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Book Review: Strong by Kylie Scott | Blog Tour

Book Review: Strong by Kylie Scott | Blog Tour

October 5, 2018 Posted by angelreads Blog Tours, Book Reviews No Comments

Strong (Stage Dive 4.5 by Kylie Scott

Pages: 210
Publish date: September 25th, 2018
Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated
ASIN:  B0778GBK4F
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

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 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. 

Strong:

I received an e-arc of Strong by Kylie Scott from InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the books. 

 Strong is set a few years after the final Stage Dive book and follows Martha as she is grappling with life and trying to find her place. Martha has come back home and things are tense to say the less. When readers last saw Martha she was starting to get her relationship back on track with her brother, but her life was still in upheaval. Martha has had her sights on Sam for years now, but now being back everything is coming out in the open. 

I’ve never been a fan of Martha, I disliked her for a lot of the series and thought she needed a good wake up call. At the end of the series, I did warm a little more up to get, and it made me want to know more about her. But Martha is a very hard character to get along with. Throughout Strong, the reader is able to see Martha’s walls break down a little and find her place. 

Sam, on the other hand, I loved since the moment he appeared. He was always there for everyone, whenever they needed him to be. And that really put a smile on my face. He not only cared about his job but the people as well. There were hints here and there regarding his feelings for Martha, and I liked that. 

Because Strong is a novella, the romance does move fast. In saying that Martha and Sam have known each other for a very long time, and it was more about admitting they have feelings for one another. Sam is the only one that has any power of Martha if you can say that. She doesn’t want to believe it, but Sam breaks down her walls and sees her as a human, as a woman. The reader is able to see that Martha and Sam care for one another and they both deserve their happy endings. 

Overall, Strong by Kylie Scott was a great novella. It was fantastic being in the Stage Dive world again and seeing all the characters that I love. Strong explores the notion of family and love. It explores letting go and letting yourself be seen by someone else. If you are a fan of the Stage Dive series and Kylie Scott’s other works, then you will love this. 

 

About the Author 

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’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. You can learn more about Kylie. 

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📚15/150

I have a love-hate relationship with this series. I have a love-hate relationship with this series. But I ended up really enjoying this one. It’s best friends to fake dating to-lovers. It’s always been you, bad-boy/good-girl, and I loved that. While Save Your Breath has quite a few tropes, it really leads itself to it, and it works. 

Aleks and Mia have known each other for years now. Since they were teenagers, that angst has been building up this whole time. And you can tell right from the get-go, it’s fantastic. I even wanted more of it, because I love pain. When Aleks went to live with Mia’s family as a teenager, sparks flew, but for many reasons, they both put their feelings aside. And well, now they are not only going to be fake-dating, but they might as well be engaged, too. 

I really enjoyed seeing how both Aleks and Mia both tried to hide how they were feeling throughout the whole ‘fake-dating’ situation, but anyone could see it. They know each other as no one else does. Aleks has a lot going on, and while I do think this was brushed over a little too much, Mia is his centre. Mia is a massive music star and is a female in the industry, so yeah, people don’t respect her. Obvsiouly because why couldn’t a female star be badass and write about the things that she has gone through? Aleks and Mia get each other, and that is very clear from the start; they are both just trying to squash everything. We get to see them slowly start to show how they feel, and well, one night it all explodes. 

Overall, I enjoyed this one a lot; it’s not my favourite of the series, but I had a great time reading it. I liked Aleks and Mia a lot as characeters and while I think the mental health aspect could have been explored a whole lot more, I can see why it wasn’t. The romance was slow and spicy, the angst was great, and the payoff for these two was what they needed. 

Tropes
🏒Sports/Hockey Romance
🎤Fake Dating/Engagement
🏒Childhood Friends to Lovers
🎤Forced Proximity
🏒Athlete x Pop Star 
🎤Angsty Slow Burn 

Content Warnings
Mental Health Struggles 
Suicide Intention 
Family Deaths 
Alcohol Consumption
Violence on Ice

🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #angelreads #spicybooks #bookreview
Well February wasn’t the best reading month. I onl Well February wasn’t the best reading month. I only ended up reading 3 books in. 3 pretty fun books but one of my slowest readings months in a while. 

And I’m going to be honest here it’s because I’ve been constantly reading Heated Rivalry fanfics. 🤷‍♀️ I’m having the best time though. 

How was your reading in February? Any 5  star reads? 

🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #angelreads #spicybooks #februarywrapup
January was a really solid reading month. I read s January was a really solid reading month. I read some books that had been on my tbr for some time, reread a few things that peaked my interest. I also started a few new series. And just had a good time!

I just had a really good start to the year. While February is a little slow so far I’m looking forward to what I can pick up.

What did you read in January? Any 5-star reads? Let’s chat! 

🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #angelreads #spicybooks #januarywrapup
Can you believe that it’s already February? I know Can you believe that it’s already February? I know I can’t. But that means it’s a new month with more releases coming out! And that makes me excited. Some fantastic titles releasing this month and I cannot wait to read them. 📚

A couple of these are on my TBR already and some have just caught my eye and that makes me super excited to pick them up. 🖤

What are you looking forward to reading this month? Let’s chat! ✨

🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #angelreads #spicybooks #Februaryreleases2026
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