After a lot of set up and a slower build to this story, Cass gives us a romance that is so romantic. I kept reading and waiting knowing that it was coming together, but when Lennox and Annika finally connect, it's magic. I intended to read this slowly, but sat down at 40% and binged because I NEEDED to know how everything came together. I adored the Selection series and think this is just as swoony.

Kiera Cass does it again! Annika is a princess devoted to her people. Lennox is a killer, just as devoted to his people. Their paths cross and kingdoms are at stake. I always love Cass's world building abilities, and this is no exception. Annika and Lennox were incredible to read, and I felt all the emotions. Thistle will always have my heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review!

I have to say, I wasn't sure where this book was going to go. The beginning was a little slow for me and it's also told by two POV.

But stick it out! Once you get halfway through it's full speed ahead and you'll want to be sitting down for those twists and turns.

Annika is your lovely Princess. She goes around the castle, spends time with her brother and is very kind to her maid who is more like a dear friend to her. Oh and she loves to read HEA books and practices how to use a sword.

Lennox is next, but for a solider, he isn't as bad as you may think. Yes, he has done bad things and killed people. Yes, his family life is basically non existent and yet, it hasn't made him that cruel. There are moments where he will surprise you with kindness and is truly a man of his word.

When Annika is taken by Lennox, that is when things pick up pace. If you didn't like her fiancé by now, you will not like what he did in that moment. Now in a cell, Annika could have had a number of things happen to her. But Lennox wasn't that bad, minus the hair cut moment. He gives her some truth about her family and hold up his word. She exchanges some information and then lets her be. What wasn't in the plan was Annika escaping. Whoops!

After that moment, everything picks up and the surprises will keep coming.

I loved this book and the characters, especially Annika. It's yet another masterpiece by Kiera. I can't wait to get my hand on her next book.

Kiera Cass does it again!!!! I wasn't sure what to excpect going into this but I was blown away! It started a little slow but it drew me in until I did not want to put it down. I stayed up way to late reading htis.

I devoured The Selection series. But I’m alway apprehensive about new releases by beloved authors because there is always the chance that they won’t deliver. Kiera Cass DID. This standalone novel is page turning, filled with likable and not so likable characters, and just pulls you right in. Definitely worth the read.

Pretty slow and dull for the first half of the book. It lacked good world building that I would expect from a fantasy book. Truthfully it came off as more of a historical fiction. About halfway through it felt like the author had to speed up the relationship development between the main characters to make up for lost time from the first half of the book. A little hard to believe the enemies to lovers trope as it switches from one to the other too quickly.

With all that being said I feel like in the right hands, young teenage girls, this could be an amazing book. It will probably seem new and exciting. This much older reader has just read too many books for this one to stand out. I will be letting my 13 year old daughter who loves Kiera Cass read this book when it comes out. I'll be curious to hear what she thinks.

***Advanced copy obtained from Harper Collins Children's Books via Netgalley***

After the Selection series I went into this with high hopes and wasn’t disappointed. Loved the story, the action, and the romance. Thank you to the publisher for the arc, all opinions are my own.

A Thousand Heartbeats is a historical enemies-to-lovers romance set in a fictitious world. Annika is the princess of a King who has grown cold after the disappearance of his wife. Despite wanting to marry for love, Annika loves her kingdom enough to accept a marriage for political rationale. Lennox lives a less luxurious life as a ruthless soldier to the Dahrainian army with hopes to secure their people's stolen throne. Despite being set as enemies from the start, the two find themselves inexplicably falling for one another.
I've never read anything from Kiera Cass, so I went into this with almost no expectations. I will say- this is NOT a fantasy romance as it is labeled on Goodreads. The land is fictional, but there is nothing fantastical. The label of fantasy confused me but that did not hurt my enjoyment of this book.
The chapters alternate POVs and are super short which made this book read so fast.
Characters: I enjoyed both POVs, but definitely felt like Lennox was a more developed and interesting character. I think the romance developed nicely, and this is a true enemies to lovers that made sense to me. If you like having tough female characters, you'll really enjoy Annika. If you enjoy male characters that get their emotional walls taken down slowly, you'll love Lennox. There is one method the author used to allow characters to find out big news that I don't enjoy: when a character is talking to themselves/an animal/or an inanimate object and someone overhears them. I feel like it's kind of an easy way out and can usually be done better.
The world: I think that Cass did a good job of making it clear that the time period is historical without clearly stating a year. The mystery of the kingdom's history was amazing. To be fair, it is a trope I love so much I don't think that I could ever get tired of it. But I truly think that Cass did an exceptional job on it in this story. Other than the cave scene, this was my favorite aspect of the book. One issue I had with the book was the action scenes. I felt that a lot of detail during these scenes was glossed over, and it could have been better written/developed. I didn't always understand all that was happening during those scenes. In particular, the final battle scene didn't really feel like a battle or war. There wasn't any showing of the scene other than the main characters/main side characters speaking to one another or fighting one another. We are told there is fighting/a war and that characters "hear" the ongoing battle, but we aren't shown that.
Tropes: This book does play heavily on a lot of typical topes that are popular, and some people don't enjoy that but I definitely do. It is a TRUE enemies to lovers, not just dislike to love. They truly despise each other in the beginning and their people are enemies. It also has forbidden romance and fated soulmates tropes. Now I know the fated soulmates trope isn't everyone's favorite, but I really like how it was done in this story. It was so sweet and the descriptions of them falling for one another hit me right in the heart. There was also a cave scene. And trauma bonds. When I tell you those two things immediately make me fall in love... my heart is thumping quicker just thinking about it! It is a clean romance, but I loved these scenes and heartfelt moments so much. The cave scene will live rent-free in my head forever.
The discussions on grief, loss, and forgiveness were stunning. I can't wait to share a couple of quotes I saved when the book officially releases because more people need to read them.

I really thought I would like this book because I LOVE The Selection series. But I struggled through this. Neither the plot nor the characters drew me in.

Kiera Cass never disappoints me. I absolutely loved and enjoyed it!! It was such a solid story, incredibly pacing, word building and pacing. Along with that, I really loved the chemistry between MCs and the sweeping romance!!

This was slow to get started. There was a lot of unnecessary information about how the mom died that could have been excluded. The good thing was there was really good character development. The main character was a strong, independent woman. The ending was amazing so that made up for a strong start. I’m glad I stuck with this, but if I hadn’t been reading it to review I might have given up on the beginning.

This book was fantastically and brilliantly written. I loved the world building and the characters! Highly recommend!

4.5 Stars!

“Love doesn’t look like anything.” “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 darkesst days, it breaks through like a laugh.”

“It had been fascinating to watch how love chipped the jagged edges from someone, made them sharper in some ways and softer in others. It left me, for the first time, awed by the prospect. Love is complicated. Compicated, but so unexpectedly beautiful.”

“It was so easy. I understood now why anyone dared to let someone else have control over their heart. She could do whatever she wanted. She could throw my heart back into that hurricane, and I would thank her for it. I was hers. I was Annika’s. And there was nothing to be done about it.”

I have been a fan of Kiera Cass’ books for quite some time. She captured my heart with the Selection series and stole it once again with A Thousand Heartbeats.

From the moment my eyes caught the cover of A Thousand Heartbeats, I knew I had to read this book. I mean how could you possibly go wrong with the enemies-to-lovers trope in a fantasy setting? And let me tell you, this book does not disappoint. I was sucked into Lennox and Annika’s story from the very first page. Despite being from two very different backgrounds, Annika and Lennox’s background was very similar. Both of them were broken by the direction their lives took, but their sense of duty kept pushing them along. Lennox and Annika are destined to be enemies but for these two fate has other plans. And so begins an unforgettable, fantastical story of love against all odds and the duty their lives have thrust upon them…

A Thousand Heartbeats is a fantastic read from beginning to end. I loved the plot and the rich scenery. I loved the characters, flaws, and all. I will be the first to admit that this book does start out a bit slow but, honestly, that is to be expected with a fantasy novel. But I promise the pace does pick up around the 40% mark.

As far as characters go, I absolutely adored Annika and Lennox. Annika might have been a princess, but don’t let her status fool you. There is so much more to this girl than meets the eye and she is so much stronger than people give her credit for. And Lennox, 100% had my heart from the beginning. There was just something about him that intrigued me. I loved his sense of duty and how he was desperately trying to right a wrong. Together, these two were destined to be enemies and I love watching their relationship grow and change throughout the story.

In the end, A Thousand Heartbeats was everything I was hoping it would be. I thoroughly enjoyed getting lost in this story. If you’re looking for a Young Adult Fantasy novel with an enemies-to-lovers/star-crossed lovers vibe, you won’t want to miss A Thousand Heartbeats.

I enjoyed this book. It is not as good as her first series that I read by her but it has been a good series so far. I look forward to her next book.

A Thousand Heartbeats, a Romeo and Juliet-esque romance, finds Annika, the princess of Kadier betrothed to her scheming cousin Nicholas for political gain. When they leave the castle to tour the kingdom celebrating their engagement, she is kidnapped by Lennox, a Dahrainian soldier who believes that the Kaderian throne belongs to his family. Annika is dismayed to find that the stories of her family being chosen by the six clans to rule is a myth. Lennox tells her that when his father was executed for attempting to reclaim the throne, her mother was abducted and murdered in retaliation. Annika escapes her imprisonment in a dungeon only to be recaptured by Lennox, who then lets her go. Her father King Theron arranges a meeting on a nearby island with the Dahrainian leader Kawan to negotiate a truce. Annika is appalled to find out he is actually planning an ambush. In the ensuing battle Annika and Lennox face off in a sword fight that ends when a hurricane hits land and they end up sheltering together in a cave where they share their secrets and fall in love. When the storm subsides, they leave the cave and find that the survivors have retreated, and Annika's father and brother have been gravely injured. Annika, who has been declared acting regent, wants to pursue peace and find out the truth about who should actually be King of Kadier. In alternating chapters from Annka and Lennox's points of view, the action-packed story unfolds, filled with palace intrigue, conflicting histories and steamy romance.

Kiera Cass does it again and created an amazing page turner that I could t put down. Although Lennox thought he was unredeemable, Annika taught him and showed him forgiveness in the most beautiful way. Well written and would highly recommend.

A new stand-alone story from well-known author Kiera Cass, A Thousand Heartbeats, introduces readers to two would-be lovers who come from different worlds. Princess Annika appears to live a charmed life, at least at first glance. Further inspection, however, finds her bound to duty and hampered by the dictates of a once-loving father who curbs every freedom. In a country on the outskirts, Lennox lives a very different life where one earns freedom at the edge of a sword. A hardened warrior who finds himself serving a master he does not respect to gain what his people lost, Lennox is determined to overcome his circumstances. A tangled, enemies-to-lovers story emerges when fate throws the two main characters together. Well written and worth reading, Cass once again proves herself a master storyteller.

DNF 35%

I can’t. I tried but why waste my time with a book this boring and irritating. So boring! I read other reviews and it does pick up about half way but this book is over 500 pages long. I don’t have the patience to keep reading. Bland characters. This is supposed to be fantasy but I just can’t picture it. So many things and plot points don’t make sense. Far too easily resolved. I was over this book at about 15%. Awkward writing that isn’t selling the fantasy aspect and the dialogue was so meh.

I just can’t force myself to read a book I’m not even enjoying and find as a pain to pick up and read. Loved The Selection series but I just can’t with her other books.

*Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

First things first: dislikes…
I honestly can’t think of anything I disliked. It was a book I would probably reread, which isn’t an easy list to make.

Likes:
Dual POV. If you know me, you know I LOVE me some dual point of view!! I want to know what the characters are feeling from their perspective. I don’t want the mystery, because I’m the reader. I like being spoiled. 😂🤷🏻‍♀️ Not to mention, Lennox and Annika are both remarkably comfy minds to live in. I enjoy the way they think, the way they face thief difficulties. Just love it.

Tropes! Tropes! Tropes!!!
Ok, so enemies to lovers is usually something I can take or leave. It’s not a favorite for me. But this was IMPECCABLE. The slow trust build. The fury to curiosity. LOVED it. Throw in some star crossed lovers, and forced proximity?? I AM HERE FOR IT.

Family. We have tight knit familial ties all around. Sibling bonds, friendship, found family. It’s beautiful, and I’d love to see some of these side characters in another story. Very cool.

Political intrigue… something I feel Cass does very well is build up political intrigue in her worlds. It’s complicated in a plausible way, and I enjoy that.

It’s a one and done! The story is finished. Don’t get me wrong, I love a series, but when it doesn’t drag out it is SO good. No questions unanswered, no longing for more details. Just a beautifully wrapped up story.

Definitely check this one out. It releases in November!

I was really excited to have gotten approved for this story. Books about royalty are in my top favorites. Unfortunately this book fell a tiny bit flat for me at times. It took a little bit to get into it, and because of that it dragged on at some points. I also had a little trouble connecting with the main character but it might just be because I’m not the right audience for this book! I still will look forward to other books by the author :)