The Proposal

The Proposition #2

by Katie Ashley

In the weeks following Aidan’s betrayal, Emma has tried her best to move on. Ignoring his countless texts, voice mails, and flowers, she isn’t sure she wants to be won back by him. But Aidan isn’t going down without a fight—especially not until Emma lets him reveal the secret of his past that caused him to be so commitment phobic.

But fate intervenes when premature labor forces Emma on strict bed rest for two weeks. Aidan steps forward with a shocking proposal. To prove his love and commitment for her and their unborn son, he will take a leave of absence from work to care for her around the clock. Vowing to guard her heart, Emma reluctantly agrees.

While she is touched by Aidan’s attentiveness and tender loving care, Emma is thrown for a loop by the amorous attentions of ER doctor, Alpesh “Pesh” Nadeen. Pesh is everything Emma could ever want—successful, stable, and ready to settle down and be a husband and father. Pesh wants nothing more than to win Emma’s heart, but she is not sure she’s able to give it.

Her heart may still belong to the very man who broke it—the one who is so desperately trying to win her back.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Adult, Chick Lit, Erotica, New Adult

322 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 10, 2013

About the author

Katie Ashley is a New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon Top Three Best-Selling author of both Indie and Traditionally published books. She's written rockers, bikers, manwhores with hearts of gold, New Adult, and Young Adult. She lives outside of Atlanta, Georgia with her daughter, Olivia, her rescue mutts, Belle and Elsa, and her two cats, Mama Kitty and Luna. She has a slight obsession with The Golden Girls, Shakespeare, Harry Potter, and Star Wars.

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 became a full-time writer.

Although she is a life-long Georgia peach, she loves traveling the country and world meeting readers. Most days, you can find her being a hermit, styling leggings, and binging on Netflix whenever her toddler daughter isn't monopolizing the TV with Paw Patrol or Frozen.

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Reviews

[Aestas Book Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW!!!!

“I want to be with you, Em. I want to be with you every fucking moment of every fucking day.”

Ohhhh how I love an epic grovel!!

With the start of this book, we are thankfully thrown right back into the OMGOMGOMGOMGGGGG freak out issue we were left off with at the end of book #1, The Proposition. I am SO glad the book didn’t skip forward or anything and allowed us to just jump back in and see the rest of the story unfold.

I gotta say, I totally bought Aidan’s regret over his actions. The dude was just downright miserable (much to my evil satisfaction). Yes, I know it makes me a little evil but after the brutal cliffhanger of the last book, I was okay with a little “Aidan-is-suffering” time. Hearing about him not sleeping, barely eating, wallowing in misery just made rub my hands together with glee cackling ‘more! more!’…. okay, that might be a bit overboard, but you get what I mean, lol, and hey. The guy fucked up. Big time. Buuuuuuut, fuck up or no, he too has a back story. There is a whole part to his past that we didn’t know about in the first book which comes out in this book – the real reason behind his commitment phobias/

But, I mean, at the end of the day, the guy has a really good heart, so then started one of the most epic grovels I’ve read… it was pretty delicious. From balloons, flowers and poetry, to therapy, to mega all-out pampering, to right down on his knees begging… that man was willing to do just about anything to make himself worthy of her.

“A hopeful look entered his tortured eyes. “I’d give anything and everything in this world to redeem myself with you. Just please, please give me the chance.”

And seriously, this scene was so cute!!

[reading a baby's onsie] “I’m cute, Mommy’s cute, and Daddy’s…” She tore her gaze up to meet his.
“Daddy’s lucky,” he finished for her.“

Emma too had serious and totally understandable trust issues regarding Aidan. She was holding out for a certain something to happen and I absolutely don’t blame her – heck, I’d have done the same thing.

I guess though, in this book, it was Emma’s turn to “pull a stupid.” Le sigh. I won’t go into detail, but I didn’t like the decisions she made regarding a certain plot point or how she didn’t realize the way her actions would look. Okay, I know that’s very vague – but I’m trying not to spoil anything. I mean, I understood how she dealt with it in the beginning of the book pre-Aidan-grovel. But the 2 ‘scenes’ post-Aidan-grovel were uncool. I mean, if the roles had been reversed and Aidan tried to do that, it would not have been okay. And although I had been sympathizing with Emma for the majority of the 2 books, around 60% through this one, my sympathies switched to Aidan’s side… yeah. It bothered me, but at the same time, it wasn’t tooooooo far drawn out and I will give her brownie points for realizing her stupid after the fact and actually apologizing. It softened my anger, lol.

Then OHHHHH MYYY GODD!!!! I was worried that at the final moment of grovel when those special words we’ve all been waiting to hear had to be said that Aidan might not be able to deliver but BOY DID HE DO IT RIGHT!!!!! Yup, I ended up completely forgiving him for all his previous asshatery. All of it! Forgiven! Poof!

And then the swooooooon began.

Followed by more swoon. And more. And more. And more. Oh, and hotness.

I really liked how it didn’t take them the whole book to work their issues out. They pretty much resolved things by about 70% ish, and then the rest of the book was devoted to their rebuilding and working issues out. After all the angst and heart ache, it was nice to be rewarded with actual full-out swoony times instead of just having it all resolved in the last chapter.

So yes, all you worried folk, there is a full and swoony HEA at the end of this one concluding Aidan and Emma’s story.

“There’s going to be good times and bad times and heart ache and joy. Don’t ever think that because of what happened before that your love isn’t as strong or as beautiful as anyone else’s. its the love that goes through the hardest trials and survives that is worth having.”

But! I did see that there is going to be a companion novel released called “The Pairing: A Companion Novel to The Proposition and The Proposal” which will follow Pesh’s story. I’m looking forward to it!

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[Rachel (BAVR) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Warning: I hid this review because there are SPOILERS. Lots and lots of SPOILERS for this book and its crappy yet slightly better predecessor, The Proposition. Do not read below if you don't want to be SPOILED. Also, GIFs and swears. >:D

At the end of my review of The Proposition, I wrote the following: Sadly, I doubt I'll be buying the next book in the series. I have no desire to read another verbose description of why Emma and Aidan really shouldn't procreate. That poor baby. That was a good plan. I want to go back to the past and give myself a hearty pat on the shoulder for making such a great decision. Really, Past Me was SMART.

Then a friend dared me to read The Proposal, and curiosity won out over common sense. Thanks, Present Me and your shitty impulse control!

The Proposal picks up a few weeks after the end of The Proposition. Baby-crazed preggers Emma is still blocking out Aidan after catching him about to do teh sexxors with another woman. Instead of taking part in a normal and healthy break-up, though, Emma's still hanging out with Aidan's dad and sisters and telling them what an asshole Aidan is. Naturally, everyone is catering to Emma's numerous irrational whims because she's the most annoying pregnant character ever and also a Mary Sue. Yep. Mary. Sue. I went there.

In the meantime, Aidan's moping around his fancy house, drinking himself into a stupor and doing this:


You're too good for this, Jensen, but your pretty crying comforts me.

I didn't mind Aidan in the last book, but for this one, he must have taken some lessons at the Drama Princess Academy. What a wet blanket. The loud and proud womanizer of The Proposition is now a groveling, pouting woobie who manages to blame all of his asshattery on the actions of one EBIL WOMANZ. Indeed, it's revealed that the "only" reason Aidan's a commitment-phobic cheater is because his other one true love got pregnant with his baby by using her trickster feminine wiles. No, I'm not referring to Emma. This is another woman from years ago. She lost the baby in a car accident. Aidan blames himself. It's all very sad.

It's hard for me to describe how much I dislike the "One woman broke my heart YEARS ago, so all other women are WHORES and UNWORTHY OF MY LOVE" trope. It's SO lazy. I'll just let Dean Winchester express it for me:


He's so beautiful.

But now that Aidan's royally screwed over his REAL one true love Emma, he wants to prove he can be a better man. He wants to win her back because of love and babies and stuff. Also, Emma seems to be taking his family hostage, so he has to win his way back into her good graces. If not, where will he eat on Christmas day?

And then a little bit of tomfoolery happens, followed by a Happily Ever After at the halfway mark, followed by SEX SEX SEX SEX SEX SEX SEX.

You see, Emma, despite her claims of wanting to be pregnant since FOREVER, gets herself all worked up over the dwama in her life. Because she wants to be treated like Queen Speshul Snowflake: Preggers Edition and uses pregnancy as an excuse for just about everything in the story, I figured Emma would know that stress can cause pre-term labor, miscarriage, or other complications. But no. She just leaped into the stress like Michael Phelps into an Olympic swimming pool. When she's ordered to go on bed-rest for two weeks, Emma chooses the least Zen option ever by MOVING IN WITH AIDAN, a man she HATES (for the moment). Sure, it's super nice for Aidan to want to take care of her while she's in need. But really, Emma? The extra stress of putting up with Aidan's sad puppy dog eyes and remembering on a daily basis how he fucked you over (by practically fucking another woman) is good for the baby ... how, exactly?

The baby has a name, too. Months before it's born. Noah. They talk about Noah a lot.

In the meantime, Emma entertains the idea of dating a doctor who hit on her while she was in the ER. Professional ethics are very relaxed in this book's world. He comes over to Aidan's house to visit her a few times on sorta/kinda dates. He even does a check-up on her at one point, bringing along what I can only assume is an obscenely expensive portable ultrasound machine, even though he is in no way an OB/GYN. IDK, his name is Pesh, he's a doctor, and he flies a plane. So Aidan's supposed to be threatened by him.

Emma's pregnancy hormones are the third star of this novel. She talks about them constantly and blames them for everything. Every time Emma cries, she's all, "It's my pregnancy hormones!" Apparently, Emma forgot that readers have memories. She cried at the drop of a hat BEFORE SHE WAS PREGNANT in the last book. At one point, Aidan walked into HIS office to find her sobbing uncontrollably because she got her period. So no, Emma, you don't act like an hysterical mess because you're pregnant. You act like one because you ARE one.


Poor baby.

At the halfway mark of the story, Emma and Aidan kiss, make up, say their I LOVE YOUS, and become those nauseating people who rub noses and talk about how loving their love is for their love while they're making love. If it had ended there, this could have gotten 2 or 3 stars. But it does NOT end there. Instead, it appears that the author added the fan fiction she created for her own work to this publication. Everything is chronicled - their engagement, their wedding, their honeymoon, their perfect home life, Noah's birth, their life with Noah after the birth. There's even an opportunity for Pesh to take Aidan for a ride in his plane! Now let's check out a curtain call for all of the peripheral characters we never cared about in the first place! This shit wouldn't. fucking. end.

In the course of 50 pages, I counted 5 consecutive sex scenes. They all went the same. And of course, each time they have sex, Emma's all, "OMGZ! My pregnancy hormones make me want to do the sexxorz, like, all the time! I want to have all the sex!" And Aidan's like, "OMGZ, I love you so much. You're beautiful even though you're fat and pregnant." And I was like:



I don't know why I don't enjoy reading about people after the happily ever after. Maybe because actual conflict makes a story? But the second half of this book is straight-up boring and pointless. Perhaps, PERHAPS, she could have added the birth of Noah to an epilogue. Instead, words are cranked out and nothing happens. You know what would have made sense? If the first book and the first half of the second book had been released as one publication. That's a whole story with a well-rounded plot. I suppose money calls for sequel-bait, though, so we get one story in The Proposition and half a story in The Proposal.

Other things that bothered me:
1. A fuckload of telling instead of showing
2. Inane, boring dialogue
3. "Jokes"
4. Frequent grammatical errors and typos - This wasn't a big problem in the first book. I actually noted that Katie Ashley has some promise as a writer. So what happened here? Was there a big rush to publication? The Proposal needs WAY more editing than it got.
5. Emma calls Aidan Big Papa. I can't deal with that.


Neither can Dean.

[Duchess Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is what I felt like for the first 85%of this book:

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Total confusion.

I loved Aiden in The Proposition...he was an unapologetic idiot, lusting and rutting with abandon and slowly coming to terms with his odd fascination with Emma. In The Proposal, I think he grew a vagina. Or just lost his manhood...or gave it to Emma, or something. I don't know.

FINAL REVIEW:
Where to start, where to start? First of all, I really liked The Proposition. I thought it was a cute idea. It was different, and though not extremely believable, I read it and enjoyed it because it was all in fun…I could take it as what I thought it was written to be. This book seemed as if it was written by a different person. I feel so disloyal, both to the characters and the author, but it just wasn’t for me…

The writing…sigh! The cutesy bodily functions were distracting…Emma
- flushed
- ducked her head
- blushed furiously
- rolled her eyes
- sucked in a breath
- winced as if in pain
…all on the same page!! And this chick blushes all of the time.

I felt as if I was being told by rote what was happening sometimes.
Emma does this…then she says that. Then she says this and they laugh and Emma blushes. Then Emma does this. She blushes again. It got to the point that I felt like I was on a leash, following Emma around and having her actions listed to me.

Aiden…I know I’m in the minority here but I wasn’t all that mad at him to begin with. I actually felt bad for the guy. He was just a sexy slut of a man chasing the tail of the one woman who didn’t want him. He found a way to get her…so what if he had to give her some swimmers?! He didn’t want kids anyways…and told Emma REPEATEDLY that he wanted nothing more than to bang her…no relationship with her, no relationship with the baby, no more than a few slam bam thank you ma’am encounters.

So when the man starts having feelings for Emma and flips the eff out about the direction this arrangement has taken, I wondered why the heck everyone came down on him so hard. What he did was wrong. But Emma was such a typical girl in that she saw hearts and flowers when she should have been seeing reality. The world’s biggest player is pushed into a corner when you nag him into a relationship, and then you’re shocked when he…acts like a player? But I digress…

So Aiden in the Proposition was my favorite thing about the book. Aiden in The Proposal is a total pushover, a complete wuss. When Emma meets the hot doctor and proceeds to set up a date at your own house and you just sit there and allow it to happen? Not only allow, but leave the house so that they can be alone. Step aside, new tenderhearted, broken Aiden, and let another man take the woman pregnant with your child away from you? Seriously dude, where did you leave your balls?

“Fine, go to him. I hope he can give you what you obviously don’t want from me.”

Ummm, okay…

The situation that they find themselves in read like a soap opera. It was so contrived and obviously made up for plot’s sake that it ruined this book for me. Let me say first that I am a nursing student, so medical situations warrant extra attention from me. Plus, I’ve had three kids of my own so I’m practically an expert on pregnancy, right?!? Bedrest…is NOT prescribed for a couple of hours of Braxton Hicks contractions. Maybe a little less activity, stay off your feet a bit if you think you’re having an inordinate amount of pain or discomfort. But complete bed rest, not even able to stand up while you shower? That’s completely ridiculous and since it sets the tone for the entire book, it was a major frustration for me. Because not only does she get bed rest but The only place she can go is to Aiden’s house….ppppffft! Contrived…for…plot’s…sake.

Pesh…oh, sweet, tenderhearted, thoughtful, considerate, attentive…not to mention obscenely rich, super duper smart, hotness personified….Pesh.

So Aiden is a big eff up. He effed up. Now Emma gets to do The same damned thing only right under Aiden’s nose. Is this for real? I felt insulted, and I’m so surprised that this is not a big no-no for more people. I guess in this situation of reverse sexism, two wrongs actually DO make a right. Only Emma does this while living in Aiden’s house, standing on his porch, carrying his baby!!!

Nope, nope, nope. Second big ass thing that made me shake my head.

After being so pissy about the first eighty five percent of the book, I was more than ready to be done with it. So I was surprised when I actually really enjoyed the last parts. The birth of Noah, was well done (setting medical reality aside). The wonderment of becoming a new mother…the way the pain that was ripping your body in half just seconds ago fades away completely and you have a moment in time that you feel like God has literally handed you your own personal miracle. Spot on, Ms. Ashley! It brought tears to my eyes and made me dig out the baby pictures.

I have to give props to the author for being one of few who includes erotic sex with pregnancy and the desire for kids in one book. Kids are such a blessing, and a huge part of life, yet they are often excluded in romance books. I can’t think of a better way of culminating a romance than to hold up the evidence in the form of a baby.

So the ending of this book moved me. It was just the getting there that frustrated me, so very badly. I wanted to love this. I even thought that I was just missing something or in a grumpy mood so I put the book down for a few days in hopes of starting fresh later, but no dice.

[Kim Person · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Katie provided me with an advanced copy of The Proposal I was.....




I'm was freaking psyched! I was doing the happy dance heck who I'm kidding I was jumping up and down like a kid in a toy store!

Well we all know how the The Proposition ended yep WHO could forget that? Not me, heck no! The book opens with Aidan, yep Mr. I screwed up big-time,POV. When I first started reading the book I literally thought this...................................................................




yes Aidan, I thought that towards you. You see at the end of The Proposition this is what Aidan made me feel like.......................................





I couldn't STAND him and I wish this would've happened to him..........




Okay, now I must move on it's a new book and is it a new beginning for Emma & Aidan or wait perhaps Emma & Pesh? Oh who is Pesh you ask welllllllllll you see he is the handsome, loyal, caring, all around great Doctor that treats Pop's. All the excitement surrounding Pop's little visit to the hospital and then Emma finally sitting down to talk with Aidan leads Emma having contractions. She ends up put on bed rest and who takes care of her, whose house does she stay at? yep, Big Papa!

Aidan see's this as his chance to earn Emma's forgiveness but can Emma forgive and forget? Can she see past his mistake? Will his secrets with regards to his past relationship help Emma to forgive Aidan and take him back? Hmmmm, it will be interesting to see won't it ;)

There were times when Aidan would do something, so typical alpha male Aidan, that I just.................................................




and if Pesh was around then I could totally picture Aidan.............




I don't think it even had to be behind Pesh's back. Poor Emma she was struck with those darn pregnancy hormones that she went from.........



right on to............................................................



to downright....................................................




Katie will make you laugh, cry and totally swoon! There is a chapter in this book where you will cry and then swoon at the same time! I swear it and everyone I talked to that's read it said the same thing :) In this chapter you get............................




and then some.......................................




It was from this point forward that I spent more time cracking up and fanning myself! When Emma goes in to labor I never laughed so hard in my life- Hey, I'm entitled to do so I have had three kids :) I guess the only question you might be asking is does Emma & Aidan get their HEA? or is there a totally different HEA? Well my friends you will have to read it to see!

When I finished the book I stood on my bed and ....................



A side note if you ever do this around your kids they WILL remind you there is no jumping on the bed :)

This was a 5+++++ read for me! IT had everything I wanted and needed in it and I'm was so freaking excited that I had the opportunity to read this in advance and right now I'm still stoked over what I read :) Katie you worked your magic again and I LOVE IT!!!!!

So mark those calendars folks on January 15, 2013 The Proposal is released and you will finally get to see what happens following Aidan's epic mistake! I just hope it ends the way you want it to like it did for me :)




Katie Ashley

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally Aidan and Emma earn their happily-ever-after....but not before some major angst and knee-rash grovelling!

Aidan has betrayed Emma. She wants nothing more to do with him as a partner, even though she is pregnant with his child. Aidan knows he has messed up royally and begs her forgiveness and does all in his power to win her back.

When Emma is raced to hospital she meets Dr Pesh Nadeen. With her and Aidan no longer a couple, she's not immune to the handsome, caring ER doctor. But Aidan is not going to give Emma up without a fight. Let the wooing begin....

This is the second book in The Proposition where Aidan and Emma at last get their HEA, but its a bumpy road. The Prologue is nicely done. With another man thrown in to grab Emma's attention, Aidan digs in. He's determined not to lose Emma and goes about demonstrating he's changed.

Aidan is not your typical uber-alpha so predominant in romance at the moment. He's not a billionaire businessman with a den full of whips and a closet full of toys. He's cute, sweet, lovable and a bit messed up. (Jensen Ackles is the perfect fit as Aidan Fitzgerald!) He does tend to be a bit emo with a lot of crying and angst, but he's a broken man. The easy-going, self-assured facade has been replaced with the real man beneath. We get to understand why Aidan falls into a pattern of stuff-ups when his past is revealed.

Emma is not ready to forgive Aidan. If you like a hero that has to grovel big time and a heroine that doesn't make it easy for him, then you'll love this read.

I've really enjoyed this contemporary romance. It's a bit different to the usual fare at the moment. It's well-written, cute and sweet with just a dash of heat, with the romance playing out centre-stage. Well done Katie Ashley!

Steam: 3

ARC courtesy of Katie Ashley

[Seena Seena · Rating 5 out of 5]

So after consideration I have decided to redo my review for The Proposal. My previous review was just not up to my usual standard!
(Let's all just be honest here....... my ass got lazy!)

Let me first start by saying that after reading The Proposition, lets just say I was a tad bit upset. **cough**







And even after what Aidan did and shattered my heart, I still loved the man and could not wait for more!

Soooo like any normal person would do, I started stalking Miss Ashley on FB and ate up everything she posted. And I just could not wait for the next installment!

Now let me tell you how I first got my hands on this gem. I was about 5 seconds away from throwing my computer at work across the wall when I thought I needed a well deserved brake. So I jump onto my personal emails and see I had a private message from Miss Ashley....



Girl was sending me a message ASKING IF I WANTED AN ARC OF THE PROPOSAL! I honestly was not expecting it.
I was 5 seconds from reacting like this....



But I remembered I was at work so I tampered it down just a little....





Firstly woman why do you even have to ask! Did I not make myself clear in my review for Proposition that I wanted the book RIGHT AWAY!



And when I did receive my copy......



I started it when I got home from work and completely ignored all my responsibilities until I finished (devoured) the book.

Now in the first book all my anger and frustration was with Aidan. But this time round it was reversed to Em! She was just so effin stubborn and thick headed that I was ready to rip her a new one!

At times I was like "Dude you so do not deserve him!" And at times it felt like she liked putting him through all that hell.

And when she invited Dr Mcdreamyforeign over to visit her with LUNCH at Aidan's house I was about to loose my shit!











Dude you should be WITH Aidan! (Even though I do love me some Pesh!) But you should be jumping Aidan and have your sexy time with him ALREADY!



Em just kept frustrating me too tears! Honestly she just damn lucky she is not in a sense of physical form! Woulda bitched slapped her all the way to Mars!

And when she gropes and Kisses up Pesh outside Aidan's house..... Against Aidan's wall....











That was it! I was so effin over it! I wanted to rip the bitches hair out!



But THANK the Mesoamerican & Aztec people (they started the whole thing with Chocolate so we should be thankful to them) that Em sorted out her shit and finally jumped Aidan! (Please note it was around the 65% mark and by that time I had the right to be UNhappy!) But they did get their shit together and from then on it was pure effin bliss! Just the way everything came full circle for Em & Aidan had me so unbelievably happy that IF I did have Katie's number I woulda called the woman then and there and would have effectively communicated why she is tha shit!





What I loved about this book and Katie Ashley in general is it's pure and honest characters, with pure emotions. It is believable and before you know it the book has finished. It seems that it was written so effortlessly and it was read as effortlessly!

AND because my Life at the moment is so busy that I hardly have time to even scratch my ass if I wanted too, I skipped the acknowledgements! (Yes I give you all free go to lynch me) And Miss Ashley being the awesome person she is said " I hope you saw the shout-out to you in the acknowledgements!" And I was like all....



So I quickly made my way to the acknowledgments and read it right away......



Woman you made me go all teary and then made me start texting all my friends with a pic of it saying "LOOK AT THIS LOOK AT THIS"

Miss Ashley.....



I stated to Katie that PESH SO BETTA GET A BOOK! And her reply..

Oh and yes, Pesh gets his own book this Spring/Summer...he is made Noah's godfather, lol, for his services, and so Emma and Aidan decide to fix him up with Aidan's niece Megan--Mason's mom who Emma kept to "practice" being a mom and who cockblocked Aidan



Seriously Katie you going to make me crazy with the waiting. But I still love you!

[~ Becs ~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a quite frankly jaw-dropping preface, The Proposal picks up pretty much where The Proposition left off. Aidan has done wrong and betrayed Emma and she cannot forgive him. Aidan is a broken man – he’s activated full-blown emo-mode and he’s lost all his sparkle. Gone is the cocky, colourful, arrogant but lovable guy we first met back at the beginning of The Proposition to be replaced by a man quite literally on his knees begging the woman he loves for forgiveness and just not getting it!

This was definitely a novel of two halves for me – the first being an angsty, nail-biting affair and the second being really very romantic with some wonderful misty-eyed scenes.

So the first half – we have Aidan pleading with Emma for forgiveness but she can’t get over his betrayal and a preterm labour scare puts Emma onto strict bedrest and Aidan takes a leave of absence and takes her back to his house to care for her and tend to her every need. At this point, I was starting to feel more than a little sorry for Aidan even despite his incredible fuckwittedness at the end of the first book, and starting to get mad at Emma as she started a little dalliance with the ER doc who treated her.

Pesh, the handsome Indian ER Doc, has taken an instant like to Emma and is deeply attracted to her and comes on fairly strong to her at the hospital once he realises she is single despite the heartbroken baby-Daddy standing just a few feet away. He asks to see Emma again and she invites him to Aidan’s house for a ‘sort of date’. At this point, I just wanted to hurt Emma and Pesh and drag poor Aidan into my loving arms. I felt so sorry for him – it felt like Emma & Pesh were flaunting it in front of him.

Now, if you’re reading my review, you’re probably a die-hard romantic like me and we want and expect Aidan and Emma to find that Happily Preggy Ever After so every time Pesh schmoozed onto the page, I just wanted to boo and hiss at him like a pantomime baddie!! This is, of course, very unfair of me but I was fully invested in Aiden & Emma and I just wanted them to be together so Pesh, for me, was the enemy!!

He’s very romantic, is very attracted to Emma but I found him a little creepy. He is actually a very nice guy and will help out Emma & Aiden at a moment of great need and, as a heartbroken widower, he seriously needs to find a wonderful girl to fall in love with but, for me, as a prospective hero of a future book, he’s going to be quite a hard sell. As an ER Doc, I’m not even sure if it’s ethical for him to shark in on a pregnant patient in distress but still, despite all this, he came on pretty strong to a vulnerable, hormonal woman and I like him not!! I know I’m being unfair but I’m just Team Aidan all the way!!

Emma & Pesh will both see the error of their ways and, without giving away yet more of the plot, Aidan totally redeems himself and then some and is a worthy hero and the second half of the book is loaded with some really very romantic scenes that will probably have your eyes misting a little.

I have to give a big shoutout to the awesomeness that is Emma’s best friend Casey – she of the colourful insult. She had me in stitches pretty much every time she walked onto a page and stole the scene!! This book is packed full of the humour that we saw in The Proposition and, eventually, the lovely romance that we’re all dying to see rekindled.
It’s another wonderfully romantic and fairly steamy read from Katie Ashley

3.5 stars contemporary romance

ARC courtesy of the lovely Katie Ashley

For more reviews, please visit Sinfully Sexy Book Reviews

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

*i received an ARC from Katie to read and review*

So when I finished The Proposition I hated Aidan, I mean I really HATED him, like wanted to tie him up by his testicles and use him as a pinata hated him. I didn't think he'd ever be able to redeem himself in my eyes for how he hurt Emma. But guess what? I WAS WRONG!

yea I was that shocked! Because hooooolyyyyyy did he redeemed himself!!! Half way thru the book I was actually starting to get mad at myself the more I started to like him; in fact I started to feel bad for him...he was so determined to not only tell Emma how he felt but show her as well and he went over and above to prove his love and devotion and I was proud of him *sigh* chapter 14!!! I was also proud of Emma because despite her raging pregnancy hormones she was strong in resisting Aidan and she made him WORK at redemption!!! I love how she also gave him a dose of his own medicine in the form of a non date with the McDreamy Dr Bollywood; Dr Pesh! It was hilarious seeing how riled up and jealous Aidan got when Pesh was around...if look could kill Pesh would've been dead 100 times over lol I'm thinking this is what was going on in Aidan's head

whenever Dr Pesh was around.

Once again Katie did a great job of pulling me into the tilt-o-whirl relationship of Emma & Aidan with a fantastical love story that makes you pull for a HEA for these two as well as writing that'll make you cry and laugh along with them. Aidan's nephews are still "outspoken"
and hysterical as is his father Patrick and Emma's two BFF's Casey and Connor. Let's just say Emma is quicker come around to Aidan than Casey and it's fun seeing Casey give him hell...as well as nail him in the family jewels with her purse. If you read and loved The Proposition you won't be disappointed with The Proposal; it really was everything I could have wanted it to be happy sigh

[Georgia ♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 EPIC ROMANTIC STARS

Because I love you! Did you hear that? I love you, Emma Harrison! I love you with everything in me. If I was honest with myself, I’ve probably loved you since that first night at O’Malley’s. I just couldn’t say it until now.

♪♫ Every now and then I get a little lost
My strings all get tangled, my wires all get crossed
Every now and then I'm right up on the edge
Dangling my toes out over the ledge
I just thank God you're here

'Cause when I'm a bullet shot out of a gun
'Cause when I'm a firecracker comin' undone
Or when I'm a fugitive ready to run, all wild-eyed and crazy
No matter where my reckless soul takes me
Baby you save me

It's hard lovin' a man that's got a gypsy soul
I don't know how you do it, I'm not sure how you know
The perfect thing to say to save me from myself
You're the angel that believes in me like nobody else
And I thank God you do ♪♫

This book reminded of the reasons I'm reading romances. Because they are bliss. They break your heart and then they mend it again stronger. They are hope and dreams and tears. Sometimes, so frustratingly sad and others so deliciously happy.
I totally love AIDAN!!!!!!!!!!! Well and Emma of course... I fought so hard for this couple... LOL!





The Proposal, delivered everything I had hoped and more. Two parts in this story. In the first part of the book we are witnessing the best damn grovel in the history of men who f***ked up!



He is trully remorsed and it is believable! He is... defeated...



“Please, Em. I love you so much it hurts. I ache for you in my soul. Please…I can’t live without you. I want to be with you every minute of every day. I want to marry you and make a life with you. I want to raise Noah and be a family together. Please…please say you want to be with me forever.”

He understands and he is begging for forgiveness. And I actually think he deserves it.

Emma of course has doubts. She loves him wholeheartedly, but she is reluctant to trust him again. Emma honey, revenge is indeed sweet, but I didn't like what you were trying to do with Pesh... It made both of you seem, cheap and less and it was kinda sad because you are both winners and likeable... That said, everything else made sense in this book! It was full of emotions and so real and beautiful.



As for the second part...It was the kind of story you wish to never end. The stuff dreams are made of...





You cocky, arrogant "bastard", Aidan Fitzgerald, I love you!!!!!

Thank you so so so so damn much Katie Ashley. I'll read whatever you decide to write. Even if it'll be the obituaries in the Sunday paper!

Bonus Aidan-Emma-HEA .gif

[Tee Loves Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

********2.5 stars*******
Maybe it's just me because there seem to be a lot of readers who really enjoyed this, but it was a big disappointment for me. When I read The Proposition, I loved Aidan and for the most part liked Emma (though her pushiness got on my nerves at times), and after that terrible cliffhanger I was really anxious to get to this sequel. But to me, this series that started out sexy and a little sweet suddenly got preachy, philosophical, and completely off-kilter.

I was expecting a lot of groveling from Aidan and some serious doubts and anger from Emma after what he pulled (rightfully so), but somewhere along the way in this story the spark between them just fizzled out for me. The situation with a new potential love interest vying for Emma's attentions right in front of Aidan was just really odd, compounded by the fact that suitor Pesh was so attentive and open with his emotions that it really turned me off to him. Not just because the way it was handled was so incredibly disrespectful to Aidan, who at that point had made a concerted effort to change and prove his love and devotion to Emma, but also because Pesh was so perfect and understanding in every way virtually the minute she meets him that it verged on creepy. There was no development there, it was this instantaneous "maybe he could be my soulmate" and I just didn't buy into it in the slightest. It just made me really dislike Emma at points, and I questioned whether or not I wanted Aidan to ever win her over.

So between the awkwardness of a new character in the mix and the angst between Aidan and Emma that was more angry and bitter than hurt and heartbroken, it was really hard for me to get through this. There were moments I enjoyed, and the steamy scenes that were finally allowed to happen didn't disappoint other than the lessened chemistry between them. After all that they'd been through, once Emma finally got her head out of her rear and realized Aidan was seriously head over heels for her I was rooting for them to get their HEA. That's not to say that I've completely absolved Aidan of his transgression, b/c to be honest his excuse of what happened to him in the past causing his cheating really didn't make his actions understandable. But he proved his love for Emma in my mind just for putting up with her throughout all of this, and she redeemed herself for me a bit when she finally let the walls down. So in the end, I was happy with how things turned out and I'm glad that these characters were able to find their way back to each other. I just wish this leg of the journey packed deeper emotions.

[Rejane · Rating 1 out of 5]

I confess I was grossed out by the doctor hitting in the pregnant woman in nowhere else but in the very hospital where he worked and being on duty nonetheless. And for the heroine to entertain the idea of dating him. And it was super creepy for him going to visit/date her in the baby's father's house. It was very unnecessary because she shouldn't be there in the 1st place. If she was thinking about giving weird doc a chance she should have gone to recover at her friend's. And have a clean break up with the hero and stay away from his family. Another thing I was bothered by. How she was in this close relationship with his father and sister. That's not healthy and imo she was crazy. She stooped too low with a lack of self respect and preservation. The hero was cheater? Yes. But having her in his house and accepting her having the doctor over for whatever debauchery, was very weak of him. I dislike weak hero.
And to make things worse she goes on a date with creepy widowed doc along with his sister and brother in law. Gets all prettied up in the hero's house and weird doc comes to pick her up there. Hero was there and they had this surreal exchange.
For a moment I thought I wasn't reading things right. But not such luck. And there's the cherry on top: at the end of their date, heroine kisses creepy doc in front of hero's front door and both have an epiphany where she realizes she's in love with hero. She then proceeds to go to his bedroom to have sex with him. Ewwwww. Gross. And creepy doc realizes he still didn't forget his beloved deceased.
Can it get more disgusting? It does get but not worthy writing about it.
And what about all the "zombies "? LOL
The heroine's parents and fiancé:dead. The creepy doc's wife: dead. The hero's ex fiancée miscarried his baby. The hero's mother: dead. They could have their own private graveyard.
This series is so unrealistic, I think is more to the fantastic side ,boarding Sci-fi.

[Emily Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had the pleasure to be an early reader for this book and I LOVE IT. Full review coming closer to release!

[*TANYA* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good read but not as cute as the first in the series.

[Natasha is a Book Junkie · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I’m on my knees – totally and completely begging you to forgive me.”

In one of the most anticipated sequels of the year, the story resumes immediately after Emma caught Aidan with another woman. Although the act was never fully consummated, the trust between them is now broken, making Emma doubt Aidan’s feelings and commitment to her and their unborn child. She is heartbroken, devastated by his betrayal and confused about her lingering feelings towards a man that took her dream of building a family with him and broke it.

“To let him back into her life would be to walk barefoot over the shards of her broken heart. He would cut her again, it was inevitable.”

Aidan had regretted what he did to Emma even before she walked in on the act, but he knows that no amount of regret or apologies can make things right at this point. He spirals into depression and drunken self-flagellation, knowing all too well that he has destroyed possibly the best thing that has ever happened to him. This also brings past torments to the surface, events that he believed to be long forgotten hurting his aching heart all over again and adding painful memories to his already fragile state of mind. His desperate attempts at apologising to Emma fall on deaf ears until her pregnancy suffers a small complication and she is forced to bedrest. Aidan takes advantage of this situation by offering to take care of her at his house while she is confined to bed, hoping that his actions would speak louder than words and show Emma the true depth of his feelings for her.

Emma’s perception of Aidan’s infidelity is only partly about the act itself and a great deal more about the reasons for wanting to commit such an act in the first place, knowing very well it would irreparably destroy their budding relationship.

“Could she really ever trust him completely again? Could she emotionally withstand building a life with him only for it to all fall apart if he cheated again?”

And then the ‘perfect’ man comes along to add to Emma’s confusion. Pesh pursues her openly and relentlessly, showing no concerns over her pregnant state or the emotional baggage weighing heavily on Emma’s broken heart.

“As long as I have a chance to win your heart, Emma, I’ll take whatever you can give me.”

He acts as the antithesis to Aidan’s character – he is portrayed as someone willing to offer Emma everything that she has ever dreamed of finding in a man and everything that Aidan was too scared to give her. Her attraction to Pesh only confuses her even more in light of her enduring feelings for Aidan, her heart and mind deciding to play against each other on opposite teams.

I have to admit that every iota of my being wanted and expected to love this book. The storyline in its prequel touched me in so many ways, making me emotionally invested in the characters’ fate. I was deeply disappointed to find that the story in this book failed to engage any positive emotions on my part – I could not connect with any of the characters and was left feeling angry at most of their actions towards each other. My strongest objections were to the heroine’s actions and behaviour in general. What I hoped it would be a heartfelt story of redemption, forgiveness and regained trust between characters that loved each other deeply, quickly became one of punishment and painful tit-for-tat. I understood and sympathised with Emma’s indecisiveness regarding wanting to be with Aidan and not wanting to put herself in a situation where she could be hurt by him again, but instead of watching her find forgiveness in her heart, we are made to painfully witness her doing the same exact thing that Aidan did to her and finding ‘clarity’ through the act of quite literally putting herself in his shoes. I was left confused in the end, unclear on what exactly made her trust him again – her ability to forgive him or her realisation that they were more alike than she thought.

I do believe that most people might not have the same reaction to this storyline and will enjoy the guilty pleasure of watching a guilty man squirm to be forgiven, but I personally could not. I enjoyed finding out how it all ended, I just did not particularly enjoy the journey it took us to get there. I also understand that a plot involving adultery is a tough one to tackle and that forgiveness given too easily and too soon can alienate readers with zero tolerance for infidelity, but I do believe that the readers in this book end up ‘forgiving’ Aidan a lot sooner than Emma does. I found myself resenting her for all her subsequent actions towards him. I cringed when she brought another man into Aidan’s house while she was still technically under his care. I hated the type of woman who cannot wait for two weeks before she goes on a date with another man so that she would no longer be in a situation where she is living with the person trying to win her back and dating another at the same time. Her character in this book alienated me from the get go, and I’m afraid I never recovered from it.

For all the hard-core fans of The Proposition who were left gasping at its cliff-hanger, there is no doubt you will want to read this book and will hopefully engage in the storyline a whole lot more than I did. You might find solace in the heart-melting scenes involving baby Noah’s birth or Aidan’s unmistakable devotion to Emma. They were definitely worth the wait and made the storyline a lot more bearable for me.

Finally, I just need to point out that any doctor who finds it appropriate to approach a man that has just witnessed his wife/partner giving birth to their child and tell him, “You know, some men have a hard time ever looking at their wives or girlfriends the same way again after experiencing birth,” needs a punch in the face.

~ N ♥

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[Akanksha❤ Søren♰ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The preface leaves you utterly shocked/freaked/dazed/wtf.ed!
+1 for the amazing start!! :)

The TWO things about this book which was constantly bugging the crap out of me were..

ONE - That I couldn't picture Pesh!! In my head he was a hot Indian guy. But the author barely gave us any description about him so I was pretty bummed about that. If someone has an imagination of how he looks, Please post a picture so it can fill in the face gap for me.
'Dr. McDreamy Bollywood!' I really want to picture him in my head, but I just can't freaking do it!

TWO - There were 2-3 scenes which should have been longer and a with a few more emotions showing.. It brought like an 'Oh!' reaction while the scene should have bought an 'OMG :O' kinda reaction from the reader.

Appart from those two things, The book was amazing.
I really love this author's writing style, Its seriously like reading a movie or maybe its just this story :P I don't know, but all I care about is that the book was amazing and capturing.
I was literally eating popcorn and chips while reading this book because it feels like I'm reading a movie ;) hehe

“It’s like this. When a man and woman love each other very much, the love grows inside the woman and makes a baby.”
What a thing so say~ Bravo!! :')


LOL, I really liked the phases of Aidan fucking up and then all the wrath he had to face by like EVERYONE! hehe, Asshole! So deserved it :P
Aidan stared up at the blurry double images of his father’s frowning face. One look of absolute and total disgust would have been enough, but damned if in his drunken state, there had to be two.
Haha, I love Patrick. Sweet old strong amazing man.

“Great. I’m sure they’ll be leading a charge over here at any moment to roast my manhood over an open flame!”
*Hoot Hoot* GO Girl Power! :P


But I also Lovedddd the way he made it up to her, in each and every way! Sweet chap ;) :D
“You keep saying and doing all these amazing things. It confuses me.”
“You want me to be an asshole or something?”
LOL, We love you both ways you stupid hot fool! As an asshole and as the sweetest hunk ever!!


“Frankly, I feel like an Oompa Loompa at the moment!”
“Trust me, babe, you don’t look like one.”
When she gave him a skeptical look, Aidan winked at her. “Then I must have a Willy Wonka fetish because I’d like to devour you right this instant.”
The Author has a really nice way with her words and forming amazingly memorabile sentences!


“I just wanted to check on you, see how you’re feeling, but most of all, I wanted to bask in your rapturous beauty.”
There he goes with that SEXY mouth of his! *swoon*

_____
Early Release! :D
Love you sweet adorable Author's who give us an early release without bribing us!! x
Kidding!! Love you all.. even if you bribe us. As long as we get our drug doze of amazingly awesome books to keep us floating, we are cool with anything!! ;)

[B.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is brought to you by the words "twatwaffle" and "douchenozzle" (the BEST names Aidan has ever been called!)

Katie Ashley knows how to write a love story. She made us swoon, fall in love then curse and kick our kindles with The Proposition. I was like



at the end.

This book takes us through another myriad of emotions. Emma remains the kind hearted, loving soul she has always been, sticking by Aidan's family despite Aidan tearing her heart to pieces and Aidan has been living a life of hell for the 3 weeks since he dropped his balls and got scared of what he had with Emma. At th Aidan still has his cocky big ego, Emma still has a smart mouth, and Dr Pesh comes along and confuses everyone by being so damn nice. Beau is still the dog of my dreams, Casey is the queen of putdowns and is an assassin with a purse. Patrick is cunning as always and those Fitzgerald nephews are hilarious.

Some parts of the book made me go


Other parts made me go


By the end I was


To me this is one of those EPIC books that you MUST read and MUST recommend to ALL your friends.

[Smitten's Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Squeeee! *happy dance* Yay! :) :) :)

^^^ That's what this book did to me. It turned me into a sighing, grinning, gooey sap. Oh my goodness, it's sooooo cute.

I loved The Proposition and I was distraught with the cliffhanger ending, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this! And it didn't disappoint.

Her voice drew him nearer and nearer like a siren leading a man to his doom.

Emma was, as in the first book, a great, strong female lead. She's funny, cute and knows her own mind. I loved that. For the most part. However, I did want to poke her in the eyes at a few points in this book... One word. Pesh! Argh, Emma, what were you thinking??!!

At no point did I warm to Pesh! He irritated the hell outta me! What man does that? He knew she was six months pregnant. He knew about Aidan. Grrr. I wanted to bash him over the head with his stethoscope. And Emma needed a slap for getting her knickers in such a knot. Gosh, see how violent they made me? And breathe.

Now, moving on to the good stuff... Aidan. *heart flutter* Yeh, he's some gooood stuff. I just knew Aidan would redeem himself. *goofy grin*

"I love you much it hurts. I ache for you in my soul. Please... I can't live without you. I want to be with you every minute of every day. I want to marry you and make a life with you. I want to raise Noah and be a family together. Please... please say you want to be with me forever."

He's so utterly gorgeous and what girl can resist a handsome man that's totally ga ga over his new baby boy and the beautiful love of his life?! Seeeeriously heart melting stuff. He was all over this redemption shiz!

"You've made all her dreams come true. The moment she holds Noah in her arms for the first time any of the pain and suffering she experienced will just evaporate in an instant. And you will be the one who gave that to her."

He was so gorgeously devoted to Emma's every whim. Maybe I'm a weakling but I'd have caved waaaay before Emma did.

"Just make sure Casey knows that I wear my alleged vagina with pride, not because she took my manhood with that purse of hers, but because I want to be a better man for you."

I think I can say this next bit without giving anything away, afterall, clue's in the title and all... I love love loved the proposal. I mean the actual proposal. And the wedding, and the honeymoon, and the sex... it was all fabulous. Steamy, romantic, swoon worthy, adorable!

"God Em, I love you so much it hurts," came his pained whisper in her ear.
"I know. I love you so much, too."

Speaking of sex and steamy (because you can never speak too much about sex and steamy, right?)... There were some very very hot scenes in this book. I'm talking cowboy hats, hot tubs, squirty cream, handcuffs type of hot. Ms. Ashley excels in writing the pulse-racing-down-and-dirty stuff. *fans self*

"Handcuffs, massage oil, some edible underwear-"
Aidan held up his hand. "No need to explain anymore. You had me at handcuffs,"

The birth of Noah was fab. A real mix of stress and giggles. Casey and Connor play a brilliant part in this scene. They make me want friends like them! But, true to form, Aidan made me weak at the knees...

Aidan smiled. "He's the amazing and beautiful thing I've ever seen in my entire life," he replied, his voice choking off with emotion.

And then, because my heart wasn't enough of a melted liquidy mess, came the epilogue. More cute. More happy sighing. More perfect. Cue butterflies, love hearts and all things romance. Oh, and did I mention that I love Aidan? ;)

"You're the sexiest, most beautiful pregnant woman I've ever seen."
"Aw, baby, you're so sweet. But you don't have to keep complimenting me because you're so getting laid tonight."

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[Henz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was the sequel to The Proposition and because it ended with a heartbreaking cliffhanger of course I had to read it right away. Did I tell you that Aidan had his asshole moments?? Well he did it; he did the most asshole thing to do and cheated just so he could deny those feelings his having for Emma. Ugh!

In this we learned a secret from his past and this is were Aidan tried to fix what he'd broken; Emma's trust, her heart. He fucked up pretty badly and I think I’m enjoying him being miserable just a tiny bit because I love him.

I was like, you better start groveling if you know what’s best for you asshole!!!



So I was enjoying him growing a vagina when a new player came into the picture. I was worried right away because Dr. Pesh Nadeen is quite a catch; handsome, smart and chivalrous. I wanted Aidan to switch to his caveman mode but he maintained being calm and sweet and still groveling and I can’t stand it even when Pesh was making his move on his girl! Ugh! But when he said those three important words, I cried! Damn it, I cried and swooned! It was such a perfect moment. Did I tell you I cried? I forgive you Aidan!



He messed up, fixed it and made up for it and I was simply laughing my ass off when Emma was in labor. I really liked this book series. It’s such a guilty pleasure read, I paired it with some ice cream and couldn’t ask for more.

And yes it’s still a steamy romance. *wink*

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Proposal is the highly anticipated sequel to The Proposition and is NOT a stand-alone. You must read The Proposition first before you even read this review or you will read spoilers from the first book.

“A hopeful look entered his tortured eyes. “I’d give anything and everything in this world to redeem myself with you. Just please, please give me the chance.”

After the shocking ending of the first book, I was anxiously awaiting to see what happens with Aidan and Emma. I was extremely mad at Aidan for his foolish mistake. I wanted Aidan on his knees groveling for Emma's forgiveness. The man not only paid the price for what he did, but he exceeded my begging expectations. And I fell even more in love with Aidan in The Proposal.

In the beginning of the story, Aidan is still in the dog house. He's miserable and struggling with losing Emma. He's lost sleep, lost weight, and drinking excessively. He's tried everything from begging in text messages to sending a whole florists shop of flowers to win Emma back. But, he didn't just break Emma's heart, he crushed it into a million pieces.

Emma is not sure if she even wants Aidan back. She may love him, but she can't forget how he shattered her heart and her trust. So, she avoids Aidan at all cost and has cut off all communication with him. Yet, no matter how angry she is with Aidan, she still desperately misses him.

When Emma is suddenly put on strict bed rest six months into her pregnancy, Aidan eagerly steps in to take care of her. He does everything in his power, including taking a leave of absence from work, to make sure she is comfortable and well cared for. He even willingly goes out at one in the morning to get her a Wendy's fix.(Now, that's how you woo a pregnant woman!) With these little gestures of affection, Aidan continuously proves himself more and more how much he is willing to sacrifice for Emma and his unborn son, Noah. He wanted nothing more than to have his family back. And it didn't take long before I had forgiven Aidan. But, even though he won me over, Emma and Aidan had a lot of problems to work through before they could be together.

I really didn't care for the part of the story with the doctor. Pesh is an ER doctor Emma met while in the hospital. When they first meet, there is an immediate attraction between the two. And when Emma accepts Pesh’s offer to check up on her at Aidan's house and also bring her dinner, I have to admit, by this point, I was exasperated with Emma. I kept thinking, "What are you doing woman?!" *sigh* I guess this time around, it was Emma's turn to be the idiot. All I wanted was Aidan, Aidan, and only Aidan to be in the picture. I do realize that Aidan really hurt her but, her actions were starting to mirror what Aidan did to her. It's ironic how I went from being furious with Aidan in the first book, to wanting nothing more than for Emma to admit that Aidan is the one and only man she wanted.

But, alas, things did turn around by the second half of the book. I really enjoyed how sweet and romantic this part of the story was. It was much more enjoyable than the first half where I felt completely on edge and annoyed. Aidan, true to his word, came through for Emma. He proved his love. He proved she could trust him. He proved that he wasn't a complete scumbag after all. And he finally says those three little words that mean so much to Emma. So, Aidan does get to keep his thingie that I threatened in my first review. This once womanizing scoundrel really grew up in this story and became the best kind of man. And it didn't take the whole book for this couple to work their problems out. Hallelujah!

The Proposal is the perfect ending to Emma and Aidan's story. Tears, laughter, pain, and anger were all a part of their journey to finding what they were both looking for. Happiness.

Rating: B
Heat: Hot

-- A Romantic Book Affairs Review

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Thank you Katie Ashley for kindly providing the ARC. Romantic Book Affairs loves you! :)

[Sofia Lazaridou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pre-reading: Aidan you better make things right in this one or someone won't see the next dawn...

After reading the book: Aidan you are lucky and I won't kill you. Seriously I wasn't expecting all the things he did to get Emma back. He showed her how sweet and caring he is and that he is going to be there for her. Somehow I couldn't be mad at Aidan for cheating, which is not something I do usually, and I was hoping he was going to get her back with some grand gesture. But the grand gestures are not what Emma needs or gets. The small things Aidan does are the one that matter in the end.

And then Pesh comes into the scenery and is after Emma's heart. I am team Aidan and if I want to be honest the doctor is pretty good but I didn't like him with Emma and let's just say that if he died somehow(see Grey's Anatomy)I wouldn't be unhappy or would give him a second thought. That was until he said the quote below and then mostly disappeared from Emma and Aidan's life. The quote made me like him a little and later it helped when he did a favor to Emma.

“I want you to think about this for a minute? What would you rather have? Words that can be spoken lightly and then taken back so easily, or would you rather actions?”

There isn't a triangle in the book, just a hormonal woman who wants to protect her heart from breaking again and a safe choice coming into her life. Because Pesh is the safe choice the one that wouldn't threaten her heart and Aidan is the unsafe one. What guarantees her that he won't hurt her again? So I can't or you really blame her for trying something with Pesh.
What I can blame her sort of is not appreciating what Aidan did to win her over and brushing it off nothing while she was at his place and he was taking care of her.

The proposal, anticipated by many, is the end of Emma and Aidan's story. It had me worried for a second that the end would be different in some way and I was glad to see that that wasn't the case.

[Sandra Cortez · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. "I would be lost if you hadn't come into my life and I thank God everyday that you gave me another chance to show you how much my soul cries for you." Seriously? What man says crap like that. My soul cries for you? I almost wanted to hurl LOL!!

I absolutely adored the Proposition but this was one was sappy line after sappy line. By 70% I was completely bored and ready for Em to have her baby. I soo missed my alpha male Aiden. His manhood was apparently left in The Proposition and Em's hormones had a horrible affect on both of them. Casey was right on target, Aiden grew a vagina!

I however did enjoy the last 20% so I am happy it ended on a great note but I wish Aiden didn't have to totally lose his man card in the process.

[Michele ~ la Smoocherina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just completely disappointing. Why is Aiden winking at Emma when she's still mad at him? And pesh is a terrible plot device. The medical stuf was completely wrong, from how the terbutaline was administered to the post partum care of the baby.

This was so eagerly awaited. If I had to read "her heart stopped beating then it started again" one more time, I might puke.

[Michelle Valentine · Rating 5 out of 5]

FREAKIN' LOVE IT!!!!!! Full review, complete with gifs, to come!!!

[Lady Gabriella of Awesomeness (SLOW) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could barely tolerate this read ! Defiantly won't be reading Book III !

[Eni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so sweet.
I loved it.

[Elle (Ligia) · Rating 3 out of 5]

You guys!



Ah! That was such a great ending to this amazing story! Yay! Can you tell I'm happy? Can you? CAN YOU? lol

Let's see... what can I tell you guys about it...

So if you remember right I was left more than just freaking out at the end of The Proposition [review] so excuse me for dying to read the sequel. Gah. The waiting was terrible. Actually, I think it's the worst cliffie I've had to live through. Ever!

Okay. Moving on.

In The Proposal we have Emma and Aidan back, but with a major brick wall between them, aka Aidan's ass cheating move. Yup. So maybe I was a little angry at what he did before, but I'm all on forgiving, especially if he's... you know, as perfect as Aidan is! *cough*

So now he has to do everything is his power to get Emma back, for both their sakes as well as their soon-to-be-born son. But that might be a little bit harder than expected, heh Aidan? Mhmm. Emma is a hard woman to convince. And duh! He totally deserved to do some serious groveling.

Yet that's not everything Aidan is against. There's also the issue of the new doctor, Pesh, having the hots for Emma... Okay, so maybe he didn't have the hots for Emma... maybe, but he wanted to steal her from my Aidan and that's a no-no!

Even worse! Emma was willing to give him a chance! Okay, so she's hurt, I get it, but I did not appreciate her moves, I mean...



I mentioned this on my pre-review (which is now gone) that I kind of, sort of... maybe disliked Pesh without even having read about him, a tiny little bit. And well, he didn't turn out to be so bad, once he was out-of-the-way for Emma and Aidan that is, because meanwhile he was both mine and Aidan's mortal enemy.

Okay I'm only kidding. Maybe.

Anyways. Even though I didn't find The Proposal to be quite as good as the previous book, it was still really good and worth the wait. If for nothing else, to at least not be left in the agony of not knowing how everything was going to turn out. ;)

Aidan was again swoon-worthy, even more with his added sweetness and protection when Emma really needed him. Being a daddy sure suited him well. ;) Emma kind of got on my bad side sometimes, I don't even know why. It was obvious she couldn't forgive him on the blink of an eye (I would totally slap her if she did) but I found myself pouting when she just wouldn't give Aidan a chance, and then there was the Pesh-moments to bother me further. We are good now, though. I forgave her. *wink*

And that's it. I'm kind of sad it's over. *pout* But go ahead, and get some Aidan for yourself!

[Alba M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Después de la cagada monumental de Aidan en el final del anterior libro, este libro se convierte en una carrera por recuperar el amor de Emma.
Es verdad que fuese o no fuese exactamente una infidelidad, lo de Aidan fue una cagada enorme y probablemente de haberme pasado a mí en la vida real yo nunca jamás lo hubiese perdonado... pero así son los libros, te hacen una blandengue. Por lo que tenemos a Aidan haciendo todo lo posible para que Emma lo perdone y aunque a veces ella flaquea sigue manteniéndose en que nunca podrá olvidar la traicion de Aidan. Mi pobre Aidan, que tiene más traumas él que la vida misma, se sabotea a si mismo toda aquella relación buena que tenga con una mujer. Así que esto es lo que le ha sucedido de nuevo, ha vuelto a sabotearse a si mismo en su relación con Emma pero sabe que ella es la única y hará lo que sea, incluso verla salir con otro hombre, si eso consigue que lo perdone.

Bueno, en este libro me ha dado por odiar a todo el mundo. Primero a Aidan por lo que le hizo a Emma. Después a Emma que con todo el morro del mundo, estando viviendo en casa de Aidan, se trae a otro tipo a cenar a casa, un tipo que quiere algo con ella. Después a Cassey porque Dios, que tipa más odiosa y vengativa de verdad...
vamos que he odiado a todo el mundo un poquito en el camino. Finalmente ya me pude recuperar y sobre todo amo a Aidan con Noah... y a la abuelita❤️ me encanta!
Disfruté de estos libros sin duda, aún no me sacan de mi bloqueo totalmente pero ahí voy jajajaj

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my most anticipated books of 2013 and thank the fuck it came out this month instead of March. Emma really disappointed me. I'll tell you more about that in my full review. I must say that Aidan really impressed me and it didn't take me very long to forgive him for what he did at the end of The Proposition. I just wished Emma would have clearly seen all of Aidan's efforts.

For fans of The Proposition, you'll definitely want to read The Proposal. Aidan will most definitely have you swooning all over him again.

*Full Review to Come


--------------------------------------------------------

Katie Ashley said on Facebook this would be released in 13 days….

OH YEEEEEAAAAHHHHHH!!!

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book isn't a standalone. Aiden and Emma's story started in Book 1. I really liked all the hospital scenes and how realistic/real they felt. It's funny because I was also watching Grey's Anatomy today, and I felt like I was getting more of that when I turned to read this book.

The author kind of threw me with the other man. He was almost too much of a worthy contender for Emma. She made her OM a little too good/dreamy if you know what I mean. Not that I ever 100% was rooting for the OM over Aiden, but I wasn't sure what to feel when the author wrote how the OM was taller & muscular, which in my definition, usually means he's more attractive. Also, the author writing about how much food, especially carbs Aiden was eating at the beginning of the book, made me imagine him not having much stomach definition. In Book 1, I had imagined Aiden being this gorgeous, very physically fit, sexual guy. Also, I never really gave this much thought till I read a Reddit and someone wrote how Emily Henry's books "are aggressively white". This series was like that too, in that everyone seems to be white and from the South (the book takes place in Georgia), and then all of a sudden, the OM is Indian. It would have been better, in my opinion, if at least a minor character was mentioned to not be white, so the fact that the OM is POC wouldn't come out of the blue. Also, maybe this is just my life experience, but it does seem weird that a woman in her late 20s or early 30s wouldn't have tried Indian food before. I grew up in a place not super diverse and I had had Ethiopian food before I was 10.

The book was predictable when of course, the one time that Aiden goes on a business trip right before Emma's due date, she goes into labor when he's away. The thought that Emma didn't tell Aiden that it was over been her and Pesh (?) came to me while I was reading a sex scene between the two and distracted me. I'd like the doctor to get his own book. I'll check to see if he does.

I didn't like Emma's best friend Casey. She was annoying and called Aiden all these weird names that you never hear except in books. Also Karen Middleton, the doctor who delivered Noah? It sounded like the author ran out of names to call characters. At least don't give Middleton a K name; it's too similar to Kate Middleton.

Noah, the baby, was adorable & I thought it was hilarious how Aiden described him as a "chip off the old block" because he was already "flirting", aka charming, the ladies.

Honestly, I was surprised when Emma didn't try to sing professionally or something because she seemed really talented at that. But just because you're talented at something, doesn't mean you want to pursue it professionally. I have a good voice, but I'm not sure being a professional singer would be the right thing for me.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Aidan and Emma continues...


“I want you to think about this for a minute. What would you rather have? Words that can be spoken lightly and then taken back so easily, or would you rather have actions?”

The Proposal starts off right where The Proposition left off... the first half of the book had me all over the place, it was angsty- had me upset, happy, sad, nervous, then the second half- ahhhh sweet relief! Sexy and romantic! Overall, loved the whole book!!!

Aidan screwed up. Big time. And he knows it. He has begged and pleaded with Emma to forgive him, but nothing seems to be working. She gets put on bedrest for two weeks and Aidan volunteers to have her at his house to take care of her, and boy does he!
“I’d give anything and everything in this world to redeem myself with you. Just please, give me the chance.”
He really starts to wear Emma down with his kindness, but then steps in Dr. Pesh, the ER doctor who treated Emma... I didn’t want to like Pesh, but I kinda did. As long as he kept his hands off Emma. Loved Aidan’s description of him though!
It wasn’t the fact that Dr. Nadeen had the looks that made women’s panties ignite, but the fucker was kind and considerate. Throw in the fact that he was a doctor, and he was a triple threat.
Pesh was a nice guy, and I hope he finds love, but I have to say- I was Team Aidan 100%! After a lot of angst, I got some happy :D Finally, what I’ve been waiting for- both books to happen, did! “Please, Em. I love you so much it hurts. I ache for you in my soul. Please... I can’t live without you. I want to be with you every minute of every day. I want to marry you and make a life with you. I want to raise Noah together and be a family together. Please... please say you want to be with me forever.” Oh swooooon Aidan! You are wonderful!!!

Love Aidan and Emma, and of course Patrick! He is one of my favorite characters, such a sweetheart! Emma’s best friend Casey and Aidan’s nephews were also great and hilarious!!!
“Oh for fucks sake! Wake him up and let him show off his shiny new vag!”
“Casey know I wear my alleged vagina with pride, not because she took my manhood with that purse of hers, but because I want to be a better man for you.”
Cad= “A dude that acts like a douchebag to women.”- One of Aidan’s nephews 


A great contemporary romance. The ending was perfect! Loved it! Read this one!!!