Louder Than Love (Love & Steel, #1)

by Jessica Topper

[Cocktails and Books]

This was not your average rocker romance book. Sure, Adrian "Digger" Graves lived the life of a rock star in his heyday, but this was a story about second chances and learning to overcome the past.

Katrina "Tree" Lewis has spent the past three years trying to rebuild a life for herself and her daughter after the tragic death of her husband. Surrounded by her childhood friends, Kat starts to live again and even contemplating dating. She didn't know that booking the artist behind her daughter's favorite PBS cartoon was going to change the course of hers and her daughter's life with the introduction to a British rock star. Adrian has been hiding from life. Broken down by what happened between him and his ex-wife, daughter, best friend and manager, he tries to eek out an existence that keeps him away from everything that was his downfall. But a trip to a small town library changes the course of his life forever.

I really enjoyed this book. We have Adrian, hiding out and not letting people know who is really is because he's trying to steer clear of that life. Then there is Kat, trying to move forward after the death of her husband but not really doing that. It's not until these two meet that they realize how they've been living isn't necessarily what they've wanted. They bring out the best and sometimes the worst in each other (which generally those you're meant to be with do). Even when Kat is trying to push Adrian away, she knows that she really doesn't want to and caves in far to easily. Adrian may say he's not good enough for Kat and Abbey, afraid the sins of his past will taint what they have, but he also knows he can't let the two of them go because they make him want to be better. Kat and Adrian may struggle with who he is and what he's done is his past, but with the help of her friends (who very easily except Shrimpy McLobster), they help the two of them realize that what they have is much more than his past and her relationship with her dead husband.

Jessica Topper took a story that could have gone in any direction and created a story and cast of characters that emotionally connected with and liked. The story was engaging and made it hard for me to put down. I will definitely look for more from Jessica Topper in the future.