Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a newly released New Adult contemporary romance. THE PROBLEM WITH HEARTACHE is the third book in a series and follows the developing relationship between a girl whose love recently died, and a man who feels responsible for the destruction of his family.
About the book:
The problem with heartache is that there’s no one-size-fits-all relief package. You can go to classes; you can try to embrace change. But when you wake up at two in the morning, a smile on your face because you’ve dreamt about the could have—the should have—nothing will console you.
Because seconds later, you remember.
And remembering can rip you apart.
Kate will do anything for her family. It’s why she took the job with Lee. It’s why she’s attempting to forget her pain. But it’s hard to forget, when you’re desperate to hold on. Even if Lee Collins is the perfect package.
Lee will do anything for the ones he cares about. It’s why he hired Kate. It’s why he keeps his secrets; and it’s why he cannot, will not fall in love. Not with Kate—not with anyone.
Ever.
The one thing he can’t forgive.
The one thing she can’t forget.
My Review:
Kate is 19, Australian, and suffering depression ever since her boyfriend Lachlan died six months ago. Her parents are struggling financially because her dad suffers from Huntington’s Disease and his physical deterioration is becoming rapid. Kate met Lee several months before when he sang at a benefit for Lachlan’s funeral. There seemed to be a spark, not that Kate could acknowledge it.
Now Lee’s band, Coal, is on tour and Lee has offered Kate a job assisting with their reservations and transit, in the US, for two months. Kate doesn’t want to go–doesn’t want to do much of anything really–but she can’t turn down the money.
Still, she feels awkward around Lee, who makes it clear to his band mates that she’s not to be messed with. Lee and Kate develop a rapport, unwittingly and unwillingly. Lee has some big secrets of bad coincidences that tore his family apart. For this, he feels the need to continually punish himself. And, one of those punishments is to remain single so he never screws up another girl again.
Okay, as far as the book goes, it’s a decent story. I liked all the characters, even if I felt their emotional landscape was a bit extreme. Lee is a good man who tries hard to atone for his failings. He hires people who need a hand up, and won’t accept a hand-out. This is admirable. He’s not a big lush, and stays off the drugs. He plays with young Jay, son of the band’s stylist, Lottie. He is buried in his misery, however–feeling (wrongly) that he broke up his parent’s marriage and wounded his brother beyond repair. Classic case of taking on the world’s problems as one’s own. Still, forgivable.
Kate’s hung up on Lachlan. Really, really, hung up on him–and I didn’t get it because they hadn’t been together long before he died. Still, I can’t really blame another for grief, I just thought it was a little overblown. My issue, though younger readers will probably not have such an issue with it. I did have an issue with Lee’s ‘voice’. He’s supposed to be an American, but, no…sorry. Lee and everybody else in the book sound like Aussies. Their words and their diction, it’s not American English usage. It confused me, as a reader.
Those are my big hang-ups. The book is interesting. Both Lee and Kate get past their grief and find a new start with each other. Gets a little smexy near the end. Would recommend to people who like New Adult.
Interested? You can find THE PROBLEM WITH HEARTACHE on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and iTunes.
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About the Author:
Lauren K. McKellar is an author and editor. Her debut novel, Finding Home, was released through Escape Publishing on October 1, 2013, and her second release, NA Contemporary Romance The Problem With Crazy, is self-published, and is available now. She loves books that evoke emotion, and hope hers make you feel.
Lauren lives by the beach in Australia with her husband and their two dogs. Most of the time, all three of them are well behaved.
V's Reads... 