Intention

By: Ava Harrison

Narrated by: Shane East, Andi Arndt

Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's Summary

From USA Today best seller Ava Harrison comes a sexy, new enemies to lovers stand-alone romance.

I had it all. Dream job, fancy apartment, great family. But there was one thing I didn’t have. Would never have. Then he showed up.

Rich. Arrogant. Condescending.

He came to me with an ultimatum, and I had no choice but to agree.

I needed to convince the world that I was Nathaniel Harrington’s girlfriend, so his legacy would stay intact.

Spending time with him would be difficult. And fooling the world would be even harder. But persuading my heart into thinking that his kisses meant nothing and that his gentle touches were all in my head would be impossible.

I was falling for him. But fate had other plans. Our time was limited. Because I knew the truth - a truth that would end us.

©2019 AH Publishing (P)2019 AH Publishing

Sigh!

This was pretty well written with GREAT NARRATORS but a part of the story bothered me. Why can't enemies to lovers ever be written where the female doesn't want to immediately sex the main male douchebag character. He has no redeeming qualities (outside of looking good) and even goes out of his way to be mean to her and her "traitorous body" still wants him. Why are females written like this as our bodies don't work like this normally. It would be more believable if they are at odds in the beginning and gradually fall for eachother w/out the females lack of strength and control over her lady parts. This may be small for other readers but I hate it.

LOVE <3

This is a really great story! It will tug at all of your heart strings and then put them back together. I love Nathaniel & Madeline together, they are the perfect mix of sweet and spicy! What a journey these two took together, I loved every second. The narration is perfection!

Spoilers ahead!!

This is a well-written and well-narrated book. It holds your interest from beginning to end, and has a unique setting. The characters are clearly delineated and relatable. Having said that however, I do get tired of the trope of a woman not being/feeling like a 'real' woman if she doesn't have kids. This woman is struggling with serious reproductive issues, and despite her success as a working woman and executive, she feels unfulfilled because of that. This drives a great deal of the plot. Just once I'd like an HEA where the couple choose not to have kids. Not everyone wants them or even likes them. It's just as valid of a choice as parenthood, after all. Other than that, I liked the book well enough, and it works quite well as an audiobook.

Wonderful Story, and Perfect Narration!

This is an enemies to lovers/office romance/fake relationship story. Ava Harrison did it again. This is a wonderful, and outstanding story. I love Nathaniel and Madeline. They are both great characters, and they share a strong and sizzling chemistry. Nathaniel Harrington (I love his powerful name!) is Rich, Arrogant, Condescending, but he is so much more than that. Madeline is a beautiful and strong woman, caring and protective. Their story is so beautifully written and realistic. I love their happy ending. This story has it all: funny, heartbreaking, heartwarming, and steamy. I didn't want this story to end and I loved each moment while listening to it. Shane East is a perfect match as Nathaniel. Both narrators did an amazing and believable, and perfect interpretation. I TOTALLY recommend this audiobook, and it's totally worth a credit, believe me. I have listened to Absolution and loved it as much as I loved Intention. Now, I absolutely have to listen to the other books written by Ava Harrison.

More than I Bargained For!!!

Everything I'm looking for in a book: Strong, Determined & Sexy Lead Female; Lovable, Stubborn Male - they can turn their lives into something better together, the way it should work. However, this book goes a step further and gives me more than I bargained for in the character of Madeline, who is flawed with something so many women suffer from, endometriosis. And just like me and as she goes through the pain, fear, and throughout the chapters I fell in love with the Author who gave me the connection to this woman. Ava Harrison doesn't just write the hot steamy scenes I want from a romance book, she also delves into the character development and brings out the flaws that make the characters believable....and I believe in Madeline so much. The real touch and feel of the character and her pain came through in the amazing performance by Andi Arndt. Ms. Arndt is the Queen of Narration for a reason, and Ms. Harrison gave her perfect material to let her skills shine. Hurt, pain, sorrow, love, passion, intelligence -- we got it all from Andi for Madeline. And then there is Nathaniel, who starts of as your typical spoiled rich brat that probably has a heart of gold under that sexy exterior....because that's how typical romances go. But then again, Ms. Harrison turns what you think you know into something deeper, a connection to a past, a connection to a future and a drive that you didn't know could come from this male protagonist. I loved the way Shane East played the cocky, sarcastic parts of dialog between Nathaniel and Madeline -- you could feel the heat building along with the mutual respect as the two worked side by side. Then there's always the "more" you get when listening to Mr. East; that gritty, sexy, soulful sound that you desperately want to hear during the moments of passion. Oh does he deliver the O's so perfectly. The book becomes art when an author can touch a part in your heart because you are living the health struggle yourself and the words are carried upon two voices with so much "Intention". Thank you all for this art.

It took 3hrs and 20min for the first interesting part

The book is only 9.5 hrs long and the first third was spent droning on. I only purchased because I needed a little Shane East, who yes; had a cold the first half of the book and you can hear it. This is the first book of Ava’s I’ve read and it sounds like it’s apart of a series, so perhaps there was more character investment from other books about her brothers. This was super boring. I listen to a lot of romance books (2-4 per week) and I can tell you this is not a good choice for experienced readers BUT probably a great slow burn for occasional romance readers. There wasn’t anything necessarily wrong with this book and I hate when people poorly review content that was clearly not the content they should have of been reading (differing tastes) in the first place. You should not eat an apple and be pissed when it doesn’t taste like a banana. I’m an avid reader of romance and I dont think Ava is an author for me, my preferences are a bit more advanced/complex stories. Shane East... always my man!

Amazing story!

This was such a fantastic story. Emotional and sexy. Really hit home for me what Madeline went through. Andi and Shane's performances were absolute perfection which made it even more emotional.

Man child

Ugh I’ve had too many man children in my life. Why would I want to “relax” with yet another one? I always give romance novels leeway for the hero to be a bit of a jerk but couldn’t continue with this one.

Beautiful story worth your credit

The perfect romance story, funny , sexy , hot Couldn’t stop listening. So in love with Nathaniel I want more Good job Ava Harrison

surprising

I expected another enemy to lovers rom com but the way the author deals with endometriosis and family is so well done and captures the struggle that people who have this disorder face. beautifully done.

Beautiful, raw and emotional.

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.

wonderful

I absolutely adored this book. I was taken on such a heartbreaking rollercoaster that moved me to tears. Shane and Andi are perfect as always.

fantastic narrators, loved this book

Rating 4.5 stars Fabulous narrators (both Andi Arndt and Shane East have such expressive voices and I loved listening to a sexy, male English accent ;-) ) and a great story that builds throughout. Emotion, tension, tears, heartbreak, laughter and some super hot chemistry between two loveable characters full of depth, who grew so much throughout the book, in this enemies to lovers (and so much more) romance. “Family isn’t about the blood that runs through your veins, it’s about the love you have.” I'm really enjoying this authors books and will be reading and listening to more!

Enjoyable

enjoyed this audiobook but it did go on a bit......the narrators as usual were fantastic, plenty of emotion and bringing the characters to life

Great Team.

This was a great story, and one of my favourite tropes. Well, two tropes really. Fake romance and Enemies to lovers. The story is well written and completely enjoyable. There was no period that I felt dragged and I really liked the majority of the characters. The story was fabulous example of both tropes and I couldn't get enough. Andi Arndt and Shane East are two of my favourite narrators. They have really great voices. Andi Arndt maintained a pleasing flow throughout. Her representation of various characters was recognisable and consistent throughout. I have listened to quiet a few books narrated by Andi Arndt and have always been impressed. Shane East's narration for Intention was outstanding He and Ms Arndt are a great combination. His narration is consistent and his characterisation is fluid and believable. Overall this audiobook was everything that I could want for my Audible credit. Great story and great narration. A five star combination.

loved this book

was un sure about this book and I must say it was really enjoyable nice story A few ups and downs but overall it was a good read (listen)

An ok listen

At times I thought I’d give this book 4 stars, but there were too many niggles and eye roll moments for me so the rating went down as the book went on. Struggled to connect with a hero who really is just a spoilt little rich boy. The choice of words and the time jumps being a bit clunky made me think they might not have a good editor. The narration is very good and I think that disguised a lot. Had a lot of potential, though!