5 SMOOCHES!
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SYNOPSIS:
In this steamy and emotional contemporary romance from a New York Times bestselling author, two damaged souls must overcome the pain of their pasts to have the love they’ve always dreamed of.
After years with no one but herself to rely on, Hattie Yates has finally met the man of her dreams. But she was taught from a young age that it was hopeless to dream. There was only success, failure was not an option and it had terrible consequences. Now, the thought of another disappointment petrifies her. But when a suspicious phone call leads to more trouble than she can handle, there’s only one man Hattie trusts to help . . .
Axl Pantera knows Hattie is the only woman for him—and so does Hattie. Yet despite the attraction burning between them, Hattie refuses to let Axl in. The former soldier is determined to woo Hattie into letting down her walls, yet when danger comes calling, he finds himself battling for more than her heart. Axl will do anything to prove to Hattie that they’re meant to be, but first, he’ll need to keep her safe.
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REVIEW:
I was so excited when Kristen Ashley first teased this series in 2019, and having now read three of the books, I can say it was worth the wait and the hype. I absolutely loved her Dream Man series, and it appears often in my KA reread rotation. Hawk Delgado’s commandos were always these interesting, elusive guys popping up when everyone needed them most. I wanted to know more about them then, and it’s been fantastic getting to know them now.
The Dream Team series is KA’s newest series and focuses on characters who’ve really only been alluded to in her previous books and series. KA readers often wax poetic about “old school KA,” a reference to her early writings which are widely viewed as some of the greatest contemporary romances of our time. This is a contentious issue among diehard KA fans, and for me personally, I think she has done a great job sating the demands of the old school KA crowd with this series by delivering three stories that have been comfortingly familiar yet still felt brand-spanking-new. In this series, she’s given readers stories that are wonderfully nostalgic but with a fresh spin.
One thing we KA readers can all agree upon is that her stories aren’t just about the hot guy hero. He’s definitely a star, but her heroines get equal billing, and rightfully so. They’re dynamic woman, who don’t just hold their own but give as good as they get in the face of all that alpha-man-hotness. These women are strong, sassy, sexy and smart, and they have a fierce, fearless, fabulous tribe of female friends who define what it means to belong to a sisterhood. I read KA stories just as much for those female-positive friendships as I do for those suspense-filled, swoon-worthy, steamy romances they’re swept up in. In Dream Spinner, KA gives her heroine, Hattie, a solid support system in Smithie’s girls, and their brand of mischief-making, alpha-male-wrangling and sisterhood definitely holds up against that of the Rock Chicks or the Chaos old ladies – who make appearances and welcome the strippers into the Denver-based sisterhood fold.
Axl and Hattie each come to the table with their own full plate of issues. Hattie, a ballerina turned stripper, is more than just shy. She’s a survivor of verbal, mental and physical abuse, and in an attempt to conceal that, she uses her shyness as a cloak. Axl’s one of Hawk’s commandos. Former military, he’s got his own parental problems with a deeply critical, narcissistic father. Axl wants Hattie bad, and he’s made that plain, and Hattie wants him just as bad but she is so wrapped up in the mental turmoil of self-doubt and her perceived unworthiness that she just can’t allow herself to have him. It was positively heartbreaking to witness this woman’s pain, but let me tell you, it was a glorious balm to that pain watching this woman come into her own. When she finally was ready for Axl, it was her turn to do the work, and she definitely put in the effort. Once they crossed that bridge, they were both all-in, hand-in-hand, healing their hurts and hearts and building a beautiful life together. There was just that one pesky stalker to deal with first, though…
Unquestionably, KA is an OG romance author—her alpha-males, her heroines, their suspensefully gripping, emotional love stories and those soul-enriching friendships have inspired countless others who have followed in this author’s footsteps. Dream Spinner was everything I love about Kristen Ashley’s brand of romance, and then some. A shy, somewhat broken heroine finding her voice, and a protective, caring alpha male in a love story full of feels and fire and wrapped up in a hair-raising suspense plot is the literary equivalent of catnip for me. I practically inhaled this book, loving every single second of it as I got lost in this world and these characters and their stories. I didn’t want to put it down, I didn’t want it to end, and I’m ready and waiting for the next book, sadly the final book, in the series. Another top favorite of the year from this author, Dream Spinner 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 copies of the audiobook and ebook for my digital library.
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