Narrated by Barrie Kreinik, The Choice by Nora Roberts delivers the conclusion to the Dragon Heart Legacy. Breen Siobhan Kelly and Keegan unite with all of Talamh to defeat evil. Grab a cup of peppermint cocoa and see why I recommend this trilogy.
by Nora Roberts
Series: The Dragon Heart Legacy #3
Narrator: Barrie Kreinik
Length: 15 hours and 18 minutes
Genres: Fantasy
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Narration: 5 cups Speed: 1.4x
Talamh is a land of green hills, high mountains, deep forests, and seas, where magicks thrive. But portals allow for passage in and out--and ultimately, each must choose their place, and choose between good and evil, war and peace, life and death...
Breen Siobhan Kelly grew up in the world of Man and was once unaware of her true nature. Now she is in Talamh, trying to heal after a terrible battle and heartbreaking losses. Her grandfather, the dark god Odran, has been defeated in his attempt to rule over Talamh, and over Breen--for now.
With the enemy cast out and the portal sealed, this is a time to rest and to prepare. Breen spreads her wings and realizes a power she's never experienced before. It's also a time for celebrations--of her first Christmas in both Talamh and Ireland, of solstice and weddings and births--and daring to find joy again in the wake of sorrow. She rededicates herself to writing her stories, and when his duties as taoiseach permit, she is together with Keegan, who has trained her as a warrior and whom she has grown to love.
It's Keegan who's at her side when the enemy's witches, traitorous and power-mad, appear to her in her sleep, practicing black magick, sacrificing the innocent, and plotting a brutal destruction for Breen. And soon, united with him and with all of Talamh, she will seek out those in desperate need of rescue, and confront the darkness with every weapon she has: her sword, her magicks--and her courage...
I loved this series, but felt this last book, The Choice, fell flat. Yes, it offered an exciting conclusion and wrapped up nicely, leaving me satisfied, but the middle bits dragged. The first two audiobooks, The Awakening and The Becoming, held me from beginning to end.
The story takes place in Talamh (land of the fae), Ireland, and briefly in New York. We spend a lot of time in Talamh getting to know the fae and their traditions. We celebrate Christmas and witness moments with key characters and see romantic developments.
I loved the character growth and overall message of the power of belief. Fans of romantic fantasy, lore, the fae, and paranormal romance will fall for these characters and storyline.
The world building and overall story arc was wonderful. I truly felt like I had traveled to Talamh and the workings of that world came to life. The threat, prophecies and build up were well done. As Breen’s powers grew, so did the threat. Her dreams, the cracks in Talamh, and the villains will have you cheering for Breen and Keegan.
The core romance is between Breen & Keegan and I loved their chemistry and banter. The listener is also treated to other romances, including those of Breen’s LGBTQ friend and moments with other couples in Talamh. All the romances are served on the side, giving depth to the overall story arc.
Barrie Kreinik has narrated the series and did a splendid job of giving voice to Breen, Keegan and secondary characters from evil villains to Talamh.
Nora Roberts is an auto-buy for me, but in all honesty, I think this could have been an epic duology. However, I enjoyed the overall trilogy and have no regrets. I look forward to her next.
The Choice by Nora Roberts is the final installment in the Dragon Heart Legacy trilogy, narrated by Barrie Kreinik #audiobookreview #NewRelease Click To TweetAbout Nora Roberts
Nora Roberts is the number-one New York Times–bestselling author of Whiskey Beach, The Witness, Chasing Fire, and The Search, among other titles. She is also the author of the bestselling In Death series, written under the pen name J. D. Robb. There are more than 400 million copies of her novels in print.
About Barrie Kreinik
Barrie Kreinik is an actor, singer, and audiobook narrator based in New York City. Her performance work includes numerous Off-Broadway and regional theater productions, as well as cabarets, concerts, and solo shows. She received an AudioFile Earphones Award for her very first audiobook and has since narrated critically acclaimed books across a wide variety of genres. Barrie specializes in dialects and accents, creating colorful and distinct character voices in her audiobooks and often working as a dialect coach for other actors. Barrie holds an MFA in acting from Brown/Trinity Rep and a BA in theater and English from Cornell.
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Carole @ Carole's Random Life
I do want to read this trilogy but too bad this last installment fell a little flat.
Debbie Haupt
I’m listening to this right now Kim and am bummed to see the middle fell flat especially because I’m nearing the middle now. Thanks for sharing, she’s an auto-buy for me too but they can’t all be a 5 star right
Kimberly
Very true Debbie. Thank you.
Nadene
So sorry to hear the final installment was not as good as the previous books. At least the narration was stellar.
Kimberly
Yes, she did a fantastic job.
Katherine
I’m listening to this now and enjoying it (though I’m only 10% in) and I love the narrator. However, I can definitely see this being a bit stretched out. Even now I’m wondering just what else can happen.
Kimberly
Happy listening. Despite the drag, I did enjoy it.
Lover of Romance
It’s always the worst that this one fell so flat especially when the previous books in the series had worked out so much better. I know many are really loving this series.
Lovely review!
Kimberly
Yeah, I was a little disappointed, but that rarely happens with Roberts.
Rachel @Waves of Fiction
Love Barrie Kreinik’s narration and I’ve enjoyed Nora Roberts from time to time. It is a long audiobook! I’ll have to check out the series.
Kimberly
Rachel, check out her Chronicles of The One trilogy narrated by Julia Whelan. That was 5 STAR all the way.
Lorna
I felt exactly how you do. I loved the first two and gave them 5 stars. Just couldn’t do it for this third one. I think I went with 4 stars. A bit slow. And so much description of the fantasy place that were already told about in the other books.
Kimberly
I am happy to know I am not the only one who felt that way. I love Roberts and this rarely happens.