A Forgiving Heart

Seasons of Change, Book 2

By: Kasey Stockton

Narrated by: Jennifer Smith

Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's Summary

Inheriting a home near two eligible bachelors seems like a dream come true. But which man deserves her trust - or her heart?

Kate Kingston wants nothing more than to instill her love of art into the hearts of her pupils, but when a solicitor arrives to inform her that her uncle died and she inherited his estate, she is hesitant to leave the comfortable life she has developed. Encouraged by her friends to embrace the new adventure, Kate uproots her life and travels to Larkfield where she must face the demons from her past - and work to replace the spoiled memories from her childhood with happier ones. The only problem: She doesn't know the first thing about running a large country estate.

When an injured shoulder sends Peter Evans home from the war, he finds that his younger brother Martin is far from ready to give up his authority over the family estate, and even less willing to leave old quarrels in the past. But when a beautiful lady moves in next door and requests help in learning to manage her estate, Peter is willing to offer his knowledge - and his heart. If only Martin didn't have his sights set on the new neighbor, as well.

But when trouble finds the inhabitants of Larkfield, few people believe the misdeeds are more than a run of bad luck. Convinced that someone is trying to hurt her friend, Kate must track the culprit, and she can't do it alone.

But how can she know which brother to trust?

©2020 Kasey Stockton (P)2020 Kasey Stockton

Romance with intriguer

4.5 stars
I listened to this audiobook some time after having already read the book. I enjoyed the story more the second time around and I thought the narrator did a great job.

*****
I liked this book for the most part. I'm kind of a fluff romance reader though and this book had a mystery/intrigue element that made the story not so fluffy. I wonder what kind of parents these three brothers had that they all suffered varying degrees of issues with anger and resentment. While Peter was kind, tender and thoughtful toward Kate even he still dealt with anger issues.

Kate seems to have mastered forgiveness far beyond my own abilities. It becomes a theme in the end of the book. I'm not sure that I agreed with the options they gave Martin and I am not sure that he will ever really change though the author wants us to think it possible. I feel like that part of the story is wrapped up a little too easily. I wouldn't be at all surprised to find he does the same evil things in his new life or plots against his brother from afar. I would rather have seen justice served though it might have felt more morbid.

I thought the use of servant gossip to send everyone home from the house party was brilliant. It is only briefly touched upon but it is probably one of my favorite parts of the story.

Possible triggers: emotional and physical abuse, bullying

Sex: unwanted advances, unwanted pregnancy that begins before the book starts
Language: no
Violence: yes- poisoning, physical violence against men and women

Insipid

I don’t know which was more insipid, the writing or the appalling performance. Good plot concept but very dull writing.

Wonderful clean romance book

I really enjoyed this book it was interesting. The plots were intriguing and I enjoyed the characters. Some characters I liked and some characters I didn't like. That's the beauty of a great book..

An Unexpected but Charming Storyline

I truly enjoyed this book. Initially I had my misgivings because I don’t like a love triangle. However, this was so well written and I loved seeing the friendship develop between Peter and Kate. The Storyline had an unexpected twist from what I thought might happen early on but it ultimately was perfect.

I also truly loved the audible version and I can highly recommend it as well.

Ridiculous, stupid, the main character was an absolute embarrassment

The main character was windy, indecisive, and just write up too focused on the past. The pass really didn’t seem that traumatic for her either. The narrator used a little girl voice when voicing the main character which only added to the ridiculousness of this book. I do not recommend this book! Waste of a credit!

Okay

I appreciate these clean romances. It’s a decent story, but the step-by-step writing and linear storytelling is a little dull. And the heroin’s voice seems to change while she’s in the neighbor’s house talking to Peter. It suddenly becomes an annoying, high, child-like tone for the rest of the book. The narration was a little high in tone for my taste anyway, but the rest was done very well overall. It was a fine listen for a couple evenings worth of entertainment. Though easy to see where it's going early on, the background sense of mystery adds a little interest.

loved it!

I loved how the main character is a land owner and the men around her respect her enough to help her and ask her opinion about management projects. There are 2 brothers that want her, but it takes a bit to figure out which one you really want to root for. The narrator did a great job! It was a clean book, such a fun story!

Sweet Romance

I loved how well this audiobook was read. I thought the narrator did a great job. I also enjoyed the story and how the characters learned to forgive past events in order to be together.

Sweet

I loved the tender sweetness of this story! The character development was done very well!

Amazing!

I absolutely loved this book, it's reminiscent of Emma by Jane Austen. I absolutely loved the story and the narration for this book was perfect! The story of Kate, Peter and Martin was beautifully written and was quick to capture my attention and not let it go.

It was a sweet, enjoyable listen :)

A Forgiving Heart was a sweet enjoyable read/listen. I really enjoyed the intrigue with which the book starts, and how, obviously, one has to figure out who those boys were and kind of match them with the adult characters Kate encounters upon her return to Split Tree. Of course, once this was figured out, the second mystery surrounding a certain Miss served to hook me into the story even more. Though, granted, it was Peter and Kate's second encounter and conversation that did it for me ;).
I found it interesting that the author gives us not only Kate's POV but also Peter and Martin's. And while I wasn't a fan of one of them, it certainly added to the depth of the story. //

The narrator did a wonderful job bringing all the characters to life as well as portraying different emotions, though I think there were a couple of nuances that could have been better (mainly whispers). Still, I think she did great performing all the different voices (from older matrons to maids, as well as lords and several misses). //

Overall, this is a sweet and enjoyable Regency Romance story that's perfect for fans of the genre as well as the author. ~4.5 stars

Another lovely, sweet and clean read by Stockton!

I am a great fan of Kasey Stockton’s novels and this is a lovely addition to the Seasons of Change collaboration/series. These stories can be read as stand-alone novels and in any order. I am eagerly looking forward to reading the other books in this series as the overall theme(s) - seasons of change - are lovely and inspiring.
Ms. Stockton’s story spans some 10 years - a lot can happen in that time and people change. First impressions from so long ago may no longer be a reliable guide or influence to knowing a persons character a decade later where there has been no interaction in between. One must not judge or trust too easily.
This story is about a young woman, coming of age and facing the changes that occur outside of her control. Facing sad and haunting memories of her past while trying to carve a bright and happy future for herself. Developing and maintaining both new and old friendships during challenging and uncertain circumstances. These are all things that our heroine has to face while she navigates a new world of change in a society she is not fully familiar with. And of course, with two candidates vying for the position - who will be the hero of her story?
I truly enjoyed the character development throughout this book. I would quite happily read a further sequel following on with the other characters from this book!
As for the narration - I have to admit that at times the pitch/tone was a bit difficult for me at times - mainly for on the s & t’s, if that makes sense. Perhaps the microphone was a bit too close? I’m a bit sensitive when it comes to audio so I wouldn’t necessarily mark this as a negative. I thought Jennifer Smith did an excellent job with the various accents as well as the male and female parts.
I received a free copy of this audiobook. This in no way influenced my opinion and I am under no obligation to leave a review.