From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kylie Scott comes a new story in her Stage Dive series¿When a stalker gets too close to plus-size model Mae Cooper, it’s time to hire some muscle.Enter former military man turned executive protection officer Ziggy Thayer. Having spent years guarding billionaires, royalty, and rock n roll greats, he’s seen it all. From lavish parties through to … to every kind of excess.There’s no reason some Instagram stylista should throw him off his game. Even if she does have the most dangerous curves he’s ever seen…Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.
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Closer by Kylie was a fast-paced novella that features our favorite band, Stage Dive.
Mae happens to live in the same building as some of the members and she’s good friends with Lena Ferris (Jimmy’s wife). She’s an up and coming super model and has a stalker in her midst… Ziggy Thayer is hired to protect her. Cue the sweet, sweet attraction and overall tension.
Soley told through Mae’s POV you get all her feelings for this quiet man for Ziggy is very professional and hides his feelings. Well, that is until all hell breaks loose.
Though this novella was a good addition to the series, I needed more of Mae and Ziggy’s romance! Regardless, this was an easy read that gave me a glimpse at some beloved characters. Also, there were some bromance moments with the band that were a total bonus! All Hail Mal Ericson . Disclaimer: if you don’t know who Stage Dive is, please do yourselves a favor and read the Stage Dive series. You won’t regret it!
4.5 Stars
We’re back in Portland – in the apartment building where most of the Stage Dive boys and girls live.
Curvy model Mae lives here too.
She just got back from a shooting and the doorman hands her a package.
(You don’t want to know what’s in there!)
After that her friend Lena decides she needs a bodyguard until they catch her stalker.
Enter Ziggy.
He’s a hot as eff Executive Protection Officer and there’s an insta attraction on both sides – but of course he can’t let that distract him from his job – keeping her safe.
Let the fun times begin!
Aww, that was adorable.
Finally back in the Stage Dive World!
Oh Mal – how I missed you!!! He’s the best thing about any and all Stage Dive books – sorry other guys and girls, but Mal is the greatest. Idiot. Mostly. But still – I just adore him.
I just copied these last few lines from my previous review – because it’s still the truth! Mal was again the secret star in this novella!
But of course Ziggy is hella hot too! All tall, dark, capable and silent. No smiles from that guy. But Mae makes it really hard for him to stay unsmiling!
I adored those two!
This very short novella was funny, sparky, exciting, suspensy and I just loved reading it – loved being back in the Stage Dive world for a little while!
ARC received for an honest review – thank you!
Woot woot! Happy dance! Daggy dance! Heck, anything that can show my excitement at being back in the Stage Dive world!
I love these 1001 Nights stories. I love that I get a bit more of the Stage Dive family (let’s be honest, any slice of Mal that I can get, I will take) however I love that we are introduced to the extended family of the Stage Dive world, and that I can read these as stand alones if I wanted to.
Mae and Ziggy’s story is full of longing looks across the room, UST and just full on wanting, whilst trying to toe the professional line.
I gotta say, I love a story where the protectee falls for the protector – there’s something about a hot bodyguard in the corner that just does it for me! I know it would be horrible in real life, but in fantasy world it is
This short story is hot, funny, a bit of suspense and a whole lotta lovin’
It has made me want to go back and reread the Stage Dive series again (for about the 20th time!)
When Mae Cooper needs protection from a stalker on the loose, former military man Ziggy is the man for the job. But following the plus-sized model to photo shoots leaves him more on edge than the threat to harm her. Can he keep his head in the job when all he wants to look at are her beautiful curves? Will he act on his growing feelings and end up also having to protect his heart? With characters you cannot help but fall in love with and a storyline that grabs the reader from the opening pages this was a great read. I now need to go and read the rest of the series.
I love Kylie Scott – she has the ability to make me fall in love with her characters in a matter of few chapters. I really wished this was a full blown novel – I didn’t get enough of Ziggy and Mae. I really wish we could “see” inside his head while he was protecting her.
It was (too) short, funny and sweet. And I love that we get to see the Stage Dive crew and see that they are still the same fabulous group of people.
<***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads Blog***
I absolutely loved being back in the Stage Dive world!
We got to see all the previous characters and i couldn’t love it more!
Ziggy and Mae’s story was great, i love the whole bodyguard trope, Mae didn’t want a bodyguard but when she see’s Ziggy and his resting B face and take no s demeanor she rethinks.
Mae was sweet and down to earth and Ziggy stood no chance.
It was a quick hot read, you could read it in one sitting with a cup of tea and your feet up.
I love Kylie Scott books and this is no different, enough of a book to love and great to see characters you read and loved before.
I love Kylie Scott’s Stage Dive series and Closer is a great addition to it. Ziggy and Mae’s story is light, sweet and sexy all rolled into one. I also loved getting a glimpse into what’s going on in the lives of the other Stage Dive couples. It was a perfect Monday morning read!
This novella is fast paced, full of drama, suspense, intrigue and witty banter. A bodyguard and his charge are kept on edge as danger lurks both for Mae’s safety and their hearts. Ziggy is accustomed to tense situations but keeping his feelings in check has never been so hard when his heart, mind and body are at war to claim the curvaceous Mae as his own. A great story that gives us a little time with not only these two great characters but the Stage Dive men and women.
Read: 1/14/2020
Closer was a Stage Dive Novella by Kylie Scott.
It had been awhile so I didn’t recognize the main characters but then quickly remembered that Ziggy worked for the security company owned by Sam (Strong, book four) and did all the security detail for the band, Stage Dive. He was ex-military and all business.
Mae was a friend to to Lena (Lead, book three) and lived in the same building as the Stage Dive members. Mae was a successful model and owner of her own lingerie line. She had just received multiple threats and let Stage Dive convince her to hire a body guard until the investigation was complete. Enter Ziggy.
The plot was sweet and sexy and told in a single POV, Mae. Scott added a little suspense and Stage Dive camaraderie for extra dimension and depth. All in all, it was a quick and enjoyable read.
In a wonderful return to the Stage Dive world, Closer features Mae Cooper and Ziggy Thayer.
Mae is a successful model and one of Lena’s friends. As a big/ curvy girl myself, I loved her! She has a wonderful personality and attitude, she doesn’t allow anything to get her down for long, and she embraces who she is. Off the runway, she has a tendency to ramble, be a bit klutzy, and generally is just the girl next door.
Ziggy is a former Marine working for Sam’s security company, and he is assigned to.protect Mae from a stalker. She absolutely blindsides him, and they both struggle a bit with figuring out how to handle their attraction. But of course they get it together 😉
The way the Stage Dive couples were woven into the story was a lot of fun, especially my favorite crazy/attention whore drummer Mal!!
This is Mae and Ziggy’s story. Mae is a plus sized model who has a stalker and Ziggy is hired to be her round-the-clock protection. As they spend time together, they find themselves attracted and enjoying each other’s company. This gradually turns into them falling for each other.
I found it refreshing that Mae was a curvy woman who was actually very accident prone for a model. She felt real and relate-able. Though this novella was a good addition to the series, it could have done with more development between the characters.
3.5 stars. I really wanted to like this book. Great blurb, great series but not the strongest in the series. Our main characters are a broody, trying-to-stay-professional and very stoic Ziggy, the bodyguard. And Mae, our supermodel who’s being stalked and sent some pretty unsavory gifts (which prompted the need for a bodyguard). Both characters, sadly, came off a bit cliche. Mae’s “famous” friends also came off a bit cardboard cliche, even though they were good characters. There is nothing from his POV so I never understood him as a character or his motivations. He doesn’t really do much of anything other than stare and smolder for about 75% of the novel, which made me as the reader have a tough time connecting to him since all I knew was he was hot and an ex-marine with some good fighting skills.
Overall, the story is cute and short. It’s a classic forced-protector, forced-proximity bodyguard story that I didn’t find innovative. But if you’re looking for this classic trope, then you may find it’s your thing.
I had a tough time with the writing in many locations. There are a lot of places with dialogue without dialogue tags. So, I had to re-read several times to figure out who spoke. This was particularly an issue when there were two separate paragraphs of short dialogue where the same character said both lines but it wasn’t clear it was the same character. This made it confusing and unfortunately drew me out of the story.
I received this as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Closer is a stand alone novella in the Stage Dive series. This is my first ever read from the author and this book, in my opinion, is the perfect sample for this newbie.
The story is about Mae, a model who has a stalker problem. Eversince landing the cover spread of a famous magazine, she had her fair share of the unusual. Well, aside from the weird emails, messages and some unwanted pics of male bits, she just takes it in stride. Until, one bloody package came. A friend of hers contacted a security company who handles the Stage Dive band, the same rock band who lives in the same building with her. In came Ziggy Thayer, in all of his super buff, black suit glory. It’s safe to say that she was tongue tied, literally.
Told in Mae’s POV, her character is a refreshing and surprising for a person such as her status. I guess the stereotype of her kind gets to me but I love her sassy mind and mouth, I feel like we can be BFF. She is very down to earth but her ex douche canoe of a boyfriend left her feeling bad about her simple ways out of the limelight. Ziggy’s protective way, honest attitude and simple ways make her feel beautiful in her own skin. The easy, fun, light banter between these two is so cute, I think I may have hurt my face from smiling too much. Overall, another fun, light and feel good romance. A must read for the fans of this series!
Mae is a fashion model with a stalker problem. When her stalker gets too close, Ziggy is hired to protect her. Ziggy is a former military turned bodyguard. He’s seen it all from rock stars, business types, and all the craziness. He’s determined to do his job and Mae won’t get in his way. The problem is they are both attracted to each other.
4 Stars
It’s always a great book when Kylie Scott sends me back into the world of my favorite band! When supermodel Mae is being stalked, Ziggy is her newly assigned bodyguard. And man is he hotness on a stick. These two have major chemistry no matter how hard they try to fight it. I loved these two, they are a great new addition to the Stage Dive world.
Angela – Alphas Do It Better Book Blog
Cute story, fun characters–a nice, quick read!
Closer could definitely serve as an intro to Ms Scott’s Stage Dive series–though other series characters do show up, this is absolutely Mae and Ziggy’s story. It’s told completely from Mae’s POV, which was a bit of a bummer; the romance is fairly slow burn (as slow burn as it can be for a novella set over a shortish period of time, anyway–honestly, no movement on the romance front until around 70ish%) and I really would have liked to have seen what was going on in Ziggy’s head throughout.
I mean, loaded glances are all good and all. But I really wanted to know what he was thinking.
Still, the first part was all angsty, loaded glances with a side of suspense, and the last bit was steamy with a side of cute–overall a fun read and a nice intro to those not familiar with the author’s work.
Rating: 4 stars / B+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Body positive done right…
I’ve read a few BBW (I think it’s Big Beautiful Woman…but don’t quote me) stories in my time and I found Closer one of my favourites. It can be hard to get the confidence, healthiness and sassyness in the heroine, just right. Mae is confident…and a little klutzy. She is healthy mostly with a personal trainer she works out regularly with…but loves her sweet treats. Mae is a sassy mix of fancy schmancy on the catwalk, and daggy and comfy at home. She says what she’s thinking but is thoughtful to others feelings. Where Kylie Scott got this character body positive right, is that Mae is not defined by her size.
Now, saying all of this, Closer is not centred on a BBW successfully snagging a hot guy. Being a short story, I would say the threat to Mae is the major focus of the storyline, wit the romance playing second fiddle. Mae has an unwanted stalker and Ziggy is assigned to protect her. There is an underlying zing between the characters but it’s not really known until near the end if it’s mutual.
I really enjoyed reading Closer and loved catching up with the Stage Dive gang. With this romance only being short, I found myself a little disappointed that we don’t get a lot of time “seeing” Mae and Ziggy together. I would have loved a little bit of Ziggy’s inner thoughts and feelings as he was a little too successful with his stoic and professional facade.
If you’re looking for a Stage Dive fix, love Kylie Scott’s heroines like I do, and just want a quick read, I highly recommend giving Closer a try.
I love the Stage Dive gang and it was great to see them again. And I’ll forever love Mal’s antics, but this story didn’t have the time to build and knock my socks off. The humor was at the end. Needed more time to develop the story and characters.
I enjoyed this story, but I would have liked more Mae and Ziggy before close to the end. The story really focuses on Mae and her stalker but of course the chemistry between Mae and Ziggy is absolute and from the start.
I use 1001 Dark Nights novellas as a quick escape. I always have. And this was a perfectly written escape. The story was sexy and engaging and for those of you new to Kylie’s words and/or the Stage Dive series it is an excellent place to begin!
*3 Stars*
ARC kindly received in exchange for an honest review.
Being a novella this was a really nice, easy and fast read. It’s always interesting to be back in the Stage Dive world, and little glimpses of those characters are always fun.
Mae and Ziggy were both pretty cool characters. I liked them both, and can’t say I had any issues with them. He’s her bodyguard, and shes a well known lingerie model, and with some certain things going on with Mae, they’re bound to get closer.
No angst, just a nice and easy read. Would recommend.