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Promises of Forever

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Promises of Forever

By: Nicky James
Narrated by: Nick J. Russo
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About this listen

Life can change on a dime.

Childhood tragedy left Koa Burgard with many scars. Reclusive and still healing, he is sent to summer camp, where the other kids tease and bully. All except the outgoing, popular boy from his cabin. A boy who dreams about being a hockey star. A tentative friendship forms. Every summer, they reconnect for adventure. Every winter, they write letters back and forth.

Promises are made, and promises are shattered.

Thirty years later, the sudden death of his parents brings Jersey Reid home. Rotten things keep happening. His life has been full of torment and pain, and he can’t remember a time when he was happy.

Will it ever stop?

Cleaning out his deceased parents’ house, he uncovers his and Koa’s pen pal letters. Can Jersey recapture the happiness and innocence of youth by reconnecting with the strange, quirky boy he befriended at camp so long ago? Or will the mistakes he made before be a barrier?

Although Koa is now a respectable English teacher at an elite boarding school, Jersey quickly learns that the boy with dark secrets from camp is more troubled than ever.

Koa has given up on happiness. His views on life are bleak and disturbing, and he’s learned it’s better to be alone in an unforgiving world.

Jersey’s return offsets Koa’s balance and brings the past back into focus. A past he’s spent a lifetime trying to forget.

But Jersey was his savior once. He was kind when no one else was. Jersey made him feel safe in an unsafe world.

Until he broke a promise.

And promises are supposed to be for forever.

** Promises of Forever is an angsty MM romance with the following themes. Second chance love, hurt / comfort, jock and nerd dynamic, opposites attract, mental health. **

©2024 Nicky James (P)2024 Nicky James
Romance Romantic Suspense Happiness Suspense Summer Tear-jerking
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beautiful emotional performance

nick j russo brought the story and the characters to life perfectly I felt every emotion and feels from every page loved it

nick j russo brought nicky James's words to life beautifully

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promises of forever

I didn't want this book to end! you could really invest in the characters, the narration was excellent too.

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beautiful second chance story - brilliant narration

I loved everything about this book: the wonderful writing, the story, Koa and Jersey, the layered characters portrayed, the flashbacks, the great secondary character Niles, all the emotions, the second chances, the poetic passages and the brilliant performance by Nick J. Russo.
The story captivated me from start to finish. Once I started listening to the audiobook, I found it very difficult to press pause. Two days and I had finished the audiobook. And it certainly won't be the last time I listen to this masterpiece.
Jersey and Koa meet at summer camp. Koa is teased by the other children and he behaves differently from all the other children. With Jersey, he begins to form the tender bonds of a friendship. A promise is made at the last summer camp. Promises are forever - until they are broken.
The story takes place 30 years later and I love it when the characters are a bit older. Jersey's life has also been bumpy and when he returns to his parents' house, he discovers letters from his childhood and makes contact with Koa after 30 years. Koa is now a respectable English teacher, but he has never learned to be happy.
Koa's attitude to life broke my heart. I would have loved to hug Koa right at the beginning and whisper to him that everything would be okay. I admired Jersey: for his honesty and for his strength to scratch at Koa's walls in order to be able to tear them down at some point. Niles was a lifeline, a great character who was always there for Koa.
The story is very intense and emotional and the tension is there right to the end. Another plus point is the connection I felt as a reader between Koa and Jersey. A connection that was already very strong in their childhood and is strengthened in adulthood.
An outstanding story about a second chance with lots of emotion, learning to trust and ultimately allowing happiness.

Nick J. Russo is a brilliant narrator. I felt every single emotion of the characters and felt like crying at times, but I could also smile at times. He did a fantastic job bringing this story to life!
Highly recommended!

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Wonderful!

This audio was fantastic!! Nick J Russo did an amazing job bringing Koa and Jersey to life, this audio was so intense and emotional. A second chance brings these two back together and they finally get together but it wasn’t an easy journey. I can’t recommend enough this audio!

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Trademark angsty magic

Story: Nicky James will forever be queen of gritty angsty stories that play my heart like a fiddle. The characters she creates every single time, this book included, are these amazing complex personalities that you can't help but want to crack open and solve like a puzzle.
Masterful, emotional and in - depth writing that dives right into the psyche of the characters. Amazing!
Narration: Wonder duo at work again, Nick J. Russo truly knows how to elevate Nicky James writing to a whole new level.

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A wonderful, emotional second chance at love

Jersey and Koa's story was a gorgeously written, deeply emotional journey of two souls getting a second chance at happiness. I'm always amazed by how Nicky James pulls emotions out of me while reading, connecting me strongly to each of her characters and allowing me to walk in their shoes for the entirety of our time together. This audio was no different, and thanks to Nick J. Russo's expressive narration I felt transported into the lives of Jersey and Koa, first as kids and then as adults decades later.

For 95% of the story, I had no idea what event had shaped Koa into the person he was when he and Jersey met, but the impact of that unknown tragedy colored every aspect of his interaction with the world around him. Like Jersey, I felt drawn to Koa, even when his inner demons pulled him far from reality, and we both grew to crave his smiles and laughter. So much of Koa was unknowable due to the past he'd sealed off, and it made me ache to see how bleak his worldview was at times. Jersey had experienced his own series of traumatic events throughout his life, and in a way that made the two of them more equipped to understand each other as adults than they had as teenagers. Their reunion was a slow, sometimes painfully awkward rekindling of friendship, but some unspoken hope kept the two of them from giving up and walking away for good. Koa's thought process was so different from my own, and I found it fascinating to see the world through his eyes and understand what motivated him. He was both deeply philosophical and incredibly detached from the rest of the world, and for a long time I believed that barrier would prevent him from ever opening himself up to love. Jersey was a lot more persistent than most, and little by little I saw the two of them carve out a place for each other in their lives. I wouldn't say that their story was particularly happy--too much of what defined these men was painted in shades of sorrow, trauma, and regret for that--but it was a cleansing, healing journey with an ending that felt wonderfully freeing. Jersey and Koa did open up to each other, sharing things they never had with another person, and seeing them support each other through the highs and lows of life was deeply moving. I have no doubt about the strength of their love after finishing their story, and while their joy was a quiet, private affair, it didn't affect me any less when I read those final few words.

**I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this book. This review expresses my honest thoughts and opinions.

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Brilliant, Beautiful & Emotional 💖

WOW....... Absolutely Brilliant another truly outstanding narration by Nick J Russo the way he brings this story to life with all the feels its emotional, intense and beautiful both Jersey and Koa are both troubled and wounded men in pain but together with patience, love and care move on to something truly beautiful recommend so much.

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Heartbreaking and hopeful

This was so well written, describing a man who's hidden from his past trauma by burying all feelings. When a childhood friend reappears in his life, his balance gets upset and he will learn to find a new way. Absolutely heartbreaking, it made me cry on multiple occasions but handled with care and a clear message of hope in the end. I loved it 😍
Brilliant narration 🥰

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Lovable, heartbreaking characters

Tear your heart up story. Nicky is back at the normal broken characters I just have to love.
Jersey has made plenty of mistakes. From when he was a child till present. Then he tries to be more than his past. When he finds letters from his childhood friend he decides to get in touch again.
Koa has been what people consider strange since he was a child. Most people don’t know about his past or his reasons for being “strange”. He has had a past relationship that just didn’t work out and they even became bff’s but it isn’t until Jersey gets in touch with him that his life changes. Koa isn’t sure he wants to reunite but Jersey is persistent.
This story broke my heart with both lovable characters lives. Jersey has made mistakes, some he can’t undo and some he is trying to resolve. Koa’s life is just one tragedy after another. He was raised by a grandfather who didn’t know how to deal with a kid. He had other situations that contributed to his problems and these followed him his whole life.
This is Nicky writing those stories that put her books on the top of my watch list. Nick J. Russo has done an excellent job again bringing so much reality and emotion to these characters.

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One of the best books ever!

Nick J Russo is a master of his craft. He once again nails his performance and brings the characters bursting to life.
Combine that with the story telling ability of Nicky James and you have a perfect match.

Koa is such a multilayered character who carries a lifetime’s worth of pain inside that makes him unable to connect with the world and people. He leads a very carefully constructed lonely life that leaves him so very jaded. Jersey lives with many regrets and has also had his share of issues to overcome throughout his 44 years. Circumstances lead him to trying to reconnect with his long ago childhood friend from summer camp causing the past to come roaring into the present.

Their story is at times a brutal troubled one but these wounded men slowly but surely navigate their way through all the obstacles to attain their hard earned HEA. This is a story about healing, strength of character against almost insurmountable odds, patience, acceptance and love.

Be prepared for plenty of angst and plenty of feels. This is a story that will stay with me long after the end.

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