Our Black Hearts Beat As One
I love when an author surprises me. And that’s exactly what Brian Asman did with Our Black Hearts Beat as One. I’ve read some of his work, but mostly horror and horror comedy (see my review of The Return of the Living Elves). For me, this was a different side of Brian Asman.
In Our Black Hearts Beat as One we meet Mike Mallory. He’s the lead singer of Modern Love, a successful band heading for fame. Mike is living his best life between singing for the band and his relationship with his girlfriend Kara. Until he wasn’t. Or until Kara left him. And his entire world crashes in ways he never imagined.
The best way I can describe the book is as a supernatural romance horror. At its heart, it’s a love story. But underneath that is a world of gods and monsters. Kara was a worshiper of Diamet, which dated back to the ancient Terrine people. Mike neither believed in it nor cared about it one way or another. He let Kara do her thing and he did his. But when she left, and much to his surprise, he found out what Diamet was all about.
The strange events unfolding after the breakup start interfering with the rest of Mike’s world and affect the people closest to him. Following this strange path brings him to Evangeline and Gabrogian. Two people that he would never have met without Diamet. But he still doesn’t know what it is he has to do to get Kara back. Or if it’s worth it.
Brian Asman created an entire religion complete with a pantheon and mythology for the book- something I really appreciated as a mythology fan. The book didn’t play out as I expected it to. After reading the back cover, I smugly started reading it, thinking I knew how it would go. I was wrong and I’m glad. And the lyrics to some of Modern Love’s songs are included at the end of the book.
Have you ever had your heart broken unexpectedly? One minute you’re perfectly content and then you’re left in tears for (as far as you’re concerned) no apparent reason. You’re left all alone thinking “I’d give anything to have him/her back”. But what exactly does “anything” mean?
Be careful promising “anything”. It may turn out to be more than you bargained for. Just ask Mike Mallory. Our Black Hearts Beat As One will be released on October 24, 2023. In the meantime, check out the rest of his great reads at brianasmanbooks.com.
I want to thank Brian for the signed ARC copy. It has a new home in ScaryMatter’s library.
