Series: Dream Man

Review: Quiet Man by Kristen Ashley

Posted October 25, 2019 by Holly in Reviews | 2 Comments

Review: Quiet Man by Kristen AshleyQuiet Man by Kristen Ashley
Series: Dream #0.5, Dream Man #4.5
Also in this series: Dream Maker, Mystery Man, Wild Man, Law Man, Motorcycle Man
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: August 13, 2019
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Alternating First and Third
Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
Content Warning: View Spoiler »
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 256
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges: Holly's 2019 GoodReads Challenge
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four-stars

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kristen Ashley comes a new story in her Dream Man series…

Charlotte “Lottie” McAlister is in the zone. She’s ready to take on the next chapter of her life, and since she doesn’t have a man, she’ll do what she’s done all along. She’ll take care of business on her own. Even if that business means starting a family.

The problem is, Lottie has a stalker. The really bad kind. The kind that means she needs a bodyguard.

Enter Mo Morrison.

Enormous. Scary.

Quiet.

Mo doesn’t say much, and Lottie’s used to getting attention. And she wants Mo’s attention. Badly.

But Mo has a strict rule. If he’s guarding your body, that’s all he’s doing with it.

However, the longer Mo has to keep Lottie safe, the faster he falls for the beautiful blonde who has it so together, she might even be able to tackle the demons he’s got in his head that just won’t die.

But in the end, Lottie and Mo don’t only have to find some way to keep hands off until the threat is over, they have to negotiate the overprotective Hot Bunch, Lottie’s crazy stepdad, Tex, Mo’s crew of frat-boy commandos, not to mention his nutty sisters.

All before Lottie finally gets her Dream Man.

And Mo can lay claim to his Dream Girl.

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

Lottie’s sister has a huge group of friends who married into a huge group of friends, so they have a big circle. But she’s always felt she was outside of it. Just the “little sister”, never actually part of the crowd. When she ends up with a stalker she finds herself being guarded by a big, silent guy named Mo. She’s seen him around the group, but she doesn’t know him very well. She hopes to change that, however, because Mo is hotter than hot.

Mo knows his size is intimidating and so are his looks. He’s sure a beautiful woman like Lottie would never be attracted to him..plus, she’s a stripper and he’s not about that. But as they spend time together, he can’t deny Lottie might be the perfect woman for him.

I liked Lottie and Mo. They were good together and apart. I loved how Mo’s brothers-of-the-heart adopted Lottie, but the Rock Chick/Hot Bunch references were a little over the top. Also, why does KA keep going on and on about the Rock Chick books inside the Rock Chick books? I wish that wasn’t a thing.

Still, I liked Lottie and how she accepted Mo for who he was, without wanting to change him. This is one of the better KA stories I’ve read recently.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Dream

four-stars


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Review: Motorcycle Man by Kristen Ashley

Posted August 8, 2019 by Casee in Reviews | 4 Comments

Review: Motorcycle Man by Kristen AshleyReviewer: Casee
Motorcycle Man by Kristen Ashley
Series: Dream Man #4
Also in this series: Mystery Man, Wild Man, Law Man, Quiet Man
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: January 28, 2014
Format: eBook
Point-of-View: Alternating First
Content Warning: View Spoiler »
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 489
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges: Goodreads Challenge
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four-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Get ready to ride . . .


Tyra Masters has had enough drama to last a lifetime. Now, she's back on track and looking forward to her new, quiet life. Until she meets the man of her dreams. The tattooed, muscled biker plies her with tequila-and the best sex of her life. She knows it isn't the tequila and hot sex talking. He's the kind of man she's always wanted. Unfortunately, he's also her new boss . . .

Kane "Tack" Allen has a rule. He doesn't employ someone he's slept with. So when he learns he spent last night in bed with his new office manager, he quickly fires Tyra. Yet when Tyra stands up to him and fights for her job, Tack is intrigued. He tells her she can keep her job on one condition: no more sex. Ever. But as things heat up between them, Tack finds that he'll be the one breaking all the rules...

136,000 words

His hand left my skin to smack my ass lightly before he said, “Time to get to your own bed, darlin’.” I blinked but the rest of my body froze. He moved. He exited the bed, grabbed his jeans and yanked them on. Then he sauntered to a door off the room, not even so much as glancing back as he said, “Leave your number and close the door on your way out, would you, Red?” Then he disappeared behind the door and shut it behind him.

Thus ends the first meeting between Tyra Masters and Kane “Tack” Allen. While Tyra fell in love with Tack at first sight, girls like Tyra are a dime a dozen to Tack. What Tack doesn’t know is that Tyra is the new office manager of Chaos’ body shop, Ride. If there is one rule that Tack follows, it’s not to get involved with his employees. When he comes face-to-face with Tyra the morning after their tryst, he assumes that she’s there to cling to him. What he doesn’t expect is the fiery attitude that Tyra gives him. When he tries to fire her (I mean he still wants to fuck her when the mood strikes), he surprised by her reaction. This is nothing like the woman who fell all over him the night before.

Tyra Masters fell in love with Tack the moment she saw him.. Then he crushed her. She never meant to sleep with her new boss, but she thought he was the one for her. When he sees her at the body shop the next day, she knows that she has to stand up to him. And stand up she does. Tyra is not going to let Tack make her feel cheap like the night before. Or less than she truly is. Unexpectedly, Tack pushes and pushes Tyra until she can’t help but start an affair with him.

I didn’t like Tack at the beginning of this book, tbh. He was not very likable (see above). He was a complete ass and he treated Tyra like shit. Tack does redeem himself, imo. He realizes he was wrong about Tyra and sets out to win her. When she’s caught up and badly hurt in the fight Chaos is in, Tack realizes that she’s the one for him. He can’t imagine losing her. How he came to realize this was actually pretty sweet. Then chaos ensues à la Kristen Ashley. It was great.

This is the book where Tabby and Shy were introduced as were most of the characters that move on to have books in the Chaos MC series. I highly enjoyed this book. I loved finally reading Tack and Tyra’s story. I didn’t expect to like it that much, so it was more than a pleasant surprise that I loved it so much.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5.

Dream Man

four-half-stars


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Review: Law Man by Kristen Ashley

Posted July 17, 2019 by Casee in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: Law Man by Kristen AshleyReviewer: Casee
Law Man by Kristen Ashley
Series: Dream Man #3
Also in this series: Mystery Man, Wild Man, Motorcycle Man, Quiet Man
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: December 17, 2013
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Alternating First
Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
Content Warning: View Spoiler »
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 508
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges: Casee's 2019 GoodReads Challenge, Goodreads Challenge
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
three-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Love is just around the corner . . .


Sweet, shy Mara Hanover is in love with her neighbor. For four years, she has secretly watched her dream man from afar. Handsome police detective Mitch Lawson is way out of her league. She's a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, and there's no way a guy like Mitch would want anything to do with her. But when Mara has a leaky faucet that she can't fix, it's Mitch who comes to her rescue.

Mitch has been eyeing his beautiful neighbor for a long time. He jumps at the chance to help her, and soon their formerly platonic relationship gets very hot and heavy. But when Mara gets a disturbing phone call from her cousin's kids, she gets pulled back into the life she's tried so hard to leave behind. Can the hot law man convince Mara to let go of her past-and build a future with him?

140,000 words

Ah, Mitch Lawson. He’s one of my favorite Ashley heroes. Mitch is everything you look for in a hero. He’s sweet, but still alpha. He tells you how it’s going to be, but he does it in a quiet, but firm way. He cares deeply about his job upholding the law. Everything about him just works. That why it fucking sucks that he got such an awful heroine.

Mara Hanover appears sweet and shy just as the summary suggests. Appearances are deceiving. She has a serious problem. View Spoiler » Mara’s issues were so prevalent in the book that they overtook almost everything. She wasn’t worthy of Mitch at all.

As for Mitch, he was so sure that Mara was worth it. He could see little pieces of what he considered the “real” Mara shine through and he was determined to help her. That was Mitch. He was determined to help everyone.

When Mara’s two young cousins need to be taken away from the dangerous environment that their father has them in, Mara knows that she needs to take custody. She’s known that it’s been a long time coming, but everything has just now come to a head. That’s another thing that I couldn’t accept about Mara. She knew that her cousins weren’t safe at their home but she wasn’t “ready” to take custody yet. It showed her true character to me. Her taking them anyway meant nothing.

Mitch on the other hand completely stepped up. When he offered his help after knowing Mara for such a hard time, she did what Mara does. She turned him down even knowing that she couldn’t do it on her own. She was just completely ridiculous.

I really wanted to love this book, but I couldn’t. I don’t know what Mitch was thinking.

Rating: 3 out of 5 (and only for Mitch).

Dream Man

three-stars


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Review: Wild Man by Kristen Ashley

Posted June 28, 2019 by Casee in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: Wild Man by Kristen AshleyReviewer: Casee
Wild Man by Kristen Ashley
Series: Dream Man #2
Also in this series: Mystery Man, Law Man, Motorcycle Man, Quiet Man
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: October 29, 2013
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Alternating First
Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
Content Warning: View Spoiler »
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 528
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges: Casee's 2019 GoodReads Challenge
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

She's about to walk on the wild side . . .

While filling the display case in her bakery, the bell over the door sounds and Tessa O'Hara looks up to see the man of her dreams. Within thirty seconds he asks her out for a beer. But after four months of dating, she discovers he's an undercover DEA agent-and he's investigating her possible role in her ex-husband's drug business. For Tess, this means their relationship is over.

Brock disagrees. He's committed to his anti-drug mission, but he's fallen in love with the beautiful woman who's as sweet as her cupcakes-and he'll do anything to win her back. Standing between Tess and Brock are their own exes, one of them a drug lord who's determined to get what he wants. Now as danger threatens, can Brock break the rules he's lived by and let loose his wild side to protect the woman he loves?

125,000 words

At the time of this review, I have completed the Dream Man series. Wild man is my favorite book in the series. There is something about Brock and Tess that I can’t get over. They are perfect for each other in a way that few characters are. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was until about halfway through the book. Everything is straight forward with these two. If they are feeling or thinking something, they say it. They don’t hide things from each other. They’re very open and honest. It was refreshing.

Brock meets Tess at the worst time in his life. He’s in the middle of an undercover investigation that involves her ex-husband. Not only that, but Brock walks into her bakery with the intent to investigate Tess herself. Brock doesn’t expect to fall for the suspect, but he falls hard and fast. After three months, it all comes to life and Tess is devastated. Instead of succumbing to despair, Tess does the opposite. She grabs hold of life and lives. It was incredibly inspiring to see a woman not pine after they get their heartbroken. While her heart is still broken, Tess doesn’t let it control her life.

Then Brock walks back into her life.

Brock never had any intention of leaving Tess’ life for good. He’s been waiting. When it becomes clear that she won’t be coming to him, he goes to her. He’s forced to when he sees a For Sale sign in her front yard. When he sees her, he makes it clear to her that he’s there to stay. I have to admit that I was a little taken aback by Brock’s attitude as well as how quickly Tess gave in. Then I thought about why Tess gave in so quickly and it made sense. Brock was Brock. You couldn’t not give into him. He was a protector when it came down to it. He would do anything for Tess.

The mystery part (as always) left a lot to be desired. It’s par for the course with KA. Honestly, it didn’t make me like the book any less. It just made me roll my eyes a little. As did the editing.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5.

Dream Man

four-half-stars


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Review: Mystery Man by Kristen Ashley

Posted May 9, 2019 by Casee in Reviews | 2 Comments

Review: Mystery Man by Kristen AshleyReviewer: Casee
Mystery Man by Kristen Ashley
Series: Dream Man #1
Also in this series: Wild Man, Law Man, Motorcycle Man, Quiet Man
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: August 27, 2013
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Content Warning: View Spoiler »
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 528
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Night time is the right time...

Gwendolyn Kidd has met the man of her dreams. He's hot, he's sexy, and what started as a no-names-exchanged night of passion has blossomed into a year and a half-long pleasure fest. Sure, it's a little strange that he only appears in her bed at night, but Gwen is so sure he's the one, she just can't turn him away.

Hawk Delgado knows more about Gwen than she could ever imagine. She's gorgeous, headstrong, and skittish about relationships. But Hawk is facing his own demons, demons that keep him from connecting with anyone. Yet when Gwen is drawn into Denver's lethal underground scene, Hawk's protective nature comes out full force. The problem is, when Gwen gets a dose of Hawk's Alpha attitude in the daylight, she's not so sure he's the one anymore.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this book. On one hand, I knew Hawke was a right bastard after reading Own the Wind and Ride Steady. OTOH, Holly warned me this book would be hard to take because Hawke wasn’t just a bastard. He was a downright ass. Holly was right. Hawke was pretty hard to stomach. He went beyond alpha into alpha asshole. He didn’t basically tell Gwen what to do and expect her to do it. He did exactly that.

Moving onto Gwen. Are you fucking kidding me? Who on God’s green earth would take a stranger home and let him keep coming back without even asking his name? For a year and a half. Hawke threw that in her face a number of times. It wasn’t very sensitive, but very apropos. Gwen was a fucking moron. Which begged the question…why did every man in her radius want her? Not just get into her pants. No, they actually wanted Gwen herself. I really think she called to the protective instinct that men have in them because honestly, if Gwen kept living on her own? She would nothing more than a dead body.

I have to admit, when I first finished the book, I really liked Gwen. Then Holly and I started discussing and I started questioning everything I thought. Which was, frankly, annoying as hell. I already knew what I knew and thought what I thought. Even if my feelings might have aligned with hers a little bit here and there as I was reading, I didn’t completely feel that way when I finished the book. Like I said…annoying. The saying “The truth hurts” really applies here.

The book is so cliché. Hawke didn’t intend to fall for Gwen like he did. He was only obsessed with her and her safety. Then shit hit the fan with Gwen’s sister Ginger (enter the awful KA mystery plot) and Hawke had to step in to protect Gwen. Seeing her outside the bedroom at night made Hawke want Gwen more, of course. When he realizes how much she is starting to mean to him, he doesn’t want that so he pushes her way. Like I said…cliché. And predictable.

Why did I still like this book? Because of Hawke. And Tack. And Mitch. And Gwen’s dad. And her stepmom Meredith. And how Gwen treated Meredith. All those things above really bugged the crap out of me, but as I was reading the book, I really loved it all. It just works. I can sum up why in two words: Kristen Ashley. That is really a thing.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Dream Man

four-stars


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