Choosing Heart or Home Audiobook By Chris Karlsen cover art

Choosing Heart or Home

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Choosing Heart or Home

By: Chris Karlsen
Narrated by: Stacky Vos
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London - Christmas, 1889.

The widowed Queen Victoria reigns over an empire on which the “sun never sets”, and London is bright with holiday decorations. Detective Rudyard Bloodstone’s career is moving along well as Holborn Station’s lead investigator. His year had gotten even better when he met London’s celebrated music-hall star Honeysuckle Flowers. As he and his lady embark on celebrating the holidays, Rudyard grows homesick for Wales and his family there.

He makes plans to see his parents and thinks it is the perfect time to introduce Honeysuckle to them. To his unhappy surprise, his mother paints her with a trollop’s brush. His mother is firm: He is loved and missed and most welcome in the family home, but his lady is not. He must choose between them, and to choose means the risk of losing the other.

©2018 Chris Karlsen (P)2019 Chris Karlsen Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Holidays Victorian
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Heroines in romance novels are rarely the type of women I’d like to befriend. They are pouty or reactive or absurdly stubborn or hair-trigger tempered. They deny their feelings and know extraordinarily little about themselves.

Honeysuckle Flowers, the female half of the starring lovers in Choosing Heart or Home by Chris Karlsen, is an exception. Strong, loyal, and crystal clear about who she is and what she stands for, unwilling to compromise her principles yet ever flexible to honor her beloved Detective Rudyard Bloodstone, Honeysuckle is bff material through and through. Reading how she navigates the challenges of loving her man while facing scorn from his family, is a touching reminder of how elegance and love can blend for everyday acts of heroism that make for satisfying reading.

Rudy is no slouch either. This is a man of honor who seeks to unite his family and lover, and whose optimism and respect for Honeysuckle is steadfast. Even as he quietly fights the demons of post-traumatic stress from his military years, he maintains a high moral and romantic caliber, while showing impressive esteem for his family to boot.

It is always refreshing to read about good people facing real conflicts and betting on love. While the brevity of this novella leaves little room for deeper story and character development, the book does a lovely job with what it has. I walk away with a smile, glad these people let love be their guide, and fully expecting that next Christmas will be their best one yet.

***Please note that I received this audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review.***

www.readlikeamother.com

Lovely people choosing love

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I really loved this enjoyable story. The narrator did an excellent job. Honeysuckle is such a loving and caring soul. She is an inspiration. Loved how much she and Rory love each other no matter the odds.

Enjoyable

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The narration was just ok for me. There was very little change in inflection or variance between the different character voices.

The story itself however, was a short and sweet historical story about a young man bringing his sweetheart home to meet his family for the first time. The story itself was short and sweet. It felt as if we were beginning the story several chapters in. Rudyard and Honeysuckle were already a couple. It read more like an extended epilogue or novella written to give us a look at what happened after the couple's book ends. Regardless, it was a great story with strong characters. I would have enjoyed hearing about the actual romance between the two characters.

Short and Sweet

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From the moment her beloved told her he’d like to take her home for the holidays, Honeysuckle Flowers has dreaded the thought of doing so. Despite the fact that she’d rather remain where she is, she concedes and follows Rudyard to his family’s home. Rudyard’s loyalty is soon tested when his family learns of her profession. Unashamed of being London’s most celebrated star, she’s determined in showing everyone that she’s more than what they think she is.

Narrated by the lovely Stacky Vos, you’re drawn into the story from the get-go. Stacky has the type of voice that puts you at ease. It’s a voice that commands attention, though it’s pleasant to listen to. So much so, that you find yourself immersed in the story as the minutes go by.

The author has written such a delightful story. Keeping to the times, you can imagine the situations and the locations the characters find themselves in. Back then, a singer’s profession was often thought of as taboo. High society looked down on it at every turn.

In Choosing Heart Or Home, Chris shows us that despite certain setbacks, anything is possible. Most especially when true love exists between two willing souls,

Such A Delightful Story

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I did enjoy the story, but the audio threw off my enjoyment of it more. The male and females all sounded similar. There was not enough of a differeintiation in the characters. On the ither hand romance at the holidays was romantic and sweet. Short. Simple.

story cute and lite audio echoey

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