ARC Review {Author Interview/Giveaway}: Heartbeat by Faith Sullivan

Heartbeat
by Faith Sullivan
Paperback, 214 pages
Expected publication: February 5th 2013 
Amazon | GoodReads
My Review: ♥♥♥♥

Katie and Adam are afraid of love.
She carries the scars of a first kiss gone terribly wrong.
He uproots his life to flee the stinging betrayal of an ex.
When trust is no longer an option, all romance is suspect.
As a young paramedic, Adam rescues people for a living but cannot save himself. Katie, just out of high school, struggles with a tortured home life she cannot escape.
Everything changes when Katie hops into the front seat of Adam's ambulance. Overwhelmed by what they are feeling, neither possess the confidence to make the first move. They walk away from each other, full of regret.
To find her, Adam risks his future. To be with him, Katie sacrifices her security.
Little do they know, what little time they do have, is being measured by a heartbeat that is slowly dying out.

It’s always an honor to be among the first to review a debut novel of an Indie author.  I was pleasantly surprised to be approached. While I assumed from the cover and synopsis, this would be a love story, I wasn't nearly as prepared for the intense emotional impact of this literary journey.

Heartbeat was such the almost perfect soul mate story. I say almost because there were colossal hurdles woven into the scenario. Reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet, the world was totally against these two.  Katie is a sickly recent high school graduate living at home with her granny and father. Adam is a paramedic with emotional baggage. They meet by chance due to a car accident and thus begin their saga. It's not by far a smooth wooing. These two have social issues, villains, and haters.

After the initial meeting is a series of near misses with a lot of longing and fantasizing that'll make you (the reader) swoon. The composition is genius! It's broken down into nice short chapters that had me whipping through and before I knew it I was done. There's alternating points of view so you can get the full spectrum of the two lovebirds. I was a tad disappointed with the transition from infatuation to physical. I expected the piano playing scene to have a theatrical flair considering how the hug blew me away. Overall this was a nicely crafted dramatic romance and bitter sweet novel.

I would definitely recommend to drama fans, New Adult seekers and standalone novel fanatics.  Big Thanks to the author for entrusting me with an honest review.

Great story! What was your inspiration for this story?

To remind all of the jaded single people out there (myself included), that taking a chance on love is worth the risk.

The characters seemed so realistic.  Is there a real life Katie and Adam out there?

Alas, they are only the product of my imagination.

What was the motivation in choosing this particular setting?

The frigid, winter landscape is almost a character in and of itself. I wanted to show through this freezing cold setting that love can penetrate any darkness in the soul. Adam and Katie are loners, but they are able to shine a bit of light into each other's worlds. Through the small town Pennsylvania setting, my goal was to show how confined and limiting such a location can be, until of course you find the right person to share it with. Then that's all you need to feel happy, no matter where you are.

Is there a real medical term for Kate’s condition?

She suffers from Immunodeficiency (or Immune Deficiency).

What was the motivation of having multiple villains?

Since HEARTBEAT is told through alternating points-of-view between Adam and Katie, I wanted each of them to have to face their own villain. Katie has to deal with her controlling father, while Adam is pitted against Chuck, his troublesome co-worker.

Are you a fan of the “Happily Ever After”?

Actually, I'm not. I like to read stories that end well from time to time, but as a writer I tend to gravitate more toward generating an emotional response in the final pages.

Will you continue writing New-Adult novels?  What’s next?

Absolutely. Right now, I'm working on UNEXPECTED, a New Adult contemporary romance set in New York City, circa September 11, 2001.

I like that your bio reveals nothing and you encourage your fans to seek out information via conversation. 

I don't intend to be so mysterious, LOL. I'd rather the writing just speak for itself. Plus I'm not all that interesting. My characters have way more exciting lives than mine.

So here’s a few things  I’m curious to know:

Peanut Butter or Nutella?

I love a generous slice of peanut butter pie.

Coffee or Tea?

I have to have a mug of decaffeinated tea every night.

Facebook or Twitter?

I'm Twitter obsessed. I'd love for you to follow me @_FaithSullivan_

Favorite show on television right now?

There's so many, but right now I'd have to say BEING HUMAN.

Favorite novel?

I'm an admirer on how Beth Revis' likes to throw the reader off guard in her ACROSS THE UNIVERSE trilogy.

Favorite author?

I think Lauren Oliver's ending to DELIRIUM is one of the most gut wrenching chapters I have ever read.

Physical book or e-book?

Either or, I enjoy both.

Favorite Musical artist?

I'm a fan of the gritty authenticity in Pink's voice.

Favorite Song?

I find "Hey Ho" by the Lumineers to be the theme song for HEARTBEAT.

Whose your all-time favorite American Idol?

Hands down, David Cook.

Super Bowl 2013: 49ers or Ravens?

I have no clue when it comes to football...baseball, on the other hand, is a different story.

Favorite APP game?

Unlike Katie in HEARTBEAT, I love Words with Friends.

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