Still Beating

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He puts his hand against my chest. “It’s still beating,” he whispers, his words a soft kiss against my lips. “As long as it’s beating, you’re okay.”

When Cora Lawson attends her sister’s birthday party, she expects at most a hangover or a walk of shame by the end of it. She doesn’t anticipate a stolen wallet, leaving her stranded and dependent on her sister’s fiancé, Dean Asher―her archnemesis and perpetual thorn in her side.

And she really doesn’t anticipate getting knocked out and waking up chained in a madman’s basement, Dean in his own shackles beside her.

After fifteen years of teasing, insults, and never-ending pranks, 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 long enough to escape.

But Cora and Dean don’t know that 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 to each other long after they are freed from their chains. They’re in this together―no matter what their unexpected bond might cost them.

Our Top Reviews

Reviewer: BookNookEntropy
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: This book stole my heart! 💜🖤
Review: Cora & Dean, from nemesis to lifeline.This a gripping and emotionally intense novel. Kidnapped by a psychopath known as the Matchmaker, Cora & Dean find themselves chained together in a basement. Since they are in a situation that is against their will, Dean & Cora will be marked forever in the worst and best way. It would be somewhat easier if they love each other or at least get alone, but that is not the case. They have had a tumultuous relationship, which has been fraught with animosity for 15 years. Dean, who is Cora’s sister’s fiancé, has always been her nemesis, making their predicament even more challenging.Dean is the only one who calls her by her full name, “Corabell,” which she despises among other things about him.“You call me Corabelle. You know I hate it.” I could go on. I could go on and on and on.”Cora’s frustration with Dean is palpable, especially when she confronts him about calling her “Corabell,” a name she has always hated. This tension adds depth to their interactions and highlights the complexity of their relationship.Their relationship has been characterized by teasing and bullying each other for years, making the worst thing that could happen to Cora, besides being kidnapped by a psychopath, being kidnapped along with Dean. However, this also turns out to be the best thing, as neither of them has to face the ordeal alone. They find themselves relying on each other to survive, forging a bond that is both unexpected and profound.As they struggle to survive, Cora and Dean uncover hidden truths about each other, revealing vulnerabilities and strengths they never knew existed. The forced proximity and shared trauma compel them to work as a team. The book masterfully portrays their journey from hatred to understanding, and ultimately, to a reluctant alliance.The novel is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of shared suffering.

Reviewer: Paula Jackson
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Traumatizing, but well worth it!
Review: Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌶️🌶️This book is full of trauma and heartbreak. I felt like I was on a roller coaster of emotions, praying our FMC and MMC come out the other side. Once they do, it seems it’s one obstacle after the other after life changing trauma. But, you feel the love that had obviously been budding from way before the incident, even though much of the time they acted as though they hated each other and the ending is well deserved. It is well written and the story is heart wrenching, like so many books by Jennifer Hartmann. This is a dark psychological thriller romance and is not for the faint at heart. There is non-consent, dark matters of a serial killer, kidnapping and so much more, so if you have triggers, check them. But, if not, read it, you will be on the edge of your seat!

Reviewer: Kerri
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: from enemies to unexpected allies
Review: Kidnapped and held captive by a serial abductor known as the Matchmaker, Cora and Dean are chained together in a basement with no choice but to rely on each other. Their shared history is anything but friendly—Dean is Cora’s sister’s fiancé and her long-time rival, making their situation even more strained.Years of mutual irritation, sarcasm, and unresolved tension complicate their survival, yet that same tension becomes the foundation for something deeper. As they endure the trauma together, layers of their animosity begin to peel back, revealing empathy, trust, and buried truths neither expected.This story is less about romance and more about survival, emotional growth, and how shared adversity can change even the most bitter dynamics. It’s an intense and intimate look at how two people, forced into a nightmare, discover connection in the unlikeliest of ways.

Reviewer: Kaytlin Harbauer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Such an emotional, heart wrenching book!
Review: I read this last year (2024) in January and I still think about this book everyday!This is a tear jerker for sure, so get your tissues ready.POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW so be prepared!The FMC, Corabelle (who only goes by Cora), is the younger sister of the MMC, Dean’s, fiancée Mandy. Mandy and Cora are only like 10 months apart, so practically the same age, though they are worlds apart in looks and personality.Cora is reserved, laid back and doesn’t work too hard to impress. Mandy does herself up in mega form — bleached blonde hair, long eyelashes and nails and tons of makeup.A lot of the descriptions of the book describe their differences, and it’s 1st person POV through Cora, so you hear her inner thoughts of her feeling inadequate.This is important for the ending of the story!Anyway, back to the main point — Cora and Dean are the stars here. They have sort of a prank rivalry going on, but they do love and respect each other. Though, they don’t tell each other that. They like to pull pranks, sometimes mean ones, on each other to one up each other! They like to annoy each other as much as they can for their own pleasure.One night, they are all out and Cora ends up getting drunk without a way home. She ends up calling Dean as a last resort, because everyone else is asleep.She waits for him while some creepy guy tries to talk with her and says some lewd innuendos. He finally comes and picks her up and saves her from the creepy guy. They banter with each other for a while as he drives and in their rearview he sees cop lights shining. He stops, pulls over and before they know it, the “cop” breaks Cora’s side window and tries to steal her. Dean tries to intervene and ends up cold-cocked and knocked out.They get kidnapped by the creepy guy.This all happens within the first chapter of the book!There is some bad stuff that happens to them, and they think everyday how they will never be found, but eventually, they escape after unaliving the creepy guy. It takes them weeks to finally get away.The rest of the story is the aftermath of what happened — their feelings, their shared experience, the fallout in their own personal lives.This delivered extremely well and the authors writing is so good! It’s easy to read, the pacing is superb, and the emotional depth that you feel… I mean, I sobbed!Please read this if you haven’t already!

Reviewer: Cliente Amazon
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Non avrei mai pensato di leggere un libro con una storia simile, ma devo dire che nonostante l’impatto emotivo sia molto forte, il libro è molto bello. Certo non si digerisce con facilità, ma l’ho iniziato ieri e finito oggi, tutto in un fiato perchè una volta iniziato non si riesce a smettere. Non è adatto a persone traumatizzate o troppo sensibili, ci sono momenti in cui piangere è l’unica azione che non riesci a controllare. C’è l’happy ending, ma prima si passa da un inferno ad un altro. Date una possibilità a questa storia non vi deluderà

Reviewer: Bookswsteph_
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: ⛓️ Still Beating 🖤⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌶️🌶️‘Still Beating’ by Jennifer Hartmann might be the most raw, bittersweet, heart-wrenching stories I’ve ever read.This book is easily in my top 10 reads, ever.“𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙣𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙮 𝙞𝙩 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙗𝙚.”We follow a story beyond love, trauma and survival with Cora & Dean.Dean Asher, is Cora’s sisters fiancé, as Cora put it is ‘Incorrigible’.Cora and Dean become kidnapped, held in captivity together by a complete psychopath.They have to go through some depraved stuff with one another, they go from being literal mortal enemies until they only have each other in the darkest time of their lives. They’re simply each others only ‘hope’ to surviving and each others ‘lifelines’.“𝙏𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙖𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧.”I’ve never felt so connected to characters like I did with both MC’s, feeling like I was right there with them both. I felt every emotion from sitting in my car bailing my eyes out to not sure if I could keep on reading.“𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙔𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙠𝙖𝙮.𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”The silver lining to this story is it does have a HEA for anyone unsure if they can stick it out.‘Still Beating’ is available to be read on Kindle Unlimited.I highly recommend Cora & Dean’s story, it is extremely dark but so worth it.⚠️ 🅃🅁🄸🄶🄶🄴🅁 🅆🄰🅁🄽🄸🄽🄶🅂 ‼️I can’t stress this enough please always check trigger warning prior to reading. This story is not for the faint hearted, there’s a lot to take in, a lot of serious topics and triggers in this one. So whilst I highly recommend this book 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 don’t read without checking those triggers prior. And if you do read please be gentle to yourself after.

Reviewer: Bethsabée Cohen
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Une histoire d’amour passionnelle avec une plume délicate. Tellement de jolies phrases. Les personnages sont attachants ♥️ Moi qui suis si difficile à contenter, j’ai purement et simplement adoré.

Reviewer: Radhika Bansal
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: When I found this book on Amazon, I had not expected this. This story was more about healing love than about the trauma the characters go through. It’s about the pain that we will never know but it is also about the struggle of a person to reach the end of the journey and find themselves.When I first spotted the book, the readers had all raved about the book. I have to say that the connection is there, and it is strong, but the situation that made it so hit you so hard that you cannot forget it soon.The situations that Dean and Cora face are so forced and cold that it is almost clinical. The darkness that became a part of them and the connection that they form because of it is like thorns inlaid on the feather-like link of our relationships.I was shaken by what I read. It has never happened before. How the book is written made me imagine it to be a movie in my head. I could imagine every scene. The setting, the camera shots, and even the lighting in some of them. I know a movie might not be possible with the contents of the book as they are without major cuts, but the author writes the book to show you what happens at all times.I saw the greys and every dullness in the book and I also saw the world through their eyes as they battled themselves to come out from hell that they had never come out of for a long time. I saw them heal bit by bit and imagined when Dean said,She feels like Healing.There are several quotes from the book that make you skip a beat or just take a moment to read again, but the one that I love the most is because it connects with the title of the book.“It’s still beating.” he whispers, his words a soft kiss against my lips. “As long as it’s beating, you’re okay.”This was a story about survivors. It was about a world where anything may happen and handling it is not as simple as many other stories may make it out to be. It is about breaking down before building back up. It is about the painful digging out of feelings that were more or less ignored by both protagonists.The events that happen from start to finish are like nothing I have ever read before. This book made me pause as I looked at nothing before I could continue. I wish to tell everyone to read this book, but there are many triggers for people who may not be alright.Read this book only after considering the sunrise after the storm.

Reviewer: thatromantasyreader
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Okay… Where do I start?I started this book last night and it had me on chokehold.I don’t want to spoil too much, but this book was an emotional rollercoaster and y’all were not lying. It definitely deserves the hype!But I would advise to look up the trigger warnings before reading it.Dark, Angst, Forbidden Romance, Enemies to lovers, Abducted, Trauma, Forced proximity

Price effective as of Jun 29, 2025 09:38:39 UTC

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