Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann

“We’re both still alive, and as long as we’re alive, there is hope. I need to be present—stay in the moment. It’s not over.”

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.

WARNING: This is a dark romance. This book contains subject matter that may be sensitive for some readers, including rape, as well as strong language and explicit sex. This was a hard book to read. It’s strange to say I enjoyed it, because it was so heartbreaking and horrifying at times. But in the tragedy these characters went through, they also formed an unbreakable bond. I thought it was so interesting that the story wasn’t just about the captivity and the after, but it also went into the past and showed us different parts of Dean and Cora’s relationship. Not only did they bond through their trauma, but they had an untypical 15-year relationship.

I gave this book a 4.5 star-rating. The characters were well developed and I loved the writing. I will definitely be checking out more from this author. Just be prepared if you read it, it’s pretty dark at times. Please check the trigger warnings before you read this.