
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Reviewed by: Michelle
Copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review

Katie Ashley has been an author that quite recently has been on my book radar since I first read my first Katie Ashley book last year. When I first read the synopsis of her newest New Adult sports romance, The Hard Way, I knew instantly that I had to get my hands on this book stat.
The Hard Way was definitely a fitting title for this book as the author wrote a story that was filled with angst, drama, second chances and love. The hero in this case, Cade Hall is living the privileged life. He is handsome, cocky, smart and of course one of the stars in his college football team. When Cade got upset over his grade from this particular professor, his stunt of rebellion didn’t go unpunished. In order to keep his spot on the football team, Cade must serve his time volunteering at The Ark, a community center for inner-city teens.
Avery Prescott didn’t have any easy life growing up. She had to work hard to get to where she is today and working at The Ark is something very important to her. In her final year of college, she thought she escaped her past but when Cade Hall reappeared at the center, all the painful memories came flooding back. Cade Hall was the reason why she wanted to escape that small town and never look back. Cade broke her and he was the villain in her story. But what happens when the villain becomes the unlikely hero? Will Cade be able to show Avery that he is sorry for the things that he had done and that he is willing to work hard to get love and affection? Or will Avery make it very difficult for Cade?
The Hard Way is a second chance sports romance that was brimming with lots of angst and drama. This is definitely one of those reads where the hero had to go through a hard journey of redemption. Cade is not an easy character to like in the beginning but Katie Ashley allowed readers to see a vulnerable side to him thus allowing his character growth to be possible. So if you are a fan of football, second chances, and new beginnings then this book is definitely for you.

