We are excited to bring you the Release Day Launch of Monica Murphy's HER DESTINY! HER DESTINY is a young adult Contemporary Romance and the sequel to HIS REVERIE. 

I knew from the moment I first saw him he was the one. The only boy I could ever want.

The only boy I could ever love.

They say he’s bad for me.

But I know he’s not.

Until the day he rejects me.

And breaks my heart.

Completely.

Everything changes in the blink of an eye. My entire life as I’ve known it is…gone. Secrets are revealed. Promises once made are irrevocably broken. There’s no way my family can get back to what we once were.

So when Nicholas Fairfield walks back into my life like he never left it, I’m furious. Thrilled. Irritated. Excited.

Conflicted.

Despite my confusion, I want to be with him. I love him. But danger lurks where we least expect it. Someone will do whatever it takes to tear us apart. All I know is: I won’t let them.

Because Nick Fairfield? He’s mine.

“You sure Evan doesn’t mind me being here?”

“He probably hates that you’re staying the night, but he’ll get over it.” I take a step toward him and pat him on the shoulder, marveling at the solid feel of muscle beneath my palm, beneath the thick fabric of his sweatshirt. Has he gotten taller since the last time I saw him? Broader? He’s so big, standing next to him makes me feel small. “Do you need anything else?” I remove my hand from his shoulder, wishing I could touch him more.

“Nah. I’m gonna change, brush my teeth and go to sleep.” He smiles, looking cute, like a little boy and my heart flutters. When he reaches for the hem of his sweatshirt I step away, watch in silent fascination as he pulls the fabric over his head, taking the T-shirt he’s wearing beneath it upward so I catch a glimpse of his flat, perfect stomach, the little trail of dark hair that starts just under his navel.

I’m breathless, my skin is tingling and when he tosses the sweatshirt onto the couch, I start to walk backwards. “Okay well, good night.” I need to get away from him before I do something really stupid.

Like jump him.

“Night, Reverie,” he calls after me as I hurry to my bedroom. Glancing over my shoulder, I find him watching me with that penetrating, thoughtful gaze and I turn away, practically tripping over my feet in the hall. I rush into my room, shutting the door quietly before I slump against it, closing my eyes and pressing my forehead against the rough wood.

My feelings for him haven’t stopped. I still want him. I’m still in love with him. So why am I denying myself from being with him? Because I’ve changed and I’m worried he won’t accept me for who I really am? And because my life is so crazy the last thing I need is another complication to muck it all up?

Valid reasons, but why would I deprive myself from being with him? He’s the only one who understood me. Who listened to me. Who cared about me.

I think he still does.

Cracking open my eyes, I push away from the doorway and shut off the light before I crawl into bed. I lay there in the dark, listening to him move about inside the bathroom, which is right next to my bedroom. He finishes brushing his teeth before he exits the room and I swear I can feel him standing on the other side of my closed door, waiting. Listening for any sign of life coming from within.

I can’t move. I’m frozen, holding my breath, waiting for him to knock on the door, to turn the knob, anything to show that he wants to see me. I want him to both respect my brother’s wishes and defy them. I want him overcome with need yet cautious. I want…everything.

All of him.

Disappointment crashes through me when I realize he is definitely obeying Evan’s wishes. He doesn’t sneak into my room, doesn’t attempt to talk to me, nothing. I should be happy. Pleased that he doesn’t want to upset anyone.

Instead, I’m sad.

Rolling over on my side, I punch the pillow beneath my head and settle in for the night, willing myself to fall asleep. I get to spend pretty much the entire weekend with him. Maybe we can work it out then since we’ll have plenty of time. But for now I’ll have to settle for Nick visiting me…

Only in my dreams.

Nick and Reverie are both dealing with the events at the end of His Reverie. Between Krista and Reverie’s parents, they are each dealing with their own struggles on top of Reverie’s return to LA for the Fall. In the chaos, Nick is left with no way to contact Rev, and Rev spirals into a different version of herself. 

I knew they were facing some major challenges when this book began, but I was surprised with the way they were each dealing with the challenges. Nick’s emails to Reverie broke my heart with the pain he poured out into them. Reverie had a complete personality shift (it seems) that was so incongruous to who she was at the beginning of the summer that I wondered how she would pull herself back. 

Both characters have done some growing up in the time between the two books. Reverie is no longer the naive, innocent she was at the beginning of His Reverie and I have to say, I didn’t miss that aspect of her character one bit. She may have lost the innocence, but that doesn’t mean she has herself figured out and does go through a bit of an identity crisis, but in a way that makes sense when considering all the change she has experienced in the last few months. She is bolder this time, more sure of herself and she is learning who she is and what she wants. 

Nick’s changes are a little more subtle. His wrongful imprisonment, the loss of his mom, and with what happened to Krista have darkened his outlook considerably, and he looks to Reverie to lighten his life. When they are separated by distance and he can’t get in contact with her, his world is rocked once again. 

Comparing the first and second book, I loved this one in a way that the first couldn’t quite stand up to. Part of that is the general maturing Nick and Rev (especially Rev) went through. Their actions are based less on secrets and more on finding themselves. But the other part was the plot itself. There was so much more going on in this one, so many things hovering over Nick and Reverie’s heads beyond the threat of her parents finding out about them. 

While I deduced what happened with Krista long before the end, I still read from the edge of my seat. I needed to see how and when Nick and Rev would put the pieces together. 

This felt like the mature YA I was expecting to get in the first book. While they have matured beyond the average high school senior, based on their life experiences, they still fit when with that age group in a much more accessible form for those readers who aren’t also still in high school. 

It was a great ending to a sweet series that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. From the very first chapter I was hooked, waiting for the end of Nick and Rev’s story, hoping for the best the whole time but not able to let my breath out in fear of jinxing things.

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.