Heart in Hand

By: Mary Calmes

Narrated by: Andrew Schwartz

Length: 2 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's Summary

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?

©2011 Mary Calmes (P)2012 Mary Calmes

Might have been a good story

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

Action Packed

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

Actually book 3 in the series

Leith & Simon's story. They will suffer thru hell for each other. A great series

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Story great and better narration than I expected.

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

I Wasn't Expecting That - Its Not A Bad Thing

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.

the sound is as if its coming through a metal tube

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.