The Storm and the Rose

The Storm and Shadow Duology, Book 1

By: T.L. Johnson

Narrated by: Jacci Prior

Obsession leaves marks deeper than any wound.

Arden Rivers has rebuilt her life brick by fragile brick, determined not to be defined by the shadows of her past. But when roses begin to appear at her door—perfect, blood-red, deliberate—so do the notes. Intimate. Intrusive. Written by someone who knows her too well.

Each gift is beautiful. Each gift is a threat.

The stalker who calls himself her admirer isn’t the only man watching. Gideon Blackwell, heir to a powerful legacy, is as relentless as he is protective. Calculated where others are reckless, he offers her safety—but at a cost: letting him past the walls she’s built.

Torn between the protector who sees her strength and the predator who worships her fire, Arden must decide which man holds the greater danger. Because obsession doesn’t always hide in shadows—sometimes it comes wrapped in devotion.

In this slow-burn romantic suspense, passion and peril entwine. Love may be her refuge—or the deadliest trap of all.

For listeners who crave closure: The Storm and the Rose ends on a cliffhanger, but The Rose and the Shadows concludes the story with the hard-won, deeply earned HEA every modern gothic romance deserves.

©2025 T.L. Johnson (P)2026 T.L. Johnson

So Beautiful!

This is an audiobook you FEEL. It’s so beautiful and poetic and full of longing and deep rooted scars. And THAT ENDING. COUNTRY ROADS!?!

I will definitely be continuing the series in the audiobook format!

The prose is gorgeous, and the narration enhanced it.

This story understands that love doesn’t erase trauma. Every scene feels intentional. Every pause and every withheld word holds a purpose. The pacing works because the interiority is so strong. Arden’s voice feels lived-in, razor-smart, and emotionally honest. She is one of the most fully realized heroines I’ve read in years: complicated and defiant, but also tender in ways that feel earned. Jacci enhanced the beauty of this novel. I didn’t want to leave Arden when the book ended. I’m on pins and needles waiting for book two’s audio!

The Storm and the Rose is hauntingly thrilling with the right about of burn and seasoning!

This audiobook is phenomenal. The narrator’s voice is beautiful and haunting, and they bring the characters fully to life—you don’t just hear the story, you feel it. Every emotion lands, every moment pulls you deeper, and it becomes impossible to stop listening.

The narration is completely immersive and keeps you desperate to know what happens next. Even having read the story before, the audiobook experience was just as powerful—maybe even more so. The pacing, the emotion, the way the characters breathe through the narrator’s voice… it’s exceptional.

There’s a cliffhanger at the end, and it’s the best kind—the kind that lives rent-free in your head and leaves you counting the days until the next part is released. I’m already planning a re-listen because this is absolutely the kind of audiobook you catch more from the second time around.

Highly recommend the author and this incredible narrator. If you love audiobooks that completely consume you, this one will wreck you in the most delicious way. 🎧🖤🔥