5⭐️ 3🌶 5🎧

“It’s still beating. You’re still okay. And I still love you.”

This book was everything. It was beautiful, horrifying, heart breaking, and healing. I read it in one day and I don’t care if it is still the beginning of the month, this is my favourite book of the month. Nothing is going to come close. I know it.

Cora and her sister’s fiancé Dean hate each other. They are constantly bickering and pulling pranks. But when the two of them are kidnapped by a serial killer and forced to forced experience, witness, and participate in his sick desires they are bonded by their trauma. After their escape they struggle with returning to their lives and find comfort in each other even when they feel they shouldn’t. Unfortunately while they struggle to cope they hurt themselves, each other, and those who love them. But with time and a lot of hard work they begin to heal.

I loved Dean. I mean I know he was a bit of a jerk by calling Cora by her full name which she hates, or offering her cornstarch covered donuts. But she gave it as good as she got and it was apparently pretty early on that he really did have a good heart. He proved that while they were being held captive.

My heart really broke for Cora. She had so much anxiety and insecurity even before the kidnapping. She was understandably even more of a mess after. But she always had good intentions and never wanted to hurt anyone. I just wanted to hug her and her dogs.

Please please read the trigger warnings. This book deals with some pretty terrible things including kidnapping (not the sexy mafia kind), SA, PTSD, attempted suicide, and more. If you have triggers please do your due diligence before reading.

Just finished a reread via audiobook and that was a whole new experience. Laurie West and Christian Black were absolutely amazing. The pain that Laurie was able to convey in her voice heartbreaking beautiful. I loved Christian’s deep and comforting voice for Dean. If you love audiobooks I highly recommend this book. I recommend it even if you don’t! This one might change your mind.

This book was PHENOMENAL. I had an ARC of this in both ebook and audio format and both of the formats were so good! I loved the narrators for the audio; they delivered a moving performance for a book that handled a lot of difficult material and traumatic events. If you are an audiophile, I'd suggest checking it out!

I found the plot in this book to be captivating. I read this book in only a few sittings and was sucked in every time. There was trauma, there was toxicity, there was a lot of dark feelings, but there was also growth and healing (and a HEA).

The characters in this book have my heart. Cora and Dean WENT THROUGH IT. The evolution of their relationship throughout the book was heartbreaking at times, but it was such a hard situation and they really did their best. They are such a precious couple to me now and I want to protect them at all costs.

This was my first Jennifer Hartmann book and it definitely will not be my last! I highly suggest checking the TW before reading. I found a lot of the traumatic events to be tastefully written as it is clear what is happening, but it is not described on page. If you want an emotional punch with happiness in the end, check this out!

I received a copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I read the physical book last year so I knew this would be traumatizing but I was not expecting how heartbreaking this story would be as am audiobook. It's awful in the best ways

OMG THIS BOOK!!!!
What did i just read. I honestly couldnt put it down. Cora and Deans story consumed me from the first page untill the last. What a ride this story was. This was my first Jennifer Hartmann book and wont be my last. Her writing is everything! She managed to take a book about some horrific events and with her beautiful writing she enveloped me into the story, hooked me in and didnt let go. I felt like i was a part of this story. i think i went through every emotion with these 2. This book broke me. I wont give much away as this is one that needs to be read without too much being given away but i would strongly advise you heed the content warnings.
The audio was so good. Id really recommend the audio for this one. The narrators did a brilliant job with conveying the emotions the characters were going through and you felt like a part of the story almost like your a fly on the wall. Simply brilliant and one i wont forget in a hurry.

Still Beating⛓️
By Jennifer Hartmann💔

Review📖

This is definitely unlike any book I’ve read before. It was really hard to read at points because of how horrible the events were. I had no idea how intense this would be, and I feel emotionally drained since finishing it. This is a very messy story that, thankfully, has a happy ending. However, the journey to get there is anything but easy. I liked the writing styles and the multiple perspectives. I can’t go into too much depth because it will give the story away, but the FMC ends up with her sister's fiancé. It’s a very complicated situation, but cheating is involved. This is definitely not a light romantic read; in fact, I’d say it’s the opposite. I’m interested in reading more by the author.

Dark🖤
Emotional💕
Heartbreaking💔
Traumatic❣️
Healing❤️‍🩹
Romance💘

Please check trigger warnings before reading ⚠️

4 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5/5 ⭐
2/5 🌶️
5/5 🎧

Still Beating is one of my all time favorite books. It's tragic, but it's so beautiful too. This was my second time reading it and I loved it just as much, if not more, this time around. There is something so profound about Dean and Cora's love, finding hope in such darkness and the bond they found while chained in a mad man's basement. I also loved the little peeks we got into Lotus and Jennifer's upcoming story The Stars Are On Our Side. This little world she built is amazing.

I adore Dean so dang much. This man goes from playing childish pranks on a girl to helping her through the hardest thing in both of their lives and the emotions you feel and discover from him in that basement will rattle your soul. The way he caressed her wrist, how he sung her favorite songs to her and all the words he said to keep her calm were magical in the most heartbreaking of ways.

What I didn't realize going in the first time was that them being captured and tortured was only a third of the story. The actual main storyline of this book is how these two learn to live with their traumas and how they overcome the taboo nature of their relationship to finally get to live out their happily ever after. Jennifer will probably write her story someday and make me love her... But I can't stand Mandy almost as much as I hate the Matchmaker. There are some things she does and says that are unforgivable and made Dean and Cora's healing so much harder. And by her attitude in the bonus scene, I'm not convinced she's ever going to grow into a person who thinks about others before herself.

Speaking of the bonus scene, I was expecting more from Dean and Cora but it actually ended up being a POV from Tabitha and gave us a little peek into her story which is coming in early 2024. I really can not wait for this Still Beating and Lotus crossover story and I'm so excited to watch her and Gabe get their happily ever after, it's so deserved.

Whew that was dark. This one is for the true crime girlies, but the main trope is forbidden love. It’s genre bending for sure and has open-door scenes, so for those that love mystery/serial killer/romance vibes, it may be a great fit.

⚠️ Go into this knowing that the list of trigger warnings is like minimum a hundred different things.

Overall a good read and I loved the reference to Oliver in Lotus by Jennifer Hartmann (a fav of mine)!

5⭐️ 4🌶️

"Every love story is worth writing, no matter how messy it might be."

Messy, dark, heartbreaking, heartwarming, soul shaking. Jennifer Hartmann has sucked me in and I will never be the same. This is my second read through of Still Beating and it hit me just as hard this time around. I loved the little details I picked up on this time that I may have missed before and I fell head over heels in love with Dean and Cora all over again. Still Beating was one of the first dark romance books I picked up and while the difficult subject matter may be a little easier for me to read at this point in my book journey, Jennifer's writing still makes my heart ache and my tears well up all the same.

After being taken by a serial killer and held hostage, forced to commit and endure unspeakable acts, Cora and her long-time enemy (and sister’s fiancé) are forever bonded through their trauma. When they were finally released, I thought I could let out a sigh of relief but Jennifer was screaming NOT YET. Watching their anguish and healing in the aftermath, hurting themselves, each other, and those they love, was just as gut wrenching as their time in the cellar. The push and pull and broken pieces of Dean and Cora trying to heal one another left me reeling and there was a brief moment of feeling as though all hope was lost before Jennifer delicately put the pieces of my shattered heart back together and tied it up with a sweet little bow.

I adored Dean. He was smart, witty, a bit of a jerk, but so very caring deep down and I loved watching his relationship with Cora twist, turn, and blossom. Cora absolutely broke me throughout her journey back and I certainly cried some happy tears for her once she finally found her HEA. Their relationship together was enemies to lovers, taboo, spicy, tender perfection. I’ve never read an enemies to lovers quite like this and the unique take on it was so refreshing and haunting.

Finally, I loved Tabitha and the perspective she helped Cora gain, as well as their unexpected but so desperately needed friendship. And the bonus chapter?! Everything my little Tabitha loving heart was screaming for! I’m so thrilled that we finally have her book announcement and I cannot wait to get more of her story and head back down into the cellar, while revisiting some familiar faces, when The Stars Are On Our Side releases next February.

Listening to this on audio really brought a new dimension to the story that reading alone could never provide. The narrators were both phenomenal and I really enjoyed all the emotion they poured into this beautiful and tragic story. I will absolutely be looking for more books narrated by Christian Black and Laurie West in the future.

This is my third time reading STILL BEATING and it still gets me every single time! Hartmann can write a compelling, emotional romance like no other. There are some dark themes in the book but it wasn't super dark at all (lots of triggers though, so please review them before reading)! The audio for this was fantastic! The narrators did a great job conveying all of the emotion from Cora and Dean.

Thanks so much, NetGalley and Tantor Media, for the complementary audiobook!

I don't even know how to review this book without giving things away or saying too much. Everything said that it's DARK and it really is. The first 30% could be one of the most intense and dark romance set ups that I have ever read. But what comes after and how it all comes together is completely addicting. I started this after dinner and did not go to sleep until it was done.

This is the story of Cora and Dean...and their abduction. Please read content warnings. Please know that this is a dark romance. But also know that the work it takes to get there just leaves you turning pages for more.

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for an ARC of the audio in exchange for an honest review.

“𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕.” 𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒂 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒚 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒆.
“𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆, 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒂.”

Like the synopsis says, this book has massive trigger warnings, so please be aware before reading. This book is very dark, has on-page traumatic situations, and messy people who are both healing and sometimes failing at healing.

Synopsis: Cora and Dean, Cora's future brother in law, are kidnapped by a deranged man who subjects them to horrific situations. Their kidnapping is already traumatizing, but this madman has a hidden agenda that changes the course of both of their lives.

I devoured this audio. Firstly, both narrators were great, and I'm glad I read this via audio.

I've always been a sucker for trauma bonds, call me crazy if you'd like. They feel so raw and vulnerable, and this book showed exactly that. It's by no means a sweet love story. It made me hurt with the characters, be enraged with them, and sometimes want to slap them- but something that needs to be understood is that these characters were seriously traumatized, and everyone handles trauma differently. This is a story of messy people who only know how to love messy because they haven't yet healed. I felt an ache in my chest for these characters, and of course, I cried.
“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.”

LIGHT SPOILERS BELOW
While I am SO happy Mandy also grew in this story, I felt that she was a character whose sole purpose was to be as awful as the author could make her until the main characters got where they needed to be. For goodness sake she tried to make her fiancé feel bad for not having sex with her, stating 'it's been so long' LIKE PART OF THAT TIME WASN'T FROM HIM BEING KIDNAPPED AND TORTURED. She was just... overkill to be honest. Cora wasn't my favorite character from the start either, she was very "I'm not like other girls, especially my sister," in a pretty irritating way. I think there could have been a better way to portray her while still holding true to her character.

Trigger warnings: sexual assault, r@pe, kidnapping, torture, death, blood, loss of a baby, suicide, trauma

CHRISTIAN BLACK, LAURIE WEST We’re the best narrator to bringing this story to life and the emotions of this two characters love it .

Still beating is about Cora and dean and their struggles after being kidnapped and tortured and rescue and dealing with the aftermath and knowing they weren’t the only couple kidnapped they were several and finding another person who survive.

Realizing that probably being together is wrong so they go their separate ways until they see each other and rekindle their romance.

This is a dark romance, a story about Cora and Dean. And it made my heart swell and tore it up as well. Dean is Cora's sister's fiance. After they get abducted together, they get free after 3 weeks. Dean and Cora both have to find a way back to peace.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Tantor audio for an audio copy of this incredible novel for an honest review. I have found a new favorite author!!!

Trigger warning: kidnap, rape, PTSD
Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann is a deep, intense, tragic, and emotional roller coaster. This book is about trauma and healing! This book makes you stop and think how priceless every single minute we have is and makes you appreciate what you have.
I listened to an audiobook narrated by Laurie West and Christian Black. For me it was a bit hard to switch to a Christian voice. I don't know why but Dean didn't sound like this voice in my head. Took me a bit to used to it, but after was fine. Laurie did incredible work with this book! Especially in the emotional and intense moments, she added so much reality there! You could believe every single emotion!

This is a story about Dean and Cora who survives a tragic event together. It's a story about how to overcome trauma and deal with PTSD. This story is about how to face challenges, survive or give up!
I would love to say this is a love story. Because in some way it is, just painfully dark, broken, and full of pain and passion!

It is hard and emotional for me to write this review. I lost myself in this book! I was sucked in up to the very end. I was enjoying every single minute of this audiobook!
This is my first book by this author and I extremely loved it! I will definitely look for another book by this author.

Thanks, NetGalley and Tantor audio for this opportunity to listen this book!
#StillBeating #NetGalley

Thank you for the advanced listener copy. I absolutely love this book. I read the print copy last year and fell in love with the depth of Jennifer’s written. The story of Cora and Dean’s trauma and collective healing is as moving as it is haunting.
I was so excited to listen to this book and take the emotional impact up a level. Even though I listened to the preview, I just didn’t connect with the narrators. The female narrator was good at the emotional dialogue but I found it easy to zone out listening to her. The male narrator was too deep and gruff for me. I had trouble understanding him and he’s not at all how I imagined Dean.
The book itself is 5 stars but the audiobook is only 3 stars for me.

this was disappointing. i’ve been recommended this book if you liked the mindf*ck series but honestly, it just didn’t have the impact of those 5 books. first, our characters: cora was the cliché “not like other girls” + a sprinkle of “pick me girl”, she loves books, is a little nerdy, doesn’t wear a lot of make up and so on. and it’s A-NNOY-ING! why? you can write a woman without blatantly displaying your internalized mysoginy, which is also why i still don’t understand why the sister had to be such a b!tch! girly was really mad at her sister for sleeping with her now ex-fiancé when she, herself !SPOILER! cheated on him AND after everything that happened to the 2 of them. she was really insensitive to dean’s trauma in the dumbest way possible. i didn’t like dean either if we’re talking about him, he just gave me bad vibes and his chapters annoyed me to no end. now the romance: 1) the spicy scenes REALLY made me cringe, 2) did we need this book to be THIS cheesy? no. i wished it had focused more on their healing journey and taken more time to do so, and not be like: “well, it’s been a year, they’re mostly fine now”. i don’t know anything about human psychology but a few months seem a very short time to overcome this much trauma. their journey was pretty messy, which is to be expected after what they’ve been subjected to and i liked the mom, even if her advice were over the top cheesy, they were also kinda true and helpful to cora (?). oh, and the narrators have great voices (i tend to hate certain voices so audiobooks are very hit or miss for me). also, did we get a little cameo from the guy in hartman’s lotus novel or is it just me? anyway, i’m kinda disappointed and underwhelmed after having finished this book. look up TWs and CWs before picking this book up! 2⭐️

This Book is not for the Faint of Heart. If you've never read Dark Adult Themed Romance I'd likely start elsewhere. IT IS VERY DARK! Now if that's your interest, Great! you might not be bothered by the triggers and there are some major ones. The Biggest being Rape, Torture, Kidnapping. Now that that's outa the bag I found the book itself is well written, immersible, and deep emotionally. The MC's pain, the struggles, their connection to each other, hate for the Perp. It was all very realistic to read and also very disturbing. I'm new to the dark romance so for me it was a bit much but I really liked the Author's writing and would read more by her.
Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to give my personal opinion on this book.

4.5/5 (rounded up)

I really wouldn’t categorize this as a ‘dark romance’ more of a ‘trauma romance.’ I know that’s not a real thing, but when Dean and Cora are abducted and left in a basement, they have to do things they are ashamed of. The trauma in this book was horrifying and written amazing. I can’t say much else without a spoiler, but this is a very unique romance I enjoyed and hated all at the same time for how dark and sad it was!

Definitely recommend if you’re fine with trauma, being able to read about rape, and a recovery romance plot. Not heavy on the spice, but I’d rank it in the same realm of the Mindfucked Series.

I'v read this before back in 2020 when it was first release and I loved it. Now that I have reread or listen to it haha, I loved it way more this time around.

Listening to the audiobook was such an experience.

Please make sure to read trigger warnings before listening to this audiobook because it has some really triggering content!