Life can feel like a cruel joke. I grew up poor and motherless, with a father who never got over his wife’s abandonment. But now he’s gone too, and I’m dead set on finding the woman who so carelessly tossed me aside when I was a baby.
I want revenge. And I’m going to get back at my mother any way that I can.
I change my name. Start my new life in college, and just happen to cross paths with the … cross paths with the gorgeous, ultra-rich Rhett Montgomery. He’s immediately interested in me, not that I’m surprised.
You see, I planned it that way. I meant for him to find me. He’s the one connection to my mother, and I’m using him, so I can destroy her. But I didn’t plan on Rhett being so charming. Sweet. Sexy.
And I definitely didn’t plan on falling for him either…
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Recommending my alter-ego’s book because…why not? 😉
Without a doubt, the Damaged Hearts series is my favorite Monica Murphy series to date!!! Toe-curling, edgy, romantic, with edge-of-your-seat tension and two imperfect people who are absolutely perfect for each other – I truly hope you don’t miss this spellbinding read! Start with this one and grab the next two (His Wasted Heart and Damaged Hearts) and go on a binge-read you will not soon forget! All three books are now available on iBooks. Ohhhh, I’m jealous for you to sit down with Jens and Rhett and experience their unforgettable love story! 🙂
In Her Defiant Heart, the first book in the Damaged Hearts series, by Monica Murphy, we find an emotional roller coaster of a journey. The story of a woman who is lost, feels rejected and is set on a path leading to revenge.
Jennifer Fanelli wants revenge on the person who abandoned her, her mother. All her life she felt the absence of her mother, who left when she was very young. Every day that hole was felt in her home, as her father never recovered from his wife leaving. Now completely alone, Jennifer comes up with a plan to make her mother pay for walking away from them.
Rhett Montgomery, the stepson to Jennifer’s mother new family, comes from a wealthy family and is popular at his college. But he is also struggling with the loss of his own mother. He was not what you would expect. He was so caring and protective.
When Rhett meets Jensen (Jennifer), he is smitten. But he does not know her secrets. What Jensen did not expect was Rhett’s effect on her. But when you are so bent on revenge, can you see what is in front of you? My heart just broke for Jensen. We see her struggle with so much and learn so much about her and her life. How broken she really is.
Her Defiant Heart was heartbreaking at times. Jensen never expected to find love, but can she put her plan for revenge aside and let Rhett in fully? When her lies are revealed, will she lose more than she bargained for? I cannot wait for the next book to see what happens next.
Happy reading!
Revenge by seduction. I’m not sure if it’s the best kind, but it makes for an entertaining read. Jensen is a tough woman and she’s determined to do what she needs to to make her own way. She meets Rhett, or rather he sees her, and it’s game on. He wasn’t what Jensen was expecting, and that’s where it gets interesting. This is book 1 of 3, so I have more reading to do!
I am so in love with Her Defiant Heart. This is a guarentee one click the rest of the series as you read because it’s so good and you just want to keep reading and reading. Jensen (Jennifer, Jen, Jens) she is out for revenge streaming from how her childhood played out. Rhett is the innocence in this or is he. These two have massive chemistry and heat once they meet. I love how slowly we pull back the layers of Jensen and discover what the goal is. Her Defiant Heart is full of secrets, lies and sexy times. You will get pulled in by Jensen and Rhett and be prepared to enjoy the ride. Go one click this book and series today. I couldn’t put this one down.
Determined Beautiful Female
Charming, Handsome Male
A Plot for Revenge
In this story we have Jennifer who is all alone and has changed her name and reinvented herself as Jensen. She sets out on a path of revenge and destruction against a Mother who left her at a very young age and destroyed her father’s life.
As a part of her plan to destroy her Mother and the family she choose, Jensen sets her sights on her Mothers stepson Rhett.
Rhett and Jensen have an undeniable chemistry. Rhett who is sweet and charming, treats Jensen in a way she’s never experienced. This causes Jensen to wonder if he is real. As the story unfolds, feelings begin and regret sets in.
The story ends in a cliffhanger, and I will definitely read the next books in the series as I need the rest of this story!
Ok, so this book was pretty good. It sucked me in from the start and was a quick read. Here’s the gist, Jensen’s mother abandoned her when she was a baby and created a new life with a new husband and her step children. Jensen wants revenge. To achieve this she is going to use her stepbrother to gain access to her mother, the step brother that doesn’t know she exists. While trying to drag Rhett into her scheme she starts to trust him and fall. After a change of heart she doesn’t want to drag him down with her. Now she’s ready to run from him to protect him. The down side of this book, it ends in a cliffhanger and you don’t get the final ending of the story for two more books. If that is your thing then go for it.
It was very hard for me to like Jens because even under her past circumstances she keeps making the wrong decisions. Lies keep growing and getting more complicated. It’s only a matter of time until they catch up to her. Now, Rhett is a different story. You like him from the start, you can identify from the very beginning that he has a protective soul in him. His first instinct is to care and nurture and understand. He doesn’t even jump to conclusions, he lets her explain. Gives her the benefit of the doubt.
Opposites do attract with them. This book is very easy to read and it feels like it’s coming to an end pretty fast but since it’s the 1st of a 3 book series, we’re just scratching the surface. That moment when he demands explanations is just coming up and I am very intrigued to see how she will handle it. I hope she recognizes what is good for her. This is just getting good.
Now this is a cliffhanger book that not only held my interest but had me rooting for the bad guy (or girl) in this case.
Jen is a bitter, vengeful girl looking for revenge for a past that left her alone and working in a seedy club to make ends meet. Her target is popular college football player Rhett Montgomery. Why, you may ask? It all centers on a woman she doesn’t remember but who destroyed her childhood. But can Jen keep her bitterness and lies intact once she knows the ‘real’ Rhett behind the popularity and wealth?
I’ll be honest, I really loved and felt bad for Jen and the pain she endured as a child. The story weaves between Jen’s past and present in a smooth way and reading her backstory really helps in explaining some of the selfish and hardened parts of Jen’s personality. Rhett, though, seems one dimensional and boring. I hope he has more of a personality in the next book in the series.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I wished that it was made known that this book ended with a cliffhanger. This book was an okay read. I absolutely loved Rhett, he was sweet, smart, charming and absolutely too polite to Jennifer (Jensen). She didn’t deserve an ounce of kindness from him with her attitude. I disliked Jensen, her attitude made her unlikable. Yes, she went through a lot living with her dad and her mom leaving but treating Rhett the way she did was unacceptable. She should have saved all of the hate and anger for her mom. The ending was a bit predictable but even so, it didn’t leave me wanting to read the next book. Maybe if I would have liked Jen more, I would have been interested in reading the next book but I didn’t and I won’t.
Initially Jensen’s story seems to be one about revenge. Once she actually meets her target, Rhett, she realizes that he isn’t at all what she expected. He seems to be nice and kind. She decides she can’t use him as a tool for revenge against her mother who abandoned her when she was young. Jensen finds she is actually falling for her stepbrother…the problem now is how to tell him the full truth about who she really is. Even worse, that isn’t the only secret she’s keeping from him….
Her Defiant Heart was a good start to this series. I always enjoy Monica Murphy’s writing. I’ve noticed that this is the first of three books and I’ll be buying the next one right away. I have no choice since this book ends on one heck of a cliffhanger!
Monica Murphy knows how to do taboo. I usually don’t like taboo, i won’t lie, but after reading her Never duet, I knew I could trust her to do this book justice. There is a major cliffhanger and of course I need to know what happens between Jensen and Rhett. Jensen is so angry and getting a glimpse at her childhood, we can see exactly why she holds such a grudge against her mother. I am very interested in learning Rhett’s story because i feel like there is much more to him that meets the eye. Can’t wait to continue this series.
It’s said that revenge poisons your soul, and this book presents a good case. A girl who was abandoned by her mother, has planned revenge on her mother for many years, has worked exclusively with this goal in mind; but once she starts to execute her plan, she realizes that she’s turning into a person she doesn’t like.
Jensen’s mother abandoned her when she was two years old. All Jensen had was a deadbeat father, weak of mind and spirit, who lost all jobs, lost their house and they were forced to live in a trashy trailer in a trashy part of town. Then Jensen was forced to work since she was sixteen because her father was a no-good dependent lazy kind of guy. And worse, he was not kind and forgiving with her daughter when she felt off or looked for fun in all the wrong places.
Jensen was in University sorely to target Rhett Montgomery. As per her investigations, she knew that her mother married Rhett’s father and lived a life of luxury, raised her husband’s sons and daughter while her own daughter lived a life of misery.
The problem was that once she met Rhett, she realized he’s a nice guy, generous, protective, gentlemanly and above all, sincere. How can she compromise her principles and misuse the feelings of such a stand-up guy?
I liked the book because it was interesting and I was rooting for Jensen to have second thoughts and to realize that vengeance does not pay off; it leaves you even emptier because you victimize innocent people. The subject matter was not very agreeable but I liked Jensen, I thought she had scruples and good principles. The fact that she didn’t abandon her dead-beat father and go fend for herself, but instead kept working at crappy jobs until he died, says a lot about her personality.
Even with the subject matter, it was an interesting and fast paced read, very well written and I liked both Rhett and Jensen. Jensen is the typical girl from the wrong side of the tracks who has lived all her life with bad luck and needs a little boost to get a good life. I hope in the next books she will get just that.
4.5 beautiful stars!! Wow! What a way to kick off a new trilogy!! This book took me on an incredibly emotional rollercoaster ride. My heart ached for Jensen & Rhett and all of things that they’d had to endure throughout their lives. Couldn’t put it down once I started.
I’ve been a fan Monica Murphy for years… The One Week Girlfriend series is my fave and I have also read some of her other books.
I was chosen to read this when it came out on iBooks early this year but since I had technical difficulties downloading it remotely, I had to withdraw. But I guess fate has other plans because now I was given a review copy! Yey! and this is my first official “ARC” from her.
If you’ve read One Week Girlfriend, you’d eat this one too. It’s just as addicting… like you cant wait to get to the end and know more! There are similarities—one, being that its a new adult romance in a college setting; two, unexpected loves and lastly; there’s a taboo relationship… intrigued yet??
The characters were… I guess more eccentric. There are definitely twists and turns that would frustrate you but it works. This is the first book in the series, so it ends with a cliffhanger but since I loved One Week Girlfriend, I enjoyed this one as well.
For every strength gained was a broken heart determined to destroy. Jen has lived her life being tossed aside. From a mother who didn’t care to a father struggling to move on. Her world has been less than ideal. A beautiful heart has grown to be an angry soul intent on revenge. Murphy is a heart breaker. Her Defiant Heart is an emotional ride that feels like taboo voyeurism. Rhett and Jen have never met, but when they do will change each other’s lives. The road is long, the secrets run deep and the pain feels never-ending, but when it comes to love, healing finds a way.
I love that revenge was looked at in a different way and then reversed and then reversed again. Life is full of twist & turns. Great read!
Very good book can’t wait to read the next book , the ending left me in shock biting my nails
Her Defiant Heart is a revenge story that will consume you from the start. From the moment I met Jensen and heard her background story, I was pulling for her. Oddly, I wasn’t put off by her plan and supported it. A wounded and shattered heart will can make some of the greatest revenge plans.
Jensen’s plan is to go after Rhett. He’s her mother’s stepson. The mother that abandon her years ago and has raised another family without her. Everything she’s done at college is to make sure that Rhett notices her. Falls for her. The one flaw in her plan? She didn’t expect him to stir the feelings in her like he has. Now she has to decide how to move forward.
I think that Murphy set up the storyline nicely. This is book one in the series and it does end in a cliffhanger and I’m totally OK with that. I was left wanting more and the entire time I was reading it, I just wanted to know what was going to happen between Rhett and Jensen.
Rhett is shaping out to be the perfect gentleman. Gah, he’s so sweet and so caring. He generally cares for Jensen and wants to make sure she feels comfortable and protected. I found myself falling for him just like she did.
I would like to find out how Jensen really is. We get a glimpse into how she is calculated is and what she is doing to captivate Rhett but I don’t really know who she is yet.
Overall, I enjoyed Her Defiant Heart and I look forward to the next books in the series. If you are looking for a revenge story that just might backfire, then this is the book for you!
New Adult, Contemporary Romance.
Book #1 of a trilogy that it shouldn’t be a stand-alone read.
WHAT HAS REALLY WORKED FOR ME
Addictiveness: This was a fast read for me. I couldn’t put this book down. Emotional roller-coaster.
Character: hero 4/5, heroine 4/5, secondary characters 4/5, growth 4/5, real 4/5 Both main characters are easy to love, connect and understand. I know, they both are hiding things. In fact, Jensen is hiding a lot. They are both a bit broken and they are not expecting the feelings that they have for each other. Jensen get on my nerves, but at the same time, she is so broken that is hard not to want to hold her and mother her a bit. I’m really invested in their happiness.
Freshness: I don’t think I haven’t read anything like this before. There is a bit of “Revenge” (tv show) here, but it feels unique.
Plot: believable 4/5, conflict 5/5, dialogue 5/5, ending 3/5, enjoyment 4/5, opening 5/5, pace 5/5, setting 5/5, subplots 5/5, twists 5/5 Great opening and ok ending. Perfect conflict and dialogues written to play with emotions. Fast-paced with enough subplots to enhance the story. A few unexpected twists here and there, that makes this story believable and enjoyable. It hurts. It also leaves me with the certainty that still will hurt more. I can’t wait to read the next book, in fact, I wish I didn’t have to wait.
Romance: believable 5/5, chemistry 5/5, description 5/5, development 5/5, steam 5/5 This is a love story. Like most tales of love is never simple. It hurts! Is beautiful and poignant. Jensen is broken and lost. She has invested a lot on revenge, she wasn’t expecting to find love. Can’t wait to see how this romance is going to progress.
Writing Style: I love Ms. Murphy and I’m used to read YA books from her. I like this more adult style here. Great plot, with amazing characters and an emotional ride.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER
Cover: art 3/5, title 5/5, subtitle 4/5, color-font 3/5, buy 3/5 I’m on the fence here. I really don’t know if I would have chosen to read this book if it wasn’t for Monica’s name on the cover. I’m not sure exactly what bother me here, maybe too much white. I like the title and I like the font. I guess I don’t love the colors used. I guess I would like to see more of the art also. Less of the cloud/deleted space effect. I’m picky with cover arts.
MY THOUGHTS
Wow! I wish I had book #2 #3 today. I can’t wait for the rest!
29.5/35 STARS – 4 stars (between 28 to 31/35 stars)
Addictiveness: 5 Character: 4 Cover: 3 Freshness: 4.5 Plot: 4 Romance: 4 Writing Style: 5
Action 0/5
Angst 03.5/5
Darkness 0/5
Humor 0/5
Romance 5/5
Suspense/Mystery 0/5
Would I recommend? I would recommend this book for everyone that enjoys romance with a bit of angst.
Would I re-read this book? Yes.
Would I re-read this series? Sure.
Would I read more from the author? I love Ms. Murphy’s work. Can’t wait to read more!
You MAY read this because you like romance; you SHOULD read this because you follow the author’s work; you MUST read this for an emotional ride!!!