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Never Say Never
- The Ladies Who Brunch, Book 1
- Narrated by: Teddy Hamilton, Samantha Brentmoor
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
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Never Say Never
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Summary
“I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend.”
When those words left the lips of Damien Shaw, my childhood nemesis, I should have told him to kick rocks right then and there.
But sadly, his scheme to impress his boss left me with something to gain from it too—getting my meddling mother, who was obsessed with my love life, off my back just in time for my parents’ thirtieth wedding anniversary celebration in Hawaii.
You see, Damien and I grew up together, but we weren’t friends. No—we were rivals.
And when we both moved out to California to go to different colleges, we promised never to think of each other again.
It had been twelve years since we had been face to face, but when he kept popping up everywhere, I should have known that trouble would follow.
And sure enough, during a lunch with my parents he told them we were dating.
I was hellbent on exposing him, but then my mother’s reaction made it hard to say no. So, I ended up fake dating my enemy while trying desperately not to fall for him.
My gut told me to keep my distance. But my heart? That bastard was falling for the man with every sweet gesture he made and every orgasm he gave me.
But when the reason for our rivalry and our fake relationship comes to light, everyone and everything explodes, leaving one hell of a mess to clean up.
I never thought I’d fall for Damien Shaw. I never thought my enemy could force me to figure out my life. But you know what they say—never say never.
TW: Toxic parental relationships
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What listeners say about Never Say Never
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- PATRICIA
- 10-04-24
Brunch never sounded so good!
Well I am never saying never after this fabulous start to the Ladies Who Brunch series. Harlow James has hooked me in and now I just need to keep listening to these fabulous characters! This book features Damien and Charlotte, rivals for their entire childhood now meet after Charlotte tells Damien never to think of her again when she leaves for college. Now ten years later, the two cross paths again, and it's got all the makings of a true love disaster. Damien needs a fake girlfriend for work and Samantha needs a date to her cousin's wedding so her interfering mother will leave her alone. But will this agreement to help each other out ever be something that would would work after their tumultuous history? Packed with a lot of humor, incredible chemistry, and a passage to catastrophe, I was all in. Every scene in this book is exciting, as it builds their relationship, shines light on the past and creates a wonderful couple. Plus, we got to go to Hawaii!! How could I go wrong! I loved this story, and cannot wait to dive into book 2.
How to make it better you ask? Add Teddy Hamilton and Samantha Brentmoor in my ears in duet narration, that's how! Hamilton is amazing as Damien. A lot of confidence and ambition come out, along with a passion that only Hamilton can create. Brentmoor is fabulous as Charlotte. She is self assured in one breath and a little girl in the next, dealing with demons. This team could not have been better cast as these characters and I loved hearing them together.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gillek2
- 21-03-24
Charlotte and Damien!
Charlotte has a career she loves and a great group of friends, but she also has a mother who may love her but is critical of her every life decision. With her parents planning a vow renewal in Hawaii to celebrate their 30th anniversary she needs a date, but she never expected that it would be Damien, a man she hasn’t seen for over a decade and who was her childhood rival.
Damien has a successful career in marketing and is aware of his charm when it comes to women. When a chance encounter brings them together after a decade, they come up with an arrangement that will help him with his latest campaign and show her mother she is in a relationship however neither was prepared for the unexpected feelings and the truths about both their pasts.
The banter between is humorous, the romance between them is touching and Charlotte and Damien have similar life experiences that allows them to understand each other in a way that others may not. The audio copy of this story was entertaining as the narrators brought out both the emotion and humor of the story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Cahdii
- 13-04-24
Great story,great narration
This is a childhood rivals to lovers, faking dating story with Sex and the City/ What Women Want/ How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days vibes.
Never Say Never is the first book in the Ladies Who Brunch series and tells the story of Charlotte and Damien. There are 5 books in the series and the first four are about Charlotte and her 3 friends. The 5th book is about Damien’s best friend, Jeffrey.
So a quick rundown of the story. Charlotte and Damien grew up together in South Carolina. Their parents are friends, but they were always in competition with each other at school. High school ends and they go off to different colleges in California (ironically, they got into each other’s dream school). Fast forward 12 years, Charlotte has built a very successful career in advertising. She has a close relationship with her college besties and they meet for brunch every Sunday at the same diner. The only thing missing in her life is a man, and her mother takes the opportunity to remind her every chance she gets. Damien, on the other hand, is still trying to climb the corporate ladder, much to his father’s disappointment. After a chance encounter, they end up in a fake dating situation and the line between fake and real starts to blur.
I love the narration of this book. It’s narrated by Samantha Brentmoor and Teddy Hamilton, two narrators that I enjoy. Teddy has Damon’s cocky, playboy personality down to a T. Samantha’s portrayal of the strong, independent career woman with hidden insecurities is excellent. She also does an amazing southern accent for Charlotte’s mum. There is so much banter and humour in this book and the narrators did an excellent job bringing those parts of the book to life.
This was such a fun read but it also dealt with heavier topics like toxic parents, setting boundaries, and overcoming insecurities. I love the strong female friendships in this book. Charlotte, Penelope, Emelia and Noelle all have unique personalities and are very supportive of each other. The vibe of their friend group is very much Sex and the City.
I love how their journey from fake dating to real relationship leads to them becoming better people. It’s not just a fun rom-com, but it touches on a lot of real issues that readers can relate to. Both characters experience a lot of growth with regards to dealing with their toxic parent, and also their personal flaws. This book has a 3rd act breakup, which I didn’t mind because it shows that growth isn’t always linear. The break up happens because while the characters have grown as people, and worked on their insecurities, they’re still flawed and sometimes they make mistakes. But the important thing is they recognise their mistakes and try to fix them.
*I received a complementary audiobook from Homecooked Books. This is my honest review.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Erin
- 11-04-24
Fun and emotional
This was such a fun and emotional story.
I absolutely loved Charlotte’s friendships, they were so empowering and loyal.
Charlotte was a fierce independent woman, but she still had things that she let hold her back.
Damien is an absolute treasure, he is cocky, in a fun way, he is sweet and caring and understanding. He is open and kind, he is there for Charlotte, and also has his own emotional trauma he had to deal with.
I love how these two really got to know each other and reconnect as adults, and the chemistry between them was so intense.
This was fun and empowering.
I can’t wait for the rest of the ladies’ stories.
Samantha Brentmoor is always a favorite, she always brings so much passion and emotion into every character.
And Teddy Hamilton is always a winner for bringing to life a swoonworthy book boyfriend.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JoJo
- 10-04-24
Damien & Charlotte
This brunch was sweet & spicy. I loved the friendship between the 4 girls and how Charlotte dealt with her mother’s attitude. Damien despite being labelled a player he was so much more. His considerate attitude, specially towards his mother was incredible.
Teddy Hamilton and Samantha Brentmoor brought us Damien and Charlotte in this smexy enemies to lovers LA style. The banter in this audiobook could be felt through their voices. Brilliant voice acting! With this duo you can never go wrong.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Crystal
- 11-04-24
Great performances
Audiobook review: Narrated by Samantha Brentmoor and Teddy Hamilton
4.25 stars for story / 5 stars for performance
This has an enemies to lovers feel to it but I don't know that I would really classify Damien and Charlotte as anything but rivals. My favorite part of this story is how Damien knew from the jump that Charlotte was more to him than he wanted anyone to believe. Although they do enter into a fake relationship, we knew from the start that Damien really has stronger feelings. It is such a healthy story in that Damien is the epitome of non-toxic, despite the pressure he feels from his dad. Charlotte is a strong, financially independent woman and he loves this about her. Don't get me wrong...this is no easy romance. We have enough angst to keep the story interesting and the side characters add some much appreciated comic relief. I can't wait to continue with the next installment.
As for the audio aspect of the story, it was so easy to listen straight through. Samantha Brentmoor is a master at this craft. The different incantations of her voice make it easy to forget she is one person. She brings plenty of emotion to her performance and she made it so easy to listen. As for Teddy Hamilton...I don't ever have a bad word to say about him. He plays each character so fully that it's easy to feel a connection. I will never pass on a book narrated by him.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jenna Stewart
- 26-02-24
Fantastic Lis
This book was so good!! I loved Charlotte and Damien, from childhood enemies to a fake relationship to falling in love. So many fun moments and ones that had me laughing out loud like the party at Dave’s. There are some serious themes throughout as well and dealing with toxic parents. I loved how therapy was talked about and doing healthy boundaries even with parents. The friendship and support throughout Charlotte's tribe and with her aunt was heartwarming. This friend group is one I wish I had in real life. Charlotte was an independent and fierce heroine and Damien quickly stole my heart. Together they had some great banter, sweet yet sexy, and being vulnerable with one another. Damien will make you swoon with the period care he offers Charlotte. Overall, the story was beautifully written and relatable, I am looking forward to the next audio in this series!
Narrated by Teddy Hamilton and Samantha Brentmoor - this was a perfect casting for Charlotte and Damien. Their performance was top-tier and the voices complimented one another nicely. This was a very enjoyable listen and one I highly recommend!! Hope to see more from this duo in the future.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bette
- 11-04-24
Say Forever!! Excellent Story & Narration🎧
This is an amazing start to “The Ladies Who Brunch” series, a fantastic romantic comedy, a fake relationship between two childhood nemesis who meet again over a decade later. I am not sure how this is my first Harlow James book, I only know she has my attention now. I enjoyed her writing style, the characters and storylines she created are interesting and original, and the story captivated my attention from start to end. Each book in the series will feature a different lady who brunches, and this first is Charlotte and Damien Shaw’s story. The ladies who brunch are a tight-knit group of friends who have each other’s back and meet weekly to catch up. I loved the camaraderie amongst them, and the back-and-forth banter between them, and I am looking forward to hearing each of their stories and their fun times at future brunch gatherings. Charlotte’s mother is a piece of work, instead of praising her daughter for all her accomplishments, she is critical and more concerned about her appearance and finding someone to marry. She was out grabbing lunch when she sees him, her rival from growing up, Damien. Both their parents were friends, and she got stuck hanging with him often and he always gave her a hard time. She ducks out unseen, or so she thought. Damian is looking to advance in his career, but when he did not get picked to work on a campaign because it was for women’s products he made a pitch to his boss, who reminded him he does not have enough familiarity with women, since he is only a player. Damien blurts out that he has a girlfriend, someone he knew when he was younger. His boss not only gives him a go ahead for the project, but invites him and his girlfriend to a party at his house. Oh boy, now he needs to find a girlfriend, and when he sees Charlotte, who he hasn’t seen in years, he comes up with a plan. The only thing he needed to do was to get her on board, which was not all that difficult, because they were both going to her parent’s anniversary celebration, and if she had a boyfriend, it would keep her mother off of her back. Except not all goes as planned, but the going is great for the two of them until it is not, and her mother was not the only difficult parent, since his father was no bargain either. I loved all the layers of this story, the complexity of the characters and how everything played out, the world building is fantastic, and there is never a dull moment and the story has the perfect balance of drama, a touch of angst, witty dialogue and humor, heartfelt emotions and steamy romance. Harlow James, thank you for this fabulous story, the laughs and the emotional rollercoaster ride.
🎧📚🎧Samantha Brentmoor and Teddy Hamilton were the perfect cast to bring these characters to life and do so with a complete understanding of who they portraying. I loved how they take each role and make it their own, sounding believable and just as I imagined the characters to sound. You could hear how much heart they put into their performance as they capture all the characters’ emotion and have you feeling each one. Their talent knows no bounds and their performance elevates this already fantastic story to another level. They set the perfect tone for the story, handled the witty dialogue with ease, landing the humor effortlessly. These two make a great team, their voices complement each other and both are a pleasure to listen to.
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