QUIET MAN IS NOW LIVE!

“He needs to guard her body, she wants him to do other things with it.”

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Blurb

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.

Add QUIET MAN to your Goodreads TBR here!

Review

5 stars!

OMG, this book is such a great time! I laughed and swooned, and I was in KA fangirl heaven as the Rock Chicks crossover with the Dream Man series, and I loved every moment of it! And warning – I highlighted like a lunatic while reading, so this review is going to be quote heavy.

This book is promo’d as a Dream Man series novella. Honestly, I thought it was more aligned with the Rock Chick books, but there’s a healthy dose of both as Jet’s feisty younger sister, Lottie (who can forget that epic sister slap-fight in Rock Chick Rescue), hooks up with Mo – a commando who works for Hawk (hero from Mystery Man).

Lottie is bold, confident, and completely together. She has made a great life for herself as a headlining dancer for Smithie in his strip joint, and she is proud and unapologetic about who she is and what she does. And I love that! But her job has brought her the wrong kind of attention, and when Smithie receives a threatening letter targeting Lottie, he calls in Hawk and his crew to take care of the situation.

“You’re gonna need to throw yourself on a grenade for me?” I whispered.
“I need you to trust that I’d throw myself on a grenade for you.”
That was easy. I did that already. I mean, he was wearing cargo pants. And a gun.

Mo is an ex-Army man who works with Hawk. He is the one assigned to protect Lottie – and that’s 24/7 protection, never leaving her sight, kind of protection. He moves in to her space, he follows her to work, and he takes his job seriously. But he can’t deny just who it is that he’s protecting and the challenges that it brings.

She was on the stage, busting out a performance to Shakira’s “Loca”, and making Mo, for the first time since he started with Hawk, wish he had another job.
Honest to fuck, if he managed to get through the whole night, and all three of her feature sets (this was number two), without jumping off the stage and punching every motherfucker watching her in the throat, it’d be a miracle.

The attraction between Lottie and Mo absolutely sizzles off the page. They want each other, they don’t hide it, and they talk openly and honestly about it. And in a shift from the usual KA romance, it’s the heroine who is the aggressor in the relationship, boldly going after what she wants and declaring it so, even when Mo is throwing up roadblocks.

“Let me make myself perfectly clear. I like you, Mo.” She leaned closer. “A lot”.
“We are not going there,” he grunted.
“We so are.”
“We’re not.”
She put a hand to his chest and her eyes warmed as her voice went soft and sweet. “We are, baby.”

But that’s not to say that Mo is a passive member of the relationship because, as you would expect from a KA hero, he is wonderfully alpha in a way that sends shivers down your spine.

“I make you mine, officially,” he continued, “no one ever has you again, Lottie, but me.”

But Mo has been hurt in the past and he has his own reservations about diving into something that he knows would be life-changing for both of them. Plus, he refuses to go there while he is protecting her, so we get this delicious forbidden situation that builds the chemistry and the sexual tension brilliantly!

She was holding it back.
And it was tearing her up.
She was nearly bursting at the seams to give all she had to Mo.
And he wanted it.
Bad.

When it happens for them, it’s all on, and it’s hot, intense and emotional with a raw honesty that I loved! They have issues to work through, but it’s functional, and they just get on with, effortlessly inserting themselves into each other’s lives, and I love that we got to watch that happen for them.

“She’s under your skin,” Hawk murmured.
“She’s not under my skin. I sleep on her couch. I guard her. But when this is over, she’ll be in my life. My choice? For the rest of it. So that’s not under my skin. She’s just going to be a part of me.”

And the cameos! As a longtime KA fangirl, I was in heaven as we get scenes with the entire Hot Bunch (all together), Hawk, Mitch and Brock, and of course Tex and Smithie. And all of it was pure gold! I love these boys so much, and their alpha protectiveness is on full display as they take Lottie’s back.

“Can you stop talking about fucking Mo?” Lee asked angrily.
“I’m a big girl, Lee,” I shot back.
“You’re every man in this room’s little sister, Lottie,” he returned. “So as such, can we please stop talking about you fucking anybody.”

And we also get an introduction to the new band of KA men – Hawk’s hot, badass commandos who will have their stories told in the upcoming Dream series! This is a really tight-knit bunch with a great dynamic, and with Lottie planning to set them up with her friends, I’m so excited to read more about them.

“Can I ask when my woman became all of your woman?” Mo requested to know from behind me, and he didn’t sound happy.
“Until we get our own,” Mag answered breezily. “You know sister wives? We’re like brother husbands.”
“No you aren’t.”
There was my man’s Brook No Argument Tone.
“Without the benefits of course,” Mag added.

I loved this book. It’s a novella, but it’s a KA-length novella which makes it about the length of an average book. It’s funny and fun with a lot of heart and a fantastic romance, and I absolutely loved it!

5 stars!

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Dream Man series

About the Author

Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA and nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn’t taken her first breath!). Her mother said they took Kristen away, put her Mom back in her room, her mother looked out the window, and Gary was on fire (Dr. King had been assassinated four days before). Kristen’s Mom remembered thinking it was the end of the world. Quite the dramatic beginning.

Nothing’s changed.

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana and has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus, she’s blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her family was (is) loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write. They all lived together on a very small farm in a small farm town in the heartland. She grew up with Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.

And as she keeps growing, it keeps getting better.

For more great reads, check out our Kristen Ashley Author Spotlight!