Title: Then There Was You
(So Much It Hurts Series Book Two)
Author: Melanie Dawn
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.
Erycka's Review
Then There Was You by Melanie Dawn
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++
Melanie Dawn is a thinker, a dreamer, and a hopeless romantic. When her head isn't in the clouds, she spends her time as a jack of all trades to her family. Melanie resides in the hills of North Carolina with her husband, her three children, and her cat. She enjoys lazy summer afternoons cruising around the lake on the pontoon boat with her family.
Melanie graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a BA in Psychology and earned her MA in School Counseling from Appalachian State University. She spent the first six years after graduate school as a middle school counselor. Those were years she deems as some of the best years of her life. That is, until she had children of her own. The last seven years have been spent as a stay-at-home mom. She has learned some tough life lessons, like what the inner absorbent pellets of a diaper look like scattered in the washing machine. She has also learned the strength of the willpower of a two year old lacking a nap. Through it all, Melanie has learned how to roll with the punches and appreciate the time she has been able to spend at home with her children.
Now that her last child has started Kindergarten, Melanie is ready to add a new chapter in her life. That chapter begins with her debut novel—So Much It Hurts.
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