Never Tear Us Apart
Series: Never Tear Us Apart, #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Monica Murphy
Release Date: January 5, 2015
Perfect for readers of Colleen Hoover, Jay Crownover, and K. A. Tucker, the first novel in this darkly sexy contemporary series from bestselling author Monica Murphy kicks off an emotionally powerful two-part tale of forbidden love.
Crazy how eight years can disappear in an instant. One look at Katie Watts, and I’m a fifteen-year-old again—the one who risked everything to save a terrified girl from her twisted kidnapper. She’s grown-up now—beautiful, quiet, composed—and telling her story to the world. A story that involves me in more ways than you can imagine. She used to call me her guardian angel. Sure, I risked my life, but she was worth dying for.I need to make contact with her. Just to ensure that she’s safe.
Somehow we reconnect. We become friends . . . but I want more. I want to make her mine. And she wants me too. Does she know who I am? Has she figured me out? Not yet. But she will. In the meantime, I need to make sure that whatever hold that animal had on her is gone.
So, yeah, I’m stealing these moments with her. Savoring them. Knowing, dreading, that she’ll soon find out who I really am. And everything will fall apart. All because of that twisted, perverted monster sitting on death row. Her kidnapper. A convicted serial killer.
My father.
I want her. As wrong and twisted as I know it is, I can’t deny it.
I want her, all for myself.
Sometimes you read a book that touches you on an emotional level. It’s a book that burrows into your very heart and grabs hold. A book that’s different yet unforgettable. A book that touches on a deeply emotional and dark subject and yet gives you the light at the end of the tunnel for it. THIS, this was that book for me. I think this may easily be one of my favorite books I’ve read by this author to date. It was beautiful, poignant, and perfectly written. This could not have been an easy book for Monica Murphy to write, and yet she pulled it off flawlessly.
Never tear us apart is told in dual POV with flashes from present to past. It’s done in a flash of memory, allowing the reader to be truly a part of their story. You get to experience it along with the characters and that was one of the things I appreciated the most about it. So often it’s easy to just tell the reader about the emotions and experience, yet the author truly shows you. She sucks you into their story and their past. She makes you feel right along with them.
Katie Watts survived something at twelve years old that no child should ever experience. She saw the very core of human darkness and she’s been a shell of a person since. Countless therapy sessions and eight years have helped her deal with it but not truly heal. The one light in the darkness of the memory is the guardian angel in the shape of a fifteen year old boy that saved her life. No matter how much time has gone by, he’s still her rock. Her everything. Even if she hasn’t seen him since that day.
Ethan watches Katie from afar. Does she know who he is? Does she know how he feels about her? Can he ever allow himself to just get close to her to show her? He knows that he’s the only one that truly understands her. He knows he just may be the only one that may be able to heal her.
And that is the only thing you should know going in. Trust me on this. You don’t want more than what that synopsis gives you. You want to experience these details as they unfold in the story. You’ll enjoy it that much more.
What I can tell you is this was a slow paced romance, and realistically so. Considering Katie’s history and the way that things start, it wouldn’t be true to the characters to have it any other way. That doesn’t make their romance any less poignant, though. If anything, that added burn just makes it that much better.
If you’re concerned about certain dark aspects of Katie’s past, don’t be. The author did an amazing job of giving you the idea but not truly going into detail. She gives the reader just enough to use their imagination but not overwhelmingly so, if that makes sense. Kudos to you, Miss Murphy, for pulling that off.
If you’re looking for something a little different, Never Tear Us Apart is a must read. Part one of a duet, it does end on a cliffhanger, and book two will be out in May. I didn’t even mind the cliffhanger because it didn’t feel contrived or like it was added for shock value. Everything about this book just worked. I can’t recommend it enough.
The conclusion to Ethan and Katie’s story will be Never Let You Go
Releasing May 3, 2016
I’ve been waiting for Kai’s book for a long, long time. Ever since he was first introduced as a somewhat shady secondary character in 
Perfect Ruin is meant to be read after 
Kai is not a man that forms attachments. Any feeling has been beaten and tortured out of him when he was still a little boy. He doesn’t want an attachment of any kind any more than he can afford one. But when his job is to keep an eye on beautiful woman that he may have to use to bring her father to heel, it’s no hardship. What he never expects is for something to click inside of him once he does.
The connection between London and Kai is something that’s formed through many years. It may not be orthodox, but it’s them. Kai is not a gentle man, but with London there’s a part of him that comes to light that no one else has seen.
How in the ever loving hell do I even begin reviewing this book?! Honestly. I’m completely at a loss for words. So my only way out is to be vague as shit and trust me when I tell you you’ll thank me for it. You want to know absolutely nothing about this book. Even the very minute detail can be a spoiler. If you want my advise, avoid reviews altogether and go in absolutely blind. Hell, don’t even read the blurb.
First of all, while this book is categorized dark, I wouldn’t agree with that. It’s a heck of a lot darker than anything Penelope Douglas has written and surely a leap away from anything she’s written in the past. But dark? Well, on my scale, I’d rate it a light gray. It was erotic, and very edgy, but if you compare to the Pepper Winters, CJ Roberts, or the like, it’s not quite on the same scale. It’s also not for everyone. Penelope took some risks with this one and there are some scenes and occurrences that may not agree with everyone. But this girl? Devoured it like the crack that it was.
I read this 2 days ago and I still can’t stop thinking about it. There was one particular scene that really threw me and made me wonder if it was really necessary. However, after giving it some though, it was barely a blip on my radar. I also wished for a bit of something from Michael at the end (I won’t say what because I’m a teasing bitch like that) but you’ll see what I mean once you read it. But once again, thinking on it some more, Penelope stayed true to his character, and having him handle it any other way would not have been that. So I can respect that.
But let’s be real here for a moment; I may be a pervert but I’m a pervert with standards. I want a great story to go with my book porn and this has it in spades. If anything, each book in this series continues to be better than the last. They’re my crack of choice and I’m not planning on rehab anytime soon.
Guardian, badass and sporting some enviable hair. Along with his fellow Guardian brothers, he’s been on the hunt for Apollo who has been recently been released from his stasis prison and wreaking havoc in the earth realm. They’re determined to bring him down and also find the answers about how to deal with Drake’s mate who seems to be pained at his mere presence. Those questions lead them to a club…
Natasha used to be Apolo’s secret weapon until she escaped his prison along with her twin sister and has been hiding out in the earth realm ever since. But when a sinfully sexy Guardian steps foot in her club, she doesn’t understand her instant carnal reaction to him. Being in the earth realm for as long as she has, she has no idea about matings or Tetartos. But what she does know is her hunger for a long haired guardian seems to only get hotter with each encounter.
Ryleigh Phillips has got to be one of the most adorably endearing heroines I have read in a good long while. Everything from her quirky rockabilly style, to her internal monologue, to her banter with her best friends, just worked for me. She’s funny, sassy, and just one of those heroines you want to be your very own best friend. She’s so lively, she practically jumps off the pages at you. Brooke did such a great job introducing a cast of secondary characters in the form of her best friends that grabbed all my attention from the go.
Licked is one of those feel good and light hearted reads that will have you reading with a goofy smile on your face the entire time. It’s light on angst and stupid drama (as in none of it), and heavy on the humor and the sexy. I devoured it like my favorite pint of Ben & Jerry’s. Everything about it worked for me; the romance, the characters, and most of all the writing. Brooke Blaine doesn’t just take on new genres with each book she writes, she grabs it by the throat and calls it her bitch. The woman is a true rockstar. What a fun little read this was.
I have no idea how to even begin reviewing this book. After reading the prologue, I knew I was in for a tear jerker, and yet nothing could have prepared me for the full effect. Nothing. Cruel and Beautiful was unlike any book I’ve ever read before. Beautifully tragic and emotionally charged, it’s one of those books that will stay with me for a long while. I finished it last night and still find myself thinking about it. It’s just one of those stories that will touch you on a visceral level. It’s impossible not to have it effect you, it’s just that moving.
When Drew McKnight first laid his eyes on Cate Forbes, he knew he wanted her. Drew is older with his sights set on a career in Oncology, while Cate is still a college student with no plans on relationships or falling in love. But this isn’t an angsty college romance of boy meets girl. It’s a touching love story of two soul mates. It’s captivating, endearing, emotional, and interspersed with just the right amount of humor. You get to watch these two fall in love slowly. You get to experience all their first smiles, emotions, feelings, everything, right alongside with them.
This is one of those stories where the less you know going in, the better. Even the tiniest detail can be a spoiler. So I recommend going in absolutely blind.
See that utterly pathetic pile of melted, swooning goo on the floor right now? Yep. That’s me. Who would have thought I’d meet my end at the hands of a bearded, pierced, and man-bun wearing virgin?
Because if anyone was going to make my manwhore and asshole loving self fall completely head over heals for a virgin, it had to be Kristen Callihan. Having read 2 other male virgin books before this and being mostly underwhelmed, third time was most certainly the charm for me. Because this book? I loved it. I beyond loved it. I want to marry it and have it’s babies. I want to rub myself in it and roll around basking in it’s pure awesome all day. I want to lick it. Alright, you get the point here I think.
What I love particularly about this series, aside from the swoony heroes that somehow get better with each new book, is that the timeline progresses. What I mean is, with 
Adorably quirky, laugh out loud funny, and deliciously sexy, Nuts was the perfect escape read I’ve had in quite a while. Alice Clayton just gets better and better with each new book, but she simply outdid herself with this one. If the Nuts is anything to go by, we have quite a bit to look forward to in Alice’s new Hudson Valley series.
Roxie Callahan is a celbrity chef in hollywood catering to the rich, famous and the entitled. She loves to cook…dealing with some of her clients? Not so much. So when an unfortunate butter incident costs her almost most of her clients, suddenly her kooky mother’s request for her to come back to the town she grew up in and run the restaurant while she’s away doesn’t sound so bad. Then a certain bearded farmer changes her outlook on the small town entirely…
In addition to the fantastic secondary characters, the wit and the humor, the setting of the book is what really hooked me. The author did such a fabulous job truly engrossing the reader in this wonderful town. I couldn’t help but be transported there myself as I was reading it.
Ella Frank is a chameleon of genres. The woman is a damn genius is what she is. Whether it be contemporary, MM, Urban Fantasy, and now PNR, it seems like she really cannot do any wrong. I had no idea what to expect when I picked this book up, but I knew two things for sure:
Truth be told, I’m always hesitant with the first book in a PNR series because almost always it will suffer what I refer to as a case of the firsts. What I mean is, between the introduction of all the characters, the world building, and everything in between, I often find myself taking a while to get into the story and wrap my mind around everything. I was beyond thrilled and not a little surprised that that wasn’t the case here. I was sucked into the book immediately. The character development, the rich world building, the unbelievably sizzling sexual tension is what made this book the unputdownable read that it was.
Alasdair is a first sired; one of the most powerful vampires in existence second only to his sire; Vasilios. Ruthless, unapologetic, and with a magnetic sexual appeal there’s not much in life that Alasdair doesn’t have. His face has lured plenty a human to their death while experiencing a pleasure unlike any they’ve ever experienced. But he’s also a vampire of particular tastes. Being alive for centuries has ensured that not just anyone experiences the pleasure of receiving his carnal attentions. But then one human changes everything…
You know how sometimes you read a book by a new author and you just know that this is someone that you’re going to be hooked on for a long time? Exposed by Ivy Stone was that book for me. It was a page turner I never wanted to set down. The writing was complex, enthralling, with a touch of grit and incredibly sexy. The characters were well developed and multi-layered. What truly hooked me was the author’s voice and writing style. I simply couldn’t get enough of it. If this book is anything to go by, Miss Stone has quite the career ahead of her and she certainly got herself a huge fan in me.
Lindsey Jenkins has been to hell and back. She’s lost everything and had to pick up the pieces not only for herself but her younger sister when she was just a kid herself. Now she’s older, stronger, and with enough secrets that may very well bury her.
There were a few things that left me with questions about both Mason and Lindsey. Things that I wished were fleshed out a little bit more. Things about Lindsey’s past and how she got into the life that she did that I wish we got more development on. I also found myself questioning a few decisions that Mason made as a cop that I had difficulty suspending my disbelief on.
