There are opportunities to do successful politicking no matter which stats you focus on, and even if you fail those tests, the story gets interesting in another way. No matter what happens in the intrigue part of the story, this is a romance and you are absolutely going to get a happy ending with whichever RO you prefer! That’s a given with Heart’s Choice, as I understand it, and with the romance genre in general. If there are multiple ROs, there may be multiple endings to choose from. Your choices will define the outcome of the trouble/peace in the kingdom, but this game is very forgiving, and there are plenty of story threads to follow, however you choose to play.
I see I’m a few days late replying on this, but I hope you enjoyed the game!
did a playthrough with prince julian and it didn’t disappoint! pleasantly surprised by the amount of sex scenes and the scattered sweet little moments you get throughout the story. i’m so happy with his proposal, hoping the queen wouldn’t pass out when she finds out. i wanna do another route but i’m afraid i wouldn’t be able to resist prince julian. i somehow managed to achieve a peaceful ending, yay.
I just finished this game and loved the story and the characters were very compelling.
However the romance wasn’t for me, I started ‘romancing’ Julian first but quickly shifted my attention to Javier when we were in the Cabaret, but around Ch.5 I felt like I was a third wheel in that relationship no matter how much time I spent alone with the Rogue. I ended my first play through with Galen. His romance is very sweet and steamy and, although I still felt I was getting in between another established couple it was less… I don’t even know the right word here… but it wasn’t as bad as with Javier and Julian.
I wished I had read this thread before purchasing the game as I don’t particularly enjoy romancing characters in pre-established relationships. I know you can ask them to be monogamous but I think it goes against the characters and what they truly want so in the end I never asked. I’ll try Lissa next and see how it goes.
This has been an absolutely delightful read. Normally I prefer female ROs but still try out male ones for fun. But Galen in this one. By far my favorite. The way I imagine him saying “Delicious” in intimate scenes I don’t know what it is about that word in specific. I did the other ROs first because I had an affinity for him from his first appearance and knew I had to save the best for last. That said, I enjoyed all the romances and all the characters. Definitely don’t regret playing through this one so many times, especially since it’s on the shorter side, and definitely do recommend
Can anyone clarify if there’s some sweet romance in this game? I just started playing and was kinda leaning towards the prince, but then the game put me in a situation where I had to either agree to have sex with him or say that I wasn’t interested in him. I chose sex even though I didn’t really want to do that yet. But now I feel like I missed out on any build up in terms of romance?
You can still build up a romance with Julian after having sex with him. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to connect with him emotionally as well as physically.
If you’d rather not have sex with the prince until you’ve build a romantic connection (or you want to romance the prince, or any other character, without reading any sex scenes), you can do that too. If you turn him down in the cabaret, I don’t think you can stop him from going off to have sex with someone else - dude’s there to get laid - but it doesn’t shut you out of his romance route. Just spend time with him after that whenever you get a chance, and there are plenty of opportunities to talk and get to know each other better.
Okay, the way the moment was written, it made it look like I “had” to have sex with him if I wanted to pursue romance. My options were: have sex, watch, think to myself that I’m not romantically interested in the prince, or choose the Rogue. So in that case I felt pushed into sex, which I didn’t want, and the whole thing felt a little weird and uncomfortable. But I’ll definitely restart. I don’t know how to get around that moment, maybe instead of sitting next to Julian I should’ve just stood? Maybe I shouldn’t have talked to anyone and just stayed on guard duty? I guess there’s no way to avoid going into the Cabaret entirely. It’s definitely not my kind of place.
It’s my mistake in a sense because I thought this was a romance novel, but I see it’s described as a “fantasy sexual escapade,” so it seems like this might not be the book for me. So many of the characters already being in firm relationships (it’s clear Julian and the Rogue are together) and then having to be convinced that they should break that off feels weird. Definitely not what I thought I was getting into!
It is definitely a romance novel. All sex scenes are optional. But it’s definitely, for those who choose to experience it that way, an erotic romance.
You don’t have to convince anyone to break off a relationship. Javier and Julian aren’t a couple exactly, although they care about and enjoy each other deeply - but if either one falls in love with you, he’ll be happy to offer you a monogamous relationship if you say that’s what you prefer. Ditto for the other “established” couple in the game, Edenia and Galen.
That said, if you’re uncomfortable with characters who enjoy casual sex and nonmonogamous arrangements, this might not be the game for you. But if you have any other questions, I would love to help you find a route through the story that suits your preferences.
If all sex scenes are optional, how was I supposed to navigate the situation I was in if I wanted to pursue Julian as a romance option? Again, my only choices were: have sex with Julian, watch, think to myself that I’m not interested in Julian, or go with the Rogue. I really didn’t know what to do!
That said, if you’re uncomfortable with characters who enjoy casual sex and nonmonogamous arrangements, this might not be the game for you.
Not sure where this is coming from.
I would definitely appreciate a guide on how to pursue a relationship with, say, Julian. Right now, he and the Rogue seem only interested in each other. I don’t want to hop into bed with anyone after just meeting them; my idea of a romance novel is two characters getting to know one another, slowly developing feelings, and maybe becoming physically intimate if they both want that.
I finally had a chance to finish this game (trying to find a way to relax last night after finishing work at 1am, lol), and I loved it.
It was a lot of fun and flowed really well. The pacing was great, the LIs were interesting and not too tropey, and the spiciness was nice! This is really the first HC game that I’ve enjoyed, and I’m glad I went ahead and got it.
As for the worry over the LIs pairing off with each other, I didn’t really feel that. Yeah, Julian and Javier had a “thing” before the MC came along, but it didn’t really feel like the MC was intruding. Of course, my MC went for the poly, so all was well. It was nice that triggering the poly didn’t require jumping through a thousand hoops, too. And they all got engaged at the end, which was sweet, so I went to sleep with a smile on my face once I finished!
I definitely recommend this to anyone who’s into romance games. I didn’t try the other routes, obviously, but I’d actually like to try the Fae dude. Just need to make a MC for him that’s less attached to the kingdom and prince. Granted, if I do that, my opinion of the Julian/Javier thing may change, and it may seem more in-your-face with them together sans MC, so I am a bit reluctant to try that out…
I recall trying the demo a few weeks ago and I picked it up after finishing another Heart’s Choice books and I liked my experience a lot. I was worried the romance scenes would be really awk as it’s 3 spicy peppers but the scenes flowed well and didn’t take me out of the moment too much.
I hope one day we’ll be able to read a sequel to the book too.
i’m so happy with his 
i somehow managed to achieve a peaceful ending, yay.
I don’t know what it is about that word in specific. I did the other ROs first because I had an affinity for him from his first appearance and knew I had to save the best for last. That said, I enjoyed all the romances and all the characters. Definitely don’t regret playing through this one so many times, especially since it’s on the shorter side, and definitely do recommend
And this would keep my chances with the prince viable?