So I’ve been very picky with books lately with an attention span of a toddler, so the fact that I loved this book so much is just such a relief and also kind of a testament to how good the book was. I was high key worried my mood would affect my enjoyment of the book but honestly Kristen Ashley for the win.

Good storyline, wonderful characters and just all in all another great read from KA. I really loved Pepper and her relationship with her daughter and Juno was just so cute even though her matchmaking tactics were a little devious at times. But I have to say Auggie really stole my heart in this book. A fantastic MC and learning about his past and childhood my heart really hurt for him but it just made everything all the sweeter when he found his family with Pepper and Juno. The connection between Auggie and Pepper was just so wonderful, you could see that they were exactly what the other needed. This book had a lot of touching moments I have to say, so many scenes had my heart melting a little bit.

Loved seeing the Dream team gang and our OG characters and meeting the new characters (who look like they’ll be getting their own books so yay!). My only wish was that we’d gotten an epilogue, I mean I get it its clear things are about to go down with the storyline that’s been brewing from book one so an epilogue may spoil things, but still I want what I want.

Again, such a great read from Kristen Ashley and I think my favorite book from the Dream Team series, thus far anyway.

*ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Pepper was screwed over by her daughter's father. She thought he was it for her until she found out he’d had another woman the entire time they’d been together. Since then, Pepper’s main focus has been her daughter, Juno, providing her love and a stable environment. She doesn’t feel bringing a man into their lives is worth the possible hurt it could bring. But there is an undeniable pull between her and Augustus, “Auggie”.

Auggie sees everything he wants in a woman when he looks at Pepper, but he gets mixed signals from her. He can’t blame her for being cautious and hesitant seeing as she needs to think about her daughter as well. However, they share a lusty night together that ends badly. He’s been yanked around by women in the past with drama and game playing and he’s done with that, but a request from Juno forces them to work together.

Pepper and Auggie have been dancing around each other for a while and they’re the next couple on Lottie’s matchup agenda, but these two do not have a drama free journey into love everlasting. I’m not a fan of angsty, ridiculous couple drama, back and forth, so I’m happy to report that most of the conflict, other than at the beginning, comes from outside sources. I loved Auggie and Pepper together! Seeing them bond over their unfortunate pasts (crazy families!) and unite against whatever came at them was a joy. Juno was a sweetheart, too, wanting love and happiness for her mom and determined to make it happen for her.

Pepper and Auggie were fun, signature Kristen Ashley type of characters. Pepper was big-hearted, sweet with a side of sassy, and Auggie was the protective, bossy, Alpha male without being a jerk. I enjoyed seeing past characters, happy and there for their friends. Although Pepper and Auggie’s story wraps up, that ending made it clear there’s more to come and I can’t wait!

Dream Keeper is the fourth title in the Dream Team series, featuring Auggie and Pepper a pair who’s story I’ve been eagerly awaiting.
Pepper has a complicated life. She’s a single mother to Juno, who I absolutely adored, and the sort of heroine who equally frustrates and captivates me. She’s a nurturing, and amazing mother, but has some trust issues from her past, and tends to give Auggie mixed signals at times.
Auggie is a former military man, turned commando who is incredibly patient, protective, sweet, and sexy and isn’t afraid to own up to his mistakes.
This pair have a ton of family drama that plays out before your eyes. It’s an emotional, action packed story of friendship and family, with plenty of heat and heart.

Every time I pick up a new KA, I love that there are aspects I know to expect -- strong female characters, alpha males, and copious wardrobe and decor descriptions. But I also love that the story stays fresh and there are new ways for these couples to find their way to each other.

Pepper and Auggie are the final holdouts from Lottie’s match-making plans when she dreamed up the Dream Team, and though Pepper has been holding out, Auggie was been on board from the beginning. In this book, Lottie is not the only one playing matchmaker, though she is the only one being public about her efforts. Pepper has her reservations about starting a new relationship, and Auggie has his own reasons for not repeatedly pursuing her despite his interest.

This was an entertaining continuation of the Dream Team series, with classic KA storytelling and characters. There were plenty of cameos for longtime fans as KA’s worlds regularly crossover. Pepper’s daughter stole many scenes as she did her best to help her mom find happy, and her persistence and devoted personality had me wishing for slightly different circumstances for the mother-daughter pair at times.

At the core, there are several family dramas holding up a future between Pepper and Auggie, and I loved how they fought for each other even when they had been happy with their individual status quo -- they wanted the best for the other and weren’t inclined to sit back when they saw a barrier for the other. (And can I just say, I was floored at the amount of dysfunction in both of their families, but particularly Pepper’s family situation.)

While this is the final of the original Dream Team match-ups orchestrated by Lottie, I see potential for other stories as there are some new commandos on the team, as well as a new batch of dancers needing to be hired. The series storyline has a few loose ends as well that could use tying up as well.

Dream Keeper is another great addition to the Dream Team series. We finally get the story of Pepper and Auggie and it was definitely worth waiting for!

Pepper Hannigan is a dancer and a single mom of her awesome daughter Juno. She comes from a family that she distanced herself from years ago. She also has never had the best luck when it's come to love and because her focus is on being the best role model and Mom she can be for Juno, she's gun-shy when it comes to Auggie, even though she wants nothing more than to be with him.

Augustus "Auggie" Hero has had it bad for Pepper for a long time, but she just wasn't ready. He's a former marine and is a skilled security expert. It's no secret he wants a serious relationship with Pepper, but he respects her position with respect to her daughter. As Auggie makes strides with Pepper, he also was falling for Juno, which was so amazing to see.

I enjoyed learning about Auggie's background as we went through this book and I have to say the stuff with Pepper's family was a surprise to me as well. It made a lot of things make sense, but I was still surprised. This was another well written addition to this series and the plot twist at the end, was not something I was expecting, but I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes!

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

This is the fourth book in this amazing series and is Auggie, Pepper, and Juno’s story. Pepper is a single mom to her little 8-year-old daughter Juno, and she has decided after being broken in the past, that love, and romance are off the table for her. Augustus /Auggie is a sexy commando who is caring, patient, funny, and he knows what her wants, and that is Pepper and Juno. This man is resilient and has the patience of a saint when it comes to Pepper, and when Juno does a little matchmaking of her own, he finally has Pepper in his arms. When Pepper is in danger, Auggie will do whatever he must to protect and keep her and Juno safe. This is a well written flawless story which is sweet, fun, humorous, and with danger, suspense, emotions, intrigue, drama, and love, which leads to an entertaining and all-consuming page turner. I look forward to reading more from this talented author whose work I highly recommend.

Kristen Ashley is the ultimate alpha hero writing genius and Dream Keeper is no exception. If nothing else, I can read this story over and over again for the things Auggie says. Goosebumps. Add a fierce witty heroine and her girl gang and the whole macho men team and you have a perfect recipe that has never failed for Kristen Ashley.

Augustus " Auggie" Hero is part of the commando team of Hawk Delgado. All his friends have found their soulmates. And he has set his sights upon Pepper Hannigan, exotic dancer and single mother to the most adorable girl ever called Juno. But Pepper has been burnt before and she is hesitant to let people in. And when she does, the obstacles start appearing. Well it won't be a love story in Denver with the whole Rock chick and Dream Team crew if they don't have extreme shenanigans!
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While it can be read as a standalone, I think it's better if you read the previous books for better understanding of the dynamics and the characters because they are interconnected ( and they are all amazing books!). Every time I come back to this world, I realise how much I missed them and immediately want to do a re read. It had the signature writing of Kristen Ashley. A bit quirky and witty and funny. A lot emotional and intense. Loads of action and suspense ( in and out of bed). I loved Auggie. With the heartbreaking early life he had, it's a miracle that he has turned out to be such a perfect specimen of alpha man! Swoon, swoon and swoon. He is the dream man for sure. His love, his loyalty, his over protectiveness and over possessiveness without being controlling- chef's kiss. And obviously he goes for a woman who needs him but too stubborn and closed off to accept it. I didn't like her initially as she was not being fair to Auggie but slowly the great loving and trusting and sassy soul came out. Juno is so cute and such an old soul. Together they make a pretty picture but not before they deal with all the severe issues. And those were some seriously twisted and dangerous ones.
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I don't there is a Kristen Ashley book that I didn't like. Dream Keeper is no exception.
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I reviewed an early copy voluntarily

Dream Keeper is the final book in the Dream Team series and features a single mom who is not looking for love. Auggie ruins her plans!

So, in previous books, you have meet all the players, and there is an overarching plot involving dirty cops that Auggie and his team are working on. All that is still in play, but really, this story barely touches that. The focus is more on Pepper's horrid ex and his sudden desire to win her back and Pepper's family who are involved in a very shady cult (is there another kind of cult?). Throw in Auggie's dysfunctional family and Cisco's involvement and you have some major drama-llama!

Pepper and Auggie have a rocky road to get together, and then a rocky road of dealing with all the drama. Through it all, you get to see the previous girls and Pepper's adorable daughter Juno. Dream Keeper is filled with crazy drama, hot sex, and heartwarming romance.

I switched back and forth between the book and the audio for Dream Keeper. I enjoyed the audio, but the narrator wasn't my favorite. It was still a solid 4 star narration, I just found her voice to be a bit too high pitched for me.

There are some books in which child characters are just background noise. There are some books in which child characters distract from the story. And then there are books where the child character is the heart of the book. Dream Keeper falls into this latter category. Juno, the heroine’s 8 year old daughter, was undoubtedly the star of this book. Auggie, the hero, toed the line between pining hero and alpha male perfectly. Our heroine, Pepper, was occasionally annoying, but won me over with her devotion to her daughter. But Juno brought a warmth and charm that brought a smile to my face as I read.

I loved Auggie and Pepper. This easily could have been my favorite in the story. I loved Juno, Pepper's daughter, and who she turned to for help in trying to move things with her mother and Auggie along. It was original and fun and really added some good depth to story. Pepper and Auggie do not have any easy path to love, and there is a lot of angst and drama along the way, which should surprise no one. What kept this from being a five star read for me, was all the repetitiveness that we see when something happens between Pepper and Auggie, and then we have to rehear how the scene occurred when one of them tells one of their friends and then sometimes we would hear it a second and third time as those friends told other friends. It got a bit tiring. I'm a fan of reading out old favorites from prior books, but only when they fit naturally into the story. This felt like scenes created just so we could see them and have them weigh in on what was occurring with Pepper and Auggie which also gave it a very juvenile feel. Auggie and his guys are all very alpha, but that's detracted from when they are sitting around for pages talking out feelings and situations and scenarios. That being said, if you can just skim through that, this is a fun, angsty romance with a lot of depth.

Dream Keeper by Kristen Ashley is a must read. This book is part of a series, but you would have no trouble reading it as a standalone if you aren’t caught up on the others. I knew from the first chapter that I would love Pepper and Auggie’s story. I enjoyed it so much that I didn’t want it to end. Kristen Ashely has a way of creating worlds and characters that her readers can’t help but get attached too. I can’t wait to read what she writes next.

This is probably my favorite in the series! Finally we get Auggie and Pepper's book. They were perfect and sweet together including Pepper's daughter Juno. So worth it. I hope there are still more in this series or if it spin-off into another series, because some other characters I want their stories too. I also really love this cover.

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

4 1/2 Stars for this Dream Team!

This is the first book I have read by this author ... and it won't be my last. I loved Auggie, Pepper and Juno ... what a cute family! I love it when a book has kids in it ... they add so much comic relief from what can be an intense situation. Even though I didn't read the previous books in this series, I was able to follow along really well ... except for Mr. Cisco (I still don't know who he is exactly, but I presume that he is a good bad guy). The chemistry between Pepper and Auggie is very very hot! Then the ending ... I can't wait for the next book in the series!

Pepper escaped a cult childhood, got married young and had Juno. Three years ago she left her husband after she discovered that he had been cheating on her from the very beginning. Juno wanted her mom and Auggie to be together, so her mom could be happy and she enlisted the help of Mr. Cisco. And then there's Auggie ... I fell in love with him from the beginning. Even though his parents were toxic, he was a warm, loving protector of those he considered his. Pepper and Auggie will be faced with many obstacles that will get in the way of their new relationship. Will they be able to find their happily-ever-after?

I received an early copy courtesy of Forever / Grand Central Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

Every time I read a new book in this series I want to say I have a new favorite, but really this particular series is just becoming one of my favorites as a whole. I love these heroines, even with their messed up drama, and the heroes with their own drama. There is just something so great about it all when they come together and heal each other and have each others backs.

I don't want to spoil anything so I will say that my favorite thing about Auggie vs the other guys is that he learned from their mistakes. It made me love him so much more when I realized how patient he was being. He still has a bit of a jerk moment but it's pretty mild and he was messed up about it. To me, if a guy is a jerk and it eats at him, that shows what a great guy he really is.

I'm also a really big fan of single parent tropes. Seeing Auggie fall for Pepper's kid along with falling for Pepper was really sweet. And Juno is a great kid. I loved her part in this series even if she behaved more maturely than maybe a kid her age would really be.

I hated how much Pepper resisted Auggie but thank goodness most of that resistance was when they were side characters in the other books. What I love more than anything is to see a couple together in their book and see them work through their problems together. That's what makes a great romance novel for me. This is that book. It really has me excited to see what more will come in future books of the series. I loved it!

To be honest this book took me a while to get into, and I really can't put my finger on why. I did enjoy reading it, but at times I was like can we just move on from some of this eye rolling stuff. I loved Pepper, Juno, and Auggie, and loved seeing them all interact. The plot twist at then end was surprising and it make the book better. I am having trouble with this review because I love all of Kristen's book, but this one just didn't do it for me this time.

I really liked the characters in this book! Auggie and Pepper had a lot in common including a messed up family life. What Pepper has built with her daughter Juno is something that Auggie never had for himself and reading their story really touched my heart. As with a lot of Kristen Ashley’s men, Auggie was very alpha. He was a tough hombre, with very few words, but when he spoke he had important things to say. KA did a really good job with his internal thoughts because without those I wouldn’t have an inkling on what type of guy he really was, but those emotional rivers ran deep and he felt a LOT for Pepper and Juno. It was truly sweet.

As with my favorite Rock Chick novels, this novel is a woman in jeopardy novel. Pepper’s jeopardy was a little more emotional than physical but there was one moment that we got to see Auggie’s commando skills come into play and that made the book. I love KA’s retro Rock Chick-ish novels and this series as an offshoot of that series definitely plays on that vibe.

Do you like the older Kristen Ashley novels like I do? If so, you will really enjoy Dream Keeper. It’s the fourth in the series and while it can stand alone, I think you’ll like it more if you’ve read the others first. Pepper was supposed to be the last of Lottie’s friends to be set up but the reader is led to believe that there will be three more and we were introduced to three additional commando’s that need ladies to help make the man. I’m looking forward to seeing where this author takes this series and can’t wait for the next book. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest.

It was a beautiful and emotional love story. I loved it from begin to end. It was a great way to end this series and I look forward to the author's next book.

I didn't read the other books in the series but I wish I had, after reading this book. This is a sweet, pretty angst free book, in that the couple, after an initial period of angst, were very much a team. This story was a little plodding. It was sweet and uncomplicated- Pepper and Auggie both have difficult families, making them really really reticent to get involved with others. In the previous books, I'm assuming Auggie realizes he wants to be all in but Pepper took a while to get on the same page. I absolutely loved their interactions and the interaction with Jules, Pepper's daughter. There were some parts that felt slow but the whole story, peppered by problematic interactions with their families, as well as fantastic interactions with their friends (who were featured in prior books) was really a sweet read. I definitely need to revisit the rest of the Dream Team because they seem like a group of ladies I would wish I could meet and be friends with in real life.

4.5 stars

I am a huge fan of this author. She is my number one automatic one-click author. The moment that I see a book come up for preorder, I order it even without a blurb. Therefore, I was very excited about this book because after reading the previous 3.5 books in the Dream Team, starting with Lottie's novella, I was the most invested in Auggie and Pepper's story since they had been pivotal characters since the beginning.

The first couple of chapters had me on the fence with this book because as much as I love how this author reintroduces previous characters, especially the Rock Chicks, at times it can be too much. I felt that at the beginning and wondered if it was just going to be cameos and no real substance. I need not have worried because once the story really got going and the focus was on Auggie, Pepper, and Juno I was 1000% invested. I knew that Pepper was going to have a story to tell, and I was right in that assumption. Her backstory and her family were crazy. The twists were insane and not at all what I was expecting. I loved Juno and her special connection with someone that I have come to LOVE in this series. There were some pretty pivotal moments in this story with this little girl that made my heart soar. That was largely, because of the amazing mother that she had. I LOVED Pepper as a mother. The world could be a better place if everyone had someone like her as a mom. Auggie's backstory was sad. I hated that he felt the way that he did because of his upbringing had been. I think because of that, it made me love Pepper and Juno with him that much more. They truly balanced each other out. He wasn't as "Alpha J/P" as this author normally depicts but he was still all KA man if that makes sense. The steam when it happened, was so good, and if I wasn't in love with Auggie before that happened, it really happened then.

There was a lot of drama going on in this book, but not so much that I couldn't make sense of it. There is an interconnected story that has been playing in the background through this entire series so, in my opinion, this story is not done even though the original matchmaking by Lottie is complete with these three girls, there is still more story to tell. The way that it is done, reminds me a bit of how the Chaos series was done, where the answers to these mysteries won't be finished until the series is concluded. I am all in for that.

There were possible new characters that could have stories, one of which, I hope is Billy. I, also, hoped to all that is right and just in this world that Mr. Cisco gets a story because GOOD LORD do I love this man. He has become one of the strongest and most amazing of secondary characters that this author has EVER written. He is just magic. Every time, I think he cannot get any better, he does.

Even though this story didn't jump out at me, like this author's books normally do, I am still very happy with this book. I am glad that I didn't let the beginning deter me from enjoying it to the fullest.

This is the fourth in the dream team series by Kristen Ashley. Pepper and Augie are the only couple left for Lottie to put together. Augie has been trying for pepper to see that they would make a great couple. Pepper is afraid to get into a relationship because she doesn’t want to hurt her daughter Juno.

It is actually do you know who decides to match make for both her mother and Augie. Do you know who goes to Cisco for help which is not exactly the best idea but it’s what she feels desperate to do in order to help her mother be happy. Do you knows matchmaking works and pepper finally gives Augie a chance.

As usual in these books nothing goes smoothly. There seems to be someone after Pepper and it seems to be linked to her family. The mystery in this book is about how her peppers family is involved in pepper being in danger. It’s always fun to see characters from older Kristen Ashley books and it doesn’t hinder the plot at all. The secondary characters only add to the enjoyment of the story.

The conclusion of how Pepper and Augie decide to have a relationship is both heartwarming and entertaining. Also Kristen Ashley has left breadcrumbs to what the next series of stories will be. I’m looking forward to more books with characters written by Kristen Ashley.