I'd been waiting for Auggie and Pepper since day one! I'm so happy they gave me exactly what I needed. LOVE this series!

Here's what I loved:
Finding family vs being born into a family is near and dear to my heart. Being claimed by those who love fiercely by choice rather than by blood is my jam. And this book gives that.
Pepper is such an amazing mom. Single parent romance always hit me right in the feels.
Auggie is a macho man commando, but his girls owned him. His backstory was unexpected and I loved how these relationships played out on the page.
I need a Cisco book right now. That is all!

I have to admit, early in the book I was concerned. I wanted Pepper to get out of her own way and I wanted Auggie to push a little harder, but after stepping back and thinking the logistics of the situation it was written exactly as it needed to be. I won't go into details about the circumstances and situations, but rather say it was an excellent story and I enjoyed it immensely.

If you love KA and this cast of characters, you will not be disappointed!

4.5 Stars

We finally get Pepper and Auggie's story. These two have been dancing around each other since they were "paired up" by Lottie. It was evident that they both wanted each other but Pepper was scared to make that leap. Though there were times that I wasn't happy with either I was glad that Auggie held strong and finally got his Pepper. When they were all in, it was heartwarming to watch. Their connection was deep and they were just what the other needed. Both Pepper and Auggie had their own complicated past and even present so watching them navigate through all of that while building a relationship was fascinating to read. They were beautiful and passionate together. I enjoyed seeing their relationship build. I loved Juno. She just wanted her mom to be happy and she can see that that was with Auggie. I also loved how Auggie was with Juno. He was so sweet and really loving with her through his actions. Now with all of the Dream Team books, there was some outside drama that affected this couple. It was enthralling to read how it would all play out. I was on the edge of seat with anticipation. I also loved seeing the previous couples in the series. Both the guys and girls had their friendships and it was great to see how they had each other's backs. They were family, plain and simple. Overall, this was a great read filled with fine characters and storylines. Now while this is the end with the main characters, there are more plots and characters that need their stories told. So here's hoping for more. Kristen did wonderful with this series.

DREAM KEEPER is the fourth instalment in Kristen Ashley’s contemporary, adult DREAM TEAM erotic, romantic suspense series focusing on a group of exotic dancers and friend who call themselves the ‘Dream Team’. This is twenty-seven single mother/dancer Pepper Hannigan, and thirty-four year old, former US soldier turned commando Augustus ‘Auggie’ Hero’s story line. DREAM KEEPER can be read as a stand alone but for back story and cohesion I recommend reading the series in order. DREAM KEEPER and the Dream Team series is a spin-off from the author’s Rock Chick, Chaos and Dream Man series. Several characters cross over or are mentioned from the aforementioned series.

Told from first person perspective (Pepper) and dual third person (Auggie and Juno) following several paths, DREAM KEEPER focuses on the building romance and relationship between twenty-seven single mother/dancer Pepper Hannigan, and thirty-four year old, former US soldier turned commando Augustus ‘Auggie’ Hero, and the awkwardly dysfunctional families from whom both Pepper and Auggie were raised. Pepper Hannigan is a single mother to eight year old Juno, and in this, Juno’s happiness and safety have always come first but when Augustus Hero steps up his seduction and desire for our story line heroine, Pepper’s on again/off again attitude pushes Auggie out of her life unknowingly upsetting her daughter in the process. Juno is a precocious eight year old child who is desperate to reunite her mother with Auggie, and in this, works behind the scenes in an effort to push the couple together.

Meanwhile, Auggie’s past aka his mother and father’s relationship continues to implode pushing their drama up front and center in his relationship with Pepper but Pepper’s extended family drama is threatening the lives of the people he loves. Auggie, along with his team of commandos, begins an investigation of their own, not liking what they discover and how it will affect Pepper going foward. What ensues is the friends to lovers, rebuilding relationship, and romance between Auggie and Pepper, as our couple must navigate the fall-out and blow out of the Hero family histrionics, and the Hannigan family spiral out of control.

Pepper Hannigan’s life has not always been easy but Pepper refuses to expose Juno to the life she once led, a life that is about to reveal an uglier truth. Auggie Hero doesn’t trust easily having watched his parent’s relationship crumble along with one of his own but something about Pepper calls to his heart, a heart that will force Auggie to walk with Pepper’s mixed messages.

The relationship between Auggie and Pepper has been building for several years as Auggie’s attraction to our heroine was immediate but Auggie knew Pepper was a single mother whose first choice would always be the love for her child, and in this Auggie bided his time before making a move. Pepper never wanted to hurt the man with whom she would fall in love but words said in anger pushed Auggie out of Pepper’s life, words directed at our story line heroine. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters including Pepper’s eight year old daughter Juno; her ex Corbin Patrick, Pepper’s parents, and her siblings Saffron and Birch; Auggie’s parents Demetrios and Dana Hero; the Dream Team girls and their significant others: Lottie and Mo, Boone and Ryn, Axl and Hattie; their boss Ian, and his nephew Dorian; Cisco aka Brett Rappaport; office manager Elvira, and several members from the Chaos MC, fellow commandos including Billy and Marques, and the introduction of Lieutenant Stephanie Fortune.

DREAM KEEPER is a story of family and relationships-dysfunctional family dynamics, betrayal and obsession, power and control, secrets and lies. The character driven premise is fast paced, detailed, twisted, and tragic-like all Kristen Ashley’s storylines follows a similar path and history; the characters are spirited, edgy and inspiring; the romance is intimate and intense.



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Oh wow... it was all about Auggie for me!!

KA has such a talent with creating Alpha heroes with hearts of gold. This man... THIS MAN!! He had far more patience than was warranted. Honestly... I kinda wanted him to give up and move on. C'mon, if I had a friend who was basically pining for someone who repeatedly shut him down, then let him in, only to tell him HE was a mistake... yeah, I'd tell him to let her go.

But Auggie persevered and I couldn't knock the man for trying because it eventually pays off. And I can't lie, I enjoyed the makings of what Auggie and Pepper built.

Don't even get me started on how much sunshine little Juno brought to this story. The idea of The Parent Trap was so sweet and I loved how Mr. Brett Cisco got happily roped in. When am I getting a story for this man?! He needs a happy ending STAT!!

Dream Keeper gave me so much of what I needed!
❥ a hero to make my heart sing
❥ a heroine who drove me nuts and yet made me cheer her on
❥ a sweetheart of a child who seemed to be wise beyond her years
❥ side characters who were once main characters who continue to be fun characters
❥ Brett in all of his glory. Seriously, this dude needs to find the love of his life. PLEASE!
❥ I even had a little somethin' somethin' for Pepper's ex. Is it wrong of me to want this man to find some forever happiness too?

Great writing as always. Great story. And a wealth of emotion. That's what I got with this book. If I wasn't aggravated, I was smiling. If I wasn't frustrated, I was weepy. If I wasn't annoyed, I was swooning. Sweet and charming and full of KA pizzazz (yeah, that's me using the word), Dream Keeper is a must-read for lovers of romance.

If you’ve followed along with Kristen Ashley’s Dream Team Series, you’ve probably been eager to read Pepper and Auggie‘s story. They’re the last of Lottie’s original Hawk’s commandoes/Smithie’s dancers pairings to get their chance at a happy ending, and Kristen Ashley has packed plenty of action, drama, and steam to ensure Dream Keeper is worth the wait.  
 
Single mom, Pepper Hannigan, is well aware that Augustus “Auggie” Hero is interested in exploring their obvious mutual attraction, but an unstable home life growing up paired with being burned by an ex who cheated on her for years has caused Pepper to reinforce the walls she’s built around her heart. Auggie understands her reservations, and her need to put her daughter first, but his persistent efforts to chip away at her resolve, plus a tremendous amount of meddling from a few well-meaning characters sets their would-be romance on the fast track. 
 
Now I’ve never picked up a book by Kristen Ashley expecting a lighthearted love story filled with sunshine and rainbows, but I can’t seem to adequately prepare myself for the gamut of emotions that I experience while reading one of her books. With Dream Keeper, Pepper and Auggie’s emotionally turbulent, will-they-or-won’t-they prelude to their romantic relationship tugged on my heartstrings to the point where tears pricked at my eyes. But that was just the start of their journey. Kristen Ashley puts these characters (and the reader, by extension) through the wringer! With its action-packed, drama-filled narrative, reading Dream Keeper is like riding a roller coaster of emotions, with plenty of highs, lows, twists, and turns that had me laughing and crying (sometimes in the same paragraph) on multiple occasions.  

Not only does Kristen Ashley thoroughly develop her characters, giving them extensive backstories and revealing everything you could possibly hope to learn to get insight into their thoughts and action, but she also delivers engaging narratives that keep the reader hooked from start to finish. The romance between Auggie and Pepper is a vital part to the story, but there are various subplots that converge in Dream Keeper, several of which come to a satisfying conclusion, but some that will hopefully be continued with additional books in this (or another) series.   
  
The entire Dream Team Series is a must-read, but if you’re looking for a romance that’ll set your pulse racing, make you swoon, and hit you right in the feels, Dream Keeper is an evocative, thrilling page-turner.

4 Two Warrior Souls Stars
* * * * Spoiler Free
In keeping with the Dream Team series, this entry has the continuing matchmaking by Lottie. She has been extremely successful with all of her crew at Smithies. Augie and Pepper should be falling in line and becoming the couple Lottie and everyone knows is right on.

Unfortunately, Pepper is not cooperating and is frustrating Augie to no end. There are some ugly moments and finally, Pepper's adorable daughter takes matters into her own hands.

This has all the standard elements of an Ashley book. It has messed up childhoods for the main characters, it has some suspense, it has swoony moments, and it has insight into the human condition. It also has a past character being the conduit to making all good things happen. By the end of this tale, we have many other characters deserving of their books.

If I have any insight into how these things work, I am almost positive, more Dream Team is coming.

An action driven romcom filled with undercover commandos, strippers, and steamy banter. This one has a single parent trope and lots of added drama. It just might be my favorite book in the series. An entertaining read with quirky characters and a sweet slow-burn romance. I really enjoyed rooting for all these characters and love coming back to this world of commandos and strippers over and over!

Pepper is a single mother and refuses to start a relationship until Juno is out of the house. So, when her own daughter tries to set her up Pepper finally gives in and dates Auggie. The two continue to try and progress their relationship, but so many difficult circumstances keep getting in the way: Auggie’s outrageous parents, Pepper’s crazy cult driven family, and the never ending drama with Pepper’s ex.

This one is easily my favorite in the series because of Juno and Cisco. Is it weird that I want them to fall in love when Juno is older? Anyways, I really loved Juno and Cisco’s developing relationship and the never ending crisis with Pepper’s family. This one focused a lot on familial relationships and the possibility of job changes. Most importantly, I loved the relationship between Juno, Pepper, and Auggie. I could already picture them as a little family and it warmed my heart right up!

I am a huge fan of KA and Dream Keeper did not disappoint! I think this is my favorite in the series. This book is about Pepper who is a single mom and Auggie who is a former marine and worlds for Hawk(Mystery man). Juno (Pepper's daughter) is my favorite character, she stole the show!

I enjoyed the slow burn between Pepper and Auggie and they had great chemistry! There is drama, danger and everything you expect from a KA book! I loved getting to visit some of my favorite KA characters, she really knows how to tie in her characters from other books! I would recommend the Dream Team series to anyone who loves KA books or just loves a good fun and romantic suspense book. This book is for you!

Thank you Social Butterfly PR for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Dream keeper is story of the hopes and dreams we create in our lives. Of all the couple in this series I have to admit Auggie, Pepper, and Juno have a special part of my heart. The first few chapter were slow but I enjoy the build up to the romance. The story also shows how much we are influence by our parents and the chooses they make.

I absolutely loved loved loved this book! You can seldomly go wrong with a Kristen Ashley book!! I have been waiting for Pepper and Auggie’s book and it truly did not disappoint! As much as I loved Pepper and Auggie it was Juno that stole my heart! If you love alpha hero’s and single parent books you will want to make sure you read Dream Keeper. The story hooked me from the very beginning, I didn’t want to put it down! It was action packed, kept you guessing what was going to happen next! I will admit I even caught some feels during parts of it! This while this is the fourth book in the series it can be read as a standalone. I would want to read the books in order (the entire series has been great) just to get the dynamics of the group. Plus if you are a Kristen Ashley fan some of your favorite characters may make an appearance!! Pepper and Auggie’s story gets full closure, but I will say there was an open ending that could perhaps lead to more! I sure hope so! I absolutely recommend this book!

I liked this story and enjoyed the unraveling of the intrigue. The author did a great job in keeping the pace steady, I was surprised by the dark twists in the plot. The characters were relatable and I definitely got invested in their story, written from multiple points of view. Their chemistry is crackling with conflict and connection. I really liked the heroine, Pepper, she is a strong female character, smart and witty. She has gone through plenty of rough patches, she knows what desperation feels like. The hero, Auggie, is resourceful, sexy, determined and protective. He is genuine and cares deeply for Pepper and her adorable daughter, Juno. I loved how both Pepper and Auggie were strong in the face of adversity. 3.5 stars

Pepper has been reluctant to start a relationship with Auggie for a while, no matter how much she is attracted to him. She's a single mom that comes from a dysfunctional family, one we learn a whole lot more about in this story, and her ex goes through women like it's a race so she wants to keep things simple for her eight year old daughter Juno and maybe somewhere down the line years from now she'll think about dating again. But there are things that are out of Pepper's control and she's no match for her eight year old matchmaking daughter.

Auggie has a interesting family of his own, but that hasn't swayed him from knowing a good thing when he sees it. Only problem is Pepper is sending him mixed signals and he doesn't like being played with.

I have been waiting for Pepper and Auggie to get together for a while now, Lottie has been playing matchmaker to all of her friends and this couple is the last of them...for now anyway. But no one expected the biggest hand in getting them together would be Juno, and can I just say that I loved this little girl so much she knew what was best for her mom and went about getting it for her...even if it was a little sneaky.

Dream Keeper is the fourth book in the DREAM TEAM SERIES but can be read as a standalone. I listened to the audiobook and Susannah Jones did a fabulous job with bringing this story to life.

If you enjoy Steamy Contemporary Romances, Single Mom Romances, Friends to Lovers Romances, or Romantic Suspense I would highly recommend this book to you.

Happy Reading!!!

Dream Keeper is the fourth title in the spin-off (connecting) series of Dream Team. I absolutely love returning to this world of Rock Chicks and Dream Man, something I do regularly throughout the year as this is one of my favorite fictional places to get caught up in once again.

Pepper and Auggie. Oh, how they’ve danced around each other sending mixed signals while wishing for something solid to connect them. That something comes in the form of Pepper’s adorable daughter, Juno… and while she may have gotten the adults to pay attention to each other, there is also danger from Pepper’s past about to rear its ugly face that tries to steal their newfound happiness. Auggie isn’t about to let that happen (let alone the other members of the Dream Team). Which sets us up for a heart-stopping turn of events that will break hearts and heal them back up again stronger than ever.

Dream Keeper isn’t a book that I’ll give you intimate details about, no, for that you need to experience this one (this world) firsthand. I can tell you that I equally wanted to shake some sense into some people while smacking others upside the head to get it together – and I’m not a violent person but sometimes these characters just need some serious conversations, ya know? Throughout the push and pull of Aggie and Pepper, the adorableness of Juno and her “partner in crime” Cisco in getting this couple to really see each other, and the appearances of old favorites from the Rock Chicks and Dream Man crews, I found a touching romance that has a lot of road bumps to get through on the journey to a final happy ending. There are action-packed scenes, as well as intimate discovering true love scenes – and I loved every moment spent back in this world. And, I confess, I’m waiting for more now with the introduction of some characters and how they connect with this crew. Will I get more? Time will tell.

Overall, I had a blast and if you love a good solid romance full of interesting characters, shenanigans, action, and love that is plain to see then you’ll want to pick up Dream Keeper right now.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

I own a purchased Kindle edition as well as the Netgalley ARC because some books just belong on my keeper shelf forever. *wink*

This is book 4 in the series and I haven’t read the others so the first few pages were dicey. Like there were way too many people and I had no clue who they were but luckily it all made sense anyway. Pepper is the bomb. I love her inner monologue and the way she looks at the world. Auggie and Pepper are perfect together but she’s been burned before so she keeps pushing him away until she can’t anymore. He’s a man who knows what he wants and he’s determined to get her, even if he has to wait so Auggie’s been patient while she comes around.

She has a lot going on in her life and his support makes a world of difference but rather than feeling needy, Pepper learns she can return the favor because Auggie has some issues of his own to handle. I enjoyed watching them come together and bond over Juno, her eight-year-old daughter who’s determined to play matchmaker for the two. She was a fun addition to the story until the end when she became a bit too precocious because it seemed out of character.

The suspense plot is interesting although the ending felt sudden. I would have liked a bit more build up instead of going from barely knowing anything to the situation being resolved completely, but it was still an intriguing subplot. There’s an element to the subplot that’s left hanging, likely to draw readers into the next book in the series and I don’t like that at all but I enjoyed Pepper and Augie’s story so I’m going to pretend it didn’t even happen and not let it ruin this for me.

Dream Keeper was a favorite from this series. I love KA books, but the Dream Team series are a definite hit! I have been anticipating this book since we were introduced to Pepper. I knew this story was going to have me all in!

Pepper and Auggie .. these two I loved hard. Pepper has too many walls up and I was afraid that Auggie would not be able to get through. Their story just got better! I loved Juno - she was cute and had a big heart. Especially when it came to Auggie.

Now onto Auggie - he is relentless and never gave up. He knew that there was something special with Pepper. This story just blew me away!!!

Dream Keeper is a typical Kristen Ashley book, over the top characters and situations, lots of drama, humor, and a touch of danger. I have enjoyed this series, but this was not my favorite. I like Pepper, her daughter Juno, and Auggie and was happy to see Pepper finally stop fighting her attraction to Aug. The reasons for keeping him at a distance seemed especially lame, and not something any of the characters (and me!) understood. Anyway, the basic plot is good and I found myself really enjoying the progression of Pepper and Auggie’s relationship. He is amazing with Juno, and is pretty laid back with a good sense of humor. I found both his and Pepper’s backstories interesting. Both are dealing with dysfunctional families, which is a bit of a theme throughout this series. I appreciated the difficulty of the decisions both had to make throughout their story, I was happy to see decisions were made and put into action. I thought for Auggie, at least, his situation was handled more realistically than some others in this series. I could just be tired of the kidnappings and drama of this series, but I found myself getting very annoyed by the words and actions of several characters. Maybe it was the pages and pages of descriptions of all room décor, hair, makeup, and clothing that I had to skip over (my usual habit with KA books). I’m not sure which, but this book just didn’t work for me. I’m a huge fan of KA and will continue to read her books, of course, but I won’t be re-reading this one.

I had to think on this book for a few days and I'm still feeling conflicted about it. On one hand it almost felt like going back to the old KA days with the books that I still re-read a million times. But on the other hand it felt more jumbled than that and had me wanting to skip over some really drawn out scenes.

Pepper and Auggie have been circling each other for the past few books and it's had me excited to see them finally get together. Which wasn't an easy thing for them but I really enjoyed getting to see their journey together and it had me captivated. Which is why I'm a little sad there was a lot of drama from other people that was brought into the book and took away from the romance. It felt like too much, especially with so much drama just surrounding Pepper.

But again, I still liked the characters and seeing them together so I can forgive some dramatics. Back to the writing, though. KA is known for her crazy style of writing and it works for her but there were times it didn't work in this book. There were scenes that felt too repetitive or overly detailed to the point I lost focus and didn't even know what the inner dialogue I was reading was about anymore. There was also some weird thing that kept happening where Auggie, in his thoughts, kept referring to Pepper and her daughter Juno as the "blonde and brunette" I'm probably over exaggerating how often it happened but it was so odd that it really stood out to me when a scene would come up and instead of just saying a character's name it was
"Then he met up with another girl, this one brunette, in order to make dumplings.

Bottom line, it was a fun book to read and I'm still a fan of this author. I'm not sure if this is the last book in the series since I think some things are still unresolved but it's the last of the girl group I believe. And there is definitely a character I would still love to see get a book.

3.25 stars. Dream Keeper is the fourth book in the Dream Team series and is Pepper and Auggie's book. Pepper is the last single member in her friend group, the Dream Team. She is also a single mom and is reluctant to date anyone because of her eight year old daughter, Juno, and her past bad relationship. Still, Auggie has let her know he is interested. He is also the last single guy in their friend group. But he thinks Pepper is playing games and doesn't understand her reluctance. Juno wants to see her mother happy, though, and knows there is something between her and Auggie, so she sets about to matchmake them. Her plan works and the couple finally gets together. They have some obstacles with lots of family drama on both sides to combat. But they come out together, happy and in love in the end.

While I did enjoy the book in general, it was not my favorite of the series. I found the story a bit too slow with some pacing issues. I liked Auggie and Pepper, but I did feel they were a little lacking in chemistry. They have a slow burn relationship and I had a hard time feeling the burn. I also had a hard time with the dialogue. The men in the book sounded like more like women in the way they talked and the dialogue in general sounded like it was trying to be cool, not realistic. Also, I didn't think Pepper's daughter, Juno, acted 8, more like 11 or 12 years old. As well, there is a ton of OTT family drama, with a religious cult included, that seemed to be added at the end for shock value, unnecessarily. Still, I did like the story. I liked the couple and was happy they got their HEA together. I found the book entertaining and an easy read.

Overall, this is a pretty good book, if not my favorite. Pepper and Auggie were sweet together. I look forward to more from Ms. Ashley in the future.

I loved seeing some of my favorite people again in this book!!! Auggie and Pepper's story was a perfect addition in the series even though at times I wanted to throttle Peppee but it’s only cause Auggie is absolute perfection to me!!

Pepper is determined to be the best mother she can be for her daughter Juno and she believes the best way to do that is to remain single. Based on her romantic history it is not a big sacrifice, but she wasn’t prepared for Auggie to break through the walls she had built around her help with the help of her matchmaking daughter.

Auggie wants to be part of Pepper and Juno’s life and he is willing to be patient and understanding as he proves it to her. He has a difficult past of his own that only makes you respect him more and he will do whatever is necessary to keep his new family safe.

After every thing that Pepper and Auggie have been through there are no two people who are more deserving of a happy ever after. It was wonderful to learn more about Pepper and Auggie and see the relationship unfold between them as well as catch up with the characters we know and love.