the proposition Paperback – 9 Dec. 2012

Most women around the age of 30 feel like they have a ticking clock over their heads, a ticking biological clock. Emma Harrison is no different, all she dreams of is having her own family or at the very least a baby who she can love and call her own. Going as far as to ask her gay best friend to be her sperm donor she feels as though all hope is lost that is until she gets a proposition she cannot resist."Have you ever wanted something so bad you think you'd die if you didn't have it? That the mere thought of it keeps you up at night. You can't sleep, you can't eat, you can't drink. You are so consumed by that desire nothing else matters, and you're not sure life is worth living if you can't have it."Aidan Fitzgerald is used to getting what he wants in the boardroom and especially in the bedroom, if he wants a girl she is his, true it may only last a night but that is all he has ever wanted. After being turned down my Emma at a work function he has made it his mission to finally get her into bed even if that means giving her the one thing she so desperately wants, a baby."Here's my proposition. I offer to father your child, and you in turn, promise to conceive it with me naturally."Soon the proposition is made, Aidan offers to father Emma's child as long as they get to do it the old fashion way down and dirty and between the sheets, or possibly on the work desk wherever is more convenient at the time.Can they both keep their feeling in check and keep this as a business deal with certain perks? Or will there feelings take over and land them in unfamiliar territory?Damn, it's not often that I am really drawn into the plot of a book and find it original and very entertaining but this book did that for me. I fell head over heels in love with Emma; she is relate-able, kind, generous and a genuine kind of girl. You feel for her and want her to have her dreams come true.Aiden is the kind of guy every girl wants to tame; he is handsome, cocky and simply oozes sex appeal in a way that makes women instantly want to drop their panties on the floor. The start of their relationship is very un-convectional, friends with benefits but on a schedule . . . a baby making schedule."A MWF sex schedule? How efficient," he mused."Please be serious.""Fine, Pencil me in. I'll be ready and erect whenever you need me."Speaking of sex, the sex scene in this book are HAWT I could feel a full body blush coming on at some parts and I loved every second of it. I felt there was a good split between the amount of sex they had and the amount of dialogue between the characters, some books these days have too much sex and not enough conversation (Yes i really did just say there could be too much sex).The book will leave you feeling a wide range of emotions especially with Emma being so relate-able, you can out yourself in her shoes and imagine the feeling of wanting a child so desperately that you will literally do anything to have one. Having a child is something precious which is communicated very well with Katie Ashley's writing style, its a force to be reckoned with she knows how to make the readers feel the emotions of the chatterers and that is a great gift.The only thing that made me sad about this book was the cliffhanger, yes I said the dreaded word, January cannot come soon enough as I don't only want to know what happens I need to know, preferably now but I will just have to learn patience and possibly read the book once or twice possibly ten more time.5/5 stars you need this in your life.

3.5 starsWhat Emma wants more than anything is a family, after loosing her fiancé several years ago she isn't quite willing to open herself up to the heartbreak of starting a new relationship. Her biological clock is ticking and her best friend had offered to be a sperm donor so when he backs out Emma is devastated. Seeing her dreams of a family disappearing in front of her she is forced to consider other options. Aidan is a playboy who is used to having women throw themselves at him, when Emma turns him down at the work Christmas party it just makes him want her even more. Then when he finds out about her predicament he offers to be her donor - but only if they conceive the child naturally. Emma is reluctant to take him up on his offer but she finds him very hard to resist and he is offering her the one thing she's always wanted. Can a relationship that starts off more like a business arrangement ever turn into something more serious?I think I picked this book up at the perfect time, I was in the mood for something light and easy to read and The Proposition hit the spot. I found myself really liking both of the main characters, I could understand Emma's desperation to have a family of her own and the way she thought about things reminded me of conversations I've had with several of my friends. I'm not sure I know anyone who would go to the lengths she does to have a baby but if you ignore that and just go with the flow I think you'll enjoy the story more. Aidan is a typical playboy, he loves women but he has no intention of ever getting himself tied down. I liked how upfront he was about his desire and the fact that he doesn't make promises he can't keep and I'll admit that I found him sexy as hell. There was one particular point towards the end of the book when I really wanted to shake him though, he does something incredibly stupid and I was so angry about it.That is the one major downfall of this story, I felt it could so easily have been wrapped up at the end of this book with a happy ending and that would have left me with a huge smile on my face. As it was we are faced with a cliffhanger thanks to a major event that seemed to be added purely to cause drama. As it goes I liked both of the main characters enough that I wanted to carry on reading their story so I've already read the sequel but now having read it I stand by my original thoughts that this would have been better off as a stand alone novel. Katie Ashley certainly has a way of writing believable and sexy romance but I was disappointed by the unneeded emotional angst and drama just to drag the story out into two books.

This book doesn't miss a beat. I couldn't put it down. It is a cliffhanger so beware to have the next book on hand.

I enjoyed reading this story which had so many types of relationships in it. Looking forward to reading the sequel.

You just can't stop reading!! The characters and story keep you engaged from start to finish all through the book

The first thing you need to know about this book is that it is a cliffhanger. But if you are looking to purchase this book now, don’t let this stop you because the sequel is already out!I have to say that if the sequel hadn’t be available as soon as I finished this book, my review might had been a lot different, as I would be a very angry reader. Since this is not the case, I have to say that this book is funny, sweet and very sexy! Although it is predictable it is very entertaining read!So worth it!!!

"Here's my proposition. I offer to father your child, and you in turn, promise to conceive it with me naturally."Just when I thought another romance novel couldn't possibly surprise me - Ladies and Gentlemen, lo and behold, The Proposition!! A perfect ratio of sweet and romantic, a super-sized amount of scorching hot lovin' and convincing sexual chemistry, with just a dash of angst, this is the perfect recipe for the type of story that will please anyone looking for a book to curl up with and escape into, all the while having a goofy grin plastered all over your satisfied face. Piece of advice though - do NOT forget to have an industrial-sized fan handy because it's gonna get hot!! "Have you ever wanted something so bad you think you'd die if you didn't have it? That the mere thought of it keeps you up at night. You can't sleep, you can't eat, you can't drink. You are so consumed by that desire nothing else matters, and you're not sure life is worth living if you can't have it."Emma is a thirty-year-old single woman who wishes nothing more than to have a baby of her own. Her dreams of becoming a mother have almost become a physical need for her, making her willing to do almost anything to make that happen, desperate enough to even ask her gay best friend to father her child. But when everything falls through with that arrangement, the answer to all her prayers comes in the form of Aidan, a man whose womanizing reputation precedes him by a mile.Aidan is a player. Aidan doesn't do relationships. Aidan equates the responsibility of being a husband and father to choking. Emma is also the only woman who has ever rejected his advances and he is willing to do just about anything to get her into his bed. But that is not the only reason Aidan offers his `stud services' to Emma - he is no stranger to the kind of comforting feeling that the love of a family can give you so he understands Emma's need to become a mother. His motives might be primarily fueled by his raging libido, but there is a part of him that connect with Emma and desires nothing more than to make her happy. "You've had so much death and loss that you just want a little life in you."At this point I recommend bringing that industrial-sized fan out of storage and turning it on at full blast because Ms Ashley writes good sex scenes like nobody's business. Emma and Aidan engage in a commitment-free physical relationship aimed at one thing and one thing only - making a baby for Emma. Let me tell you, as a reader, it has never been so much fun reaping the benefits of a fictional arrangement like this before! The chemistry between our lead characters is unquestionable, the connection created by their toe-curling sexual encounters slowly bleeding into other areas of their lives, making them fall for each other for all the right reasons and fighting to stay emotionally unattached for all the wrong ones. They don't reach that point at the same time, or rather they don't realize the depth of their feelings for each other simultaneously, but once their emotional bond is forged, all they can do is deny it to themselves and to each other.This is in so many ways Emma's story, and a very personal one at that. Unless you've ever been `an Emma" in your life, it might be difficult to imagine what it is like to face the unwanted prospect of never holding your own baby in your hands. So many of Emma's emotions in this book felt very familiar, identifiable, real. Her hopeless desire to become a mother took central stage even in her relationship with Aidan, making her willing to suppress her growing feelings for him in order to fulfill her dream of having a baby. She threads so very carefully with him, always aware of his commitment phobias and trying not to push him into anything he is not ready for. "Their entire relationship was such a fragile balloon that she was afraid would pop at any moment."Aidan is a much more complicated character than Emma. This might be Emma's story but it is Aidan's journey to travel. His `conversion' from incorrigible bachelor to man owning up to his feelings is a slowly progressing one, laced with doubt, inner conflict and a desperate want to avoid commitment at all costs. I hope we get to delve into the reasons behind this urge to form no lasting ties with a woman in the sequel as I found that part of his personality as fascinating as it was infuriating. "Love like he had never known entered him that day, and instead of embracing it, he kept railing against it. ... In the end, maybe it didn't matter if he loved her. He could not imagine giving up the entirety of his life to being all she would need."Ms Ashley's writing style is a force to be reckoned with. Apart from the spectacular dialogues which, in my opinion, can make or break a story, this book is flawlessly written in its entirety, leaving me with no objections other than having to wait to have the sequel, The Proposal, in my greedy little hands. This is a story you will love from the very first page and will want to re-read right after you finished it. It will leave the romance junkie in you well sated but also craving for more. More of everything.~ N ♥