*~*Four Years Later by Monica Murphy Blog Tour – Character Interview, Review & Giveaway*~*

I loved Owen and Chelsea almost as much as I loved Drew and Fable!  Check out what happened when I sat down with them…

I am excited beyond words about my next interview.  I loved Owen and Chelsea’s story…their connection and feelings about one another really touched me and I’m thrilled to bits they agreed to sit down with me.  I meet them at the District (of course…because that’s where I do all my Drew + Fable interviews 😛 ) and I get their early enough to snag a table with a view.  We picked a quiet time, after the lunch rush but before the happy hour crowd, so we wouldn’t be bothered.

I haven’t been waiting long when I see them walk through the front doors and my jaw hits the table.  Owen is…delicious and Chelsea is as beautiful as ever.  I kind of would like to steal them and take them home with me…but that might be a little odd at the first meeting, so I lead with regaining my brain, standing up and introducing myself.  After we’ve sat down and ordered drinks (non-alcoholic of course), I play catch up and they fill me in on what they’ve been doing.  It’s great to hear about their success…after all they have been through, these two deserve it.  I hate to be all business, but I don’t want to take up their entire afternoon, so I get started.

Lisa:                “I’m so happy to be able to sit down with both of you, I really appreciate you taking the time.”

Chelsea:          “It’s not a problem at all.”

Lisa:                “Awesome…well Chelsea, I always do ladies first, is that good with you?”

Chelsea:          “Fine by me.”

Lisa:                “For someone your age, you’re extremely mature and advanced.  Not trying to dog your parents…but where did this come from?  Were you always this smart and driven or did it just come naturally?”

Chelsea:          “It sort of all just came naturally. From a very early age I wanted to learn. I liked to read and I was always curious. My parents were too wrapped up in their own drama so I got lost in my little world of reading and learning.”

Lisa:                “I hate to be nosey…butI gotta ask…have you figured football out yet?” J

Her face breaks out into a smile and we both laugh as Owen rolls his eyes at us.

Chelsea:          “I have! Owen’s been giving me lessons. He’s very patient.”

Lisa:                “Shoot…where do I sign up to get taught football by Owen. 😛  Summarize Owen in one sentence.”

Chelsea:          “Owen is the sweetest, naughtiest, smartest, sexiest boyfriend ever. She blushes and Owen brings his arm tighter around her shoulders to snuggle her to his side.  So cute…

Lisa:                “I know things weren’t great with your parents…have they gotten any better?”

Chelsea:          “I don’t talk to my dad. I refuse to. My mom has reached out to me and we’ve talked briefly but it’s just not the same.”

Lisa:                “Do you think you will ever give up hope on your mom?”

Chelsea:          “I can’t say yes or no. I don’t want to give up hope on her. It’s the last thing I want to do. But if she’s going to keep in contact with my dad and try and force me to do the same then…it’s never going to work between us.

And that hurts.”

Lisa:                “Complete understandable.  So it seems your dreams have…changed…you originally wanted to go for your masters and teach – the world is your oyster, what are your plans now?”

Chelsea:          “My original plans haven’t necessarily changed, they’ve just been put on hold. I’ve gone to school and worked hard my entire life. I’ve never done anything to relax. Owen’s taught me how to stop and look around, you know? One of my favorite things to do with Owen is…nothing. We just hang out and talk or watch TV or a movie or whatever.

After Owen graduates from college, we’ll figure out what to do next. Before I met him, the thought of having no real plan would terrify me. Now I’m excited by the possibilities, especially with Owen by my side.”

Lisa:                “That’s definitely something to be excited about.”

I return her beaming smile and she turns to Owen, planting a sweet kiss on his cheek.

Lisa:                “Your turn in the hot seat Owen, you ready for me?”

Owen:             “Yep.”

Lisa:                “What’s your favorite and least favorite thing about Fable.  (yes…we’re putting you on the spot 🙂  but we promise she won’t find out!)  Oh and best memory of growing up with your sister too…we know she can be fun.”

Owen:             “Fable is loyal without a doubt. She always took care of me. She was a better mother to me than ours ever was. So her loyalty is my favorite thing. My least favorite thing? She’s like a damn detective. She always finds out when I’ve done something wrong and it sucks. She scares me sometimes because she can be so ferocious.”

Lisa:                “She can be…so you lucked out in the sister department and turns out, the best friend department too – can you imagine your life without Wade?  And I know ya’ll got into some pretty crazy stuff when you were younger…can you tell us any stories?”

Owen:             “I can’t imagine my life without Wade. We’ve been best friends since we were eleven or twelve. Yeah, we got into a lot of trouble but we also took care of each other, you know? I love that guy like a brother.

And you want stories? I can’t tell you stories because then you’d find out all our secrets. I can’t do that to Wade. He’d kick my ass.”

Lisa:                “No fair!  Maybe I’ll have to track Wade down and get him to spill the dirt.  Summarize Chelsea in one sentence.”

Owen:             “Chelsea is the best damn thing to ever happen to me.”

Lisa:                “Wow…so true.  Love it.  Have you decided what you want to do when you graduate?  Go pro?  Start a career?  You seem to have a knack for writing…I think Chels is partial to your poems, you could always give that a go (I personally would love a poem from you 🙂  )”

Owen:             “Everyone is encouraging me to go pro. I would love to follow in Drew’s footsteps and he’s been very supportive but we’ll see. I need to know if the pros would be interested in me, you know?

I don’t mind writing but I could never make a career out of it. And I’ve only written poems for Chelsea. They’re not that great but she sure loves them.”

Lisa:                “I’m sure she adores them.  If you could tell your mom anything right now, what would it be?”

Owen:             “That I’m sorry she couldn’t get her crap together and take care of us like a real mother.”

Wow…alright, I need to change the topic before I cry.

Lisa:                “This is my favorite part of the interview – both of you together!  What are your favorite five things about each other? (physical, non-physical, whatever!)”

Owen:             “The way she smells.  Her brain.  The conversations we have.  The taste of her lips.  How she snuggles up close to me when we fall asleep.”

Aaaaand I’m swooning again.  Luckily Chelsea answers right after him or I might just be staring and Owen all googly eyed for the next 30 minutes.

Chelsea:          “His smile.  How he looks at me.  Talking to him.  His protectiveness.  How I feel when he touches me, however brief it is.”

Lisa:                “What’s your deepest regret with each other?”

Owen:             “What I said to my mom about Chelsea not being important. That was a huge mistake. I hurt her bad.”

Chelsea:          “That I was always trying to please my mom rather than what I wanted to do.”

Lisa:                “I’m loving all this honest guys!  Okay…favorite memory?”

Owen:             “When she told me she didn’t wear any panties and I had a coughing fit. She about did me in with that one statement. My imagination went wild.”

Chelsea:          “Our first kiss sitting on top of his car. Talk about a romantic night.”

Lisa:                “Very good…Owen you surprised me, not what ‘most guys’ would have said…I like!  And Chels that was so romantic!  Okay…let’s go for some tough stuff…worst flaw?”

Owen:             “She gets frustrated when she’s dealing with something she’s never done or doesn’t understand. She wants to be perfect at everything.”

Chelsea:          “I swear sometimes he’s bound and determined to screw up just because he can. He’s getting over that though.”

Lisa:                “Good points for both…most annoying pet peeve?”

Chelsea:          “Owen is a slob. He never makes his bed. He doesn’t fold his clothes. It’s annoying.”

Lisa:                “He is a boy…just saying!” 🙂

Owen:             “Chelsea is a perfectionist. Like right down to the tiniest detail and it makes me nuts. She revels in it though so I’m like whatever.”

Lisa:                “At least you’ve both learned to loved each other through the good and the bad.  What’s the hardest lesson you’ve learned?”

Owen:             “Just because someone is supposed to love and take care of you, like your mom, doesn’t mean they will.”

Chelsea:          “Amen. That’s the same hard lesson I’ve learned too.”

Lisa:                “Very hard lesson to learn…especially as young as you both are, but I’m glad you’re both strong enough to overcome it.  Where do you see yourselves in 5 years?”

Owen:             “Not sure but wherever we are, Chelsea will be with me. That’s all that matters.”

Chelsea:          “What Owen said.”

Lisa:                “Best answer ever!  Alright, we’re almost done – time for a little game of either/or!  Teacher or Student?” 😉

Owen:             “Teacher.”

Chelsea:          “Student (we’ve switched roles)”

Mmm…sexy!  I approve!

Lisa:                “Chocolate or Vanilla?”

Owen:             “Vanilla.”

Chelsea:          “Chocolate.”

Lisa:                “Warm or Cold?”

Owen:             “Warm (so I can see Chelsea wearing practically nothing)”

Spoken like a typical dude.

Chelsea:          “Cold so we can snuggle.”

Spoken like a typical chick.  These two are adorable!

Lisa:                “Hard or Soft?”

Owen:             “Soft.”

Chelsea:          “Hard.”

Hmm…well, that was surprising.

Lisa:                “Books or Movies?”

Owen:             “Books.”

Chelsea:          “Books.”

I approve of this.

Lisa:                “Fast or Slow?”

Owen:             “Can I say both?”

He gives me a sexy winks and I’m mush – at this point he can say whatever he wants.

Chelsea:          “I like slow.”

Her blush is back in full force and I smile at her indulgently.

Lisa:                “Soda or Tea?”

Owen:             “Soda.”

Chelsea:             “Soda.”

Lisa:                “Loud or Quiet?”

Owen:              “Loud.”

Chelsea:              “Quiet.”

Lisa:                “That doesn’t surprise me at all.  Okay…last set of questions, I promise.  Rapid Fire…it’s really easy, just tell me the first thing that comes to mind.  School?”

Owen:             “Almost done.”

Chelsea:          “Miss it.”

Of course she does!

Lisa:                “Pink roses?”

Owen:             “Chelsea’s…never mind.”

Chelsea:          “God. I can’t even answer after what he said.”

I giggle at both their answers but Chelsea’s embarrassment is just too cute at this point.

Lisa:                “Football?”

Owen:             “My future?”

His voice sounds a little hopeful.  🙂

Chelsea:          “Owen.”

Lisa:                “Fable?”

Owen:             “Family.”

Chelsea:          “Love her.”

Lisa:                “OMG…me too!  Trust?”

Owen:             “Chelsea.”

Chelsea:          “Owen.”

Awwww…totally love that.  A lot.

Lisa:                “Drew?”

Owen:             “Idol.”

Awww…seriously, yes, I have to ‘awww…’ again!  These answers are warming my heart.

Chelsea:          “Cute (can I say that? I’m saying it)”

Lisa:                “You can totally say that.  🙂  Parents?”

Owen:             “Nonexistent.”

Chelsea:          “Trouble.”

Sad…but true.  On both answers.

Lisa:                “Autumn?”

Owen:             “My baby girl.”

Chelsea:          “Sweet and feisty.”

Lisa:                “Just like her momma.  Tutor?” 😉

Owen:             “Chelsea.”

Chelsea:          “My old job!”

Lisa:                “Okay…this one if just for Chelsea to answer…Owen?”

Chelsea:          “The love of my life.”

He leans over and kisses her temple.

Lisa:                “Now it’s Owen’s turn…Chelsea?”

Owen:             “My girl.”

*Swoon*

Lisa:                “Love?”

Owen:             “Chelsea.”

Chelsea:          “Owen.”

Lisa:                “Wow…you guys really blew me away – thank you so much again, I really appreciate it.”

Owen:             “Of course.”

Chelsea:          “Anytime.”

We all walk outside together and I give them hugs before making my way back to my car to leave.  Well…this interview might be a little bittersweet because it’s the last interview that I’ll be doing with the Drew + Fable clan…but it definitely could not have ended any better.

Four Years Later by Monica Murphy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*

4 “uptight virgin” “rose” “Chels” Kisses

Wow…I’m honestly sad that I’m typing this review. And not because I didn’t like the book, in fact…the exact opposite…but just because I’m seriously so depressed that this series is over. These characters have been in my life for almost a year now and…I can’t believe it’s over. Four Years Later is the final book in the One Week Girlfriend Quartet…and this is a series that must be read in order…so if you haven’t read One Week Girlfriend, Second Chance Boyfriend, Three Broken Promises or Drew + Fable Forever…you have to read those first. But back to my moping…I don’t want it to be over…and yes I know I have attachment issues, don’t judge me! But in all honesty…Owen and Chelsea’s story was a beautiful way to end the series. It was emotional…angsty…and unique…just like the two of them.

Owen Maguire…who am I kidding…I’ve always had a soft spot for Owen. He’s Fable’s baby brother!!! Seriously?!? It’s just weird because part of me wants to be a big sister to him…and part of me wants to hump him – it’s a very confusing feeling…but somehow my brain works through it. He’s a mess…I mean…Fable was a mess too – they grew up with no family, an absolutely horrible mother, no structure or guidance and Fable did her best to raise Owen but it’s hard to raise a kid when you’re still a kid! My poor sweet Owen…I think all he ever wanted was for his mom to love him…and the only thing she ever did was screw with his head. He does his best, I truly believe he has good intentions in his heart…because Owen is a good guy…he’s just a little lost and confused at times. I love his relationship with Fable and Drew though…I think if it weren’t for them, he would have ended up just like his mother. It is amazing to see Owen when he really does try and applies himself….and you never see that more clearly than when he is with Chelsea.

‘So I became a carbon copy of Drew Callahan. I played football, I wrote, I studied, I tried my best to do the right thing. I’m a little more outgoing than Drew, though. Girls are my thing. So are my friends. And beer. Oh, and weed.
All of that equals not doing the right thing, despite my intentions.’

Chelsea Rose Simmons…oh Chels…I heart this girl because she and I are a lot alike. I really connected to her and some of her experiences…she’s just a very real and relatable girl overall. She’s an only child…with an absentee jerk/loser father and a mom who is depressed and can’t figure out if she loves her husband or hates all men. Poor Chelsea is brilliant…like skip years of school brilliant (she’s a junior in college and she’s 19…the chick has some mega brains!). She’s also a hard worker…not only does she take on a full load of classes, she also tutors as a side job and then works at a restaurant. She’s independent, determined and dedicated to her future because she will not let her father’s mistakes influence her life or let money stop her from fulfilling her dreams. But…a drawback to the age thing…she’s a little inexperienced. She’s not naïve, but she is sheltered and cautious…which there’s nothing wrong with that…but combine that with a gorgeous, blond bad boy football player and well…you have a recipe for awesome. 🙂

‘But I’ve never been comfortable around guys. They give me even a hint of attention and I think they have ulterior motives. They want something I don’t want to give.
My body. My mind. My soul.
They’ll take everything, then destroy me. Walk away without a backward glance.’

Chelsea brings out every positive attribute in Owen. Whether it’s because he wants to try with her or she inspires him…or it’s incentive to impress her…take it as you will but Owen is very different when she is around, and it’s all for the positive. Chels is different with Owen too – Miss. Prim-and-Proper sheds a few layers when the bad boy comes around and it’s nice to see that she can let lose and have fun. I liked that they balanced each other because…let’s face it, they’re basically polar opposites but together they worked so well. I was completely sucked into every aspect of their relationship as it developed. From tutor/student…to flirtatious…to more…and even through the awkward ‘what-are-we’ stage, I still enjoyed going through that journey with them. I loved that he opened her world to so many new things and I love even more that she let him…I like that she inspired his creative writing….I love that he called her Chels and I love even more how much she loved that he called her Chels. 🙂

‘“I thought all girls liked to write about love and sadness.”
Is that what he writes about? I doubt it, but who knows? “I’m not like most girls.”
“I know.” His smile softens as his gaze roves over my face. “That’s what I like most about you.”
Oh. I am so. Done for.’

When I say they are polar opposites…I mean it in every sense of the word…he’s the bad boy, she’s the good girl….he’s a manwhore, she’s a virgin…he’s scraping by in school, she’s a freaking braniac…he’s the jock, she’s the nerd – you getting the picture here? Maybe that’s why I loved them so much together because on paper…they do not add up – had it not been for the tutoring sessions, they would have never crossed paths, never met and this beautiful broken couple would have never healed each other. They both have so many secrets…so many things they keep hidden from the world and from each other because they don’t want to be judged or rejected for things that are out of their control…and the funny thing is they have no idea how much in common they have in that sense.

‘We need each other. I don’t know if Chelsea’s aware of it yet, but I know I am. Having her here with me makes everything right again. Makes me feel like I can breathe again. These few weeks apart from her have nearly killed me.
There’s no way I can let her go now.’

They could start their own ‘messed up parent’s club’ and swap horror stories…I think that might be what drove me crazy the most…I was glad that they found solace in each other because they so desperately needed it…but I was frustrated in some of Owen’s behavior and the fact that both of them were still hiding crucial parts of themselves from the other. But it was all part of the build up with the angst…so there is a purpose! I definitely have to give Monica Murphy credit, she angst’d the crap out of me with Owen and Chelsea, almost as much as she did with Drew and Fable. I did not see a lot of their story line coming…I was surprised, I definitely did not think it was predictable but I loved how Owen and Chelsea tied in with Drew and Fable and of course I loved seeing glimpses of them as usual (especially Autumn…and hearing Owen talk about Autumn…so freaking cute). The other thing I liked that Three Broken Promises didn’t have…and it’s something so small, so random…but the quotes at the start of each chapter. Do you know the ridiculous amount of love I have for those quotes? It’s out of control.

‘He closes his eyes, presses his lips together. “I don’t deserve your forgiveness.”
“Yes, you do.” My simple answer feels so freeing it lightens my heart.
His eyes crack open and he looks at me. “I don’t deserve you.”
“If you don’t deserve me then I don’t deserve you.”’

So…am I sad that it’s over? Yes…deeply saddened, but also happy because…all of the characters are happy – they’re in great places…I got all the HEA goodness I could ever hope for and I am completely thrilled at the development with these characters. I do feel like Chels and Owen could have more of a story (just like Jenn and Collin) and I will keep hope alive that maybe someday we will get it…but regardless…this book worm is very content with how this series ended.

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New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Monica Murphy is a native Californian who lives in the foothills below Yosemite. A wife and mother of three, she writes New Adult and contemporary romance for Bantam and Avon. She is the author of One Week Girlfriend and Second Chance Boyfriend.