Review: Louder Than Love by Jessica Topper - 3 Wine Glasses

Title: Louder Than Love
Author: Jessica Topper 
Format: ebook
Published: September 17th 2013 by Berkley/InterMix (Penguin)
ISBN: 139781101634790
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Source: NetGalley
Reviewer: Crystal
Rating: 3/5

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?

Thoughts:
Louder Than Love was not at all what I was expecting but it ended up being a good story full of emotion.

Katrina Lewis lost her husband three years ago in a train accident, leaving her alone with an infant daughter. Moving back to her home town, close to friends and family, she volunteers at the local library improving the children programs. But sadly, she has yet to find the inclination to move on with her life and makes it through the day to day solely for her daughter. When reaching out to a children's song writer for the library she meets Adrian Graves, the complete opposite of what she was expecting. Adrian has been hiding from his past as the famous lead guitarist of a once popular heavy metal band. All he wants to do is forget about his many failures and sometimes he seeks that at the bottom of a bottle. But when he meets Kat, his whole life is changed. One tattoo at a time, he relives the past and in turn tries to get Kat to open up about hers, and confront her grief so she can finally move forward. But what happens when someone is so stuck in the past that they can't see the light of tomorrow? Can Adrian get through to Kat or will he find his future without her? 

Louder Than Love is not your typical rock star book, it does not center around the life of a famous bad boy with groupies, touring, and all out craziness. I would consider this a more weathered story. What happens to the bad boy after the bad? And is centered around two people who are lost in their pasts, who maybe together can find their present and future. The story was very slow to start for me, but I really enjoyed Adrian's character. He was a bit eccentric which I think most artists probably are. The story line of Adrian's past really interested me; as he slowly opens up pieces of the rise and fall of his heavy metal band are revealed. 

Katrina is a seasoned heroine who has experienced life. Together with Adrian, their stories were very heavy but Kat's daughter, Abbey, added some much needed lightness and humor to the story. The plot wasn't paced as well as I would have liked, some parts dragged while others seemed rushed and it was missing that spark of excitement. But the relationship between Adrian and Katrina developed at a believable pace and I was emotionally invested in these characters by the end. The last few chapters were my favorite though and made the story for me. 

If you love rock star romances but are looking for something a little different then I recommend you picking up Louder Than Love and giving it a try.