The Perception (The Exception Series Book 2)

Two words: Max QuinnI loved Max when he was first introduced in The Exception. A good ol’ Southern boy? Uh, yeah I love them. So needless to say when I saw The Perception was going to be Max’s story I knew I needed to read it.Our characters:Kari has become the love him and leave him kind of girl. No attachment, no strings, just get whatever you need and then just leave. She’s been broken before and can’t bear to go through that again, so she keeps Max at a distance always reminding him that they are temporary. She could one day just up and leave…but she doesn’t. She’s a strong character. I loved seeing her go from a tough, strong, independent girl to learning how to rely on others. I also loved seeing her walls come down and seeing the real Kari.Max * sigh * is such a gentlemen. He is totally worth book boyfriend material. He’s loyal, sweet, caring a family man. He’s just perfect. I loved that no matter how much Kari tried to push him away he wouldn’t give up on her, he kept trying. He was the kind of man you want in your corner. What I liked the most about this story is that we see the working side of Max that demands respect and gives orders and with Kari and his family we see a loving caring man.The Relationship:Kari and Max’s relationship is so adorable, loving and would make girls wish they had a boyfriend like Max. They leave each other sticky notes in random spots so they can always remind the other they’re thinking of each other. I also loved how active they were, they enjoyed going on hikes or simply sitting on the couch reading a book. There was also playfulness to their relationship that I have been missing in most books. I love a guy who can make me laugh and feel good about myself…Max definitely did that with Kari. Totally swoon worthy.Max: “Marry me?”Kari: “Not today.The Truth Will Set You FreeKari has been carrying around a huge secret that has been eating her up alive. She could never turn to her sister Jada because at the time Jada was going through her drama with her husband (read The Exception for Jada’s story). So she’s dealt with everything in her past by herself, never relying on anyone just taking care of herself. She’s afraid once Max knows the truth, he’ll walk away just like he did. Even after, Max finds out the truth he tells Kari he’s not leaving. Her secret (I won’t spoil it for you!) is a major deal breaker in relationship for many and I can understand why she didn’t want Max to fall in love with her but he showed that no matter what love conquers all and if you truly love the person you’ll stick by them no matter what.That’s not the only problem they had throughout the book…there was Sam. Max’s sister’s friend who has always managed to make Max feel bad about her circumstances so he can’t help but to lend a helping hand. But something just doesn’t sit right about Sam, I knew it from the moment she was introduce. I just knew the girl was “off”. Always trust your gut! Let me tell you, the twists Adriana threw into the story with Sam I never saw coming.My Favorite Part:I love tattoos, I only have one but I have so many I would love to get and I love to hear people’s stories behind their tattoos. It helps me understand the person better. I really loved how Adriana incorporated tattoos into the story and their meanings. I especially loved Kari and Max’s tattoos but above all I really loved Kari’s tattoo. *insert cheesy moment here * for me, it really explained how I feel about my fiancé.“Max was many things to me. He was my friend, my lover, my soul mate. My guiding force. Just like a compass, I could turn to him to find my way home. To him. Because Max Quinn was my home."Beautiful, right?What I loved the most about the story was how much love Kari and Max had for one another. Adriana wrote such a beautiful story about giving love a chance, letting go and loving again. Most importantly, loving yourself. It was truly captivating from beginning to end. Max Quinn is totally boyfriend material. You’ll love him I promise.

(Swoon. Sigh. Wipes drool.)Max Quinn (fans self) is all the things:Awesomesauce.Schmexy.Sweet.Dirty (winks. Yeah, that kind).Loyal.Loving.Determined.Helpful.Amazing.Max is the perfect book boyfriend. Almost endless patience, kindness abounds, a gentle heart but a naughty boy in the bedroom...yes, this heartbreaker is worth your dream man list space. He's worth your time and your heart. Just don't go all crazy girl on him!

4-4.5 stars. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this book. Going into The Perception, I was a huge Max Quinn fan but I was less than lukewarm about Kari Stanley, even though I adored her sister Jada. Max and Kari have had this casual relationship that has extended into months and now over a year and I didn't like how Kari was stringing Max along when it was obvious that she had deeper feelings for him. Truthfully, I wanted Max to move on and find someone else who could return those affections to him because Max is a good-hearted Southern guy at the core and Kari just seemed kind of wishy-washy and flaky. In The Perception, there's more to Kari than meets the eye and she convinced me to root for her before the end of the book. What I liked about her was her overall calm demeanor. Despite whatever drama was happening around her, Kari was not one to lose her temper or her cool and she doesn't yell or make unnecessary assumptions. Even when other people were being rude to her, Kari handles them well without making a fool of herself. Slowly, I started to see what Max saw in her and since I wanted what Max wanted, I was eventually convinced that Kari was his best choice because quite frankly, some of the other female alternatives were just not a good fit for him at all and he knew it. Cane shows up quite a bit in this book and I'm happy to say that Cane isn't the guy I wanted to occasionally strangle in The Exception, he is a devoted husband to Jada and supportive best friend to Max. He doesn't do niceties the way Max does and it's quite amusing because there's someone who likes to stir up trouble that Max feels obligated to help and Cane doesn't tolerate that nonsense even for a second. Kari's reason for keeping Max at arm's length isn't as terrible as I had imagined because it doesn't make her a bad person, but I understood her fears and insecurities. Max is amazing. Whereas Cane was all over the place and out of sorts about Jada, Max is never uncertain about Kari and he always puts her first. He would do anything for her, literally. I absolutely loved Max in every way. There's a few twists in the story, all of which I saw coming because the clues were already in place, that move the plot along and force the characters to confront some very uncomfortable situations. Even if the feelings are there, like with any couple, Max and Kari have to overcome their issues in the past in order to have a future together.

The perception is Adriana Locke's second book that follows the secondary character we met in the exception - Adriana's first book, Kari and Max. In the exception these two character's already have a base, somewhat on their way to a relationship, we see glimpses of this in the exception. So in the perception we get to delve into that more with Max and Kari being the main focus.We know Kari as Jada's sister. We know her as the carefree and a little on the sassy side woman who just wants to go with the flow and have some fun in life.We know Max as the southern sweetheart who loves to push Kari and protect what's his. Max also balances out and is the other half to Mane (yes, I made that up just now. Yes I know I'm a dork.), aka Max + Cane.Max Quinn? OH MY. Where do I start? "Sweetheart, you and me- we;re permanent. You'll see one of these days. I'm just waitin' on you to come around."Anyone fainted from swooning so hard? He is sweet, so swoony and yet he is one of my favourite alpha's. One of my favourite Book Boyfriends ever.He knows what he wants and is certainly not afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve. Every single thing he does he owns it with such confidence. He's dominant but it's with such a calmness that causes you to swoon and give you butterflies! Max has the biggest heart too, which makes you fall harder.Kari is such a strong character. She is weighed down by a secret that she has carried for so long. It has been a secret for long she doesn't know how to share it with anyone. She is sure no one else see's what is going on behind her eyes but Max Quinn of course doesn't miss a thing when it comes to Kari so he relentlessly and ever so sweetly pushes her when he can and refuses to let her give up on them and the love brewing between them. Kari refuses herself the love they both deserve all in the name of not hurting others, Max especially. One of my favourite things within this story was the friendship between Max and Cane. It never faltered, one. It's my favourite friendship in any book I've ever read. Their friendship is the kind of friendship that will just fill your heart. The twists in this book are done so well and will take you on a hell of a ride But the story of Kari and Max's love is something very special and will take you on the biggest journey of all."You could be a mess on the inside but still look put together on the outside. As long as things looked okay, everything was fine. Smoke and mirrors wasn't just acceptable, it was preferred."Both books are standalone's. They can be read separately but I would suggest reading them as they came out, the perception being after the exception. Both are equally amazing, one is not lesser than the other, yes, for sure Adriana grew as a writer but both are equally amazing and take you out of this world and into Cane and Max's world. I still can't believe Adriana has only two books out and so excited for what's next!

Really couldn't wait for this after meeting Max & Kari in the previous book The Exception and it was totally worth the wait.A very different story from Cane & Jada's but it was soooo Max...sweet,sexy and loyal Max who loved with everything that he had but it would be this loyalty that could be his downfall.Both Kari and Max had a secret....Kari kept herself guarded because of hers but Max gave everything and never gave up, he quite simply is the epitome of the perfect book boyfriend.I loved a new character....Dr Hotty as I'll call him and a story for him has me salivating...one can hope...I hated another character Sam...Ugh...Max's loyalty to her tested my patience and I wanted him quite frankly to wake up and smell the coffee...but did he? You can understand it though and that's why it worked for me but I loved Cane's dealings with her...too funny!So in summary...just perfect....great storyline...so well written and edited to perfection

wow this book was amazing, I knew from the first book max was sexy, charming and so in love with kari, but reading there story was just awesome. I really wanted to strangle Sam, and was getting annoyed why max couldn't see the real her but the ending all worked out just has I wanted, couldn't of been any better. Also loved hearing more from cane and jada and just loved how cane had Sam pegged from beginning, go cane !!!!I really hope we get a book on conner pretty please ❤️

Just finished reading The Perception!! What an amazing book. Was unable to put my kindle down, unfortunately I had things like kids to deal with lol or I would have read it start to finish in one hit!! Love love love everything about it. Kari was fab, such a complex lady but scratch the surface and she's a whole lot easier to understand. And Max!!!! Phew what a guy. Totally made for Kari. No spoilers allowed but I'm rushing out to get me some post-it notes!! And A nice healthy dose of Cane (hot hot hot) and Jada to balance the mix nicely.I honestly couldn't stop once I started. Enough drama and plots and unexpected surprises all through the book that kept you wanting more.You will fall in love with Max and Kari from the start and I can imagine a whole lot of females relating to Kari. The tough little firecracker who always puts others first and buries their own problems, only to realise that eventually you are gonna have to let someone be your knight in shining armour.Mrs Locke...... I salute you and all your bad-ass writing skills. Now where's book number 3. I'm on a book comedown now!! 💕

I loved this book it was just amazing!!! I adored Max and Kari almost as much as Cane and Jada!! I love how adriana can make two alpha best friends so different to each other...This is a must read and I so can't wait for DR Conner Mannings book omg...the sexy doctor...hmmmm. I couldn't put this down apart from having to go to work...boooo....it's definitely a page turner!!!Well done done Adriana Locke on another awesome book she has definitely gone in my top authors list!!!