Then There Was You (So Much It Hurts Series Book #2)

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!

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.¿

Don’t you just love finding new authors? I know I do. I really love it when I find an author who can write a book that settles deep within my heart and lingers in my mind. That is what I found in Melanie Dawn and her book Then There Was You. Then There Was You is the second book in the So Much It Hurts series. Book one So Much It Hurts does not need to be read to enjoy Then There Was You but I would highly recommend it. I decided to read the first book out of curiosity and I was delighted I did. I think by reading the first book in the series I created a very strong bond with the characters and I was left with a feeling of anticipation of what was to come. The author writes the story of Chris and Salem with such ease. The words flow off the pages and work their way into your heart and mind. The story intertwines the past and present and is written in a dual point of view. I found that the attention to detail on every level was perfect creating a crisp, clear well defined storyline. The story of Chris and Salem is simply put beautiful. We share in their love, confusion, desire, desperation, hopes, dreams, obstacles and history. Chris is a superstar. Living the dream he never thought he would obtain. Behind his rock star good looks, dazzling smile and his gracious ways Chris is shattered. Memories of his first and only love are never far from the forefront of his mind. Salem is a new mom who is holding on by a thread. With no help and limited sleep Salem has thoughts that make her question her ability as a mother and more so her value as a person. Add in a husband who just does not understand Salem is on the edge. Trying to find peace in the chaos of her life Salem throws herself into her work. Not only does her job provide her with the opportunity to help others, her salvation is found in such an unlikely source. The characters which were so beautifully laid out to us in book one continue to grow and reveal so much more detail of their thoughts, emotions, hopes and dreams. The various places this story take us to are well defined making it easy for the person reading to create a wonderful visual almost like a mini movie playing in your mind. The storyline encompasses so many things. Not only are we treated to a love story we are treated to a story of family, friendships, life, loss, hopes, dreams and desire. Like in the first book the author also sheds light on a social issued that effects so many. She does this with ease providing a realistic view of not only the problem but the solutions. I will admit that the author lead me down a path I was not expecting which enhanced the story for me. I honestly believed the book would end up a certain way. What I found was that instead of being disappointed that the story did not head in the direction I thought it would the author lead me down a path I never expected and I loved that. I found this to be refreshing and surprising. There is not a doubt in my mind that this author is one I will read time and time again.

Perfect ending. 289 pages of a great story.

I think Chris should have asked for a DNA test instead of masking the situation with money!!!!! How can a man not want to know if he has a son? If Ethan was his son he was created out of Love for each other!!!! Chris didn't have to tear Kaitlyn's family apart, just a test to know for sure and when Ethan turned 18 let him know if Chris was his biological Father. This book was more about Salem than Chris. No I did not like!!!!

I loved this book I really like couldn't believe what happened. I was anxious so much I didn't put it down once I bought it. 

**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.”

*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!

First one was ok. Didn't like the 2nd. Sorry