I struggled with Her Defiant Heart for the same reasons I couldn't fully enjoy reading Summer Heat by Rachel van Dyken - it's a book published by Apple first. Exclusively. And since I'm not a huge fan of Apple as a company, I was biased, thinking why the hell would my favorite author cooperate with them?! Why would they exclude many, many fans, not owning an iBooks account, not owning any Apple products?! I was devastated, heartbroken, yes. And then super glad when I found out the books would finally get published for the public market, letting every reader dive into the series'. Wooop!

At first, I was really excited to start reading Her Defiant Heart. I love Monica Murphy for multiple reasons, she's definitely one of my favorite authors out there. But I was so tired and could only read like two chapters until I decided to go to sleep. During that night, I even dreamed about the story, wondered how it would go on. That's a fabulous sign, right?! I'm not even sure if this happened to me before, but I felt the spark, felt hopeful this could become something great... And then I hated the female lead - Jenny/Jensen. Like, seriously. I hated her. Still do. She's super messed up, ice-cold, slutty (though that's refreshing to all the virgins in YA/NA books, but has become kind of a trend as well). Sure, her past is tragic, I wouldn't want to trade places with her, but wow, she's bitter.

And Rhett is way, way, way too good for her. I just couldn't imagine why he would go for her, chase after her like he did, be as kind as he was. That's because Monica Murphy creates guys like that. If you have read her Never series, you'll know what I'm talking about. She either writes bad boys or she writes those perfect, hot and charming dudes every mother would want to magically come to life from the pages. Dreaming is the key word here. And swooning, lots of it. I was swooning over Rhett so hard, he's described as cute, hot, charming, smart and just about every other positive feature there is. Unlike Jenny/Jensen. Ugh. All the wrong choices for all the wrong reasons. I know her character probably has to be this way for the story itself to work out, but she's just so annoying. And what was that about doing the same mistake twice, packing her things again? I don't understand.

There's some sort of darker shade to this novel compared to the other books I have read written by Monica Murphy. Everything's more mature, darker, a bit more of the forbidden fruit kind. So don't expect a light read, this will leave you thinking and also wondering how far one will go for revenge. The idea itself is pretty good, but gah, I just couldn't stand the female lead, I'm sorry. However, I know I'll read book two and three in the series as well. I just have to know how it continues. Plus, it's still a series written by Monica Murphy after all. She's great!

Monica Murphy knows how to get at my heart strings!!! I love all her books and this one is no exception. I can’t wait to read the rest of the books in this series.

Absolutely loved this book. It had me intrigued from the very beginning and I will definitely be purchasing the next books in the series too.

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.

I really enjoyed this story, it was a good and interesting read. I connected with the characters and I felt that their development was well written.

Honestly, I wasn't expecting to like this book as much as I did, or to even feel so much while I read it. 

I think what I loved about this book is the acknowledgement about the contradictions; the protagonist is very aware and admits this often to the reader about what she wants to do and what the 'normal' reaction to her situation should be. The novel is gritty in a way I hadn't expected. The emotional trauma I read and felt threw me, because though the chapters from the past are few and scattered in-between, every time I see them I cringe because I know what's coming. 

The protagonist has a very jaded perspective of the world and her life, except when it comes to her mother and the love inside her that has spurned and taken the form of vengeance. She's buried all that which she should be feeling--in fact all that she is feeling a little bit--and does whatever it is she needs to do to survive. And will people call her names for it if they find out? Do they use her? Does she people them back? Sure. At this point does she care or does she wish to survive? She does and she doesn't care; but she definitely wants to survive. Having lost everything in this world that barely gave her anything to begin with, she's holding on to this one thing that she still feels: anger. 
 I think the most interesting aspect of Jen is that she doesn't really try to be liked by the reader per say. She does/says things that other heroines don't. She makes us cringe sometimes, other times we're sad/sympathising with her and mostly we're just wondering what she's thinking doing all this; then we see her past and we get it a little. We may not condone it, but...our perspective softens a little. There's a very interesting scene from a narrative point of a view of a movie that the protagonist watches that's closely linked to her own life and the strange contradictory and confused thoughts the heroine has about it. 

Now, Rhett...It was strange that his character kept pulling me in, like it did with Jen. I think neither she nor I had particularly expected that we'd like him. He's a jock...but not? He's got his own story that got its own shades of darkness. The strangest part is that he's genuine. He sees Jen and he doesn't see past that. What's worse? He's nice.

The ending was a cliff-hanger and I expected it. You go through some real emotions in this book; shame, fear, worry, sadness, anger and even jaded. There may be some trigger warnings, there is emotional abuse and an almost rape scene. The heroine is in a hard space, it's not easy, at least it wasn't for me. 

Four points five stars. Her Defiant Heart wasn't a light read, not for me, I would recommend it so someone who's ready for a little bit of darkness, sadness and a heroine who isn't perfect, but has her own pain and personality that she brings to the table. It's a messy story.

Monica Murphy brings us the first installment of her Damaged Hearts series. Jensen is set on revenge and is determined to make her plan work. Funny thing about life and plans is that it doesn't always work out the way we want them to since life is funny that way. It is when she meets Rhett that her perfect plan doesn't seem as perfect as it was when she started everything. Rhett's kindness and interest get in the way of her lies and deception. Now she must figure out if her plan is worth ruining whatever she is building with Rhett before it even begins. This is only part one so it lays out the foundation for her plan. Their story is peppered with the lies they tell each other mixed with parts of their truths.

Monica brings us on Jensen and Rhett's rollercoaster relationship. She makes us understand where Jensen is coming from and her need for revenge for being abandoned by one parent and being constantly reminded of her shortcomings by the other. Then, we get swept up by Rhett and how he treats her and we start rooting for them even though we realize why he has been targeted. We get to experience with Jensen how she starts out determined and willing to do whatever it takes to reach her goal only to be surprised by her reaction to Rhett and how it changes her resolve.

I enjoyed reading the first book in this series and look forward to finishing their story. I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I would like to thank NetGalley and Social Butterfly PR for this privilege.

I just wanted to read a quick romance before bed whilst on holiday but unfortunately, this was not what I was looking for. Both main characters were highly underdeveloped in a very confusing story line. It's safe to say, I will not be continuing with the series.

Great book with such feeling and detail! I enjoyed the struggle of following your heart vs following your mind. It was interesting to see a younger plot and the feelings that took me back to when I was in college. I would buy this for my young adult daughter. I did not like being left on a cliff though. I do not enjoy books as much if you must wait to go purchase the next one to find out what happens.

3/5

(Thanks to Netgalley for the copy in exchange for a sincere opinion)

The story is not bad, the premise of revenge towards the mother using her new family is interesting, what happens is that since it is the first book of a trilogy and barely has 200 pages it does not give much more than the first encounter between the main characters and and a little of her past. Even so, it's easy to read and the end leaves you wanting to know more. As soon as I can I'll start with the next book.

Recommended if you like books with some clichés and passion, MUCH PASSION.

The story was a very short read and ends with a cliffhanger, something that I hate. i want a resolution - I hate being set up for the sequel. While it ends in a cliff hanger, I'm not exactly sure I enjoyed it as the reason for the revenge was lacking. Seriously doubt I will be reading the follow-up.

Oh my holy Jesus. Read this in one sitting and literally could not put it down. Loved the main characters and the storyline. This was full of angst as well as a whole lot of hotness. That ending though!

I wanted to like this book but I just couldn’t. I couldn’t get behind the main character and the connection was off for me.

Her Defiant Heart is a quick read, and it sucks you right into the story line. Jensen has taken her difficult childhood and turned it into a revenge plot – against her mother. Her mother abandoned her and her dad when Jensen was a baby; she created a brand new life complete with wealthy husband and three step-children.

While it is a fun and interesting read, there are some problems, in my opinion. If Jens has a complete revenge plan, we never learn it. For someone that has been obsessed with her revenge, one would think we’d hear a bit more about how she’s going to put the plan into action. However, as this is apparently book 1 in a series of 3, it’s quite possible that we just haven’t gotten to that point yet.

Jens already has problem with her revenge plan though. The plan is to seduce her stepbrother – enrolling at the same college to do so – which proceeds according to plan until she starts to fall for him. Rhett, her stepbrother, is a quite endearing character, and becomes quite protective towards Jens. I’d like to read the subsequent books 2 & 3 in order to find how the author weaves all the pieces together and whether or not Jens and Rhett have a happy ending.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Jensen has changed her name and enrolled in college for purpose of getting close to Rhett and exacting revenge on his family. However Rhett is the sweetest gentleman and she soon develops feelings for him despite still wanting vengeance. The ending leaves off on a cliff hanger so I expect there will be more to their story. This book was mostly just establishing the relationship between the characters and I would have like to have read about Jensen actually getting revenge instead of her just being moody and saying over and over again how her Mom abandoned hero.

☑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!

Rating: 2/5
Queer: N/A
ARC: I received a copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: Jensen goes after a guy - Rhett - in order to get revenge on her mother who left her as a kid.

Review:
Oooof. I'm not entirely sure I should even be giving this book 2/5 stars, but I generally like Monica Murphy's stuff so I didn't want to give her a 1/5.

I hated Jensen. She didn't draw me in whatsoever; her reasons for behaving the way she does don't feel justified. She has some messed up revenge plot, but she never says what she's going to do for revenge. She doesn't actually have a plan. She lies to Rhett, doesn't tell him who she is before they sleep together. Which is just icky as fuck. The attempted r/pe scene felt so unnecessary.

I guess there must be other books to follow, but there's no closure at the end. There's no pay-off.

And Rhett is just apparently super likeable? Does all the right things all the time? Yawn.

This book wasn't for me.

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.

Monica Murphy is one of my go to authors she always has a way with words and also a way to alway break my heart. Her Defiant Heart is a stunning love story with so much angst I couldn't put it down! The passion in each page is stunning, along with the broken heart I had to heal. Monica Murphy never seems to fail me!

I'm a bit iffy on revenge-by-proxy books, since I'm not a big fan of an innocent person getting caught up in retribution against someone else, but I've enjoyed Ms. Murphy's past books and decided to take a chance on this title. Boy am I glad I did! I got sucked into this book pretty quickly. Jen was a bit difficult to pin down as a character, but knowing her backstory helps a lot. As soon as I finished this book, I bought the rest of the series, because that's how invested I was in knowing the resolution to this mess! I highly recommend not only Her Defiant Heart (that title though...) but also the entire series.

I received Her Defiant Heart from the publisher in exchange for an honest review (but they didn't give me the rest of the series, which I also loved).