3.5 stars
Cute, and sweet. Ivan was protective and a possessive hero. Loved how he loved Penny. I wished Penny would have been more like her sister and stand up for herself

Almost too short of a story. I liked the storyline, however it was extremely rushed through. I would have liked to see more character development.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35218118-stay-close?ac=1&from_search=true

Yay!!!! We all wanted more of the For Her world, right?! Well, we got our wish, with this For You series, featuring the For Her babies, that aren't babies any longer!
And what a better way to start than with the 'heart' of the Captain and Paige's family - who I was so excited to got one more glimpse of, they get better and better, and even more kickass! -, one of their twin girls, Penelope!
Stay Close was all that sugary sweet smuttiness and Ivan and Penelope were the perfect match in every way, she truly was everything sweet and soft that he thought his hard and broken would never have, but longed for. I loved his hidden fragility and the tenderness in which Penny lightened his world! Love at first sight at its finest!
Now bring on Pandora's story!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

“If you want me, krasotu, I will forever be yours.” He says it so simply, as if I can have ownership over him. He leans into my hand.
“I want you,” I tell him. “All of you.”


“I know that I’ve never experienced love before and that the feelings I have now for you are unlike anything I’ve felt before. My soul was bound to yours the first time we touched. If that is love, then I love you, Penelope. But it feels like more than that. More than one word.”

At only 80 pages, the author didn’t pull this one off, folks. There wasn’t substantial character development to warrant this tough, alpha protective, good guy/former mob Russian hero to fall head over heels, right from the get go, for such a pampered, spoiled, used to everything going her way, immature, airhead, 18 year old heroine.

Need proof of the latter description? Well, here you go: “As much as I hated my guards, I knew they were a necessity. Even when I was busy trying to give them the slip, I wasn’t being reckless...” Yeah, honey, btw, what color is the sky in your world? Do you not even hear your own thoughts?

I just could not buy into the immediate, numerous, inner monologue, declarations of devotion from the hero of how strongly he felt for her when he had barely spoken to her and just met her. You would think she was the air that kept him alive. Sorry, but I need credibility to go along with my romantic reads.

At 50% into, she’s flirting with him then is offended when he does his job. “The ache still lingers strong with no signs of lessening.” P-l-e-a-s-e! Talk about over dramatic. He’s keeping his thoughts and hands to himself and trying to do his job. She wants what she wants though and pouts when she doesn’t get it, because, hey, “I wanted him to need me”. I’m surprised she didn’t break a high heel of her mom’s borrowed without permission expensive dress shoes when she stamped her foot in frustration because things didn’t go her way.

She pulls Pandora, her twin sister, into her bad decisions, impulsiveness, too. Wait, Pandora is no stranger to stupidity, either. You see, not that long ago she disabled an alarm on her bathroom window so they could sneak out whenever they want. Yeah, the crazy train makes more than one stop in this family. You can add doormat to her description, as well, since she’s always caving into Princess Penny’s requests.

Well, at 70% I got off that train and set out on a journey to find a better scripted, more credible romantic read. This book proved not everyone can pull off writing a short novella with in-depth characters and plot within so few pages.

Title: Stay Close, Series: For You (Book 10, Author: Alexa Riley, Pages: 80, very short novella, high school age heroine, alpha protective Russian bodyguard, just wasn’t credible, too rushed in the undying love department.

(This review is based on an advanced reader copy distributed via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. No compensation was provided to this reviewer, nor is there any affiliation between the reviewer and author/publisher/NetGalley.)

How can this be such a pretty story? Sweetness pours out of it like molasses, and love between Penelope and Ivan only becomes better when they share their sensual passion.

I love this lovely romance between a Russian bodybuard and the soft-hearted young woman he has to protect. With double POV and an intimate writing style, this novella is a delicious gift for tose of us who look for a hero in disguise. Ivan is a man with a very hard past, lonely and direct, respectful of his new job. Yet he falls in love and lays his heart and his life for Penelope, all light, generosity and sweetness.

It was a delight to witness their awareness of each other, how they gravitated towards touch and understanding until they gave in and made love in such tender, heated ways. A bodyguard with a Russian accent and black tattoos is such a temptation, but this author made the man perfect. His words of devotion and his pledge to protect the love of his life made him so endearing. And he also knew how to pleasure his woman!

It's also exciting to recognise the little clues that connect the story to the For Her series of novels. It's a great idea to expand those characters with stories about their families. I'm completely hooked to this style of smut romance that is so thoughtful, sexy and well written.

Just like the author’s previous novellas, Stay Close possesses the unmistakable elements of being one smoldering, hot romance between an alpha-male hero and a virgin heroine but what made this couple stand out was their character backgrounds.

Ivan was nothing like Penelope. He had such a rough upbringing. To survive, he was forced into a dangerous lifestyle which lead him to be a part of the Russian mafia. Penelope, on the other hand, was raised in a loving and caring family – The Justice Family whom we’ve met in His Alone. What was interesting about this was how Alexa Riley detailed their differences.

She was the light in his darkness and when Ivan says something along the lines of“…my past does not seem so dirty because I’ve been training for this. For her.” you knew that he was meant to be hers despite everything.

The falling in love part was never an issue really. What I was stressing over is how Penelope’s parents would react to this unlikely pairing. I won’t give it away but I tell you this – Alexa played that out all too perfectly.

If you asked me to choose one book of Alexa Riley’s that I wished was a full-length novel than Stay Close would be it. This is how much of an impression Ivan and Penelope made. If you are an Alexa Riley fan, one click this book and fall in love with this great couple just like I did.

Has anyone checked on the Alexa Riley duo lately? I’m beginning to think they’ve been kidnapped by aliens and replaced…I say this because this was sweet. Real sweet. And tame. And I almost fell asleep while reading it. There was no OTT craziness. No alpha heavy-handedness. The sex scenes were practically gentle and tame. The only thing that had any similarity to the bat shit crazy shenanigans I am used to is the fact Ivan saw her and fell in love with one look.

Let’s talk about Ivan. He was a pussycat in more ways than one. From the moment he first saw her, he basically just handed her his jingle jangles. Instead of the usual “You are mine, no matter what”, he was all “If it pleases you”. So very sweet, and so not what I expected. My main problem with him was his profession. After the Russian Mob ran into difficulties he became a paid informant for Paige and Ryan (the couple from His Alone and Penelope’s parents). Usually, when I think of an informant, I’m picturing a weasely little guy with no morals or loyalty whatsoever. Not exactly my idea of alpha hero material but again, he was extremely sweet, which may have made up for this…maybe.

Penelope was your typical super nice, takes care of everybody A/R heroine. At least she wasn’t downtrodden or taken advantage of. Her family knew what a gem she was and treated her accordingly.

The big surprise with Stay Close was the fact that there were no surprises, no suspense, no bad guys or horrid relatives doing mean things, no anything really besides Ivan and Penelope falling in love with each other. A little teeny tiny bit of push and pull on Ivan’s part was the only bump in the road here. Good Lord even her parents basically rolled over and showed their bellies. I have to admit, I was a tad bit bored.

Rating: 3 Sweet, Gentle and Way Too Tame Stars

Stay Close by Alexa Riley is a short story with the main character Penelope, being the daughter of Paige and Ryan from His Alone. I admit it took me a few pages to figure this out, and when I did I was very excited. I love to revisit old characters and see how they are doing. However, we didn't see much of Paige and "Captain", so I was a bit disappointed there.
Penelope's love interest is Ivan, hired to be her new bodyguard, and is a Russian with a shady past. Why is it shady? Well, aside from some very glossed over explanations, we don't get much about him. Just as we don't get much of a romance. I'm aware of the formula the author uses for the Insta love and I do love that, but this time it left me flat. I would have loved to have this be a full length novel. I think the story and the character development would benefit from it and I would be very excited to read it. But in the novella, it just seemed too rushed and fell flat.
It was still an entertaining story, but all in all it felt rushed and like many things went too quickly.

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

Absolutely adored this story! It kept me on my toes with amazing swoon worthy moments. I am really loving this series and I am looking forward to more!

Alexa Riley has a proven formula. And it pays off in Stay Close. Stay Close is a spin off from His Alone (For Her #2), and while it is not necessary to read Stay Close, I would recommend it because it is also a good read and you will meet Penelope's parents.

So this was clearly a case of its me not you. I normally enjoy Alexa Riley's books but this one was just ok for me. They provided everything that I've come to expect and usually love with their insta love stories but this book was just ok for me. Even though it didn't blow me away like the other please don't let my review stop you from one clicking.

Super short, fast paced story that kicks off a new series from this author. I really enjoyed the story and it was fun to see Ryan and Paige from His Alone again (Penny is their daughter). As is common with this author there is insta-love when Penny's new bodyguard Ivan meets her. He will do anything to protect her and when she's ready he plans on making her his. Penny is just as smitten with Ivan but she's starting her life. Could she have possibly met the one at such a young age??

I really did enjoy the story. The only thing that bothered me was the age of Penny. I wish she had been graduating college rather than high school!! Overall though a very enjoyable read and one I would recommend.

Stay Close hits many of Alexa Riley's trademark tropes: barely legal virgin heroine, love and lust at first sight, completely smitten hero, accelerated courtship, and instant HEA. For me, this is one of Riley's better books since it tones down the hero's possessiveness and focuses more on his desire to protect the heroine. But never fear, I think Stay Close will please many diehard Riley fans with its sweet but steamy romance.

The heroine is Penelope (Penny), daughter of Paige and Captain from the For Her series. I haven't read their book and it's not necessary since Stay Close (book #1 in the For You series) works as a standalone. Penny is very much the heart of her family. Her twin sister, Pandora, is a bit more brash and provides comic relief. But Penny has a tender heart and her parents pull out all the stops to protect her, along with Pandora.

Paige and Captain work for a security firm and take their daughters' safety incredibly seriously. When trusted family friend and security expert Ivan is hired as Penny's bodyguard, there are instant sparks between them.

Ivan escaped a dark criminal past and bleak existence in Russia. He has no family, so when he falls for Penny, it's like he's feeling the warmth of the sun for the first time. She gives him hope and causes him to embrace his emotions--all brand-new experiences for him.

Likewise, Ivan's presence in Penny's life is an abrupt change for her as well. Used to being the backbone of her family, Penny now finds herself in love with a man who has pledged himself to her, body and soul. She no longer has to worry about taking care of everyone else all the time. Rather, Ivan is here to lighten that load. Now, it's Penny's turn to be taken care of.

I really enjoyed this book. Yes, insta-love typically isn't my thing, but Ivan's so darn swoon worthy. I found him to be one of the most likable Riley heroes because he's not creepy or stalkerish. And even though the relationship moves lightning fast in true Alexa Riley form, I appreciated that the couple doesn't automatically start popping out babies straightaway, for once! I also really enjoyed Penny's close relationship with her twin as well as their parents.

Overall, Stay Close left me with a pretty feel-good impression. As I mentioned, many of the Riley trademarks are there, but are more toned-down in this book--while retaining that guaranteed HEA that Riley never fails to deliver.

Stay Close is a novella that gives you what you expect from Alexa Riley: short, sappy, instant love! If you don't like that kind of thing, this isn't the book for you. But, if you are like me, you gobble up AR books and you will love this!

Penelope is the daughter of Ryan and Paige from His Alone. She has a twin sister, Pandora, that she is very close to as well. She has grown up seeing the love between her parents and she can't wait to have that kind of affection. She is the kind, caring sister. She is soft and thoughtful where Pandora is a bit more like her mom! Penelope is 18 and finishing her last year of high school when her parents bring Ivan in to be her new guard. Its love at first sight!

Ivan had a tough childhood and feels that he isn't deserving of Penelope. But, he loves her and goes all alpha! These two have a super fast courtship and their relationship moves at light speed. There is no hidden danger or threat in this story; the entire plot is around the development of the relationship between Penelope and Ivan.

Short, sweet, and over the top have become the keystone of Alexa Riley and Stay Close is no different! It was neat to see the kids of characters I loved in the past, and am looking forward to Pandora and (hopefully) Henry's books as well!
Link live on 7/13/17

I really am starting to love with this author and her books. They always have fantastic characters which you totally get and even better chemistry between them. You also get a great storyline in each book and they are always well written and enjoyable to read. Another go to author for me. I really can't wait for more from her too totally recommend

I'm a big fan of Riley and her new series was wonderful. But as much as I enjoy the full length novels, i began reading Riley's novellas first. And this was a sterling example of her mastery of the genre. Loved, loved

I first noticed Alexa Riley through Amazon and am glad she has branched out to publish with Harlequin. I can now recommend her books for purchase for patrons who don't shop at Amazon often. Her heroes are old-school alpha and lots of reads love that. She writes big, passionate, wish fulfillment stories that readers seem to love.

Alex Riley should have their own subgenre called alexariley. We would have contemporary, historical, paranormal, and alexariley. This author duo writes romances that are their own niche and readers can’t get enough of their older, uber-alpha heroes falling in love at first sight and going totally hot stalker-caveman over young, innocent heroines. I never thought these types of stories would be my jam, but I find I really enjoy them, because they are pure escapism.

Stay Close features a damaged, lonely Russian bodyguard, Ivan, who falls for his eighteen-year old, sweet-as-can-be client, Paige. Both fall fast and hard for the other, but they worry whether or not Paige’s parents will approve since they hired Ivan. Paige is very sweet with Ivan, who has had a difficult life and has never had anyone love and care for him. They make an endearing couple. Readers of Riley’s book will recognize Paige and her twin sister, because their parents are the protagonists from His Alone.

Stay Close is pure Alex Riley goodness, and I can’t wait to see what they write next.