\u00a0 <\/a>|\u00a0 Facebook Fan Group<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Twitter\u00a0 <\/a>|\u00a0 Instagram\u00a0 <\/a>|\u00a0 Goodreads<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Amazon US\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon AU\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon UK Synopsis From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kylie Scott comes a new story in her Stage Dive series\u2026 When the girl of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27540,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":3.5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"Product","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,94,9,29],"tags":[59,212,48,213],"class_list":["post-36859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-novella","category-rockers","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-arc","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\/12\/Strong.jpg?fit=150%2C225&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-9Av","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36859","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=36859"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36859\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/27540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u201cStop acting as if you know what\u2019s going on in my head all the time. You don\u2019t!\u201d
\nHe chuckled, the sound and the vibration of his strong chest against my side much too pleasant. \u201cConsidering I\u2019ve been waiting for you for almost a decade, I think I\u2019ve got a pretty good understanding of what goes in that gorgeous head of yours.\u201d
\n\u201cAlmost a decade?\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n\u201cI definitely don\u2019t think of you as a child.\u201d
\n\u201cYes, I\u2019m aware of that. Your huge hard-on is sticking into my hip.\u201d
\n\u201cLike I said, I\u2019ve been waiting a long time. Just ignore it. God knows, I\u2019m trying to,\u201d he
\nsaid. \u201cAs for the other, you do enjoy a good tantrum from time to time. But I rather enjoy your sharp edges. Keeps me on my toes.\u201d<\/i><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nHis brows rose. \u201cYou\u2019re using me for sex?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cHuh.\u201d
\n\u201cIs that all you have to say?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cWell\u2026always happy to be of service. Whenever you\u2019re ready.\u201d
\nNails digging into the back of his neck just a little, I cocked my head. \u201cIs that a dare I\u2019m hearing, Sam?\u201d
\n\u201cMartha, my love.\u201d His smile, it was pure predator. \u201cYou bet it is.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nDavid grunted.
\n\u201cOf course,\u201d said Mal. \u201cIt\u2019s always weird when unresolved sexual tension boils over like that. Still, gives me something to report back to Anne tonight. We\u2019ll have a good gossip about y\u2019all then give making a baby another turn or two. Maybe even three if my wife is lucky. And that girl was born lucky.\u201d
\nJimmy\u2019s lips flattened. \u201cI think it\u2019s great that you\u2019re planning on starting a family. But I can honestly live without the daily updates regarding your sex life, man.\u201d
\n\u201cBut you don\u2019t have to, Jimbo. That\u2019s the beauty of it, I\u2019m more than happy to share.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Strong-Teaser-2.jpg?resize=411%2C353&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\nStage Dive<\/strong><\/h4>\n
![\"Lick\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Lick.jpg?resize=80%2C122&ssl=1\")
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<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0![\"Deep\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Deep.jpg?resize=80%2C122&ssl=1\")
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\u00a0![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Love-Song.jpg?resize=80%2C122&ssl=1\")
\u00a0![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/The-Rhythm-Method.jpg?resize=80%2C122&ssl=1\")
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\nReview<\/a>
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\nReview<\/a>
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Stage Dive: Short Stories & Novellas
\n<\/strong>A compilation of previously released short stories and novellas<\/em>
\nContains short stories \u201cCocky\u201d<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0\u201cMal and Anne + 1\u201d\u00a0<\/span>and the 5 novellas listed above<\/em>
\n<\/strong>Buy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n
\nExcerpt<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\nAbout the Author<\/strong><\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Kylie-Scott.jpg?resize=146%2C219\")
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