3.75 stars

Dream Spinner delivers exactly what I expect from a newer Kristen Ashley novel:

- alpha males
- strong female leads that are in danger of some sort
- some sort of villain trying to harm said heroine
- a whole host of characters from Ashley's other series that make appearances throughout the book

If you are a Kristen Ashley fan, this follows her normal formula and is sure to please. If you are new to Kristen Ashley, at a bare minimum I would start with the first book of these series. But I might suggest you go back to some of her earlier series like The Dream Man or Rock Chick series to get a better foundation of where all these various characters come from.

Kristen Ashley writes a wonderful story. This was a great book. I loved the couple and I am looking forward to the next book.

If Kristen Ashley writes it, I will definitely seek it out and read it! Glad this series will continue!

4.5/5 STARS
SORRY I FORGOT TO SHARE MY REVIEW AND LINKS HERE!!!:
(see below)

Yes!!!! Another great book in the amazing Dream Team Series!

I expected a lot of things for Hattie and Axl, and let me tell you this: Kristen Ashley did not disappoint.

Hattie and Axl’s personal background, their chemistry, their own issues, it was all wonderful to read…
And please, Axl is both badass and so, so swoon-worthy!


I loved EVERYTHING about this book, those scenes with all the previous couples in the Series, and of course seeing my favorite characters from other Series was definitely the cherry on top!

And the little hints we got from the next potential couple is already so addicting, so promising, I can’t wait for Dream Keeper!

It’s finally here! The story so many of us have been dying for has finally arrived and I can tell you that I loved this story despite so many tears. This series is the newest spinoff of the original Rock Chick series, Kristen Ashley’s most popular and beloved series, but this Dream Team continues to overlap and bring together many of our favorite characters from all her Denver based series. This story has been building for several stories now, but we knew it was going to come to a head in a big way and it definitely did in the very first chapter. Hattie and Axl have been circling one another, with Hattie refusing to really give him a chance to seal her heart, long enough that he has almost given up on her, but she continues to give him glimpses of herself that makes giving up impossible. But he has finally hit his limit and confronts Hattie, calling her on her shit, Axl knows that he has made a mistake but unsure how to come back from it. When he finds out that she is in danger though there is no way that he will ever leave her protection to another man and as he pulls her under his protection she finally gives him a chance at her. But though they begin to work through their emotional and relationship issues, outside dangers and sources continue to try to tear them apart and make their lives more complicated, making them have to fight one another and them together against others. Axl was an ass in the beginning of this story, though I can understand his frustration with Hattie, but it was a little harsh the way he spoke to her and treated her in the beginning taking out that frustration on her. Once he got his shit together he returned to being an amazing and sweet man, showing her the kind of man he would be supporting her and giving her the love and strength she’d been lacking from others in her life. He was slow seriously an ass kicker for those he loved and I loved how sexy he was while kicking ass and taking names. Hattie has been emotionally and sometimes physically abused by the most important man in her life for almost her entire life, so embracing a relationship with a man like Axl is truly terrifying for her, but when she finally comes to terms with the fact that she need to get it together or risk losing him even as a friend she finds her titanium backbone and proves she is the perfect match for Axl. I loved seeing her navigate her way through dealing with not only her problems but the problems that crop up in Axl’s personal life as well as they begin to build a truly lasting relationship together. She found her self-confidence personally and professionally and proved to herself and others that she was much more than just a beaten woman. Obviously as with all of these novels, the passion between Axl and Hattie was so far off the charts there no longer was a chart, but the sweetness between them in the few quiet moments they fund was my favorite part of their love story. This story came with a crazy as hell epilogue that will lead right into the next novel (Dream Keeper) that broke my heart and made me scream and I am dying that we have to wait so long for that novel now, but I know that it will be a finale to beat all. Our Queen kicked ass once again!

Quick(ish) Review

This ain’t going to change hearts and minds of disenchanted KA fans. This ain’t going to give a lot of logic if that’s what you’re looking for. What always draws me in and keeps me coming back, is the friend and family scenes, because those moments are where KA can shine.

Now, the romance between Axl and Hattie resolves pretty quickly, and while it has its sweet moments, I was left with a bit of “that’s it?” feeling at the end of it all. This is not the book for those with little patience for heroines who aren’t perfect in general, and where things falter is in a actual cohesive narrative, and the big issue of Hattie’s self-harm tendencies just kind of goes away, which was unsatisfying.

KA does make attempts to build the overarching corruption storyline, even if it’s still vague and messy. All in all, I’d say this is really only for fans/completists of this series.

**ARC provided in exchange for review**

Book three of the Dream Team series, and boy are things heating up! I knew with the last book that something big is coming, and this proved it! According to Lottie, Hattie and Axl are perfect for each other, after all two of her other predictions were right. But when Hattie keeps pushing away from everyone and keeps Axl at a distance, its hard to test Lottie's theory. When it's Hattie's turn to get creepy mail, she proceeds to alienate Axl even further by calling someone else, but she quickly learns that this was a huge mistake. Can she fix her mistake of keeping Axl at bay, or is it too late?

This story has so much going for it, from the amazing characters and their interactions, to the danger/violence, some mystery, add in over the top alphas that make the naughty bits even hotter; this is everything a great read needs. I loved how Axl was with Hattie, he was perfect for her! I give this 5 stars.

3.75 Stars

I was super excited for this book, Hattie and Axl had caught my eye ever since the first book; I am a fanatic for the quite shy heroine honestly. And while I did enjoy this book something fell a little flat for me here, which I can't put my finger one.

Nevertheless, I'm excited to see this how this series end and for Piper and Auggie's books.

Hattie has lost her self-confidence.  She wanted to become a professional dancer, but that didn’t happen.  With her father verbally abusing her and telling her what a disappointment she is to him, she doesn’t love herself so therefore feels like no one else can love her.

Axl is totally into Hattie but knows that she needs time.  When she gets a stalker, he feels like time is up and makes his move.   Hattie isn’t really receptive, but when the stalker issue starts to heat up, she finally gives in.

I really liked Hattie and Axel together.  Their relationship was really the glue that held this book together.  The stalker issue was kind of bland.  The overall story arc throughout the series is dealt with but even that wasn’t too exciting.  I felt that this was more to do with family issue between Hattie, Axl, Hattie’s father and mother as well as Axl’s parents.  While that’s no a bad thing, per se, it just didn’t make for an exciting read.

Ashley threw in all of the secondary characters from other books in this story as well and that was almost too much.  I get those friendships are a huge part of why these books work, but occasionally I hit my boiling point and then it just seems to be overload.

If you’re into this series already than this is a nice addition to the series, but I certainly didn’t love it.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Dream Spinner by Kristen Ashley is book 3 in the Dream Team Series. I have to say the first chapter kinda threw me as I’ve not read the first two book but I caught on quickly to what had happened and what was happening. So I’m sure there are spoilers from the first two books book it did not impede my reading. The characters are really good and the storyline wonderful. I only have one complaint and that is the use of sweet so often lol. To Hattie everyone is either sweet or a jerk. There is no in between. And she uses it repeatedly. This is probably a character thing and nothing the author could do to change it as these characters have a mind of their own…darn people lol, but it was a tad annoying to me. Otherwise I loved it. Hattie is a beautiful, passionate dancer/artist/fashionista/decorator yet she’s been beaten down over the years to think she isn’t good enough, she isn’t thin enough, she isn’t graceful enough or smart enough. Until she finds a group of friends that attempt to change her way of thinking of herself. It’s a beautiful thing to read about. She’s finding herself and her voice. Just beautiful. I received a free advanced copy to read and review.

Kristen Ashley has a such a distinctive writing voice. This particular series feels like such a natural continuation of both the Rock Chicks books and the Mystery Man series. You don't have to have read those series - but you will definitely feel these that much more if you do.

Hattie really did run Axl through the wringer. She played a serious game of hard-to-get without meaning to at all. She just has been beaten down for so long that her self-esteem and feeling s of self-worth are truly totally broken. But when she and Axl do get together - there is never any doubt that they are going to go the distance. Their support to each other is totally heart warming.

As a content warning - this book deals with some serious emotional (and at times) physical abuse of both Hattie and Axl by their fathers. If that is triggering for you - you should 100% avoid this book - because Kristen Ashley hits it head on. Can you still have a relationship with your abusive parent? should you? This is complicated and definitely not the same answer for everyone - and Kristen Ashley shows that. I will say - the scene where Hattie first meets Axl's dad and stands up to him - was just amazing. I felt that scene in such a real and raw way - it will stay with me for a long time.

I definitely recommend this for fans of Kristen Ashley - and if it is your first Kristen Ashley book, I don't think you'll be disappointed. I can't wait for Pepper's story (even though the angst is already torturing me) and I seriously need to read about Cisco. Like I NEED that book.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

Hattie is alone, and is leery of being let down again by others. She's taking care of her abusive father, and is just trying to save her heart.

Axl is a former military guy (of course), and is determined to win her heart. When he discovers what's really behind her resistance about getting involved, he vows to find a way in.

The two deal with everything from strange phone calls, strained relationships with their parents, and their own troubling past. Alx lets his inner badass come out both with Hattie's father, and his mission to make Hattie his. She uses her heart to help him heal, and the two of them find a way through.

Bad cop drama continues here, has a bit more insight but not really a conclusion, so I'm excited to see how this is going to be wrapped up in the last book.

This book was just not my cup of tea. Maybe it would have been better if it would have been prefaced with the fact that it cannot be read as a standalone. There are SO MANY characters, and some of them have multiple nicknames. I found it really hard to keep track of everyone, their relationships, etc. There also seemed to be a major plot point about some sort of kidnapping or hostage situation that must have happened in a previous book in the series that was brought up, but not really recapped well, so it was confusing.

Overall, it just felt like there was too much going on. There seemed to be about 17 different conflicts in the story. It definitely felt more like a suspense/ thriller than a romance. The MCs, Axl and Hattie, each had family issues, then there was kind of a career issue for Hattie, plus a stalker? Plus some other stuff with Axl's work?

To be honest, after awhile, I started skimming over the work scenes. They just did not hold my interest, and it was already taking me forever to get through the book. I gave this book an extra star because there was one really good sex scene.. But the language throughout the book struck me as being incredibly immature and also unrealistic. Hattie immediately calling Axl "honey" all the time felt inauthentic. And the fact that everyone kept saying the words "awesome" and "rad" constantly really grated on my nerves after about 2 chapters.

I might try a different book by this author in order to better judge whether I like their writing or not. But I will say the rest of this series will be a skip for me.

As ever Kristen Ashley has written another hit with Dream Spinner. Kristen Ashley is absolutely brilliant at making us fall in love with her characters. Axl and Hattie were an awesome couple ! From beginning to end I could not put this one down ! I can't wait for the next book in the series.

4 stars

I have really enjoyed all the books in this series but I super fell in love with Axl in the other books. This book hit in ways I wasn't expecting. There are some hard topics in this book that just kind of hit you in the chest. I do feel like there was a little too much at one time in spots but overall it worked itself out. Hattie and Axl both do a LOT of growing in this book and it is great to see. Seeing the way they are both treated by some of the people in their lives and the way that it manifested into other things just broke my heart. Hattie while being such a strong character is broken in so many ways and watching her heal and accept some of the help she needs is such a beautiful thing to see. Axl obviously has his own issues but watching the way he is with Hattie is so sweet and made my heart melt. also loved the little bits with Brett, as well as getting more information about the underlying mystery. That is one of my favorite things about this series so far is the little bit of mystery that is attached with everything else. Just enough to keep you on your toes!

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever romance for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kristen Ashley is a must buy, must read author. This story leaves many questions unanswered. No editing errors, gratuitous violence or drag-you-down drama.

This story started out interesting. Descriptive writing that draws the reader into each scene. Realistic procedures, actions and reactions. Believable characters with distinct personalities and great banter. Thought-provoking and memorable dialogue. Always great to read mention of BRCC who remind me of Kristen Ashley characters.

What I did not care for was the racist criminal police cluster f@ and not figuring out who was sending the porn threats. Why did we not get a joyous epilogue that we’ve come to live and expect from Ms. Ashley?

I love Kristen Ashley and this book was classic. There’s an ongoing storyline in this series so I do recommend you read from book one but each book follows a different couple and we see how they get together.

I did enjoy reading how Hattie and Axl got together. I don’t know, I wanted more drama or more something with them though. A lot of what I thought would happen didn’t and I felt like those storylines should’ve gotten more attention.

Hattie and Axel are cute together but I do feel some of their story is missing (deserves repeating) and I could bet some of it will show up in the next book (since it’s about the last couple) but I wish it was in this book. I just have so many questions about each of their parents and all that baggage that went with those storylines.

I personally love the continuing storyline of the bad guys (won’t say who they are so if you haven’t read all the books yet you won’t have it spoiled) and I hope everything is resolved in the next book.

This series is so addicting in the way I am always hooked by this author. She is one of my autobuy authors and I would literally read her shopping list!

I've been waiting for Axl since the start of this series and now I have him!

And he was glorious! Can you say hottie?!

There was was a lot in this story, I won't go into the plot because of spoilers and you need to enjoy this but I will say that I loved Hattie, her walls were so high and I was begging her just to let Axl in, I wanted to throw my kindle!

Love this series and now I need Peppers book as I need more!

If you’ve been following along with the Dream Team Series by Kristen Ashley, you’ve probably been dying to get your hands on Axl and Hattie’s story, right?! Ever since Lottie floated the idea of pairing the gun-shy, trained-dancer-turned-stripper and the sexy, silver-haired commando, I’ve been eagerly devouring even the most minuscule interaction between these two characters. The tension between them was already threatening to combust, but Dream Spinner takes the heat to a whole new level.  
 
Burdened by emotional baggage and embarrassed by the toll it’s taken on her life, Hattie Yates is determined to run in the opposite direction of Axl Pantera, shutting down his attempts to connect with her, and ignoring their intense attraction to each other. But when it seems Hattie is the target of a stalker, the stakes are raised, and the narrative is kicked into overdrive. Those heart-panging, gut-wrenchingly angsty wonderings of will they or won’t they give way to familial drama and edge-of-your-seat suspense.  

While the ongoing subplot targeting the Dream Team girls provides plenty of drama and intrigue, the heart of the book is the relationship between Axl and Hattie. Hattie is broken and insecure, with her heart and mind in a constant battle with each other. Axl has just as much baggage, but his strength and self-assuredness provide the perfect counterbalance. Like any of Kristen Ashley’s over-the-top Alpha heroes, Axl has a no-nonsense, commanding presence that‘s quite honestly addictive, and I loved the way that his character complemented Hattie’s. Their romance may have been a long time coming, but it was well worth the wait.  
 
With a romance that’s steamy and heartfelt, a fast-paced, thrilling narrative, and a tight-knit, extensive cast of characters that will steal your heart and provide endless entertainment, Dream Spinner is another unmissable installment in the Dream Team Series. Now I just need Pepper and Auggie’s story, which I’m even more impatient to get my hands on.  

*arc provided by publisher for an honest review

When I started reading this book, I felt like I was reading one of the Dream Man books. I fell into this book and even though it was a KA book (and you know it wasn’t a short read) I couldn’t stop reading. It had me hooked from the beginning.

I loved Hattie and my heart just broke for her for her terrible demanding father and how he belittled her. So it was understandable her reactions to Axl wanting to be with her and to open up to her friends about her life. I have to say that contrary to what happened before I am a fan of Cisco… lol.

I liked how he took Hattie under his wing and made her his honorable sister and told him some truths about her feelings for Axl. And Axl oh man he had patience for his girl. I loved how he took his time with Hattie and broke through her barriers slowly but surely. Their relationship was a slow start but also filled with drama and other things happening and I loved that it took time to get to a place that she trusted him with her life and her heart.

This book had so much drama, steam, chemistry and lots of action. Loved seeing the commando’s in action and my man Hawk 😊 ♥ And I am so stoked for Pepper’s story I hope its not a long wait.