The Brutal Truth

By: Lee Winter

Narrated by: Angela Dawe

Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's Summary

Australian crime reporter Maddie Grey is out of her depth in New York, miserable, and secretly drawn to her powerful, twice-married media mogul boss, Elena Bartell, who eats failing newspapers for breakfast. As work takes them to Australia, Maddie is goaded into a brief, seemingly harmless bet with her enigmatic boss - where they have to tell the complete truth to each other. It backfires catastrophically.

Contains mature themes.

©2017 Lee Winter (P)2018 Tantor

Very surprising!

A lot of other reviewers said it is like The Devil Wears Prada, but in only context of the fashion industry. I really enjoyed the book and the narrator did a good job with the different voices and accents. It was also nice to have a romantic novel without the sex scenes every other page. It’s has also a good message of how truthfulness can be a hinderance or allowing for further dialogue. I do hope I can more of the author’s work on Audible. I literally couldn’t put down my headphones.

lg4az

This has to be one of my all time favorites. The narration is the BEST I've heard and I've heard over a hundred books. I can't recommend this book enough. Great characters, great story.

An outstanding book

I absolutely loved the book when I read it. I loved the interaction between the two main characters and how hints at Elena's character were revealed. It was fun reading about their interactions and Elena's reluctant toleration of Maddie growing to an appreciation and a need. This harkens back to old black and white movies with witty banter between the two main characters.

But Ms Dawe turns out to vastly enhance the book, which i didn't think possible. She perfectly conveys Maddie's emotions and provides a really humanizing portrayal of Maddie, especially her shock and embarrasment, which happens a lot in this book. She makes Maddie completely adorable and wonderful.

She also makes Felicity just borderline awful, but just the right side of awfully high strung.

This is one of my favorite audiobooks.

Very entertaining

I haven't read The Brutal Truth before listening to this audiobook, so this was the first time I met the story.
It's clearly based on The Devil Wears Prada, but it's very well written and very entertaining.
And the narrator Angela Dawe was amazing with all the different accents and voices, but also with story telling - an absolute delight and this story lets her show her talent. Brilliant.

Utter perfection!

Lee Winter + narrator Angela Dawe = Perfection.

Having listened to a gazillion (actual number) audiobooks over the last year I can say without question that this is one of the best in the genre. From the writing - which is exquisite - to the fabulous characters to the performance of the material by Angela Dawe... you just can't ask for more than this. It's one of those that will keep you up until the wee hours of the morning because you just can't bear to stop listening. The humor.... Elena's bite.... Maddie's backbone... Dawe's numerous voices and accents (especially the incredibly sexy low registered voice of Elena??) O....M....G. WHY aren't more lesbian authors hiring this woman to narrate!? I've listened to all of hers in the genre more than once and need more! So much more! She and Abby Craden - the absolute best there is. *sigh*

Excellent Audio!

I loved The Brutal Truth. It's a cross between an Ice Queen romance and a falling for your boss workplace romance. I thought both main characters were very relatable. Angela Dawe does an excellent job with the narration.

Best Book I’ve ever listened to.

This book is like a warm hug. A romantic movie, romantic comedy all of the things. I know about nothing about fashion, but this book doesn’t beat you over the head with it. There’s no stereotypical (at least in most LesFics) breakup that makes absolutely no sense besides lengthening the book. I hate those. Lee winter usually strays from that nonsense. This is a slow burn through and through with excellent side characters. Angela Dawe’s French, American, Australian accents were perfect as well. Lee Winter made the absolute perfect choice in narrator. I am glad I listened to this instead of read, Dawe is that fantastic. She brightens the story.

Seriously, this book will ruin lesfics for you. Lee Winter will. There is no match to her story telling. It spans continents and time. The only book that can follow this one in my opinion is Requiem, also by Winter.

Quite enjoyable

Snappy and fun dialogue, not only between the leads, but the supporting cast too. My favorite Lee Winter book is Breaking Character. Actually, it’s one of my all time favorite books by any author. The Brutal Truth doesn’t live up to BC, however it’s still a really great book. The narration is fantastic!

Great audiobook to listen on repeat

I love this book so much. The author constructed the story in such a way that there is never a boring moment. The main characters interactions are so good and it just such a beautiful way of developing the relationship. I really love Elena's need to keep the her moral grounds it's so good seeing characters with this level of commitment to who they are.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

This is the 3rd time (yes 3rd) reading this book. I love the characters, the touch of humor and the slow burn. Angela Dawe MADE this one come to life.

Just Brutal.... I guess the clue's in the title 🤔

Firstly the narration is great, and kept me listening and Lee Winter can write. I clearly seem to be alone in disliking this book, but I thought I'd try to offer a different view, since I feel strongly about books which feature a couple with a huge power imbalance, like this. This is not a safe world for women at the wrong end of those, so...
This was only my 3rd ever Lesfic book on Audible a couple of years ago and I've learned a LOT since then. One of those things is that the Ice Queen trope only works for me if the ice queeniness is not actual ice, just a misreading by the other protagonist (eg Who'd have thought by G Benson, X Ingredient by Roslyn Sinclair, both of which I love) or, if the Ice melts considerably.
If the Ice Queen is actually pretty horrible throughout then I'm just not impressed... I can't suspend my disbelief and my dislike enough to want them to get the nice girl... The Ice Queen in this book is so unpleasant and immature, that I didn't like her at any point in the story, even by the end - she doesn't soften enough... In the real world she would be best avoided. I couldn't see the attraction.
I found the sex scene at the end to be... loveless, which I'm sure was not the point! 🙄
I just... was unmoved... And a bit annoyed by the injustice of it all.
Not my cup of tea... 😒

Good, but not great.

I liked this book. However, if I had listened to Lee Winters other book on Audible, The Red Files, I wouldn't have touched this!
Loved the narrator - she brought everything nicely together with her broad spectrum of voices. The story is ok, although somewhat dubious that things would have really happened like this in the real world as it's all a bit 'Hollywood', but hey, it's chick-lit, so no real surprises there.

delicious

Has a very 'Devil Wears Prada' vibe, set against the backdrop of an iconic style magazine (and if Meryl was in her 40s and Anne was into her). Finished it in a day. The synopsis doesn't do it justice, there's so much more to this story and the characters.
Narrator was ace, all the accents for all the people. especially for the infamous 'Tiger Shark'. Superb.

Compelling, sexy, well narrated.

I could listen to the sultry voice of Elena all day….
This slow burn love story is very well narrated and I’ve listened twice so far. The love scene near the end is intense and well written.
Another success from Lee Winter in my opinion.

Simply sublime & that is "The Brutal Truth"!

I thoroughly adored this audiobook. The story, the characters, and the narration were all fantastic. I couldn't put it down, I barely slept, but I tried to prolong the final few chapters for as long as I possibly could. I wish there had been at least another 10 chapters to satisfy the longing in my soul. The literary dream team, Lee & Angela, strike again in this phenomenal work-of-art. This is the second Lee Winter book I've read, and just like "Breaking Character," this story plunged me into an emotional and physical whirlwind. Seriously, my heart still hasn't settled down fully.

Once again, I was totally blown away by Lee's descriptive imergery. One of the main things I always look for in books is to feel transported to new places with wonderful complex characters. Only truly incredible descriptive imagery can do that. As someone who knows nothing about the world of fashion or business, Lee managed to catapulte me into that existence. It made my senses go into overdrive, as if I were almost experiencing the sights, sounds, smells, and emotions the characters would have been experiencing.

Lee Winter has a truly breathtaking gift for writing characters that feel real and break the mould of their stereotypes. Just like "Breaking Character," I got a very good sense of who all the characters were and their core personalty traits. Especially Natalii Duchamp, I LOVED her. She was hilarious and the ultimate wingwoman. Should Lee ever write more about her life, I'd love to read it. It would be so interesting and entertaining. Maddie & Elena's characterisation, however, was in a different stratosphere all together. They felt so real and relatable. We've all felt afraid, lonely, lost, but hopeful for the life we long for and a love that consumes us. Both women were so wonderfully complex, compelling, endearing, and 3-Dimensional. I adored both of them equally for very different reasons. Although, to be "brutally honest," Elena legit owns my heart and her voice...wow!

There wasn't as much sizzle in this book as I wished there were. However, what Elena & Maddie's story has in spades is a nuanced, subtle, slow-burning, honest love story. With the exception of it being set in a world few of us will ever experience, their story felt relatable. They challenged each other and learned from each other, and because of the honesty they shared, they trusted each other explicitly. All of which are the foundations that great and healthy relationships are built upon. Except for my longing for more intamate scenes, even just a few more kisses, I wish there would have been more of Elena's point of view throughout the book. I loved experiencing the story from Maddie's point of view. She is such a funny and strong character, but when we got an insight into "the tiger shark's" thoughts, I got goosebumps.

I can't sing Angela Dawe's praises highly enough. The woman's narration is phenomenal! She amplified the already exceptional story and portrayed all characters and their emotions perfectly. I can't recommend this book highly enough. I know for a fact, I will return to visit Maddie & Elena in "The Brutal Truth" many more times to come and I'm beyond excited to see them appear in "The Awkward Truth". Now on to Felicity's story next, and I can't wait to see what life holds for the sexy, blonde IceQueen (in training).

A good story and performance

I listened to the 2nd part "Felicity 's" story first and thoroughly enjoyed it then had this audiobook I am now looking forward to again following on with the 2nd part.

A really good series well worth repeat listens.

superb

I have listened to this book so many times and I here new Farcets to this sublime story and now I am off to listen to the sequel heaven

Just EXCELLENT!

I really love a strong story line with sharp, witty, capable and energetic characters. Well done Lee Winter.

Angela Dawe was the perfect narrator for The Brutal Truth. She got the nuances of each character perfectly.
Honesty, one of the best audio books I've listened to.

Loved it

Although I feel it had somewhat of a slow start, in my opinion, I really saw myself engrossed in the story. The romantic/sexual tension between the two main ladies, the drama but also the undeniable spark between them really added to the story. The slowburn between the two women was infuriating! But totally worth the wait. I found myself chuckling, gasping and even feeling sadness for the characters.

The narrator really brought the characters to life and I often forgotten it was all voiced by one woman, the accents were great and well performed too.

Would definitely recommend if you love a good LGBTQ story between 2 gorgeous women, especially with a beautiful ice queen adding to the tension.

Relisten at least twice a year!

this is a cracking story, as you'd expect from Lee Winter, however it becomes more than its assembled parts with the outstanding narration. Angela Dawe for the win with this one and Lee Winter with a cracking "assist" 😁