Heartsong

Vino & Veritas

De: A. E. Wasp

Narrado por: Chris Chambers

"It just figures that the first guy I'm bringing back to my place is cute, single, and totally off-limits...."

Sean Anderson has spent his life waiting to get the hell out of West Virginia. His plans got derailed when his dad shipped him off to "pray the gay away", but he's over it, ready to prove that he's a grown-ass man who can take care of himself. Of course, he'd have a better chance convincing himself if he could stop lusting after his grumpy roommate.

Army veteran Cooper Hill returned to Vermont minus one leg and one career, but determined to build a new life. When an army buddy asks Cooper to keep an eye on his nephew, a junior at the local college, Cooper can't say no. He's expecting a sheltered kid. What he gets is a gorgeous young man whose brilliant poetry gives voice to everything Cooper's been trying to express. He wants Sean more than he's ever wanted anything. And somehow, miraculously, Sean wants him too.

But wanting each other isn't the same as being good for each other...especially when past pain threatens to write its own verse in their song.

Contains mature themes.

©2021 A. E. Wasp (P)2021 Tantor

Sad and Sweet Story

I like all of the Vino & Veritas series but I think this one so far is the most unique situation. All are coping with situations and still exploring their sexuality but this one was sad and touched on issues I’ve never experienced or even really thought about. I am not gay but I think everyone could benefit from understanding the trials people go through just because they feel differently than others. I hope anyone who go through what Shawn went through and experience PTSD get the help and therapy they need. We all deserve to be happy in this life and no one should be able to tell you that the way they think is more correct than the way you think/feel.

butterflies

this story gave me so many feelings, but constant butterflies as well! I love it, both the story and the narration. my favorite of the series so far.

Best series

I love how versatile this series is. If your reading this series you should already know LOVE IS LOVE, but it’s just great to see all the different love & struggles.

I LOL. I Cry. Worthwhile.

This was a story that has age gap and firsts. The beginning chapters had me ROTFL. As the story progressed, I was surprised at the turn and the direction the story began to unfold. It was refreshing albeit, a heart tugging tear jerking ride. Worth seeing to the end.

Ten stars!!!!!

Wow! I don’t usually cry with a book but this one, as the adorable Sean would say in his sexy country accent “this one did me in”. I especially love the author’s ability to describe the different aspects of military life and the struggle of PTS by both the military and civilian community. As a retired MSgt who does suffer from PTS, I truly appreciate how true and exact was the story. Love love love Sean and Cooper so much and I intend to revisit them many times in the future! And the narrator was amazing!!!!

Great story!

While I gave this one five stars all around originally…because IT’S SIMPLY AWESOME…I didn’t actually write a review…

…with this, my second listen, I just HAD to mention the narrator. Chris Chambers does a fabulous job with the entire thing. He’s pretty talented…and made it so clear as to who was speaking, etc., and HIS voice was just perfectly matched with the MCs.

This was my first time with this author, and I will definitely try a second book to confirm the wonderful story-telling abilities shown here with Heartsong.

I love MOST of this V&V series…and, if this genre is your cup of tea, you will too. Enjoy!💖

Broken soul

It always saddens me when I hear about a pretty soul that’s been broken by a broken world. The simple fact that people have a mean bone in their body to be able to hurt another is sad. I’m happy that in the end he found himself, but he shouldn’t have had to go through what he did. Sad story.

High marks as Wasp delivers sweet sting!

My first experience with AE Wasp was Score: Men of Hidden Creek, a book that has its moments, but tries too hard. In Heartsong, Wasp is more focused with a tighter plot and fewer ancillary characters to develop. She also deftly works Coopers military injury into the story in a way that doesn't feel performative.

Chris Chambers is one of those narrators, similar to Iggy Toma who really need to be the only narrator. In Heartsong, as the solo reader, he soars! He handles the material well - seamlessly moving from Sean's twang to Coopers northern sound with ease. This is probably my favorite book of his.

The storyline could quickly get messy with Sean's internalized homophobia from a lifetime of hiding himself, and then a big secret that explodes later in the book. Wasp balances this well with Cooper having left the military after losing his leg below the knee in a freak accident. Rather than bemoan his bad luck, or Sean expressing pity, the prosthesis, both on and off become something of a bonding source. Sean finds Cooper powerfully attractive, and the leg isn't an issue for him. While it isn't exactly sexualized, Sean is very eager to learn everything about Coopers body, and that includes without the mechanical leg. Too often authors tend to get preachy about either accessibility or medical care, and while those are both very real issues, between two lovers, being able to speak about and touch each other fully is really what these stories are about.

We do go on some very real emotional moments, mostly from Sean's family, but Wasp doesn't pull any punches and as the story concluded, I was left saying to myself, I didn't see that resolution - but I like it. Highly recommended!

Good story. Good narration.

This book was one of my favorites from the Vino and Veritas series. Cooper and Sean have an entertaining dynamic. They are very different, but they fit well into each other's lives. Cooper is an army veteran, and the author does a wonderful job of using his experiences to incorporate into the book some useful info about military life that isn't always common knowledge for the general public. Sean's life experiences offer up some very painful social commentary. Getting to know both characters was a worthwhile experience.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and the narration, but some moments in this book reminded why I don't usually like first person point of view. I feel dreadfully uncomfortable hearing a character's internal dialogue describing their own six pack abs. It feels a bit egocentric even if it is a factual description. I think the narrative flowed more smoothly when the internal dialogue was referring to another character.

If you have read AE Wasp's Veterans series, you will recognize a couple of the characters who appear in this book. They were a nice addition to the story, and for new commers to the author's work, a sneak peak at an interesting series by the author. I hope we get a chance to hear more from all the characters in this book, and I look forward to more narration performed by Chris Chambers.

Heartsong

I enjoyed this romantic love story. Two people in love with insecurities coming together. B+