REVIEW: Sweet Dreams (Colorado Mountain #2) by Kristen Ashley

Sweet Dreams by Kristen Ashley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book Description:

Lauren Grahame has spent her whole life thinking something special was going to happen. She didn’t know what it was, she just knew it would one day be hers. But she learned the hard way that special wasn’t on offer.

So, after divorcing her cheating husband, Lauren searched for nothing special and she thought she found it when she landed a job as a waitress in a biker bar in Carnal. It was perfect: a nothing job in a nowhere bar in Nowheresville.

Then Tatum Jackson walked in. Part-owner of the bar, he took one look at high-class Lauren and wanted nothing to do with her. And he made this known, loudly.

Tate’s angry insults seared in her brain, Lauren decides the feeling is mutual and she doesn’t want anything to do with the gloriously handsome Tate Jackson. The clash of the bartender and barmaid begins but, even though Tate makes his change of mind clear (in biker-speak, a language Lauren is not fluent in), Lauren is intent on going her own way.

Until a serial killer hits Carnal and Lauren finds out Tate isn’t a bartender, he’s a bounty hunter. He stakes his claim for Lauren before he goes on the hunt for a killer but Laurie doesn’t speak biker nor does she understand bounty hunters and Tate comes back from the hunt to find his old lady has moved on.

Life throws curveball after curveball at Laurie and Tate. As secrets are revealed, women are brutally murdered, and Lauren tries to find her inner biker babe.

I don’t know if I’m jumping on the KA bandwagon or if she’s growing on me but each book I read seems to get better than the last.

I really enjoyed this one. Well, when I wasn’t pulling my hair out because Tate annoyed me or pissed me off (and that was often). But he did have his sweet moments. I loved LAUREN. She definitely wasn’t a doormat. And I loved that about her. All too often, when you get an alpha hero, the heroine isn’t an equal. But here, LAUREN was his equal. There was more than one occasion where I was cheering her on for giving as good as she got. 

I'm normally not a huge fan of nicknames in books (the somethings sound false and unnatural) but I loved the way she called him Captain and he called her Ace! It just worked for me. 

My biggest pet peeve in this book was Laurie. I just didn’t get where it came from and I ended up feeling like the author changed her mind about LAUREN’s name half way through. It would have been different if she had said “Hi, my name’s Lauren but please, call me Laurie.” But she didn’t. The only person she told to call her Laurie was Jonas. But the rest of the characters, it didn’t make sense to me. So every time I saw her “Laurie”, I changed it to LAUREN. As far as I was concerned, that was her name.

One other thing that bothered me was a small part of the murder mystery. Toward the end, a reason was given as to why the killer escalated his kills and it didn’t make sense. It just felt like it was tacked on to wrap it up but it didn’t hold up. I’ve watched enough cop shows and profiler shows to realize that the theory didn’t hold up. (yes, I am a couch detective…in the book and movie sense.)

Other than that, this book was extremely enjoyable. It definitely makes me want to read the rest of this series.

My Tate and Lauren:



I mean...who wouldn't want to be in a Joe Magliano...I mean...Tate...Sandwich!? ;)

Ok, so you were expecting a real pic of Lauren? 

Well...I don't want to disappoint you. 

But honestly, who needs to see the girl when you can imagine yourself with Joe Magliano? 

I would rather just pretend to be LAUREN. 

Oh, did you say to just show her already? 

Fine. 

I can do that. 

Don't say I don't listen to my readers. 

Because I totally do. 

Always. 

And if you say you want to see her...

...I'll post a picture of her. 

Ready?

Is the build up to much? 

I don't want to you be disappointed now...


My LAUREN with her Tate:




While I was reading, I kept thinking of a specific song that was perfect for Tate & LAUREN's relationship, as well as my love/hate/irritation relationship with Tate. My anthem while reading this book: 

"True Love" (feat. Lily Rose Cooper)
Sometimes I hate every single stupid word you say
Sometimes I wanna slap you in your whole face
There's no one quite like you
You push all my buttons down
I know life would suck without you
At the same time, I wanna hug you
I wanna wrap my hands around your neck
You're an asshole but I love you
And you make me so mad I ask myself
Why I'm still here, or where could I go
You're the only love I've ever known
But I hate you, I really hate you,
So much, I think it must be
True love, true love
It must be true love
Nothing else can break my heart like
True love, true love,
It must be true love
No one else can break my heart like you
Just once try to wrap your little brain around my feelings
Just once please try not to be so mean
Repeat after me now R-O-M-A-N-C-E-E-E
Come on I'll say it slowly (Romance)
You can do it baby
At the same time, I wanna hug you
I wanna wrap my hands around your neck
You're an asshole but I love you
And you make me so mad I ask myself
Why I'm still here, or where could I go
You're the only love I've ever known
But I hate you, I really hate you,
So much, I think it must be
True love, true love
It must be true love
Nothing else can break my heart like
True love, true love,
It must be true love
And no one else can break my heart like you
(I love you, I think it must be love, I love you)
Why do you rub me up the wrong way?
Why do you say the things that you say?
Sometimes I wonder how we ever came to be
But without you I'm incomplete
I think it must be
True love, true love
It must be true love
Nothing else can break my heart like
True love, true love,
It must be true love
And no one else can break my heart like you (like you)
No one else can break my heart like you (like you)
No one else can break my heart like you

View all my reviews on Goodreads.