Monica  Murphy

In The Dark

Monica Murphy

The girl next door isn't what she seems ... Stuck spending the summer with his screwed up family, Gabriel Walker is bored out of his mind and looking for an adventure. And he seems to find it with the hot girl who lives next door. The attraction between them is instant. Electric. Soon they're spending every stolen minute together. Talk about the perfect summer fling ... Lucy isn't what she seems. She doesn't live next door-she's the girl who's been hired to house sit for the summer. If Gabe wants to believe she's a spoiled rich girl looking for some fun, she can go along with that. After the summer, she'll never see him again. They don't count on running into each other at college. Now Lucy must keep up the pretense of being a rich girl-and it's exhausting. She knows she's falling in love with Gabe and she's scared he feels the same. Will he still care about her when he discovers the truth?

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After thoroughly enjoying the first book in Monica's new Rules series, Fair Game, when I read it a couple months ago, I couldn't wait to see what would come next in this series. I really liked the setting and the characters and, especially, the growth in those characters over the course of the book. I was excited to see Gabe get "tamed." 

I couldn't help but smile at the pairing of Gabe and Lucy. The rich player meets the not-so-rich virgin. I was disappointed that their story started off with an expiration date because I loved their chemistry. I thought they were heading towards something fantastic together. Needless to say, I was thrilled to find they would be at the same college. (I have a bad habit of NOT reading the blurbs of books before I start reading them, so often times I'm surprised by the direction a story takes.) I wanted to see how things would continue for them. How long could Lucy keep up her lies? What would happen when Gabe found out? Was what they had strong enough to keep them together? How would their families and their expectations play into it all? Well, all those questions are answered. I'm just not gonna tell you what the answers are. :)

I really loved (nearly) everything about this book. There were a couple moments where I feared Gabe would slip back into his old ways, but he was growing up. I loved how Lucy made him realize a connection with one special woman was worth more than endless nights spent with random warm bodies. The romance was wonderful and swoony. The sexy times were smoking hot. I loved the character growth and the friendships. The college setting was realistic. All in all, this was a great book and a fantastic addition to The Rules series.
After reading this book and getting a little more of Tristan, I can't wait to see him find the girl who makes him want to give up his manwhoring around. I think it's gonna be great! Come on, November...

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

I am seriously enjoying Monica Murphy’s The Rules series! I really liked the first book, Fair Game, and I’m glad to say I had a fun time reading In the Dark as well. This is Gabe’s book – the rich, pretty-boy player of the trio of heroes this series is about. Seeing him fall hard for a girl was as sweet as it was sexy. Fans of the first book won’t want to miss this sequel!

Gabe is spending the summer with his family at their vacation house, and he’d rather be anywhere but there. Luckily, there’s a cute neighbor he can’t help but admire every time she comes into view. Gabe is the love-em-and-leave-em type of guy, but he’d give anything for a chance with the girl next door.

I’m not that girl. I’m cautious. Careful. I plot and plan and do what I’m supposed to. I don’t make waves and I don’t cause trouble. One look form Gabe and I want to cause all sorts of trouble.
But only with him.

Lucy has totally noticed the hot, rich boy next door, but she’s not the type of girl to be with any guy. Her mother had her when she was young and instilled the fear of god – aka teenage pregnancy – into Lucy. But when Gabe finally introduces himself, Lucy can’t ignore the serious chemistry between them. But he thinks she has money like him, when in fact she’s not so rich and only house-sitting for a rich couple. She can’t help but go along that ruse, especially since they both agree to have a summer-only fling. And things get seriously HOT between them once their fling begins. Monica Murphy knows how to heat up the pages and I loved how intensely she brought out the sexy and dirty in Gabe and Lucy.

“I get too caught up in you. Every single time we’re together.” He shifts away from me so he can stare down into my eyes. “It’s like you’re the only thing I focus on when I’m with you, Luce. Hell, even when I’m not with you, you consume my thoughts. It’s… wild.”

As Lucy and Gabe spend the rest of summer together, they form a connection. They don’t want to leave each other by the time summer ends but they have no choice. Except, they never expected to see each other again when school starts up. Gabe now wants more between them, but Lucy is still keeping secrets from him. What happens when she wants him but her secrets come out?

I loved seeing Gabe change his manwhoring ways. Lucy was a great heroine who I thought matched well with his character. They’re both charming and relatable characters, so it was easy to enjoy their story. Plus, it’s a hot read – Monica Murphy can’t not write a sexy book! The only complaint I have is that the story sometimes felt too slow. I wanted the book to pick up the pace sometimes, to get to when Gabe finally finds out the truth about Lucy. Other than that, this is another fantastic read from an author I adore! I’m incredibly excited for Tristan’s story now!

Quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change in the final version.

Thanks to the author for generously providing me an ARC to review.

Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/1LnTuu2
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/1h7VcFo

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Mikayla

Stuck spending the summer with his screwed up family, Gabriel Walker is bored out of his mind and looking for an adventure. And he seems to find it with the hot girl who lives next door. The attraction between them is instant. Electric. Soon they're spending every stolen minute together. Talk about the perfect summer fling...Lucy isn't what she seems. She doesn't live next door-she's the girl who's been hired to house sit for the summer while the family goes on a worldwide vacation. If Gabe wants to believe she's a spoiled rich girl looking for some fun, she can go along with that. After the summer, she'll never see him again.They don't count on running into each other at college. Now Lucy must keep up the pretense of being a rich girl-and it's exhausting. She knows she's falling in love with Gabe and she's scared he feels the same. Will he still care about her when he discovers the truth?