Then There Was You
So Much It Hurts #2
Contemporary Romance
ARC provided by author to facilitate this review
Out of despair comes hope.
Chris King never saw it coming…
In some ways, closing the book on my first love was the worst day of life. I was gutted, and yet I was completely at peace with my decision. I walked away knowing that I did what was best for her, unsure if I could ever recover.
Little did I know that one concert would change the entire course of my life.
There I stood, signing autographs and snapping pictures with fans when a familiar face in the crowd catapulted my mind back in time—Salem Honeycutt, once a balm to my pain and a calm in my storm. Yet again, her smiling face gave me hope.
Only one question remained: did she still see me as a wayward teenage boy who was completely off limits, or could she see the man I'd become…focused and driven, yearning for another chance at love?
For Salem Honeycutt, postpartum bliss seemed like a lie...
No one told me that I’d hate my baby when I brought her home from the hospital. No one told me that I’d want to put a pillow over my husband’s head and smother him in his sleep. No one told me that I’d want to slap every person who gave me the ever-so-cliché advice to ‘cherish every moment.’ No one told me that I’d despise my life the minute I became a mother, but I did.
Then I met Chris King, the kid who made me want to pull myself up from the dark recesses of my mind and face each day. This kid, whose passion for life and talent for music, touched my soul deeper than I could ever touch his. Chris gave me a reason to live.
I was once affectionately known as Mrs. H., Chris’s juvenile detention counselor.
This is our story.
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No words.
I have no words for how much I loved this book.
OK, that’s a total lie. I probably won’t be able to shut up about it. Grab a drink, grab a snack, let’s do this thing.
You know how much I loved So Much It Hurts by Melanie Dawn, and how hard I fell for Chris King. When I found out that Melanie was writing a sequel, I damn near lost my mind.
When I finished the book, I knew that I loved it. Then I thought about it some more, and realized that I REALLY FUCKING LOVED IT. Then I had to think about what to write for this review, and I finally understood.
This book blew me away.
More than just the story of Chris, and what happened after So Much It Hurts, Melanie Dawn gives us an in-depth look at Chris’ time in juvenile detention. She also brings us the story of Salem, PLUS she tells us what’s happening in the present. So it’s really like we’re getting three separate stories in this 300-some pages. Melanie is skilled enough to weave everything together to create a reading experience that you won’t soon forget.
I loved Salem’s story. Her struggles as a new mother were difficult to read at times, my heart ached just broke for her. This is one reason why I love Melanie’s writing. She brings us characters that are so real, we can easily see ourselves in their situation. Yet, throughout everything she was going through, she remained dedicated to helping the boys at the juvenile detention center. Somehow, they ended up helping her a much as she helped them.
And there’s Chris. **sigh** Oh, my Chris. Sincerely, he’s one of my favorite male leads of all time. He’s got the “bad boy” vibe, but he’s so much more. He did some bad things, but for the right reasons. And even as a young kid, he loves fiercely, and will do almost anything to take care of the ones that he loves, even if it kills him a little inside.
Now Chris is all grown up, and his heart’s been dealt yet another blow. This is where this book went from a 4-star to a 5-star read for me. Chris is so good, he’s willing to sacrifice his own heart, after all it’s been through, to ensure the happiness of the people he loves. He could be selfish and go after what he wants, but he doesn’t. I really do love him beyond words. I once said that I would leave home if it meant I could run away with Chris King. Hell, I would abandon my HAIR STYLIST for Chris. That’s how you know it’s true love, people.
I won’t lie, when Chris and Salem first reunited, I didn’t like it. NOPE. Not one bit. If he couldn’t be with me, he was supposed to be with Kaitlyn. But the pair grew on me. Their reunion, and subsequent relationship, was so well done. It wasn’t rushed, which, to me, would have felt really inauthentic. Instead, they reaffirmed their bond from all those years ago, and things felt very natural.
I fell more and more in love with this couple with every chapter. Salem was so understanding and supportive of Chris, and the way he cared for Salem, even remembering little things from years ago in juvie was entirely too sweet.
That’s not to say this book is without drama. Between Chris’ life on the road, and dealing with people’s perception of them, given their history, their road isn’t an easy one, but they travel it together, neither willing to give up on the other.
The last 15% of this book? Perfection. I loved Salem and Chris together, and I loved them separately. Melanie Dawn has given us a story that stitched together the pieces of my heart that were left after So Much It Hurts, and I know that I will read this book again and again.
Melanie did an amazing job with this book. She gave Chris the life that he deserved, and in the end, I’m so happy with how everything turned out for him. Chris’ story will remain in my heart, and I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to read it.
Book 1 in this series, So Much It Hurts, is on sale for the duration of the tour! Click here to get your copy!
Excerpt
Popping the top off his own bottle, he leaned toward me, his voice gravelly, “I mean, come on. I’m not gonna dance around it. You’re beautiful.”
I nearly choked on my beer, but quickly recovered, masking my freaking-the-hell-out face with a subtle smile.
He continued, nervously glancing at the beer in his hand. I wondered if he was praying to the gods of liquid courage like I was. “Salem, you’ve…you’ve always been sexy as hell,” he stammered. “You had to know how hot all the guys at Fairbanks thought you were, and you probably just chalked it up to some silly teenage fantasies.” His eyes shot up to meet my gaze. “But I hope you know that you meant way more to me than that.”
I nodded. I understood where he was coming from because he’d always meant more to me than ‘just some client.’ He was my saving grace. “You were more to me too,” I said softly.
Continuing to stir up my already mixed emotions, he added, “You were my lifeline back then.”
He stood up, walking over to the massive windows. Leaning both hands against the glass, he stared out at the city for several seconds. “And yet, here we are again…crossing paths.”
Without thinking, I spoke what had been on my mind all night, “Does it make you question fate?”
He whirled around to face me. A brooding expression was plastered on his face, and he seemed just as perplexed as I was. With each ragged breath, his sculpted pecs rose and fell, defining themselves in his fitted, thermal shirt. Finally speaking up, he said, “Yeah…yeah, it does.”
Suddenly the air between us changed. I soaked in the way he looked at me with a softness in his eyes. The expression on his face was different than the canned smile he normally used to pose for the cameras of his adoring fans. This smile was warm, inviting, comforting—a smile meant just for me.
What does all this mean? Part of me felt so ridiculously wrong, but then again, another part of me felt so utterly, hopelessly…right.
Then There Was You Playlist
Giveaway!
Meet Melanie Dawn
Melanie Dawn is a thinker, a dreamer, and a hopeless romantic. When her head isn’t in the clouds, she spends her time as a jack of all trades to her family. Melanie resides in the hills of North Carolina with her husband, her three children, and her cat. She enjoys lazy summer afternoons cruising around the lake on the pontoon boat with her family.
Melanie graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a BA in Psychology and earned her MA in School Counseling from Appalachian State University. She spent the first six years after graduate school as a middle school counselor. Those were years she deems as some of the best years of her life. That is, until she had children of her own. The last seven years have been spent as a stay-at-home mom. She has learned some tough life lessons, like what the inner absorbent pellets of a diaper look like scattered in the washing machine. She has also learned the strength of the willpower of a two year old lacking a nap. Through it all, Melanie has learned how to roll with the punches and appreciate the time she has been able to spend at home with her children.
Now that her last child has started Kindergarten, Melanie is ready to add a new chapter in her life. That chapter begins with her debut novel—So Much It Hurts.
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