Louder Than Love

Louder Than Love by Jessica Topper

In this powerful debut novel, a young librarian grieves the loss of her husband...and discovers a love that defies classification.

It's been over three years since a train accident made a widow of Katrina Lewis, sending her and her young daughter Abbey back to the suburban town of her youth...the only place that still makes sense. Lauder Lake is the perfect place to hide and heal.

Recluse rocker Adrian "Digger" Graves survived the implosion of his music career, but his muse has long lain dormant. Until Kat hires him to play at her library—not on the basis of his hard rock credentials but rather, because of the obscure kids' TV jingle he wrote years ago. In a case of mistaken identity, Adrian stumbles into the lives of Kat and her comically lovable daughter.

Using tattoos as a timeline, Adrian unfurls his life for Kat. But as the courtship intensifies, it's unclear whose past looms larger: the widow's or the rocker's. Will their demons ever rest, or will they break these soul mates apart?**

I won this book in a contest at the end of June. I had already planned on reading it, since I met the author at a reader event in Cincinnati at the beginning of June. I don't know why I put it off so long. I was hooked from the first sentence. 

“I’m telling you, you need to get rid of that bed.”

Kat has had a rough four years. Her husband died and it was crushing for her but having a baby, barely one year old, she had to keep on chugging. She couldn't do it in NYC though. Everything around her reminded her of Pete, her love. So she moves home to her parents house in Launder Lake. She can live there without facing all the memories she made with Pete. She volunteers at the local library and is looking for the man that sings the song on a tv show her daughter is obsessed with. He agrees and when she meets him she finds something she wasn't looking for but welcomes. 

Adrian hasn't been doing anything with music for years. He did do a song for a tv show a few years ago but that was a one off. When he's contacted by a librarian wanting him to come and sing these kids songs, he figures why not. Meeting Katrina Lewis was like lightening striking. 

“You are drunk.”

“And you”—he popped two of the curiously strong mints into his mouth—“are beautiful.”

“Jesus Christ.”

“I’ll sober up soon . . . and hopefully, you will still be beautiful.” He grabbed back his guitar with a smile. “Are the throngs of screaming adoring masses here yet?”

I could literally share all the quotes in this book. I loved the way Adrian spoke and was with Kat and Abbey, Kat's daughter. I'm not saying everything was perfect, nothing is but the author had a way of making the characters feel real, like they were sitting right next to you. I loved all of the supporting characters, they felt like my own friends. I just don't think I can gush enough about this book. I won't be writing a separate review for it, but the companion novella came out yesterday and it was another glimpse in their lives. I've read a lot of books this year and this is going in my top 5 books. Its a book that I wish I could forget I've read and read again for the first time. Leave the author love in the form of a review, she totally deserves it!

I'll leave you with this...

“Captured, but okay.” He smiled back. It was then I noticed two fresh tattoos.

“Ah, yes. During my period of self-imposed house arrest. Too afraid I’d be a danger to myself if I went out. Luckily, my tattoo artist makes house calls.”

I traced the cat. She had green eyes and was sitting serenely on his left bicep, wearing a key of gold around her neck. Trailing behind her was a smaller striped cat, one with wings. Her tiny paws splayed jauntily, midflight. In her mouth she carried a tiny heart. In true macabre Digger fashion, it wasn’t a cartoon heart, but a small-scale replica of a real one, valves and all.

“You’ve got the key to my heart,” he said. “And then Abbey stole the whole blasted thing.”

**Goodreads summary