Just a Heartbeat Away

By: Cara Bastone

Narrated by: Patrick Zeller

Some people change your life

Others change your heartNewly widowed dad Sebastian Dorner was unraveling at the edges—until his son’s teacher, Via DeRosa, threw him a lifeline. Now, two years later, they reconnect at Matty’s new school, and an inconvenient but unmistakable jolt of attraction crackles between them. But why does the first person to spark with Sebastian in years have to be a millennial? Is twentysomething Via really too young for him or does fortysomething Sebastian just feel too damn old?

A former foster kid, Via’s finally forged the stable life she’s always dreamed of—new job, steady income, no drama. The last thing she needs are rumors about her and a single dad at school. But why does she keep being drawn into his capable, worn-flannel orbit? And why does being around Sebastian, Matty and even their dog, Crabby, seem to spark so much want?

They’re trying to ignore the tension threatening their friendship. But sometimes what’ll heal you is just a touch—and a heartbeat—away…

So sweet! Great pandemic relief!

The characters in this book are really brave and sweet, and their struggles are realistic. This one is not as funny as Cara Bastone's "Call Me Maybe" (available for free right now on Audible, and the way I discovered the author), but it's as heartwarming. There are not a lot of plot surprises, but also no silly machinations to keep the characters apart. The reasons for their hesitation are reasonable and understandable. The narrator was great with both the male and female voices (which is often not the case for male narrators), and his deep voice made the male protagonist sound SO sexy! If you're looking for some soul-calming, feel-good relief from all the difficult news in the world right now, and you want to listen to a story about decent, lovable people finding each other despite real-world struggles, this is the book for you! (There is explicit sex at the end, but it's not gratuitous - I think it adds to the emotional journey of the characters. If that's not your thing, you can just skip that part. Personally, I think a slow-burn romance like this really needs some great sex at the end as a payoff, and this book really delivers on that!)

Love Story For Grownups

What makes this a five-star listen is the mature way Sebastian and Via approach their attraction, make life decisions, and face their fears together. A couple of times I thought one or both of them were going to derail into nonsensical behavior, but then a friend or an inner voice guided them back on track. The story was strong and the narration excellent.

Holy freaking gah

I started this book on a whim, I needed something to fill the quiet and get too distracted by movies so I figured a cute audio book would work. Little did I know that this book would be 10 times more distracting. The chemistry and realism in the emotions of the characters and their development was like a gut punch at every turn, and I am only grateful that I was alone while listening to this so that no one was witness to the intermittent squealing and screaming that possessed me or the my ugly crying at *that scene* towards the end. Beat story I have had the privilege to witness in a long time and one I will be returning to over and over again!

Thoroughly enjoyed this!

This was the perfect slow burn romance. It had the chemistry and real life romance build up that really make the climax so much better when it happens. It’s what I’ve been missing from the last several romance novels I’ve read. I like steamy moments in my romance novels but without the proper build up in the live story, they really fall flat for me. This one hit all the right notes. The flirting was really well done as well. Actually smiled unconsciously more than once. Will be looking for other books from this author!

Nice story but to much sex and cussing

Good story. I liked her other stories better that had less “ f” bombs and less explicit sex scenes