Clandestine

A Novel

By: Ava Harrison

Narrated by: Aaron Shedlock, Lia Langola

Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

One night. No names. No commitment. That was our agreement.

But Spencer Lancaster was addictive.

And I was high.

High off his taste, starved for his kiss, and desperate for his touch.

So when he asked me to stay, to enjoy his company for more nights than I knew I should, I wasn't in the right mind to say no.

Everything was perfect. A dream come true. But half a world away, there were secrets. Lies. Insecurities.

All of the truths that could tear us apart.

©2018 Ava Harrison (P)2018 Ava Harrison

groan... had to force myself to finish

probably some spoilers...

Hot, rich, alpha guy (who has been hurt and doesn't want a relationship) meets sweet, beautiful, troubled girl (a totally insecure formal model and addict) for a one night stand that, surprise, turns into more.

Him: Business trouble blah. Former cheating girl blah blah. He's closed off and kind of an ass.
Her: I'm not good/thin/smart enough. (Be prepared to hear this **A LOT** from her. Like, truly...A LOT)

The story felt trite and drawn out. The characters were terribly annoying and not very likable. The steamy scenes were not really that hot. The narration, while probably the best part of the book, was a bit melodramatic. I constantly rolled my eyes, grimaced, and groaned aloud. I guess I'm in the minority since the book has received good ratings...

What a story!

Ava Harrison has contributed to the Expose series in a way that for me is unexpected. The books I have listened to so far in the series are pretty light and fun, but this one has some real issues that are dealt with compassionately. Spencer and Olivia meet and their instant chemistry is evident. They don't give names, so the anonymity is all part of the fun. Getting together for a couple of weeks with the most eligible bachelor should be a breeze, but with Olivia's self confidence issues, this is not the easiest task. Spencer, the self assured, good looking, wealthy businessman has his own problems to overcome. Harrison weaves her story of addiction, power, trust, the chance to get approval and unconditional love into this paparazzi filled Expose with such feelings of compassion, it's easy to keep listening. Her care of sensitive issues is evident, giving the story credibility. It is a wonderful book.

The combination of Aaron Shedlock and Lia Langola is an extraordinary pairing. Aaron has given voice to Spencer, you can feel his pent up frustrations, pain and passion. He always delivers a wonderful performance, and this one is incredible. Lia Langola is such a force, her portrayal of Olivia is powerful. This damaged character is so real and Langola has you feel every emotion she has. It's a listen worth the credit!

Emotional and touching!

What a smokin' angsty story! It was just packed with emotion! I love seeing people fight their ghosts, their demons and eventually coming out on top! Olivia really goes through so many body issues like we all have. I think so many of us struggle with not feeling good enough.

This was my first ever Lia Langola audio and I was completely entranced by her voice, but the way she lived this story. It was great! Aaron Shedlock is an old favorite so it's always a treat when he reads to me! This duo was fantastic together! I would totally listen to more!

Definitely worth the credit! 🔥

Spencer and Olivia have a one night stand. No names. No commitments. Just one night. They run into each other unexpectedly later on and decide to have. 2 week fling while traveling Europe after which they will part ways, no strings attached. But the more time Olivia spends with Spencer the more he unknowingly begins to make his way into her already fragile heart. Spencer has everything: good looks, wealth, and power. But he also has his own trust issues and family problems to deal with. And quickly what started out as a fling spirals into so much more.

Exquisite writing and fantasy characters suck you into the story from beginning to end. It’s a story of power, trust, acceptance, and love with a plenty on passion mixed in. Ava Harrison isn’t afraid to tackle difficult subjects like addiction and interlace them into a beautifully written story while dishing out plenty of steam.

Narration by Lia Langola and Aaron Shedlock was a pairing I hadn’t yet come across, but really enjoyed. Lia does excellent work of bringing out all of Olivia’s emotions and making the listener feel them too. Aaron Shedlock was the perfect Spencer. He perfectly voices the broody CEO while giving life to all the facets of the character. His performance was nothing short of awesome and I loved every minute of. Clandestine is absolutely worth the credit. 5 stars.

What a book!

This book pulled me in from the very beginning with the one night of passion without names. The story was unpredictable and original. The narration was outstanding. I have listened to both narrators before and thought they were excellent together. Lia Langola did such an awesome job with Olivia's feelings and insecurities, while Aaron Shedlock was the perfect brooding CEO Spencer. The narrators brought the chemistry to a believable level. I thought that Ava Harrison wrote about addiction in a straight forward way that did not glamorize it at all. I also liked how she included the deep trust issues in the book. Definitely worth a credit.

It was alright...

Meh... the male narrator was pretty good, female didn’t really do it for me. Also, I didn’t feel like Olivia had anything special to her.. I won’t hate on Ava Harrison and I’ll try some of her other stories, this one just didn’t do it for me.

Weak story line

I had a tough time getting through this book. I thought the storyline was very weak, poor little rich girl whose got love and support from family, and a boyfriend that adores her and then it’s decided her drug use is because her parents split when she was a baby even though they got back together. More than once I wanted to smack Olivia and remind her there are people with real problems. My dislike for this book was compounded by Lia Langola’s narration being over the top dramatic, she just made Olivia sound like a whinny little rich girl. It’s to bad because I thoroughly enjoyed all the other books Ava Harrison has written.

Meh. Okay, but a bit sappy

I liked this, but glad I didn’t pay for it. I thought it was just a bit too sappy and simple.

Intense storyline, and also lighter later on...

Any additional comments?

I really liked this book for its content--starting intense, but lightening somewhat during the story. The story line did not bother me personally, but I would have expected a trigger warning for heavy drug use. I have never read/listened to this author, but will in the future. Also, I had not experienced the work of both narrators, Lia Langola and Aaron Shedlock, although both were previously recommended to me by others. I would definitely recommend them both for their voice work and will seek more books performed by them in the future.

A lot more than just a love story

Ava Harrison is a new author to me so when I read the blurb about this book, I expected a typical love story but it was so much more than that. It was an enjoyable book and dealt with some heavy issues that many people can relate to. The characters are so believable and have some hot chemistry between them. The narrators did a great job bringing the characters to life. This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.