Review: Keep Me In Your Heart - Monica Murphy

Review: Keep Me In Your Heart - Book #2 Next Generation Lancaster Prep Series - Monica Murphy - December 2024

Y'all, I have a confession: I'm absolutely obsessed with reading entire author backlists, and this year Monica Murphy became my victim of choice. What started as an innocent "let me just catch up on Lancaster Prep" turned into a full-blown binge that had me ordering the latest release faster than you can say "book hangover."

Keep Me In Your Heart is giving me all the feels, and honestly? I wasn't prepared for the emotional whiplash of watching Crew and Wren's son navigate love the same chaotic way his parents did. Rowan Lancaster is the perfect blend of his father's "too cool for school" facade and his mother's secretly soft heart – and watching him fumble around his feelings for Arabella had me simultaneously wanting to shake him and hug him.

Let's talk about Arabella for a hot second. Girl just wants someone to complete her heart locket (literally the most romantic metaphor ever?), and honestly, same. But when her parents dangle a Parisian jewelry apprenticeship in front of her, suddenly she's torn between following her dreams and following her heart. The internal conflict is real and Monica Murphy writes it beautifully without making Arabella seem wishy-washy.

What absolutely destroyed me in the best way was seeing the next generation deal with the same family dynamics their parents faced. There's something so satisfying about watching these legacy characters grow up and make their own mistakes. Plus, can we talk about those glimpses of Iris and Willow's exciting news? Monica Murphy knows exactly how to keep us hooked for the next installment.

The writing flows like butter, and Monica Murphy has this gift for making even the most privileged teenagers feel relatable. Sure, they're dealing with fancy prep school drama and international apprenticeships, but underneath it all, they're just kids trying to figure out love and identity – universal themes wrapped in a pretty, wealthy package.

My only complaint? I'm already dreading the day this series ends because I've become way too emotionally invested in this fictional family tree. Book three can't come fast enough, and honestly, Monica Murphy could probably write Lancaster family grocery lists and I'd still read them.

Bottom line: If you're looking for a swoon-worthy romance with generational storytelling that'll have you questioning why real teenage boys can't be more like fictional ones, this is your book. Just make sure you have tissues handy – not for tears, but for all the squealing you'll be doing.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/44dSmbo