Blog Tour: Then There Was You by Melanie Dawn

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

by Melanie Dawn

a Contemporary Romance Novel

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Synopsis

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.

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Review

*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 books!

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Author Info

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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Excerpt

“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.

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