✨ Publication date: May 28, 2024✨

My Heart Still Beats is a dark romance by Helen Hardt. This is a standalone (I think) but the main character Benjamin Black is mentioned throughout some of her other series including Follow me about his brother Braden Black.

Tessa is damaged. After being drugged and raped multiple times by the man she thought she loved, Tessa barely survived the ordeal. Now she is only a shell of the woman she once was.

Tessa needs to get herself in order though because her best friend is just about to marry gorgeous billionaire Braden Black and she is her maid of honour tasked with planning a bachelorette party together with Braden’s younger brother Benjamin.

Benjamin Black knows what Tessa has been through and is carefully managing interactions with her as they plan the parties. After meeting with her he offers to make the bachelorette arrangements while he does his brother’s party. She clearly is still struggling and while he knows he shouldn’t even go there, he can’t help but notice how gorgeous she is and feels an immediate connection with her.

As Benjamin takes his time with getting to know Tessa, she works through her demons and recognizes her own attraction, even though she thought she would never feel these things again.

While I liked the premise of Tessa and Benjamin’s story and have definitely enjoyed this authors dark spicy stories in the past, I didn’t believe Tessa and Benjamin’s connection. It seemed forced at times and I wasn’t quite sold. I do enjoy this author so it’s still a decent story but not my favourite. This is a 3.5 star for me.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#NetGalley #helenhardt #myheartstillbeats

This was a solid 3 for me. I was expecting a little bit of a darker story and romance based on the trigger warnings. I wish there had been a little more background for Ben and his past misdeed- that felt a little rushed and underdeveloped. I liked how patient he was with Tessa due to her recovering from SA and then another family tragedy however I felt his emotional regression with his past wasn’t as believable. Overall I liked the book! Makes me want to go read Braden and Sky’s story.

Ben and Tessa’s book has all of the suspense and traumatic backstories that Ms Hardt is famous for putting in her books. It’s hard to fathom how anyone would react after Tessa’s experiences, but Ben seems to know how to bring out some of the old Tessa. He has his own troubles to deal with but finds that his feelings for Tessa helps him to try to make amends.

This book is filled with dark topics as Helen often does. Dark however doesn’t have to mean no romance and tenderness alongside happiness, no this book has that and so much more… healing. In this boom we meet Skye’s bestie- Tessa and Branden’s brother- Benjamin.
Two people struggling with past hurts one recent, the other stemming from his youth. Both are traumatic and both need to learn how to love themselves a be loved by others.
As with all Helen’s books, we get tons of heat and angst along with passion, love and understanding.
A must read!

One night, a wedding, blackmail, and a fear of beling alone in a world where love, desire, and power are everything.

While this can be read as a standalone this has interconnected characters as we head to a tropical paradise for a pre-wedding celebration.

When Ben decides to help Tessa navigate the wedding party responsibilities he never imagined he'd be the one falling.

A scorchin hot read that has plenty of triggers so please read and decide if it's something you are comfortable with.

I tried. I really tried. All of the characters were like cartoon characters. The names were comical. I made it halfway and had to stop. It was just bad.

Please be aware of your own triggers and trauma, protect your own mental health and make sure you have read and take seriously the trigger warnings in this book!
Hardt does not hold back in her depiction and descriptions of trauma, abuse, and violence. In this book Tessa and Ben are both working through their own demons and trauma. It is a multiple POV story all about learning to trust yourself, others, while learning to love again. I was not expecting all of the strong emotions this book brought forward. I thank Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to review this book as an ARC.

“I’d give my entire fortune to kiss your lips right now. If that were the cost, I’d gladly pay it.”

I'm going to be 100% honest here. I can't even remember the majority of this book 🫣. I finished it late April/early May and forgot to write and post my review like a bad ARC reader 😬. I mean...at least I finished it, so there's a plus 🤣. Skimming didn't bring up any major thoughts or emotions though. In my one note, I gave it 3.5 stars and stated the ending was entertaining/intense. I do remember that part and I definitely enjoyed it. I didn't have any issues with the trigger warnings, so I think the overall plot was a bit slow.

Thanks so much to Entangled for the ARC!

While I have not gone through the trauma that Tessa has, I feel that the author represented the emotional aspects in a realistic manager. This book is about the process of healing and reconnecting with life and people after experiences a horrific event. It's about having someone be there for you, good times and bad, in a patient and loving manner.

Ben was that person for Tessa, even though he is having to revisit a traumatic time in his life also. Ben was never going to undo what had happened to Tessa, but he never gave up on her. Sometimes we just need someone to be there for us.

I received this advance review copy from NetGalley & the publisher for my honest review.

I loved this book. Characters were amazing and I.loves the storyline. You need to read this book
She has become one of my favorite authors

Unfortunately, this book was a DNF for me. I read the trigger warnings, but the child harming was just too much for me. I really wanted to like this book, and the portions that I read were good, and I was invested in the characters, but I was really upset by the description of a child being molested.

ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴏʀʏ: After being drugged and raped by her ex, Tessa struggles to reengage with life until billionaire Benjamin Black comes to her aid in planning her best friend’s wedding to his brother.

ᴍʏ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴄᴇɴᴛs: I have been loving Helen Hardt’s Steel Brother series, but with a 30+ book series, I was thrilled to dig into a standalone.

This dark romance still felt somewhat lighthearted as Tessa and Benjamin begin to form a connection, but it has a lot of trauma in its layers (more than the drugging/rape that originally sets the scene for these characters to meet.

I appreciated how real Tessa’s reticence to reemerge into the world seemed, though it felt like she got past a lot of it too quickly with Ben, especially as she uncovered and remembered her childhood trauma and abuse. Despite this, I really enjoyed the story and especially the message: My Heart Still Beats.

I’m alive. I will be okay. I will survive. My heart still beats.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮:
💙 love the forced proximity trope
💙 want a lighter dark romace
💙 are here for a survivor story

"My Heart Still Beats" is a compelling and emotionally resonant tale that delves deep into the human psyche, exploring themes of trauma, resilience, and the enduring power of love. Helen Hardt's masterful storytelling and unflinching honesty make this novel a must-read for fans of dark romance and redemption tales alike
However, it's important to note that "My Heart Still Beats" is not for the faint of heart. Hardt pulls no punches in her portrayal of trauma, depicting scenes of violence and abuse with unflinching realism. Readers sensitive to such themes should approach with caution, as the novel may be triggering for some.

What a wonderful book by Helen Hardt.
Tessa and Ben's story is so powerful and touches on so many issues. Tessa and Ben are put together to plan Brandon and Skye bachelor and bachelorette parties. During this time both Tessa and Ben are battling demons from their pasts. This book was so good! It touched on many emotions.

This book can be read as a standalone, but please note it does follow some characters from another series. This book centers around Ben Black and Tessa Logan who are learning to live again after experiencing traumatic events. Tessa is tasked with working with Ben to plan the bachelor and bachelorette party. Through this task, Tessa learns to trust men again

Told from multiple POV, this books does great as its own story.

This book was unexpectedly an emotional read. I can’t wait to get the paperback. Helen created a Well-written, well-plotted steamy yet romantic storyline. It covers very heavy topics but it is so well written please check the triggers.

Helen Hardt has the most amazing ability to bring stories from the past into the present. This story blossomed in the Take Me series and these characters came back to tell us the rest of the story. Tessa is introduced in previous stories and she is full of life. She is the life of the party until…she is broken. Tessa has been through the worst trauma as her spirit is broken. Ben Black has his demons. He’s done bad things but he wants to be there for Tessa. This is a relationship that no one could have predicted but these two imperfect people came together and it made my heart soar. Ben isn’t perfect but he wants to be what Tessa needs. Tessa needs so much but her story isn’t complete and we are witnesses to the whole fall out of it. This book hit me in the feels. It made me think. It made me wish for happy endings and heroes. The Follow Me series came full circle with this book and I feel like it’s complete. This is the book I didn’t know I needed. Helen Hardt did it again.

When I started reading this, I had no idea it was connected to her "Follow Me" series which I loved. Most of the same characters just a switch of Family for the protagonists. I couldn't read this fast enough. Thank you to Netgalley, Entangled Publishing and the Author, Helen Hardt for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this one just didn't do it for me.

While I appreciate the story, I was disappointed that the FMCs entire story was surrounding her SA. I do agree that it takes quite a lot to heal from something like that, but I wish there was more for Tessa in this book than just bad experience after bad experience. So much of the book was just her struggling, and I feel like the added death in her family wasn't quite necessary considering all the other negative aspects of her life.

I also had a hard time with the actual romance in this book. Their progression from friends to more didn't feel organic to me. They went from being hesitant about everything to suddenly in love and it felt like I missed all the important parts of their relationship. I struggled with Ben as a character in general, but more particularly as a love interest. Yes, he was kind and understanding, but his inner dialogue was immature on occasion and some of the things he says and does to Tessa didn't seem like they fit his usual caring and gentle approach. It was almost like he had two personalities and I really didn't vibe with one of them.

The ending felt rushed considering the pace of the rest of the book. I was hoping for something a little happier but Tessa getting attacked again and the entire chapter of arguing were really hard to get through. Overall, this one just wasn't for me.

My Heart Still beats is a deeply emotional story of how powerful love can be and how it can pull you out of the darkness and bring to life.

Helen Hardt has written a captivating story which sucks you in from the first page and you get lost into their world and never want it to end.

I Cannot Recommend it enough to all readers. A Must read.