I was a huge fan of the first book in The Fowler Sisters series, Owning Violet, but the second book, Stealing Rose, was a let down. I was hoping Taming Lily would renew my love for the series, but sadly, it was only an okay read. I liked it more than Stealing Rose, but not by much. I just didn’t connect with the characters, and the book was too full of sex with little substance to the story. I really wanted to like Lily’s book – while it’s not a bad read, it just wasn’t as good as I’d hoped it would be.

Lily Fowler is the oldest and wildest of the three Fowler sisters. She’s the last of the sisters to fall in love, and Monica Murphy certainly doesn’t make Lily’s journey to love easy. Lily is in Hawaii, on the run from Pillar, Lily’s father’s girlfriend, who is also a total bitch. Lily is a woman with a whole mess of Daddy issues, and she acted out in her earlier years by becoming what everyone thought she was – a spoiled, rich, party girl. Deep down, she’s hurt by her family, who has no faith in her. While I tried to empathize with Lily and her issues, it was hard to – I couldn’t connect with her character, and I found myself annoyed when she never spoke up for herself.

Unfortunately, Lily’s getaway to Hawaii doesn’t go as well as she plans. She nearly drowns in the ocean, but a mysterious man comes out of nowhere and saves her life. She recognizes him as the sexy man who’s been watching her – she’s suspicious of him, but she can’t help feeling attracted to him.

I’m drawn to her, and not just because she’s my assignment. Feeling like this … letting my attraction to her distract me is risky. Stupid.
But I can’t seem to help it.

Max has been hired by Pillar to steal Lily’s laptop, so he follows her on her trip to Hawaii, but he never expects to end up wanting her. There’s a strong chemistry between them they can’t ignore, and once they fall into bed with each other, it becomes explosive. Monica Murphy is fantastic at writing hot, steamy scenes, and Taming Lily didn’t disappoint. There’s good sex in this book, but there was also too much of it – the majority of the time Lily and Max are together is spent in bed. I couldn’t really see how they fell for each other, especially when Max sometimes came off as a little creepy, stalker-wise.

My heart is beating like crazy, pounding to a rhythm that suspiciously sounds like her name. Li-ly. Li-ly. It’s fucking crazy. I’m crazy.
Crazy for her.

Max keeps the reason why he’s in Hawaii a secret from Lily, of course, but secrets can’t stay quiet for long. Max now has to fight for the woman he’s fallen for, all the while protecting her from Pillar.

“I feel like you were made for me, Lily. That we were made for each other.”

There’s no doubt Monica Murphy can write hot chemistry, but the story and characters in Taming Lily felt lacking. I was less than impressed with the way things played out, and I just couldn’t for the life of me connect with the hero or heroine. I was really hoping to like Taming Lily, since I’d been excited for Lily’s book since Owning Violet, but the book ended up only being okay. It’s not necessarily a bad read, but it wasn’t as good as I was expecting.

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

Reading Order: The Fowler Sisters series

#1 ~ Owning Violet: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Stealing Rose: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Taming Lily: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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