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?
more
4.5 stars
Presley Patterson didn’t imagine she’d be a teenage mom, but finding out she was pregnant just before high school graduation sends her world spinning. Her world is upturned again in short succession when her baby daddy is killed in a tragic accident. Without her own family to help her, she turns to Jake’s family for support while she finds her feet.
Jonathon Nelson witnessed the accident that took his brother’s life and the trauma is more than he can cope with on his own. As he begins to deal with the grief of his brother’s death, he finds himself in close quarters with Presley. He isn’t sure how to deal with his grief, let alone the confusing feelings he finds himself harboring for the mother of his niece.
I loved watching the progression of the relationship between these two. They are both hurting, and both know they have to deal with that pain before anything can happen. But with Presley’s history with Jake, there is a ghost lurking behind all of their early interactions. This is a relatively slow burn. Neither moves quickly as there is too much at stake if their relationship doesn’t work out.
There is much healing to work through in this story. I love how open the characters are about needing help to handle their problems and pressures, and Dr. Z’s quirky personality helped Jonathon open up and work through his hangups. The entire Nelson family was warm and welcoming and as many times as I found myself shaking my head at Presley’s mom, I loved the way they took Presley in and stood up for her. And Evie? She stole the scenes in multiple places with the way she wrapped Jonathan around her little finger without even trying.
4.5 stars
One tragic event spent many lives spinning. For some it helped forge new relationships. For one, it changed the outlook of her future. For another it could cost him his only safe outlet and plans for his future. All were sunk into a spiral of grief and guilt and left looking for an anchor to help pull them out.
Presley Patterson has a bad reputation and is now going to be a single, young mom. But despite the circumstances, she is willing to do the right thing for her and her baby. Her family is not there for her, but thankfully the father’s parents are willing and eager to help their grandchild.
Jonathan Nelson is still reeling over the loss of his brother, dealing with his own issues due to the event, and has been put in a forced time out to deal with them. He is drowning in guilt and grief, and angry at Presley and unsure of her true motives. He is unfocused, volatile, and in need of help.
Two broken souls, tied in grief and circumstances start to find common ground, acceptance, and support. But the situation is complicated and messy. Their lives are changing and new ties are forming.
The past is not always what it seems. And the present is hard to face in the aftermath. But in order to find a way to move on and have a healthy future, they will both need to come to terms with their issues and guilt, and find a way to move past it.
It is hard to navigate loneliness, regret, and shared grief, but each of them starts to have unexpected feelings that bring even more guilt, wariness, and confusion. But at the same time, there are also more positive things happening in their lives and providing some hope. Their road towards happiness was gradual, heartbreaking, emotional, and complicated, but also had unexpected surprises and joys. I enjoyed seeing the character growth, healing, and changing dynamics. This book brings a lot of feels, but it also has some humor and sweet moments too.
This brings back some of the characters and events from previous books Don’t Hate the Player…Hate the Game and The Hard Way. Those events shaped them all and had a ripple effect. But this is in Presley and Jonathan’s point of view. I enjoyed getting more with this group and finally getting to see Presley and Jonathan start to find light at the end of the tunnel.
This story is about how to deal with loss, the guilt from the loss, and learning to accept the new way of life. Jonathan watched his brother died in an accident and he can’t seem to get that image out of his head. Presley Patterson found out she was pregnant one month before high school graduation and after telling the father of the baby, he dies in a tragic accident.
Jonathan resents Presley and her odd relationship with his dead brother Jake. When his parents offers to let Presley move in with them so that they can help her when the baby is born, Jonathan is not sure how he feels about the situation. When they spend more time together, they start to get to know each other better and what Presley and Jake’s relationship was about. Once the baby is born and Jonathan falls in love with her, he comes home from college more and more to see the baby and also Presley. Jonathan has to deal with the loss of Jake and overcome his guilt before he can actually move on. He is ordered by his coaches to go into therapy before he can play on the field again. Once he realizes he needs the help, he finally opens up to his therapist who helps Jonathan work through his pain and then his feeling for Presley and his niece!
A fabulous story that dealt with heartbreak, PTSD, unrequited love, new life and a realization of true love. My emotions really took a beating, however, the author did an amazing job piecing my heart back together. She approached a very serious issue with style and class.
I highly recommend this book, as well as the other books in this series!
OH my love of a good sports romance- THIS one hit all the boxes and more. Who doesn’t love a story where the heroine finally has something good and beautiful happen. Here it is and I FLOVED it.
Here is more of my review here on my YouTubehttps://youtu.be/mnizY1Z1IGI
I went in blind to this book and boy that stupid! I wasn’t expecting to cry as much I did. Jeez this book hits you in the feels and never lets go. Some many moments you just want to hug these characters and tell them things will be ok. I mean it was hard and I had to put the kindle down just to compose myself at times. Thankfully I read Don’t hate the Player and remembered what happened in that book but this Presley’s chance to redeem herself. She has a reputation in town and it isn’t good. She finds herself pregnant and alone. Jake’s family takes her in and provides the love her mother didn’t. This family is just incredible. They support each other thru thick and thin. Jonathan, Jake’s brother, saw everything that happened that horrible day and has so much grief…He hasn’t handled well at all. It starts to affect his football and then it comes that he needs to talk to someone about it. This is when the healing starts.. There’s still some hard feelings toward Presley but the more time he spends with her, he sees a different side to her. Sure it helps that he’s wrapped around the finger of her adorable baby girl but it’s more then that. This baby helps a family hurting heal in so many ways. Yes they remember Jake and love him still. Presley and Jonathan are very sweet together. They cracked me so many times but what was so meaning in this book was that you felt their pain.. Katie was able to write a book with so much feeling that you felt in your bones and your soul. I mean I had some ugly tears rolling down my face. You felt what this family and Presley went thru from this tragedy. I won’t ruin this for you but I will tell you that you need to read this book and make sure you have a box of tissues close by. This was beautifully written with characters you will fall in love with and what to be apart of their world. Believe me I want to jump into this family and hold that little baby!!
I think the Synopsis of the book gives you just enough detail for you to know going in, emotions are going to be high, and you might be all up in your #feels while you read this story.
This isn’t just a romance journey. It’s also a journey of two people traveling down the road of grief and finding each other in their travel. It’s heartwarming and compassionate. It’s not always gumdrops and lollipops but it is real and full of heart.
Told in dual POV, you get both perspectives and, in this story, imo, it is particularly important because of the grief. Honestly, I can’t imagine reading this story any other way. I needed to be inside both Presley and Jonathan’s heads to fully understand their development. It was very well done. I have no idea why I haven’t read a lot more books by this author.
Presley was trying to figure out how to raise her baby without the father and without a lot of support and Jonathan was dealing with the guilt over the death of his brother. I really liked that there was no insta love between Jonathan and Presley. Their feelings for each other came about in a genuine way. Great unexpected love story
This book was very emotional so have tissues close by. Both Jonathan & Presley are mourning the death of Jonathan’s younger brother Jake. Jonathan was there when it happened & feels a lot of guilt that maybe he could have prevented it somehow. Presley is mourning his loss because she is pregnant with his child and her daughter will never get to meet her father. Presley had a bad reputation as being a wild child, once she found out she was pregnant she completely changed. Jakes parents offered to let her move in with them & Jonathan was sure she was just using her pregnancy to mooch off his parents. After a talk with a friend Jonathan begins to realize he was wrong about Presley. Through a series of events that happen over a long period of months both Jonathan & Presley begin to grow and change and start to help each other deal with Jake’s death. I love the fact that it was not a quick turnaround on Jonathan’s part, and they were together. There is a gradual change to their relationship that they mutually decide to embrace to see where it will lead. Both are worried about hurting not only each other but Jonathan’s parents & Presley’s little girl who becomes very close with Jonathan. This was a wonderfully written story and I highly recommend picking it up.
I was intrigued with The Right Way by Katie Ashley as soon as I read the blurb. Jonathan Nelson saw his brother die and lives with the guilt and grief every day. Presley Patterson knew Jake was not in love with her, but she is having his baby. Now he is gone and she is on her own. Then his family open their home and hearts to her. But his older brother, Jonathan, is weary of her intentions and has no qualms about letting her know. But as they spend time together, will he begin to see her differently?
Jonathan was a bit lost in the beginning. Losing his brother the way he did weighs on him and his future. The last thing he wants is to be around Presley. Presley never imagined she would be pregnant and alone at eighteen. Her mother has never really been there for her, but she is determined to be a good mom for her child. When Jake’s parents offer her a home, she jumps at the chance. But she knows Jake’s brother wants nothing to do with her. But as they grieve and get to know each other, things begin to change between them. But can they move on from the ghost of Jake?
The Right Way by Katie Ashley was an emotional and touching story of second chances, hope and moving forward.
Read and reviewed for Sultry Sirens Book Blog.
Happy reading!
Another amazing book by Katie Ashley! Presley is pregnant, her mom is awful and her baby daddy, Jake died! Jake’s family stepped up to help and then Evie was born. The fam comes together and things start happening! Great things! A definite must read! There’s love, loss, sadness and happiness. Its a beautiful story that I strongly recommend!
This is the third installment continuing the story that started in Don’t Hate the Player…Hate the Game, then continued with The Hard Way. The story of Presley and Jonathan is poignant and sweet. I felt really bad for Presley’s history and situation… pregnant with a man’s baby (Jake) who accidentally blew hisself up on a tractor the day he was told.
Presley moves in with Jake’s family and forms a bond with Jake’s brother Jonathan. Their bond grows… but can they have a relationship or would the family dislike them together especially since Jonathan’s dead brothers, Jake, is the baby’s father.
This story was fantastic… and I recommend it highly! I would suggest reading the other two books first so you have a little more context with some of the characters.
I give this book !
I received an ARC for my honest review.
I’ll be honest, never read the blurb for The Right Way… I just saw Katie Ashley had a new book and it was instantly a Yes please!!
I would say this is a NA slow burn enemies to lovers with some serious heartache. This one will make your heart ache something fierce, but then it is put back together in the end!
I’m giving this But I will say I loved how the Author normalized sewing a therapist and really dove in with the Male lea
This book was so not what I thought it would be. I expected so much of it to be sad and overwhelming. Don’t get me wrong the story had it it’s sad moments but they didn’t set the tone for the story. It was great to see both Presley and Jonathan over come their grief and ideas of the truth to find one another. They both grow so much as characters through out the story to make them as a couple the perfect ending to what could have been a horrible sad story.
I received a free copy of this book from the author.
I love Katie Ashley and football. When this book came across my email I said “Heck Yes!” The Right Way features a family who’s lost their youngest son and at the same time find out his on again off again girl is expecting their son’s baby. Talk about a double play!
What I want to tell you about this book I can’t really because it will spoil the book for you. It has some ups and downs. There’s an unexpected turn but the best thing happens to these two characters.
You don’t get to choose your family but when push comes to shove it’s always heartwarming knowing the one you’ve adopted has got your back. Presley is lucky to have Jake’s family helping her with her pregnancy and everything that comes with it. You might start out not liking Jonathan but he’ll come around…eventually.
Jonathan Nelson is trying to heal from witnessing his younger brother Jake’s death. Suffering from PTSD isn’t the only thing that’s bothering Jonathan. Presley, Jake’s friend with benefits, is pregnant with his child. Icing on the cake? She’s moving in with his family. Both Jonathan and Presley are mourning Jake’s passing in their own way. With therapy, Jonathan is improving and decides to help as a father figure to the baby. Presley is working in a medical office while making plans to attend college. Could their budding friendship turn into something more?
This story will tug on your heart. The circumstances begin with great sorrow, but this story was weaved into something extra-special. Fans of Katie Ashley will love this melancholy romance! 4 stars
This book captured me from the first chapter to the last!! I love when an author can pull the emotions right out of you and that is what Katie Ashley does when I read her books!!
I loved this book, from the start of this book it had me hook line and sinker, i didn’t want to put it down. I am not a big Fan of Football so i had reservations when i picked up the book and it surprised me in every way, Presley is going through a lot just finding out she is pregnant and after taking to Jake about it he assure her he will take responsibility of it, only to be in a tragic accident leaving her to figure out what she is going to do. she moves in with his family to help with her and the baby, they want to make sure that she is taken care of and be able to see the child grow up. Jonathan is Jake’s older brother by two years close as close can be. He feel responsible for Jake’s accident and doesn’t agree with his parents at first about Presley moving in. after finding out there was a letter he makes the decision to help out in any way possible to help Presley and the Baby. Not knowing that by doing so will bring him and her closer together. I love that people can change and that’s what they all have done. one day at a time to get over the bad things that have happened and to find a place in the future. thank you for another great read.
Jake Nelson was every girls dream boy .. but when a serious accident take him not the Nelson’s, Maddie or Presley can bring him back BUT what Presley has can make his leaving maybe a little easier to breath .. or so we hope so ….
Jonathan doesn’t think a tiger can change its spots like Presley can’t change from her past to the better in the present BUT for Evie she CAN and WILL .. prove them ALL wrong !!
When everyone notices the tension between a Jonathan and Presley why can’t they .. oh that is write they both are still thinking of Jake .. he would want them to move on and what better then with each other !!
Can they see through the smoke and get there happy ending ??
I loved the drama, laughter and the love these two have for each other and THANKFULLY the saw it before it was too late !
Holy emotional! What a ride this was. I loved every minute of it.