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 … 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.
Praise for Never Tear Us Apart
“All the best parts of romance and betrayal . . . I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.”—New York Times bestselling author Jay Crownover
“A powerful story that left me raw yet hopeful.”—USA Today bestselling author K. A. Tucker
“A powerful story of friendship, trauma, coping and betrayal. The characters jump off the page into real life and will have readers gasping and feeling every emotion that they go through. Another amazing book to add to Murphy’s already stellar library!”—RT Book Reviews (4 1/2 stars)
“Murphy has written a compelling and emotional love story of two severely broken people, each of whom can be healed only by the other.”—Booklist
“Murphy imbues these characters with genuineness and plausibility. . . . [Readers] will look forward to the promised sequel.”—Publishers Weekly
“It’s poetic, addresses difficult themes, and captures the essence of our fragility as humans and the strength love provides.”—Heroes and Heartbreakers
“Beautiful, poignant, and perfectly written . . . 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.”–Dirty Girl Romance
“Emotional, beautiful, devastating and fascinating . . . To say I loved this book is an understatement. . . . I truly recommend this story if you’re looking to read something different and out of the box.”–The Sisterhood of the Traveling Book Boyfriends
“A beautiful kind of heartbreak . . . the kind of heartbreak that keeps you flipping pages, holding your breath and on the verge of tears. All in the hopes that what you know is going to happen, deep down in the darkest parts of your heart, will actually all work out and these characters you’ve come to care about will heal and love and live.”–Black Heart Reviews
“Had me tangled in knots emotionally with the compelling plot, dark and twisted romance, and heartbreaking past Ethan and Katherine had to endure.”–Harlequin Junkie
From the Trade Paperback edition.
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Ethan has longed to see the girl who captured his heart so long ago, he has constantly wondered if she has found a way to find happiness in her life again and he wants to see the kind of woman she has turned out to be. His desire to see her again has completely consumed him, she is all he thinks about, and all he wants, but he is not so sure she would want him to have a place in her life again. He is hoping she has found a way to survive the trauma she endured at the hands of the monster who took away her innocence and the same man who tormented him for years. He needs to see her again, and once and for all silence the nagging voice in his head, he needs to know she is okay, and that she is safe…
Katie Watts past haunts her everyday, she struggles to find happiness in her life, because her demons are always there, lurking and causing her to question the motives of everyone around her. The monster who stole her innocence is always there in the back of her mind, he has taken her ability to trust, her ability to connect with anyone physically, and her ability to have a normal relationship. She longs to find someone who can help her heal from her past, and give her the kind of emotional connection she has desired for so long. But can she really put her self out there, make herself available to a man, and if she finds the ability to do it, will they want her, or will the damage she has suffered be more than bare, and send them running in the other direction…
After reading the synopsis for this book, I was immediately intrigued and left with the deepest desire to get my hands on this book. It has been a while since I have read a book by this author, but after only a few pages in, I was quickly reminded why I enjoy her books so much, this book was by far one of my favorites of hers to date! The writing was breath taking, the character development was beyond exceptional, and I was left me dying for more, which in my book makes for some truly enjoyable reading!! Highly recommend you give this one a try, it is sure to satisfy all your reading must haves and then some!!
Audio/Ebook Review: Never Tear us Apart by Monica Murphy
Narrated by: Erin Spencer & Andrew Eiden
It’s hard to put my feelings into words. This book overwhelmed me. The subject matter is as haunting as it is heartbreaking. No one deserves what Ethan and Katie had to endure. What stuck out most in my mind are the first person narratives. It made the story come alive and the experiences more real. The fear, the brokenness and the slowly developing connection built from the unbelievable sorrow and pain. I don’t gravitate to these type of stories but when they happen to find me I don’t shy away either.
I don’t really know how to feel about this book. I have a lot of conflicting thoughts in my head. I can’t decide if Ethan’s intentions toward Katie are wrong or not. He did some things that are pretty messed up in my opinion. So I’m wondering if it is wrong of me that I still want them to end up together?
Also I think their relationship progressed too fast. I would have liked them to go slower on the physical aspect. And it’s hard for me to understand the bond they both share. Is it healthy or not? Katie’s close one’s seem to think it’s not.
I’m defenitely going to read the next book in this duet. I need to know how the story ends.
Impressive. That’s the best word I have for this story. Katie and Will are survivors. They both ended up in situations that many would crumble from and found each other along the way but then life pushed them apart. When Katie surfaces again, Ethan needs to see her to know she is really ok but can he face her as Will? Katie has always wondered what happened to Will as she works to find her way out of the trauma and back to the land of the living. When she meets Ethan, she finds someone that doesn’t judge and is just there for her. The approach Monica Murphy used in this book is very honest and real – how do you move on after surviving an intense traumatic event? The blending of the now with then is seamless and reveals the story in just the right way. I love that as Will was a hero for Katie, he was a hero for himself and ultimately saved them both from a monster, at least that is how I see the story. Now, of course, secrets were kept which left us dangling at the end, what happens when Ethan/Will’s identity is revealed? How will Katie cope? Anxiously awaiting book 2 to find out how this incredible journey ends.
Never Tear Us Apart is a compelling, tragic, heart felt page turner of a book. I could not stop reading. My emotions were off the wall. Having two characters tell the story of their shared past and their reconnecting future. I give a round of applause to the author.