Grrrumbles I wasn't aware this was a series. Monica hooks you in and doesn't let go Rhett and Jens go. This is book one of three. Guess I gotta go and buy the other two now to figure out how it all plays out.

I couldn’t get into this book really. I’m not big on revenge plans unless it has some comedy in it. This book just wasn’t for me. Thanks for the option to read for an honest review.

This was a decent read for me, it started really well with an interesting story, a great romance starting with the heroine wanting to dislike the hero.The plot was great and I couldn't put it down but I can't say that I loved it so much or I hate it!

"What just happened felt so good, so right. But it isn't right.
It shouldn't feel right. What we just did, is wrong."

I liked Jensen and found myself feeling sorry for her.Rhett is sweet and lovely hero!It was a great read!It's full of angst and sometimes I wanted to shout out to both characters!The ending was one of the best parts in the story.I can't wait for the next one, I'm intrigued to see what will happen and if they'll have their happy ending!

Cliff hanger, bring on the next book!!!

This was a good read, not my favorite by this author, but I'll definitely be checking out the next books to see what happens!!

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.

A enjoyable easy to read story. The storyline was interesting and very enjoyable. I enjoyed the characters developing and the way the story unfolded. I'm looking forward to reading the next installment.

3 Stars

I’ve been a fan of Monica Murphy since her One Week Girlfriend series. This sounded a little bit like that series when I read the blurb. The problem for me was that I didn’t feel empathy for the heroine, Jen. Her choices were dubious and somewhat idiotic and she had no common sense. She supposedly put a lot of effort into this big revenge plan and into using Rhett to get back at her mom.

“I’ve got him right where I want him.”

Perhaps if I had read some more chapters about her childhood. I just needed more background so that I could understand her need for revenge. Also, what exactly was her revenge plan? It was unclear.

The hero, Rhett, is a really nice guy but I didn’t really feel a connection between them. Jen was using him but she was also finding herself liking him, which would ruin her big revenge plan. There seems to be a little hope for her as she makes more poor decisions until she doesn’t know if she wants to continue with this mysterious plan.

“My decisions have led me down this path, and now it’s become so awful, so fraught with too many scary unknowns, I don’t think I can handle it any longer.”

There were a few other mysterious characters and situations. There was a cliffhanger so I guess I have to decide if I want to see what happens next or not. Will the truth come out?

I received this book as an arc from Netgalley.

I don't really like the revenge scenario in this book, what a bunch of wasted energy on Jensen's part! With that being said though, the way the book ended does make me want to see where this goes.

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.

4.5/5*

This book was provided by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you EM Publishing and Netgalley!

Her Defiant Heart is the first book in the Damaged Hearts series and tells the story of Jensen and Rhett.

Her Defiant Heart is the second book I read by Monica Murphy and it was totally different than the first book I’ve read by her, Saving It. I mean this in a good way because Her Defiant Heart was such an interesting and addictive read.

I really liked the main character Jensen because she kind of reminded me of Joe from the TV show You. She always talked to herself like Joe did in the TV show, and I kinda liked that she was a bit psycho. Rhett was also an interesting character because Jensen never believed him so you don’t trust him either.

Her Defiant Heart was such a fast paced read and I couldn’t get enough of the story and the characters. There were some plot twists, and I couldn’t help myself from buying the two other books in the series. I really wanted to know what was going to happen to the characters.

I think that the second book in the series, His Wasted Heart, was the best book in the series and I really recommend checking out these books!

My heart broke during this book. All she wanted was to be loved. I literally cried for her. And Rhett was the perfect male protagonist. The only downfall of this book was that it was quite short and I felt that it was a bit rushed towards the end.

It's been quite a while since I have read a plot like this, It won't be the last now. Monica Murphy has turned me on to her books.

There will be minor spoilers because I can't explain without saying them. Jensen's plot was one that I understood but not quite could stand behind. While I saw her hurt shine through those actions, it's not like two wrongs make a right scenario. With her plot in mind she sets out to deceive and concur. She just didn't expect to meet the man who would take her head and her heart my the strings. I saw him chip away at her walls and for once allowing her to be able to breath. Rhett Montgomery is a man who she didn't see coming, a man who saw her for what was underneath, but it was not easy for them to navigate the threshold of beginnings, middles and ends.

The ending is what gets you, and you have to read book two to find out what happens. And I for one will be there for that!

Thanks to the author, Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC I received for a honest review!

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC to read and give my honest opinion.

"Before you embark on a journey of revenge...dig two graves" Jen grew up a solitary child with just her wounded father for love. Her mother left her when she was a baby and the despair of their lives embittered her father. After her father passes, Jen embarks on a journey of revenge toward the mother that abandoned her. She targets her step brother Rhett, who begins to melt her revenge focused heart.

What did I like? The chemistry coming from Rhett is panty dropping and swoon worthy, and they just work as a couple. Jen is so guarded though and just keeps herself distant which may or may not work in her favor. The cliffy at the end though was utterly cruel.

Would I buy this book? Of course, I love this author and I think this book was a hit, just wish I had been gifted the next two. I would definitely recommend this, loved it.

Thoughts for the author? Gift me the other two :) I would have been happy to read the whole series. I will however keep looking on Netgalley and we might get lucky!

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.

Absolutely loved this book and can't wait to read more. This book kept me hooked through it all and I need more ASAP. Loved the characters. Just loved everything about it. And I'm so excited to read book two. I will definitely be reading more books by this author.

This book was pretty good for me. "Jensen" didn't come across as a great heroine. I wanted to hate her sometimes for what seemed to me to be a petty revenge plan. Her mother seemed like the smart one to get away because to me it was her father who was the total butt. She put herself in dangerous-for-no-reason situations and just seemed really obtuse sometimes. But with all that said, I knew how it would end but that didn't stop me from totally buying the next one to see what would happen.

Thanks to netgalley and social butterfly for free copy!

Thank to netgalley and the author/publisher for the Arc for my honest review.

After reading this book, I would definitely check out other books by this author.

Easy to read and follow. Beautifully written.

I voluntarily received a copy for an honest review!

I have to say first that this isn’t a complete story. Secondly, I’m highly disappointed. It is troubling. I really thought we were getting somewhere and it cut off and felt like it was I. The middle of a thought.

I loved Rhett from the minute Jensen meets him. I’m not a big fan of hers, but I understand she has her reasons for being so difficult. I feel like there is s9mething going on between him and the evil step mom cause he kinda fastly got through it and moved on. Jensen’s life story is hard so hard. I really feel for the girl. I want to bring her home with me and show her people can love you truly.

I hate how it ends...like I’m so torn because most of it was really good. But the end just made me mad. Like how long do I have to wait to finish this book. I love this author....please bring out the second part soon.

I gave this book 4 stars!

This is the story of Jensen and Rhett.

Jensen has one thing on her mind, to get even with her mother for abandoning her and her father. She was a small child and doesn't remember much about her mom, but she saw the aftermath of how it affected her father. With her father who is now gone, she's left all alone in this world, and only has revenge on her mind.

Attending college and making plans to become close to "him" is her ultimate goal. Get involved, get close and destroy everyone in her path that's close to her mother.

What she doesn't plan for is actually developing feelings for the one guy she is not supposed to be feeling anything but hatred for. He knows her mom, he got to grow up with her, while Jensen was left behind, never to be thought about again.

When Rhett and Jensen become close, she feels things she's never felt before and doesn't know what to do. So, she does what she knows best, she tries to run, but that's not always as easy as it seems.

The more she tries to run, the more Rhett takes over her thoughts.

This book continues into another book, which is why I gave it four stars. I was hoping to have everything in one book, but come to find I need to read the next 2 books to finally see the outcome.

I did enjoy this book and will look forward to reading the next installment and would recommend this book!

This book is the first in author Monica Murphy’s contemporary, new adult DAMAGED HEARTS romance trilogy focusing on college students Rhett Montgomery, and Jennifer ‘Jensen’ Fanelli. I always love Monica's books, but truly no one writes college romance better than her!

This book will keep you wanting more, since it is a part of a trilogy it ends on a cliff hanger. I'm looking forward to the next part of this series and highly recommend it if you enjoy young adult, college romances.