Dream Keeper by Kristen Ashley Review

5 SMOOCHES!

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SYNOPSIS:

Spinning off from the bestselling Dream Man and Rock Chick series, this is the emotional and steamy contemporary romance fans of the Dream Team series have been waiting for!

He’s perfect—but he can’t be hers.

Pepper Hannigan is determined to keep any romance off the table—and out of her bedroom—while her daughter Juno is still young. Sure, a certain handsome commando is thoughtful, funny, and undeniably hot, but Pepper’s had her heart broken before, and she won’t let it happen again. Not to her or her little girl, even if this hero could melt any woman’s resolve.

Augustus “Auggie” Hero can’t deny his attraction to beautiful, warm-hearted Pepper or how much he wants to make a home with her and her little girl, but Pepper’s mixed signals have kept him away. That is, until Juno decides to play matchmaker. Her efforts finally bring Pepper into his arms, but they expose the danger Pepper is in. To protect Pepper and Juno, Auggie will have to live up to his last name and prove happy endings aren’t just for fairy tales.

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REVIEW:

In 2019, when Kristen Ashley teased Dream Maker, the first book this series, to her readers, I was ecstatic, and it instantly became one of my most anticipated books of 2020. I absolutely loved her Dream Man series, and to this day, it’s one I reread often. Hawk Delgado and his commandos were these interesting, elusive guys who popped up all over KA’s fictional world in Denver whenever anyone seemed to need them most. I wanted to know more about them then, and I’m thrilled that KA has given it to readers now.

Dream Keeper is the fourth book in Kristen Ashley’s Dream Team series, and I absolutely loved everything about Auggie and Pepper’s story. The Dream Team series features characters who’ve really only been alluded to in her previous books and series set in KA’s Denver. Her readers often look for stories from her with what they refer to as that ‘old school KA vibe,’ which is a reference to her early writings that are widely viewed as some of the greatest contemporary romances of our time. I am a KA reader who craves that hit of awesomeness, and she has quenched my thirst for that with the stories in this series. The stories in the Dream Team series were all comfortingly familiar yet still felt brand-spanking-new to me.

KA’s stories aren’t just about the hot guy hero. He’s a star, no doubt, but her heroines are equally dynamic and hold their own in the face of all that alpha-hotness. Her heroines are notoriously strong, sassy, smart women, and she gives them a vibrant and loyal goup of friends who illustrate exactly what it means to find your tribe. I turn to KA’s stories for those fabulous female-positive friendships just as much as I do the heart-racing, heat-filled, knee-weakening romances these heroines get swept up in. In Dream Keeper, the heroine, Pepper, has a solid support system in her co-workers at Smithie’s, and their brand of mischief and sisterhood holds up against that of the Rock Chicks or the Chaos old ladies.

Auggie and Pepper both bring a suitcase full of their own issues to this relationship. Pepper is a single mother, and her precious daughter, Juno, plays a huge role in the story and often steals the show. Pepper has been burned by love, and now she is not only guarding her heart, she’s guarding Juno’s. She’s got a big heart, and it really wants Auggie, but she’s afraid to take him up on what he’s offering. Auggie has had his own disappointments in love, but he’s got it bad for Pepper and her sweet little girl and is willing to take a chance. Auggie isn’t the only one who wants him and Pepper together, though. It seems Juno does, too, and she enlists the help of an unlikely ally. As is often the case with KA’s romances, amid the up and downs of the love story, a suspenseful secondary plot is unfolding. The one here was interesting and had a few unexpected twists and turns that kept me tapping at my screen.

Wonderfully nostalgic but with a fresh spin, Dream Keeper was everything I love about a Kristen Ashley romance. A clever, cool and chic heroine paired with a protective, decisive, caring alpha male in a love story full of feels, fun and fire. I positively devoured this book, loving every single moment, word and scene of it. I didn’t want to put it down, I didn’t want it to end, and I’m now excitedly wondering if that was truly the end. A top favorite of the year, Dream Keeper by Kristen Ashley gets five smooches from me!

~Danielle Palumbo

 

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley for the purpose of providing an honest review. I have since purchased my own copy of the ebook for my digital library.

 

 


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