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jennyluvlitbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Deceit is a stand alone contemporary romance from another new to me author. The story is told in dual POV, which was great for getting to know each character more as I went along to the story.
Addison is a successful career woman who handles their family real estate business. In a male dominated world, she proved herself time and time again which considerably affects her love life, as every man was intimidated by her. The only man she fell in love with was getting married and to run away from prying eyes, she went in a pretend work, surveying an old land her deceased father bought a long time ago in Wiltshire, England.
Oliver is the Earl of Lockhart and has been running from taking over his family's estate affairs for a long time. He didn't want anything to do with it and left it for his own mother to manage. However, a phone call from his mother changes his mind to come home.
Two people both running from their pasts met and decided for a night to just be theirselves and forget obligations, responsibilities. To live, rather than exist. But what happens next when one of them found out the truth of each other's identity? Will they let the shared attraction run its course? Or will they base their relationship in deceits and lies?
A story of a generation feud, finding love at least likely place or person, angst, drama and lies. Perfect combination for a great romance read!
Addison is a successful career woman who handles their family real estate business. In a male dominated world, she proved herself time and time again which considerably affects her love life, as every man was intimidated by her. The only man she fell in love with was getting married and to run away from prying eyes, she went in a pretend work, surveying an old land her deceased father bought a long time ago in Wiltshire, England.
Oliver is the Earl of Lockhart and has been running from taking over his family's estate affairs for a long time. He didn't want anything to do with it and left it for his own mother to manage. However, a phone call from his mother changes his mind to come home.
Two people both running from their pasts met and decided for a night to just be theirselves and forget obligations, responsibilities. To live, rather than exist. But what happens next when one of them found out the truth of each other's identity? Will they let the shared attraction run its course? Or will they base their relationship in deceits and lies?
A story of a generation feud, finding love at least likely place or person, angst, drama and lies. Perfect combination for a great romance read!
lkp's review against another edition
3.0
I finished this looong slog of a book only because of the fabulous male narrator
Merged review:
I finished this looong slog of a book only because of the fabulous male narrator
Merged review:
I finished this looong slog of a book only because of the fabulous male narrator
readers_together's review against another edition
5.0
arrison has once again written an incredibly angst-filled, emotional rollercoaster of a story that will leave you begging for more. Let’s take a minute to just thank all the higher powers that this woman decided to become a writer. And that she writes all the words. I’m going through her back catalogue because her words just affect me so much and I need them all. The new releases hooked me, but I need more. It’s rare that I read a book by Ava and don’t cry, don’t laugh, and don’t have those connections to the characters. Having that sort of reaction is fantastic, and it’s such a testament to her skill as a writer. That it makes a person want to read and listen to all her work. Her stories always have a deeper meaning/ theme running through them and no matter what it is they are always amazing and hit you right in the gut. Squeezing every ouch of feeling from you. I swear, I’m giving her a jar of my tears to savour.
Are British accents your thing? If they are Deceit is for you. It’s a wonderful story. It has a British character, obviously. Oliver Blackthorn. And an American, Addison Price. When we met Olly in Intention (very briefly, and not needed for this story) I was intrigued and jumped for joy when I realised Deceit was about him. It’s amazing how a little peek at a character can grab your attention and make you want more. And more we got. Oliver is so much more than I ever thought he’d be. Deceit was everything I never knew I wanted in a book. As I said above, I’m going through Ava’s back catalogue and recently finished Clandestine, (also not needed for this story) where I met Addison, I gotta say, I wasn’t enamoured with her…which is what makes this book so good. Because I adored her. She, like Olly, was so much more than I ever anticipated.
I thought Olly and Addison were perfect together, I got so frustrated at parts where I just wanted to bash their heads together. But that’s what makes it such a great book, that you become invested in the story and the characters. Olly is charming as anything, no lie. This guy could charm the pants off a nun. Honestly, he is so good. You are going to love him, even in his deceit you can’t help but love him because you know, he has a reason for his actions you just don’t know fully what they are. Other than an obligation to his family. But on top of that you also know that it’s not something he truly wants, he doesn’t want to deceive her but it’s a means to an end. Addison, I wasn’t sure I was going to like, but actually, I thought she was lovely. She’s this strong independent woman that is letting her emotions rule her and I don’t think she truly realised how much she was until the deceit. And seeing her come to the realisation that actually, she’s strong and better than this. That she needed to focus on what’s good for her. I think once she realised that, she makes the decisions that are best for her. I liked the banter between Addison and her brothers, I mean, they drove me crazy, at one point I was like, just tell them to mind their own bloody business you’re a grown arse woman. lol. But, that’s just me. I’m hoping we see more from them.
This story is full of angst and emotions. The book is called Deceit…so that kinda gives it away. You know, I don’t really like books where I feel a character is being manipulated, I don’t know what it is, I have a very visceral reaction to it. I’m like, this book isn’t for me, I don’t like that they’re being manipulated and misled, it just makes me feel wrong. And that the characters aren’t being treated as they should. That wasn’t the case with this book, I think because we had Olly’s PoV as well, we kind of understand more about what was going on. If you enjoy stories that have a hard-fought happy ever after, this is the book for you. They fight, they go through a lot of ups and downs, where they just can’t seem to resist one another, even though they should. Ultimately, they have a lot of outside influence where they do what they need to rather than what their hearts want and are telling them. I think once they start listening to their hearts it’s over. And I thought that was great. There is a big reveal towards the end that pulls everything together and explains things, it was shocking. All the things I expected, that wasn’t it. I love that. I often figure out twists and what not, so when I don’t and it just comes out of left field, I just love it. It’s such a great feeling to know you can still be surprised. That is really something that worked really well and how it fed into the story worked fabulously, often you don’t really see it. This book hit me in the heart and gut. It made me laugh and shed a few tears. Yeah, it totally made me swoon too. This was everything I wanted in a book. It was a joy to listen to and I loved every second of it.
As stated previously, each book has a theme running throughout it and maybe Ava has her own idea of that and it might differ to mine, but this is how I interpreted it. , I felt this book was very much about learning to stand on your own two feet, and realizing that you can be strong and vulnerable at the same time. That the mistakes of our past shouldn’t define us. We make mistakes and it’s learning from them that shows the type of person we truly are. Another key point is about the lengths we’ll go and what we’re willing to give up for our family ties. Definitely a five star must listen. Let’s talk a minute about the Britishness of the story, I know I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating. Ava does such an incredible job of making it believable. We live in a very multicultural world these days, language has and is evolving, whether that’s through books, tv shows, movies, knowledge, who knows, but the limitations that we once had have lifted and words are used worldwide that once was very much based on location. Ava does an incredible job of making it obvious the character is British without overselling it. She has a very good balance and I love the attention to detail she has. The cover of this book is Olly. No doubt about it. I’m not a huge fan of shirtless men covers, but this one is just, insert all the heart eyes. I love it so much, and all I see is Olly.
Shane East was perfection as Oliver. Ava just needs to write all British heroes from now on. So that Shane can narrate ALL THE BOOKS. He has such a wonderful tone that it’s easy to listen to, and it really works well for the story and the alternating between charming, funny quips and emotion are done with such ease. Shane’s accent is fantabulous. There is a reason he is the number one go-to for British characters. He just nails it, with every single performance. As someone that doesn’t swoon over the accent, and will even avoid it, at times, I seek out Shane performances, and that should tell you a lot about how good he is. Not only that, but it’s not just his voice, it’s how he performs it. This story has emotional moments, it has swoon moments, it has angst-filled moments and he delivers each and every one of those emotions, so well, that you believe it. And I think that’s the difference. It’s believable. You believe that this character is experiencing these things. You can feel the conflict through the performance. I’ve already read the book, so I know what happens and what’s coming and listening to it gives it a whole new feel.
I struggled a little with Lucy Rivers’ performance. I ended up having to increase the speed as the words were drawn out and it was difficult to stay focused on the story and not get distracted by the narration. The British accent was not as I’d hoped, perhaps because I’m British and I’m always harder on people doing the accent, as opposed to it being their accent, or maybe it was because not only was she having to do the accent but in a male voice too. I don’t know. I just know I really struggled but it did get easier to listen to once I increased the speed. I hate having to say this, but at the same time, I’m always going, to be honest about what works for me and what doesn’t (emphasis on ME) I will say that the emotion she put across in the Addison scenes, especially when the deceit came to light, and she was upset and dealing with the betrayal was really well done. I thought that came across really well. That was probably the highlight of the performance for me - the emotional connection. I cannot stress enough that this is a personal preference and that anyone reading this might think something completely different. I’m a firm believer in that we all hear things differently, and we all interpret it differently, and we all have different likes and dislikes. I’ve listened to Lucy in other books and enjoyed them, so I think this must just be a case of wrong time/ mood and wrong book.
The production was great, with no issues, a line did repeat twice on one occasion, although, in all honesty, I’m sure most wouldn’t even notice. I’m just weird like that. Other than that, it was a typical top-notch Lyric Audiobook production.
Merged review:
arrison has once again written an incredibly angst-filled, emotional rollercoaster of a story that will leave you begging for more. Let’s take a minute to just thank all the higher powers that this woman decided to become a writer. And that she writes all the words. I’m going through her back catalogue because her words just affect me so much and I need them all. The new releases hooked me, but I need more. It’s rare that I read a book by Ava and don’t cry, don’t laugh, and don’t have those connections to the characters. Having that sort of reaction is fantastic, and it’s such a testament to her skill as a writer. That it makes a person want to read and listen to all her work. Her stories always have a deeper meaning/ theme running through them and no matter what it is they are always amazing and hit you right in the gut. Squeezing every ouch of feeling from you. I swear, I’m giving her a jar of my tears to savour.
Are British accents your thing? If they are Deceit is for you. It’s a wonderful story. It has a British character, obviously. Oliver Blackthorn. And an American, Addison Price. When we met Olly in Intention (very briefly, and not needed for this story) I was intrigued and jumped for joy when I realised Deceit was about him. It’s amazing how a little peek at a character can grab your attention and make you want more. And more we got. Oliver is so much more than I ever thought he’d be. Deceit was everything I never knew I wanted in a book. As I said above, I’m going through Ava’s back catalogue and recently finished Clandestine, (also not needed for this story) where I met Addison, I gotta say, I wasn’t enamoured with her…which is what makes this book so good. Because I adored her. She, like Olly, was so much more than I ever anticipated.
I thought Olly and Addison were perfect together, I got so frustrated at parts where I just wanted to bash their heads together. But that’s what makes it such a great book, that you become invested in the story and the characters. Olly is charming as anything, no lie. This guy could charm the pants off a nun. Honestly, he is so good. You are going to love him, even in his deceit you can’t help but love him because you know, he has a reason for his actions you just don’t know fully what they are. Other than an obligation to his family. But on top of that you also know that it’s not something he truly wants, he doesn’t want to deceive her but it’s a means to an end. Addison, I wasn’t sure I was going to like, but actually, I thought she was lovely. She’s this strong independent woman that is letting her emotions rule her and I don’t think she truly realised how much she was until the deceit. And seeing her come to the realisation that actually, she’s strong and better than this. That she needed to focus on what’s good for her. I think once she realised that, she makes the decisions that are best for her. I liked the banter between Addison and her brothers, I mean, they drove me crazy, at one point I was like, just tell them to mind their own bloody business you’re a grown arse woman. lol. But, that’s just me. I’m hoping we see more from them.
This story is full of angst and emotions. The book is called Deceit…so that kinda gives it away. You know, I don’t really like books where I feel a character is being manipulated, I don’t know what it is, I have a very visceral reaction to it. I’m like, this book isn’t for me, I don’t like that they’re being manipulated and misled, it just makes me feel wrong. And that the characters aren’t being treated as they should. That wasn’t the case with this book, I think because we had Olly’s PoV as well, we kind of understand more about what was going on. If you enjoy stories that have a hard-fought happy ever after, this is the book for you. They fight, they go through a lot of ups and downs, where they just can’t seem to resist one another, even though they should. Ultimately, they have a lot of outside influence where they do what they need to rather than what their hearts want and are telling them. I think once they start listening to their hearts it’s over. And I thought that was great. There is a big reveal towards the end that pulls everything together and explains things, it was shocking. All the things I expected, that wasn’t it. I love that. I often figure out twists and what not, so when I don’t and it just comes out of left field, I just love it. It’s such a great feeling to know you can still be surprised. That is really something that worked really well and how it fed into the story worked fabulously, often you don’t really see it. This book hit me in the heart and gut. It made me laugh and shed a few tears. Yeah, it totally made me swoon too. This was everything I wanted in a book. It was a joy to listen to and I loved every second of it.
As stated previously, each book has a theme running throughout it and maybe Ava has her own idea of that and it might differ to mine, but this is how I interpreted it. , I felt this book was very much about learning to stand on your own two feet, and realizing that you can be strong and vulnerable at the same time. That the mistakes of our past shouldn’t define us. We make mistakes and it’s learning from them that shows the type of person we truly are. Another key point is about the lengths we’ll go and what we’re willing to give up for our family ties. Definitely a five star must listen. Let’s talk a minute about the Britishness of the story, I know I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating. Ava does such an incredible job of making it believable. We live in a very multicultural world these days, language has and is evolving, whether that’s through books, tv shows, movies, knowledge, who knows, but the limitations that we once had have lifted and words are used worldwide that once was very much based on location. Ava does an incredible job of making it obvious the character is British without overselling it. She has a very good balance and I love the attention to detail she has. The cover of this book is Olly. No doubt about it. I’m not a huge fan of shirtless men covers, but this one is just, insert all the heart eyes. I love it so much, and all I see is Olly.
Shane East was perfection as Oliver. Ava just needs to write all British heroes from now on. So that Shane can narrate ALL THE BOOKS. He has such a wonderful tone that it’s easy to listen to, and it really works well for the story and the alternating between charming, funny quips and emotion are done with such ease. Shane’s accent is fantabulous. There is a reason he is the number one go-to for British characters. He just nails it, with every single performance. As someone that doesn’t swoon over the accent, and will even avoid it, at times, I seek out Shane performances, and that should tell you a lot about how good he is. Not only that, but it’s not just his voice, it’s how he performs it. This story has emotional moments, it has swoon moments, it has angst-filled moments and he delivers each and every one of those emotions, so well, that you believe it. And I think that’s the difference. It’s believable. You believe that this character is experiencing these things. You can feel the conflict through the performance. I’ve already read the book, so I know what happens and what’s coming and listening to it gives it a whole new feel.
I struggled a little with Lucy Rivers’ performance. I ended up having to increase the speed as the words were drawn out and it was difficult to stay focused on the story and not get distracted by the narration. The British accent was not as I’d hoped, perhaps because I’m British and I’m always harder on people doing the accent, as opposed to it being their accent, or maybe it was because not only was she having to do the accent but in a male voice too. I don’t know. I just know I really struggled but it did get easier to listen to once I increased the speed. I hate having to say this, but at the same time, I’m always going, to be honest about what works for me and what doesn’t (emphasis on ME) I will say that the emotion she put across in the Addison scenes, especially when the deceit came to light, and she was upset and dealing with the betrayal was really well done. I thought that came across really well. That was probably the highlight of the performance for me - the emotional connection. I cannot stress enough that this is a personal preference and that anyone reading this might think something completely different. I’m a firm believer in that we all hear things differently, and we all interpret it differently, and we all have different likes and dislikes. I’ve listened to Lucy in other books and enjoyed them, so I think this must just be a case of wrong time/ mood and wrong book.
The production was great, with no issues, a line did repeat twice on one occasion, although, in all honesty, I’m sure most wouldn’t even notice. I’m just weird like that. Other than that, it was a typical top-notch Lyric Audiobook production.
Are British accents your thing? If they are Deceit is for you. It’s a wonderful story. It has a British character, obviously. Oliver Blackthorn. And an American, Addison Price. When we met Olly in Intention (very briefly, and not needed for this story) I was intrigued and jumped for joy when I realised Deceit was about him. It’s amazing how a little peek at a character can grab your attention and make you want more. And more we got. Oliver is so much more than I ever thought he’d be. Deceit was everything I never knew I wanted in a book. As I said above, I’m going through Ava’s back catalogue and recently finished Clandestine, (also not needed for this story) where I met Addison, I gotta say, I wasn’t enamoured with her…which is what makes this book so good. Because I adored her. She, like Olly, was so much more than I ever anticipated.
I thought Olly and Addison were perfect together, I got so frustrated at parts where I just wanted to bash their heads together. But that’s what makes it such a great book, that you become invested in the story and the characters. Olly is charming as anything, no lie. This guy could charm the pants off a nun. Honestly, he is so good. You are going to love him, even in his deceit you can’t help but love him because you know, he has a reason for his actions you just don’t know fully what they are. Other than an obligation to his family. But on top of that you also know that it’s not something he truly wants, he doesn’t want to deceive her but it’s a means to an end. Addison, I wasn’t sure I was going to like, but actually, I thought she was lovely. She’s this strong independent woman that is letting her emotions rule her and I don’t think she truly realised how much she was until the deceit. And seeing her come to the realisation that actually, she’s strong and better than this. That she needed to focus on what’s good for her. I think once she realised that, she makes the decisions that are best for her. I liked the banter between Addison and her brothers, I mean, they drove me crazy, at one point I was like, just tell them to mind their own bloody business you’re a grown arse woman. lol. But, that’s just me. I’m hoping we see more from them.
This story is full of angst and emotions. The book is called Deceit…so that kinda gives it away. You know, I don’t really like books where I feel a character is being manipulated, I don’t know what it is, I have a very visceral reaction to it. I’m like, this book isn’t for me, I don’t like that they’re being manipulated and misled, it just makes me feel wrong. And that the characters aren’t being treated as they should. That wasn’t the case with this book, I think because we had Olly’s PoV as well, we kind of understand more about what was going on. If you enjoy stories that have a hard-fought happy ever after, this is the book for you. They fight, they go through a lot of ups and downs, where they just can’t seem to resist one another, even though they should. Ultimately, they have a lot of outside influence where they do what they need to rather than what their hearts want and are telling them. I think once they start listening to their hearts it’s over. And I thought that was great. There is a big reveal towards the end that pulls everything together and explains things, it was shocking. All the things I expected, that wasn’t it. I love that. I often figure out twists and what not, so when I don’t and it just comes out of left field, I just love it. It’s such a great feeling to know you can still be surprised. That is really something that worked really well and how it fed into the story worked fabulously, often you don’t really see it. This book hit me in the heart and gut. It made me laugh and shed a few tears. Yeah, it totally made me swoon too. This was everything I wanted in a book. It was a joy to listen to and I loved every second of it.
As stated previously, each book has a theme running throughout it and maybe Ava has her own idea of that and it might differ to mine, but this is how I interpreted it. , I felt this book was very much about learning to stand on your own two feet, and realizing that you can be strong and vulnerable at the same time. That the mistakes of our past shouldn’t define us. We make mistakes and it’s learning from them that shows the type of person we truly are. Another key point is about the lengths we’ll go and what we’re willing to give up for our family ties. Definitely a five star must listen. Let’s talk a minute about the Britishness of the story, I know I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating. Ava does such an incredible job of making it believable. We live in a very multicultural world these days, language has and is evolving, whether that’s through books, tv shows, movies, knowledge, who knows, but the limitations that we once had have lifted and words are used worldwide that once was very much based on location. Ava does an incredible job of making it obvious the character is British without overselling it. She has a very good balance and I love the attention to detail she has. The cover of this book is Olly. No doubt about it. I’m not a huge fan of shirtless men covers, but this one is just, insert all the heart eyes. I love it so much, and all I see is Olly.
Shane East was perfection as Oliver. Ava just needs to write all British heroes from now on. So that Shane can narrate ALL THE BOOKS. He has such a wonderful tone that it’s easy to listen to, and it really works well for the story and the alternating between charming, funny quips and emotion are done with such ease. Shane’s accent is fantabulous. There is a reason he is the number one go-to for British characters. He just nails it, with every single performance. As someone that doesn’t swoon over the accent, and will even avoid it, at times, I seek out Shane performances, and that should tell you a lot about how good he is. Not only that, but it’s not just his voice, it’s how he performs it. This story has emotional moments, it has swoon moments, it has angst-filled moments and he delivers each and every one of those emotions, so well, that you believe it. And I think that’s the difference. It’s believable. You believe that this character is experiencing these things. You can feel the conflict through the performance. I’ve already read the book, so I know what happens and what’s coming and listening to it gives it a whole new feel.
I struggled a little with Lucy Rivers’ performance. I ended up having to increase the speed as the words were drawn out and it was difficult to stay focused on the story and not get distracted by the narration. The British accent was not as I’d hoped, perhaps because I’m British and I’m always harder on people doing the accent, as opposed to it being their accent, or maybe it was because not only was she having to do the accent but in a male voice too. I don’t know. I just know I really struggled but it did get easier to listen to once I increased the speed. I hate having to say this, but at the same time, I’m always going, to be honest about what works for me and what doesn’t (emphasis on ME) I will say that the emotion she put across in the Addison scenes, especially when the deceit came to light, and she was upset and dealing with the betrayal was really well done. I thought that came across really well. That was probably the highlight of the performance for me - the emotional connection. I cannot stress enough that this is a personal preference and that anyone reading this might think something completely different. I’m a firm believer in that we all hear things differently, and we all interpret it differently, and we all have different likes and dislikes. I’ve listened to Lucy in other books and enjoyed them, so I think this must just be a case of wrong time/ mood and wrong book.
The production was great, with no issues, a line did repeat twice on one occasion, although, in all honesty, I’m sure most wouldn’t even notice. I’m just weird like that. Other than that, it was a typical top-notch Lyric Audiobook production.
Merged review:
arrison has once again written an incredibly angst-filled, emotional rollercoaster of a story that will leave you begging for more. Let’s take a minute to just thank all the higher powers that this woman decided to become a writer. And that she writes all the words. I’m going through her back catalogue because her words just affect me so much and I need them all. The new releases hooked me, but I need more. It’s rare that I read a book by Ava and don’t cry, don’t laugh, and don’t have those connections to the characters. Having that sort of reaction is fantastic, and it’s such a testament to her skill as a writer. That it makes a person want to read and listen to all her work. Her stories always have a deeper meaning/ theme running through them and no matter what it is they are always amazing and hit you right in the gut. Squeezing every ouch of feeling from you. I swear, I’m giving her a jar of my tears to savour.
Are British accents your thing? If they are Deceit is for you. It’s a wonderful story. It has a British character, obviously. Oliver Blackthorn. And an American, Addison Price. When we met Olly in Intention (very briefly, and not needed for this story) I was intrigued and jumped for joy when I realised Deceit was about him. It’s amazing how a little peek at a character can grab your attention and make you want more. And more we got. Oliver is so much more than I ever thought he’d be. Deceit was everything I never knew I wanted in a book. As I said above, I’m going through Ava’s back catalogue and recently finished Clandestine, (also not needed for this story) where I met Addison, I gotta say, I wasn’t enamoured with her…which is what makes this book so good. Because I adored her. She, like Olly, was so much more than I ever anticipated.
I thought Olly and Addison were perfect together, I got so frustrated at parts where I just wanted to bash their heads together. But that’s what makes it such a great book, that you become invested in the story and the characters. Olly is charming as anything, no lie. This guy could charm the pants off a nun. Honestly, he is so good. You are going to love him, even in his deceit you can’t help but love him because you know, he has a reason for his actions you just don’t know fully what they are. Other than an obligation to his family. But on top of that you also know that it’s not something he truly wants, he doesn’t want to deceive her but it’s a means to an end. Addison, I wasn’t sure I was going to like, but actually, I thought she was lovely. She’s this strong independent woman that is letting her emotions rule her and I don’t think she truly realised how much she was until the deceit. And seeing her come to the realisation that actually, she’s strong and better than this. That she needed to focus on what’s good for her. I think once she realised that, she makes the decisions that are best for her. I liked the banter between Addison and her brothers, I mean, they drove me crazy, at one point I was like, just tell them to mind their own bloody business you’re a grown arse woman. lol. But, that’s just me. I’m hoping we see more from them.
This story is full of angst and emotions. The book is called Deceit…so that kinda gives it away. You know, I don’t really like books where I feel a character is being manipulated, I don’t know what it is, I have a very visceral reaction to it. I’m like, this book isn’t for me, I don’t like that they’re being manipulated and misled, it just makes me feel wrong. And that the characters aren’t being treated as they should. That wasn’t the case with this book, I think because we had Olly’s PoV as well, we kind of understand more about what was going on. If you enjoy stories that have a hard-fought happy ever after, this is the book for you. They fight, they go through a lot of ups and downs, where they just can’t seem to resist one another, even though they should. Ultimately, they have a lot of outside influence where they do what they need to rather than what their hearts want and are telling them. I think once they start listening to their hearts it’s over. And I thought that was great. There is a big reveal towards the end that pulls everything together and explains things, it was shocking. All the things I expected, that wasn’t it. I love that. I often figure out twists and what not, so when I don’t and it just comes out of left field, I just love it. It’s such a great feeling to know you can still be surprised. That is really something that worked really well and how it fed into the story worked fabulously, often you don’t really see it. This book hit me in the heart and gut. It made me laugh and shed a few tears. Yeah, it totally made me swoon too. This was everything I wanted in a book. It was a joy to listen to and I loved every second of it.
As stated previously, each book has a theme running throughout it and maybe Ava has her own idea of that and it might differ to mine, but this is how I interpreted it. , I felt this book was very much about learning to stand on your own two feet, and realizing that you can be strong and vulnerable at the same time. That the mistakes of our past shouldn’t define us. We make mistakes and it’s learning from them that shows the type of person we truly are. Another key point is about the lengths we’ll go and what we’re willing to give up for our family ties. Definitely a five star must listen. Let’s talk a minute about the Britishness of the story, I know I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating. Ava does such an incredible job of making it believable. We live in a very multicultural world these days, language has and is evolving, whether that’s through books, tv shows, movies, knowledge, who knows, but the limitations that we once had have lifted and words are used worldwide that once was very much based on location. Ava does an incredible job of making it obvious the character is British without overselling it. She has a very good balance and I love the attention to detail she has. The cover of this book is Olly. No doubt about it. I’m not a huge fan of shirtless men covers, but this one is just, insert all the heart eyes. I love it so much, and all I see is Olly.
Shane East was perfection as Oliver. Ava just needs to write all British heroes from now on. So that Shane can narrate ALL THE BOOKS. He has such a wonderful tone that it’s easy to listen to, and it really works well for the story and the alternating between charming, funny quips and emotion are done with such ease. Shane’s accent is fantabulous. There is a reason he is the number one go-to for British characters. He just nails it, with every single performance. As someone that doesn’t swoon over the accent, and will even avoid it, at times, I seek out Shane performances, and that should tell you a lot about how good he is. Not only that, but it’s not just his voice, it’s how he performs it. This story has emotional moments, it has swoon moments, it has angst-filled moments and he delivers each and every one of those emotions, so well, that you believe it. And I think that’s the difference. It’s believable. You believe that this character is experiencing these things. You can feel the conflict through the performance. I’ve already read the book, so I know what happens and what’s coming and listening to it gives it a whole new feel.
I struggled a little with Lucy Rivers’ performance. I ended up having to increase the speed as the words were drawn out and it was difficult to stay focused on the story and not get distracted by the narration. The British accent was not as I’d hoped, perhaps because I’m British and I’m always harder on people doing the accent, as opposed to it being their accent, or maybe it was because not only was she having to do the accent but in a male voice too. I don’t know. I just know I really struggled but it did get easier to listen to once I increased the speed. I hate having to say this, but at the same time, I’m always going, to be honest about what works for me and what doesn’t (emphasis on ME) I will say that the emotion she put across in the Addison scenes, especially when the deceit came to light, and she was upset and dealing with the betrayal was really well done. I thought that came across really well. That was probably the highlight of the performance for me - the emotional connection. I cannot stress enough that this is a personal preference and that anyone reading this might think something completely different. I’m a firm believer in that we all hear things differently, and we all interpret it differently, and we all have different likes and dislikes. I’ve listened to Lucy in other books and enjoyed them, so I think this must just be a case of wrong time/ mood and wrong book.
The production was great, with no issues, a line did repeat twice on one occasion, although, in all honesty, I’m sure most wouldn’t even notice. I’m just weird like that. Other than that, it was a typical top-notch Lyric Audiobook production.
ninadonata's review against another edition
5.0
We all ready know that books written by this author are high on my favorite list. Because of this was over the moon excited for Deceit.
All my excitement was earned because this book is about some Characters that we meet in tow other series also written by Miss Harrison. Because both of them seemed really interesting to me in the books where they appeared.
It was really interesting that we had a male main character who is royal. Because In my opinion nobels have their owns magic.
As we from books written by Ava the style of writing has been amazing.putting this book down was impossible.
An other thing wich is typical for books written by this author is that she chooses the write words to show emotions and her books always have serious themes.
But in some points this book had been lighter than her books i read before. I loved out loud but when the characters felt bad i cried. I never felt bad about exoressing my feelings while reading.
Olliver was a man with a lot of charisma. He totally is aware of the fact that he has decissions to make like an adult. But if cares for you he does it with his whole heart. He doesn't says the truth every time. He can teach you how to live. Heloves fiercely.
Addison is really hard working women. Who sometimes forgets how enjoy things she blames her self for things she has done wrong when she was young. She loves with all her heart but she puts family first. She fights for what she wants. If you loose her trust it isn't easy to get it back.
To conclude i would say that this very emotional story is able to get to every one. You can love with the characters and cry with them. This book cought me from the first page. so no wonder it gets all the possible stars.
Merged review:
We all ready know that books written by this author are high on my favorite list. Because of this was over the moon excited for Deceit.
All my excitement was earned because this book is about some Characters that we meet in tow other series also written by Miss Harrison. Because both of them seemed really interesting to me in the books where they appeared.
It was really interesting that we had a male main character who is royal. Because In my opinion nobels have their owns magic.
As we from books written by Ava the style of writing has been amazing.putting this book down was impossible.
An other thing wich is typical for books written by this author is that she chooses the write words to show emotions and her books always have serious themes.
But in some points this book had been lighter than her books i read before. I loved out loud but when the characters felt bad i cried. I never felt bad about exoressing my feelings while reading.
Olliver was a man with a lot of charisma. He totally is aware of the fact that he has decissions to make like an adult. But if cares for you he does it with his whole heart. He doesn't says the truth every time. He can teach you how to live. Heloves fiercely.
Addison is really hard working women. Who sometimes forgets how enjoy things she blames her self for things she has done wrong when she was young. She loves with all her heart but she puts family first. She fights for what she wants. If you loose her trust it isn't easy to get it back.
To conclude i would say that this very emotional story is able to get to every one. You can love with the characters and cry with them. This book cought me from the first page. so no wonder it gets all the possible stars.
All my excitement was earned because this book is about some Characters that we meet in tow other series also written by Miss Harrison. Because both of them seemed really interesting to me in the books where they appeared.
It was really interesting that we had a male main character who is royal. Because In my opinion nobels have their owns magic.
As we from books written by Ava the style of writing has been amazing.putting this book down was impossible.
An other thing wich is typical for books written by this author is that she chooses the write words to show emotions and her books always have serious themes.
But in some points this book had been lighter than her books i read before. I loved out loud but when the characters felt bad i cried. I never felt bad about exoressing my feelings while reading.
Olliver was a man with a lot of charisma. He totally is aware of the fact that he has decissions to make like an adult. But if cares for you he does it with his whole heart. He doesn't says the truth every time. He can teach you how to live. Heloves fiercely.
Addison is really hard working women. Who sometimes forgets how enjoy things she blames her self for things she has done wrong when she was young. She loves with all her heart but she puts family first. She fights for what she wants. If you loose her trust it isn't easy to get it back.
To conclude i would say that this very emotional story is able to get to every one. You can love with the characters and cry with them. This book cought me from the first page. so no wonder it gets all the possible stars.
Merged review:
We all ready know that books written by this author are high on my favorite list. Because of this was over the moon excited for Deceit.
All my excitement was earned because this book is about some Characters that we meet in tow other series also written by Miss Harrison. Because both of them seemed really interesting to me in the books where they appeared.
It was really interesting that we had a male main character who is royal. Because In my opinion nobels have their owns magic.
As we from books written by Ava the style of writing has been amazing.putting this book down was impossible.
An other thing wich is typical for books written by this author is that she chooses the write words to show emotions and her books always have serious themes.
But in some points this book had been lighter than her books i read before. I loved out loud but when the characters felt bad i cried. I never felt bad about exoressing my feelings while reading.
Olliver was a man with a lot of charisma. He totally is aware of the fact that he has decissions to make like an adult. But if cares for you he does it with his whole heart. He doesn't says the truth every time. He can teach you how to live. Heloves fiercely.
Addison is really hard working women. Who sometimes forgets how enjoy things she blames her self for things she has done wrong when she was young. She loves with all her heart but she puts family first. She fights for what she wants. If you loose her trust it isn't easy to get it back.
To conclude i would say that this very emotional story is able to get to every one. You can love with the characters and cry with them. This book cought me from the first page. so no wonder it gets all the possible stars.
serialbookstarter's review against another edition
4.0
The Earl pretends to Be an average guy so he can buy back land from the Price family heiress that his father lost in a card game. The MC’s have smutty good times until finally the H’s Mom Is sold The land by the h Ava Price.The H Olly the Earl Promptly drops the h. He has buyers remorse but his lovely has moved on and eventually becomes engaged to another man. There’s a lot of separation of the main characters in this book which I absolutely hate. Angst and an hea. 4 stars because listening on audible made it better than actually reading it which is a rarity for me.
bookwormbetty's review against another edition
5.0
Done. Put a fork in me I am done. This book is so angst filled, ugh feels like she crushed my heart. Honestly, this world Ava built is something else. You get so caught up in the book you don't realize you are not actually a part of it. To me, that is pure gold. Having a relationship based on lies is a dangerous thing. I am not rehashing the plot..y'all can read, but this book...this book y'all will steal your soul. Told in dual pov, it's really easy to get sucked in when you know how each character is feeling, thinking, doing. Another masterpiece for sure.
the_sassy_bookworm's review against another edition
3.0
So where to begin? I wanted to love this book. It had all the makings of an angsty 5 Star read. A hot British royal. A feisty heroine. Secrets. Lies. Hot sex. Sweet moments. Romantic moments. And the first 60% was fantastic and heading in that direction. Then the other shoe dropped and the last 40% of this book was drama llama overload. Time jumps. An entire year separation where the heroine Spoiler
dates, sleeps with, and gets engaged to another man.So yea, the first 60% was close to perfect. The last 40% of the book didn't work for me. C'est la vie.
Merged review:
So where to begin? I wanted to love this book. It had all the makings of an angsty 5 Star read. A hot British royal. A feisty heroine. Secrets. Lies. Hot sex. Sweet moments. Romantic moments. And the first 60% was fantastic and heading in that direction. Then the other shoe dropped and the last 40% of this book was drama llama overload. Time jumps. An entire year separation where the heroine Spoiler
dates, sleeps with, and gets engaged to another man.So yea, the first 60% was close to perfect. The last 40% of the book didn't work for me. C'est la vie.
jlwright04's review against another edition
4.0
Good Story Overall ...but a little frustrating. Which I guess makes it better since it brings out thought and emotions.
The angst in this book was HIGH and that’s not my thing really. I like a smoother transition.
However she does find herself before she figures out where to go on her love life and I enjoyed that aspect a lot.
Narrators were great!
Shane East always nails his performances!!
This was my first by Lucy but she was wonderful!
(took me a month to finish simply because of a two week vacation in the middle ;) )
The angst in this book was HIGH and that’s not my thing really. I like a smoother transition.
However she does find herself before she figures out where to go on her love life and I enjoyed that aspect a lot.
Narrators were great!
Shane East always nails his performances!!
This was my first by Lucy but she was wonderful!
(took me a month to finish simply because of a two week vacation in the middle ;) )
laibah's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ashreads11's review against another edition
5.0
Addie and Olly!
They are so adorable. This book had me hooked from the moment I saw Shane East was a narrator for this.
This book had me laughing out loud a lot and really getting into what Addie was going through when you know (no spoiler) read to find out. Those two were adorable the moment they met. This book is definitely worth the read
They are so adorable. This book had me hooked from the moment I saw Shane East was a narrator for this.
This book had me laughing out loud a lot and really getting into what Addie was going through when you know (no spoiler) read to find out. Those two were adorable the moment they met. This book is definitely worth the read