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Availability:
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Arrives
Sunday, Nov 8
At a glance
- Condition
- New
- Dimensions
- 6 x 0.84 x 9 in
- Weight
- 2.31 lb
- Publisher
- Bloom Books
- Publication date
- July 11, 2023
- Language
- English
- Print length
- 336 pages
Description
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 fiancรฉ, Dean Asherโher 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 togetherโno matter what their unexpected bond might cost them. Read more
Specs 8
| Publisher | Bloom Books |
|---|---|
| Publication date | July 11, 2023 |
| Language | English |
| Print length | 336 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1728290597 |
| ISBN-13 | 91 |
| Item Weight | 2.31 pounds |
| Dimensions | 6 x 0.84 x 9 inches |
No specs match.
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Top Amazon Reviews
๐๐ค It's still beating. As long as it's still beating, you're okay ๐คโ๏ธ
Format: Kindle
"Look at me, Cora. Focus on me. Nothing else is real. It's only me and you." "I didn't think you ever noticed my heart." "It's impossible not to notice, Cora." "You don't feel like my enemy anymore. You feel like my lifeline." "It's still beating. As long as it's still beating, you're okay." "I feel his fingers interlace with mine. I hold onto him. He's still my lifeline. He's still all I have. We're in this together." "We are bound, chained, tied--to our trauma and to each other. We're in this together. And yet, I've never felt more alone." "She doesn't need to pretend with me, though. She doesn't need to hide. I'm here, and I see her--every scar, every flaw, every broken, hollow piece. And I understand." "Dean is like the ocean. Compelling, calling to me, within reach. So much magic. So much beauty. Something I want with every aching layer of my soul. But I'm that little girl again, frozen in the sand, afraid of the dark waters in front of me." "I need him. He's the only calm to my madness, the only light to my dark, the only sweet to my bitter remains. He tames me. He heals me." "He holds me like a lover. Like my own, personal defender. Like my savior. After all, he saved me from a serial killer. He saved me from an overdose. He saved me from myself." "Are you still mine?" "It's still beating. As long as it's still beating, I'm yours." This was such a phenomenal and gut-wrenching story. It was a tragic but beautiful love story. This author did a fantastic job of drawing you in and making you feel every emotion possible. I was bawling in this book so many times. These characters endured so much pain and trauma and I felt every last demon ๐ญ. Despite all the heartbreak, guilt, trauma, and pain, there was so much healing and growth. This author did a flawless job depicting and portraying all the sensitive topics in this story. This is a very heavy read, so be prepared to hurt badly ๐. It's worth it in the end with such a beautiful HEA ๐. This story follows Cora and Dean. These two have known each other for 15 years and Dean has been dating Mandy, Cora's sister, those 15 years. Cora and Dean "hate each other." They're always pulling pranks and bickering with each other. Secretly, Dean always had a thing for Cora. Cora calls Dean to pick her up from a party as that's her last resort and they both get kidnapped. They're held in a basement chained to pipes by a serial killer. While they're held there, horrendous things take place. They become each other's lifeline. They eventually escape and survive, but they're both broken beyond repair. Something happened in that basement and they started to feel more for each other. Dean returns to Mandy, but he's a different person now. Cora is a shell of herself. They both find solace in each other, but it's completely toxic. Will this toxic pattern continue to exist between them? Will Dean let Cora go so she can finally heal herself? Can Cora climb out of her darkness to finally save herself? God, these two together were everything! Dean is the biggest green flag ever. This man did everything to help and save Cora. He even broke his own heart just so she can smile and heal and be healthy. Cora was a toxic disaster and was too codependent on Dean. They both were codependent but Cora couldn't let go. My soul bled for these two and what they had to endure ๐ญ๐ญ. The healing process was so rough for them both. They both handled things so differently. I loved the relationship between them. The bickering and pranks. You can tell they had feelings and this was a long time coming. I loved seeing the flashbacks of their younger selfs. Dean was so different with Mandy and you could see his spark was only for Cora. I loved how protective he was of Cora. The chemistry and tension was through the roof ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅต๐ฅต. My favorite part of this book was when he was talking about her heart beating and rubbing her pulse point on her wrist ๐ฅน๐ฅน. And the heart locket he gave her ๐ญ๐ฅฐ. The epilogue was everything! Seeing them down the line so healthy and peaceful made my heart happy. This was one of the hardest fought HEAs period but God it was worth every tear. I didn't like Mandy at all. She was so selfish and not understanding. I'm glad things worked out the way they did but eh still don't like her ๐
. I loved the scenes with Dean's mom ๐ฅน. The parts with all the dogs had me bawling especially blizzard ๐ญ๐ญ. I highly recommend this amazing book!
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Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2026 by Sara Husser
โ I hold on to him. Heโs still my lifeline. Heโs still all I have. Weโre in this together.โ
๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ: 4/5โญ๏ธ 2.5/5๐ฅ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ฌ/๐๐/๐๐/๐๐ข๐ง๐ค๐ฌ: MF/dual POV/dark romance/HEA/enemies to lovers/kidnapping/sexual assault/r@pe/violence/murder/self harm/reference to miscarriage/loss of pet ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ฐ: Cora and Dean have known each other forever and have spent at least that much time being enemies. Pranks, insults, taunts, you name itโฆ thatโs them summed up in a few words. It doesnโt help that he is engaged to her sister and around all the time. After a night out with friends, Cora needs a ride home and even if the last person she wants to call for a ride is Dean, he is the only one available. Little do they know that night will change the trajectory of their intwined lives forever. Being kidnapped, held hostage, and forced to do unspeakable things, Cora and Dean only have each other to cling to in the deep dark cellar that will become their home for 3 weeks. There are so many words to describe this book but raw, tragic and heart wrenching are some that come to mind. After Dean and Coraโs escape, separated by real life, they struggle to move forward from their trauma while โnormalโ life threatens to pull them under. They knew before they escaped their relationship would forever be changed. I felt like Cora struggled the most, barely keeping her head above water but that could be because I feel like we didnโt a lot of Deanโs healing. It seemed to be him keeping Cora afloat and him dealing with his relationship with Coraโs sister, Mandy. I felt like she was extremely inconsiderate for the healing Cora and Dean were trying to accomplish. The information that surfaces about their kidnapper afterward was definitely twisted, but it was intriguing to have this in the story also. As Cora and Dean follow the news stories, I think this really made them question if their feelings were real. I loved the aspect of Cora being able to bond with another survivor. I like the POV from Tabitha after the end of the book and I canโt help but hope maybe she will get her HEA in a future book. [if there isnโt one already; I havenโt looked into that.] Deanโs decisions toward the second half were painful but necessary. Seeing them come out the other side of this was gratifying. This was definitely dark and messed up, but the overall story was something I wonโt easily forget. at least thatthatโs in a few words It doesnโt help that he is engaged to her sister and around all the time.AfterCora needs a ride home and even if the last person she wants to call for a ride is Dean, he is the only one available. Little do they know that night will change the trajectory of their intwined lives forever. Being kidnapped, held hostage, and forced to do unspeakable things, Cora and Dean only have each other to cling to in the deep dark cellar that will become their home for 3 weeks. raw, tragic and heart wrenching After Dean and Coraโs escape, separated by real life, they struggle to move forward from their trauma while โnormalโ life threatens to pull them under. They knew before they escaped their relationship would forever be changed. I felt like Cora struggled the most, barely keeping her head above water but that could be because I feel like we didnโt a lot of Deanโs healing. It seemed to be him keeping Cora afloat and him dealing with his relationship with Coraโs sister, Mandy. I felt like she was extremely inconsiderate for the healing Cora and Dean were trying to accomplish. The information that surfaces about their kidnapper afterward was definitely twisted, but it was intriguing to have this in the story also. As Cora and Dean follow the news stories, I think this really made them question if their feelings were real. I loved the aspect of Cora being able to bond with another survivor. I like the POV from Tabitha after the end of the book and I canโt help but hope maybe she will get her HEA in a future book. [if there isnโt one already; I havenโt looked into that.] Deanโs decisions toward the second half were painful but necessary. Seeing them come out the other side of this was gratifying. This was definitely dark and messed up, but the overall story was something I wonโt easily forget. ** ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ตโ๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ซ๐ฐ๐ฃ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ข๐ธ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ, ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฐ ๐ต๐ณ๐บ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ช๐ด๐ต ๐ข๐ด ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ ๐ต๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ด, ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ธ๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ณ๐ช๐จ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ธ๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ด ๐ข๐ด ๐ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ โฆ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ข ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ด๐ด๐ช๐ฃ๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ต๐บ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ก๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ข ๐๐ก๐ก. ๐๐ง ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐๐๐จ๐ค๐ก๐ช๐ฉ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐ฎ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ๐ค๐ญ๐ถ๐ฅ๐ฆ, ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฌ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ถ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฆ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ช๐ด๐ต ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ด. ๐๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ญ๐ช๐ฎ๐ช๐ต๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด๐ช๐ฃ๐ญ๐บ =๐ **
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Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2023 by kellymeudy
My favorite book from Jennifer Hartmann!
Format: Kindle
1st person/dual pov Spice: 3.5/5 So I read this book back before I started really writing full reviews. I've been going back and filling in some of my favorites with more detail to explain why you should give them a chance. This was one of the first books to introduce me to Jennifer Hartmann and it instantly became my favorite of hers. I won't lie and say that several of her other books have not come very close to taking that number one spot from this one because all of the ones I have read since this one are just that good. However, this one stood out to me because this was one of the first times I had read a book where the entire story not only put me in the characters' mindset as if it were me living through these events. The way the emotions and the surroundings are described is not only beautifully done it is also easy to read and picture in your mind. This story also had a feeling of authenticity to it that had me believing something like this could actually be happening out there somewhere in the world. I mean realistically it could but where most fictional realism keeps this feeling of unbelievability throughout the book this one went in the opposite direction and it paid off in spades. From the events that led to the situation the main characters find themselves in, to the trauma they go through together (which is both heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time), and then to how they recover from that trauma the blinders were completely off. There were no rose-colored glasses or promise of a perfect ending where everything magically works out because it's a romance book. Now I'm not implying there isn't a happy ending just that the way the characters get there felt natural and true to their characters. They had to work for their ending in a way that felt real. The spice is also very well written because you can tell it isn't there just to make the book "spicy" but to enhance the emotions that are being felt throughout the story. It evolves with them and compliments the connection that develops so that it's more than just sex tossed in for those who prefer to read books that include it. I guess what I'm trying to say is each aspect of this book no matter how light or how dark had a purpose. It doesn't tell you a story it makes you live it. It was darker than I anticipated it would be so if you're someone who has triggers or doesn't normally read darker romance I encourage you to read through the trigger warnings before starting. But if you decide you can get through the darker content you will close this book with a new favorite in your hands just like I did. And if you haven't read anything from this author before be prepared to dive into the other books Jennifer has written because there is a spark to the way she writes that will have you constantly coming back for more.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2023 by Reading with FeFe
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ | ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธยฝ
Format: Kindle
Jennifer Hartmann has officially become an auto-read author for me. While the story starts a little slow, it quickly becomes impossible to put down. The heartbreak, trauma, healing, and character growth throughout this book were beautifully written. Cora and Deanโs journeys felt incredibly raw and authentic, and getting both perspectives made every emotional moment hit even harder. This book took me through every emotion imaginable: sadness, anger, hope, and joy. Just when I thought I knew where the story was going, Jennifer surprised me and made the ending even more meaningful. Still Beating is so much more than a romance. Itโs a powerful story about survival, healing, and finding light after unimaginable darkness. Absolutely unforgettable.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2026 by Tia
Speechless
Format: Paperback
What a beautiful book !!! โShackled by hate, freed by loveโ Itโs a dark romance with so much pain, raw, beauty, struggle, so bare and profound !!! Itโs so well written and itโs such a tragic beautiful story ! By the way that is written you can be there with the characters through their pain and horror that they survived to. You can walk side by side with them through the authors words. Cora is a teacher, always being the quite girl, friend and daughter feeling herself always passed over by everyone including her own parents starting with her name. Despite being close to her sister she always felt that her sister was the center of attentions while she always walked at her sister shadows. Dean was the guy she immediately smile to when she arrive at the new school but he prank at her making her feel never good enough and starting from that day on their rivalry based on pranks and sharp tongues. Dean is the handsome guy at the school, the one everyone expect to be a player but he is not. When he saw Cora for the first time he was starstruck by her beauty but he was a silly boy and the way he found to call her attention was pranking her. Until the day that he start to date her sister and thatโs what all he will ever be. Enemiesโฆ They are abducted and forced to live a horrific situation that at the same time put their feelings and memories to a perspective. Itโs when Dean realize that he always look up to Cora, that she was the first of the sister that took his breath away, that when he receive her first smile he played in his head their whole life together just to be living it with her sister. During their horrible ordeal Cora struggle not only to survive but also to come to agreement of her feelings after all, she is betraying her sister, she donโt feel good enough for him and she holds him as her lifeline during the survival and the guilt she live in. Cora and Dean are for sure one of my favorite couple now. Their story is heartbroken, angst, harsh and at the same time so full of love, of hope, of strength and dedication to each other and to themselves. I am not a crier but this book wet my eyes a couple times and this says a lot. Itโs my first Hartmann book and surely not the last. This book is disturbing, itโs confusing, itโs heartbreaking and heartwarming, its conflicted and itโs healing. And so is love !!!!! Rating : โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ Spicy : ๐ถ๏ธ.5 Darkness: ๐ค Range of emotions : ๐ฅบ๐คฃ๐ณ๐ฉ๐ญ๐๐ฅบ๐ Ending : HEA ๐ POV : ๐ซ (Dual)
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Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2023 by Julia H.
Sink deep quick
Format: Kindle
This author wasted no time breaking my heart before giving me hope again. Fearfully, but wonderfully made is my best way to describe this book. Some of the language I didnt care for too much, and I felt was unnecessary (which is why I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars), but the overall story and emotion was still enough for me. I love a good trauma bonding story.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2026 by A M A N D A
Good at beginning
Format: Kindle
The book really grabbed me from the beginning. But then midway and into the end of the book it just really dragged on with the same scenario, seeming to happen over and over. So my opinion, it was an โokayโ book.
Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2026 by Carrie Stratton
I cannot even express what this made me feel
"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.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2023 by Taylor Hathcock