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Review
Absolutely beautiful!
4.5 stars
This book has been on my tbr forever, and I’m so glad I finally got around to reading it. The story of a grieving widow and a washed-up rock star had me gripped from start to finish, and I was completely lost in their absolutely beautiful love story.
Three years ago, Katrina lost her husband in a tragic accident. With her life and her dreams shattered, and with an infant to care for, she returned to the safety of her home town and to her circle of girlfriends who gave her the support she so badly needed. I loved Kat. She’s been through a lot, but she is strong and she has persevered through it all, coping the best she can in her life as a single mother to an adorably precocious 4 year old. She’s created a good life for her and her daughter, her intelligence and sense of humour shines, even in the bad times, and her down-to-earth nature is both realistic and relatable.
I guess I’m not a very spiritual person. I don’t think things always ‘happen for a reason,’ everything must be ‘God’s way,’ or … ‘He only gives you what you can handle’. I simply believe, and I’m sorry to sound crude about it, that shit happens. Period.
Sometimes you are the pigeon.
Sometimes you are the statue.
As a volunteer at the town library, Kat organises a children’s concert with the singer who performs the theme song to her daughter’s favourite TV show, and that is how she meets Adrian Graves. What she doesn’t know is that Adrian used to be known as ‘Digger Graves’, the lead guitarist for a hugely successful 80s heavy metal band. Adrian’s past is pure ‘sex, drugs and rock & roll’ and it ended up destroying his life and leaving him isolated from his friends and family. Since recovering from his downfall he has lived a reclusive life, but Kat’s offer intrigued him and has brought him out of hiding for the first time in a long time.
Kat finds Adrian a bit rough around the edges (especially as he shows up half drunk), but his show is a huge success and when he asks her out to dinner afterwards, she is charmed enough by the sexy Brit to accept, and with easy conversation and gentle flirting, something starts to develop.
“If we hurry, you can make the 6:35.” …
“I’d rather kiss you and take the 6:55.”
Things progress very quickly from there, and I was honestly surprised at how fast it started moving, but I definitely appreciated that neither of them wanted to mess around with what was happening between them. They like each other, they act on it, and from the very beginning they share a beautiful and emotional connection.
“It’s been a long time since…”
“I know. It’s been another lifetime,” he agreed. “Don’t try to retrace steps. We’ll find new ones.”
I love that despite all they have both been through, they are willing to embrace everything that is happening between them, and for the most part it’s all so functional! Even when Adrian’s secret is revealed it provides a bit of angst, but it’s good angst, and only serves to bring them closer together. And I don’t know whether it is because Adrian is an older character or because he is an artist and therefore poetic, but even though he is somewhat lost he seems incredibly in touch with his feelings, and the way he expresses himself to Kat is absolutely beautiful!
“I went to hell and back and found myself … I sprouted wings and I carried myself far away and started a new life … But until you and Abbey came along, I wasn’t really living it. I know that now.”
And the romance is sensationally swoony! It’s well-paced and realistic and I love that we get so see each little moment – the significant and even the not-so-significant – as they spend time together and get to know each other. I loved every minute of it! Yes, there’s some steamy time, but the focus is definitely on the emotional aspects of their love story, and it’s gorgeous!
“I have never been loved … like I have been loved by you… And I have never loved like I love you.”
But their demons continue to plague them. Kat isn’t over the death of her husband, and Adrian’s past mistakes continue to haunt him. And though they love each other fiercely, sometimes it takes more than love to make a relationship work. It’s an intensely emotional and sometimes heartbreaking ride as Kat and Adrian fight to move on and claim their well-deserved HEA.
This is such a special book. Kat and Adrian are wonderfully complex characters, I loved them both so much and I could empathise with everything they were feeling. I thought that Kat’s daughter Abbey was a fantastic, and realistic, addition to the story, I loved the relationship that she had with both of them, and anything that involved Adrian and Abbey together had me grinning like an idiot. The story is beautifully told, and the romance between Kat and Adrian is totally captivating. Their love story isn’t always easy, but is absolutely worth it, and the ending of this book left me with a huge smile on my face and hugging my kindle in dreamy bliss.
“You’ve got all this…this love – no, it’s louder than love. It’s passion and beauty built up inside you that deserves to burst out.”
I really loved Topper’s writing, and I’m so impressed that this is her debut novel. The incredible detail that she puts into her story draws you into Katrina’s life, her relationships with her daughter and her friends, and with everything that happens with Adrian, and sucks you right into the story, knowing exactly how she is feeling, and you feel it right along with her. I happily lost myself in this book, and look forward to carrying on with the series.
I loved it – 4.5 stars.
Louder Than Love (#1) (Adrian & Kat)
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Deeper Than Dreams (#2) (Adrian & Kat novella)
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Softer Than Steel (#3) (Rick & Sidra)
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More Than Merry (#4) (Holiday novella)
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