Item: Quiet Man
Rating: 4
Author: Angie

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. This post also contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using the links below, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

Review + Excerpt: Quiet Man by Kristen Ashley!

Quiet Man by Kristen Ashley
Series: Dream Man #4.5
Published by Evil Eye Concepts on 8/13/19
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 255
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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.

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

Kristen Ashley’s 1001 Dark Nights novella, Quiet Man, is a delicious little union of the Rock Chicks and the Dream Men. Mo is one of Hawk Delgado’s commandos. Lottie Mac is Jet McAllister Chavez’s little sister and a stripper at Smithie’s. If none of that description made sense to you PICK UP THIS BOOK AND JOIN US because you need some KA in your life. If that description just set off all kinds of familiar bells for you, PICK UP THIS BOOK AND WELCOME BACK into this addictively awesome world only Kristen Ashley can keep building on. It feels so good to be back!

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Jessica’s Review

I seriously loved this story. I love when KA takes characters we only thought we knew and thoroughly flashes out their personalities, their histories, their dreams. I only thought I knew Lottie and what I thought she was was a flashy, flamboyant exotic dancer who was just as wild and unpredictable as the Rock Chicks. Well what I got was a character who was much more relatable, more down to earth, more sweet than anything I assumed before. And her introduction to Mo, the course of events that follows, it all feels reminiscent of the way the Rock Chicks were claimed by the Hot Bunch but it’s so not… it’s different, refreshing, unique, but familiar all at once. I enjoyed it so so so much.

I was surprised with the length of this novella. I expected something shorter and as I kept turning the pages and realized I had several hours to go, I couldn’t have been more thrilled to stay in this world that I love so much for as long as I could. It’s difficult to choose a favorite series by this author so nothing makes my heart explode more than when KA brings them together, having characters interact and fall in love and chase criminals side by side that normally don’t. I love seeing all my favorites again, getting to see what they’re up to in their lives now that’s in been a few years since I read their stories. And it was so perfectly done in Quiet Man. Sometimes it can feel like too much, getting all these characters in the same room together, these large posses making cocktails and cheese boards, giving each other unsolicited romance advice. That wasn’t the case here. Yes we see loads of old friends, but they come together for Lottie in the most perfectly authentic way and it gave me all the giddy feels.

Mo and Lottie are an interesting pair and the course of events surrounding their introduction is both familiar and altogether NEW. Sure, it’s insta love in the way Kristen Ashley always is but it feels like a slow burn the way they remain hands off for what feels like forever. Mo, the quiet giant, is nothing like what I thought he’d be and their story is a must. Just delicious. Sexy. Hilarious. Fun. Like I said before, if you’re a true rock chick, a loyal KA reader, you’re going to really love going back to Denver with this crazy crew. If you’re still under that rock, come on out and read Quiet Man… it’s the perfect introduction to the magic that is Kristen Ashley and you’ll be desperate to dive into all of her unforgettable series as soon as you finish!

Excerpt

I unlocked and opened my door.
Then I immediately, and automatically, took a step back.
All right.
Whoa.
I could get a hint from the chest and what it might be attached to with what I’d seen of that throat, but this guy had to be six five, maybe taller.
And his height was only a part of why Smithie described him the way he did.
He wasn’t “motherfucking huge.”
He was motherfucking huge.
I was average height.
But slender.
My sister had ass.
My job was physical. It wasn’t just the nightly dancing. It was the practice and constantly choreographing and adding new routines. I could probably eat a boatload, but I didn’t because I was too busy to eat, and when I did, I’d learned long ago what all the experts said was what an expert would know from studying it. Eating good food gave me more energy, made me sleep better and put me in a better mood (most of the time).
So unless the occasion was special, I put good food in my mouth and didn’t drink much outside water, flavored water, sparkling water, with the odd antioxidant vitamin drink thrown in.
So yeah, I was slender.
And two of me could make this guy.
Maybe three.
He moved forward.
I moved back.
His movements were unwieldy. Not clumsy—heavy and plodding.
It didn’t matter this guy was a bull in a china shop.
He’d terrify small children.
Hell, he’d terrify grown men.
And that had nothing to do with the gun worn openly on his hip.
It had to do with what that compression shirt barely contained, not to mention the carved protrusion of the muscles of his biceps exposed by the short sleeves, the sinewy, richly veined lengths of his forearms and the trunks of his long legs covered in dark gray commando pants.
He shut the door behind him, twisted at the waist and I heard the lock click.
He twisted back to me.
“Hey,” I forced out.
He dipped his chin.
“You’re Mo,” I stated unnecessarily.
“Yup,” he agreed.

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 accessorize 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.