Heartbreaking

I follow Nicky James. Her stories are always so emotional and true to life. This made me feel like she had insight to the time period. Since being gay was not legal in England until the late nineteen sixties that sets this as probably mild for what really happened. This story broke my heart most of the way through. Living in fear or prison does not make a happy story. I think this author has the ability to take characters of such different class and make them interact naturally. The story flow moved right along. The characters felt totally real to me. The narration by J.T. Ruddle really brings life to these characters. I think this is one of her earliest stories and I’d love to read one from that time period she would write now.

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A fantastic tale of forbidden love

I don't know how I missed this book when it first came out, but I'm so happy I had the experience of listening to Simon and James's romance. J.T. Ruddle's narration transported me back in time, and coupled with Nicky James's excellent writing I felt like I was actually a part of Simon's world. 

I can't imagine what life was like for Simon and James--the fear and secrecy they had to live with every day just to be true to themselves must have been a difficult burden. That Simon was willing to go so far to save a stranger from his criminal sentence was incredibly romantic and set the stage for an intriguing storyline. Because Simon didn't disclose his motives to James, the beginning of their story felt more like an enemies-to-lovers romance than a love-at-first-sight tale. I had a lot of fun listening to their banter and spats, and as time passed and their relationship grew from master/servant to true companions, I was even more delighted. Listening to the two of them fall in love was the most decadent treat, and I ate every minute of it up and basked in the happiness they radiated. I honestly don't know how these two made it so long without being caught because their love for each other shone through in even the simplest action. I knew that James's escape couldn't stay a secret forever, but it was easy to get lost in the simple, happy life they shared together in the manor. 

When things started to fall apart, at first I didn't believe it--I'm way too much of a romantic to believe that the worst parts of humanity could prevail over true love. Between Lillian's unexpected support and Simon's quick thinking, I remained hopeful all the way until the end that things would somehow work out alright. When Simon and James had to make the difficult decision to part ways they broke my heart into a million pieces, and I shed many tears over the suffering they went through before they were free to be together again. What gave me hope during the lowest points was the promise they made to each other. "Until the End of Time" isn't just the title of this book, it's a testament to the strength of Simon and James's love, a physical representation of the bond they built together. In some ways, the forbidden nature of their romance made the journey even more worth it, because I know that both men considered the consequences of being together and actively chose that path anyway.

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

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A book that left me speechless

Story: I do not read or listen to a lot of historical romance stories, but this being a Nicky James book had me curious enough to give it a try. What a brilliant decision it was! The story had me absolutely riveted! The emotions, the characters and the setting were spot on! To top it off, the language was brilliantly authentic, building an amazingly complex and wholesome tale of love in times it could be deadly dangerous. The story left me speechless!
Narration: The narrator was amazingly well selected! The voice, the inflection and all the emotions the performance carried forward made this audio a beautiful travel in time.

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emotional and beautiful performance

listening to j t ruddle bring Simon James and their journey to life was beautifully perfect

I felt every single emotion and feels in this story the tears and the heartwarming moments I loved it

nicky james words the characters and the narration was such a wonderful combination

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The most beautiful love story of all time

The most beautiful love story of all time.

I'm not a fan of historical romances, but somehow Nicky can write anything and I'd love it.

I loved reading this book and now with the audio it was a whole different experience. I loved listening to James and Simon's story, the voices were so great for both of them and the narrator did a really good job bringing this story to life.

Who doesn't love a love story which can last forever, no matter the time and place. A love story in a time when it was forbidden to love someone in the same gender as you. A love story which could easily be a tragedy.

I have only one word for this book: perfection. This story is so beautiful that it will stay with me forever, until the end of time.

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A delightful rollercoaster of emotion!

I absolutely loved this book! The story took me on a journey that made me hold my breath with anticipation, and brought tears to my eyes.

J.T Ruddle's performance was outstanding! He made the experience of listening an absolute joy. He captured the heat and emotion of the storey wonderfully. Having listened to countless books, he is easily one of my favourite narrators.

A wonderful experience all around!

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amazing

so good... so well written.. the narrator did an amazing job with everything in this... i loved it

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A l'eau c'est l'heure

"Victorian" melodrama, made ridiculous by such grating and jarring language heaped with Americanized terminology ie Fall (autumn), garbage, American style dates and times, et al which all detract from a good premise with admirable, well defined MCs: Simon and James. Set in Hastings, England (where this author thinks nothing grows till April????, never mind the riot of colour from bluebells, primroses, daffodils, apple and cherry blossoms).

Simon who steals James, never for one moment thinks to give him a new name or a disguise, or to relocate to another house to shack up.

I applaud the good effort of this author to pen such a drama to completion, but just a couple of hours of researching or even reading English authors in this genre for clues, could've ensured a quality offering. (For those who would enjoy a quality offering, in period genre, check out Any Old Diamonds by KJ Charles).

The name Reginald Perrin for the bad bobby in this story, was a poor choice as it's the same name of a ridiculous iconic character in a BBC series from the 1970s (The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin), who had a horrible boss whose catch phrase was "I didn't get where I am today by....".

Dylan is another iconic character from a BBC series for Children from the 1970s, The Magic Roundabout. He was a hip drugged up rabbit lol.

The perfect narration, by Mr Ruddle (who I suspect is Gary Furlong) is the compensation for all the errors and nonsense. It is voiced with such skill, enchanting tone, passion and perfect inflection to ensure the result is well worth the listen. VERY ENTERTAINING

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2 people found this helpful