When a stalker gets too close to plus-size model Mae Cooper, it’s time to hire some muscle.
Closer, an all-new standalone novella in the fan favorite Stage Dive Series from New York Times bestselling author Kylie Scott and 1001 Dark Nights, is available now!
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 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.**
Title: Closer
Author: Kylie Scott
Series: 1001 Dark Nights
Pages: 107
Genre(s): Contemporary, US, Romantic Suspense
Hot Buttons: n/a
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I very much enjoyed the last (which also happened to be the first) Kylie Scott book that I read (Lies, if you’re interested!) and have previously enjoyed the 1001 Dark Nights series so this book sounded like a good bet. And it definitely was.
Despite having read previous 1001 Dark Nights books, this was the first one where I’ve read (or even noticed) the prologue explaining the Arabian Nights theme and the tale of Scheherazade as she desperately attempts to entertain her husband, the King of Persia, with nightly stories so that he will postpone her execution. I admit to being a little confused by this. It bore no relation to the story and there seemed to be little point to including it. But confusion over - onto the story!
This was a short, novella book and it’s great for a couple of nights’ bedtime reading. While it’s part of Ms Scott’s Stage Dive series (which focuses on a super famous and successful rock band), it stands completely alone. I haven’t read any of these novels previously and never found myself lost. For those who have read the series, I can imagine you’ll delight in seeing the couples again and finding out small snippets of where their lives have come.
I enjoyed Mae - our plus-sized model. Even more than that, I loved that ‘plus-size’ was simply a description of what type of model she was. It didn’t define her. In fact, other than referring to her gorgeous curves, Ms Scott never went down the expected (by me, I’ll admit) route of having her hung-up about her body, have her be slightly self-conscious or anxious about her sexuality. Major plus points. She did waffle on in her slightly ditzy internal dialogue every now and then which did make my head spin - but all in all, I liked her.
Ziggy was the hot, silent bodyguard who couldn’t quite mask his reaction to Mae. I loved seeing him lose his cool and how hot he was for Mae. But Ziggy? Ziggy? Urgh what a name. I finally got the rock reference (when it was explained to me about halfway through the book!) but by then I had the weedy, annoying guy from Big Brother UK in my head and little could be done to get rid of that mental image, sadly. Just not a name that conjured sexy man vibes for me.
There was just enough suspense to make for an interesting storyline along with the romance. It’s just enough for a self-proclaimed scaredy cat like me. And we get a satisfying conclusion to all elements of the story so another plus point.
We had the expected sexy shenanigans and I’ll admit I was a little disappointed that they had an enlightened chat before getting on down. Yeah, yeah - talking is good in real life - but in my novels I sometimes just want ‘shove each other up against a wall’ type of stuff. But the fact that there were sexy times of any sort is another plus for this book.
All in all, I enjoyed this tale immensely. Ms Scott has a fun and readable way of writing a story that I very much enjoy. A quick and satisfying tale. 4 stars.
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AUTHOR BIO!
Kylie is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. She was voted Australian Romance Writer of the year, 2013, 2014 & 2018, by the Australian Romance Writer’s 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.
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AUTHOR LINKS!
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EXCERPT!
“Your keys and security alarm code please, miss?” he asked, hand held out waiting.
It might have just been me, but we seemed to be standing awfully close together. It almost seemed weirdly intimate. Almost. No, my bad. Ziggy wore his usual professional façade with nary a hint of emotion on display. His gaze was shuttered, his bearing military rigid. It was definitely just me and my overactive imagination. Being vaguely attracted to your bodyguard was kind of a pain in the ass. Not that I couldn’t use the distraction right now.
Ziggy continued to stand there patiently waiting.
“Keys. Right.” I rummaged inside my Balenciaga City bag. Designer goodies were not only a weakness of mine, but a happy perk of being in the industry and achieving some small fame. “Ah, just a minute. They’re in here somewhere.”
I pushed aside my purse, a cashmere shawl, tampons, a candy bar, some loose change, my small Chanel cosmetics case, a power bank, hair ties, pepper spray, a copy of the latest Sarah MacLean book, mints, a spare charging cable for my cell phone, the cell phone itself, Chapstick, Prada sunglasses case, my grandma’s rosary, dental floss, deodorant, a couple of pens, Kleenex, ear buds, water bottle, a USB stick, reusable straw, condoms, nail file, some old receipts, a travel size umbrella, hand sanitizer, lotion, a pair of pearl earrings, tweezers, Advil, a hair band, and some bobby pins.
“Sorry about this,” I murmured. “I know I put them in here when we left.”
He said nothing. A whole lot of nothing.
“Huh.” With a great sense of victory, I held up a bottle of nail polish. “I thought I’d lost this.”
One of his dark brows crept upwards.
“I’ll have you know this color was limited edition. Little Death at Midnight by Oxley. You can’t buy it anymore.”
His lips did not move, but that damn eyebrow arched even higher as he leaned forward a little and took in the contents of my bag. I swear his eyes widened.
“Don’t you judge me. All of these things are necessary for my ongoing existence.”
“Of course they are, miss.” The man was so judging me. Bastard. “You carry a koozie around with you, I see.”
“It pays to be ready to party, Mr. Thayer.”
It might have just been me, but we seemed to be standing awfully close together. It almost seemed weirdly intimate. Almost. No, my bad. Ziggy wore his usual professional façade with nary a hint of emotion on display. His gaze was shuttered, his bearing military rigid. It was definitely just me and my overactive imagination. Being vaguely attracted to your bodyguard was kind of a pain in the ass. Not that I couldn’t use the distraction right now.
Ziggy continued to stand there patiently waiting.
“Keys. Right.” I rummaged inside my Balenciaga City bag. Designer goodies were not only a weakness of mine, but a happy perk of being in the industry and achieving some small fame. “Ah, just a minute. They’re in here somewhere.”
I pushed aside my purse, a cashmere shawl, tampons, a candy bar, some loose change, my small Chanel cosmetics case, a power bank, hair ties, pepper spray, a copy of the latest Sarah MacLean book, mints, a spare charging cable for my cell phone, the cell phone itself, Chapstick, Prada sunglasses case, my grandma’s rosary, dental floss, deodorant, a couple of pens, Kleenex, ear buds, water bottle, a USB stick, reusable straw, condoms, nail file, some old receipts, a travel size umbrella, hand sanitizer, lotion, a pair of pearl earrings, tweezers, Advil, a hair band, and some bobby pins.
“Sorry about this,” I murmured. “I know I put them in here when we left.”
He said nothing. A whole lot of nothing.
“Huh.” With a great sense of victory, I held up a bottle of nail polish. “I thought I’d lost this.”
One of his dark brows crept upwards.
“I’ll have you know this color was limited edition. Little Death at Midnight by Oxley. You can’t buy it anymore.”
His lips did not move, but that damn eyebrow arched even higher as he leaned forward a little and took in the contents of my bag. I swear his eyes widened.
“Don’t you judge me. All of these things are necessary for my ongoing existence.”
“Of course they are, miss.” The man was so judging me. Bastard. “You carry a koozie around with you, I see.”
“It pays to be ready to party, Mr. Thayer.”
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