From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kylie Scott comes a new story in her Stage Dive series… When the girl of your dreams is kind of a nightmare.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’s ever encountered. The beautiful … encountered. The beautiful troublemaker claims to have reformed, but Sam knows better than to think with what’s in his pants. Unfortunately, it’s not so easy to make his heart fall into line.
Martha’s had her sights on the seriously built bodyguard for years. Quiet and conservative, he’s not even remotely her type. So why the hell can’t she get him out of her mind? There’s more to her than the Louboutin wearing party-girl of previous years, however. Maybe it’s time to let him in on that fact and deal with this thing between them.
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.
more
After binge reading the entirety of the Stage Dive series and realizing that Sam and Martha will be getting their own novella, I couldn’t be happier and more excited. We felt their flame ignite back in DEEP and I bet you, if you’ve read that book, you’ll definitely crave to know what happens between these two. And no matter how much I disliked Martha throughout all the other books, I really wanted Sam to have his happily ever after.
“I’ve been waiting for you for almost a decade…”
Sam has been working as the band’s bodyguard (aka executive protection officer) for a long time. He’s seen them soar, go wild, screw up, fall in love, and get domesticated. He worked day and night to make sure his guys are always safe and taken care of, and he loved what he did. He eventually became a part of their family. But now that they’re all settled, it’s his turn to man up and claim the woman he’s always been pining for. He’s finally done sitting on the sidelines, waiting for her.
“For a woman with so much pride, Martha, you have a very thin grasp of your own worth.”
Martha has always fancied the band’s burly bodyguard. She always felt the safest and most protected when he’s around, but she never allowed herself to act on her feelings. Until now.
Being the lead guitarist’s ex-girlfriend, Martha didn’t really leave a spectacular first impression. Just like Sam, we first meet her in LICK, and let’s just say, wanting to throat punch her would be a crazy understatement after the things she did in that book. She became a jealous, vindictive brat who got the rug pulled from under her feet, and she just acted out without thinking about the consequences of her actions. And although we somewhat get her redemption in this novella, I’m still a bit on the fence on what I feel about her. I guess I just wish we could’ve gotten more of her trying to grovel and win the band’s women’s hearts.
“You have to fight to protect what’s yours in this world, or people will walk all over you.”
I loved the balance between Sam and Martha—their intensity was just right without anyone really overpowering the other. It might seem like Martha would’ve had Sam by the balls in the beginning, but that quickly shifted when she finally allowed herself to become vulnerable with him. And I absolutely adored the fact that Sam was the one who was able to break down her walls and thaw all that ice around her. He was just so sweet and patient with her. If there’s anyone who can soften up and handle this woman’s brash and cold personality, it’s Sam.
“The man kissed me with a decade’s worth of hunger and longing.”
I really appreciate it when an author achieves making a novella feel like a full-length novel to me when it actually isn’t, but this just didn’t quite get there. The flow and transition of the chapters weren’t as smooth as I expected them to be and I felt how short the story was. I guess I just wanted so much more from these two.
Nevertheless, Strong was still an amazing addition to the series. It made me straight up swoon and lust over Sam, and laugh my heart out, especially on the scenes where Mal was concerned. It was just an absolute blast seeing the band and their little families in action, and I enjoyed witnessing Sam and Martha’s relationship unravel and progress into something so much more. This novella will certainly make you want to go back and relive some of the best moments with Stage Dive.
4.5 STARS!
I absolutely LOVE Kylie Scott’s Stage Dive series, so when I found out there was a novella coming out and it was about Martha, I had to have it!!! You see, I have a hate/love relationship with Martha ever since Lick, but everyone deserves a second chance and Martha has redeemed herself y’all! I enjoyed this mini slice of heaven so much .
If you haven’t read the Stage Dive series then I don’t know what you’re waiting for. Do it, you won’t regret it. Martha use to be David’s ex and she’s Ben’s sister. As you can imagine, book 1 was messy, but oh so yummy!
Martha has left the East Coast and comes back home to be with her brother Ben and his family. Watching her squirm and seeing her try to fight her attraction towards Sam, had me living!! #sigh. I loved the dynamic of their relationship. Sam pacified Martha and was protective. He’s just a big teddy bear. She felt safe in his arms, but still maintained control. It was wonderful to see them fall for each other!
This book just made me realize how much I missed this series and these characters! Watching how far they’ve come and seeing them together like the tight knit family they are, made me teary eyed . This novella was a fast read and such a tease. I’m a sucker for them and I wanted more!! Thank you, Kylie for bringing us back!!
You may not have loved Martha before, but you will now
As a lover of all things Stage Dive, I was overjoyed to hear we were getting Sam and Martha’s story. This novella is the 5th book in the Stage Dive series (technically, #4.5, I think) and it’s a little hard for me to judge how it works as a standalone since I’ve read the previous books multiple times. I’m going to say that, like most of the 1001 Dark nights books, while newbies will enjoy it, long term fans will get more out of it due to extended knowledge of the characters.
Omg, I was literally cry laughing. So much hilarity–well, there’s Mal, so of course there’s hilarity–but as much as I love Mal, seeing Sam go all growly and protective about Martha and putting Mal in his place at one point was worth reading the book for all by itself.
There was some nice character growth for both Martha and Sam here. I’ve loved Sam since Lick, and Martha…well, okay, I don’t think anybody actually LIKED Martha originally, but I did see some redeeming qualities in her. Being the complete romantic that I am, I had hopes that even Martha would be able to get her own HEA. After all–though my heart beats only for Mal –I’d be tempted to do pretty shady things, too, if I lost a guy like David Ferris. And really, I have to admire a strong woman who owns her sh*t. Then with the band members–including both Sam and the nearly irrepressible Mal–finding her a bit scary at times and I was, “You go, girl!”
Add in touching base with all the Stage Dive members and their families (and even a new character or two) and this was the epitome of a story I couldn’t read fast enough but, at the same time, I didn’t want to end. You may not have loved Martha before, but you will now. 5+ stars
B2B Kelly
4.5 Stars
We all remember Martha from the Stage Dive series. She’s Ben’s sister and Davie’s ex and she caused a lot of trouble in the books. And now she’s back in Portland to be the baby sitter for Ben and Lizzie’s 2-year old son Gib while Lizzie goes back to college. She tries hard to not be the b*tch she used to be. But life has not been the best buddy to her these last years. She’s been lonely. She missed the whole gang. Especially Sam. The band’s bodyguard. Aka Executive Protection Officer.
Sam has been in love with Martha for a decade, but she never noticed him like that…
But she does now. How could she not. All those muscles and that ex Navy SEAL hotness…
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.
But Sam is amazing too. He’s just so secure in his love for Martha – he knows it will all happen one day … she just might take a little longer to get there …
But it’s a cute and funny and very sexy little journey for the reader to witness.
Especially all the Mal moments!
I really enjoyed this little novella. It was a bit short and a bit too insta – even though it took them a decade to get together. But it was great to be back in that world again for an hour!
Will we get Adam/Aaron’s book one day??????
“He made me wish I knew anatomy better. So I could put a name to all of the bumps and bulges in his shoulders and arms.”
I devoured this delicious taste of my beloved Stage Dive series. Yes, it can be read as a standalone, or introduction to the author. But, if like me, you are already a fan, you will melt into a puddle when you get to spend time with the band family again. I was in heaven hanging out with that crazy crew and their families. Which is exactly how Sam encountered the object of his obsession, Martha.
She’s been avoiding her attraction to him for years. But now that she’s back in town, and in very close proximity, the sexual tension is so thick that the big-mouth band family can’t let it slide. Nope, prepare to be entertained.
Sam is a badass security guard, though he prefers to be called an executive protection officer. When it comes to Martha, she can call him anything she wants as long as she’s calling him. He’s been waiting for her to be ready, but his patience is wearing thin. She doesn’t deny that she’s a badass bitch, but what she doesn’t know is that he likes her that way. The question is, who’s gonna be on top?
Grab your copy of Strong, you won’t be disappointed. In fact, I’m sure you’ll be joining me as we anxiously await whatever this brilliant author decides to tackle next. The line forms here…
Omg i loved this book ,start to finish ,i wished it was longer !
I loved seeing Martha and Sam get together ,they having been dancing around each other for so long !the steamy hot tub scene was so freaking fan worthy ! it was was pretty hot , it was great to come back to the Stage Dive world and see everyone again ,love love loved this little book 🙂
Sam is the head of security for Stage Dive. Martha is in town to baby sit for her brother’s son Gib while Lizzy goes back to college. I never really liked Martha in the earlier novels but she managed to redeem herself in this story. Sam has been in love with Martha for a long time. Martha has sworn off love, it makes you do crazy things. These two have intense chemistry they just can’t fight. I really enjoyed this novella and seeing the guys of Stage Dive again.
Good to see Sam and Martha get their story too.
Who knew I’d grow to love Martha? I sure didn’t know. But that is exactly what happened.
From the beginning of the Stage Dive novels (which, by the way, you do not need to read first) Martha was…well…a witchy woman. She’s all growed up now though. She’s matured, yet still keeps that strong backbone and quite a thick veneer.
Sam sees her for exactly who she is, however. Turns out, he always has. And he’s not letting her call the shots right out of a relationship with him. He’s waited too long.
I ADORED these two together. Legit, adored. They’re hard and soft, strong and vulnerable. They’re just perfect for each other and this was a great little morsel to keep me tied over until the next Kylie read!
For Martha, Sam has always been forbidden fruit. Even when she was helping to manage Stage Dive, he eyes wondered to the sexy bodyguard. When Martha, comes home to help her brother by watching his son, she doesn’t expect for her and Sam’s sexual tension to finally boil over. What will happen when these two strong willed people find themselves pulled together? Can Martha finally lose control and get exactly what she’s wanted for the last 10 years?
Yay! Kylie Scott has brought us back to the Stage Dive family. Martha and Sam’s story has been a long time coming. Ever since these two were introduced to us in Lick they have been headed together. This is long overdue and done so well its as if we never left them. Martha and Sam are fantastic together. You feel Sam’s love the exact same way Martha does. We learn so much more about Martha and her feelings. She is really quite the dynamic character we never really got to know. She has been the villain but now she is the heroine. You really get to see her layers and some very funny moments when she is babysitting her nephew. If you, like me, have missed the whole Stage Dive crew then you need to run and pick this book up today. I guarantee you won’t regret it.
Holy Cow get ready for a ride with the Stage Dive Crew.
In this book we get Sam Knowles and Martha Nicholson. You remember Sam from all of the Stage Dive books he is their bodyguard. Who can forget Martha we first meet her in Lick. As we remember Martha and David were an item for years. After she cheated with Jimmy Dave wanted nothing more to do with her. However being their assistant kept them in the same circles. When Dave and Evelyn met and married she was understandably threatened and got nasty. For all four of the books that is all we see of Martha now she is back though and as we remember at the end of Deep Lizzy tells her that Sam wants her. She isn’t sure that is true but there is just something about him. Sam is a patient man and has watched and waited to see that Martha is finally over her ex David. He wants her but he doesn’t want her to want him just to be near Dave. Can these two find their HEA or will the past get in the way of a future?
This is another amazing hit by this author about this group. Everyone is back in this short story. We catch up with them all and find out where their futures lie. It does have its emotional ups and downs that I really want to tell you about. However I don’t want to ruin it for any other readers. I will say this though Mal is back in this book and no he hasn’t changed one bit but who wants him too. There is so much I want to tell you about this book I just don’t want to give anything away. However I will say this book will take you on a ride you won’t want to get off of. I would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.
It’s good to be back…
I absolutely LOVED catching up with the Stage Dive gang, and to be honest, I think Kylie Scott did me a favour by making it novella length. We’ll blame it on my SHOCKING memory, but I struggled to even remember Martha. With the little bits of info I was given in Strong, I kind of pieced together what had happened previously. By having it novella length, mixed with my bad memory, I think it helped me get to know Martha without having to get past her previous mistakes.
It’s amazing what you will do when you feel threatened. For Martha, she pushes people away before they even contemplate giving her the nudge. She’s a wee bit prickly at the best of times, put her in a corner, she turns into a porcupine with PMS. But, there’s one person who has been watching silently from the corner. He’s always been there watching her back and waiting for her shield to lower a little. When Martha finally explains why she’s back visiting from New York, that man in the corner comes out from the dark and nothing will be the same again.
Seriously, this is a quick trip from lust to love, but I kind of had no problem with it. Sure, I would have liked a bit more of everything, but I got enough to satisfy. The connection between Martha and Sam jumps off the pages and I loved seeing Martha taking some of the control. Sam, while not appearing like a man who follows orders, knows that their relationship will be stronger giving Martha some of the power. These two are HOT!!
Plenty of reconnecting with friends, seeing them thrive in their HEA’s, and watching their families grow. Mal is still a CRACK UP!! I loved that they still like being together and having fun outside their music.
Glad I got the chance to catch up with the Stage Dive gang but a little sad that this might be my last glimpse of them. I wouldn’t be averse to Adam maybe getting a story…hint, hint, nudge, nudge…
3.5 stars- Feels good to be back with some old favorites
We all have those series that hold a special place in our hearts, and the Stage Dive series is one of mine. Naturally, I was excited to see Sam, the band’s bodyguard, get his happily ever after and was equally intrigued to see it be with Martha, a character we all love to hate. Although the brevity of this novella means the relationship development is minimal and there’s not much rehashing or exploring of Martha’s past transgressions, I think this was a solid short. Not only did Strong deliver a cute love story for two secondary characters of a favorite series, but it also acted as a bit of an extended dialogue providing cameos and insights of all the band members and their growing families. And while I wouldn’t say Martha is necessarily redeemed in Strong, it did feel like a nice cap to the series where everything falls a little more into place. Of course the writing flows nicely and offers up some of Miss Scott’s trademark fun and snarky dialogue, which is especially perfect delivered from Martha’s point-of-view. I suspect fans of the series will definitely enjoy Strong and a quick peek back into the Stage Dive world.
It was an enjoyable read. It was great to see the whole gang again. I definitely recommend this book, this series and this author.
*3 Stars*
ARC kindly received in exchange for an honest review.
As much as I love the Stage Dive Series, and Kylie’s books, this one just wasn’t that captivating to me. I couldn’t connect with either of the main characters, and things seemed to move way to fast for me.
This may be a personal thing for me, because obviously with the book being a novella, it is only short, so there isn’t a lot of room to elaborate the same way as in a full length novel.
I did really enjoy getting the glimpses into the current lives of the band though, and of course the members and wives were their usual wonderful selves.
I just wasn’t really that much of a fan or Martha and Sam in this one. But it is still a nice little update in this world, for fans of the series.
I loved the entire Stage Dive series and was thrilled when the novella Strong appeared for preorder. I loved that we finally get to hear Martha’s story but I wish it had been a full book.
Another visit with the crew from Stage Dive? Sign me up. This has always been and probably always will be one of my favorite rocker romance series. Each book seemed to get better than the last and honestly, I didn’t realize how much I missed the crew until I read this fun novella.
Strong is definitely a standalone but I think it’s even better if you’ve read the rest since you get the chance to catch up on your favorite characters. I can admit that my memory isn’t the best so I didn’t initially remember who Martha and Sam were but it didn’t take long but me to fall for them. I don’t think you need to read the rest of the series to enjoy their story but I will say that as much as I enjoyed this fun read about these two characters it wasn’t as amazing as the other books. But then again it was a fun novella and not a full-length book so I don’t really hold that against it.
The story was fun, the banter was cute and seeing the gang again was a highlight for me. I had a hard time falling deep for Martha but not every heroine can be my personal perfect heroine so that’s okay. Overall, if you are looking to catch up or want an intro to the series this is a great read.
~m
Let me just say that Sam has his hands full with Martha! She’s a tough one. But I did enjoy seeing him “handle” her. Entertaining to say the least!
Having only read one book in the Dive series, but loving the characters, I couldn’t wait to jump back in and get to know the handsome, yet silent and a bit surly body guard and find out what makes him tick. Little did I know that it was going to be a younger woman who had been a part of his life for years that would capture his heart. Or that it would be the prodigal sister of one of the Dive band members and I would be as enchanted with her as he was. Kylie Scott writes about a love that laid dormant and unfulfilled for years until the time was right for it to flourish and become all consuming. Sam and Martha are “flash in the pan” hot that continues to burn long after the last page of their story is read.
Martha Nicholson is a young woman who had a troubled past with members of her brothers band so she had decided to run from those problems. Now she is back, years later, apologetic and wearing her heart on her sleeve. Kylie shows us that everyone deserves redemption and can prove that they are worthy of love. I fell deeply in love with this beautifully flawed and charismatic heroine. She kept me intrigued and wanting to discover every facet of her personality chapter by chapter.
Sam had my interest piqued with his bulging muscles and quiet demeanor. I couldn’t wait to get to know this older and stoic hero much, much better. After more of Sam’s inner thoughts are revealed, I could totally see why Martha had been pining for him for years. He treats Martha like the precious jewel that she is, doesn’t hold her past against her, and will do anything to help protect her. Every time he called her “love” and showed her his sexy moves, I melted a little bit more.
Kylie Scott delivers a scorching passionate love story that aged like fine wine. I highly recommend Strong for a romance that shows forgiveness, unwavering love, and redemption. I adore everything about the Dive series from the hot rock stars to the funny family moments and of course the simmering and finally explosive desire. I cannot wait for Kylie to bring us many more stories of these humorous and endearing characters.
4 Stars
Another Stage Dive book? Yes please! Although I will say I had reservations about this one since it is Martha, but after getting her and Sam’s story, she is back in good graces.
Sam Knowles, head of Stage Dive security, has been in love with Martha Nicholson for a long time. Now that she has moved back from New York, he’s decided it’s time to make his move. These two are an unlikely match, but they just work. It takes a really strong willed and patient man to deal with Martha’s antics and Sam is just the man for the job.
This is a short quick read that is full of steamy goodness, the scene stealing Mal, and all the rest of the Stage Dive family. I loved that Martha made the effort to make amends with everyone, especially Ev. Strong is a great addition to the Stage Dive family and a must have.
Angela – Alphas Do It Better Book Blog