I enjoyed this book quite a bit! This is a darker romance and I would strongly encourage readers to check out all trigger warnings before jumping into this book. The story jumps right into the action. When Cora finds herself alone at a bar with no way to get home, she turns to her sister’s fiance, Dean, for help. Cora and Dean do not get along, but he comes immediately to help her. When they wake up the next day, shackled in a madman’s basement, they know they are in a dire situation.

I liked Cora and Dean and thought that the connection that they made in that basement felt authentic. I wanted to see good things happy for both characters and hoped they would find joy together. There are some serious low points for both characters in this story and my heart just ached for them. It seemed that they were the only ones who really seemed to understand each other and what they needed.

I thought that the narrators did a great job with the story. I believe this was my first experience with Laurie West’s and Christian Black’s work. It did take me a short while to adjust to the male narrator’s performance but once I got used to his voice, I had no issues. The bulk of the story was handled by the female narrator since Cora’s perspective seemed to be the dominant voice. I thought that both brought the emotional aspects of the story out with their narration.

I would recommend this book to fans of dark romance. I found this to be a book that was almost impossible to put down once I started reading. I felt so much for Cora and Dean and couldn’t wait for them to find their happily ever after.

I received a review copy of this audiobook from Tantor Media, Inc. ( )

"We are bound, chained, tied -- to our trauma and to each other."
When Cora attends her sister's birthday party, she expects at most a hangover or a walk of shame. She doesn't anticipate a stolen wallet, leaving her stranded and dependent on Dean--her archnemesis and ultimate thorn in her side. And she really doesn't anticipate waking up in shackles in a madman's basement. To make matters worse, Dean shares the space in his own set of chains. After fifteen years of teasing, insults, and practical jokes, the ultimate joke seems to be on them. The two people who always thought they'd end up killing each other must now work together if they want to survive. But Cora and Dean have no idea their abductor has a plan for them. A plan that will alter the course of their relationship, blur the line between hate and love, and shackle them together with far more than just chains.
Alright where do I even start with this one. I will admit that I purchased this book with zero idea what it was about because some friends were discussing how great it was. And they were not wrong. I went into this book blind and I was invested from the very beginning. I loved the author's style. I liked that we got Cora and Dean perspectives. I thought it was super cool to show flashbacks of the last 15 years they had known each other. Honestly, I can't think of anything that I didn't love about this book. It was a beautiful gut-wrenching story about trauma and healing and the author did such a beautiful job of highlighting these different elements.
I think it was easy to connect with both of these characters, and the flashbacks helped to better understand their dynamic. The trauma these two endured together was heartbreaking and watching them try and find their way out was emotional. I couldn't put this book down, even after all the myriad things that were thrown at these two... I needed to know how the story ended. If you are in the mood for a book that is going to shake you and make you feel this is the one. Just know it is intense and you should check the trigger warnings on this one. ( )

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

description
Introduction
Still Beating is a book that has been on my watchlist for quite some time now. I have seen this book just become so popular all over the community and when this book became a group read for a dark romance book club I am a part of, I knew it was the kick that I needed to read this one here. I absolutely loved this one. It tore my heart to shreds and was so deeply riveting. This is a DARK romance, so please check all the trigger warnings, which I have below for you. I was so captivated by this story because it was so different than even I expected. I knew that this would be a dark romance. But we get so much more than the hero and heroine being kidnapped together, we see dealing with the recovery and healing moments and how difficult of a road that can be and what it can lead to.

Summary
When Cora is at a party and needs a ride home, she calls her future brother in law and her nemesis, Dean to come pick her up. Neither of them expecting to be pulled over by a cop, and then kidnapped and chained to the basement. Where both are forced to do unspeakable things and forced through a sexual assault, and they form a bond of connection over the weeks that they have been kidnapped and abused. Cora and Dean in the aftermath have to learn how to live life again and how challenging that can be. But if they embrace the bond that was formed, what will be the consequences of fighting for their love?

My Outlook
This story just had my heart all over the place! I absolutely adored this one here, and it's definitely worth ALL the hype and I just couldn't get enough of this one here and seeing how much this couples goes through to reach their HEA and YES they definitely have a HEA and the epilogue was perfection and worth seeing all the struggle that they have to face. I absolutely adored these two together. It starts out with them being very antagonistic together. They tend to pull pranks on each other and have a angst filled relationship. But I absolutely adored these two together and the connection that they form together. Because in the darkest of moments, the way that they pull each other out of it was so heartbreaking at times but just keeps the reader in the moment of it. But what is even more hard to witness for the story is the aftermath of healing and what trauma can do to a person like this. I really loved the way that they just "understand" each other and the way that this author wrote this one was just brilliant. I adored every single moment here. It was so endearing seeing this couple really learn how to heal on their own and together in their own unique way. It was a struggle to see them journey towards it but oh was it so satisfying. These two will always have my heart!!

Overall View
I found Still Beating to be an endearing, heart wrenching romance that delivered all the way! Its a story of trauma, of healing, and of love getting you through it all!

Rating Evaluation:
Plot: 5
World Building: 5
Cover: 5
Hero: 5
Heroine: 4
Steam: 5
Heart & Feels: 5
Ending: 5
Overall View: 5 ( )

Still beating

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

When I started reading the book just a few days ago I had no idea what the title of the book should've meant. And believe me, I was confused.

Was that supposed to be still breathing? No. Well, obviously not.

I don't know what to say about the book in this review. But the reason is not that it left me speechless. At least not in a good way.

So I have to say, in the beginning, that I enjoyed this book, or at least I tried to. Everything was there - the amazing writing, the different story, the hot hero, who is head over heels for the heroine. But I guess something just couldn't click, cause in the end I was left unsatisfied, and hence my 3.5 ratings.

To be fair, a few days passed after I read the book, and now thinking back about it, I should've probably given it 3 stars, but I was feeling generous then.

However, let me introduce you to the story.

Our heroes are Corabelle and her future brother-in-law Dean. They can't stand each other, but they make a truce for her sister's wedding. No pranks, no jokes. Or at least they plan to.

One night after a party they both attended, they are kidnapped by the serial killer "The matchmaker". A new serial killer who takes two random people, or people who know each other, but are not sexually or romantically involved and kidnaps them. Tortures them, and rapes them. And finally, when they start feeling comfortable in each other's presence, he kills one of them just to see the other suffer.

Really cruel. But kind of poetic.

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD

The book is divided into three parts. And Dean and Corabelle get saved (or should I say save themselves) in the first one. Which was the first thing that left me disappointed. I considered the first part rushed - there were so many opportunities for their relationship to evolve, but none did.

Another thing that strongly bothered me during this part was the fact that Earl-the-killer raped multiple times our heroine. (And I know this is supposed to be a dark romance but) I think this made it hard to accept the relationship between the heroine and the hero.

Then they eventually get out and now whole another mess gets created. There is drama, ruined wedding, suicide attempt, a lost baby, and a whole lot more, which I'm not going to dive in.

But in this whole mess, a few things stood out to me. Firstly, it looked like Dean got over his trauma way too fast, there were some mentions of his nightmares, but in comparison with Cora, his problems seemed small and non-important. He was raped, there was a gun pressed to his head, and his guilt was eating him alive (while they were still in their small prison), but all this seemed to have disappeared once he escaped. No signs of guilt or remorse (which were such leading characteristics in the first part). Fucking someone unwillingly (for both of you) must fuck up with your head. But we never saw if he thinks of himself as a monster, or if he is scared of becoming one. This would've been such an interesting twist (not necessarily for him to become one).

Then we have Manda (Cora's sister), who is a whole different example of a badly written character, who tells her sister to go on a date... After she was raped... This same personage persuades her boyfriend and considers his trauma insignificant while coaxing him for sex.

Lastly a few words for our main characters:

Cora is "not like other girls" she doesn't have bleached hair or fake nails, and she likes to read (cause this is uncommon). She also has a big heart and is a dog person. A thing about her that I found annoying is her judging Dean, cause she considers herself this smart, intelligent woman, but she can't even make a plan for escaping, and the "dumb" Dean did, and helped her, only for her to fuck up the plan and to get caught again. SMH.

And Dean. My poor baby. I'm sorry, my boy, but through the whole book, I read your name as Dan, not Dean. Please, forgive me. He had an interesting character arc. I liked how he was portrayed as a jock in the beginning, but further, we go in the book, more of his true self is revealed. He is actually thoughtfully, and considerate, and kind. And loves Cora even before they both realize it, cause he was always there for her, and his pranks were his way of showing his love. In the end, I think his character had more to show but was not given the scene to do it.

As I said in the beginning, the wring was great, both descriptions and dialogues were interesting to read, I found the scenes a bit non-flowing, but this was not a huge deal.

I will give another chance of this author to swoop me in her world, and she certainly is a great author, but we just didn't click. However, don't let this review stop you from reading the book. In the end, everyone has different opinions and tastes.
( )

Wow

I'm not sure how I discovered this book but in glad I did. This was much different than I was expecting. It was suspenseful and heartbreaking. However, it was so much more than that. These characters went through something awful but they gave me hope that love grows in the darkest of places.

Serial killers, trauma, an unlikely pairing, and a journey of love. There are some pretty great messages in this story and I recommend everyone fall in love with Cora and Dean. I would love a story about Tabitha. ( )