Love the cover! And the shirtless teasers… 😉
The Problem With Heartache Synopsis:
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
Review:
Oh, there’s a whole lot of blame and guilt going around in this book. If angst is your thing, you will love The Problem with Heartache for sure (and if you don’t, you’ll want to steer clear). Parts of it stretch credibility–like a nineteen-year-old girl leaving her family and country to work as the tour organizer for a big-time rock band–for the most part it’s not out-and-out impossible to swallow (and that bit at least does fit right in with Lee–Freaking–Collins’s white knight complex, which helps).
I liked that Lee and Kate’s romance was a slow-moving one, since they both had so much individual stuff to work through. Neither one would have been able to jump right into a real relationship at the beginning. They needed to develop a friendship first, and to that end I absolutely loved the notes they wrote back and forth throughout the novel. Those were some of my favorite bits of the whole book.
Ms. McKellar’s portrayal of grief (Kate’s boyfriend has recently died) was spot on.
Six months might have passed, but the ache hadn’t lessened. And I didn’t know that I wanted it to. Because if the pain went away, it would mean I was forgetting. And that would cut far deeper than loss.
She moved through it in a realistic time frame, without resorting to any quick or magical fixes. In the end Lee’s issues were resolved a bit quickly, but since his were a little flimsier, that was okay too.
Oh, and if you’ve read the other series books, I think something that happens near the end will make you very happy. 🙂
Though it’s a bit heavy on the melodrama at times, The Problem with Heartache is a good story that does a stellar job of showing what it’s like to live through grief. I hadn’t read the first two books in the series ( The Problem with Crazy and Eleven Weeks), so I was missing some backstory, but it didn’t significantly affect my enjoyment of the novel. Yes, I would have known what was going on faster in some instances, but overall we get enough background to follow along just fine.
Rating: 4 stars / B+
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
Buy Links:
Lauren McKellar Bio:
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.
Links:
