ARC Review: Three Broken Promises by Monica Murphy

Three Broken Promises is the third book in Monica Murphy's One Week Girlfriend Series. The first two books in the series are Drew and Fable's story and should be read in order. This book features Jen and Colin, both are characters we meet in the previous book, but Three Broken Promises can be read as a standalone. I would still recommend reading the first two books before this one though, because there are a few things that will be spoiled otherwise. I also liked that I already knew Drew and Fable and a little bit about Jen and Colin before starting this book. I was excited to get to know Jen and Colin better, and this book just so happens to feature one of my favorite tropes of little sister falling for big brother's best friend. I just can't help myself, it draws me in every time!

Jen has been looking out for herself ever since her big brother Danny died. She felt as though she was invisible to her parents and needed to leave. She ended up living in her car and working at a strip club in order to support herself. But her brother's best friend Colin found her and gave her not only a job, but also a place to stay. Jen has always loved Colin and the more time she spends living and working with him the more that she falls for him. But Colin doesn't do commitment and doesn't view her the same way...or so Jen thinks. Colin is attracted to Jen and has always felt connected to her, but she is the one person that he denies himself. Colin knows that he has broken promises to Jen and her family and thinks that he doesn't deserve her. But when Jen finally decides that she has had enough and needs to move on, Colin realizes just how much he cares for her and needs her in his life. Can Colin convince Jen to stay with him and give a relationship between them a shot?

I liked Colin. At first, I wasn't sure I was going to. He was cocky and arrogant, and definitely came off as not just alpha but straight up bossy. But he was also really caring and protective and he looked out for everyone he cared about regardless of what they had done or how they treated him. He even helped his dad despite the horrible relationship that they had. I could tell how much he cared for Jen, but he was always keeping her at arms length. Even after their relationship became more than friends, he could admit to himself that he had feelings for her but he wouldn't say anything to her. I liked Jen also, but I had the same problem with her as Colin. She knew she loved him and was hoping he would ask her to stay, and yet she never said anything to him. So many of their problems could have been solved with a bit more communication and that drove me nuts. These two had a ton of chemistry and were really hot together.

I really felt like even though they had known each other for years and cared about each other, their relationship was not very stable at all. They were constantly fighting, and hiding things from each other. Usually only ending a fight by having sex and openly admitting that they were better together when they weren't talking. I just felt like their relationship was weaker and not as believable because they didn't seem to be able to solve problems together. By the time that we get to the end of the story and they get past everything, I feel like we still didn't get a lot of relationship development. It seemed like they barely talked, but all of a sudden things between them were just different because they actually told each other that they loved them. For me, the push and pull between them was frustrating and wish they would have just been honest with each other. I also really didn't like Colin's dad or Angela and Roger. To me they felt like plot driven characters put in the story for the sole purpose of stirring up more drama. They were all quickly forgotten about or forgiven after they had served their purpose.

I do think that overall this story was good and enjoyable, and it adds to this series. It was nice to get to know Colin and Jen better, and I loved getting to see Drew and Fable a bit. But I think that my expectations were higher for this book because of how much I liked the first two books, and compared to those this one fell a little flat for me. Even though Colin and Jen were both likable characters despite first impressions, they both made poor decisions and handled a lot of situations really badly. I think that is what kept me from ever truly warming up to them and believing in their relationship and future. I think that Monica Murphy has a great writing style though and this book is no exception. The scenes between Colin and Jen were hot and steamy, and I never once questioned the chemistry or attraction between them. I think that New Adult fans will find this to be an enjoyable read, especially those that are fans of the One Week Girlfriend series. I am looking forward to reading Fable's Brother Owen's story and getting to know him better.

**ARC provided by NetGalley**

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