Never again would I allow my heart to become the plaything of someone else. Never again would I let a man (or men) come between me and my goals. Never again would I love without feeling the fullness of that love in return. Not until I knew it was real. And if that took me a lifetime to find, so be it. Those were my vows, and after all that had happened with Connor and Weston, I was determined to … Weston, I was determined to keep them. To protect my heart.
And then he came home, and my vows became his promises.
He held my heart in his hands with reverence and care.
He helped me find my soul’s greatest purpose in life.
He loved me with a love so pure and vibrant, I knew I’d never feel anything like it in a hundred lifetimes.
It was real.
Until it wasn’t.
Until it all came crashing down when I discovered the deep love I thought I’d found was nestled in a web of lies—so soft and silken I hadn’t noticed it was there.
Until it was too late.
**********
Long Live the Beautiful Hearts is the emotional, heart-wrenching conclusion to the Beautiful Hearts Duet by bestselling author, Emma Scott, and is inspired by the classic tale, Cyrano de Bergerac. (Roxanne) THIS IS NOT YOUR TYPICAL LOVE TRIANGLE #confusedhearts #notamenage
THIS BOOK IS NOT A STANDALONE. It should not be read without first reading Bring Down the Stars
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I’m still suffering from a lack of words to describe how this book made me feel. I know this novel came from a place of grief and darkness that the author was experiencing and the truth to her words and raw emotion that was stitched into each page of this book was breathtaking. The pain and loss both physically and emotionally was so exquisitely written. It’s been quite some time since I’ve read a book that made me laugh, cry, gasp, cringe and smile. I felt every human emotion during Long Live the Beautiful Hearts. And I felt them deeply.
The aftermath of war and sacrifice for Connor and Weston was gut wrenching. Their experiences and the fall out of what they’d endured broke me. Parts of them were left in Syria, ultimately the most beautiful parts. It broke my heart to read of the suffering and trauma they both we’re experiencing after arriving back stateside. The feelings they hid, the emotions they denied. And at the center of all of it was Autumn.
My heart swelled with joy when the truth came out and all 3 characters were forced to face the consequences of what they’d done. I hoped the author would find a way to make it right, and did she ever! I loved every minute of this book. Even the crippling sadness and burning anger. It made the tender and passionate moments so much more gratifying.
I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to this journey. The closure was perfection.
This story is phenomenal and a perfectly written conclusion to the Beautiful Hearts Duet. The author has bled her emotions onto the pages, it’s believable and at times I felt like I was in the room as an onlooker.
It’s heartbreaking to watch best friends almost lose themselves and everything they cherished. They’ve been inseparable since young boys, standing side by side, following each other into a battlefield, they carry a heavy burden. Their lives are thrown into turmoil, walls are built to hide behind. Reading was like riding the ups and downs, twists and turns of a roller coaster, living through a derailment. Watching helplessly as they pick up the broken, damaged pieces and rebuild a life.
Trust doesn’t come easy, but if we don’t trust in ourselves we become stilted and jaded. Taking a chance can be very rewarding and it’s time to live not exist.
Oh my gosh I loved loved loved this book.
This is the second book in the duet about Autumn, Weston and Connor who meet a college. Autumn ends in a relationship with Connor but it never feels right until Weston in secret helps Connor with his words and poems. In the end of the first book Weston and Connor enters the military and gets sent to Afghanistan. Weston tries to save Connor from a bomb and you don’t know what happens to them until this book.
Now I don’t want to ruin what happens so just know that it is a very beautiful, poetic, heartbreaking, heartwarming all around amazing book about finding out who you are when you can’t be who you thought you were going to be and can people forgive you when you can’t even forgive yourself.
I love this story but I also procrastinated reading it because I knew it would be hard to read. I fell in love with the characters in the first book and I knew this book would break my heart and get me sobbing again. But I am also so happy that I read it because I actually got the conclusion that I was hoping for plus a surprise relationship that I definitely didn’t expect but loved just the same.
I can definitely recommend this book.
I got this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Book 1 left me with so many emotions and yet, I had to immediately start this book.
In this book, we follow the journey of love between Autumn and Weston, a journey that started with friendship but turned into so much more.
But how can it be true when it is all based on lies?
To know what it is about, you have to first read the first part – Bring Down the Stars.
I have to say, just as in the first book, I didn’t particularly liked Connor in this book too. I understand why he did what he did after everything went down and he saw Weston for the first time, but at the same time I think he should be there for him. After everything Weston did for him I would at least expect some kind of gratitude.
Autumn was so strong in this book. I loved how invested she was in her friendship with Weston, how she wanted to help but at the same time not push Weston around.
And Weston, my Weston. What he had to go through is unimaginable. I’m so glad he found the light in his situation and that he and Autumn went through all together.
Emma Scott brings you a very emotional rollercoaster with these two books. I’ve been following her on social media so I know a little of what went behind this story. The Before and After of it. Thank you so much, dear author, for sharing this story of us. It was simply beautiful.
5 stars.
ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is a heart wrenching beautiful conclusion to this duet. Connor and Weston are back in the US Autumn is so confused and felt deserted. With so many twists and turns I was on edge the whole book and with tears to the very end. Loved this so much. WOW
There are no words. Just get a box of tissues and delve deep into this story. It’s beautiful!
I adored the conclusion to Bring Down the Stars. It was heartbreaking as it was beautiful. Autum, Connor and Weston had me feeling so much throughout this book. They are everything.
At times I was thinking why? But you had to look beyond the obvious which is where the true story lies. And it is the most amazing story that I adored so much. One of the many quotes I loved:
“The heart hides itself behind the mind”
Simple, but it has so much meaning.
The authors note though at the end? Wow, I was at a loss for words after reading that and was left in tears, again.
Epic story Emma Scott, thank you. I don’t know how you write such beautiful and powerful books. Again, thank you.
I can’t put into words how much I loved this story. This is book two of a duet, the happily ever after Autumn, Conner, and Weston deserve. Emma Scott writes in a way that gives you all the feels and makes you want to be a better person. It is written with love and understanding of how things work out the way they were meant to be. This is going into my all time favorite list and you can never go wrong with any of Emma’s books.
Long Live the Beautiful Hearts (Beautiful Hearts Duet #2) by Emma Scott is a contemporary, new adult, military, friends to lovers romance told in first person dual POV. It’s the conclusion of a duet and picks up right where the previous book ended.
After reading part one, I immediately started part two and had a hard time putting it down. I couldn’t wait to find out how Weston and Connor’s secrets would be revealed and how Autumn would react when she finally found out the truth. The story beautifully explores the confusion and angst of unrequited feelings while simultaneously exploring the mental and physical anguish experienced in the aftermath of war.
The duet as a whole is a masterful, modern-day retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac. It’s absolutely stunning and I highly recommend it!
*5 Stars*
Copy kindly received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Note: You must read Bring Down the Stars before reading this, this is NOT a standalone.
My heart. Holy moly. What a ride. I was so keen to start this book, but so scared at the same time, after the way Bring Down the Stars had ended. I just had to know what would happen with everyone, and if my hopes for these guys would come true.
I really really wanted Weston to be happy, and of course Autumn as well. But for me, this was all about Weston. Emma has beautifully written about the struggles that someone in his position must endure, and at times this was quite eye opening and emotional to read.
I loved how we really delved deeper in this book, and I just thoroughly enjoyed watching Autumn and Weston finally get their time together. There were quite a few times I wanted to smack some of the other characters, but those two always held my heart. Even whilst I was waiting for the ball to drop.
I loved this duet so much, and there were quite a few times I got teary and emotional whilst reading. I fell in love with these characters and I highly recommend this duet.
Oh goodness, after the cliffy from Bring Down the Stars (Beautiful Hearts #1) I dove right into this one. So thankful that I had both books on hand. Please make sure to read Bring Down the Stars prior to reading this one.
The time is here, deployment is in the morning.
From this point on, the friendship that Connor and Weston have will change forever.
Autumn is trying to survive with her 2 boys deployed to Syria. The frontline of the battlefield. Will the truth ever come out from Connor and Weston? Or will they leave Autumn believing that the soul she is in love with will return.
Absolutely love the way this story ended. It was such a beautifully written story of love. Deciding if we are “Once Born or Twice Born” The coming home from War and what our soldiers go through is so very real. Even though you were at the frontline fighting for freedom and made it home, it doesn’t mean that you are ok. So thankful that this book talked about getting help for those suffering.
This is a Fantastic Duet, one that will be with me forever!!!
4,5 “definitely beautiful hearts” stars
There are things that happened to us, in our life, that mold us. Not always in a good way, but it is always a lesson. Things that can make we see all of life with a different light, and when the obstacles become part of us we must learn how to live by it and when we succeed ( we always succeed) that thing we called “obstacles” becomes our normal. Nobody is like the other, so I loved that although the book talks about a changing of life it didn’t become something that made the characters feel like they lost, but really start seeing themselves, what they want, who they are. It hits really close to home so… That’s it. Thank you for your beautiful words, Emma. I highly recommend this duet.
Bring Down the Stars & Long Live the Beautiful Hearts by Emma Scott
*****
Thanks, NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this duet.
First time reading Emma Scott, I heard a lot about her, and her writing awhile ago but didn’t have the opportunity to read her work until now. Going in blind is the best way to read a new author.
Based on a play from Cyrano de Bergerac, the story is about a triangle of true friendship, unrequited love, and the power of pretty words and poetry. I can honestly say, I’ve not read enough or understood the prose of poetry. Therefore, I’m not a huge fan of poetry, but in this case, the poetry only adds more romance to the storyline. Having admitted my lack of knowledge of poetry, I feel inadequate to write a review that will showcase Emma Scott’s talent. What I can do is try and express how this story has affected me and share some lines from both books which have impacted and left a mark on my soul. This duet is not for the faint of heart; it pulls heavy on your heart and soul and will leave you wrung out like a dirty dish rag. Yes, it’s that powerful, and that emotional! Highly recommended!
“Feelings,” I said, “are like tonsils. Mostly useless, and occasionally a source of pain and discomfort.”
“Parfois, le cœur se cache derrière l’esprit. Sometimes the heart hides itself behind the mind.”
“I worried I would grow up to be trash too, and would hurt any woman I might someday love, so I vowed not to love anyone.”
“…pretty words weren’t enough without something real behind them,”
“The fight you have to fight is for you so that the love you feel for her has a chance.”
“For you, I would bring down the stars, wreath their fire around your neck like diamonds, and watch them pulse to the beat of your heart.”
“Something good and whole in her spoke to the something rotted and broken in me.”
“I’m in love with her. The truth was bold and start on the blank page of my heart. I put my pen to paper and began to write.”
“I have loved you with both Hands tied behind my back Bound with pen and ink Paper and words Sealed with someone else’s name until this moment in which I am nothing but a man who loves a woman. There is nothing left to say Except to give all of my heart For you.”
“You have a thousand hearts’ worth of love to give. A thousand tears may fall when one heart breaks. But never cry for shame.” He cupped my chin in his thick hand. “Even love lost was well-spent.”
“She’s in love with my soul, he said. And my soul is you.”
He held my heart in his hands with reverence and care.
He helped me find my soul’s greatest purpose in life.
He loved me with a love so pure and vibrant, I knew I’d never feel anything like it in a hundred lifetimes.
It was real.
I was recommended this duet by so many readers that I knew I just had to read this story, and it has taken less than three days to read both books. There was no way I could have waited to read Long Live the Beautiful Hearts after finishing the first book, as I needed to discover how this story unfolded and I’m so pleased that both books had been released in order for me to do this. You have been warned.
Wes, Connor, Autumn and Ruby are truly wonderful characters that make life choices which they feel are right for everyone, unaware of the likely implications of their actions. I absolutely love the friendships that they share with each other. They don’t hesitate to put the feelings and happiness of others above their own. I didn’t know how this story was going to play out, and I loved that about the book.
I really do hope that we get maybe an novella update in the future showing us where the paths that the characters have chosen to follow have taken them. I would like to think that all is well.
My heart bursts with love for this book.
After finishing Bring Down The Stars, I couldn’t wait to continue to read about Autumn, Weston and Connor and how they would deal with everything that went down in book one. Once I started reading Long Live the Beautiful Hearts,bI couldn’t put it down.
Reading this duet has connected my heart, my mind and my soul to the characters and their story since the very beginning, that connection continued throughout getting my heart ripped out, and having the feeling of it breaking all over again, piece by piece, as I immersed myself in the book two, but at the same time, my heart was being put together again in the same way, piece by piece. Every crack in my soul healed as I got to read about the beauty of the love that the author poured into those pages.
I cannot express how much I love this story. I love how I was able to feel the fierce passion that runs in it, throughout the ups and downs in this book, the twists and the shattering revelations. When I finished book one, I thought I had no tears left in me, but you know what, what felt impossible happened and I cracked within the first chapter and cried, and continued to cried until I reached the end, and even cried a little bit after that. Whether those tears were for pure bliss or for pure heartache, they wouldn’t stop coming out. The raw emotion these books evoked in me is unbelievable.
I can assure you, that my connection to this duet, doesn’t end nor stop here. It taught me about the value of friendship, the beauty of sacrifice and second chances and it definitely taught me about the power of love. This magnificent work of art will stay with me forever.
Long live the stories that move you, the ones that leave a mark on your soul.
Long Live the Beautiful Stories.
This book is the conclusion of the Beautiful Hearts Duet and it was perfect. Every word, every action made by the characters and every breath Emma put into the story. The final Hero was exquisite in his overall change from Bring Down the Stars until the end of this story, and the second Hero—he was too. <3
This isn’t your ‘normal’ love triangle, this is a story of two ‘brothers’ making choices to become the best version of themselves. And Autumn, the heroine, was no different. I need to remain vague in this review, because all readers should go in blind, but know the ending of this heart-wrenching story will leave you fulfilled and thinking of life and love differently. It’s not what we see with our eyes…it’s what see with our hearts.
Wooooosh WOW!!! SHOOK!!! ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! I HAVE NO WORDS…THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING AMAZING!!! Soul searching, love twists, sorrow, deep sadness,grief, tragedy,etc etc etc. I’ve never read anything like this…what a great tribute to the veterans!!! Conquering disabilities…tear jerking!!!! I can’t wait for book two!!!
While I love all of these characters (even Connor and Ruby, though they pissed me off at times) Weston Turner owns my heart and my tears! Wes’ grief, heartbreak, bitterness, and love dominate this story but it took all of that pain to give him his beautiful HEA. Please prepare to cry, mentally yell at fictional characters, and then cry all over again at the ending of a tragically beautiful duet.
Long live the beautiful hearts begins where Bring down the stars ended with Connor and Weston in Germany.
When the path becomes more twisted, the hardships seemingly impossible to overcome Weston learns to accept his fate in life. He grows to become a fighter and a survivor.
In the before: The silent guy thought he was unworthy of love because of his own inner demons.
In the after: The silent guy found his worth by finding love.
In the Before: The silent man based his worth on the failings of an absentee father who should have loved him.
In the After: His Love was replaced.
Story: The poems were truly beautiful. They gave me chills and leaky eyes.
These characters continue to strive for purpose and worthiness in the high expectations placed upon themselves. They want to be relevant and lived meaning lives.
Overall: Emma wrote a different story than the first, yet still just as poignant and beautiful. The poetry continued to add an element of passion. The aftermath of the army was extremely intense. I loved how each character adjusted, transitioned, reformed, and emerged through the changes. Reading about their strengths and weaknesses was rewarding.
There’s so much emotion reading this sequel. My heart is full of Love for these characters and the Wonderful Author who poured her heart into completing this duet for us to be not only consumed with but aware of how actions put into words end in Love. Thank You Emma xoxo