So there I was, 2 AM, designing a logo for a vegan bakery in Round Rock, Frida asleep on my keyboard and Diego judging me from the bookshelf. I had maybe three hours of Owning Violet left and I could NOT stop. The smart thing would've been to pause and sleep like a functional adult. But Ryder McKay had just done something that made me gasp out loud in my empty apartment, and honestly? Sleep is for people who aren't emotionally compromised by fictional billionaires.
This book. THIS BOOK. Monica Murphy really said "let me write a morally gray hero who's basically a walking red flag" and then made me root for him anyway. Ryder is manipulative, secretive, and has an agenda that involves using Violet to get what he wants. And yet—and I cannot stress this enough—the chemistry is chef's kiss. The tension between them crackles. You know that thing where two characters are in a room together and you're holding your breath waiting for something to happen? That's this whole audiobook.
When the Walls Started Crumbling
Violet Fowler is interesting because she's not your typical romance heroine. She's been through trauma (there's a vicious attack in her past that shapes everything), she's devoted her life to her family's cosmetics empire, and she just got dumped by a man who chose ambition over her. She's guarded. Controlled. The dutiful middle daughter who does what's expected.
And then Ryder comes in like a wrecking ball.
What got me—what really got me—was watching Violet slowly let her walls down. Murphy doesn't rush it. This is a slow burn that actually burns, if you know what I mean. The emotional intimacy builds alongside the physical tension, and by the time things finally combust? I ugly-cried. Somewhere in the middle, I don't remember the exact chapter, but I was a mess. Frida woke up and looked at me like I'd lost my mind.
Abuela would have been SCANDALIZED by this book, by the way. Clutching her rosary, muttering prayers, but also secretly staying up to finish it. I know she would have. The woman watched telenovelas with worse villains than Ryder McKay.
Saskia Maarleveld Wrapped Me in That Voice
Okay, look—I'd listen to this woman narrate a phone book. Her voice has this warm, slightly raspy quality that just... wraps around you. She does something really smart with Violet: she captures that controlled, composed exterior but lets the cracks show through. The moments when Violet's voice wavers slightly, when you can hear the vulnerability underneath the polish? That's where Maarleveld earns her paycheck.
Her Ryder is interesting too. She gives him this low, deliberate quality—like every word is calculated. Which, given his character, is perfect. He's a man who reveals nothing he doesn't want you to see, and Maarleveld's performance reflects that.
The only thing—and this is minor—is that at 12 hours and 40 minutes, there were moments in the middle where the pacing dragged a little. Some of the business intrigue stuff (there's a lot of corporate maneuvering) felt slower than the emotional beats. But honestly? I was so invested in Violet and Ryder that I pushed through without much issue.
This Is a Rainy Sunday Book
Here's the thing about Owning Violet: it's not a light, fluffy romance. It's darker. There's manipulation, power dynamics, secrets that could destroy everything. That same unsettling intensity runs through Lolita, though Nabokov takes it to places that still haunt me. The content warnings are there for a reason—this is spicy and intense and deals with some heavy themes.
But if you're in the mood for something that makes you FEEL things? Something that keeps you up at 2 AM even though you have client revisions due in the morning? This is it.
I listened at my usual 1.0x because rushing through Maarleveld's voice feels like a crime. The vibes are immaculate for late-night listening or long design sessions when you need something to keep your brain engaged but not distracted.
My Heart Needed This (And Maybe Yours Does Too)
MY HEART. I'm already looking up the next book in the series because I need to know what happens. And I need more of Saskia Maarleveld in my ears.
Who should skip this? If you need your heroes squeaky clean and morally upstanding, Ryder will frustrate you. If slow burns make you impatient, maybe not your thing. But if you want emotional intensity, complicated characters, and chemistry that could melt your headphones? Get in here.
