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.
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.
Jamie says…
This is the sequel to so much it hurts. I really wasn't sure at the end of so much it hurts what to expect from then there was you, but was pleasantly surprised at the outcome. In the first book you meet Chris King and Kaitlyn when they are in high school and see how there love story was supposed to play out until Chris landed himself in juvenile detention center from protecting Kaitlyn from getting hurt. He suffers from the loss of Kaitlyn because he can't see her but he writes her all the time while he is in juvie but not once does he get a response, he looses hope but at the time he doesn't realize how much his counselor who is only a few years older than him gets through to him and changes his life forever. Years down the road Chris has made a great life for himself and is working his way into making it big with the Rock N Roll world he see's Kaitlyn again and they have a hot steamy weekend while she is on vacation they find out the secrets as to why they were kept apart while is was in Juvie. The only problem Kaitlyn is married she did move on and she see's there weekend as a mistake...Chris gets torn apart again and feels like he will never pick up the pieces of his broken heart and will definitely never love again.
Then there was you picks up with Chris Kings back story and gives you more insight into his juvie stay when he was only 17, you get to meet the counselor Salem who helped him through the worst time of his life. She also struggles with her own new mommy postpartum depression and a hopeless marriage the only thing holding her together is to help these juvenile kids, she is only in her mid 20's and feels like she is closer with the older teenagers because she isn't far from there age and they all love her. She has a special bond with Chris and the day he leaves juvie she promises him that if he ever makes it big as a rock star she will come to a show when there in town.
14 years pass
The day has come for Salem to make good on her promise to Chris, he has made it big and she is taking her now 14 year old daughter to his concert. This one day will change the course of her and Chris's life forever. They realize that they have a deeper connection and Salem realizes he is not the hurt 17 year old anymore he is a grown sexy as hell rock star. Chris realizes Salem was the one who saved him and he see's her in a whole new light. They fight there feelings for one another because it seems so wrong because she was his counselor, she is also 6 years older than him. Can they hold off on there passion towards one another or will they give in? Can Chris finally realize that Kaitlyn wasn't the love of his life but Salem very well could be? Can Salem deny her ex-husbands advances of getting back together and loose herself in Chris, can she be with a man that lives the Rock Star life, can she live with the gossip surrounding them because of there past counselor/patient relationship?
Pick up both of theses books you won't be disappointed, I give both books a solid 4 stars. I look forward to more from this author. Thanks for a great story!
Kathy says…
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!
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.
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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