Dream Spinner by Kristen Ashley

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.

Hattie Yates has finally met the man of her dreams. Yet years of abuse from her demanding father have left her petrified of disappointment. She’s already failed to reach her goal of becoming a professional ballerina—she can’t handle the terrible consequences of another dream becoming a nightmare. But when a stalker sets their sights on Hattie, there’s only one man she dares to hope can help...

Axl Pantera knows Hattie is the only woman for him. Yet despite the attraction burning between them, Hattie refuses to let him in. The former soldier is determined to woo her into letting down her walls. And when danger comes calling, he’s up against more than her wary and bruised heart. Axl will do anything to prove to Hattie that they’re meant to be, but first, he’ll need to keep her safe.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Dream Team series!
For book one, Dream Maker, click HERE.
For book two, Dream Chaser, click HERE.

 

 

Book 3
Buy Links

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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is book three in this series, but of course, it gives us the goodness of Indy, Ally, Gwen, Tyra, their men, and of course Smithies! So fans will find themselves amongst friends and well aware of all the crazy that has been going on in the lives of this group of friends. If you are not up to speed, then you might want to start at book one to give yourself a chance. I am going to assume that you have in my review.

After the drama of previous stories, I spent a lot of time waiting for something really dramatic to happen, and Hattie really didn't help keep me calm as she wasn't the most careful person! The guys are now all working together to try and work out who is behind all the problems they have been having. There is one scene where the level of hotness in the room deciding how to move forward almost burned my Kindle!

For me, the most touching moment in this book is when Axl meets Hattie's father and realises that although he has been abusive to Hattie, he loves her. Axl compares this to his own father and comes to realise that there is no such emotion there. It is such a poignant moment. The whole story changes at that point, as Axl understands the difference, and gives Hattie a second chance to have a positive relationship with her dad. He also knows he needs to provide more support to his mum.

I loved the descriptions of Hattie's dancing, and how it finally brings her joy – and even the work at her studio is brought to life by Kristen Ashley's writing, more by the emotions they elicit than anything else. It was fun too when Hattie recognises from his house that she and Axl have a lot more in common than she ever expected.

Although we knew that these two had been matched by Lottie, and so were expecting a successful romance, Hattie's reluctance to open up had been holding them back from being a couple. Once she allows herself to imagine a happy future, Axl immediately shows her just how much her holding back had affected him, and how the future would be – danger or otherwise. It is utterly delicious once we get to share their newly won happiness.

I must also not neglect the star of the whole book – Axl's cat Cleo... in case there was any doubt!!


Veronica – ☆☆☆☆
Dream Spinner was unexpected. Unexpected because I was expecting massive angst and while there is some initial angst, once our couple start to date, things are actually pretty solid. It is the world around them that causes problems.

A stalker, two badly behaving fathers. two good mothers that deserve better, and the ongoing hunt by the commandos to find a group of bad guys, if they can figure out who the bad guys are, keeps the story interesting and had me turning the pages. There were times when I was reading Hattie and Axl’s romance that I was so wrapped up in their love story that I forgot about the drama that was going on around them. There were other times that drama sucked me in and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The scenes with Hattie and Axl away from the drama, just being a regular couple I think were my favourite. I like their idea of spending Sundays together, just the two of them connecting is a great idea. I might just have steal that idea.

I had a great time reading Dream Spinner. I loved the pace, the drama, the romance, and it helps that our couple are sexy and lovable. Cute even. But for me, the ongoing story arc in this series with the good guys of Denver we know and love from Kristen Ashley stories, trying to track down and beat the bad guys has me totally hooked. I look forward to reading the next book, Dream Keeper, to find out what is going on. Also, from the tiny snippet at the end of Dream Spinner, I get the feeling Pepper and Auggie’s story is going to be epic.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆
M/F Romance
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

Hattie is an amazing dancer. Now that her job has changed some and she and her fellow dancers are able to really use their own creativity, she loves it! With a father who never approved of her, despite how hard she worked, Hattie is her own worst critic. And even though said father isn't good at taking care of himself, she allows herself to be put down time and again in order to make sure that her father is being taken care of. She can't just leave him.

Axl is someone who know what he wants. He's wanted Hattie for a long time. He thinks he's put in the work, taken his time to get to know her, allowed her to see the true him, but she has walls that even he can't scale. When he sees what she puts herself through and understands the reason behind it, he's livid.

Then throw in some shady doings and Axl's protective side comes bounding to the front. Axl and Hattie have a great friendship, but I felt that their chemistry lacked a little. I wanted to like this far more but found myself kind of just ho-humming along. It didn't wow me. I will continue with the series though because I do love these women.


Shelby – ☆☆☆
This is going to be a quick, no-spoiler review. I must start by saying I love most of Kristen Ashley's books and find it difficult to review them.

Book three in the Dream Team series is Axl and Hattie's story. This has been building for a while and I was excited to finally see them come together.

Unfortunately, I am just not loving it.

I feel like most of the situations are recycled (i.e.: girl in trouble, protective man moves her in, slight friction, fully in love), and the characters aren't fully developed or are just one dimensional.

Don't get me wrong, there are definitely sweet moments and the series storyline is continued, which is good. I just didn't love this book but didn't hate it either... it's just, meh.

I'm hoping, and have confidence, that book four will redeem this series for me.

 

 

KRISTEN ASHLEY is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of over sixty romance novels. She’s a hybrid author, publishing titles both independently and traditionally, her books have been translated in fourteen languages and she’s sold over three million books.

Born in Gary and raised in Brownsburg, Indiana, Kristen was a fourth generation graduate of Purdue University. Since, she has lived in Denver, the West Country of England, and she now resides in Phoenix. She worked as a charity executive for eighteen years prior to beginning her writing career.

Connect with Kristen

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Kristen Ashley – Rock Chicks Group!

 

 

 

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Dream Spinner (Dream Team #3) by Kristen Ashley to read and review.