Hart Beats

by Drew Duncan

Preston Phillips ruined Alex Hart’s life.
He trashed his band, broke his heart, and his whole world collapsed in the process.

Until new band, Spitfire Junction, came to his rescue.

They needed a drummer, and their manager thought he was the perfect person for the job. Alex is determined to keep things professional and make a real go of things in his new band.

But Johnny Scott - philanderer, rogue and dirty flirt - has been giving him the eye since he walked through the door. And when they head out on tour, Johnny and Alex find themselves alone all too often.

When Preston causes more trouble for Alex and the band, it brings out the protective streak in Johnny. Can he keep things strictly business, or is Alex the man to finally tame his wild ways?

Genres: Music, Contemporary, Romance, LGBT, M M Romance, Gay, Queer

184 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 25, 2021

About the author

Drew is an Irish author with a panache for sarcasm and a love of the random, her cynicism knows no bounds, but she’s a secret hopeless romantic who likes to let her characters sizzle on the pages.


She lives her with two children, and dreams of escaping to Hampshire, the home of Jane Austen. When she’s not writing, you can find her knitting, crocheting, shouting at Ireland playing rugby, and of course reading.


Reviews

[Dani · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really like the writing style with this one. Everything kept being rehashed or just a whole conversation repeated from the other persons POV so it slowed the pace down and just got frustrating because I'd already read big chunks of some chapters.

There was also the POV of a side character quite frequently which was weird and the overall plot was just unbelievable, in a bad way.

I didn't like any of the characters either, they didn't really have any depth or emotions!

First book by this author and I can't say it's enticed me to read any more unfortunately.

[Naomi (aplace_inthesun) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this one free from Amazon. It’s a quick read based upon the premise Alex gets a job drumming for a band after his own band broke up because his band mate (and partner) cheated on him. It’s a plot device that is absolutely bashed throughout the book but it takes a darker tone as the book progresses. Alex then (true to type) falls for his new band mate - manwhore Johnny. It’s that trope where the manwhore hasn’t fallen before like this with anyone else, but Alex is special … though it seems this is more about how he looks as far as I can tell. This gives multiple points of view not just Johnny and Alex’s which made this not as tight a novel as it could have been.

[Andrés Ríos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listen. This is a 2 and a half stars book. Only really liked the storyline of Alex surviving his abusive past with his previous partner. The author had much tact and respect for those moments. The rest wasn’t good. The sex scenes were very fanfic-ish and i’m an enthusiast of those!

overall, i think this could’ve turned into a trilogy or something else because it was underdeveloped and drawn out. very repetitive and not that substantial if i’m being honest.

i came with 0 expectations and i didn’t leave mad. I still enjoyed reading but i’m hoping the author’s future works are a bit more focused and better written.

[Robert Fontenot · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just awful.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I'm not really into rock band stories, tried a few, just can't get into that scenario. I downloaded this one but after a while, as I was skimming through my TBR list, I saw this and deleted it. A while later I read a review and decided to give it a try. I loved it! Thankfully not too much involved the actual concerts, just lots around the band members, especially Johnny and Alex, they were hot and heavy! A very enjoyable read, even with a viscous ex trying to ruin things, sweet, sexy, and a fun read, with a little angst near the end, but we love our angst don't we? I'm glad I bought it twice.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

I downloaded this free book via googleplay books due to not wanting to lug a book to see a stage play.

I know I shouldn't of assumed but since Alex can be a unisex name, I would've liked to know if Alex was male or female within the first few paragraphs rather than wait 6 pages in.

Noticed a few pronoun changes midway through this book, is Alex a gay man or is Alex a female?

By the 30% mark, this felt so drama filled with the ex boyfriend. Like I get it your boyfriend cheated on you, your trying to rebuild and move on but holy God.. just fk the new guy already.

"The biggest dick I've ever seen.." dude? Didn't you see his dick a few pages earlier? Why are you acting surprised?

By page 124 I was getting pretty frustrated. I can handle the repetition of cheating mentions but as the story got closer to the end, it starts with grooming allegations. I know a few chapters early it tries to hint at minor engagement but once it's fully revealed, it feels like a piss poor excuse to continue the story.

After reading this book, I feel like the author tried to do something with this book but there is so many rushed pieces that it doesn't work.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a new to me author so maybe this is her thing. She writes it with multiple POV including a person who is not part of the couple. I’ve seen authors do that at the start or end of a book as part of a series. But doing it throughout was annoying.
The premise that them hooking up would ruin the band so he had to promise to not have sex with him was annoying. One of their band mates was super dramatic about it. I almost DNFd early on due to that band member. It felt very high school like.

The whole “I’m a man whore so to prove to this guy that he’s different I’m gonna have lots of sex with him” plot made no sense. Overall this book just lacked depth. There was some plot that didn’t really make sense then sex. A little more plot that was meh and more sex. I ended up skimming most of the sex scenes for the last 1/3 of the book so I could finish it. Just not for me.

[Shannon]

Intense emotions

Alex and Johnny have an instant attraction but try to keep things professional. Their chemistry is explosive so when they finally give in there is an abundance of steamy sexy times. Their connection deepens, the love is genuine, and their HEA is sweetly satisfying.
The situation with Alex and his ex becomes worse and you really feel for Alex and the pain and mental anguish he is going through. Fortunately he has his new bandmates to support him - especially Johnny who has become very protective of Alex.
This was an enjoyable story with intense emotions.
This book needs proofreading for things like multiple wrong names, missing or extra words, and a small inconsistency.

[Estef · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5🌟
Me gustó mucho. Fue una lectura entretenida, dulce, spicy y fácil de leer, aunque lo sentí un tanto floja. Me encantó la química entre Alex y Johnny, su conexión era increíble y me tenían enganchada. Me hubiese gustado que tuvieran más desarrollo y que se profundizara en temas delicados que merecían ser abordados, pero en general estuvo bien. El libro se pone mejor en la segunda mitad y los múltiples puntos de vista hicieron que la historia sea más amena. También me pareció muy lindo el apoyo incondicional que Dex, Travis y Johnny le dieron a Alex, amé lo protectores que eran con él. Quiero leer más historias con bandas y música.

[C. Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first by Drew Duncan for me and I liked it. My heart broke for Alex especially after finding everything out. IMO he handled things well. 🖤🔥🥁🔥🖤

My favorite quote:

Johnny: I felt a tingle in every damn inch of me when I looked down and saw his face looking up at me. He was hurt, and I wanted to protect him. He was angry, and I wanted to soothe him. He was beautiful, and I wanted to kiss him. He stared at me, and I wanted to keep my arms around him, pull him to my lips, and anything else I felt like doing after that would just have to be done too.

[Irene Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talk about a book bringing you in from the start. This one had me start to finish. There was never a moment I was like "This is a good place to close it and put it down for a moment". My reading attention was locked on and didn't let go till the end. It was a quick and pleasant read. I loved the characters and the relationships as they grew and changed built over the story. Alex was my absolute favorite (with a soft spot for certain other individuals lol). The change of point of views was very smooth and well written.

[Sue Milkovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

LI'L DRUMMER

This is a GREAT Rockstar Book. They all have a reputation good, bad or ugly. Some have storms that are hard to recover from. DREW DUNCAN has picked a winner with the band Spitfire Junction. Alex is a replacement Drummer. Dexter is the Lead Singer and Guitarist. Johnny is the second Guitarist and Travis is on Bass. This is an interesting look at how the band interacts. They are rising to the top with a great fan base. If love doesn't derail them, they're headed to the stars. I Loved This. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!!!!!

[Jackie O'Donnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Johnny and Alex

A hot romance. When Alex’s band splits up he is not only depressed because of that. His boyfriend who is also the lead in the band splits up with him. Alex auditions for another band and is welcomed into their band. Little does Alex know but love will find him again. A guaranteed HEA

[Robbo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Instant attraction, pointless to fight it

Alex goes from rock bottom to a perfect life in dizzying speed, through a set of events that create the perfect life. Cheated on, dumped, jobless, would crush most people, but the new people in Alex’s life know his value, and despite a hiccup, everything he knows is changed. An easy read, not a complicated plot.

[Ken Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needs more editing

Throughout the story, multiple instances of female pronouns where male is indicated by continuity- enough to disturb the clever plot. Good heat, intriguing characters.

[Todd Morris]

Actually read the epub, but Goodreads doesn't list that edition

[Gaby · Rating 1 out of 5]

I jus wasted like 2 hours of my life on this

[Jeremy Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting and brilliant read

[Bobbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hart Beats, Serenade book one by Drew Duncan. This is a fantastic book! Fantastic characters and a fantastic storyline! I can’t wait to read the next book!

[♪ ִ ࣪ ˖ ࣪ saparata ᰔ ִ ׄ · Rating 1 out of 5]

would not read again.

[Amanda F · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just a basic romance. I didn't like the way the POVs were handled. I also didn't like a lot of the pacing. It felt rushed, but then slow in some parts. It was okay, but not great.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

picked this up for stuff your kindle day and quite enjoyed it!! defs had some issues with it tho, so feeling a 3.5, i think.

i love rockstar/band/music romances (and books in general tbh) so this was right up my alley, but i wish we had gotten more music!!! a lot of the focus was on the romance between alex & johnny and not so much on the band dynamics as a whole (even though we had random chapters from another band member's pov??? odd inclusion in the story, but hey, it switched things up!). things got very tell instead of show where the band's friendship was concerned — which i get for a 200pg novella, but it left a lot to be desired in terms of the emotional development. i could've done with one or two fewer spice scenes in exchange for some scenes with the band just being the band, no romance involved.

the central romance was lacking a bit of emotion, but they did have great chemistry regardless. and the moments where we saw the band come together as a group to support one another really shone. the story took a darker turn in the final third and i appreciated how that was the conflict and not a classic third act breakup. the band dynamics were finally *shown* and we got more emotion in the central romance.

a fun, quick read overall, and i'd defs be interested in reading more from drew duncan from a future sykd!