Book Review – Still Beating – Diary of a bookworm

Still Beating – Jennifer Hartmann

Content Notes:

Published/Pages: 2020/314

POV: Dual – Hero & Heroine

Trope: Enemies to Lovers, Love Triangle

Goodreads Bookshelves: contemporary romance, dark romance, enemies to lovers, forbidden romance, forced proximity, love triangle, psychological thriller, serial killer, sisters boyfriend, steamy, suspense, tough read

HEA: Yes

Steam Level: Extra Steamy

Swearing: Adult

Trigger Warnings: Alcohol, Animal Death, Anxiety, Assault, Blood, Captivity, Death, Dysphoria, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Murder, Nightmares & Night Terrors, Physical Abuse, Pregnancy, PTSD, Rape, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Assault, Violence

My Rating:

Book Description: 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 arch nemesis 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.

Goodreads Review

My Review:

Corabelle & Dean

If it isn’t clear by the book description or the long list of trigger warnings, this book is not for the faint of heart.

This is my second Jennifer Hartmann book, the first being The Wrong Heart. Both books were just amazing. In a dark but beautiful way. I loved these stories because they weren’t the usual happy romance, they’re ones of real struggle. Not every love story is an easy one, and Hartmann does a great job at straddling the line of realistic, dark and falling in love. I’ve read some dark novels, and they’re not so much a dark romance, but more a dark, messed up story that tries to make you think it’s a romance. It may just be my personal taste, but there are lines, and many struggle with crossing it, but not Hartmann.

“Every love story is worth writing, no matter how messy it might be,” Holly says absently, still stroking my hair. “I would like to read your book.” -Holly

I liked that the first half of the story was about their abduction and the second half was about them living with and attempting to recover from their traumas.

Let’s talk about the fact that Dean knew Cora was the one for him when they were in high school, and he saw her for the first time. Goodness… My dad had the same experience with my mom in high school, so it’s definitely believable and very swoony.

When they finally see each other for the first time after their abduction and they just hug each other and soak up the peace they provide for each other. That hit me. It’s not a surprise that they clung to each other and needed each other. “She’s stoned on sleeping pills and I’m drunk off my ass, and we’re messy, damaged humans clinging to each other as we battle through the storm together, but it’s okay because we’re together.” -Dean

“Are you still mine?” Cora doesn’t hesitate. She reaches for my hand, placing it above her heart. “It’s still beating,” she says. Her face lights up with a radiant smile that looks exactly like how her heartbeat feels. “As long as it’s beating, I’m yours.”

Toward the end of the book my heart definitely broke a little. Dean was a good guy who really tried to do the right thing. He knew Cora was seriously struggling, but he thought he could help bring her out of the darkness. While they’re having sex and she asks him to tie her up, he realizes they can’t go on like they have been. She had to fix herself and he knew he was hindering her. I mean the man got a job in a different city because he knew if he was near her, he wouldn’t be able to resist her. Oh Dean 💕.

I was proud of Cora when she finally decided to get herself help. “We can’t give our heart to another without loving our own first. And that’s exactly what I plan to do.” -Cora

A great story of trauma, recovery and finding love through it all. 100% would read it again, even with how traumatic it was.