Stay close is a very enjoyable novella in a new series by Alexa Riley. The for you series is a spin-off of the full-length series by the authors. In this book, we meet Penelope and Ivan. Penelope is the daughter of Paige and Ryan, the main characters in His alone the second novel in the series. They hire Ivan to be Penelope's bodyguard, but they are unable to resist each other. Everything went off too fast and yet not fast enough. I loved this tiny book. At one time I got a wtf thought since I realized how fast the book was going and I would love nothing more than seeing more of Penelope and Ivan. I can see why everyone loves the novellas written by Alexa Riley. There is no room for any character development, but the book didn't lack compare to the full length novel.

This was an okay read. Ivan and Penny were cute.Ivan was dark and swoon worthy.Penny was kind and sweet.This story was sweet and at the same time cute and hot.I love Alexa's books but this one wasn't one of my favorite there were moments it was slow and in some parts boring hopefully the next book will be much better.

In 2016 I read Everything for Her and I was totally hooked with Alexa Riley’s writing! I then read His Alone.  WoW!!!  I was hooked.  Of course I then had to read Stay Close.  But to be honest, this one did not blow me away at all.  I know!  What was I thinking?!?!

So I’ll break it down for you….

Stay Close piggy backs off of the For Her series.  It focuses Ryan & Paige Justice’s daughter, Penelope!  Who doesn’t want to read the next generation of characters that you loved.  I think that I may have had my hopes a bit too high.  I did not love this book at all.  I liked, not loved.

In Stay Close, Ryan and Paige put a security detail on their daughters.  Penelope falls in love with her security detail, Ivan.  There is an instant connection between the two of them.  

“I’ve been hired to protect her.  But as I push away from the bar and walk towards her, I can’t help but think that perhaps someone should have protected her from me.”
~ Alexa Riley, Stay Close (For You #1)

I didn’t have the problem with the insta love.  It was the writing and the characters that I did not connect with this time.  The book felt rushed and overall not as good as the other books in the For Her series.  That being said, I am not giving up this series!  I am going to just wait to see how this series plays out.

“If you want me, krasotu, I will forever be yours.”
~ Alexa Riley, Stay Close (For You #1)

I know that Alexa Riley will not let me down!  I have faith that they will pull out all the stops with their next book in both the For You and the For Her series.  I am looking forward to see how this all plays out.  I will not give up!

Thank you ladies for allowing me to read and review Stay Close.  The cover for Claimed (For Her #3) looks amazing!  I am so looking forward to March 2018!  And I want more from the next generation!

#Krasotu #PotseluyMenya #HeNeedsYou #SweetFlower #ICryForYou #MotherAngel 

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2033491113
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Wow! I didn't see this coming. Ivan and Penelope are so flipping sweet and too stinking cute! 

When you read the dynamic duo of OTT insta-everything you know what to expect, right? Hot and steamy with a side of insta-love and a smidge of alpha bad-ass behavior. You get most of that in Stay Close, but Ivan is broken, lonely, and so sweet. I adore his character!

Here's the breakdown: Paige and Captain hire Ivan as a bodyguard for their 18 year old daughter Penelope. Penelope is bubbly, caring, and a genuine sweetheart. She's the opposite of her twin and parents. Her bubbly personality and caring demeanor instantly attracts everyone around her, including Ivan. 

What I enjoyed: Well that cat's already out of the bag. Ivan's character was the winner for me. His backstory and personal struggle endeared him to me. 

I also liked Penelope's character. Her relationship with her sister and parents is really sweet. I loved the way she reacted to Ivan and wanted to make him happy. It totally fit her character.

I had one small little snafu with the timeline of events. I just couldn't wrap my head around Paige having 18 year old twins. It's totally me, but there you go.

Overall, this super quick and super sweet story is sure to hit the spot with fans of A.R. I'd definitely recommend it.

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

I am a Big Big Fan of Alexa Riley. They are Simple Amazing. Their Stories are Swoon Worthy, Sweet and Plain Romantic. Ivan and Penelope Stole my Heart. This Russian Mafia Soldier is Hard yet Sweet. The First time he laid eyes on Penelope he falls for her Hard.

Stay Close is Another Hit from Alexa Riley. I Could not get enough of it and wanted more. I am so happy Next Novella is coming soon. I Highly Recommend all the Readers to read this Amazing book right now. You will Love It.

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, in true Alexa Riley fashion is quick from the story itself to the instant connection the couple automatically feels. 

This is the first novella in the For You series, a standalone spin-off from AR's full length For Her series. Stay Close focuses specifically on Penelope, one of Paige and Ryan's daughters. FYI, their story is told in His Alone. 

Penelope is a twin, but where Pandora is more like their parents in there stealthy ways-Pen is clumsy, girly, good 
-natured, and basically the heart of the family. 

Ivan appears to be this menacing man, built like a tree with dark features and tattoos running wild all over his body, but he's more like Penelope than anyone would ever suspect. He's kind, even though life hasn't been kind to him. 

I did find myself wishing for more at times. Like insight on who Pandora may end up with or a glimpse of Mallory and Miles. I know, I know, I'll see them in Henry's book, but having them in this novella would have made it that much sweeter. 

And this book is sweet y'all. 

Stay Close is sure to leave readers crashing down from a sugar high!!

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.

It is always an exciting day when there is a new Alexa Riley story on my kindle. This writing duo is one of my very favorite guilty pleasures. Stay Close could in theory be read as a standalone, but I strongly encourage you to read both Everything For Her and especially His Alone first. This book is all about Ivan and Penelope, one of Captain and Paige's twin daughters (His Alone is their book).

Ivan has been working for Paige for years as an informant and wants to move on with his life. Paige agrees in turn for a favor...she wants him to be one of his daughter's bodyguards. Penelope may be eighteen, but her parents want her to be protected 24/7 and she has a bad habit of giving her bodyguards the slip. When he lays eyes in Penelope he knows he will be more than just her bodyguard.

Penelope is sweet, feminine and loves taking care of her family, but she is tired of the string of bodyguards her parents insist on. She is sure she'll be giving her newest one the skip almost immediately. Then she lays eyes on him and running from him is the last thing she wants to do. Ivan literally takes her breath away.

I adored Ivan and Penelope together. As is the Alexa Riley way, they are instantly over the moon for each other and it is ridiculously sweet, endearing and sexy. Ivan is pretty sure Penelope can do better, he is former Russian Mob after all and has done things in his past he regrets. It doesn't matter. He loves her so much he will be selfish and keep her, a sentiment Penelope strongly supports. I can't wait to read Pandora's story next (Penelope's twin).

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!

4 Stars!

Stay Close is the first book in this new Alexa Riley series entitled For You. I am a big fan of this author and love her over-the-top, sweet stories with possessive male leads and a big dollop of insta-love. For me, personally, I enjoy books that are over the top when it comes to sunshine, love, happiness, rainbows and unicorn farts. I also enjoy Ms. Riley’s exaggerated alpha-males who are all about possessing the women they fall for. Every now and again it is nice to read a book with little to no angst and simply take in all the cheesy goodness that is love and a happy forever. That is what this book did for me. It put a smile on my face and had me happily sighing wanting my own protective body guard.

Told in dual POVs, this is a quick read about a body guard with a dark past that finally finds something (or, should I say someone) he truly wants and stops at nothing to stake his claim. Was this over-the-top and borderline stalkerish? Sure. However, I also understand this is fiction and the crazy ride that our two protagonists embark on is simply fun to read. If you have read anything by Alexa Riley in the past, you will know the types of exaggerated heroes she conjures up. Her heroes are larger than life, possessive bastards and I love it. 

All in all, Stay Close was a lot of fun to read. I feel like this author stands out and has developed a unique writing style that simply works for her. Full of great secondary characters, a hero in hot pursuit, a heroine who does not see him coming and moments that will simply melt you – this book had it all. I can’t wait for more in this series.

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.