Regular price: $13.99
Nineteen-year-old Dylan Shaw is possibly the most beautiful thing Malic Sunden has ever seen. After Malic rescues Dylan from an attack, Dylan makes it very clear that he is more than interested, but Malic won’t even consider sleeping with Dylan because of his age. Malic is sure he’s not good enough for Dylan, who has his whole life ahead of him, and can’t conceive of burdening Dylan with his secrets. But the darkness in Malic’s life won’t be denied, and soon Dylan is drawn into the dangerous paranormal world that is Malic’s reality.
Terrence Moss. Conrad Harris. Gold Team Leader. Darius Hawthorne. The Vault. Juggling all these names would bother some, but for Darius, it’s business as usual. When he closes a chapter in his life, he leaves a name - and the people associated with it - behind. He’s managed to keep a few colleagues, even fewer friends, and no companionship through his 40-plus years...but that’s now changing. The newest chapter of his life brings a chance encounter with the one man Darius ever loved: Efrem Lahm.
Joe Cohen has devoted the past two years of his life to one thing: the care and feeding of Kade Bosa. His partner in their PI business, roommate, and best friend, Kade is everything to Joe, even if their relationship falls short of what Joe desires most. But he won’t push. Kade has suffered a rough road, and Joe’s pretty sure he’s the only thing holding Kade together. Estranged from his own family, Joe knows the value of desperately holding on to someone dear, but he never expected his present and past to collide just as Kade’s is doing the same.
Life takes delight in stabbing Gus Scott in the back when he least expects it. After Gus spends years running from his past, present, and the dismal future every social worker predicted for him, karma delivers the one thing Gus could never - would never - turn his back on: a son from a one-night stand he'd had after a devastating breakup a few years ago. Returning to San Francisco and to 415 Ink, his family's tattoo shop, gave him the perfect shelter to battle his personal demons and get himself together...until the firefighter who'd broken him walked back into Gus's life.
When homicide detective Dexter J. Daley’s testimony helps send his partner away for murder, the consequences - and the media frenzy - aren’t far behind. He soon finds himself sans boyfriend, sans friends, and, after an unpleasant encounter in a parking garage after the trial, he’s lucky he doesn’t find himself sans teeth. Dex fears he’ll get transferred from the Human Police Force’s Sixth Precinct, or worse, get dismissed.
When jackal shifter Quade Danas was banished from his pack for being gay, he spent years in the military escaping his father's prejudice before returning to civilian life as a bodyguard for Roman Howell, the teenage son of a very rich man. After Roman is in an accident that leaves him physically scarred and emotionally distant, Quade is the only one who can get through to him. As Roman becomes a man, he realizes what he wants - his bodyguard by his side and in his bed.
Nineteen-year-old Dylan Shaw is possibly the most beautiful thing Malic Sunden has ever seen. After Malic rescues Dylan from an attack, Dylan makes it very clear that he is more than interested, but Malic won’t even consider sleeping with Dylan because of his age. Malic is sure he’s not good enough for Dylan, who has his whole life ahead of him, and can’t conceive of burdening Dylan with his secrets. But the darkness in Malic’s life won’t be denied, and soon Dylan is drawn into the dangerous paranormal world that is Malic’s reality.
Terrence Moss. Conrad Harris. Gold Team Leader. Darius Hawthorne. The Vault. Juggling all these names would bother some, but for Darius, it’s business as usual. When he closes a chapter in his life, he leaves a name - and the people associated with it - behind. He’s managed to keep a few colleagues, even fewer friends, and no companionship through his 40-plus years...but that’s now changing. The newest chapter of his life brings a chance encounter with the one man Darius ever loved: Efrem Lahm.
Joe Cohen has devoted the past two years of his life to one thing: the care and feeding of Kade Bosa. His partner in their PI business, roommate, and best friend, Kade is everything to Joe, even if their relationship falls short of what Joe desires most. But he won’t push. Kade has suffered a rough road, and Joe’s pretty sure he’s the only thing holding Kade together. Estranged from his own family, Joe knows the value of desperately holding on to someone dear, but he never expected his present and past to collide just as Kade’s is doing the same.
Life takes delight in stabbing Gus Scott in the back when he least expects it. After Gus spends years running from his past, present, and the dismal future every social worker predicted for him, karma delivers the one thing Gus could never - would never - turn his back on: a son from a one-night stand he'd had after a devastating breakup a few years ago. Returning to San Francisco and to 415 Ink, his family's tattoo shop, gave him the perfect shelter to battle his personal demons and get himself together...until the firefighter who'd broken him walked back into Gus's life.
When homicide detective Dexter J. Daley’s testimony helps send his partner away for murder, the consequences - and the media frenzy - aren’t far behind. He soon finds himself sans boyfriend, sans friends, and, after an unpleasant encounter in a parking garage after the trial, he’s lucky he doesn’t find himself sans teeth. Dex fears he’ll get transferred from the Human Police Force’s Sixth Precinct, or worse, get dismissed.
When jackal shifter Quade Danas was banished from his pack for being gay, he spent years in the military escaping his father's prejudice before returning to civilian life as a bodyguard for Roman Howell, the teenage son of a very rich man. After Roman is in an accident that leaves him physically scarred and emotionally distant, Quade is the only one who can get through to him. As Roman becomes a man, he realizes what he wants - his bodyguard by his side and in his bed.
Deputy US Marshal Miro Jones has a reputation for being calm and collected under fire. These traits serve him well with his hotshot partner, Ian Doyle, the kind of guy who can start a fight in an empty room. In the past three years of their life-and-death job, they've gone from strangers to professional coworkers to devoted teammates and best friends. Miro’s cultivated blind faith in the man who has his back… faith and something more.
On his way home from a meeting of the North American werewolf council, Armand La Marche is stopped in his limousine by a boy who is hurt by an unknown assailant who murdered his friend. After decades of searching, Armand has found his mate. There is one problem, someone is trying to kill Sean.
Seth Walker was my first love and I always swore he’d be my last. Even after he moved away our senior year in high school, we vowed to reunite after graduation. But when he suddenly broke things off without explanation and crushed my heart, it was my turn to run. After a decade in the navy, I’ve finally come home ready to move on with my life as Hobie’s newest firefighter. Unfortunately, the minute I set eyes on the new sheriff in town, I know I’m screwed. Hobie’s top cop is none other than Seth Walker.
Hagen Wylie has it all figured out. He's going to live in his hometown, be everybody's friend, explore new relationships, and rebuild his life after the horrors of war. No muss, no fuss is the plan. He's well on his way - until he finds out his first love has come home too. Hagen says it's no big deal, but a chance encounter with Mitch Thayer's two cute sons puts him directly in the path of the only guy he's never gotten out of his head.
Once upon a time, in an alleyway in the slums of the City of Lockes, a young and somewhat lonely boy named Sam Haversford turns a group of teenage douchebags into stone completely by accident. Of course, this catches the attention of a higher power, and Sam's pulled from the only world he knows to become an apprentice to the king's wizard, Morgan of Shadows.
Regarded as the strongest wolf shifter in generations, Alpha Zev Hassick is surprised and confused by his attraction to his best friend. His very human, very male best friend. A male shifter has to mate with a female shifter to keep his humanity, so shifters can't be gay. Yet, everything inside Zev tells him Jonah is his true mate. Zev and Jonah know they're destined for each other, but they must overcome traditions ingrained over generations and long-buried secrets to fulfill their destiny.
Six years ago, Noah Wheeler went to meet his boyfriend, Dante Cerreto, at the airport, and his world ended. Dante was kissing someone else and claimed to be in love. So Noah took his heartbreak and closed the door on the big picture of what he thought his life would be, focusing instead on the piece of the dream he got to keep, being a father. Six years later, Dante wants to make up for lost time, but he's going to have to take a crash course in communication and seduction. Noah's not going to fall in love just to be broken again.
When Ward Johannsen’s little girl, Ava, shifted into a werewolf, she was taken into custody by the feds and shipped off to the nearest pack, all ties between father and daughter severed. Henry Dormer is an alpha werewolf and an elite black ops soldier who failed his last mission. He returns home, hoping for some time to recuperate and help settle the pack’s newest member, a little pup named Ava who can’t shift back to her human form. Instead, he meets Ward, who refuses to leave his daughter without a fight.
Mob enforcer Ceaton Mercer has killed a lot of people in a lot of different ways - he stashed the last two bodies in a toolshed belonging to a sweetheart marine researcher in an idyllic island community - but he's really not such a bad guy. Over time he's found a home of sorts, and he even learns he's found a place in the hearts of the people he works with...at least enough so that they won't put a bullet in his head because he's outlived his usefulness to the boss.
Eight years ago, Eli gave up his future as a veterinarian because of a blue line on a pregnancy test. Now a single dad to the best little boy in the world, he's working at an animal shelter and trying his hardest to ignore the small town gossip that follows him and his son around. Contrary to popular belief, he does know who the other father is - the irresistible alpha from his youth. But Matt's upper class family doesn't think an omega is good enough for their son.
Most people would say being stranded in the villa of Spanish shipping magnate Miguel García Arquero on the beautiful isle of Ibiza wasn't such a bad deal. But Hudson Barber isn't one of them. To him, being stuck without a passport in a foreign country far from home is a nightmare, made worse by the fact that the person who did the stranding was his flighty twin brother.
Talon Valdez knew when he transformed into an enhanced human, his life and his dreams were finished. Reviled, mistrusted, and often locked away, the enhanced were viewed as monsters, despised by the public, and never trusted to serve in the military or any law enforcement agency. Years later he gets a chance to set up a task force of enhanced to serve in the FBI, but with one proviso: each enhanced must partner with a regular human.
Simon Kim is very much in love with Leith Haas, but Leith is a Warder. His job - hunting demons - is dangerous and important, and Simon doesn’t want to distract the man he loves more than life with the small stuff. But he doesn’t quite get that when a Warder takes a Hearth, the Warder gives his heart without reservation. When Leith claimed Simon, Leith bared his soul, leaving himself vulnerable before the only man he’s certain he’ll ever love. When Simon is sucked further into Leith’s perilous world - and into an alternate dimension - Simon realizes that the only strength he can give his Warder is the strength of his love. Can Simon sacrifice the control he has come to treasure for the man who already owns his soul?
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
Another narrator certainly, and perhaps better production?? Granted this is a short story, but the same care should be taken as in a longer story.
Would you be willing to try another book from Mary Calmes? Why or why not?
I have all of Mary Calmes books and really enjoy the stories and like her writing. However as you might know, the narrator makes it or breaks it....in this case....oh dear. Not only broke it but all the wheels fell off.
I will not be buying any more books with this narrator. Very disappointing.
What didn’t you like about Andrew Schwartz’s performance?
Sorry, he needs WAYYYYYYY more practice. Reading (way) too fast, mumbling, slurring, mispronunciation, and very poor enunciation. Also maybe be some editing production problems, because it would fade out so low you couldn't hear what was said, then come back on (after you turned it up) and blast it out, making ears practically bleed, and then you have to turn it back down.
Any additional comments?
This one and His Hearth both read in the above manner.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
This addition to the Warder series is intense. It delves the characters into a demon dimension....
I really enjoyed this story and the performance....I was hooked from the start.
Love concurs all!
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Leith & Simon's story. They will suffer thru hell for each other. A great series
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Simon and Leith are a Harth and Warder. They knew from the start that they were meant to be, but neither has really trusted the relationship. Leith resents the time away from him when Simon has to work and Simon has a hard time leaning on Leith like he’d want.
Simon goes on another work trip, but this time things go horribly wrong. He’s sucked into a demon’s dimension and forced to help his co-workers try to survive while being “attacked” by one of the demon’s solidiers.
Fortunately, at their core, his friends and lover are good people and Simon is able to use that to save the day.
**
This was a really interesting story. In addition to being hot and sexy at times, it also had a bit of a psychological/ thriller component. This is a bit scary at times!
Simon is snarky and sweet at the same time. His friends and lover are willing to follow him (literally) through hell, but he doesn’t see his own value.
Warders are super heroes but they have flaws and Leith’s is insecurity despite everything to the contrary. Having Simon literally see him and love him at his worst was the perfect way to cement in his mind that Simon really and truly loved him.
I love this series and have read it over and over. Each couple are so unique and different from the others but with that underlying thread of deep, unshakable love.
One thing I appreciate the most about Mary’s writing is that she isn’t afraid to have flaws in her characters- they make “human” choices even when those aren’t always the “best” choices to be made. Even her “super heroes” are down to earth and approachable in their “imperfectness”.
4.25 of 5 stars
Audio
Audio
First, I don’t like the music at the beginning of the chapters. Second, there’s a bit of sound quality issues with this recording that makes it sound a bit “hollow”. There's also times when it feels like he's not speaking into the microphone and it's hard to understand him. But… third, I think the narrator slowed down for this story, as compared to some of the others in this series where it sounds like he’s racing through the words – so fast that it’s sometimes hard to follow. This time, however, he’s a bit slower, so – to me – that was a huge improvement.
I still don’t love this narrator, and I was so glad to see other narrators take this series over, but I wasn’t nearly as bothered by the narrator this time around, which is awesome, since I do love this series so much.
So – for those of you who have been leery of this narrator, I’d give this one a try – maybe? - it’s not as bad as some of the others, and in general not nearly as distracting.
2.75 of 5 stars
Overall, 3.5 of 5 stars
Would you listen to Heart in Hand again? Why?
I absolutely loved it, so I will listen to it over and over again. I have never read/listened to a story like this before and it was the best adventure to kind of be a part of.
Who was your favorite character and why?
I love Simon Kim and just how he dealt with things, he didn't freak out, he just kept asking questions and trying to move forward.
What about Andrew Schwartz’s performance did you like?
I know a lot of people have been complaining of his performance for this series, but I actually really enjoyed his performance and had no problem differentiating the characters from one another.
If you could take any character from Heart in Hand out to dinner, who would it be and why?
It would be Raphael. I love the snarky bastard and think he would be a very interesting character to try to have a character with. I know Simon kept getting frustrated trying to have a conversation with him, but in the end he likes Raphael too.
Any additional comments?
Well bravo to Mary Calmes for the world building in this one. I loved hearing about Hell and everything that goes on in it. I could easily listen to/read another story in this version of Hell.
I love everything by Mary Calmes and the narrator is very good. The audio was really difficult to hear at times and I had to put the narration on the slowest speed. I will listen to it again though.