A Thousand Heartbeats audiobook

As a fan of Selection series, I just made a few cartwheels after receiving the arc copy and dived into the story without even checking out the blurb! Enemies to lovers meets heroic fantasy theme attracted my full attention. The characterization was good! Both of the main characters suffer from dysfunctional family issues, resentments, wanting the best for their country, being ready to sacrifice themselves for good. But when their paths will be crossed, they will realize their perceptions are subjective and they might be believing distorted version of truth about the history of their own land. Annika is strong character, obedient to the king, ready to get married with a man she barely knows and Lennox is a fighter, dealing with mistreatment of his step father, ready to take lives to take control of the land they’re destined for. Annika finds herself kidnapped by neighboring country fighters who are leaded by Lennox. They insist the land Annika’s family kingdom reigning belongs to them. Throughout the road trip, both Annika and Lenox will understand the truth has several faces. They will question everything they’ve been taught for years. This book is a little long and slow burn but the pacing of the romance story is quick. We may call Annika and Lenox’s love story as insta love. They didn’t spend much time to get to know each other of form an intimate bond. But it happened quickly so enemies phase ended without giving us enough time to absorb everything. They quickly turned into lovers.The world building was also needed a little more description. It was a little flat. But overall it was still alluring reading with action packed and exciting chapters, character driven heroic story theme. At least it didn’t bore me! So I’m rounding up 3.5 stars to 4 I’m a big fan of the author and looking forward to read her future works stars! Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Children’s Books/ Harper’s Teen for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.bloginstagramfacebooktwitter

I really enjoyed this! An easy fantasy that focuses on characters, romance, and politics - my favourite kind!Totally clean and no language. Would recommend!

I felt like I was reading a fairytale and I can't say I hated it, in fact, I loved the contrast between the fluffy princess in a dreamy castle and a gruff warrior that lives in a gloomy and abandoned one. The story is slow at the beginning but once the MCs met it gets a lot better  and I liked the characters immediately specially Lennox. Finally, finally a male hero that CRIES. People, there's nothing wrong with men crying. We love tough and sometimes grumpy heroes but give them a vulnerable side and I'm a goner.Annika too, was surprising. She's all fluff and princess-y manners but she's as kind and forgiving as fierce and dangerous when need be.The side characters had a big part of the story. I liked Lennox's found family, Indigo and Blythe the most, as well as Annika's brother and maid and let's not leave cute little Thistle out, who needs a dog when you can have a little fox as a pet. (Let's all forget that Thistle scene and act like it never happened, ok?)Overall, I found A Thousand Heartbeats an entertaining and enjoyable read with just the right amount of action and wholesome moments.I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review. These thoughts are my own.

I enjoyed reading this story, I quite literally couldn't put it down. There was action, romance, and adventure. I was sucked in by the pages at night and finished reading as the sun came up. An enemies to lovers between two people who can't be together but the moment they have will make your heart race, how can someone fall in love and be heartbroken in the same moment. “Love has a sound. It sounds like a thousand heartbeats happening at the same time.

LOVE LOVE LOVENow I'm not going to lie... It did take me about 120 pages to actually get into this, but once I got past the world/character building I WAS HOOKED. I fell in love with this book.I adored Lennox and Annika and their backstories and their passion. Even though this was an enemies-to-lovers romance, I always love when they begin to protect each other *even though they are supposed to hate each other*. The slow burn was the perfect pace and had me kicking my feet in happiness the whole time. There is also a kidnapping and a battle scene between the two and I WAS HERE FOR IT. Don't let the 500+ pages scare you!! I am not the biggest fan of long books, but you will literally fly through this one. It's so fast-paced and addicting, I could not put it down. I honestly wish this was a series cause I loved the storyline and the characters

"Love has a sound. It sounds like a thousand heartbeats happening at the same time. It sounds like the rush of a waterfall or the still of the world at daybreak. You can hear it at night, lulling you to sleep, and, in the middle of your darkest days, it breaks through like a laugh."I am definitely in love with this book, because I hear something every time I think about it or look at the cover, and said sound is totally not the rain pounding on my roof but is the sound of 💖love💖Annika is a princess, girlboss, secret swordswoman, and most importantly a bookworm... of course I absolutely adore her. Lennox is a murderer, guy with a secret soft spot, traumatized character, and most importantly a simp for Annika... I mean, he's not my favorite but what's not to like about him, people?The romance?? TO DIE FOR. There were sparks the second they laid eyes on each other (and nearly killed each other) and it ONLY GOT BETTER FROM THERE. They spend one night in a cave together, determined to hate each other, and emerge head over heels in lurve. Their banter was cute while it lasted but their undying love for each other was cuterrrr 😍😍😍😍It's a swoony, gorgeous, action-packed romance standalone and if you're a hopeless romantic like myself I strongly recommend loosing yourself in this story for a few days (or hours, I'm a fast reader but some of ya'll are just... I don't even know). Have a blessed day 😘

|5 Stars| CAWPILE 100%| Ages 14+| Spotify Playlist hereFirst off, I need to clarify. I have seen reviews where people say there isn't any world build, it was instant-love, or the epilogue was lacking. I disagree with all of those. I can say that the first two are false, but the last depends on how you feel. I'm not discussing those things right now though; they'll be discussed later in the review. 🤗Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh. Y'all. I..... I don't even know what to say. This is my most favorite book of all time. (Yes, Twilight has finally been dethroned.😅) I honestly didn't expect this outcome going into this book. I didn't know what to think going into this book, period. Other than "OH MY GOSH, ANOTHER KIERA CASS?! YES!" 🤩 I was nervous. I'd seen some not-promising reviews of it, so I was super worried that I was going to be let down by this, just like with The Heir and The Crown (I HATED those books) and that was terrifying. But, as you can tell, that was far from the case! I will admit, it did take me a little bit to get into. 😓 It wasn't that I felt like it was slow or tedious; rather, I wasn't attached to anyone yet. And when I finally was super hooked, I was 130 pages in. But those first 130 pages were still AMAZING! Character Breakdown: Annika: "Oh, I am very much alive" First, that line in the book. Ugh, it gives me all the feels. I can picture that part, and it was that part that solidified the fact that she is my newest roll model. Y'all, I love her more than Inej. (Six of Crows) And I loved Inej! 🤯What I loved more about Annika is that I could relate to her easier. She was bada**, but still knew when to keep her mouth shut, even though most of the time she couldn't. And she wasn't a perfect person. She got jealous. She got angry. She lashed out. She. Was. Human. But, what I loved most about her character was the way Kiera wrote her emotions and thoughts. The writing in this book was so BEAUTIFUL and FULL in this book, but Annika's emotions and thoughts were some of the best parts. This girl thinks y'all. She processes and plans and fights. Even if her rebellion is something small, like wearing her hair down when her fiance ordered her to wear it up. Or speaking up against her father when something was wrong. And that last thing has awful consequences sometimes. (view spoiler)[ Annika has cuts all along her legs because her dad shoved her, and she landed on a glass table. You can imagine what happened next. (hide spoiler)] Lennox- "Marry me. Otherwise, this victory is empty. Otherwise, I am empty.I know that us book readers love our morally grey men (or in some cases morally black men. Not in my case, though.) And Lennox is as morally grey as they come. He is fighting for his country, but amongst his army is known as a heartless murderer. Which is something he is FAR from being. For the most part. I can't go into it without spoiling the whole book, but let's say that this man has emotions. 😍Speaking of those emotions, you know how it kills you when you read about your favorite male character falling to pieces in front of the main girl? Y'all. I've never been so emotionally destroyed by one of those scenes as I was reading this. I could feel his anguish. And we weren't even reading from his POV! We were in Annika's! That's how strong the sadness was. I'm getting teary-eyed just thinking about it. *frantically waves at face to drive away the tears* Anyway. Moving on from him falling apart. Gah, I just love/adore him so much!(view spoiler)[I was so emotional when we figured out that he A) Killed Annika's mother and B) Still goes to her grave (almost daily) and talked to her because of the overwhelming guilt he felt about her death. How sad is that?! And when he asked for Annika's forgiveness.... 😭😭😭 That part kills me. (hide spoiler)]Escalus- "No matter what, I'm still here." I really wish that we could've had more time with his character because I really loved him! For the first half, we had scenes with him, but in the last 1/3-1/4 he was in a freaking coma, so we didn't get him at all. 😮‍💨 He really was the epitome of all an older brother should be. He was patient with Annika and cared about what she thought. Where others only saw a girl, he saw a brilliant woman. He even knows how to embroider! 🤣🤣🤣 Escalus also taught Annika how to fight with a sword! Noemi- "I wouldn't go around insulting you, sir, but I also wouldn't give praise where it isn't due." I love her so much. She was so loyal to Annika, but wasn't afraid to go after her own true love. By the way, I totally called who she was in love with! 💪🏻 (view spoiler)[She's in love with Escalus!! 🥰 (hide spoiler)]Rhett- "Run away with me." Ugh. I really didn't like Rhett. Like Annika, I was a little lead away by him in the beginning. But, shortly following that, I started to get annoyed with him. Like, the dude couldn't take a hint! By the end, I just hated him. No question. Anyone who did what he didn't deserve my kindness. (view spoiler)[ He freakin' set a library on fire! (hide spoiler)]Nickolas- "After the engagement is announced, I expect you to wear your hair up." Okay, whereas Rhett took time for me to start hating, he was a "I hate you so much." right off the bat. This dude was SO manipulative and controlling. He thought he could put Annika in a box. He thought he could make her a thing to look at rather than a person, and he was so mistaken. Inigo- "If anyone was going to make it, it was her." Hehe. I loved Inigo so much. He was the Keefe Keeper of the Lost Cities)of this book. The Leo (The Lost Hero) of the group. Need I say more.Blythe- "So is this why I'm not enough for you? Because your eyes are set on her?"I didn't like her either. I blame the whole end of the book on her.... for the most part. She was just blind and confused. And i really hope that she ends up finding love one day, because she deserved it. Book Content: ********************************************************************************Plot- Princess Annika has lived a life of comfort—but no amount of luxuries can change the fact that her life isn’t her own to control. The king, once her loving father, has gone cold, and Annika will soon be forced into a loveless marriage for political gain.Miles away, small comforts are few and far between for Lennox. He has devoted his life to the Dahrainian army, hoping to one day help them reclaim the throne that was stolen from them. For Lennox, the idea of love is merely a distraction—nothing will stand in the way of fighting for his people.But when love, against all odds, finds them both, they are bound by its call. They can’t possibly be together—but the irresistible thrum of a thousand heartbeats won’t let them stay apart.Violence- War violence, murder, stabbing, drowning, starvation, dehydration, war. Sexual Content- Passionate kissing and Annika and Lennox sleep in the same bed, but that's it. Zero sex in this book. ******************************************************************************** "Lennex Au Sucrit, I want nothing in the world but to be yours." (😌😆🤩😍🥰)Romance- Oh. Y'all. You thought what Maxon and America had was powerful. You thought what they had was everything. You thought they were amazing. Lennox and Annika were 500 times better than that. If I had to pick one couple, it would be Lennox and Annika. Their slow burnnnnn. Ughhhhh. Some people say that they were too insta-love. That's not true! They tried to kill each other MULTIPLE times before they fell in love. Did they have a connection when they first met? Yes, but that is for reasons you later understand. But what they had was so raw and real that I couldn't help but love them. There were 2 other couples... wait 3. But one of those couples died because both characters died. 😭 One of the others I called that they were together, same with the other. I didn't call the one that died, though. The World- Oh my gosh, their world. It was sooooo amazing! And reading about the changing of it and the war! Seeing the world change was one of the best parts. The Epilogue- "He would hold her hand and walk confidently into the next tomorrow." 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 . Seriously, this book had some of the best quotes ever. E.V.E.R. And this epilogue had almost all of them. Almost. I was not at all disappointed by this epilogue. I actually started bawling over this epilogue. It was probably the most beautiful epilogue I've ever read. I don't think I can ever emphasize to you just how incredible this book and this writing is. ********************************************************************************There is still so much I feel like I need to talk about or that I want to talk about! Seriously, I'm so obsessed with this book. THANK YOU Kiera Cass for this masterpiece! Characters: 10/10Atmosphere: 10/10Writing: 10/10Plot: 10/10Intruige: 10/10Logic: 10/10Enjoyment: 10/10Violence- 3/5Cussing-1/5Sexual Content-1/5Drug/Drinking-.3/5 "I told myself that it had be the rain. It was something hitting the mountain, or a tree falling, or anything else really. But every time Lennox smiled or touched me or even looked at me a certain way, I would hear it again. The sound of a thousand heartbeats."

this book was pretty slow to start and took me a while to get into it. the plot wasn’t amazing, but i did rlly enjoy the romance! i do wish it wasn’t a standalone, especially since i didn’t get very attached to the characters & i feel like i would’ve if it was a series! this book was not super memorable imo, but still cute & fun, and i love kiera cass’s writing sm! i also enjoyed the short chapters, dual pov & the tropes :)

There is so much I want to say about this book, yet I fear no amount of words will ever do it justice. I am very much a mood reader and though I had no desire to read a fantasy book at the time, how could I resist when it was written by my favorite childhood author? Not to mention, it has some of my favorite tropes - enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, and forbidden romance. Needless to say, A Thousand Heartbeats was a captivating read that exceeded my every expectation. Annika, our main female protagonist, will forever go down as one of my absolute favorite characters EVER. She was written so beautifully. There wasn’t a side of her I didn’t love. She was equally forgiving as she was assertive; knowing when it was time to be patient opposed to when she needed to stand her ground. She was never the damsel-in-distress that needed a man to intervene to solve her problems for her. She pushed the boundaries each and every way, making her an evenly balanced character. Her love for others flowed deep and I cherished the sincerity behind her friendship with Noemi. Also, the brother-sisterly love between her and Escalus melted my heart! They’ve been through so much together and at the end of the day, they were both willing to lay their lives down for one another. As for Lennox, he made my heart ache in all the best ways. Despite his past, there was a gentleness about him that went way beyond the surface. It was the little moments that showed you just how human he actually was. His emotions were raw, yet guarded, so I treasured the glimpses we got as the story went along. He was very much like Annika in the sense that he too was loyal and would be to the end. His character development was absolutely seamless. You don’t sense the gravity of it until you get to the end of the story and remember where you were when you started. The chemistry between Annika and Lennox was unreal. Cass executed the enemies to lovers trope perfectly because you don’t realize just how much you need them to be together until you see just how impossible it may be. It wasn’t just their love that made me swoon; it was their understanding nature. They knew what was important to each other and they didn’t want to stand in the way of that. They valued each other’s well being the most and that made me fall in love with them as a couple. Also, their banter?! Off-the-charts. They had me kicking my feet and giggling like a little girl.Worldbuilding is one of the most important aspects of the fantasy genre and to say that Kiera Cass nailed it would be an understatement. She gave us just enough of a visual to paint a picture without making it excruciatingly painful to understand. The pacing was an essential part of this and truly, I’ve never seen it done as well as in this novel. It definitely kept me on my toes. The story was written with the perfect tempo to create just as many questions as there were answers. The novel's structure was the aspect that pulled everything together in the end. Breaking the story up into three parts kept the momentum going. Starting each part out in the third person POV foreshadowed the events of the following chapters in a way that paralleled both the past and the future. I’ve never seen a dual POV be as balanced as it was in this novel. I will say, I do wish both Annika and Lennox's dreams as well as their chance encounter were explored more. There was some untapped potential in these storylines.I would read this book again in a heartbeat and you already know I'm manifesting a second book just so I can live in their world a little longer. Overall, it was a compelling and memorable read that earned 4.8 stars out of five from me. Thank you to HarperCollins (HarperTeen) and Kiera Cass for providing me with this ARC. As always, all opinions are my own and are not influenced by early access to this title.

4/5⭐️I really enjoyed this. It did start of quite slow and it took me a little bit to get into this but then it picks up and it’s very easy to read. Although this is a chunky book, it was so easy to read and I didn’t even realize how fast I got through it. I love the concept of this book. Lennox and Annika were both so fun to read about. I loved how the chapters were very short and alternated between both their povs. It was very fun to see how opposite their lives were. It’s also enemies to lovers and who can resist that? I know I can’t. Even when they hated each other they just couldn’t help protecting one another and denying their feelings. I really enjoyed the back and forth and teasing too. It’s a slow burn and once the romance really starts it’s the very cute and passionate. The side characters were also amazing. Everyone was so interesting in their own way and I really liked that. The ending felt a bit rushed which disappointed me slightly but it still ended in a good enough way where I was satisfied. I recommend!

Holy crap. This book. Was amazing. Anyone who knows me know that I LOVE the selection series. Maxon will always own my heart. However, I think I enjoyed this Kiera cass book more than the selection as a whole. Which I was not expecting. The character building for the two lead characters was incredible. Annika quickly became one of my favorite book heroines. I loved her with my heart. The plot was so developed and engaging. I am left in awe of this book.

4.5 stars | cawpile: 8.1 | ages 13+what a way to start of 2023!!initial thoughts:- i don’t understand the cover, but it is gorgeous- the insta love was terrible but holy crap annika and lennox were freaking adorable- it had a different vibe from the selection and the betrothed, but i was totally here for it- the world building needed a bit of work—it just fell a little flat—not bad at all though- climax was incredible- the resolution was even better- the love square was done so well!- i loved the tropes in this book—enemies to lovers, childhood friends, arranged marriage, etc.- LOVED the dual pov- the characters were so complex and dynamic and different!- it took me almost 300 pages to get into it but it was so worth it- it was a tad bit long- the writing was stunning- i dunno how i felt about the epilogue—it would’ve been better in first person- i’ll 100% read this againc 8a 8w 9p 8.5i 7.5l 8e 8

Ok so I loved it but it was a little slow in the beginning and some of it just didn’t really make sense. I think overall it was a good book but I kept getting selection vibes at certain parts of the book and some of it was just a bit confusing like since when did this character even exist. But I loved the enemies to lovers and I loved the way it ended. Once I got into it, it was pretty good and so cute.

I really loved this book. I read it in one day. The characters are well-developed and I immediately loved both voices, Annika's and Lennox. It's a bit of an enemies-to-lovers, but also an insta-love (which I don't normally like, but I also just really love Annika and Lennox, so I was totally rooting for them.)There is political intrigue. Battling kingdoms. Rebellion. Star-crossed lovers. And the best part? This is a clean book with only a couple of minor curse words. Annika is strong and stubborn. But she's also soft and sweet. She shows mercy and forgiveness in the midst of unbelievable sorrows. Lennox is a little bit of a morally grey character, but you soon see his heart and want him to win. There is violence, but not overly graphic. Overall, wonderful story, with great characters, and a sweet romance.

Annika is the princess of her country, Kadier, and she loves nothing more than her people -- so much so that she's willing to sacrifice her potential happiness to marry a man she hardly knows and has mixed feelings about. On a tour to announce their engagement, she is captured by members of a neighboring country and held hostage with the claim that Kadier is actually their stolen land, Dahrain. As she learns more about her captors, including a young man named Lennox, she realizes the life she knew may all be a lie. In her presence, Lennox, too, finds himself questioning what he's been told his whole life. As the two balance their growing interest in one another with their love of their respective countries, they both come to realize what matters most in their lives may not be what they originally thought.The exposition starts with the reader learning about the social structure of Annika's court, as well as the tension between Lennox and his "step-father" Kawan. The world building was simple, but I was still able to envision these two distinct places and people. However, the first 40% of this book moved a bit too slow for my liking, but I overall appreciated the structure of the plot's timeline. One of my pet peeves with multi-narrative novels is the constant waiting -- an event or realization occurs in one person's POV, then we spend another six chapters catching up with the second. But in this book, conflicts arose and were immediately addressed in the follow chapter, which kept me wanting to read way past my bed time. I really enjoyed the way Cass characterized Annika especially -- I usually find myself a little bored with the female leads who are resigned to follow the set expectations of their gender in the royal role, but Cass found a way to toe the line. I never once felt like Annika was too well-trained or rebellious to fit into the court life, nor did I feel like she was a damsel in distress without hope of living without the intervention of a man. I also thought the main conflict between characters was natural and complex enough to motivate most of their actions (even if I was screaming the resolution -- which eventually came to fruition -- from the rooftops from the first few chapters). And as can be expected from a Kiera Cass novel, the romance is spot on. I felt like it developed naturally (albeit a smidge too quickly, explained later in the book). There were some moments that I wish were emphasized more (specifically the element about the dreams, the stars, and the chance meeting) to develop their connection even further, but I did enjoy reading their story. It's the highlight of this book -- as it should be.I found myself wishing this could be at least a duology since this book was a bit on the longer side, and I have many unanswered questions. But readers of Cass's earlier works should be pleased with this one!

I love anything Kiera Cass, and this book is added to my beloved collection of her books! I gave 4 stars over 5 for the fact that sometimes the writing was a little too cheesy, but it is YA and I do still love cheesy. I love the change in her writing to also writing in a male perspective (Lennox), I thought it was really well done and I really enjoyed it since I prefer to read from a male perspective. I liked Annika a lot and appreciated the straying from her typical writing of female characters; Annika was less selfish than Kiera’s typical female character and I appreciated that. Overall I really liked the book and will probably read it again in a year or two!