Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA
Blurb
After witnessing his younger brother’s death in a tragic accident, Jonathan Nelson desperately tries losing himself on the gridiron. No matter how hard he tries keeping his head above water, he’s drowning in a sea of grief. Compounding his inability to get his head on straight is Presley—the girl who had a complicated relationship with his brother, Jake, and who is pregnant with his child. At first, Jonathan only harbors resentment and animosity to Presley when she moves in with his parents. But the more the two are thrown together, the more his feelings for her begin to change, and the more confusing Jake’s loss becomes.
Presley Patterson never imagined finding out she was pregnant just a month before graduating high school. She also never fathomed losing the baby’s father to a tragic accident. Needing support for her and her unborn child, she seeks solace by moving in with Jake’s parents. She isn’t too surprised to find an adversary in Jonathan, but she isn’t about to let him ruin the first stability she’s ever experienced. Surprisingly, the animosity towards Jonathan begins to fade and is replaced by more amorous feelings. Taking a chance on Jonathan means risking the perfect world she’s built for herself and her daughter.
Can the two move on from the specter of Jake in order to find a future together, or will their wounded hearts remain unhealed?
Review
4 stars
I really loved this book. A sweet and emotional enemies-to-friends-to-lovers romance with wonderful characters and a beautifully written story that kept me hooked from start to finish.
Presley Patterson has just graduated high school and is dealing with a surprise pregnancy. Not only that, but she is grieving the tragic death of the father of her baby, her on-off boyfriend/casual hook up of years, Jake. With an absentee mother and her future plans now in disarray, she is relieved and overjoyed to be taken in by Jake’s parents, who promise to be there for her and her baby girl.
Jonathan Nelson is a college football player who is struggling to cope after witnessing his younger brother, Jake’s death. The tragic accident has left him emotionally scarred and he is drowning in grief and suffering nightly flashbacks. What makes it worse is his animosity towards Presley. They’ve spent time together over the years, but Presley’s relationship with his brother was complicated, and she has a reputation for sleeping around. He doesn’t want her taking advantage of his grieving family.
It’s a devastating situation, and the snark is strong, but it doesn’t take long for Jonathan to realise that Presley’s heart is in the right place and that she’s grieving Jake’s loss as well, and is just trying to get by and make the best life she can for herself and her baby. A friendship slowly develops, and when little Evie is born, it brings the two of them even closer together as Jonathan is completely smitten with his new niece.
I brought my lips to her plump little cheek. “I might not be your father, but there is nothing in the world I wouldn’t do for you. You have my heart and soul, Evie.”
Oh swoon!
And slowly and surely things begin to change. Their feelings are complicated by their grief, by their confusion over Presley’s relationship with Jake, and their fears of the reaction of their family and friends. It’s complicated, but they navigate it beautifully, and the emotions are just gorgeous. In fact I had to keep reminding myself how young these characters were, because they are so mature about the whole thing, which I really appreciated.
I brought my hand to her cheek. “I know it’s so wrong to feel this, least of all admit it, but I want you so bad it hurts.” Shaking my heart, I corrected myself. “I need you so bad it hurts.”
This is a beautifully written story. It’s dual POV, so we get to see how Presley and Jonathan are both dealing with Jake’s loss, with the birth of little Evie and with their changing feelings towards each other. I could empathise with them both, and I was feeling everything right along with them, parts of the book even bringing me to tears! The emotion was so gorgeous, but balanced really well with sweet moments and a feeling of hopefulness as they moved forward, and I particularly loved the scenes with the baby, which were totally ovary-melting.
I thought the timing of everything was really well done, and I enjoyed the build-up of their attraction, eagerly waiting for them to finally act on it. When it came, it didn’t feel like the big moment I was hoping for, and though it was hot, I thought their chemistry fizzled a little bit. But it still ended well, with a double epilogue which provides good closure, and I finished this book with a smile on my face.
A beautifully written, emotional story, I loved it. 4 stars.
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
About the Author
Katie Ashley is a New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon Best-Selling author of both Indie and Traditionally published books. She lives outside of Atlanta, Georgia with her daughter, Olivia, and her spoiled mutt, Duke. She has a slight obsession with Pinterest, The Golden Girls, Shakespeare, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Scooby-Doo.
With a BA in English, a BS in Secondary English Education, and a Masters in Adolescent English Education, she spent eleven years teaching both middle and high school English, as well as a few adjunct college English classes. As of January 2013, she hung up her red pen and expo markers to become a full-time writer. Each and every day she counts her blessings to be able to do her dream job.
Although her roots are firmly planted in the red Georgia clay, she loves traveling the country and world to meet readers and hang out with fellow authors. When she’s not writing or chasing down her toddler, you might find her watching reruns of The Golden Girls, reading historical biographies, along with romance novels, or spending way too much time on Facebook.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Newsletter | Goodreads | Amazon | Bookbub
