Never Let You Go is the second book in the Never Tear Us Apart series. Betrayal, heartbreak, secrets, evil, forgiveness and healing all play a part in the relationship between Katie and Ethan. Brought together by darkness for a short while they anchored each other. Ethan made some questionable choices but he was a scared kid in a tough situation. Love makes a person do crazy things and the lack of it can make a person insecure and willing to do anything to receive it. There is no true hero in this story but it makes for a compelling read. Amazing that out of all the shadows grew something that bordered on beauty. ( )

Monica Murphy is known for her witty and sensual writing style. But when it comes to Never Tear Us Apart and Never Let You Go, readers get to see a whole other side to Ms. Murphy.

She charms us, breaks us down till were bare and shows us that even in the darkest of times there's hope. I had a hard time with Never Tear Us Apart, it left me quite the emotional mess. Emotionally drained yet totally satisfied. That's how Never Tear Us Apart made me feel.

And that cliffhanger ending, I won't lie, it was a killer. It left me barely breathing and dying for the next book.

Never Let You Go was the same. It was just as brilliantly written. Dark and devastating and the author spun the tale from every point of view. Which I felt truly enhanced the story.

It's definitely not a tale for the faint of heart and touches on some very sensitive subjects. The only thing that kept me from giving it five stars was the fact that it was such a heavy read, and I just don't think it would be something I could repeat.

It doesn't lack in any area. The writing and plot are superb. The characters beautiful. Ms. Murphy definitely succeeded in delivering another star-studded novel. I really look forward to more from this author ( )

4.5 "Lovers Forged by Tragedy" Stars!

Two victims. A love forged out of tragedy. A connection that could never be denied. Now if only the outside world could just agree and leave them alone. But is that ever truly a possibility?

Please note that Never Let You Go is the conclusion to the story that began in the Never Tear Us Apart, so this series must be read in chronological order. The below review contains spoilers for the first book. If you haven't yet read Never Tear Us Apart, please see my review for that title.

Never Let You Go picks up where Never Tear Us Apart leaves off. Katie has just found out the big secret that her boyfriend, Ethan, the man she believed to have been falling in love with, is actually Will, the boy who saved her all those years ago from the brutal and savage man (Will's father) who abducted and repeatedly raped her when she was only 12 years old. He would have killed her too, but for Will.

Though she always thought of Will as her savior, and still believes that she owes her life to him, she feels betrayed even worse than before. She trusted Will and the man she felt a renewed sense of safety with, Ethan. The fact that they are one in the same, and she never suspected it, only causes her to question her own already fragile state of mind following years of counseling to recover from the horrific kidnapping. Was Will just playing with her this entire time?

Will, who now refuses to be called by that name, has formed his own new identity and longs to just leave the old one behind. Even though he saved her, and he was victimized by the same man, his father, society never seemed to accept his innocence, instead longing for the next big juicy gossip filled story.

As if contending with the press, including one very determined, overzealous reporter, Lisa, who is determined to get to the "real story" in a live interview, and a society who sees them as wrong is not enough, Katie must also fend off her own feelings of doubt and her family's insistence that they will disown her if she continues any sort of relationship with Will.

Can there possibly be a HEA in the cards for a couple under such large odds?

I will say that the only reason I didn't give this book a 5 star rating, is because Aaron (Will's father), who now is sitting on death row (not just for what he did to Katie, but also because of other little girls he murdered) also plays a part in this book. In fact a few of the chapters are written from Aaron's warped point of view. While the ever present danger of the clearly insane Aaron provided some heightened sense of suspense to the book, the way the plot evolved around his character at the end of the book, was just a little too unbelievable for me to accept.

Nonetheless, I view this as primarily being a story about Will and Katie, and in that respect the connection between these two lost souls--and the fact that they seem to be the only two people in the world who truly understand each other--really resonated with me. This tie, and the way Ms. Murphy wrote this aspect of the story, kept me glued to my Kindle and rooting for them to surge on and hopefully persevere over all the doubts and other obstacles to find their HEA.

Source: Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. To read more reviews like this one, check out Obsessive Book Nerd!

Never Let You Go was the intense follow-up to Never Tear Us Apart. Starting the book, I was really into the story, to see how Katie and Ethan would work through the shock of Katie finding out the secret Ethan was hiding. At some point, though, I started to get a tad bored, as there are so many times I can read about the couple telling each other how they feel but not moving forward. This was the case for an amount of time that made it hard for me to keep reading.

However, I was never turned off by this, just super busy with other "life" things and there were times when I decided to do something other than reading Never Let You Go because I was bored.

But hold the phone people! The last third of the book came fast and was intense and oh my gosh I couldn't put it down. All of a sudden, Ms. Murphy throws in a new POV and wow! I don't want to give away any spoilers, so to be completely vague, the ending saved this book for me.

Lastly, I want to touch on the final ending twist. Honestly, it felt way too convenient. While I'm all for HEAs (Happily Ever Afters) Katie and Will's felt unnecessary. I don't know, though while it felt too convenient, I almost think it was probably necessary to show us their HEA and not just "yeah, they lived happily ever after while working through their issues". Sorry, if that is totally contradictory and maybe confusing.

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Lauren

Reviewed for Obsessive Book Nerd:
http://www.obsessivebooknerd.com

Obsessive Book Nerd was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )