Love Beyond Words

City Lights Series #1

by Emma Scott, Mia Madison (Narrator)

She thought the best love affairs only happened in books...

Traumatized by the deaths of her parents three years ago, Natalie Hewitt lives an introverted life, taking college classes during the day and working as a barista in a coffee shop at night. A passionate reader, she uses the writing of the world-famous and reclusive novelist Rafael Melendez Mendón to assuage her grief. His words are her refuge, his characters better company than anyone she could meet in real life… until Julian Kovač walks into the café one summer evening. He is a handsome, quiet young man and Natalie feels an instant connection.

But Julian has a secret that is both the most wonderful revelation Natalie could possibly imagine…and the very thing that could tear them apart.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, New Adult, Audiobook, Fiction, Suspense

Audiobook

First published October 27, 2014

About the author

Emma Scott is a USA Today and Wall St. Journal bestselling author whose books have been translated in seven languages and featured in Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, New York Daily News and USA Today’s Happy Ever After. Her first MM romance, Someday, Someday won the Utopia Con Award for LGBTQ Book of the Year. Emma writes emotional, character-driven romances in which art and love intertwine to heal, and in which love always wins. If you enjoy emotionally-charged stories that rip your heart out and put it back together again, with diverse characters and heroes who treat their heroines like gold, you will enjoy her novels.

RECENT RELEASES all available now and FREE with KU

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The Girl in the Love Song
When You Come Back to Me
The Last Piece of His Heart

Someday, Someday M/M romance (Winner! LGBTQ Book of the Year, Utopia Con)

A Five-Minute Life


UPCOMING RELEASES:

The Muse 2022

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Reviews

[♥︎ Heather ⚔ (New House-Hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 Stars Rounded Up.

LOL. This was not a mf bank robbery romance - I mean there was a little bit of embezzlement going on - but then I looked at the synopsis of book 2 and BAAM right in the first sentence 'after the bank robbery'

I didn't love this one as much as I love most of Emma's books - I think a big part of the disappointment was due to the female narrator trying to tackle male characters and an accent. It was too much and I commend her for putting in the work but it didn't really work for me.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ A captivating tale of two slightly awkward, shy and yet believable characters, who overcome past traumatic obstacles and find their true love.

Student by day, barista by night, introvert Natalie Hewitt finds solace in words- words of any kind, but especially those of famed recluse author, Rafael Melendez Mendon. They are the only comfort and joy in her life since losing both her parents in a car accident. That is, until Julian Kovac comes into the coffee shop where she works.

Mesmerized not only by his beauty, but also the understanding of his desire to be left alone, Natalie patiently watches him for months as he says nothing aside from his drink order and then sits at a table to write. A friendship blooms when he finally asks her to join him, but from the very beginning there is clearly more between these two.

This is a slow paced, slow burn love story with a bit of suspense added which I really enjoyed. I was a little surprised by this one lol I really did think I was picking up something entirely different and that's what I get for never really reading blurbs and pulling the trigger after seeing just a few key words.

That's not to say I was disappointed because I actually really enjoyed the story. I did have to suspend my disbelief just a tad because the secret that Julian was keeping didn't seem very plausible to me. Sure it can happen, I just don't really think it would lol.

All in all it was an enjoyable suspenseful romance - looking forward to picking up the next book which does have an actual bank robbery lol. ❤️

❤️Immediate Connection
❤️Bookworm FMC
❤️Secret Identity
❤️Suspense
❤️Emotional Romance
❤️Shocking Twists
❤️Kindle Unlimited/Free with Audible Membership

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ Connect with me on Instagram ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars



Emma Scott is one of my most favorite authors but for some reason, I had never picked up her debut novel. When I saw it was available on audio, I jumped in to listen straight away. Natalie and Julian’s romance was emotional, sweet, and much more suspenseful than I expected.

Natalie suffered a big loss when she lost both of her parents years ago. Now, she works and goes to school and that’s about it. She is finishing up her last year in college and in her spare time when she’s not working or at school she’s reading. She loses herself in books because sometimes real life can be a bit too painful. Julian is a writer. After losing both of his parents also, he’s been a bit of a loner as well.

Natalie and Julian meet at the coffee shop she works at. It’s obvious there is something between them, but their relationship is very much a slow burn. Once they were together, I wanted things to be easy for them. Both of them had been through so much in their lives, but easy isn’t what they were in store for…

Overall, I enjoyed Love Beyond Words. It had a tad too much drama and suspense for my liking, but was still a solid read. The hero was super romantic and I adored the heroine. As always, I will read anything and everything this author writes!!

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

Edit
My first Emma scott book! Loved it so much so that I lost my mind and forgot to rate it back when I read it a few years ago oops! ♥️

[Obsidian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seriously, this freaking book. If I had posted any updates they would have just been gifs of a figure setting a book on fire again and again. I have no idea what the hell was going on half the time and oh yeah we get one gay character who is freaking crazy and another one that apparently is obtuse, but yes must do something about the friend who is in love with him though he's gay and she's a girl so why the fuck must he do something about it?

DEEP BREATH.

Sorry, this book is seriously making my head spin in a bad way. It was just not great or even good in my opinion.

"City Lights" follows Natalie who is trying to obtain her accountant degree while working at a coffee shop. She comes across a young man named Julian she finds herself intrigued by because Natalie has never met a young man who is attractive that actually talked to her. I don't know. She acts like she has never met human beings with real feelings before so I should not be surprised by how she acts. Natalie loves to read and is currently obsessed by all things written by her favorite reclusive author Rafael Melendez Mendón. Though she occasionally goes out with her only two friends in the world Liberty and Marshall. Oh God. I will get back to these two later.

Julian is hiding a secret and has an obsessive friend/business manager named David who makes Glenn Close's character in Fatal Attraction seem reasonable.

There seems to be something else going on with David hiding a secret from Julian that will make you roll your eyes, but not as much as David obsessing about Julian and being jealous of a toothbrush and washcloth that touched David. We do get one scene where David writhes around moaning with a used towel between his legs and at that point I contemplated taking up smoking again. I damn well went and found some gin and made myself a gin and tonic though.

So if you want to read a book about Natalie obsessing about Julian for about 25 percent of the book come on down and pick this up. I just laughed out loud (not in a good way) when Juilian reveals that he is in love with Natalie. These two have never spoken more than a few words to each other beyond the one time where Natalie reveals her favorite author that she is obsessed with is named Rafael Melendez Mendón. Jullian reacts strangely to this news, and if you have never read a book before maybe you are going to be surprised by the reveal (which is revealed at around the 40 percent point). There is absolutely no chemistry between these two at all though we do get a lot of love scenes.

The characters of Liberty and Marshall are there to be the Greek chorus of why Natalie is pathetic and needs to get a life through the whole book. At one point I wondered why the hell she was even friends with them since they both pretty much sucked. And I hated the whole storyline with Liberty being in love with Marshall (he's gay by the way) and her obsessing about him and not dating other people because I guess love is enough to turn people from being gay into straight? I don't know. I think at that point I had gin and tonic number two, was laying out by the pool trying to ignore my sister's aunt while she tried to explain to me why she didn't think Donald Trump was racist.

All in all the writing was repetitive and the flow was a joke. If you want to read about Julian calling Natalie love, his love, and how his life is nothing without her, well read on. The flow was all over the place. We would be in a scene and all of a sudden many months would pass in a couple of paragraphs here and there, and besides people saying things like "Happy Valentine's Day" to each other you wouldn't really know what month or day it was supposed to be.

The ending was a wrap up of some atrocious story-telling.

[Syndi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am surprise. I am a big fan of Emma Scott. Most of her books are my favorite. However in Love Beyond Words, just not working for me.

The plot/ motivation from each of the main characters, Julian, David and Natalie is crumbling into non sense. Hence the story fells apart. The first 60% of this book is nothing but Julian and Natalie's feeling toward each other. In my opinion is just taking forever to dwell into their feeling.

Again, I am sad. What a disappointment.

2 stars

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall rating: 4.25 stars!

Triggers:
Cheating: No
Love triangle: No
Sex with om/ow: No
Intimate pasts: Our hero, Julian has been with a grand total of 5 women from the time he was 19-28 years old. They were all women he actually dated. No one night stands. Our heroine, Natalie, has only be with one other man

HEA: Yes. I really wished for a longer epilogue because you know I am spoiled with wanting my FULL stories with babies and all, but this was a sweet ending anyway!

My review:

Natalie Hewitt never thought she was anything special. After the death of her parents, she moved to a new town to start over and bury her head in the books of her favorite Author - Rafael Melendez Mendon. Until one day, while working at Niko's cafe, she meets a charming man, gorgeous man named Julian. From then on for the next 6 months, Julian continues to come into her coffee shop and their romance blooms from there.

Julian Kovac is hiding his own secret and he knows he must finish what he set out to do before he can pursue an honest relationship with Natalie. I thought their romance was very sweet and slow building. I loved how he actually courted her and how he wanted to make sure their relationship was based on truths and absolute honesty.

Let me just say that I also loved the side characters, but David was just a CREEP with a capital C!!! Yuck. That was one damn sicko. This story started off very sweet and romantic and took a turn towards the suspenseful side. I don't want to say much more and risk spoiling the whole story so I'll just leave it at that :)

"Te amo con todo mi corazón. Te quiero para siempre. Te quiero hasta el día que me muera. Te amo, Natalie." (In english - a rough translation: I love you with all of my heart - always and forever. I love you Natalie.

This man was so damn romantic!! *sighs*

and how is this as far as apologizes go??

"It was 'I love you' stretched out over two pages. The words were more than words: they left imprints and imagery in her mind, and put emotions in her heart-the exact feelings he wanted her to feel and understand. She felt saturated. She absorbed the words into her heart where they glowed. And at the end:

Forgive me, my love, so that I may breathe again.
Your Julian

I'm sorry was I mad at you?!?! LOL!!!!

[TeriLyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 "Everything about you is an eloquent seduction." Stars

I really enjoyed this story by Emma Scott. Told from the third person POV, which is my favorite, we meet Natalie Hewitt the guarded heroine who lives her life through the comforting pages of her favorite stories. With no family and two quirky best friends, Natalie sets off to understand her budding feelings for the enigmatic stranger who frequents the coffee shop in which she works. Slowly, Natalie and Julian start a companionship with which they're both intrigued.

Set in the alluring San Francisco area, Emma Scott writes of the love two people can have that truly rocks worlds. With a delusional villain shaking up the plot the love story of Natalie and Julian takes a few unexpected turns. The entire story felt a like a very well crafted slow burn but their connection is so strong because of it. What Julian hides from the world mean something completely different Natalie and where the author takes the plot because of those revelations kept me entertained.

I just really enjoyed this. It's simple yet the love is grandiose. Together, Natalie and Julian, are charming and able to bring out the best in each other. Their Christmas date was one of my favorite parts of the book. The writing is well done and flows easily. And I really pleased with the epilogue. I got swept up in the story and am glad I was introduced to this author and series. I can't wait to meet new characters in the next installments.

[Robin Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked knowing I had Emma Scott books in my TBR list, to be used as needed for emergency book hangovers or romance fixes, so finishing this one, the last of her's I'd yet to read, is bitter sweet.

It reminded me of the style of writing in Sylvain Reynard's Gabriel's Inferno--third person and oozing romance. GI is one of my all time favorite books, so this was a special, yet unexpected treat. There were parts of this book that hinted at Unbreakable, but they couldn't be more different. Actually, that can be said for all of Scott's books. They are all so completely different. Except for the romance. The romance is always strong and never disappoints.

Full Tilt comes out next month and sadly, it will never see my TBR. It will go straight to "currently reading" the second I can get my greedy little hands on it. Come to think of it, I think my TBR will be Emma Scott free from now on, because nothing she writes deserves to sit.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

This one started out a little slow but I really ended up enjoying it. Very sweet romance with a bit of suspense.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my very last Emma Scott book from my TBR, I had saved it, obviously knowing there would come a time when I needed the words and that time was now.

I really like the romance of the story - Natalie and Julian fell so sweetly together and I was swept along with them, however I loved the suspense element! I had moments of holding my breath and hoping for the best along with the characters. The danger felt ever present. I even started to feel sorry for the 'villain' of the story, which can only attest to the way this author can create such empathy and kinship with all her characters.

This book is a reminder that you should trust your instincts, and that you need to cherish every moment you have - actually live rather than exist. Do not wrap yourself up in your pain and hide from the world.

[juviasft · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure how I feel about this book; it was well written yet the plot felt a little predictable. It was... good, but maybe it wasn't for me. I found it a little boring and had some trouble finishing it and towards the end I skipped some paragraphs.

It was slow at the beginning and in the end felt rushed yet at the same time never ending. Does that makes sense? The first 1/3 of the book is about Natalia reading and working and trying to talk to Julian, who is as shy as she is, so it's hard for them to talk. They fall in love during that time and after they get together, boom! You jump to David's pov and read about how obsessed he is with Julian, how he's planning to get rid of Natalia so he can be together with Julian. That plan goes to shit and then he tries to kill everybody. And you get to read every single thought that crosses David's mind. That's the 2/3 of the book.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be my perfect romance. Not being with a rock star or actor, but an author. Someone with a brilliant mind and imagination, with a magic way with words. And how lucky am I that he's a little broken too!

I think this is Emma Scott's first book and you could tell she was headed toward greatness!

I loved the book! I've exhausted my Emma Scott collection and I need more!!!!!

[Emma Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just my two cents. ;)

[CeCe · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars
Great premise, great characters, but than at 50% the story lost me. It felt like it was just one thing after the other surrounding one character.
I am not sure what it was that just had me skimming. Maybe it became to predictable. I am not sure.
The flow of the story did not work for me.

[JJ Weir · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are so many good things about this book: the setting, the main characters, the plot. Unfortunately, there were also a lot of weaknesses. The escalation regarding David was a bit much. He was a bit overboard. I still don't understand why he felt the need to make him stay anonymous to "protect" him. That made no sense. Also, how everyone else got sucked into the end scheme...it seemed a little too far fetched. Still, I liked the book overall and am looking forward from more from Emma.

[Jeannine Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I fell in love with How to Save a Life, and I automatically knew that Emma Scott would be a new favorite author. And this novel definitely solidified that fact.

The writing was beautiful and the characters were engaging, and despite the fact that there were a few things that didn't work for me personally (the ending was a wee bit crazy dramatic and I've never been a huge fan of a third person's POV), I still couldn't put it down... and I'd definitely recommend giving it a go :)

And the presence of this magnificent quote definitely didn't hurt ;)

“Sometimes the mind shrinks away from what the heart wants because what the heart wants is so good, so impossibly extraordinary, that to keep it forever would be a miracle. The mind can imagine losing everything, while the heart can’t. It only wants what it wants.”

[Crista · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

I love this author's work. Her books consistently deliver and provide hours of escape and emotional investment. This work is her debut and is a bit different from her other books.

I wasn't prepared for the strong suspense/thriller aspect of this book. The first half is all romance and then it's like the book takes a sharp turn and morphs into a thriller half way through. I liked the romance between Julian and Natalie. Natalie is a bibliophile and her love of books is something that I understand and can relate to. Julian was a mystery at first, but I quickly came to appreciate him and his romantic gestures.

I liked this book, but didn't love it because of the wild thriller plot-line. Things got way-crazy and I just didn't buy the coincidences and absurdity of the actions of the characters.

The romance was very sweet, and for that reason, I recommend this book. If you dislike thrillers....stay away.

[Haidoulina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
I really liked this book... It was an interesting romantic story... But it also had some issues, I'm guessing is one of the first books Emma Scott wrote if not the very first one... It has a nice plotline but at times it got me confused with how many months passed between chapters... I loved Julian and Natalie together... Julian's big secret wasn't so big after all but thanks to David, he's creep assistant-friend, we had a lot more drama than necessary... We also had suspense which I enjoyed... I also wanted a bigger epilogue...

[Ezi Chinny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Incredibly boring and the narrator made me consider DNF’ing this book time and time again. This isn’t the Emma Scott that I’ve come to enjoy.

[Traci Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though this story began a little slow, it quickly morphed into an edge-of-the-seat, heart-pounding love triangle that I could not let go of. The characters were written true-to-form and with such conviction and perfectly-crafted flaws. Typically, when reading a love story, I want to skip ahead past the 'lulling' parts and get to the love scenes or the conflicts, but the flow of this saga was intoxicating and written so beautifully, I didn't want it to end. Just as Julian stole my heart with his fluid accent and way with words, so did this author with her strategic, heart-string-tugging prose.

Emma Scott is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I was lucky enough to experience the second book in this series already (Unbreakable), but this one gave me even more shivers and thrills throughout. I will definitely be reading more from this author!

[Michele Miesner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is now my second book by Emma Scott that I have read and I certainly was not disappointed. I once again fell in love with her characters. The love affair between the two main characters, Julian and Natalie was so romantic. I loved how their relastionship started and evolved. The supporting cast of the book was great too. Loved the dynamics between Liberty, Marshall and Natalie... Loved that there was the psychotic piece to the story as well. Emma has such a wonderful way with words in her writing and just makes the story float of the pages...Just like Natalie gets sucked into her Rafael Melendez Mendon books with the opening sentence, I am discovering that I am the same way with Emma's books.. Just started Unbreakable and I am already sucked in!

[Naomi's Novels · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Beautiful and dramatic.

[AJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars!

I love Emma Scott’s books so much, and I was so excited to go right back to the beginning to read her debut novel, and what a story! An intense and emotional romance that is full of feels with a dramatic/suspenseful twist, I loved it!

Natalie Hewitt is living a quiet, introverted life. Since the death of her parents she has retreated from the world, taking accounting classes during the day and working at a coffee shop all night. She has two close friends, but she spends most of her time reading, getting lost in beautiful words and allowing them to soothe her and provide the comfort she is so desperate for.

Julian is a writer, and when he comes into Natalie’s coffee shop late one night, there is an immediate spark between them. He feels drawn to Natalie, and starts visiting her shop at nights where he sits and writes in his notebooks. Night after night he comes in, they smile, they talk and they flirt, and Julian writes, but it doesn’t go any further than that. Until it does.

“Sometimes the mind shrinks away from what the heart wants because what the heart wants is so good, so impossibly extraordinary, that to keep it forever would be a miracle. The mind can imagine losing everything, while the heart can’t. It only wants what it wants.”

Natalie and Julian are truly a slow burn. They are both quiet and introverted, and they’ve both been through a lot of pain in their lives, and they share a connection which seems to be soul-deep. When something finally happens between them, I was cheering hard, and things move really quickly for them as all of that emotion that has been building up for months finally has a chance to shine.

“Te amo con todo mi corazón. Te quiero para siempre. Te quiero hasta el día que me muera.”
Translation… “I love you with all my heart. I love you forever. I love you until the day I die.”

It's a beautiful romance, and soooo freaking swoony! Julian is a romance-lover’s dream, and these two are just perfect for each other. But Julian has a secret, and it’s one that can, and does, change everything for them, in ways I was not anticipating.

This is a beautifully written story. Like all of Emma’s books, I was sucked in to her characters’ lives, into the pain and the struggles that they live with, and I fell in mad love with them as they fell for each other. The emotion is gorgeous and the romance completely captured my heart. There is a dramatic/suspense plotline that I wasn’t expecting, and while it’s well written, it’s angst that – in my humble opinion – wasn’t needed, and kind of tarnished the glow of the love story that I was so swept up in. It was just a bit too intense and a bit too much for me. But the hilarity and outspokenness of Natalie’s two friends went some way to balance that out, and the story is just gorgeous, and the ending left me with a big, cheesy smile on my face as these two got the HEA that they both so desperately deserved.

4 stars.

[Averie · Rating 3 out of 5]

*2.5 stars

I have read a few books by Emma Scott, so I have decided to check out more of her backlist titles. That led me to this book, which is the first in a series and I believe her first published work.

This is the romance between Natalie and Julian. Natalie works at a coffee shop, and she ends up swooning and falling for a shop regular named Julian. Their romance is slow to start but quickly picks up into something passionate and totally unforgettable to them. However, there are some outside forces/certain people who do not want Natalie and Julian to end up together.

This romance was really promising at first. I love bookish characters and writers, so I thought that I would just adore this couple. However, I found them lackluster compared to other characters written by Emma Scott. I think people who are just getting into romance, or Emma Scott books, might enjoy this one more than I did. I guess I am spoiled with Emma Scott books haha!
I also am not that big of a fan of there being a mystery/someone is out to ruin the relationship plotline. That was unfortunately 50% of this book. I just don't think this book was written for me and my tastes, and that's okay! :)

TW: guns, drugging, hospitals

TROPES: author/writer, book lover, grief, hidden identity, kindle unlimited

[Amy Malek Concepcion · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Love Emma Scott's books so when this one popped up on Hoopla I had to take a listen. I see afterwards that it's one of her earlier works and so i can see that a bit in the writing. Not that the writing here is bad at all but in her later works it's definitely more polished. Natalie is just going through the motions of her life. working and going to school. Her only outlet is reading and her favorite is the words of Rafael Melendez Mendon. Until Julian Kovac walks into the coffee shop and she has something new in her life to live for. They have a bit of a slow, hesitant relationship at first but their passion for each other can't be held down for long and once they give into it, it becomes all consuming. There is a lot going on in the background sub plot-wise with Julian's PA David which adds the needed drama and suspense to their love story. I enjoyed this one.

[K D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this novel by Emma Scott. I recommend the audio book because the voice acting was top notch. Julian's Spanish accent and Natalie's shy uncertainty were front and center. A beautiful slow burn romance.

[Princessofbookaholics · Rating 3 out of 5]

idk what I was expecting but this was more of an action-drama than a romance but entertaining enough

[Medollga]

DNF@18 %. This was so bad!😅🆘

[elle · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was ridiculous... and weird.

[Luchi Rzezak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Romantic suspense, angst and a lot of love for Natalie and Julian. ❤️