I have no experience with this stove but years of exp with others growing up and as an adult, including the Heritage that I installed freestanding with a class A through the wall.
The upsides to the Heritage/Soapstone:
Absolutely beautiful addition to the decor.
Great even burn on the wood
Little Ash
Decent Burn times
Retained heat after fire-Key for shoulder seasons as mentioned
Handled a decent size log of well seasoned with no problem
1500 SQ/ft bungalow in Worcester, MA. Not a lick of insulation when I moved in. Ultimately the whole house was redone and insulated including interior walls and ceilings. The stove heated the whole house except the downstairs bath in the back of the house. When I say heated- the thermostat was in the kitchen and the Temp on that was constantly between 68-72 depending on how I burned the stove. The upstairs needed a window cracked on several nights due to temps up there being even higher. The stove cranked out the heat.
The downsides:
Heat response-It takes a while for the stove to heat up and that can be a downer in the shoulder seasons. Not a big deal during the winter 24/7. It took a while to get the timing and load correct so I wasn't blown out on cool fall/spring nights. Even when this happened you can always open the upstairs windows and regulate the temp that way. Rather more heat than not enough.
Useless ash pan that I think I used once.
Watch your clearances. If this stove heats like mine did you need to pay attention to the combustibles if you go for minimal clearance. The manual says 7" with shield and double wall pipe for the Heritage. The wall behind got very hot and I ended up fabricating a second decorative heat shield that eliminated the problem.
Humidifiers would be a good investment. The air upstairs will dry out significantly.
You will not be disapointed. Your wife will love the look and the feel once you get the hang of it. The $$ is a great investment and that stove should last for a long time