The Exception

The Exception Series, Book 1

By: Adriana Locke

Narrated by: Connor Crais, Samantha Brentmoor

Foolish women fall in love with the bad boy.

Cane Alexander was bad boy personified.

Confident, he entered a room with his piercing blue eyes wearing a smug grin. He was the proverbial red flag wrapped up in a ridiculous set of abs.

I tried to resist him. After all, I was done being a fool.

Maybe it was his charm, or perhaps it was his persistence. Maybe it was how he entered my life and refused to leave. Whatever the reason, I fell for the one man I should’ve resisted.

Even though it made me a target.

I didn’t know if I’d become yet another notch on his bedpost or be the exception to his rules.

Or if I’d survive long enough to be either.

From USA Today Bestselling author Adriana Locke comes a tale full of twists and turns. Listeners who enjoy opposites attract, romantic suspense, and cocky heroes will enjoy this story.

Note: The Exception now includes an extended epilogue previously titled The Connection.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2014 Adriana Locke (P)2024 Umbrella Publishing, Inc.

Amazing!

I read this book years ago and absolutely loved it! When I had a chance to review the new updated audiobook, I jumped on the opportunity! I am SO glad I did. Connor Crais and Samantha Brentmoor were such good picks for this book. They brought heart, humor and all the feels to this amazing book. I felt like I was along their romantic ride with them as a friend instead of a reader- I could imagine their emotions while the story played out. Cane and Jada are two of my favorite characters of all time. They faced many struggles, ups and down but received a sweet ending.

Love me a bad boy!!

With tons of baggage and loads of chaos, Jada is not looking for anyone to add to her life, but when alpha male Cane Alexander comes into the picture the spark is instantly there knocking everyone on their back end. With each and every chapter the story works through a maze of back and forth, give and take but in the end the two embark on a romance that will at first make you scream but in the end warms your heart. This was completely entertaining and enjoyable. Connor Crais and Samantha Brentmoor were cast perfectly.

Enjoyed the listen from the start

Jada is done going for the bad boy. Been there done that don’t want to try again. When she meets Cane that is exactly what he is and she is determined to not give in to him. Cane and Jada have a great chemistry together and I enjoyed their journey. The narrators were great bringing the characters and their emotions to life.

4.25 Stars!

Having picked up many of Ms.Locke's books over the years I always get so happy whenever I get to jump into another one! I've been meaning to pick this one up for a while and when I found out about the audiobook, I knew it'd be the perfect chance to do so. I really enjoyed this listen!

Having listened to Connor Crais and Samantha Brentmoor before, I was so thrilled when I found out these two were narrating The Exception! How how Connor and Samantha hooked me with their narration! I love the way these two brought Jada and Cane to life and had me feeling so much from start to finish with this listen! Connor and Samantha were so fantastic with their narration and kept me glued to my earbuds. I can't wait to listen to more from them in the future!

Jada and Cane's journey pulled me in! As Jada is trying to move forward, can she take a chance on Cane? Or will the risk to her heart be too much? I couldn't wait to find out!

Going into this story, I didn't know what all to expect which I throughly enjoyed! Both Jada and Cane had me going through many emotions throughout. I felt for Jada. The chemistry between her and Cane was great! I really liked the fact that these two and their story had realness.

With The Exception, Ms.Locke has created such a good story that had me feeling so dang much! I love how her writing captures my attention so completely and gets into my heart every single time. I can't wait to dive back into this world with book two, The Perception! 💗

The Exception

I've listened to The Exception by Adriana Locke a few years ago, however, I absolutely love the revamp. The new cover is beautiful and the new narrators really bring the book to life!

The Exception is the first book in The Exception series. This book is told from dual points of view by Jada and Kane.

Jada has gone through a rough relationship recently, and she's not looking to start a new one. However, Kane bursts that bubble, and charms the pants off Jada. However, her past keeps coming back to haunt her.

Can she get past the past and start something new with Kane? Can Kane get under Jada's skin and help her with her past? Will Jada and Kane have a happy ending?

I really enjoyed getting to know Jada and Kane and can't wait to see what happens next!

Cane Alexander is one yummy alpha

Cane is cocky and dominating and doesn’t believe in forever but oh my word, the moment he meets Jada he knows she’s his endgame. This story has so much angst and love and action! And the narrators sure added to all the feelings with their amazing voices. Loved, loved, loved it!

Fun romantic suspense

This was more of a romantic suspense which is a bit different than what the author typically writes and I'm here for it. I'm used to her more rom-com style of writing with the Mason Family series and now the Carmichaels so this was a bit of a surprise. This is Adriana's first book, and it has recently received a new cover and the audio has been re-recorded, and it now includes The Connection as a bonus epilogue. The narrators both did a great job with their chapters, I very much enjoyed the narration.

This follows Jada, who has recently divorced her abusive husband and has moved home to Arizona to start over. The last thing she wants in her life is an alpha male playboy like Cane Alexander to barge into her life and complicate things. Cane is a one night stand kind of guy, but there is something about Jada. His best friend and co-worker, Max is seeing Jada's sister, so they are often at the same place at the same time, so Cane is determine to get Jada to spend time with him. She isn't interested, but eventually he wears her down. They fall into easy banter and their attraction and chemistry overshadow their desire to not enter into a relationship.

This follows some pretty standard romance tropes. Cane does some really stupid things in an effort to deny his feelings for Jada, and Jada forgives him a little too easily. Jada naturally has trust issues after dealing with her jerk of an ex, and Cane has some relationship baggage as well so it takes them some time to figure out trust and communication. Their road to happiness isn't an easy one, especially as Cane's family has made some enemies along the way and Jada has gotten caught in the crossfire of their family feud. Cane being the overprotective alpha that he is does what he thinks is best to protect her, which of course isn't necessarily the best thing for their relationship.

This is fairly steamy, so I would say it is definitely NSFW. If you are listening to the audio, I'd recommend listening to this with headphones on if you are concerned with little ones, co-workers, or anyone else overhearing anything you wouldn't want them to hear if you know what I mean.

Overall this is a fun, fast paced romance. It was a quick listen, and I was totally invested in the story. I'm really looking forward to reading Max and Kari's story, I loved them as side characters. There is obviously something holding them both back from taking the next step and I'm anxious to find out what that is.

Loved it - Great story and great narration

I have read and or listened to a number of books by Adriana Locke and I am surprised I have not come across The Exception before now. Narrated by Connor Crais and Samantha Brentmoor I was quickly drawn into the story; it was entertaining, suspenseful and romantic.
This is Jada Stanley and Cane Alexander’s story and it ticked every box for me. Jada has escaped a cheating and at times abusive marriage and the last thing she wants is to fall for a player, such as Cane. Everyone knows he is a one and done kind of man and yet there is something about the arrogant businessman that.she is drawn to.
The mystery and suspense as the story unfolded was just as good as the romance and heat between Jada and Cane. The secondary characters added an extra layer to the story. I love the relationship that Cane has with his best friend and business partner Max and cannot wait to read his story.
There was so much more to Cane than the brash, arrogant man he portrays. He is a man who has been badly burnt in the past and has no intention of ever falling in love. That is until he meets Jada. There is something about her that calls to him on so many levels that it turns his life upside down.
I loved the push and pull dynamic as their story unfolded and have no hesitation in recommending The Exception.

Loved it!!!

I was completely immersed in Cane and Jada's story. I loved the bad boy who becomes obsessed with the girl who doesn't want to give him the time of day. Both of them make some poor choices, but it brings them to the best conclusion.

I was excited to go back and listen to this older book by Adriana. I have read her newer series and was so happy to find her older stuff is just as good. Romance with a little romantic suspense. Is there anything better?

The narrators did a great job telling this one. I didn't want to stop listening!

Words aren’t enough

Absolutely loved this story. I read it a couple years ago and loved it then too, but listening to it is a whole new experience. The narrators are perfect. They totally embodied Cane and Jada and all the emotions in this book. A great enemy to lovers story with some suspense thrown in! Download it now!!!