Blog Tour and Reviews: Four Years Later: Monica Murphy

by - Wednesday, March 05, 2014


Four Years Later
Four Years Later
One Week Girlfriend #4
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New Adult bestselling author Monica Murphy winds up her sensational series with this sexy story of two college kids with nothing in common but a bunch of baggage and a burning attraction. 

Over. That about sums up everything in my life. Suspended from my college football team and forced to cut back my hours at The District bar because of my crappy grades, I can’t keep turning to my sister, Fable, and her pro-football playing husband, Drew, to bail me out. I just can’t seem to find my own way. Weed and sex are irresistible temptations—and it’s messed up that I secretly hand over money to our junkie mom. A tutor is the last thing I want right now—until I get a look at her. 

Chelsea is not my type at all. She’s smart and totally shy. I’m pretty sure she’s even a virgin. But when she gives me the once over with those piercing blue eyes, I’m really over. But in a different way. I won’t deny her ass is killer, but it’s her brain and the way she seems to crave love—like no one’s ever given her any—that make me want her more than any girl I’ve ever met. But what would someone as seemingly together as her ever see in a screwed up guy like me?  

4YL Teaser 1 


We met Owen in the One Week Girlfriend series. He is Fable's younger brother, and now we catch up to him in College. Oh, sweet, misguided, easily distracted Owen. We have seen him in trouble, seen him get his act together, but now it is all falling apart again. His past has come back to haunt him and his grades are suffering jeopardizing everything he has worked so hard for in football, school, work, and even his relationship with Fable and Drew.

This is what my life has turned into. The push and pull. The wanting to do right and instead falling into the same old habit of doing wrong. 

Owen has always been such a lost boy starving for approval and love. He has always been put in the middle between his mother and his sister.  He copes in unhealthy ways, loses focus, and becomes distracted. He has so much potential and intelligence, but gets sidetracked and tries to hide behind his vices. He can get out of control and needs an anchor. He has no other choice but to reluctantly enter tutoring to help clean up the mess he is in. 

Enter Chelsea...a smart, shy, responsible, mature girl with a protective shell and family issues herself. She is all about structure, control, and goals. Her past taught her to avoid flighty, unreliable people who make promises and that men are untrustworthy. But in protecting herself, she is not really living life to the fullest. She also longs for a connection, but is insecure and wary.

Nobody. I've always been a nobody. Why can't I be someone's somebody?

Soon these seemingly opposites are skirting an attraction while trying to get Owen caught up. He pushes her to live a little. She encourages responsibility for him. It's the popular playboy vs. the nerdy virgin girl. They both have parental issues and both are afraid of opening up and relationships. They have confusing thoughts about the other, and they blindly lead down a path of friendship and more. 

She's so damn orderly and in control, she needs to learn how to let loose. Be free. I might be a little too free sometimes, but that's better than being so rigid you don't know how to enjoy life.

They are discovering the nuances of a relationship together as they go. But both have such insecurities and inferiority complexes. It is easy to have misconceptions and make mistakes. 

The secrets they hide add pain and guilt, and no matter how much they try to keep them hidden they eventually have to be revealed and dealt with. But they have the potential to destroy everything.

I really liked Owen and Chelsea even though at times I got frustrated with each of them. They had issues with communication and had walls up. They hurt themselves and each other. But they also had such a sweet, strong connection and need for each other. They really complemented each other and could bring out the best in each other. Although at times it was the other end of the spectrum and could also bring out the worst...fear, insecurities lies, and omissions.

We're not perfect, but we're a perfect fit for each other. It's all or nothing with Owen and me...

This was an emotional journey for both of them to learn to cope with their own lives and learn to share and open up. It was not always easy and they faced challenges. But it was sweet, passionate, and heartwarming. We got both points of view so could see their innermost fears and conflicted thoughts, as well as see the changes and growth in their thinking as the story went on.

As with the rest of this series, there is humor, tough love, and tight family bonds to counter act the weak ones. Owen also has his long time friend Wade by his side. I actually became more attached to him during this story. His brotherly, support for Owen warmed my heart while also making me laugh at times. I would actually like to see a Wade spin off.

I really love this series. I enjoyed getting more with Drew and Fable and their special relationship with Owen. They are truly one of my favorite book couples.  And I think throughout the series and especially in this story, Owen has matured into a fine, lovable male hero in his own right.

Thanks to Monica Murphy for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. 


Four years after Drew and Fable, Owen is a 19 year old college student, following in Drew’s football star footsteps. But his grades have been slipping, and after a meeting with his coach, counselor, Drew and Fable, he is required to meet with a tutor to raise his failing grades.

His tutor is shy, bookish Chelsea. A 19 year old junior, Chelsea works two jobs and carries a heavy class load, but doesn’t take time to socialize except with her roommate Kari. 

Owen was always one of those characters that you couldn’t help loving when we saw him in Drew and Fable’s books. As a child he had to grow up fast. But now that he’s all grown up, he is still influenced by the events of his adolescence. So many times in this book, his own doubt makes him make decisions that get him in trouble. 

...I’m starting to realize I want what Fable and Drew have. I know I’m young, but sh**, they were young too when they first met and fell in love. And look at them. Years later, they still act like they’re totally gone over each other.

Chelsea was so different from anyone Owen had ever been around. Sweet, shy, and awkward around Owen, she was not used to being attracted to someone. Never having been in a relationship before, she is just as uncomfortable with the unfamiliar territory as Owen was. It was nice to read about a girl who was just as unfamiliar with relationships as the guy she was interested in. 

Together, Chelsea and Owen were a perfect match. They had great chemistry. Something about Chelsea caught Owen’s attention where other girls never had. And she could tell Owen was more than the jock persona that he wore in public. I liked that Chelsea called Owen on his mistakes from very early on, from their first meeting. She may have been inexperienced, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t know what she wanted or needed and have the backbone to stick up for herself. 

“I’d rather not know what I’m doing with you, Owen, than have everything plotted out for the rest of my life with someone else.” 

I loved seeing the interaction between Fable and Owen now that they are both adults. Owen wants to protect Fable, while she still wants to take care of him. But their mom? Ooooh, she made me mad. Again. Her influence is a big part of what Owen has to overcome. Years of treating Owen more like a buddy than a son have left him questioning a lot about himself.

Owen and Chelsea’s friends play a good role in the story line. I love when friends come in at the perfect moment, and it happens several times in Four Years Later. There’s Owen’s friends, Des and Wade. Des, I could do without. As Owen’s drug dealer and house crasher, Des always felt a little off to me. But even though I didn’t like him, I wondered what his story was. And then there’s Wade. Wade has been best friends with Drew since they were kids. We finally get to meet him on the page here. I thought I didn’t like him, until he was the best friend Owen could ask for. Wade knows Owen, maybe better than Owen knows himself and he showed it when Owen needed it most. Chelsea doesn’t have many girlfriends, but her roommate Kari is constantly trying to get her out of her comfort zone, and there is a text conversation that had me laughing and grinning, in addition to her attempts at getting Chelsea to relax and loosen up a little.

Four Years Later was fun, full of great characters, interesting plot twists, good friends, good family, good times. It makes me sad to think this is the last of the One Week Girlfriend books, but it was a perfect addition to complete the series.

Thanks to Monica Murphy for providing an arc copy in return for my honest review. 
ONE WEEK GIRLFRIEND (book 1)
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Kim's 4.5 star review


Temporary. That one single word best describes my life these last few years. I’m working at a temporary job until I can finally break free. I’m my little brother’s temporary mother since our mom doesn’t give a crap about either of us. And I’m that temporary girl all the guys want to get with because I give it up so easily. According to the rumors, at least.

But now I’m the temporary girlfriend of Drew Callahan, college football legend and all around golden guy. He’s beautiful, sweet—and he’s hiding way more secrets than I am. He’s brought me into this fake life where everyone seems to hate me. And everyone seems to want something from him. The only thing he seems to want though is…Me.

I don’t know what to believe anymore. All I know is, I think Drew needs me. And I want to be there for him.


SECOND CHANCE BOYFRIEND (book 2)
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Kim's 4.5 star review

Lost. That one single word best describes my life at this very moment. I lost the last games of the season and both my team and my coach blame me. I lost the last two months because I drowned in my own despair like a complete loser. And I lost the only girl who ever mattered because I was afraid being with me would destroy her.

But now I realize how truly lost I am without her. She has become my story…and even though she acts like she’s moved on, I know she still thinks about me just as much as I think about her. She’s beautiful, sweet—and so damn vulnerable, all I want to do is help her. Be there for her.Love her…
If only I could convince Fable to give me a second chance. Then I wouldn’t feel so lost anymore, and neither would she. We could be found together. Forever.


THREE BROKEN PROMISES (book 3)
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Our 4 star reviews

Commitment. That’s what I really want from Colin. Ever since my brother, Danny, died in Iraq, Colin’s done so much to help me, including giving me a job at his popular restaurant so I can leave my crappy waitressing job at the strip joint. But lying in bed with him every night to comfort him from his horrible nightmares isn’t enough anymore. I know he feels guilty about Danny’s death, about not going to Iraq, but I can’t keep living this double life.


I love him desperately, but he’s got so many demons, and if he can’t open up to me now, then he’ll never be the real partner I need him to be. I gave him a month, and now I’m out of here. If he truly loves me like he says, he knows where to find me.


DREW + FABLE FOREVER (book 3.5)
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Amazon/B&N
Kim's 5 star review

Monica Murphy returns with her most beloved characters, Drew and Fable, in this eBook original short story that brings her bestselling New Adult series full circle.

Fantasy. How I ended up with NFL player Drew Callahan, the guy every woman wants, is beyond my wildest dreams. All I know is that once he chose me as his one and only, I sure wasn’t looking back. I had past wounds and he showed patience and concern—even accepting responsibility for my messed-up kid brother. Now, yet again, he's found a way to blow my mind: an exotic wedding and honeymoon miles and miles away from home. What else could a girl ever ask for?

Reality. Except now the honeymoon’s over. Drew's football schedule takes him on the road constantly, while I need to stay put and look after my brother until he finishes high school—because God knows our sorry excuse for a mother won’t. I know Drew loves me with all his heart, and I’ll always be over the moon about him. This just isn’t how I imagined life as newlyweds . . . dealing with the distance, missing him constantly. But we’ve gone through hard times before. We can get through this, too, right? We’re Drew and Fable, together forever. At least I hope so. . . .

MonicaMurphypic-250x373MONICA MURPHY 
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Monica Murphy is a native Californian who lives in the foothills below Yosemite. A wife and mother of three, she writes New Adult and contemporary romance for Bantam and Avon. She is the author of One Week Girlfriend and Second Chance Boyfriend.   
     
     



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2 comments

  1. I haven't read this series yet but it's on my tbr list. Thanks so much for the giveaway!!!

    ReplyDelete