Rebecca Elder's Heartbeats is a heartfelt, emotionally immersive debut that skillfully blends contemporary romance with profound themes of grief, fate, and healing. This story delivers both romantic chemistry and emotional catharsis, leaving a lasting impression long after the last page. At 27, Emmy is a freelance photographer in Chicago, a hopeless romantic at heart-yet haunted by the grief of losing her father as a teenager. No matter how much she longs for the kind of love her parents once shared, she can't shake the feeling that she doesn't deserve it. Fresh off a bad breakup, Emmy is ready to swear off men indefinitely-until a chance encounter at a hockey game leads to a whirlwind, rom-com-worthy moment with a charismatic stranger, Julian. Their connection is instant, electric... and then, just as quickly, lost. Fate isn't finished with them yet. When Emmy and Julian unexpectedly cross paths again, what starts as a second chance soon turns into something deeper than either of them expected. Julian offers Emmy a love so real, so undeniable, that it begins to challenge everything she's told herself about what she deserves. But as their bond grows, so does the weight of her past trauma threatening to unravel them. And just when Emmy finally allows herself to believe in love again, an unfathomable truth comes to light-one that could break them apart forever... if they let it. A story of love, loss, grief, and the undeniable beauty of human connection.