Never After

De: Alexis Hall

Narrado por: Steve West

From fan-favorite author Alexis Hall comes a story of faith, redemption, and love—a melancholic tale of queer romance set in nineteenth-century England.

On the grim streets of London, a young man succumbs to his demons. Discarded by his lover and left penniless and alone, Michael “Micha” Dashwood uses sex to pay the bills and opium to numb the pain.

When a sudden illness strikes, all seems lost. But hope finds Micha in the shape of the Reverend Thomas Mandeville. Haunted by grief of his own, Thomas cannot bear to ignore another man’s plight. He brings the ailing Micha home to heal in his parish at Nettlefield.

As Micha recovers under Thomas’s care, he begins to realize that some people in this world are worthy of trust. Thomas, in turn, learns the truth of his own needs and desires. Between the secrets of the past and the burdens of the present, their future together seems impossible. Questions of faith and the shadow of opium continue to haunt them both.

Yet possibilities, like miracles, can be found wherever you look for them.

©2026 by Alexis Hall. (P)2026 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Realistically Ever After

The last book I read by alexis Hall was “A Lady For a Duke.” The end of that book was cozy and happy, but left me with a serious case of the “but what about…”s. There were so many practical, realistic details that Hall didn’t address in the final HEE.

This book, in contrast, dealt head on with many of the realistic, likely, and plausible challenges to Victorian, queer romances. The end was satisfying, honest, and hopeful, but definitely not a happily ever after. The honesty was refreshing, but melancholy. This one’s not a lighthearted beach Reed. I’m glad I read it, but now I’m going to go find something a little more escapist to cleanse my pallet.

Worth a credit, worth your time, but keep the tissues handy.