Love, Loss, and Honor

By: Herbert Wiens

Narrated by: Kim Owens

This is a tale of two women, separated by over 400 years, whose lives are inexorably intertwined.

Karen, a goal-driven pre-med student, is pursued by two men. Well-bred and wealthy, Martin aligns with her upward ambitions. Peter, her virtuous but poor blue-collar study partner, is loyal and kind but socially inept. After a series of relationship stumbles, an accidental pregnancy forces vacillating Karen to choose Peter. She tries to commit to him; however, after a decade of marriage, nurse practitioner Karen is depressed. Dissatisfied and convinced her blue-collar trailer park life has become a mausoleum of mediocrity, she makes some bad decisions which place her in grave danger.

Mariken awakens with amnesia in 1572 Antwerp during the early stages of the Eighty Years' War. Taken in by kind Mennists, she discovers she has a physician's gift for healing. She meets and falls in love with Pieter, an injured blacksmith with a mysterious past of his own. Unfortunately, her haunting history, inability to remain quietly obscure, and the rising violence against Mennists combine to threaten her safety. Soon, Mariken and her friends, Maeyken Wens, Lijsken, and Janneken van Munstdorp are suspected of heresy and witchcraft.

How are these two women connected? Will either survive the situations they've placed themselves in?

©2021 Herbert Wiens (P)2022 Herbert Wiens

Kept my interest!

Love, dishonesty, murder...I did not want to miss any details!. A great book to listen to. Why? Because it had some twists in it that made me wonder what was going to happen next. I might have "short attention, squirrel!" so I have a tendency to not listen fully to many books. This one is a keeper!

A remarkable book!

I’ve already read all the books in the series. The audio version of the first book adds a completely new level of enjoyment. I was so mad at how modern era Karen treated heroic and loyal Peter, I couldn’t wait for her to get her comeuppance. In contrast, you can’t help but love how 16th century Mariken stood by her man from the moment they met and remained faithful for the rest of her life. The accurate historical detail is remarkable! It makes you appreciate just how good we have it today. I look forward to the next volume in the series’ release.

Awesome story... Didn't know what to expect

Narration was phenomenal
Authour Herbert was brilliant in this story. it fueled my emotions as to how Peter was being treated. But it was sexy, sad, and down right creative. great job

Well written, historically accurate

I struggled to like the heroin , but that is the basis of the story. Loved the historical information.

Interesting characters and story lines

Karen is a well-to-do young woman with a desire to become a doctor and is driven to succeed professionally and socially. Attracted to two men, Karen’s choices endanger her life in more ways than one. An unexpected flashback of 400 years is made and we are introduced to the life of Mariken. A woman with amnesia in 1572 Antwerp. The people in her life closely resemble those in Karen’s life. Their lives are intertwined in a unique and satisfying way. Both women encounter the same men yet both deal with them differently.

The author, Herbert Wiens is a colorful storyteller that speaks volumes in the comparison of the two women and their stories based on their choices. The two women experience love, loss, and honor in different ways. Wiens did a thorough job of describing both women and their personalities which resulted in their decisions. So much so that I was incredulous at some of the decisions Karen made and cheering for Mariken. By the end of the book, I could not forgive Karen or rather I could not excuse her decisions regardless of why they were made. The emotional connection, good or bad, is what makes Wiens an excellent author.

The added pieces of a serial killer and serial torturer were fresh yet extremely gory! Wiens vividly painted how deranged these two men were and the lengths they would go to have their own pleasure!

The narrator, Kim Owens speaks clearly and with a steady rhythm. She projected the correct amount of emotion and made the characters believable. Further, she kept the story moving forward. I enjoyed her voice as it was soothing and gentle. I give her kudos as she was able to deliver the goriest, most vicious manners of death and torture that is unimaginable without missing a beat!

Overall, this is an interesting book that pushes the listener to actively engage with the characters in several different ways. If you are a fan of serial killing, gore, romance, and more this is the book to hear!

There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook.

Psychological twister

So yeah, this was different than expected. I would love to go into detail but it would be spoilers. But I can say this, Love, Loss, and Honor puts a different spin on what happily ever after means.

Interesting.

Good read. I read the hard copy right after it came out. I recently downloaded the audio boom and listened to it. Kim does is a fantastic narrator. Looking forward to reading others.

An Exciting listen

This was an entertaining listen with compelling characters, some time travel and some historical. I listened to it for hours and was disappointed if I had to turn it off. The narrator did a very good job. I very much wanted to see the main character succeed.