Blogger Wife Chat Review ~ Dream Spinner ~ Kristen Ashley

Posted 28 June, 2021 by Brandee @ (un)Conventional Bookworms in Reviews / 2 Comments

Blogger Wife Chat Review ~ Dream Spinner ~ Kristen AshleyDream Spinner by Kristen Ashley
Series: Dream Team #3
Published by Forever on May 25, 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 393
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Purchase
4.5 Stars

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.

Adult - (un)Conventional Bookviews Contemporary - (un)Conventional Bookviews

Dream Spinner was a highly anticipated installment in the Dream Team series for me. Let’s start at the surface level before we delve deep into Hattie & Axl, shall we?

Yes, let’s do that!

I have to admit that I’ve been looking forward to Hattie and Axl’s story from the beginning – or at least since we met them. There seemed something a little deeper about these two and I was keen to explore it. KA had hinted at Hattie’s history so it wasn’t a surprise. Finding out she had indeed suffered abuse – both emotional and physical – at the hands of her father was sickening. Add to that her previous relationships…bad news. That she continued to expose herself to abuse from her father was exasperating. And I’m not sure KA adequately explained Hattie’s logic. Finding out Axl’s childhood and adulthood came with its own elements of shittiness was surprising. I understood his logic though, and the way he dealt with things where his parents were concerned. But there was also the traumatic loss he’d experienced. Wow. These two. There were other things about their character – their loyalty and protectiveness of those they loved in particular – that made them a good match but the understanding they had for each others’ experiences made them perfect for one another. How did you feel about discovering Hattie’s and Axl’s histories?

I felt so extremely bad for both of them, Brandee. And I have to say I agree with you about Hattie’s logic when it came to her father. I guess it was really difficult for her, but at the same time, I feel like she should have been able to protect herself better. She had help for that, but she didn’t really use it.

The loyalty of both Axl and Hattie made me love them so hard, and I thought that was a great thing to have in common.

 

What we know of Hattie is that she’s creative and loyal but she only lets people so close before she puts up her walls. Of course she was protecting herself because people have proven to her that she needs to. Axl is a dream man who is quiet and seems to live by the adage actions speak louder than words. He’s done his best to get in with Hattie but she keeps shutting him down. What I saw in Axl that made me want this story so badly was his willingness to continue putting himself out there for Hattie despite her giving him no reason he should. What was it about these two that made you eager for their story?

I think what made me eager for their story was both the mystery about their past, and for Hattie the reaction she had in the prior book when she made a mistake in her dancing routine. But also I think it was because they both seemed to be filled with such longing – and that this longing was a bit less so when they were together. That made me swoon for real.

 

Now for the deeper analysis… I loved their story, overall. I did. But I couldn’t help feeling the slightest bit disappointed. It all felt too easy. Too perfect. Do you agree?

Yeah, definitely too easy, I don’t think that the dad would have even been able to actually hear what was being said from the beginning. I think I was able to deal with that because it’s fiction, though. But in a way, it also left me feeling that he didn’t truly deserve to have Hattie in his life at all. Like everything he had put her through just magically disappeared.

I mean, even the threat which provided the suspense element was resolved too simply. And because of that, Hattie and Axl’s story felt more like filler than the deeply emotional experience I was anticipating. I don’t know if Dream Spinner was edited so much (it is a traditionally published series) that they edited KA-ness out of it or what but… well, I’d hoped for more. Your take?

Yes, this! The suspense element didn’t really bring anything to the story overall, either. I had no feelings of doom or impending danger. LOL edited the KA-ness out of it. You might just be right, my dear.

In regards to Hattie’s dad…I guess I’m just not that forgiving even if it is fiction. LOL But maybe she didn’t have someone strong enough to give her the push she needed about her dad until Axl. As for what I was anticipating and what we got – I really do feel like it may have been over-edited. I don’t know. I’ll have to check to see who edited her other traditionally published series and compare…

 

I hope the conclusion to this series is all I’m dreaming of. Pepper and Auggie have been a long time coming. And the suspense element could be explosive… and I hope it is. I want the Dream Team series to go out with a bang. Are you still excited for the ending?

I actually stopped having any dreams and hopes for Pepper and Auggie. And the epilogue in Dream Spinner made me feel that even stronger. So of course, I’m going to read their story, but I’m going in with low expectations.

Well, I guess you definitely won’t be disappointed with Pepper and Auggie’s story. LOL I can’t help going in with the expectations I have. I’ll try to lower them before the finale releases but I’m not making any promises. 😉 You’ll just have to listen to me whine over wine. LOL

 

As an aside, I have to mention Brett. I love that he’s a bad motherfucker (his word) and yet has such a soft side. I kinda hope he gets his own story told. You?

Brett so deserves his own story! The way he’s turned around is quite spectacular – and at the same time, maybe he wasn’t as bad a motherfucker as he pretends to be?

YESSSSS! I sure hope KA will give us his story. Maybe we should start dropping hints on her facebook page?!? I agree that maybe he’s not such a bad guy. Hattie said the same thing. 😉

 

 

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

Brandee @ (un)Conventional Bookworms

About Brandee @ (un)Conventional Bookworms

Brandee is a mom of 3 and a soon-to-be empty nester. She is also an avid reader, a genre omnivore, and a compulsive one-clicker - but she's in recovery. Besides being a reader, she's also a writer and hopes to divide the vast quantities of spare time she'll soon have between reading and finally publishing her first book.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 9,077 other subscribers

2 responses to “Blogger Wife Chat Review ~ Dream Spinner ~ Kristen Ashley

Thanks for commenting - chat soon!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.