Intention

Sometimes you read/ listen to a book and it's not what you expect. Intention is one of those books. I thought I'd enjoy it, but I wasn't expecting to connect so deeply. This book consumed me. It was everything. Things to know about me, I don't really like British heroes and I find it hard to connect with heroines. Things about this book, I adored Nathaniel Harrington, and I loved and connected with Madeline Montgomery. So yeah, that totally turned itself around and I love it when that happens. When something is so unexpected. Intention is everything, this book just captured my heart and soul, it made me laugh, it made me swoon, and it made me cry...honestly, at parts it made me sob. This book is a top read, not just of 2019, but ever! It just ticked so many boxes for me that it couldn't not.

Ava Harrison has become a must read author. She is amazingly talented and she handles sensitive subjects with such grace and sensitivity and embeds beauty and care into it so well, that is is just astounding. She clearly does an awful amount of research. You can't help but fall in love with her words and her characters. She's amazing, her writing is flawlessly beautiful and raw. I urge anybody to pick up a book of hers. But, especially this book. This book is special, this is the book that is going to grab people and say, you know what, yes! The whole book is just astounding and everything you could hope for in a book, it is just beautiful. I actually want Olly's story. What's his jam, what's going on. Who is this American he's talking about? I definitely look forward to more from Ava. You must pick up this book it is magnificent.

Nathaniel Harrington is a self-absorbed a-hole with a heart and I love him. He wants what he wants, he does what he wants and he's not going to let anything get in his way. He's the lost boy that never grew up, he's never had to. When his legacy is threatened he does what every normal person would do, he manipulates his sparring partner into becoming his fake girlfriend. Simples. Except, it's anything but simple, the chemistry and sexual tension is off the charts. It is only a matter of time before all that tension and banter would collide into something else and the more time they spend together the more their feelings change. Seeing the progression and growth in Nathaniel was awesome. He started as such an a-hole, a smooth, sexy, funny a-hole, but an a-hole just the same. And seeing him acknowledge and change from the party boy into the businessman with a heart of gold who just wanted to be happy. Madeline Montgomery is everything. I love her. It's rare I find a female character that I can identify with, that I can connect with and be on the side of. There were so many aspects of her life that I could relate to. She's a strong independent woman, she doesn't need anything, but, in reality, she does, she just doesn't know how she can have it. She doesn't want to fall in love, but she does anyway. She makes some questionable decisions that I'm sure will frustrate some listeners, but I totally understood them. They made my heart break for her. Her strength is the shining beacon of this story. Nathaniel and Madeline's relationship was really special, how they brought out the best in one another and the banter, man, it was awesome. I loved the whole Peter Pan element to the story. The epilogue was just everything I could have hoped for, and it was necessary. It really fits with the story, it offers an air of realism to what they're going through, and have been through as well, rather than just a simple, oh they lived happily ever after, which they do, don't get me wrong, this just isn't your typical and some people will not like that. Although it's short, it gives you all the details you need to know and the feeling that this wasn't just a quick fix.

The Britishness of the story is handled brilliantly, it's subtle and understated, every other word isn't bloody, and everybody drinking tea. Which believe it or not, we don't actually do. It is done in a way that it is obvious the character is British, but it's not in a way that you think OMG, this is an episode of Downton Abbey. I love the fact that this is set primarily in New York but one of the characters is British and therefore has British friends, and they do go over to London and have that time there and do some of the touristy things because you know, there is nothing worse than having a book set in London and having them doing touristy things that we just don't do. His reaction to it is very much how someone that has spent time in London would react, the touristy stuff is just that, for tourists. I thought that part was handled really well too. Credit to Ava for having the foresight to ask British readers to test read it to make sure she got it right. I wish more authors did this.

Shane East and Andi Arndt performed this book to perfection. Shane is the go-to voice for a British accent, and rightly so, he just nails every performance. He had the perfect style for the character of Nathaniel, he does sexy sarcasm so well. The progression of the character and his growth really came across brilliantly in is performance, and yes, lots of lots of swooning is to be had. Who can resist that accent? (Other than British listeners lol) Andi Arndt was fantastic as Madeline Montgomery, there are some emotional scenes that she just performed spectacularly. She left nothing out, every raw and heartbreaking part shined through. Andi is great at the smart and sassy characters and she didn't disappoint. I don't think I've ever heard her do a British accent before, and it was good, although, her male voice wasn't as swoony as normal (yeah, I swoon over a female's male voice - stop judging) but I think that is to be expected, I'm critical of the British accent anyhow and having it switch from Shane to Andi - you're going to notice it. I preferred Shane's Madeline to Andi's Nathaniel but I think many people would disagree, and that's going to be a location thing, I feel. That being said, there was nothing about their performances that I didn't like. If you pick up this audiobook, and I hope you do, I think you'll be swept away by their portrayal of these characters and their story.

I love this author, and I loved Madeline in the previous book, so I a was super excited to start this one. Alas, there were a couple of issues I had with it right off the bat. Strike one; I am just not a fan of uber manwhores anymore. IT HAS BEEN DONE TO DEATH. This hero was supposed to be 30, but he had the maturity level of a teenager. I am even less of a fan when his immaturity and whoring around is the catalyst for the entire story. Strike two; the heroine was two years older than the hero. I hate the whole older women/younger man trope, and yes even though it is just two years, it lessened my enjoyment. What can I say...I am picky like that!



So needless to say, I struggled a bit with this one. I never warmed up to Nathaniel. He just wasn't a likable hero (for me) for most of the book. As I mentioned above, I just found him very immature. Madeline on the other hand I LOVED. Girlfriend was FIERCE, and I loved that she was short (like me). As much as I disliked Nathaniel, I'll admit the banter between these two was fantastic, and they had amazing sexual chemistry. This author knows how to write and the book is definitely well written and well paced. The plot kept me engaged, even if it wasn't all that original. The fake girlfriend, enemies to lovers trope, is a popular one and in that regard, there wasn't anything new here. I've read slight variations on this plot 5000 times already. That said, it still managed to keep me entertained nonetheless. Neither were virgins. There was a good bit of OW drama (what exactly was the point of Cecile??) in this one (which again I am COMPLETELY over at this point), but no OM drama. This was a pretty slow burn, and there isn't any sex until 55% into the book. Last, it was all wrapped up in a sweet (if slightly) rushed ending.

So ya, another mixed bag for me. I seem to be stuck in mixed bag territory lately. However, I am still very much a fan of this author and hopefully, her next one will be a solid hit for me.