The Perception

The Exception Series, Book 3

By: Adriana Locke

Narrated by: Kai Kennicott, Wen Ross

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's Summary

There is no greater burden than a secret, and Kari Stanley has been carrying one alone for a long time. But fate intervenes in the form of a broken down car and the kind offer of assistance from a handsome stranger with a sweet Southern drawl. In exchange, all she has to do is go to dinner with him. Temptation was never so sweet.

Max Quinn has secrets of his own. His good deeds aren't just a product of his Southern upbringing; they're his atonement. As one dinner turns into two, he realizes that Kari just might be his salvation.

As they struggle to find their path together, their secrets weigh heavier on them. Will they be able to trust one another with the truth, or will their secrets keep them apart forever?

©2015 Adriana Locke (P)2016 Adriana Locke

The Unexpected

This was another great listen from my favorite narration team, Kai Kennicott and Wen Ross. It was my introduction to the author, Adriana Locke.

It wasn’t quite what I expected because the blurb was a bit misleading. Most of it happened in the prologue, and then the story skips ahead a year and a half to the point where Max is trying to get Kari to move in with him and marry him.

It started off a little slow, but then it picked up speed and I couldn’t stop listening. It’s really a romantic suspense, and the suspense builds throughout. Although it was obvious who the stalker was early on, there were many scenes and characters that turned out to be unpredictable. I enjoyed expecting one thing and being surprised with another. There was also a subplot surrounding Max’s friend and Kari’s brother-in-law, Cane Alexander, that added depth to the book. Everything was neatly explained, and the loose ends were all tied up at the end.

Kennicott and Ross did a bang-up job with the different voices and accents. They each played one character with a southern accent, and outside of the accents, they were able to vary their voices enough that I could easily tell which character was speaking. There is nothing like dual narration where a man does all the male voices, and a woman does all the female ones. It makes dialog so much more realistic and fun to listen to. I think these two are the best narration duo out there. Once you’ve had Kennicott and Ross, you can't go back. I eagerly await more audiobooks from them.

I would definitely recommend this one to my friends.

A POWERFUL & BEAUTIFUL STORY AS LOVE CONQUERS ALL

One fateful day changed Kari's life and future for the better because a gorgeous, sexy charismatic man came to her rescue, fixed her car and only wanted one date in payment..... the perfect guy with a Southern drawl who turned out to be both beautiful on the inside as well as on the outside. Because after their initial meeting the story skips ahead a year and a half to where Max and Kari are still happily together but Kari has emotionally debilitating secrets - secrets she's sure will tear them apart. So, knowing there's an expiry date on their relationship, Kari keeps part of her heart back from the very loving Max for his own good because she's sure that, when her worst nightmare comes true and he finds out about her terrible secret, yes, it'll dent his heart.... but their split will shatter hers.

Max, Max, Max is just wonderful.... he's romantic, thoughtful, patient, considerate, sexy, understanding.... oh my list could go on and on and on.... a truly drool-worthy super-Hero and he tries really hard to give Kari time to tell him what puts that sad look on her face, what makes her keep back from fully committing to him and what's stopping her from saying yes to one of his many proposals. However, behind the scenes someone's ruthlessly and deviously making plans that will bring Kari's past to light, reunite her with a face she never wanted to see again and cause havoc, devastation, heartache, pain and won't end well. Kari and Max are such likeable characters and, while Max desperately holds on, Kari fights her heartbreaking inner demons..... and the lying demon that's trying to destroy everything.

A wonderful storyline of two people hopelessly in love and how they each face the dramas and angst that comes their way..... which takes their relationship through bumps, dips, roadblocks and forks in the road before they can reach their HEA's. There's sex, bags of romance, tears and joy as well as a good cast of secondary characters... especially Max's business Partner Cane from book 1. The actual book was probably brilliant but, for me, nothing can beat Kai and Wen's style of narration where they each stick to their own genders and conversations between characters flow so smoothly because of it..... and they both make this a purrrfect listen. Dual POV's and it could easily be standalone but please don't let a good listen slip away - add book 1 to your Cart first, or as well as this one, and start there because, IMO, you won't regret it... and you'll get to witness firsthand the great friendship between Cane and Max.

Worth a credit? An absolutely awesome listen that had me totally hooked by Chapter Two, emotionally invested by Chapter Three and then I was manically racing through the rest of the nail biting, nerve-racking, well written and beautiful Chapters to eventually stop, breathless and happy, after the heartwarming Epilogue. So that folks is a Hell YES it's worth a credit.

Wow

I loved Max Quinn and Kari Stanley story. Learning the secrets and how they dealt with each other. There love was great, the way they dealt with stalking and danger. I loved this story I could not stop listening Adriana Locke did not disappoint. Kia kennicott and Wen Ross narrated great.

Love this book!

Adriana did an amazing job with the storyline and characters, but the narrators have really brought it to life.

Absolutely beautiful story!!!💜

I have been a fan of Adriana Locke for a while and I love Kai and Wen. Combine the amazing talent of Adriana Locke and the incredible narration talents of Kai and Wen and you get something that completely blows you away. I sat down and got started with this book and literally couldn't stop until the story had run its course and the last page had been read. I would most definitely recommend this to anyone who loves an amazing book! This story was powerful and beautiful and so easily relatable.

She did it again!!!!!!!!!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would totally recommend this book to all of my friends. It was done so well with the dual narrators -- who didn't just do a chapter at a time, their voices were always their voices no mater the POV of the chapter.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked both Kari & Max. Kari was strong willed and didn't let the world overwhelm her, but Max was stronger and took it all on for Kari! Their relationship was something to value and I wish I could know them in real life because, well, just because they are amazing!!

What about Kai Kennicott and Wen Ross ’s performance did you like?

They really made me feel the characters emotions more than other audio books I've listened to. They used emotions while reading and played their parts like actors rather than narrators.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

So many extreme reactions...Sam made the most intense come out!

Any additional comments?

I can't wait to read (or listen) to the rest of this series!!!

love

Love the narrators in this book. It's the way all audible books should be narrated.

Swoon

The Perception by Adriana Locke is one of my favorite Books. I really enjoyed the narrators, as they collaborated well together throughout the story.

I love Max. He is sweet and thoughtful. Caring and honest. He has many qualities that make a man attractive and he is so very loyal. His friendship with cane nearly trumps all bromances.

I can relate well to Kari, and I love that her issue throughout the story stems from her fear of losing the one man that she loves. Her concerns are real. Honest.

The story has a couple twists and extends the excitement, making it not only sweet, but angsty. Overall, the audio version did not disappoint.

An all-around fantastic read/listen

Any additional comments?

I actually have this as an audio book and the kindle version. I loved the narration of this.

This is book 2 of the series but can be read as a stand alone. Does have an HEA. Written as a multi pov. Great story line, awesome characters, good description to details, and the dialogue was fantastic (was wonderful to listen to with the dual narration)

Loved Max and Kari (but especially Max). He was such a strong character. He wasn't afraid to show his emotions for Kari. He was a macho male but was comfortable in admitting his feelings. Kari was a little bit harder to become attached to. She had her reasons for wanting to be a little stand offish but she did take it a lil far. Max didn't let her get away with it and did everything to let Kari know his thoughts and feelings.

Would I recommend this book? Yes

Would I read more from this author? Yes

Sassy Beta Reading & Review

What a wonderful story

A truly great storyline. A feel good book. Really enjoyed the chemistry between the characters. Yet another hit from Adriana. Very well written. Amazing performances.