Deceit

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.