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So Much It Hurts #2
Then There Was You
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.
This book CAN be read as a standalone. This book is intended for readers 18+ due to some language and mature themes.
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.
This book CAN be read as a standalone. This book is intended for readers 18+ due to some language and mature themes.
332 pages, Unknown Binding
First published February 26, 2014
12 people are currently reading
648 people want to read
About the author
Melanie Dawn
11 books397 followersMelanie 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.
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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October 17, 2014
4.5 UNFORGETTABLE STARS!!!
This book was a complete surprise!! I only intended on reading the first 10% to get a feel for the story but before I knew it, 4 hours passed and I flipped to the last page. What an emotionally gripping and realistic story this was...a wonderful delight!
So this is the second book in the So Much It Hurts series and to be honest, I didn’t care for the first. I had many reasons but number one was... I fell for the wrong guy and he didn’t deserve what he got in book 1!! After reading this book’s blurb, I’ll admit I was intrigued by Chris’s potential love interest, but still feeling apprehensive about it all and on top of which, questioning how the author could churn out a story that included rockstar angst, older woman/younger man drama, and the gloomy aspects of Postpartum depression. Needless to say, Melanie Dawn has flawlessly weaved all those elements into a unique and different second chance romance that kept me captivated from the very start to the very end.
Told in dual POVs, the story kicks off with present day Chris and Salem in their separate lives; Chris in his famous rock star role and Salem who’s a single mom managing her teenage daughter. At one of his concerts, Chris and Salem bump into each other and it’s hinted multiple times that many years ago, they were each other’s solace in a time of darkness…
“At one very shitty time in my life, this woman was a fucking godsend.”
I feel like the author must’ve been reading my mind because just when I wished for a flashback scene so I could figure out Chris and Salem’s past connection, she provides me with one. I’m going to lay it out here…this flashback scene is one of the most powerfully written scenes I have ever read!!! I really admired and respected Salem’s altruistic heart, and even though she had postpartum depression, she was so dedicated to her counseling job. Reading about a younger Chris made my heart break; I could really tell he loved Kaitlyn (from book 1) but sometimes love isn’t enough and harsh circumstances get in the way, and sadly that was the case with Chris and his love for her. So it was during these times that a forlorn, struggling new mother Salem and a misunderstood and confused teenager Chris bonded and forged a special connection.
Mind you, there is nothing sexual about this early bond; it's a pure, well-intentioned connection that both Chris and Salem needed in order to survive. Despite their age gap, these two understood each other on a deep emotional level and I liked that their relationship wasn't defined by just a label.
Another thing I loved so much about this book was how real it was. Normally, any kind of Hollywood romance or rockstar romance provides a total escape from reality, but in this book, I liked how the author paced out the romantic relationship between Chris and Salem. They have so many factors working against them: older woman/younger man, famous rockstar/hometown nobody, counselor/ex-client, etc...so it makes it all that more believable when the author explores the characters and develops that budding romance rather it be an insta-love/lust relationship.
Simply put, I loved the story, I loved the characters, and I loved that the book had the perfect amount of rockstar angst! Salem is an original and refreshing female lead and Chris is a hero with a heart of gold...I couldn't have asked for a better second chance romance than this one!
"You were there when I needed you. You talked when I needed you to talk. You listened when I needed you to listen...you were the light in my darkness. I will never forget you."
ARC kindly provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
For more reviews, freebie lists, & giveaways visit my blog!
This book was a complete surprise!! I only intended on reading the first 10% to get a feel for the story but before I knew it, 4 hours passed and I flipped to the last page. What an emotionally gripping and realistic story this was...a wonderful delight!
So this is the second book in the So Much It Hurts series and to be honest, I didn’t care for the first. I had many reasons but number one was... I fell for the wrong guy and he didn’t deserve what he got in book 1!! After reading this book’s blurb, I’ll admit I was intrigued by Chris’s potential love interest, but still feeling apprehensive about it all and on top of which, questioning how the author could churn out a story that included rockstar angst, older woman/younger man drama, and the gloomy aspects of Postpartum depression. Needless to say, Melanie Dawn has flawlessly weaved all those elements into a unique and different second chance romance that kept me captivated from the very start to the very end.
Told in dual POVs, the story kicks off with present day Chris and Salem in their separate lives; Chris in his famous rock star role and Salem who’s a single mom managing her teenage daughter. At one of his concerts, Chris and Salem bump into each other and it’s hinted multiple times that many years ago, they were each other’s solace in a time of darkness…
“At one very shitty time in my life, this woman was a fucking godsend.”
I feel like the author must’ve been reading my mind because just when I wished for a flashback scene so I could figure out Chris and Salem’s past connection, she provides me with one. I’m going to lay it out here…this flashback scene is one of the most powerfully written scenes I have ever read!!! I really admired and respected Salem’s altruistic heart, and even though she had postpartum depression, she was so dedicated to her counseling job. Reading about a younger Chris made my heart break; I could really tell he loved Kaitlyn (from book 1) but sometimes love isn’t enough and harsh circumstances get in the way, and sadly that was the case with Chris and his love for her. So it was during these times that a forlorn, struggling new mother Salem and a misunderstood and confused teenager Chris bonded and forged a special connection.
Mind you, there is nothing sexual about this early bond; it's a pure, well-intentioned connection that both Chris and Salem needed in order to survive. Despite their age gap, these two understood each other on a deep emotional level and I liked that their relationship wasn't defined by just a label.
Another thing I loved so much about this book was how real it was. Normally, any kind of Hollywood romance or rockstar romance provides a total escape from reality, but in this book, I liked how the author paced out the romantic relationship between Chris and Salem. They have so many factors working against them: older woman/younger man, famous rockstar/hometown nobody, counselor/ex-client, etc...so it makes it all that more believable when the author explores the characters and develops that budding romance rather it be an insta-love/lust relationship.
Simply put, I loved the story, I loved the characters, and I loved that the book had the perfect amount of rockstar angst! Salem is an original and refreshing female lead and Chris is a hero with a heart of gold...I couldn't have asked for a better second chance romance than this one!
"You were there when I needed you. You talked when I needed you to talk. You listened when I needed you to listen...you were the light in my darkness. I will never forget you."
ARC kindly provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
For more reviews, freebie lists, & giveaways visit my blog!
February 27, 2014
If you loved Chris King in So Much It Hurts, you will be even more in love with him in Then There Was You!
July 29, 2016
Okay, so, knowing that the heroine in this story, "Salem" is slightly older than her love interest, "Chris", I was already drawn in. And, *ahem* it didn't hurt that I am also slightly (4 yrs) older than my husband, so...
Anyway, I digress....let's get back to this story. These two characters were doomed from the start...he was kind of a thug and she was kind of a mother figure. Yikes, right? How could they possibly work things out now, especially since so much time has gone by? Well, let me tell ya, Ms. Dawn figured out a way to not only pull these two back together, she did it with good flow, good writing and wonderful creativity; placing everyday obstacles in their paths - which, not only enhanced the real-ness of the story...it was something we could all relate to.
I'm not gonna lie, the first book, "So Much it Hurts", didn't capture me like I had hoped, so when Ms. Dawn contacted me and asked if I would read book two, I was a tad skeptical. But, as I kept reading, what jumped out at me from the first few pages was the obvious amount of thought and creativity placed into each character. Something I hadn't seen as much in book one, and trust me, it was a very nice surprise.
I'm happy to say this author's books, at least in my opinion, just get better...not unlike what aging a couple of characters will do to a fine and delicious bottle of wine.
Anyway, I digress....let's get back to this story. These two characters were doomed from the start...he was kind of a thug and she was kind of a mother figure. Yikes, right? How could they possibly work things out now, especially since so much time has gone by? Well, let me tell ya, Ms. Dawn figured out a way to not only pull these two back together, she did it with good flow, good writing and wonderful creativity; placing everyday obstacles in their paths - which, not only enhanced the real-ness of the story...it was something we could all relate to.
I'm not gonna lie, the first book, "So Much it Hurts", didn't capture me like I had hoped, so when Ms. Dawn contacted me and asked if I would read book two, I was a tad skeptical. But, as I kept reading, what jumped out at me from the first few pages was the obvious amount of thought and creativity placed into each character. Something I hadn't seen as much in book one, and trust me, it was a very nice surprise.
I'm happy to say this author's books, at least in my opinion, just get better...not unlike what aging a couple of characters will do to a fine and delicious bottle of wine.
March 14, 2014
Loved this book!!
Full review to come
Full review to come
March 27, 2019
Full review to come with blog tour. Suffice it to say, I adore Chris, and Melanie made me love him even more with this book.
April 8, 2015
Robbie's Review 4.5
I have to say up front.....in this second book of her So Much It Hurts series, author Melanie Dawn has created one of the sweetest male fictional characters I've ever met! Chris King is introduced in the first book of the series, So Much It Hurts, when fate reunites him with Kaitlyn, the girl who remembers him as her salvation from a devastating high school experience. In Then There Was You, Chris is reunited with another woman from his past, Salem, his counselor from Juvenile Detention whom he remembers as being his salvation.
The beginning of the book is a flashback to the period when Salem, a counselor at Fairbanks Juvenile Detention Center has her first encounter with Chris....a 17 year old bad boy and repeat offender. This time around he's being detained for assaulting a classmate who attacked his girlfriend Kaitlyn. As a 24 year old fresh-out-of-college counselor and new mom, Salem's plate is very full. She loves her work and feels very strongly that she is making a difference in the lives of the young men she counsels, but at home she is dealing with a colicky baby and a non-supportive husband while she silently shoulders the cumbersome weight of postpartum depression. Fourteen years later Chris and Salem meet again. Chris is living his dream as a rock star and Salem has moved forward from her bad marriage to life as a single mom. When Salem treats Alexis, her teenage daughter, and two friends to concert tickets, the girls are overawed to find Salem has a connection to their favorite rocker, especially when he singles the group out for personal attention .
As a new and very adult relationship grows between Chris and Salem, they find there are obstacles to be overcome. Chris is a chick magnet who spends a lot of time on the road and has no privacy, while Salem is an older woman who must deal with the inevitable questions that arise from her ex-husband and the public about the appropriateness of their relationship when she was Chris's counselor.
In addition to writing a compelling love story, author Melanie Dawn has dealt with the subject of postpartum depression, a condition that frequently strikes vulnerable new mothers at a time in their lives when they feel they should be the happiest. Having spent my career as an OB nurse, I commend Melanie for her sensitive and accurate portrayal of this condition which is so often misunderstood by friends and family. Then There Was You can definitely be read as a standalone book although I think most readers will certainly want to read the first book with Chris's and Kaitlyn's story after reading this one. I know I do! For steam lovers, there is plenty of steam. For romantics, there is so much sweetness. And for those who demand a HEA, you will only be disappointed because the story is complete!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book directly from the author. I was not paid to read or review this book. All opinions are y own, and I was never influenced by anything or anyone.
I have to say up front.....in this second book of her So Much It Hurts series, author Melanie Dawn has created one of the sweetest male fictional characters I've ever met! Chris King is introduced in the first book of the series, So Much It Hurts, when fate reunites him with Kaitlyn, the girl who remembers him as her salvation from a devastating high school experience. In Then There Was You, Chris is reunited with another woman from his past, Salem, his counselor from Juvenile Detention whom he remembers as being his salvation.
I would never forget this woman who picked up the pieces of my shattered heart and helped me mend them back together one piece at a time. She encouraged me to go after my dreams, sat by me in my darkest moments, and was there for me when I needed someone the most. I loved her for everything she was to me..."I believe in you, Chris," she whispered against my chest.
The beginning of the book is a flashback to the period when Salem, a counselor at Fairbanks Juvenile Detention Center has her first encounter with Chris....a 17 year old bad boy and repeat offender. This time around he's being detained for assaulting a classmate who attacked his girlfriend Kaitlyn. As a 24 year old fresh-out-of-college counselor and new mom, Salem's plate is very full. She loves her work and feels very strongly that she is making a difference in the lives of the young men she counsels, but at home she is dealing with a colicky baby and a non-supportive husband while she silently shoulders the cumbersome weight of postpartum depression. Fourteen years later Chris and Salem meet again. Chris is living his dream as a rock star and Salem has moved forward from her bad marriage to life as a single mom. When Salem treats Alexis, her teenage daughter, and two friends to concert tickets, the girls are overawed to find Salem has a connection to their favorite rocker, especially when he singles the group out for personal attention .
I observed Chris from a distance as he interacted with all of his adoring fans, young and old. . . He took time to take pictures and talk to everyone, never making anyone feel rushed. He was sweet, funny, and at times, a little goofy. My heart smiled at the thought of the man he had grown into — the man he had always aspired to be.
As a new and very adult relationship grows between Chris and Salem, they find there are obstacles to be overcome. Chris is a chick magnet who spends a lot of time on the road and has no privacy, while Salem is an older woman who must deal with the inevitable questions that arise from her ex-husband and the public about the appropriateness of their relationship when she was Chris's counselor.
He's amazing, but he's not mine. He belongs to everyone else...the greedy, clamoring, screaming fans who have no idea that behind that guitar and that spectacular voice, there is more than just a sexy man. There is an honorable man with a heart of gold who would give the shirt off his back for anyone. A strong man who has overcome obstacles in his life that nearly broke his spirit, but who walks tall with a beautiful, perfectly flawed soul — the one soul that very likely holds the key to my heart.
In addition to writing a compelling love story, author Melanie Dawn has dealt with the subject of postpartum depression, a condition that frequently strikes vulnerable new mothers at a time in their lives when they feel they should be the happiest. Having spent my career as an OB nurse, I commend Melanie for her sensitive and accurate portrayal of this condition which is so often misunderstood by friends and family. Then There Was You can definitely be read as a standalone book although I think most readers will certainly want to read the first book with Chris's and Kaitlyn's story after reading this one. I know I do! For steam lovers, there is plenty of steam. For romantics, there is so much sweetness. And for those who demand a HEA, you will only be disappointed because the story is complete!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book directly from the author. I was not paid to read or review this book. All opinions are y own, and I was never influenced by anything or anyone.
August 5, 2016
If you have been following my reviews for a while, you will remember the emotional mess I was after reading So Much It Hurts. My heart was breaking for Chris King. He deserved so much more than being left again by his first love and having to change his phone number to break that final tie. Yes the idea of changing our phone service and number sent me into a sobbing mess for months after I finished that book, but I am happy to say we can now see what happened to Chris after that dark moment.
Then There Was You gives us the life of Chris. How he was raised and what happen to him when he was sent to juvenile detention. The woman he met in the detention center not only saved his life as a teenager, she allowed him to also save her. Chris was an angry young man, every time he tried to save someone he loved, he always ended up being punished for it. With a father in prison, a mother trying to raise his younger brother alone, Chris’s future didn’t look too bright. When he found Mrs. Honeycutt as his counselor, she gave him the permission to feel again and to dream. She believed in him, not the labels placed on Chris regarding his actions in life. What Chris didn’t realize at the time, was Mrs. Honeycutt was trying to just survive herself.
Salem Honeycutt, was a 24 year old new mother. Her husband wouldn’t do anything to help with the baby and after twelve weeks of no sleep, constant caring for a child and husband, Salem was ready to go back to work and counsel the boys who found themselves in detention. Struggling with postpartum depression, exhaustion and anger that this is how her life turned out, Salem forces herself each day to do the best she can till one day her body gave out and she was rushed to the hospital. Knowing it was time to put herself back together she seeks therapy and slowly recovers from the depression while still giving 110% to the boys in detention that she had grown to need and care about. The dreaded day came when she had to say goodbye to her favorite client, it was time for Chris to move on with his life.
One night a concert would change the path for both Salem and Chris as she took her daughter to see the rock star Chris King. Not knowing if he would even remember her, Salem got back stage passes for autographs and at this point, the story begins.
This book not only tugged at my heart the whole time, I felt it was an honor to be able to watch Chris come full circle in life. What was once a therapeutic relationship between troubled teenager and counselor has now become a friendship, but could there be more in the future for these two. Both have been broken yet with the care and love for each other 20 years ago, they find themselves now strong people who could be willing to give love a chance. It just proves you never know when love will happen.
I want to make it clear that in this book even though we talk about Chris as a teenager, there were NO violation on the part of any adult. Any sex that happen was consensual and age appropriate. This is a sweet, loving story of two people who never stopped needing each other, even when they hadn’t talked in many years. The heart knew what it wanted before the brain did. We just have to read and see if Chris and Salem ended up following their heart. I can’t recommend this book enough. The author gave us yet another book that will land on your top ten list and bring a sense of peace to all of the Chris King fans who were left heartbroken after the first book.
Reviewed by Tbird for Crystal’s Many Reviewers
Then There Was You gives us the life of Chris. How he was raised and what happen to him when he was sent to juvenile detention. The woman he met in the detention center not only saved his life as a teenager, she allowed him to also save her. Chris was an angry young man, every time he tried to save someone he loved, he always ended up being punished for it. With a father in prison, a mother trying to raise his younger brother alone, Chris’s future didn’t look too bright. When he found Mrs. Honeycutt as his counselor, she gave him the permission to feel again and to dream. She believed in him, not the labels placed on Chris regarding his actions in life. What Chris didn’t realize at the time, was Mrs. Honeycutt was trying to just survive herself.
Salem Honeycutt, was a 24 year old new mother. Her husband wouldn’t do anything to help with the baby and after twelve weeks of no sleep, constant caring for a child and husband, Salem was ready to go back to work and counsel the boys who found themselves in detention. Struggling with postpartum depression, exhaustion and anger that this is how her life turned out, Salem forces herself each day to do the best she can till one day her body gave out and she was rushed to the hospital. Knowing it was time to put herself back together she seeks therapy and slowly recovers from the depression while still giving 110% to the boys in detention that she had grown to need and care about. The dreaded day came when she had to say goodbye to her favorite client, it was time for Chris to move on with his life.
One night a concert would change the path for both Salem and Chris as she took her daughter to see the rock star Chris King. Not knowing if he would even remember her, Salem got back stage passes for autographs and at this point, the story begins.
This book not only tugged at my heart the whole time, I felt it was an honor to be able to watch Chris come full circle in life. What was once a therapeutic relationship between troubled teenager and counselor has now become a friendship, but could there be more in the future for these two. Both have been broken yet with the care and love for each other 20 years ago, they find themselves now strong people who could be willing to give love a chance. It just proves you never know when love will happen.
I want to make it clear that in this book even though we talk about Chris as a teenager, there were NO violation on the part of any adult. Any sex that happen was consensual and age appropriate. This is a sweet, loving story of two people who never stopped needing each other, even when they hadn’t talked in many years. The heart knew what it wanted before the brain did. We just have to read and see if Chris and Salem ended up following their heart. I can’t recommend this book enough. The author gave us yet another book that will land on your top ten list and bring a sense of peace to all of the Chris King fans who were left heartbroken after the first book.
Reviewed by Tbird for Crystal’s Many Reviewers
February 27, 2014
Then There Was You is a sequel to So Much it Hurts by Melanie Dawn. You must read So Much it Hurts first.
Then There Was You follows Chris King. We go back to his time in Juvenile Detention to when he meets Salem (his counselor). At the time Chris is devastated over having to leave Kaitlyn behind. Salem has just returned to counseling in the detention center from being on maternity leave. Both characters are having a hard time adjusting to the changes in their lives.
I was thoroughly impressed with the author's ability to write about postpartum depression. Salem's feelings were very realistic and brought me back to a time when I was home with a newborn and desperate for sleep. Chris was very hurt and angry and Salem's techniques for helping the kids were innovative.
Fast forward in time.... Salem is newly divorced and raising her 14 year old daughter. Meanwhile, Chris is a rockstar sensation reeling over his recent interaction with Kaitlyn. Yet, again they both have major changes in their lives and need someone to lean on. Only this time they are both have romantic feelings for each other.
One thing I did have a hard time with was the age difference. I'm used to reading plenty of "taboo" relationships but for some reason I had a hard time with this one. I think because as a counselor she was almost a mother figure to Chris. However, their relationship didn't start until they were both much older so for the most part I tried to overlook that.
I could've used a little less time spent on the juvenile detention aspect and a little more on their relationship buliding in the present... but I can see that she was trying to build their foundation as well. Overall I thought it was a nice follow-up to So Much It Hurts. It was great to see Chris get his happily ever after. He really deserved a happy ending after everything he went through. Chris really was a loving guy who deserved a happy family!
Again, Melanie Dawn gives us a unique story. I love that her books don't follow the normal outline for romances these days. All I can ask for in a book is a well written, original book. Melanie Dawn delivers!
4 Stars for Then There Was You!
Then There Was You follows Chris King. We go back to his time in Juvenile Detention to when he meets Salem (his counselor). At the time Chris is devastated over having to leave Kaitlyn behind. Salem has just returned to counseling in the detention center from being on maternity leave. Both characters are having a hard time adjusting to the changes in their lives.
I was thoroughly impressed with the author's ability to write about postpartum depression. Salem's feelings were very realistic and brought me back to a time when I was home with a newborn and desperate for sleep. Chris was very hurt and angry and Salem's techniques for helping the kids were innovative.
Fast forward in time.... Salem is newly divorced and raising her 14 year old daughter. Meanwhile, Chris is a rockstar sensation reeling over his recent interaction with Kaitlyn. Yet, again they both have major changes in their lives and need someone to lean on. Only this time they are both have romantic feelings for each other.
One thing I did have a hard time with was the age difference. I'm used to reading plenty of "taboo" relationships but for some reason I had a hard time with this one. I think because as a counselor she was almost a mother figure to Chris. However, their relationship didn't start until they were both much older so for the most part I tried to overlook that.
I could've used a little less time spent on the juvenile detention aspect and a little more on their relationship buliding in the present... but I can see that she was trying to build their foundation as well. Overall I thought it was a nice follow-up to So Much It Hurts. It was great to see Chris get his happily ever after. He really deserved a happy ending after everything he went through. Chris really was a loving guy who deserved a happy family!
Again, Melanie Dawn gives us a unique story. I love that her books don't follow the normal outline for romances these days. All I can ask for in a book is a well written, original book. Melanie Dawn delivers!
4 Stars for Then There Was You!
May 16, 2014
Wow, did I love this book! I came across it as a part of the Bent not Broken anthology but now will definitely be looking out for more by this author. God, this story! For one, I just absolutely could not put it down. And second, it was just such a UNIQUE story. THere's so many books out there that are all so similar they kind of blend into one another. But this one had such a unique idea and the connection between these two was super deep, even if when they're younger it's one kind of connection and then when they're older and meet as man and woman instead of kid and counselor it transforms into something altogether different. I loved how Melanie Dawn tread that line of the discomfort between that issue too, which was part of what made reading this so fun. It tread the line of taboo without ever feeling like there HAD been anything icky going on. There were just these two humans who really needed each other and really saved each other at these difficult points in there lives. Then when they reconnect 14 years later, it turns into something so beautiful. God, this is just such a touching and powerful read. I loved it big time.
February 27, 2014
I went into this story thinking it was going to be like every other NA out there. Wrong! I was so wrong. But, I'm glad I was wrong. I was able to enjoy the story between Chris and Salem. These two characters made for some interesting topics, including their back story! Yep, they have a back story. And quite the story it is. But just bc they have a history, doesn't mean life will be peachy keen! They have their own hurdles to leap over, have their own personal demons to shed, and they both have to let go and live. But is that enough?
Well done, Melanie! You made me a new MD follower. I enjoyed reading this story. It had me constantly thinking and guessing what would happen with these two. They are quite the couple, and as a lover of HEAs, I kept my fingers crossed that the stars would finally align for these two.
Well done, Melanie! You made me a new MD follower. I enjoyed reading this story. It had me constantly thinking and guessing what would happen with these two. They are quite the couple, and as a lover of HEAs, I kept my fingers crossed that the stars would finally align for these two.
February 9, 2015
I enjoyed this
March 30, 2021
Umm... maybe it's just me... but there felt like there was an awful lot of grooming going on.
Hated the back and forth. Really didn't get the whole Kaitlyn thing... if she was the love of his life... why did he not do more about that in book 1? And what happened with the kid? He just changed his number and that was that ( still book 1 )?
Then there is Salem... Salem, who would've been better off getting a lot of help... I don't think that she was ever had a healthy mental head space. I skim read... and skipped some... this just didn't resonate in a good way with me.
Not my bag... I shouldn't have even started either of them... but, I did.
Hated the back and forth. Really didn't get the whole Kaitlyn thing... if she was the love of his life... why did he not do more about that in book 1? And what happened with the kid? He just changed his number and that was that ( still book 1 )?
Then there is Salem... Salem, who would've been better off getting a lot of help... I don't think that she was ever had a healthy mental head space. I skim read... and skipped some... this just didn't resonate in a good way with me.
Not my bag... I shouldn't have even started either of them... but, I did.
March 7, 2014
Wow! Melanie Dawn has completely left me in awe. I did not see this one coming, but I am so glad it did! This book is smart, witty and sexy. Throw in a dash of angst and a tremendous scoop of love and you have Then There Was You. This book had me sobbing and then slowly pieced my heart back together. I fell in deep with Chris King and I was so moved. This book quickly made its way onto my top five list! Yes, it is that good. I loved and adored each and every moment of it. I will never get that feeling of reading it for the first time again, but I will never give back the emotional ties I have to this book. It is so much more than just another book to be read. It was beautiful and heartwarming and it shows us all the value in a special bond. It shows us the power of love.
If you haven’t read So Much It Hurts, this has spoilers in it and I highly recommend you hopping over to one-click it right now! That way when you sit down to read this one, each piece of the Chris King puzzle will fall into place. My review will be here when you finish with So Much It Hurts. But to get the full picture of the amazing Chris King, you should start there.
After I finished So Much It Hurts, I spent a lot of time thinking about that amazing musician, Chris. I remember thinking he was such a stand up guy and a top notch character that would definatley be drool worthy in the right setting. Chris has found his setting here in the pages of Then There Was You. Kaitlyn destroyed his heart all those years ago and after finally seeing her again, she went back to her husband but she took another piece of him with her. It wasn’t until later that Chris found out what it was when he ran into Kaitlyn and her family in a grocery store. Staring back at him was this beautiful child with his eyes… wait, that little man was a reflection of Chris. He knew what he was seeing. But what he did was walk away. He knew that Kaitlyn was happy and she had a perfect little family, but she would always be the one that haunted him. She will always be the one that could never be.
When Chris left Kaitlyn the first time it wasn’t by choice. But by doing the right thing and protecting Kaitlyn, everything in his life was going to change. Being sent back to Juvie was not what Chris wanted, but protecting Kaitlyn left him little choice. He knew where he was going and when he said goodbye to her his life was going to change forever. He just didn’t realize how much.
Inside the halls of the juvenile dention center, Chris was broken. He didn’t want to be saved. He wanted Kaitlyn and that was it. He wasn’t in there to heal, he was in there to wait it out and get back to Kaitlyn. But something happened when he was there…
Salem had just returned from maternity leave and although she knew that she loved her baby, she needed a place to escape her own demons. Her place was work. She was a counselor at the center and Chris was one of the kids she tried to help. When she was at work, she wasn’t thinking about how much she hated being a mom and how much a baby had ruined her. She wasn’t thinking that this wasn’t the life for her. When she was at work she wanted to make a difference. Of course, working with Chris also seemed to heal a bit of the broken Salem.
Several years later, Salem is divorced and has taken her daughter to a concert and scored back stage passes certainly guaranteeing her mother of the year rights for her teenage daughter. Walking backstage and coming face to face with that 18 year old boy again after all this time… They still had their connection, their bond. She was 24 when they said their final goodbyes outside the facility that day, but standing here in front of her was that same boy, yet somehow different. Their connection stronger than ever.
Phew… so I am not telling any more of the story. It’s not my story to tell but this one just grabbed me and pulled me in. The first part of it was so emotionally touching and the second part was so emotionally freeing. I may have thought that Chris was a stand up guy after reading So Much It Hurts, but after finishing Then There Was You, I know that he is not only a stand up guy, he is amazing and talented and just plain beautiful inside and out. I just absolutely fell in love with Chris and the way he just reached into Salem’s soul was moving beyond belief.
I am not sure there were ever two so broken souls in a book that could heal one another like these two did, all those years ago and again now. Salem is such a kind soul and she truly believed in Chris like no other. But what Chris restored in her was quite remarkable too. I am not saying that this is the perfect situation and they are not without drama and angst but when these two were together, everything just fell into perfect harmony.
I want more of Chris King and his amazing ways. My original thoughts on Chris were 100% right on. He is a top notch stand-up kind of guy and definately made my heart skip a beat or two.This book was well balanced and beautifully written. This book just left me with a very content heart. It wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t all hearts and roses, but it was touching and beautiful all the same. This book just moved me and I can’t wait to go back and re-read it!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
If you haven’t read So Much It Hurts, this has spoilers in it and I highly recommend you hopping over to one-click it right now! That way when you sit down to read this one, each piece of the Chris King puzzle will fall into place. My review will be here when you finish with So Much It Hurts. But to get the full picture of the amazing Chris King, you should start there.
After I finished So Much It Hurts, I spent a lot of time thinking about that amazing musician, Chris. I remember thinking he was such a stand up guy and a top notch character that would definatley be drool worthy in the right setting. Chris has found his setting here in the pages of Then There Was You. Kaitlyn destroyed his heart all those years ago and after finally seeing her again, she went back to her husband but she took another piece of him with her. It wasn’t until later that Chris found out what it was when he ran into Kaitlyn and her family in a grocery store. Staring back at him was this beautiful child with his eyes… wait, that little man was a reflection of Chris. He knew what he was seeing. But what he did was walk away. He knew that Kaitlyn was happy and she had a perfect little family, but she would always be the one that haunted him. She will always be the one that could never be.
When Chris left Kaitlyn the first time it wasn’t by choice. But by doing the right thing and protecting Kaitlyn, everything in his life was going to change. Being sent back to Juvie was not what Chris wanted, but protecting Kaitlyn left him little choice. He knew where he was going and when he said goodbye to her his life was going to change forever. He just didn’t realize how much.
Inside the halls of the juvenile dention center, Chris was broken. He didn’t want to be saved. He wanted Kaitlyn and that was it. He wasn’t in there to heal, he was in there to wait it out and get back to Kaitlyn. But something happened when he was there…
Salem had just returned from maternity leave and although she knew that she loved her baby, she needed a place to escape her own demons. Her place was work. She was a counselor at the center and Chris was one of the kids she tried to help. When she was at work, she wasn’t thinking about how much she hated being a mom and how much a baby had ruined her. She wasn’t thinking that this wasn’t the life for her. When she was at work she wanted to make a difference. Of course, working with Chris also seemed to heal a bit of the broken Salem.
Several years later, Salem is divorced and has taken her daughter to a concert and scored back stage passes certainly guaranteeing her mother of the year rights for her teenage daughter. Walking backstage and coming face to face with that 18 year old boy again after all this time… They still had their connection, their bond. She was 24 when they said their final goodbyes outside the facility that day, but standing here in front of her was that same boy, yet somehow different. Their connection stronger than ever.
Phew… so I am not telling any more of the story. It’s not my story to tell but this one just grabbed me and pulled me in. The first part of it was so emotionally touching and the second part was so emotionally freeing. I may have thought that Chris was a stand up guy after reading So Much It Hurts, but after finishing Then There Was You, I know that he is not only a stand up guy, he is amazing and talented and just plain beautiful inside and out. I just absolutely fell in love with Chris and the way he just reached into Salem’s soul was moving beyond belief.
I am not sure there were ever two so broken souls in a book that could heal one another like these two did, all those years ago and again now. Salem is such a kind soul and she truly believed in Chris like no other. But what Chris restored in her was quite remarkable too. I am not saying that this is the perfect situation and they are not without drama and angst but when these two were together, everything just fell into perfect harmony.
I want more of Chris King and his amazing ways. My original thoughts on Chris were 100% right on. He is a top notch stand-up kind of guy and definately made my heart skip a beat or two.This book was well balanced and beautifully written. This book just left me with a very content heart. It wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t all hearts and roses, but it was touching and beautiful all the same. This book just moved me and I can’t wait to go back and re-read it!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
March 10, 2014
4.5 Stars
You can read this and other reviews at Madison Says!
The ending of So Much It Hurts made me want to hurt someone. Talk about heart wrenching, gut crushing disappointment – at least from Chris King’s point of view. Yes, he made some really horrendous decisions, but he deserves happiness as much as the next guy. Thank the Lord above for Then There Was You. *sigh*
So, Kaitlyn and Chris did the horizontal tango when they clearly shouldn’t have in So Much It Hurts.It is entirely possible that their little “no regrets” weekend produced a tiny person, and at the end of the first book in this series, Chris bumps into Kaitlyn, and her two children, years later at the supermarket. It’s then that he realizes one of them might be his. Yikes! Talk about a slap in the face. Then again, what was she supposed to say? Oh, hey Chris, I had a son a few years ago after our weekend together and he may or may not be yours? Talk about an uncomfortable situation. Needless to say, that kind of threw Chris for a loop, and after setting up a trust fund for the boys he walked away…into bottles of alcohol and random panties. He was on a one way trip to rock bottom until a familiar face from his very distant past showed up in an unlikely place.
I would never forget the woman who picked up the pieces of my shattered heart and helped me mend them back together one piece at a time. She encouraged me to go after my dreams, sat by me in my darkest moments, and was there for me when I needed someone most. I loved her for everything she was to me.
Salem Honeycutt was Chris’s juvenile detention center counselor. She was 24 to his 17, a wife and mother suffering from post-partum depression. Helping the boys at Fairbanks kept Salem going; they gave her purpose in an otherwise bleak existence. Chris needed Salem and Salem needed Chris. They shared a bond which was severed the moment he stepped outside the walls of juvie. She never thought she’d see him again; backstage passes fixed that…
Let me make something clear. Nothing inappropriate occurs between Chris and Salem when he’s serving his sentence at Fairbanks. They just seemed to click. Years later when they meet again, the sparks fly. Things have changed. Chris is a grown man, no longer a young teenaged boy. The situation flirts with the inappropriate but doesn’t quite cross the line.
Then There Was You is told in much the same way that So Much It Hurts was; about half the book is set in the past and the other half the present. Usually this kind of thing drives me up a wall, but having the back story on Salem and Chris (much like Kaitlyn and Chris) made all the difference.
I could literally feel Salem’s pain. I myself suffered through some of the feelings she did when I became a mom. It’s not easy to take care of a brand new life, especially when you’re basically doing it on your own. Reading about her struggles gave me a healthy respect for her character. She and Chris were both suffering in very different yet similar ways.
He was a lost and broken teenager who just needed someone to understand him – to really hear him. I was a hollow shell of a person who just needed a beacon of hope, a possibility for something positive. Together we complemented each other’s needs.
Warning: Chris is a rock star. He finds himself in some pretty crappy situations. Remember that while you read this book. He’s not perfect, but his heart is always in the right place. Don’t give up on him before he’s had his chance to shine.
I love Melanie. I love how she writes, the pace of her stories, the character development – I love it all. I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next. This series has completely blown me away. It’s beautifully devastating. Melanie takes you places you never wanted to go, but she doesn’t leave you there for long. If you hold out long enough, hope finds its way through despair.
You can read this and other reviews at Madison Says!
The ending of So Much It Hurts made me want to hurt someone. Talk about heart wrenching, gut crushing disappointment – at least from Chris King’s point of view. Yes, he made some really horrendous decisions, but he deserves happiness as much as the next guy. Thank the Lord above for Then There Was You. *sigh*
So, Kaitlyn and Chris did the horizontal tango when they clearly shouldn’t have in So Much It Hurts.It is entirely possible that their little “no regrets” weekend produced a tiny person, and at the end of the first book in this series, Chris bumps into Kaitlyn, and her two children, years later at the supermarket. It’s then that he realizes one of them might be his. Yikes! Talk about a slap in the face. Then again, what was she supposed to say? Oh, hey Chris, I had a son a few years ago after our weekend together and he may or may not be yours? Talk about an uncomfortable situation. Needless to say, that kind of threw Chris for a loop, and after setting up a trust fund for the boys he walked away…into bottles of alcohol and random panties. He was on a one way trip to rock bottom until a familiar face from his very distant past showed up in an unlikely place.
I would never forget the woman who picked up the pieces of my shattered heart and helped me mend them back together one piece at a time. She encouraged me to go after my dreams, sat by me in my darkest moments, and was there for me when I needed someone most. I loved her for everything she was to me.
Salem Honeycutt was Chris’s juvenile detention center counselor. She was 24 to his 17, a wife and mother suffering from post-partum depression. Helping the boys at Fairbanks kept Salem going; they gave her purpose in an otherwise bleak existence. Chris needed Salem and Salem needed Chris. They shared a bond which was severed the moment he stepped outside the walls of juvie. She never thought she’d see him again; backstage passes fixed that…
Let me make something clear. Nothing inappropriate occurs between Chris and Salem when he’s serving his sentence at Fairbanks. They just seemed to click. Years later when they meet again, the sparks fly. Things have changed. Chris is a grown man, no longer a young teenaged boy. The situation flirts with the inappropriate but doesn’t quite cross the line.
Then There Was You is told in much the same way that So Much It Hurts was; about half the book is set in the past and the other half the present. Usually this kind of thing drives me up a wall, but having the back story on Salem and Chris (much like Kaitlyn and Chris) made all the difference.
I could literally feel Salem’s pain. I myself suffered through some of the feelings she did when I became a mom. It’s not easy to take care of a brand new life, especially when you’re basically doing it on your own. Reading about her struggles gave me a healthy respect for her character. She and Chris were both suffering in very different yet similar ways.
He was a lost and broken teenager who just needed someone to understand him – to really hear him. I was a hollow shell of a person who just needed a beacon of hope, a possibility for something positive. Together we complemented each other’s needs.
Warning: Chris is a rock star. He finds himself in some pretty crappy situations. Remember that while you read this book. He’s not perfect, but his heart is always in the right place. Don’t give up on him before he’s had his chance to shine.
I love Melanie. I love how she writes, the pace of her stories, the character development – I love it all. I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next. This series has completely blown me away. It’s beautifully devastating. Melanie takes you places you never wanted to go, but she doesn’t leave you there for long. If you hold out long enough, hope finds its way through despair.
March 6, 2014
***ARC was given by author in exchange for an honest review***
Let me start by saying that I love authors who willingly explore what some would call taboo subjects or ones that are not readily explored or accepted in society. Melanie Dawn gives readers an inside look at one mother’s struggle with postpartum depression; she also illustrates that love is ageless, and it only takes one person who cares to change someone’s life forever.
Then There Was You is the follow-up book to So Much It Hurts. In book one, Chris King had to let the love of his life go a second time, and it destroyed him. When book two begins, old wounds are reopened due to one chance encounter, and it sends Chris to the depths again, but just when he thinks all hope is lost, his angelic protector, a woman he hasn’t seen for 14 years, reenters his life and opens his heart to the possibility of a second chance at love.
Heading in to Then There Was You, I didn’t know who Chris King was. I didn’t have a chance to read book one before diving into book two, so I went in without the background knowledge of Chris’ relationship with Kaitlyn and the devastation he felt. I have to say…I’m glad I didn’t know…I almost think it would have been too much for me. Just the small glimpses into the pain he felt in the flashbacks and the discussions of Kaitlyn gutted me. I can’t imagine experiencing it first-hand in So Much It Hurts. It doesn’t mean that I won’t go back and read book 1 – I definitely will – I just feel like it made it a bit easier to get through the emotional beginning without balling my eyes out.
I love when the main characters have a back story; it’s even better when their past is one where they connected…a place where the bond originated. It makes it easier to understand why, even after fourteen years, the connection is still as strong, even though both characters have been through so much separately. Sometimes flashbacks in romance stories can lose readers…some find it hard to mesh the two time periods together. I didn’t experience that at all with Then There Was You. The flashbacks were essential to understand where Chris and Salem started their friendship, and even though it was at a juvenile detention center, and Salem was Chris’ counselor, their age difference has always only been 6 years, and yes, it definitely would have been an issue if there were feelings beyond friendship back then, but there wasn’t. They both needed each other back then – they supported each other – they were there for each other when both of them felt no one else was, and now, fourteen years later, those feelings do change to love.
I loved Salem…I felt her pride at helping those struggling boys at the center; as a teacher myself, I definitely understand the need to help someone who everyone else counts out. I also sympathized with her struggle with motherhood. I remember those first few months when I was sleep deprived and emotional, and maybe if her asshat of a husband would have gotten off his butt to help, she wouldn’t have struggled so much. But postpartum is a real issue, and Melanie Dawn illustrated it beautifully.
Chris King doesn’t do anything halfway. He loves hard…he plays hard…he fights hard. His life has not been easy, but he battled through the ups and downs and made something of himself, just like Salem always knew he would. He’s a great hero because he’s real. His struggles are ones a lot of people deal with, and while every choice he made was not the best, he grew up to be a man he could be proud of.
Then There Was You is a powerful story about two people’s struggles, both separately and as a couple. Both Salem and Chris are dynamic characters who readers are allowed to see at their lowest and highest points in life. What hooked me into the story from the very beginning was how real both the characters and their situations were; their stories were definitely not easy ones, but they were worth the tears that I shed to hear them.
4.5 poison apples (The Fairest of All Book Reviews)
Let me start by saying that I love authors who willingly explore what some would call taboo subjects or ones that are not readily explored or accepted in society. Melanie Dawn gives readers an inside look at one mother’s struggle with postpartum depression; she also illustrates that love is ageless, and it only takes one person who cares to change someone’s life forever.
Then There Was You is the follow-up book to So Much It Hurts. In book one, Chris King had to let the love of his life go a second time, and it destroyed him. When book two begins, old wounds are reopened due to one chance encounter, and it sends Chris to the depths again, but just when he thinks all hope is lost, his angelic protector, a woman he hasn’t seen for 14 years, reenters his life and opens his heart to the possibility of a second chance at love.
Heading in to Then There Was You, I didn’t know who Chris King was. I didn’t have a chance to read book one before diving into book two, so I went in without the background knowledge of Chris’ relationship with Kaitlyn and the devastation he felt. I have to say…I’m glad I didn’t know…I almost think it would have been too much for me. Just the small glimpses into the pain he felt in the flashbacks and the discussions of Kaitlyn gutted me. I can’t imagine experiencing it first-hand in So Much It Hurts. It doesn’t mean that I won’t go back and read book 1 – I definitely will – I just feel like it made it a bit easier to get through the emotional beginning without balling my eyes out.
I love when the main characters have a back story; it’s even better when their past is one where they connected…a place where the bond originated. It makes it easier to understand why, even after fourteen years, the connection is still as strong, even though both characters have been through so much separately. Sometimes flashbacks in romance stories can lose readers…some find it hard to mesh the two time periods together. I didn’t experience that at all with Then There Was You. The flashbacks were essential to understand where Chris and Salem started their friendship, and even though it was at a juvenile detention center, and Salem was Chris’ counselor, their age difference has always only been 6 years, and yes, it definitely would have been an issue if there were feelings beyond friendship back then, but there wasn’t. They both needed each other back then – they supported each other – they were there for each other when both of them felt no one else was, and now, fourteen years later, those feelings do change to love.
I loved Salem…I felt her pride at helping those struggling boys at the center; as a teacher myself, I definitely understand the need to help someone who everyone else counts out. I also sympathized with her struggle with motherhood. I remember those first few months when I was sleep deprived and emotional, and maybe if her asshat of a husband would have gotten off his butt to help, she wouldn’t have struggled so much. But postpartum is a real issue, and Melanie Dawn illustrated it beautifully.
Chris King doesn’t do anything halfway. He loves hard…he plays hard…he fights hard. His life has not been easy, but he battled through the ups and downs and made something of himself, just like Salem always knew he would. He’s a great hero because he’s real. His struggles are ones a lot of people deal with, and while every choice he made was not the best, he grew up to be a man he could be proud of.
Then There Was You is a powerful story about two people’s struggles, both separately and as a couple. Both Salem and Chris are dynamic characters who readers are allowed to see at their lowest and highest points in life. What hooked me into the story from the very beginning was how real both the characters and their situations were; their stories were definitely not easy ones, but they were worth the tears that I shed to hear them.
4.5 poison apples (The Fairest of All Book Reviews)
March 13, 2014
Review Originally Posted at: Book Freak
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Salem Honeycutt makes a difference in the lives of a lot of boys in juvenile detention. Their burdens, their problems, their angers, their frustration – she could understand where it all came from, and how to combat it. But when it comes to her baby, Salem has no clue. You can feel the frustration, the hatred, the intense feeling of dread when she’s at home. My heart was aching badly, feeling for both mother and baby. I don’t blame her, there is a lot of undetected post partum depression cases around the world, only some would recognize it, and a few would ask for help. How can someone possibly understand the hatred mother has for her own child? It’s unthinkable, almost unheard of. But yes, it is happening. It is real.
It’s ironic how a counselor who can help boys get out of their haze can’t help herself. No thanks to her husband who seemed to be more concern about himself rather than his wife and daughter. I was hoping, praying that she’d ask for help soon, before it becomes too late, before she collapses, before she does anything that she’d regret.
And there’s Chris King – the one who changed her life, the one who gave light when she was on her darkest moment. She helped him, guided him, and motivated him to his full potential – never in her wildest dream that their paths would meet again. He was her client, she was her counselor – I thought it would never work. Reading the blurb – I wonder how Melanie Dawn would put things together without the both of them being inappropriate and unethical and well, without Salem sounding like a cougar.
Chris King deserved his own HEA after experiencing a serious heartbreak from his first love. But walking away from her was one of his smartest decisions. It may have given him pain, but he was completely at peace with his decision. He was doing it for everyone’s peace of mind, and for the best. One concert lead him to a woman from his past who gave him hope during his lowest moment. Question is, would she see him as a man now?
The story was flawless without a hint of inappropriateness, which I greatly appreciated. Chris and Salem were each other’s lifesavers during her time as a counselor, and it took more than a decade for them to meet again, this time he was already grown up, a popular star and on his way of becoming a music legend.
I loved the fact that Chris didn’t forget Kaitlyn that easily, he still placed her in a special place in his heart, but he had moved on. She was his first love, the woman he had been in love with for a long period of time, and for him to completely transfer the feeling to a new person would just be unrealistic and unbelievable. Still, you wouldn’t feel that he loved Salem any less despite this fact. You can feel that he cared about her a lot, her importance in his life, and his love for both Salem and Alexa.
More than just an ordinary love story, Then There Was You tackles a subject that most of us ignores, most of us could not understand and would label as a “normal phase” in a woman’s life. It highlighted the seriousness and possible consequences of post partum depression that can help readers fully understand what it is about.
An emotion-filled novel, Melanie Dawn is finally giving Chris King his much sought-after HEA. My heart may have been aching reading half of the novel, but it didn’t make it less beautiful. It made me craved for both of their HEA, making this novel a real page-turner for me. Melanie Dawn grabbed my heart, squeezed it so tight I can’t barely breathe – but made it all worth it at the end. #MUSTREAD!
★ARC Copy was given in exchange for an honest review.★
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Salem Honeycutt makes a difference in the lives of a lot of boys in juvenile detention. Their burdens, their problems, their angers, their frustration – she could understand where it all came from, and how to combat it. But when it comes to her baby, Salem has no clue. You can feel the frustration, the hatred, the intense feeling of dread when she’s at home. My heart was aching badly, feeling for both mother and baby. I don’t blame her, there is a lot of undetected post partum depression cases around the world, only some would recognize it, and a few would ask for help. How can someone possibly understand the hatred mother has for her own child? It’s unthinkable, almost unheard of. But yes, it is happening. It is real.
It’s ironic how a counselor who can help boys get out of their haze can’t help herself. No thanks to her husband who seemed to be more concern about himself rather than his wife and daughter. I was hoping, praying that she’d ask for help soon, before it becomes too late, before she collapses, before she does anything that she’d regret.
And there’s Chris King – the one who changed her life, the one who gave light when she was on her darkest moment. She helped him, guided him, and motivated him to his full potential – never in her wildest dream that their paths would meet again. He was her client, she was her counselor – I thought it would never work. Reading the blurb – I wonder how Melanie Dawn would put things together without the both of them being inappropriate and unethical and well, without Salem sounding like a cougar.
Chris King deserved his own HEA after experiencing a serious heartbreak from his first love. But walking away from her was one of his smartest decisions. It may have given him pain, but he was completely at peace with his decision. He was doing it for everyone’s peace of mind, and for the best. One concert lead him to a woman from his past who gave him hope during his lowest moment. Question is, would she see him as a man now?
The story was flawless without a hint of inappropriateness, which I greatly appreciated. Chris and Salem were each other’s lifesavers during her time as a counselor, and it took more than a decade for them to meet again, this time he was already grown up, a popular star and on his way of becoming a music legend.
I loved the fact that Chris didn’t forget Kaitlyn that easily, he still placed her in a special place in his heart, but he had moved on. She was his first love, the woman he had been in love with for a long period of time, and for him to completely transfer the feeling to a new person would just be unrealistic and unbelievable. Still, you wouldn’t feel that he loved Salem any less despite this fact. You can feel that he cared about her a lot, her importance in his life, and his love for both Salem and Alexa.
More than just an ordinary love story, Then There Was You tackles a subject that most of us ignores, most of us could not understand and would label as a “normal phase” in a woman’s life. It highlighted the seriousness and possible consequences of post partum depression that can help readers fully understand what it is about.
An emotion-filled novel, Melanie Dawn is finally giving Chris King his much sought-after HEA. My heart may have been aching reading half of the novel, but it didn’t make it less beautiful. It made me craved for both of their HEA, making this novel a real page-turner for me. Melanie Dawn grabbed my heart, squeezed it so tight I can’t barely breathe – but made it all worth it at the end. #MUSTREAD!
★ARC Copy was given in exchange for an honest review.★
March 25, 2014
~Four Caring & Very Charming Chris King Stars~
Melanie Dawn writes realistic, heartwarming contemporary romances. You can tell she has a sweet, very loving nature of style by her writing.
I do recommend, but you don't have to, that you read So Much It Hurts first, before reading Then There Was You because of the characters involved. My review is spoiler free for both :0)
This story is more about Chris. When he was about seventeen he was sent to a juvenile detention center. We learn why he is there and while he is there he meets Salem Honeycutt, a counselor, his counselor. These two form a loving bond but not in the wrong way. He needs someone to believe in him and help him deal with his pain and anger, especially over losing the girl he fell in love with, Kaitlyn. (you will learn more about her in book 1)
He was a lost and broken teenager who just needed someone to understand him-to really hear him. I was a hollow shell of a person who just needed a beacon of hope, a possibility for something positive. Together we complemented each other's needs.
Salem is 24 years old, married and a new mother struggling with postpartum depression. She needs a purpose and a break from her sleep deprived life as a new mother. She has a husband, Graham, but he is not a very helpful one.
Parenting just flat out sucks sometimes.
The first half of the book is Chris's and Salem's back story. In other words how they met, the bond they formed and progress they both made with each others help. The second half of the book is about them, all grown up and falling in love.
At one very shitty time in my life, this woman was a fucking godsend.
Chris is a sexy rock star no doubt, but a completely different type. He is loving, caring, empathetic, sweet, thoughtful and you will swoon over him in a totally different way.
I adored his thoughtfulness and the things he did, more than once, for Salem, as well as who he had become. Now this didn't come easy for these two as there were a few bumps in the road, but the main struggle each of them had was with him or her self. The mental wars over feelings, the reality of what they were feeling for each other and whether it was right or wrong?
"I didn't mean to do this." he said
"Didn't mean to do what?" she asked
"Fall for you," he breathed
Such a wonderful, realistic and enjoyable story. I had my tearful moments and I had my what the heck moments, but with an HEA like we all dream about I ended this journey with a big ol cheesy grin and my heart was so happy!
Do yourself a favor, read my reviews to see if this is something you will like, go get these two books and enjoy something breathtakingly different. I loved them both! Thank you Melanie for sharing these stories!
I will leave you with the following part and a few more quotes...
And one of my favorite parts cuz I just can't help it....oh the smart ass snarkiness
"Who are you? Graham sneered.
Chris took off his sunglasses and slid his hood off the back of his head.
"Recognize me now, asshole?"
HA!! LOVE IT
"What matters is how you view yourself."
Love isn't dictated by any age.
"You are the reason I choose life every day."
"Your history doesn't define your future, Chris"
March 10, 2014
I don’t know about you all, but So Much It Hurts left me heartbroken!! Tears streaming down my face for Chris
“Not only was he gorgeous beyond belief, but he was humble, sweet, amazing, and compassionate.” -Salem
But then I was offered an ARC of Then There Was You and my hopes for happiness came alive for Chris. But ladies, it is not instant happiness. I wish I could tell you that you will instantly feel all better for him. But,you will…eventually ;) My heart still aches from the back and forth of breaking and mending. This story put my emotions through the ringer. I am not an emotional person but I was so pissed at times that I had to take a breather. But, it’s not all bad emotions. I don’t mean to scare anyone. Even though I was so ticked and hurt at times, I also had MANY moments of swooning, smiling, and maybe even some happy tears.
I know it says this book can be read as a standalone, but I feel like you don’t feel and understand all the emotions without knowing what happened in So Much It Hurts. There are parts that I think wouldn’t be as touching without knowing that part. But, I was pleasantly surprised by all the back story we were given about Chris. He is quite an awesome guy, even with all the shit he has been through. I loved being able to know so much about where he came from and how he gets to his HEA. Be prepared to shed some tears, though. IT WILL HAPPEN!! I cried for Salem. I cried for Chris. I cried because I was happy. I cried because it was sad. And I cried because I just wanted it all to get better!!! LOL
“Little did he know, he was giving me a reason to get up every day. He gave me a reason to keep putting one foot in front of the other.” -Salem
The addition of Salem to this story was the highlight for me. I loved Salem’s character and her sweetheart of a daughter, Alexis. She is the main character that made me cry the most. She puts up with a lot of crap that she shouldn’t and she STRUGGLED!! But, she has an amazingly caring heart and even through her toughest times, she was there for others.
I can’t stress to you all how much I have enjoyed every part of this series so far. So Much It Hurt broke me in the end, but Then There Was You eventually put my shattered heart back together piece by piece…after a few hiccups ;) I enjoy every aspect of Melanie’s writing and I can’t thank her enough for sharing this story :) It’s definitely a roller coaster ride of emotions that you don’t want to miss!
*ARC received from the author for an honest review*
“Not only was he gorgeous beyond belief, but he was humble, sweet, amazing, and compassionate.” -Salem
But then I was offered an ARC of Then There Was You and my hopes for happiness came alive for Chris. But ladies, it is not instant happiness. I wish I could tell you that you will instantly feel all better for him. But,you will…eventually ;) My heart still aches from the back and forth of breaking and mending. This story put my emotions through the ringer. I am not an emotional person but I was so pissed at times that I had to take a breather. But, it’s not all bad emotions. I don’t mean to scare anyone. Even though I was so ticked and hurt at times, I also had MANY moments of swooning, smiling, and maybe even some happy tears.
I know it says this book can be read as a standalone, but I feel like you don’t feel and understand all the emotions without knowing what happened in So Much It Hurts. There are parts that I think wouldn’t be as touching without knowing that part. But, I was pleasantly surprised by all the back story we were given about Chris. He is quite an awesome guy, even with all the shit he has been through. I loved being able to know so much about where he came from and how he gets to his HEA. Be prepared to shed some tears, though. IT WILL HAPPEN!! I cried for Salem. I cried for Chris. I cried because I was happy. I cried because it was sad. And I cried because I just wanted it all to get better!!! LOL
“Little did he know, he was giving me a reason to get up every day. He gave me a reason to keep putting one foot in front of the other.” -Salem
The addition of Salem to this story was the highlight for me. I loved Salem’s character and her sweetheart of a daughter, Alexis. She is the main character that made me cry the most. She puts up with a lot of crap that she shouldn’t and she STRUGGLED!! But, she has an amazingly caring heart and even through her toughest times, she was there for others.
I can’t stress to you all how much I have enjoyed every part of this series so far. So Much It Hurt broke me in the end, but Then There Was You eventually put my shattered heart back together piece by piece…after a few hiccups ;) I enjoy every aspect of Melanie’s writing and I can’t thank her enough for sharing this story :) It’s definitely a roller coaster ride of emotions that you don’t want to miss!
*ARC received from the author for an honest review*
February 23, 2014
I was given a ARC in exchange for my honest review and opinion.
Where to start? I love Chris King, he is one of my favorite rock stars and book boyfriends. I was beyond ecstatic when I learned there would be more.
We start off with Salem taking her daughter and her friends to one of Chris's concert. We then learn who Salem is and then we are catapulted in the past when Chris was sent to juvie. There we learn a lot about him and see what he goes through when he was away from Kaitlyn. My heart breaks for him, it was truly heart wrenching. And Salem, what a amazing and strong woman and character she is. I loved her character because she was so real. There was no fakeness and she represented probably how all mothers have felt one way down the road. It was nice. Not just to see happy baby, wife, life 24/7 because that isn't how real life is and anyone that says it is that way, lies. Nowadays in books it's all happy happy all the time. It gets annoying after a while, so this was very refreshing. Salem is the counselor for the teens at juvie and her and Chris are close. They both help each other in ways neither one thought possible. Now I never felt anything romantic between them ever until they met up 14 years later. The story these two had was very good and it was nice to see them be happy, move on and not hurt so much. Especially my dear Chris. But I will admit, I still didn't feel the SPARK or that they LOVE each other, that is just my opinion. I felt they cared for each other in a friendship way because what they both went through, what they meant to each other. I felt they were both trying to move on and they had comfort in each other,they had a love for each other, but I don't think it was "the one" type. I deep in my heart still believe he was meant to have a differen't outcome. But that is just my personal opinion. I did love the story, I just loved the first book more and was slightly sad and disappointed. Chris King will always be in my heart and a favorite. But sadly Chris is a rock star and sometimes things don't always turn out how you hope and pray they do.
Can Chris settle down and tame his rock star-living ways? or is he doomed to forever be what everyone thinks and expects from him? you will have to read to find out :-)
"As long as you serve me my sodas with exactly four ice cubes and keep them thermostat at a balmy seventy-three degrees, we'll be okay."
"You've planted your roots, now go spread your wings."
Where to start? I love Chris King, he is one of my favorite rock stars and book boyfriends. I was beyond ecstatic when I learned there would be more.
We start off with Salem taking her daughter and her friends to one of Chris's concert. We then learn who Salem is and then we are catapulted in the past when Chris was sent to juvie. There we learn a lot about him and see what he goes through when he was away from Kaitlyn. My heart breaks for him, it was truly heart wrenching. And Salem, what a amazing and strong woman and character she is. I loved her character because she was so real. There was no fakeness and she represented probably how all mothers have felt one way down the road. It was nice. Not just to see happy baby, wife, life 24/7 because that isn't how real life is and anyone that says it is that way, lies. Nowadays in books it's all happy happy all the time. It gets annoying after a while, so this was very refreshing. Salem is the counselor for the teens at juvie and her and Chris are close. They both help each other in ways neither one thought possible. Now I never felt anything romantic between them ever until they met up 14 years later. The story these two had was very good and it was nice to see them be happy, move on and not hurt so much. Especially my dear Chris. But I will admit, I still didn't feel the SPARK or that they LOVE each other, that is just my opinion. I felt they cared for each other in a friendship way because what they both went through, what they meant to each other. I felt they were both trying to move on and they had comfort in each other,they had a love for each other, but I don't think it was "the one" type. I deep in my heart still believe he was meant to have a differen't outcome. But that is just my personal opinion. I did love the story, I just loved the first book more and was slightly sad and disappointed. Chris King will always be in my heart and a favorite. But sadly Chris is a rock star and sometimes things don't always turn out how you hope and pray they do.
Can Chris settle down and tame his rock star-living ways? or is he doomed to forever be what everyone thinks and expects from him? you will have to read to find out :-)
"As long as you serve me my sodas with exactly four ice cubes and keep them thermostat at a balmy seventy-three degrees, we'll be okay."
"You've planted your roots, now go spread your wings."
June 16, 2014
this is the continuation of Chris's story and how he moves on from Kaitlyn. It picks up where so much it hurts left off. Chris is reeling. He has just let go of the love of his life Kaitlyn and isn't doing well. On the road for his tour he turns to alcohol and woman to help drown the pain until he gets to Charlotte. Here he sees Salem.
Salem who saved him when he was in juvie. Salem who let him believe he could make something of himself and had him believe in hope. Salem who was his counselor in juvie and whom he had a connection.
Salem shows up at his concert with her daughter and friends and sees Chris. They have instant attraction and Chris hooks her up with front row seats and asks her to dinner. She says yes and their tale begins. Salem sees the kind boy Chris is but she is conflicted over these new feelings for him because she was his counselor. Chris is having similar conflicts but also he can't believe he could love again.
As they get to know each other again we see their past played out and told to us. Chris helped Salem through a time where she needed a anchor and she did the same for him. They connected in a way that couldn't be broken only repressed and when they found each other again the connection was back but so was love. They fell in love. Salem was everything Chris needed. She supported him, believed in him, listened to him and was home for him. She let him be himself. She was his oasis. Chris allowed Salem to feel respected, cherished and loved. but this was a rocky road for Chris was on the road and afraid to mess up which does happen.
Throughout this story we see the tender side of Chris. The protective side and the loving side. He is a complex and sweet guy. He wants to be with someone who loves him for him and that someone for him is Salem. they fight their attraction and feelings for a long time but when they finally come together it is a sight. A beautiful sight. But chris does make a mistake and almost loses Salem. He makes it up to her though and the ending to this beautiful story will have a tear come to your eye.
A sweet story about moving on from your first love and accepting love back into your world. A tale of acceptance, love and respect that will have you smile at the ending and go awww.
Salem who saved him when he was in juvie. Salem who let him believe he could make something of himself and had him believe in hope. Salem who was his counselor in juvie and whom he had a connection.
Salem shows up at his concert with her daughter and friends and sees Chris. They have instant attraction and Chris hooks her up with front row seats and asks her to dinner. She says yes and their tale begins. Salem sees the kind boy Chris is but she is conflicted over these new feelings for him because she was his counselor. Chris is having similar conflicts but also he can't believe he could love again.
As they get to know each other again we see their past played out and told to us. Chris helped Salem through a time where she needed a anchor and she did the same for him. They connected in a way that couldn't be broken only repressed and when they found each other again the connection was back but so was love. They fell in love. Salem was everything Chris needed. She supported him, believed in him, listened to him and was home for him. She let him be himself. She was his oasis. Chris allowed Salem to feel respected, cherished and loved. but this was a rocky road for Chris was on the road and afraid to mess up which does happen.
Throughout this story we see the tender side of Chris. The protective side and the loving side. He is a complex and sweet guy. He wants to be with someone who loves him for him and that someone for him is Salem. they fight their attraction and feelings for a long time but when they finally come together it is a sight. A beautiful sight. But chris does make a mistake and almost loses Salem. He makes it up to her though and the ending to this beautiful story will have a tear come to your eye.
A sweet story about moving on from your first love and accepting love back into your world. A tale of acceptance, love and respect that will have you smile at the ending and go awww.
March 5, 2014
Posted on Up All Night Book Blog: http://wp.me/p32mvq-21D
**If you haven’t read So Much it Hurts, there may be spoilers here**
When I finished So Much it Hurts by Melanie Dawn, I was a freaking mess! My heart was ripped open and bleeding for Chris King. That was one of the few books I ugly cried for and I couldn’t let it go. Even now, I can still feel the ache in my chest for what I wished for Chris. Imagine my excitement and joy to know that Chris would be getting his own story!!! Commence fangirling!!
I did start this with some trepidation, wondering how in the world could Melanie Dawn possibly give Chris his happily ever after? Or would my heart be ripped from my chest AGAIN?! But she gave me just what I needed for Chris’s story. It filled in some gaps that were missing in his story and helped me fall in love with him just a bit more. Not only is this Chris’s story though, this is Salem’s. Oh lord, the things that Salem faced as a new mom and as a counselor in a juvenile detention center…wow. I wanted to cry with her. Melanie Dawn delved into Salem’s experiences and drew out pain, pride, and love for all that she faced. She addresses some very dark concepts with care, drawing out my empathy for the characters.
Melanie Dawn blended past and present beautifully to create Then There Was You. I found myself staying up late wanting to find out what was going to happen…would Chris eff things up in his typical fashion? Can Salem overcome her insecurities and accept the love of a man who is slightly younger than her? I love the lyrical moments throughout the book – whether in the form of Chris’s lyrics or simply in the midst of the story. Overall, a read that gave me more of what I wanted – Chris King!
“For weeks, my heart had been drifting down slowly like a feather in the wind, knowing all along that this day would come. But as the final hour approached, it suddenly took a nosedive and smashed itself against the unforgiving ground.”
ARC provided for honest review
**If you haven’t read So Much it Hurts, there may be spoilers here**
When I finished So Much it Hurts by Melanie Dawn, I was a freaking mess! My heart was ripped open and bleeding for Chris King. That was one of the few books I ugly cried for and I couldn’t let it go. Even now, I can still feel the ache in my chest for what I wished for Chris. Imagine my excitement and joy to know that Chris would be getting his own story!!! Commence fangirling!!
I did start this with some trepidation, wondering how in the world could Melanie Dawn possibly give Chris his happily ever after? Or would my heart be ripped from my chest AGAIN?! But she gave me just what I needed for Chris’s story. It filled in some gaps that were missing in his story and helped me fall in love with him just a bit more. Not only is this Chris’s story though, this is Salem’s. Oh lord, the things that Salem faced as a new mom and as a counselor in a juvenile detention center…wow. I wanted to cry with her. Melanie Dawn delved into Salem’s experiences and drew out pain, pride, and love for all that she faced. She addresses some very dark concepts with care, drawing out my empathy for the characters.
Melanie Dawn blended past and present beautifully to create Then There Was You. I found myself staying up late wanting to find out what was going to happen…would Chris eff things up in his typical fashion? Can Salem overcome her insecurities and accept the love of a man who is slightly younger than her? I love the lyrical moments throughout the book – whether in the form of Chris’s lyrics or simply in the midst of the story. Overall, a read that gave me more of what I wanted – Chris King!
“For weeks, my heart had been drifting down slowly like a feather in the wind, knowing all along that this day would come. But as the final hour approached, it suddenly took a nosedive and smashed itself against the unforgiving ground.”
ARC provided for honest review
March 4, 2014
I loved this sophomore novel from Melanie. So Much it Hurts was great, but I was totally left ugly crying over Chris King. I loved him so much, and I wanted nothing more than a happy ending for him. Then I found out she was writing a second book and it was about Chris. I'm sure I was jumping up and down screaming, I was so excited.
Salem Honeycutt- what a great name first of all, loved her. The novel starts off in the present day. Salem’s daughter Alexis is a huge fan of Fifth Wheel- Chris King’s band. Salem bought backstage passes, and as her daughter is getting an autograph- Chris spots her and wants to give her an autograph too. As he hears her familiar name, he is transported back to when he was seventeen years old and in juvie. Salem was his counselor. She was only twenty four, and Chris was almost eighteen. They had a very strong relationship and they basically saved each other, which I loved.
So the book goes from past to present, which is a difficult task for me to like in a novel. I really enjoyed it though. It shows emotions that are real and tangible. They have a special bond, and it’s not romantic, but a very strong friendship. Both of their characters are so well developed.
“Go,” she urged me. “You’ve planted your roots, now go spread your wings.”
Salem is a strong and fierce heroine, who had a myriad of problems when she was younger and knew Chris. But she grew up into a strong woman- at thirty eight, she is still a little self-conscious around Chris because she is older. Chris knows age is nothing but a number.
There are definitely twists and turns, up and downs. There are great loveable moments that made me fall in love with Chris all over again. The tattoo in Latin, and all the additions to the first tattoo, were wonderful. And the song lyrics added to the heartbreak- and eventually the love that was felt through the whole book.
This book was wonderfully written, with some great heated elements. And Melanie Dawn has built in me, a fan for life.
“You’re the reason for me.”
Salem Honeycutt- what a great name first of all, loved her. The novel starts off in the present day. Salem’s daughter Alexis is a huge fan of Fifth Wheel- Chris King’s band. Salem bought backstage passes, and as her daughter is getting an autograph- Chris spots her and wants to give her an autograph too. As he hears her familiar name, he is transported back to when he was seventeen years old and in juvie. Salem was his counselor. She was only twenty four, and Chris was almost eighteen. They had a very strong relationship and they basically saved each other, which I loved.
So the book goes from past to present, which is a difficult task for me to like in a novel. I really enjoyed it though. It shows emotions that are real and tangible. They have a special bond, and it’s not romantic, but a very strong friendship. Both of their characters are so well developed.
“Go,” she urged me. “You’ve planted your roots, now go spread your wings.”
Salem is a strong and fierce heroine, who had a myriad of problems when she was younger and knew Chris. But she grew up into a strong woman- at thirty eight, she is still a little self-conscious around Chris because she is older. Chris knows age is nothing but a number.
There are definitely twists and turns, up and downs. There are great loveable moments that made me fall in love with Chris all over again. The tattoo in Latin, and all the additions to the first tattoo, were wonderful. And the song lyrics added to the heartbreak- and eventually the love that was felt through the whole book.
This book was wonderfully written, with some great heated elements. And Melanie Dawn has built in me, a fan for life.
“You’re the reason for me.”
March 8, 2014
Melanie Dawn does it again! She became one of my favorite authors when I read her debut novel, So Much It Hurts. She again sucked me into her emotional, beautiful story. If you haven't read So Much It Hurts please do so. This is book two in the series.
If you read So Much It Hurts, then you are familiar with Chris King. He is a rock star with a troubling and heartbreaking past. He went to juvie in order protect the love of his life Katelyn. This story delves into his life in juvie. We get a better understanding of the impact that loving and losing Kathryn has on his life. This story is also about his present and of his emotional journey through life.
But, this isn't only his story. It is his juvie counselor, Salem Honeycutt's story as well. When she meets Chris in juvie, she recently had a baby and had gotten married. Marriage and parenthood isn't what she expected. In fact, she finds it horrible. She hates and resents it, but feels guilty for those feeling. Salem is suffering from postpartum depression. Salem and Chris two form a bond, a friendship that helps them get through the rough patch in their lives. Like many kids that leave juvie, Salem lost touch with Chris.
This is their journey to each other. They reconnect several years later when Chris is at the height of his rock career, but low in his personal life. In So Much It Hurts, I fell for him hard and my heart shattered not just for him, but Katelyn as well. I was glad to see him finally move on. I feel like Salem is perfect for him. Their connection runs deep as does their love. The author again brought all my emotions to the surface. I cried. I laughed. I rejoiced. I love these characters that she has created.
This is definitely a book you do not want to miss. So Much It Hurts was one of my top reads last year, and I already know that Melanie Dawn will land on my list again this year for Then There Was You.
If you read So Much It Hurts, then you are familiar with Chris King. He is a rock star with a troubling and heartbreaking past. He went to juvie in order protect the love of his life Katelyn. This story delves into his life in juvie. We get a better understanding of the impact that loving and losing Kathryn has on his life. This story is also about his present and of his emotional journey through life.
But, this isn't only his story. It is his juvie counselor, Salem Honeycutt's story as well. When she meets Chris in juvie, she recently had a baby and had gotten married. Marriage and parenthood isn't what she expected. In fact, she finds it horrible. She hates and resents it, but feels guilty for those feeling. Salem is suffering from postpartum depression. Salem and Chris two form a bond, a friendship that helps them get through the rough patch in their lives. Like many kids that leave juvie, Salem lost touch with Chris.
This is their journey to each other. They reconnect several years later when Chris is at the height of his rock career, but low in his personal life. In So Much It Hurts, I fell for him hard and my heart shattered not just for him, but Katelyn as well. I was glad to see him finally move on. I feel like Salem is perfect for him. Their connection runs deep as does their love. The author again brought all my emotions to the surface. I cried. I laughed. I rejoiced. I love these characters that she has created.
This is definitely a book you do not want to miss. So Much It Hurts was one of my top reads last year, and I already know that Melanie Dawn will land on my list again this year for Then There Was You.
February 27, 2014
Cover 5/5
Storyline 5/5 Perfection,Breathtaking
Characters – Chris – There is nothing I don’t love about Chris, he is defiantly oh par to be my 2014 Book Boyfriend
Salam- I connected at a deeper level with Salam after being through what she had gone through I knew what she was feeling and how hard it is to feel like everything will be ok.
Romance- Sweet and Sexy
Heat- SIZZLING HOT!
Drama- Definite page turner but it was perfect for the storyline
Laughs- I did laugh at some of their banter and conversations
Tears- Let me put it this way, CHOCOLATE, TISSUES and because I don’t drink I settled for soda, they are needed!
Suspense- There is more anticipation than suspense you just want everything to work out.
When Melanie told me Chris was getting his own story I burst into tears. Chris left me broken, absolutely shatters in So Much it Hurts. That book was my first 4am ugly cry and I messaged Melanie asking WHY WHY WHY are you doing this too me??
Completely shattered I moved on with life but Chris King was always in the back of my mind, I needed to know what had happened to him, so yes I was like a fat kid eating all the cake at a party when I knew I was going to read more of Chris.
Melanie has done a fabulous job following on to SMIH. I LOVED the style of this book and how it is written, I am not going to spoilt it for anyone but we get to see Chris at his lowest of lows.
There is much anticipation of what will be, how will they work it all out, can they be together, will others try and tear them apart, this is what kept me reading nonstop, I neglected everything for this book, it was completely Unputdownable!
Salem and Chris are magic together, their chemistry is off the charts sizzling hot!
I am a peace now with how Chris’ life has turned out and I cannot thank Melanie enough for giving me more of this tortured beautiful man.
Overall
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
If I could give it 10 stars I would!!!
Storyline 5/5 Perfection,Breathtaking
Characters – Chris – There is nothing I don’t love about Chris, he is defiantly oh par to be my 2014 Book Boyfriend
Salam- I connected at a deeper level with Salam after being through what she had gone through I knew what she was feeling and how hard it is to feel like everything will be ok.
Romance- Sweet and Sexy
Heat- SIZZLING HOT!
Drama- Definite page turner but it was perfect for the storyline
Laughs- I did laugh at some of their banter and conversations
Tears- Let me put it this way, CHOCOLATE, TISSUES and because I don’t drink I settled for soda, they are needed!
Suspense- There is more anticipation than suspense you just want everything to work out.
When Melanie told me Chris was getting his own story I burst into tears. Chris left me broken, absolutely shatters in So Much it Hurts. That book was my first 4am ugly cry and I messaged Melanie asking WHY WHY WHY are you doing this too me??
Completely shattered I moved on with life but Chris King was always in the back of my mind, I needed to know what had happened to him, so yes I was like a fat kid eating all the cake at a party when I knew I was going to read more of Chris.
Melanie has done a fabulous job following on to SMIH. I LOVED the style of this book and how it is written, I am not going to spoilt it for anyone but we get to see Chris at his lowest of lows.
There is much anticipation of what will be, how will they work it all out, can they be together, will others try and tear them apart, this is what kept me reading nonstop, I neglected everything for this book, it was completely Unputdownable!
Salem and Chris are magic together, their chemistry is off the charts sizzling hot!
I am a peace now with how Chris’ life has turned out and I cannot thank Melanie enough for giving me more of this tortured beautiful man.
Overall
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
If I could give it 10 stars I would!!!
March 8, 2014
ARC provided for honest review.
I’d love to be Mrs. H right about now! If you didn’t completely fall in love with Chris King in So Much It Hurts, then you’ll DEFINITELY fall in love with him in Then There Was You!
In this book we are given a deeper picture of Chris. Of whom he is, what makes him tick…what makes him love.
The relationship between Mrs. H aka Salem and Chris was a first a little off. I couldn’t understand how it was that a counselor and her counselee could have that kind of bond. However, as I turned the pages and the story unfolded, my comprehension grew.
My heart swelled with pain, anguish, and later, joy. The sadness that Chris experiences from having to walk away from Kaitlyn is almost unbearable. The changes he goes through during his time in juvie are quite remarkable. And worth sticking with Melanie as she ushers us along Chris’s transformation.
There was a point when I stopped reading. I emailed Melanie and told her how scared I was to turn the page. Quite literally! My heart began to race, my palms grew sweaty, and my head started to ache. I didn’t want Chris to experience any more heart ache. I didn’t want him to have to bear any more pain. She assured me it would be worth it. She was right y’all! But I’ll tell you, any book that elicits that much emotion, that much of a reaction is worth every penny!
Chris King makes for one of the most splendid book boyfriends to date…at least for me. He has the make-up of the ‘perfect’ man. And, as I’ve expressed before; I want him to be real!!
Read every word of every page in every chapter…it is ultimately worth every hiccup from the tears, rage from the frustration, and happiness from the love!!
FIVE STARS++
I’d love to be Mrs. H right about now! If you didn’t completely fall in love with Chris King in So Much It Hurts, then you’ll DEFINITELY fall in love with him in Then There Was You!
In this book we are given a deeper picture of Chris. Of whom he is, what makes him tick…what makes him love.
The relationship between Mrs. H aka Salem and Chris was a first a little off. I couldn’t understand how it was that a counselor and her counselee could have that kind of bond. However, as I turned the pages and the story unfolded, my comprehension grew.
My heart swelled with pain, anguish, and later, joy. The sadness that Chris experiences from having to walk away from Kaitlyn is almost unbearable. The changes he goes through during his time in juvie are quite remarkable. And worth sticking with Melanie as she ushers us along Chris’s transformation.
There was a point when I stopped reading. I emailed Melanie and told her how scared I was to turn the page. Quite literally! My heart began to race, my palms grew sweaty, and my head started to ache. I didn’t want Chris to experience any more heart ache. I didn’t want him to have to bear any more pain. She assured me it would be worth it. She was right y’all! But I’ll tell you, any book that elicits that much emotion, that much of a reaction is worth every penny!
Chris King makes for one of the most splendid book boyfriends to date…at least for me. He has the make-up of the ‘perfect’ man. And, as I’ve expressed before; I want him to be real!!
Read every word of every page in every chapter…it is ultimately worth every hiccup from the tears, rage from the frustration, and happiness from the love!!
FIVE STARS++
February 23, 2014
I received an ARC for an honest review of this book! I won't give you any spoilers because honestly you need to one click this book!
Chris King! What can I say but Wow! I fell for him in "So Much It Hurts" was upset how it ended. I wasn't sure if I could with him falling for someone else other than Kaitlyn. I couldn't see him fall for someone else and then enter Salem! "Then There Was You" picked up right where SMIT left off. I cried when this book ended and so happy to see Chris' side of the story!
I was only 38% into this book and my emotions got once again the best of me and I cried! I think seeing that Chris can go on and connect with someone else had me upset. However as the story went on, I fell for Chris and Sable as a couple! The emotions that Salem went thru in her earlier years when she first met Chris was so sad. You have a new mother going back to work sleep deprive and having a house to maintain! Everyone goes thru this at one point in their lives and there's a connection for all of us for how she was feeling. Enter tears!
Salem is a therapist for her "juvies" but ultimately her "juvies" helped her with therapy too! Now years down the road Chris and Salem’s paths cross and no turning back! Their connection is so strong and you are pulled into the story! You're wishing for them to get their HEA! The ending if this book once again had me crying but these were HAPPY tears! It was a perfect ending for this perfect romance!
Well done Melanie! Honestly one click this book!!
Chris King! What can I say but Wow! I fell for him in "So Much It Hurts" was upset how it ended. I wasn't sure if I could with him falling for someone else other than Kaitlyn. I couldn't see him fall for someone else and then enter Salem! "Then There Was You" picked up right where SMIT left off. I cried when this book ended and so happy to see Chris' side of the story!
I was only 38% into this book and my emotions got once again the best of me and I cried! I think seeing that Chris can go on and connect with someone else had me upset. However as the story went on, I fell for Chris and Sable as a couple! The emotions that Salem went thru in her earlier years when she first met Chris was so sad. You have a new mother going back to work sleep deprive and having a house to maintain! Everyone goes thru this at one point in their lives and there's a connection for all of us for how she was feeling. Enter tears!
Salem is a therapist for her "juvies" but ultimately her "juvies" helped her with therapy too! Now years down the road Chris and Salem’s paths cross and no turning back! Their connection is so strong and you are pulled into the story! You're wishing for them to get their HEA! The ending if this book once again had me crying but these were HAPPY tears! It was a perfect ending for this perfect romance!
Well done Melanie! Honestly one click this book!!
March 3, 2014
*Small Spoiler Alert: This review refers to the outcome of book 1 (So Much It Hurts)*
I just loved this book! After reading So Much It Hurts, I was a little upset but held out my full judgment until after I read this book and I’m so glad I did. I’m a huge fan of HEA (Happily Ever After) books and series so I was pleased to see that Chris gets his own story. I really enjoyed the characters and the story line was very engaging.
Chris and Salem have a really great relationship that goes back 14 years. After they reconnect, they are changed in some ways and their relationship does as well. Chris has grown up from a seventeen year old in juvie to be a super hot and seriously successful musician. Salem is now a single mother of a 14 year old girl. She’s strong, has wonderful personality, and is a compassionate counselor. I liked reading about how their relationship morphed into something more now that they are both in different places in their lives. They had personality and depth to them which made it very easy to root for them.
The story line was great. I was drawn in from the very beginning with an instant need to see how everything turns out for Chris and Salem. The story flowed well and I found this a very easy read. I was engrossed for the whole book and couldn’t put it down. The characters were well written and the story was well laid out and engaging. I look forward to more books from Melanie Dawn. Great job and a 5 out of 5 stars!
I just loved this book! After reading So Much It Hurts, I was a little upset but held out my full judgment until after I read this book and I’m so glad I did. I’m a huge fan of HEA (Happily Ever After) books and series so I was pleased to see that Chris gets his own story. I really enjoyed the characters and the story line was very engaging.
Chris and Salem have a really great relationship that goes back 14 years. After they reconnect, they are changed in some ways and their relationship does as well. Chris has grown up from a seventeen year old in juvie to be a super hot and seriously successful musician. Salem is now a single mother of a 14 year old girl. She’s strong, has wonderful personality, and is a compassionate counselor. I liked reading about how their relationship morphed into something more now that they are both in different places in their lives. They had personality and depth to them which made it very easy to root for them.
The story line was great. I was drawn in from the very beginning with an instant need to see how everything turns out for Chris and Salem. The story flowed well and I found this a very easy read. I was engrossed for the whole book and couldn’t put it down. The characters were well written and the story was well laid out and engaging. I look forward to more books from Melanie Dawn. Great job and a 5 out of 5 stars!
March 5, 2014
I am so torn after reading this book. On one hand I wanted a HEA for Chris and Kaitlyn but, on the other hand I thought he deserved more.
Once Salem was introduced I instantly felt a bond. Any woman who has had children can totally sympathize with her being tired and the feeling of taking the world on yourself. I felt so bad for her because her husband was less than helpful. The message of post partum is a very real and very serious disorder. Many women can relate and find solace in the fact that they are not alone.
A chance meeting many, many years later sets the wheels into motion. Salem thought she would never see Chris again once he left years before completing his time in juvie where Salem was a counselor.
I was so sad for Chris. I wanted him to be able to get past Kaitlyn and move on. Awkward was what crossed my mind when he first saw Salem at the concert and when he began to have feelings for her. It's such a taboo subject since people still think of him as the 17 year old boy and her as his counselor even now when they are in their 30's.
It was so sweet how they finally came together and were both on the same page about their feelings for one another. I loved how he was able to recreate moments she remembered with her father and the fact that he remembered things she spoke of years earlier when they were all in juvie and having group conversations about memories.
These 2 books are not predictable and will throw you for a loop...
Once Salem was introduced I instantly felt a bond. Any woman who has had children can totally sympathize with her being tired and the feeling of taking the world on yourself. I felt so bad for her because her husband was less than helpful. The message of post partum is a very real and very serious disorder. Many women can relate and find solace in the fact that they are not alone.
A chance meeting many, many years later sets the wheels into motion. Salem thought she would never see Chris again once he left years before completing his time in juvie where Salem was a counselor.
I was so sad for Chris. I wanted him to be able to get past Kaitlyn and move on. Awkward was what crossed my mind when he first saw Salem at the concert and when he began to have feelings for her. It's such a taboo subject since people still think of him as the 17 year old boy and her as his counselor even now when they are in their 30's.
It was so sweet how they finally came together and were both on the same page about their feelings for one another. I loved how he was able to recreate moments she remembered with her father and the fact that he remembered things she spoke of years earlier when they were all in juvie and having group conversations about memories.
These 2 books are not predictable and will throw you for a loop...
March 25, 2014
Then There Was You is the second book in the So Much it Hurts series. Since it was pretty clear that Chris played a pretty significant role in the first book I did a bit of digging through some reviews to get the back story. Even knowing Chris’s history a bit I still felt like this book stands well on its own. A large portion of this story takes place 14 years ago while Chris is serving time in a juvenile detention facility where Salem works as a counsellor. You get to see a really beautiful friendship build between the 17 year old Chris and 24 year old Salem. Both in very vulnerable places in their respective lives, they find hope in each other. Fast forward 14 years and Chris is now a successful rock star and Salem, a single mom of a 14 year old daughter. As their lives come together once again it is very clear that the connection between the two is still there but now it takes on a new dimension that neither of them saw coming! I really enjoyed this book, Then There was You was beautifully written, heartfelt and romantic and the slow build-up of sexual tension was so worth the wait! I also appreciated the fact that it is dual POV, I love getting into each characters head! I may have to go back and read the first book and I would love to see a HEA for the other members of Chris’s band ;)
Dana
Dana
March 8, 2014
Beautiful.
That was the first word I thought after I finished Then there was you.
Chris and Salem´s story is poignant and emotional. Things that Salem went thorough years ago are relatable and real.
These two have history. Salem was Chris’s juvenile detention counselor when Chris was having really a hard time after leaving Kaitlyn behind and she was a new mom and had a hard time adjusting to that.
The time when they met was hard for both of them. They were both in need for someone to lean one and be their support.
In one way or another they both were and still are each others saving grace.
Years later their paths have crossed again. The connection between them is powerful and romantic.
The way Chris and Salem´s characters were development is… so amazing.
I love the storyline. The way it was developed and crafted and the pace that it has. I could underline what I have previously said a hundred times because it was perfect. Their relationship and feelings were building slowly and steady. The anticipation of what will happen next had me glued to each page and flipping the pages frantically.
The ending… could not be more appropriate. It brought happy tears.
This book like the previous one is also for sure not to be missed.
≧◔◡◔≦ 5 ✰ read ≧◉◡◉≦
>>>ARC received in exchange for an honest review<<<
That was the first word I thought after I finished Then there was you.
Chris and Salem´s story is poignant and emotional. Things that Salem went thorough years ago are relatable and real.
These two have history. Salem was Chris’s juvenile detention counselor when Chris was having really a hard time after leaving Kaitlyn behind and she was a new mom and had a hard time adjusting to that.
The time when they met was hard for both of them. They were both in need for someone to lean one and be their support.
In one way or another they both were and still are each others saving grace.
Years later their paths have crossed again. The connection between them is powerful and romantic.
The way Chris and Salem´s characters were development is… so amazing.
I love the storyline. The way it was developed and crafted and the pace that it has. I could underline what I have previously said a hundred times because it was perfect. Their relationship and feelings were building slowly and steady. The anticipation of what will happen next had me glued to each page and flipping the pages frantically.
The ending… could not be more appropriate. It brought happy tears.
This book like the previous one is also for sure not to be missed.
≧◔◡◔≦ 5 ✰ read ≧◉◡◉≦
>>>ARC received in exchange for an honest review<<<
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