5 Smooches!
Synopsis
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?
Review
This book was an utter revelation for me. Adriana has managed to divest of the same dull template and instead turn things on their head quite a bit with The Perception, we do indeed get the ‘meet-cute’ from our two protagonists Max and Kari, which takes up the prologue and sets the scene brilliantly for the rather complicated and beautiful love affair that transpires between the two. Chapter one took me completely by surprise as it takes us two years into the established relationship. Adriana has managed to weave a complex and all too realistic perspective on a relationship, the ups and downs, trials and tribulations and the perseverance and tenacity that is required to keep it intact and strong especially when there is severe interference and threats coming from a very manipulative wolf in sheeps clothing.
Kari is one of those heroines that come along every once in a while that stirs something in you, compassion, awe and sometimes annoyance particularly when she insists on refusing the delectable Max’s marriage proposals but Kari has a labyrinth of secrets tragedies that have her holding her true feelings behind an almost impenetrable wall. Her character has substance and clout as her fears and insecurities and realisations become your own as the story progresses. However Max tended to outshine Kari in certain ways as a leading character, his sweet determination as he campaigns to keep Kari’s heart and his steadfastness in his love for Kari made me want to swoon and sigh like some hormonal teenager.
“She’s it for me Alexander. She’s the one. I just need her to see it.” Cane grabbed my shoulder as he walked towards the island. He leaned against it, crossing his arms in front of him. “She sees it or she wouldn’t still be with you. Maybe she wants you to get on one knee and all that bullshit.”
“If I go doin’ that, she’s gone. There’s no way she won’t run. I just…” I looked out the window at the leaves swaying with the breeze. “I need to figure out what she’s so scared of. That’s the key. And then change her perception.”
The Perception had it all, an incredible dual voiced romance, a splendid amount of hot sex, a devious and calculating adversary, a relationship wrought with unfathomable danger and secrets and of course the reappearance of some murky and unwelcome characters from the past. I was absorbed in the love story one hundred percent so when the action and intrigue began to unfold alongside it, I found myself reading each line faster and faster and turning the page at an alarmingly quick rate all so I could see what was coming next. Incredibly well written, intelligent and often comical dialogue with some beautiful interaction and sexual chemistry between the two main leads.
~Nicole
