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.
Melanie Dawn does it
again! She became one of my favorite authors when I read her debut novel, So
Much It Hurts. She effortlessly sucked me in to her emotional, beautiful story.
If you haven't read So Much It Hurts please do so. This is book two in the series.
You can find my review for book 1 by following this link.
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.
“Goodnight, Alexis,” I told her.
“Night, mom.” She gave me a quick
hug and darted toward the stairs.
The moment she was out of sight, Chris hopped
up and wrapped me in his arms. “You don’t know how much I’ve missed this, you
in my arms like this,” he said, pulling me tight against him.
I sank into his chest, laying my
head over the thumping beat of his heart. “I miss this too,” I admitted,
breathing in his manly, musky scent.
Our bodies melded together as he
cradled my head against him. Kissing me gently on the top of my head, he
whispered, “I’ve missed you so much, Salem.”
I lifted my eyes to look at him.
“Thank you for coming tonight. I know it wasn’t easy to get here, especially
knowing we only have a few hours together.”
He looked down at me, smiling.
“Baby, even if I had to drive all night just to spend one minute with you, it
would all be worth it.”
My heart flipped in my chest
hearing him call me ‘baby.’ It was definitely a nickname I could get used to.
He lowered his lips to mine. The
hot rush of passion tore through my body the moment his lips touched me. God,
I’ve missed him. I parted my lips, an invitation for his tongue to find a
deeper connection.
He ran his hands down my back,
sending shivers up my spine. The caress of his fingers across my back left me
hungry for more.
Chris reached up, gently grasping
the sides of my face and caressing my cheeks with his thumbs. His soft,
luscious lips moved against mine. My fingers found their way to his hair and
tangled themselves up in it, pulling him closer to me. He thrust himself
against me, causing me to arch my back in response. A gentle tug of his teeth
on my lip sent a flaming burst of yearning through my core. He was hungry for
me, too. I felt it in the gentle pulse of his erection beneath the fabric of
his worn-out jeans.
A quiet moan escaped my throat,
triggering a frenzy of him clutching, grasping, and pulling me toward him. I
could sense the desperation behind his actions.
“Salem,” he whispered between
kisses, “what are you doing to me?”
Pulling away from his mouth, I
asked, “What do you mean?”
Tucking a strand of hair behind my
ear and sliding his thumb down the length of my jaw, he said softly, “I didn’t
mean to do this.”
“Didn’t mean to do what?” I asked,
my eyes wide with worry.
Chris smiled that sexy half grin
that melted my heart every time. His eyes held a softness, full of affection
and adoration. “Fall for you,” he breathed.
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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