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A review by thebritishbibliophile
To Have and Hate by Donna Alam
5.0
I would like to first thank Donna for personally approaching me--upon the recommendation by a fellow audiobook lover--, offering me the chance to listen to an Advanced Listener Copy of To Have & Hate. I appreciate it! This review is written with full honesty.
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I haven't had the pleasure to read this story, written by Donna Alam, so this was my first encounter with the characters. And what a way to do it than with my favourite narrator co-narrating. Yes, it's none other than Mr Shane East. More on him later.
Immediately after being emailed and asked if I was willing to listen to this audiobook, I hopped on the web to see what it was all about. There was no way I wasn't saying yes when Shane was involved, but I was curious as to what the storyline alluded to from the blurb. Right off the bat, we were promised a fake relationship/marriage of convenience. Sign. Me. Up! I could've stopped here after reading the first few lines of the blurb--which are also extracts from within the book--, as those lines were more than enough to convince me to say yes to listening. Still, I read on.
Alpha male, check. Strangers to Lovers, check. Independent woman, check. Hate to Love, check.
Shane East and Mackenzie Cartwright did Donna justice, and I can say this even without having read the book before hand to compare it to and back it up with. Hearing the story first before reading it wasn't something I've done before, but Shane and Mackenzie--two narrators I've listened to before--guided me in nicely and set the scene, tone, and told the story superbly. There isn't anything that Shane can't narrate, and he really gave it his all and managed to convey what I expect Donna had envisioned that Beckett would be when she wrote him. His--Beckett's--personality shone through, made me mad at times when he was so hard-headed and typical alpha male, while at the same time making me fall head over heels. Much like how Olivia and Beckett met. Mackenzie's voice is always a pleasant balm to listen to, and I've missed hearing her in the audiobooks I have been listening to. She was perfect for the role of Olivia. I could hear the fire, fierceness and stubborn independence in her tone, echoing the character, and her attempt at a British accent--copying Shane's accent when reading Beckett's parts in her POV--, brilliant!
Bonus kudos to Donna for injecting comedic moments into the storyline. Alpha males and strong females often clash a lot, which means the angst we love so much, but I'm a reader who loves a book that also makes her laugh (and sometimes giggle-snorting very ungracefully), and there were times within this book that with the help of Shane and Mackenzie, brought light and comedic relief. Thank you for that, Donna.
Though this was the first time of encountering Donna Alam, I'm very proud to say that it won't be my last. She is a lovely person in the interactions we've had, a talented author and I'm definitely going to be doing my research to see which of her books I'm going to be adding to my TBR next.
Five stars!
------------
I haven't had the pleasure to read this story, written by Donna Alam, so this was my first encounter with the characters. And what a way to do it than with my favourite narrator co-narrating. Yes, it's none other than Mr Shane East. More on him later.
Immediately after being emailed and asked if I was willing to listen to this audiobook, I hopped on the web to see what it was all about. There was no way I wasn't saying yes when Shane was involved, but I was curious as to what the storyline alluded to from the blurb. Right off the bat, we were promised a fake relationship/marriage of convenience. Sign. Me. Up! I could've stopped here after reading the first few lines of the blurb--which are also extracts from within the book--, as those lines were more than enough to convince me to say yes to listening. Still, I read on.
Alpha male, check. Strangers to Lovers, check. Independent woman, check. Hate to Love, check.
Shane East and Mackenzie Cartwright did Donna justice, and I can say this even without having read the book before hand to compare it to and back it up with. Hearing the story first before reading it wasn't something I've done before, but Shane and Mackenzie--two narrators I've listened to before--guided me in nicely and set the scene, tone, and told the story superbly. There isn't anything that Shane can't narrate, and he really gave it his all and managed to convey what I expect Donna had envisioned that Beckett would be when she wrote him. His--Beckett's--personality shone through, made me mad at times when he was so hard-headed and typical alpha male, while at the same time making me fall head over heels. Much like how Olivia and Beckett met. Mackenzie's voice is always a pleasant balm to listen to, and I've missed hearing her in the audiobooks I have been listening to. She was perfect for the role of Olivia. I could hear the fire, fierceness and stubborn independence in her tone, echoing the character, and her attempt at a British accent--copying Shane's accent when reading Beckett's parts in her POV--, brilliant!
Bonus kudos to Donna for injecting comedic moments into the storyline. Alpha males and strong females often clash a lot, which means the angst we love so much, but I'm a reader who loves a book that also makes her laugh (and sometimes giggle-snorting very ungracefully), and there were times within this book that with the help of Shane and Mackenzie, brought light and comedic relief. Thank you for that, Donna.
Though this was the first time of encountering Donna Alam, I'm very proud to say that it won't be my last. She is a lovely person in the interactions we've had, a talented author and I'm definitely going to be doing my research to see which of her books I'm going to be adding to my TBR next.
Five stars!