The Exception (The Exception, #1) in Indie Chicks Rockin' Reader Group

Jul 10, 2014 Kari March rated it it was amazing

I don't even know where to begin with this review. The Exception is just that.....an exception. It's an exception to every romance novel I have ever read. The characters are an exception to every character I've met. Adriana does an amazing, spectacular job at drawing you in and keeping you locked in the story. If I could give this book TEN brilliant stars I would.

Let's learn a little more about this TEN star read shall we??

Two words - CANE ALEXANDER

If that name doesn't get your attention I don't ...more

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Sep 19, 2014 Michelle rated it really liked it

4-4.5 stars. Really good debut novel for Adriana Locke. Cane and Jada were such fun characters to get to know, especially Cane. Jada is the kind of girl that anyone could be friends with, she gives her all in a relationship and is very caring and loving. She also has a sassy side to her that doesn't put up with crap now that she is moving on with life and making sure she puts herself first after a failed marriage of being treated like a doormat. Cane is the kind of guy that doesn't walk near any 4-4.5 stars. Really good debut novel for Adriana Locke. Cane and Jada were such fun characters to get to know, especially Cane. Jada is the kind of girl that anyone could be friends with, she gives her all in a relationship and is very caring and loving. She also has a sassy side to her that doesn't put up with crap now that she is moving on with life and making sure she puts herself first after a failed marriage of being treated like a doormat. Cane is the kind of guy that doesn't walk near anything that smells of a relationship with a ten foot pole and his intent with Jada is just for casual purposes, nothing more. Cane comes off as a hot and sexy bad boy initially and that's how he likes it. Although he can't ignore his attraction to Jada, he sees that she doesn't want what he wants, that she would demand more, and Cane has the common sense not to push things between them in a direction that would cause irreparable damage. Of course Jada is feeling insecure about herself but also knows better than to settle for less. What follows is a story about Cane slowing falling under Jada's spell whether he wants to or not and has to decide if he's will to risk breaking his rules for her. They both have trust issues and the love part might actually be easier to give than the trust part, especially when they both have pasts they want to move on from and forget about. I liked the transition in Cane, he had a good heart all along but he just didn't know how to navigate around his emotions until he decided to own them. He definitely had a alpha-protective side and Max kept him in check. I loved Max, he always seemed like the voice of reason and rationality, keeping calm and level headed. Jada wanted what any woman wants, to be a man's everything and she had a lot of conflicting issues weighing her down but I admired her for moving on and starting over because it was scary for her to do it alone although she had great support from her family. Still, her personal journey was her own to grow up from, with some help from Cane. I'm hoping there will be more of these characters in the future because I want to read more about Max. ...more

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Jan 10, 2015 Shannon rated it really liked it

Shelves: series, kindle-book, part-of-series, hot, series-stand-alone, second-chances, dirty-talker, bad-boy, books-i-won, alpha

“You shouldn’t try to play games with me because I’m not a player. I’m the coach.”

Oh Cane, you arrogant, self-assured, confident son of a gun! How fun it was to watch your carefully constructed world crumble at the hands of a woman!

“Everything I thought I knew about, well, everything, now seemed challengeable. The rules that I lived by all seemed…open to doubt. And that wasn’t possible.”

But it was, it definitely was! And I loved seeing him find someone who he wanted to throw out all his ...more

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Aug 10, 2015 Elizabeth rated it really liked it

I discovered Adriana Locke's work earlier this year when I read Sacrifice and loved it, so I was curious to go back and read the work she published earlier. A group read got me going with The Exception and at first I stuck with the schedule, but it didn't take long for Cane and Jada to pull me in and I couldn't be satisfied with just a few chapters a day.
When we meet Jada, she is recovering from a bad marriage and Cane is the exact last thing she is looking for in her life. If you look up domin ...more

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May 12, 2015 Lisa rated it it was amazing

Loved this book. I always love a bad boy but Cane had me from the very beginning.

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Jan 14, 2017 Jackie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was an interesting read. There was a lot of angst and back and forth indecisiveness. I really enjoyed the suspense and mystery aspect of the book. It held my attention so I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next and ended up finishing the book quickly. I wasn't sure if I would like Cane or not based on certain actions, but he turned out to be pretty decent. I liked Jada's quick wit and stubbornness. I also enjoyed Kari and Max's characters and am looking forward to reading their b ...more

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