Entice

Ava Harrison is the goddess of angsty, sexy, all the feels, believable reads and this book is all of those things and more. I love an age gap romance and not only is Entice an age gap, but also a dad's best friend story. Hello! Yes, please! I loved the touch of forbidden with this one. Her words draw me in and leave me reeling. Every. Darn. Time. They're beautiful and angsty, and real - there are always real emotions and fears in her books that keep me turning the page...or avoiding that pause button. Full transparency, I did not feed my family today, they fended for themselves, so I could stay immersed in Ava's world. Entice is another spectacular addition to her catalogue of books.

Grayson Price is a broody, unfeeling, and well, quite simply, grumpy bugger...who also happens to be sexy as hell. He's dealt with a lot of loss that has shaped his opinions and actions. He thinks he's protecting himself and others by not opening up, so even though he is grumpy, his reasons are valid and it makes him all the more lovable. River hasn't had the easiest childhood, she experienced a very erratic upbringing before landing on her father's doorstep at age twelve...the same day she met and became infatuated with, Grayson Price. The events in her past have left her scarred and insecure. Her fears of abandonment are very real and affect the way she deals with things. Despite that, she has a friendly and happy personality.

Sometimes you meet characters, and you just fall in love with them, that happened with Grayson and River. They are so different that they were the perfect complement to each other. Grayson was broody and unfeeling, whereas River was joyful and felt too much at times, they balanced each other out. The sexual tension between this couple is off the charts, I adored the will they, won't they element, even though we knew they would, we were just waiting on Grayson to make that move, and once he does, it's like a dam breaks. And it is perfection. River was definitely the girl to break Grayson out of his walled defence, and it was a joy to listen to his walls cracking as he let her in and opened himself up to love.

I loved the rekindled friendship between Grayson and Tyler, which is what made this book have that forbidden feel. I adored that River found herself a friend in Sadie and I'd love to see her have a story. There is a little undercurrent of mystery to the story, and I liked that it wasn't a big part of it, but enough to quip interest and have River be the one to want to figure it all out. A big part of the story is River's mom, and why she keeps abandoning her, I thought that was written to perfection, and I loved watching all those pieces fall into place. Gray's interactions with his family were fabulous, I always love seeing sibling connections. I cannot wait for Jax's book.

Sebastian York was fantastic as Grayson Price, it was brilliant casting. He plays the grumpy and lovable bachelor so fantastically. It's no secret that my favourite SebYo performance was in Absolution, but I think this one is next in line. Virginia Rose has such a lovely tone, and I thought she played the young and enticing River Reed wonderfully, I will say that if I hadn't known River's age, I'd have thought she was a little older but other than that, her performance was amazing. The emotional moments were performed spectacularly...I shed a few tears, not going to lie. I thought their voices complemented each other really well, and it was an enjoyable listen. I can rarely spend a whole day listening to a book these days, but I did, and it was a joy. The production was wonderful, with no noticeable issues.