Never After

By: Alexis Hall

Narrated by: 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.

Alexis Halls most poetic book

I have been a fan since the Arden St Ives series and feel that over time Alexis writing style evolved to an almost poetic maturity that charmed even my cynical M/M saturated heart.
This is a book I know I will listen to again time and again just to hear the beautiful narrators voice giving flight to Hall’s bespangled Fairy Wings and Songs. My my, what interesting paths you are treading Alexis.
Thank you for a wonderful romantic and enchanting story that in very tangible ways felt more real that history itself and seems timeless in its message.

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.

Alexis Hall is so gifted!!

I will buy any book AJH writes, most of the time in both audio and Kindle versions. What a talented, brilliant, compassionate author. I can't even.

This book broke my heart completely and utterly. Never After, as foreshadowed by its title, has a kinda happy ending, but not the one the reader expects. It kinda leaves you satisfied and kinda sobbing. This is exactly why I love Alexis Hall so much.



Oh, and the narration. Well... ummm... figuring out that Steve West is the same person as Shane East, I kept waiting for the narrator to roll his eyes and splutter "Nikolai!"

Angst turned up to 11.5

prepare for your heart to be broken, gentle reader. beautiful, but sad all the time.

Loved it!

Great performance and compelling story. It kept my attention for the better part of the day.