Happy 11th Anniversary to Louder Than Love by Jessica Topper

Happy 11 Year book birthday Louder Than Love!

Louder Than Love was first published through Berkley Romance's Intermix line on September 17, 2013 and is brilliantly written by Jessica Topper! 

I remember first reading this book and falling head over heels for Adrian and Kat and this beautiful story of love, loss, forgiveness, redemption, and Rock 'n' Roll!

Jessica Topper broke the rock romance mold with her 2013 debut novel LOUDER THAN LOVE. Her follow-up romantic comedy, DICTATORSHIP OF THE DRESS, was named one of Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2015.



Jessica also has a Hanukkah romance series published in December 2023 with author Amanda Usen!

Louder Than Love was originally written as a standalone but I was over the moon when Jessica expanded this world, creating the Love & Steel series and penning three more novels!

I am just as in love today as I was when I first read Louder Than Love, even more so! 

I invite you all to give Adrian and Kat a chance!

About the Book

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?

Excerpt

 

Kat meeting Adrian for the first time

I stopped midsentence, noticing a man had breezed in moments ahead of the Rainbow kids. He had a softshell guitar case slung over his shoulder and was inquiring at the circulation desk.

I bet he thinks one of those old biddies at the desk is you! Leanna giggled. I took a moment to size him up. Not particularly tall, but of slim stature. His dark blondish hair, at least from my view, was somewhat raggedy, but perfectly respectable for a musician. He was wearing a black button down styled after an old-school tux shirt, with thin ruffles running down the front. His jeans were dark wash and looked expensive. I suddenly felt small-town and shoddy. I wished I had thought to pluck my eyebrows and give my chipped toenails a fresh coat of polish.

The clerks were gesturing and pointing toward the programming room. "oh, but wait, here she comes now," Amelda announced as I hastily approached. He turned, displaying a face much more weathered than I had initially noticed from afar. Tiny wrinkles fanned from the outer corners of his eyes, and his hair had quite a bit of gray streaking through the blond, especially at his sideburns. For some reason, I had anticipated him being younger than me. I recovered quickly, sticking out my hand.

"I'm Katrina Lewis, thanks for coming."

"Lew?"

"No, Lewis."

"No, I mean... do you 'ave a loo?" His watery blue eyes widened to stress the urgency of the situation. "I'm afraid I'll burst if I don't go for a slash."

"Oh. . . yeah, down that hall." It took me a moment to register his accent and his slang, yet my embarrassment over the situation was fairly immediate. I stood rooted to the spot after he thrust his guitar into my hands and rushed off. Leanna was still standing there, a witness to the whole encounter. "He's . . . um . . ." I searched for the right words.

"Old? British? Drunk? or D) all of the above?"

"He's older . . . but he's kinda cute," I admitted, surprising myself. "Come on, drunk? It's four in the afternoon at the public library! Please. Go get a seat. I'll be in there in a minute."

I waited at the end of the hall for my charge. After a moment, he came out of the bathroom, swaying slightly into the wall as he pulled a tin of mints out of his pocket. "Altoid?" he offered. The smell of Jack Daniel's and his peppery cologne, which was somehow subtle and intense all at once, were noticeably foreign to the hallowed halls of my local library. I got the feeling this was not the sort of creature who normally frequented places with drop ceilings and fluorescent lighting; perhaps not even the sort who functioned much before sundown.

"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.

Excerpt copyrighted by Jessica Topper

My Review

First published in 2013, Louder Than Love is given new life with a new cover and is finally available in print in 2020! I have championed this story from my first reading and it remains still to this day, one of the best love stories I've ever read! I encourage everyone to take a chance on this amazing story. It's an emotional journey of heart, loss, love, strength and absolution.

I cannot tell you how much I love this book. A widow and her very young daughter, Abbey, are trying to move on after the tragic death of her beloved husband. The flashbacks to the times Katrina’s husband was still alive just about killed me. So much life and love cut short so fast, a reminder that we should cherish and appreciate what we have because it may not be there tomorrow.

Three years after being widowed, Katrina meets a half-drunk Adrian Graves whom she’s hired to play children’s songs he wrote 10 years before at her local library's children's event. As the two batter their way through a relationship, conquering their demons becomes more complicated than they both realized; especially when Katrina, or Kat as she’s affectionately called by Adrian, refuses to face hers. Can love blossom when past hurts resurface?

I completely fell in love with this book. My heartstrings have been tugged and abused and kept hanging on until the very end. I loved the complexity of each character. The plot was intricately designed and beautifully done. I also love the music references the author used including The Beatles’ songs and how Katrina’s daughter was named Abbey after Abbey Road.

I grieved with Kat’s struggles as she tried to pick up the pieces and learn to live again after the terrible accident that changed her and Abbey’s lives forever. I loved how vulnerable Adrian was as he revealed his past to Kat. It crushed my heart to hear his shame and his self-hatred, but rejoiced as he found something to live for and saved himself from the destructive path he was on courtesy of his Rock ‘n Roll lifestyle.

The story is written in first person from Kat’s point of view and I really wished there were some scenes with Adrian’s viewpoint. I would have loved to know what was going on in his head. The plus side though is that Adrian is so very passionate and forthright with his feelings that I can understand why the author didn’t feel the need to write his point of view.

I absolutely LOVE this book! I was completely floored. The story is emotionally charged, heart-wrenchingly precise and brilliantly executed. Keep an eye out for this author! Louder Than Love is a must read for anyone who believes that not only love, but patience, strength, perseverance, courage and faith conquers all.

Purchase Links

Jessica Topper Website

About the Author

Jessica Topper has been in love with the beauty of the written word ever since she memorized Maurice Sendak’s Chicken Soup with Rice at the age of three.

After earning a B.A. in English Literature and her Master’s Degree in Library Science, Jessica went on to work as a librarian in New York City before trading in the books for bookkeeping. For seventeen years, she worked in the production office of an international touring rock band.

Jessica broke the rock romance mold with her 2013 debut novel LOUDER THAN LOVE. Her follow-up romantic comedy, DICTATORSHIP OF THE DRESS, was named one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of 2015.



She lives in Western New York with her family – including two cats that love to walk across her keyboard. Learn more at jesstopper.com.