Deceit

By: Ava Harrison

Narrated by: Shane East, Lucy Rivers

Length: 10 hrs

Publisher's summary

From USA Today bestseller Ava Harrison comes a sexy new standalone romance novel. I needed to get away. My ex was getting married. So, I left.

The English countryside was a picture-perfect escape. The dashing stranger an even better one.

And what started as a chance encounter quickly became more.

He promised to show me how to live, how to feel alive and forget a past best forgotten. He made me believe things could be different.

That was until I found out who he was...he was Oliver Blackthorn. The 16th Earl of Lockhart. Thirty-third in line to the throne. And a liar.

©2019 AH Publishing (P)2019 AH Publishing

Deceit, not what I thought

I love Shane east. His voice and how he tells a story. So I was really looking forward to listening to this book. The female narrator had a voice like a robot there was no inflection, no emotion, her voice was completely dry! So I could not emotionally attached to the female character at all. The book was a complete disappointment to me. Shane East was wonderful In his portrayal of the male character. But it was sad that he had to have a partner who didn’t know how to interject emotion while reading the characters part.

about the dumbest woman on the planet!

Addison is the dumbest woman on the planet... and I just want to slap her!! She is beautiful, filthy rich and plain old stupid. So frustrating to listen to. As the story progresses, she gets dumber dumber. She defies logic. Continues to make all the wrong choices. She needs a shrink!! What does Oliver see in her?? Move on Oliver!!! Just find another woman with a pulse, I'm sure she'll be better for you!

Shane East's narration is awesome but Lucy River's voice for Oliver is horrible. Frustrating to listen to. Not masculine at all.

Without saying too much: Timelines in this book are unbelievable; Weeks pass, months pass... they don't make sense. Efforts during this time are pathetic!

I don't recommend listening to this book as it is very frustrating to hear Addison make all the wrong decisions. She was supposed to be a very smart business woman. NOT!

Angsty & Slightly Frustrating Romance

I really wanted to like this one, but sadly, all of the angst and drama just didn't work for me. I knew there would be lies and obviously deceit involved, but it just became too drawn out and over the top. Things were going well at the start and I felt fairly invested in Addison and Oliver and couldn't wait for all the secrets to come to light. Oliver was more on the arrogant side rather than charming for me, but I liked how he disarmed the generally uptight Addison. They were cute together and their chemistry was scorching hot! Unfortunately, by the middle, the story began to stall for me and it felt overly repetitive. It seemed to take forever for the truth to be revealed, and I never felt like either character did anything to redeem themselves for their lies, decisions, or their selfishness. I did appreciate that it wasn't one sided though, and that mistakes were made by both characters. The entire Maxwell story line felt unnecessary and I wish that Addison would have displayed more of the intelligence and independence that her character supposedly had. I am curious about Addison's two brothers though and wonder if they will get their own books.

The highlight of the audiobook was Shane East and I enjoyed his performance very much. He had just the right amount of swagger and charm to pull off Oliver. He was equally amazing during the more emotional scenes as well, especially the one between Oliver and his mother towards the end. Lucy Rivers did a good job, but I felt her voice sounded more muffled and not as clear as Shane East. I also didn't particularly enjoy her male voices and did have some difficulty differentiating between the characters. Overall, this was an angsty and slightly frustrating listen/read for me.

*I voluntarily listened to a review copy of this book*

Oh what a tangled web we weave...

Holy Guacamole! This book gave me so many feels...sometimes I wanted to shake the crap out of Oliver then sometimes it was Addison!! A true sign of a good book for me is when it riles me up!
Addison Price needs to get away from NY...her ex is getting married and she is devastated. As the female CEO of a multi-billion dollar company, she’s expected to be tough and emotionless. That’s why she heads to the English countryside, under the guise of survey some undeveloped land that her father had never discussed. While on her trip, she meets an intriguing Englishman and the pair have a fling. Addison opens up to this stranger like non other before...she’s never had the opportunity to be unguarded...never had someone interested in just her, not the family fortune.
Lord Oliver Lockhart needs a break from his hectic life and demanding mother so he heads to his estate in the country. Of course his mother is blathering on about the land next to the estate and his need to stop the owner from developing. He meets a beautiful American woman at the pub and has a good time with her. He is shocked when he realizes that his American is the woman that his mother wants stopped. Olly decides that the best way to gather intel is to befriend Addison...he doesn’t count on the unmistakable chemistry and that he will lose his heart.
The thing about lies is that they are eventually exposed and there are always victims, regardless of the best of intentions.
With Oliver’s lies exposed and Addison nursing a broken heart, can there still be an HEA in store? Or will Addison truly move on and marry another man?
There are so many emotions elicited by this book that you’re going to want to have a glass of wine and a box of tissues on hand.
Great job by the narration team, that really immersed you in the story.
I voluntarily accepted a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Great Story & Listen🎧 4.5 Angsty Stars🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Wow, this not just an ordinary romance, it is so much more. Ava Harrison takes you an emotional rollercoaster ride, an angsty one and I enjoyed every minute of it. Oliver Blackthorn the Earl of Lockhart is quite the charmer and I liked him right away. Addison Price is a strong will and minded woman, she is successful in her career and regardless of her personal life she will not show any signs of weakness while at work. Not thrilled about her ex’s upcoming wedding she uses work as an excuse to get out of going and schedules a business trip in England to survey some property. This property happens to be along side The Earl of Lockhart’s land. There is a story behind the property and Oliver’s Mother wants him to find out what the Price’s have planned for it. Oliver goes on his mission, soon to find the woman Addison he het the day before is a Price. The two had clicked and he does not want it to end it so he does not tell her who he really is. I really liked these two together, he was good for her. Unfortunately the relationship was doomed, he doomed it with his deceit. It was pretty messed up how she found out, she had every right to be angry. She finally moves one with her life but Oliver is always on her mind, yet she still refuses to talk to him. I was rooting for Oliver and his persistence to try to get her to hear him out. There is never a dull moment in this book, lots of drama, twists, angst and an ending worth going thru it all. The Romeo and Juliet references were a nice touch too. Ava Harrison, thank you for this great story.

I listened to the Audible edition, Shane East and Lucy Rivers are wonderful narrators and voice performers. They bring these characters to life, giving each their own voice and personality. I loved Shane’s take on Oliver, he captured all of his emotions, awesome accent too. Also loved Lucy’s Addison, she grasped all her emotions, you could hear what she was feeling, her turmoil, her anger and her pain. They are talented storytellers and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for this great listen🎧.

Very good

The story was great! Shane East was AWESOME! Lucy Rivers unfortunately didn’t do it for me with her male voice. It was awful. Was worth the listen though!

Deceit is correct this book is not what i thought!

i really liked this book for the first few chapters! i liked that the female was a wealthy strop women for once but it soon turned into the same all story. i hate that i have to return this book but i can't finish this story

A fun British romp!

She’s an American heiress who escaped to England to avoid her ex-boyfriend’s wedding to someone else. He’s a British Royal trying to avoid the responsibilities of his title and estate. They randomly meet in a pub and sparks fly from there!
A note on the narration: I absolutely love Shane East’s male narration but I’m *begging* him to tone down his female characters, especially during intimate scenes. The female voices are very high & shrill. It affects the listening experience.

kind of dragged

The story dragged in spots. Sometime I didn't think it would ever reach Happy ever after and it got to a point where it was depressing and I had to skip multiple chapters. I wouldn't listen to this again for all the world.

The Narration is TERRIBLE

I returned the book because I couldn’t tolerate the narration. It was so horrible—and I am not usually very discriminating, as long as the quality is ok. Maybe Kindle would be a better way to enjoy the story. But you will regret ignoring the reviews if you buy it.

HOT ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book takes you on an emotional journey with Addison who has to get away while her ex gets married so she travels to England and meets Oliver who sweeps her off her feet but only for a short romance no strings???. I liked that lots of the book were set in England it made a change from most of the books I listen to and also the male character was English was a nice change. loved the journey this book takes you on and how the relationship develops between Addison and Oliver I just wish Oliver had of been more honest sooner but then I guess the book would not be as good. Addison just gave herself to Oliver to have it all feel like a lie I felt for her so much. The sign of a good book for me is when I invest in the characters and a I so did with these 2 felt so emotional in parts and just wanted them to forgive. It also has plenty of steamy hot bits.

Lucy Rivers has a great voice and loved her British accent she did a great job as Addison. Shane East has such a nice British accent I am English so it needs to be special and only a few do it for me and Shane is so Good.

This is a great book with plenty to keep you hooked. Well worth a listen.x

struggle to listen beyond chapter 5

i thought the story line would be nice but i think it is read by wrong female reader. struggled to listen beyond chapter 5.

not a great read

I was bored reading this unfortunately. it really did not grip me. The females British accent wasn't great either. sorry! I couldn't listen any longer

Enjoyable

I'm a fan of Ava's work. I enjoyed the story of Addie and Ollie. It was a nice slow burn and you feel the emotions.

Shane East voice is amazing but I wasn't a fan of Lucy River's narration. It reminds me of a female computerized voice, that may the major drawback for me.

Deceit

Absolutely brilliant I couldn’t put it down . Although I’ve got books on my kindles I’m really into Audible books I lose myself in them this story I got lost so thank you xxxx

Deceit, Deceptions, and so Delicious!

Ava Harrison writes an incredible book with Deceit. There are so many wonderful twists, raw emotions, and intriguing characters. The storyline is original and not predictable, which I loved. Certain characters I wanted to shake, others I wanted to hug, and a few kill (LOL). Addison and Olly were the perfect match on so many levels, yet they fought it so well. I loved how the author had the subtle message of forgiveness woven in the story, the self reliance, and perserverance. The imagery was so well done too! I could easily picture the pub in the village, the hotdog stand in NYC, and so many other places. Shane East and Lucy Rivers were magical bringing the characters to life. They added the right emotions from tears of sorrow to tears of joy, and everything in between. Like the title of the book Deceit, there are some spectacular bombshells that I never saw coming. Kudos to Ava Harrison for this incredible story, and Shane and Lucy for this amazing listen.

Oh so good!

Sometimes you start a book, and it's the one that you will listen to all night til it's over. I gave up sleep to finish this one! Ava Harrison has a way of weaving her stories so we are drawn in and invested in the characters' outcome! This story is about Oliver and Addison. Addison flees home to avoid her ex-boyfriend's wedding. Using work as an excuse, she finds a property owned by her father in England and begins to do research on development or resale of it. When she gets there, she meets Oliver. Oliver has an interest in the land, but does not divulge his intent or his real identity. But that does not stop their relationship. Their chemistry is off the charts. These two click like no others and it's fate. But what will happen when Addison finds out the truth?Oh the wicked webs that are woven! And the pain, frustration and love that is incurred! These characters are amazing. Addison is a strong woman when it comes to business, but she is so guarded when it comes to love that there was more than one time I wanted to smack her and wake her up. Oliver is the hero we dream of, handsome, wealthy, smart but his deceit despite the reasons is something that is hard to get over. Trust is everything. And Harrison's storytelling gives us all the feels as we unravel their lives, their decisions and their love. It's a wonderful love story!

What a narration team for this book! Lucy Rivers is always amazing, and as Addison she is incredible. She nails all the emotions, makes us feel her frustration, pain and that wall around her heart like no other narrator I have heard. It's all in the emphasis of her voice, and it's perfect. Shane East too brings Oliver to the brink! He has the accent that is swoonworthy, but he also adds so much feeling to his portrayal. Oliver is a man that is full of feelings, and with East's performance we get every one of those feelings. It's a listen you do not want to miss!

good book

this book was a little drawn out but it was a good book i love the narrators and always found the people i like listening to the story was told well but i feel it was missing something maybe some comedy would make me want to listen again and again

A must listen

Ava Harrison 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.