Promises of Forever

By: Nicky James

Narrated by: Nick J. Russo

Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

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

beautiful love story

second chances for all. all the drama of loving a complex character. don't pass this up.

Second Chance Love

In Promises, we get to see past Koa and Jersey as their friendship begin through flashbacks and this gave more depth to the story and relationship reforming. The angst is ultimately resolved, although it hurts the heart along the way. But that makes the HEA all the sweeter. This book deals with some serious topics and Jersey's and Koa's struggles were deftly handled. Jersey's patience and Koa's hidden fears and vulnerabilities created characters that will stay with me. Nick Russo brings this excellent story to life and as always, he provides a fantastic performance. An great story elevated by wonderful narration, this is another winning Nick and Nicky collaboration.

Loved it!

Nick J. Russo does an amazing job of bringing Promises of Forever to life.
Promises of Forever is a powerfully emotional slow-burn second-chance romance. I was drawn into this story from the first page and didn't stop reading until I reached the last page.
The story is dual POV with flashbacks to the MCs' childhood at the camp where they met and became friends. I really loved getting to see both sides of this story.

In Promises of Forever, the past and present are interwoven so we get the history of Koa and Jersey's beginning and how they are reunited in the present.

These wounded men slowly begin to rebuild the bonds they shared in the past. Each has much to overcome and deal with. I loved seeing them be so supportive of each other.

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

💕 Beautiful & emotional 5 star second chance ⭐️

Promises of Forever exemplifies Nicky James’ true mastery at tackling mental health issues in her characters. Her ability to tell a beautiful story of friendship, acceptance, patience and love is also shown in this wonderful book.

This is the story of Koa, an unusual, very troubled loner that most people don’t understand, and Jersey, the one man determined to try… again. Through flashbacks we learn how, as kids, their near secret friendship began but fell apart. Three decades later Jersey returns, with troubles of his own, hoping to reconnect with the friend he lost.

Koa’s story both touched and intrigued me. Trying to unravel the mystery behind his unusual personality added an extra layer of interest to this moving second chance, hurt / comfort story. My heart ached for the pain both he and Jersey endured, individually and within their relationship. But as this is a Nicky James book, I was confident that all the angst and pain would be lovingly resolved and healed. I was not disappointed when I reached the well deserved, beautiful HEA.

Listening to this dual POV performance had me fully immersed in Koa’s world and Jersey’s desire to help him. Nick J Russo’s narration gave clear distinctions between characters, with convincing emotions, occasional touches of humor, and passionate steam. I never fail to be impressed by his ability to enact a story without ever seeming as if he’s reading.

It was a joy to listen to Russo narrate, and a joy to experience the depth and wonder of this treasure by James. I eagerly await the next book that brings both together again!

Promises are for forever

4.5 stars for Nick Russo's narrating. He does a solid job distinguishing the voices of the main MCs not just as adults but through their younger years too. His best piece of narrating comes in chapter 29 during Koa's tangent about life, death, things ending, etc. The anger and passion in it really shines through.

4.25 stars for the story:

Koa and Jersey first met when they were 10 at a summer camp. Jersey is drawn to Koa, although he seems odd. For 4 years the two of them connected during summer and when not at camp wrote to one another as pen pals. However, the last summer and a first kiss set them off course.

Jersey's life has been a mess ever since an injury took him out of the game of hockey. His injury led him to become addicted to pills. He lost his career, his wife, his son, and his parents in a short time. For 15 years, he stayed away from his family. However, when an incident brings him home he finds himself reminiscing about his past. When he comes across a box of old letters he wrote to and olf camp friend, Koa, his urge to reconnect is strong. However, not everyone from the past is always ready with open arms.

Koa has had a hard life. When he was 8 years old a tragic incident left him forever changed. He was sent to live with his grandfather. His grandfather who believed in corporal punishment and who was completely not equipped to take care of a child like Koa. Summer camp was his only escape from his grandfather's house. However, his odd behavior did not attract many friends but he managed to become friends with Jersey. Jersey was the one person he had any sort of feeling of safety with until Jersey left him. Now as an adult, he has a life he worked hard to carve out. A life that suits him and what he believes he needs.

Koa is a teacher at a high school for gifted students, he has a lovely home and a pet cat who keeps him company. His life is where he wants it and he is managing it well. That is until his past wants to come knocking on his door. A past he fears will open old wombs and throw him off balance.

How to describe this book...tragic but lovely. Koa has a past that would haunt anyone. He believes happiness doesn't exist and he is unable to show emotion. His last relationship ended because he wasn't able to give himself over. So when Jersey comes back into his life he doesn't accept him with open arms, in fact, he tries to push him away. If his friend didn't intercede, Jersey would have never stood a chance. Jersey may have opened wounds for Koa but in my opinion, those wounds needed to be. Jersey's patience and the love he had for Koa were what was needed for him to be able to finally break through Koa's walls. In the end, I am happy they got what I feel is an HFN. The epilogue left much to be desired. I definitely recommend giving this one a go but read any TWs and go in with caution.

5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🎧

First, let me start with the narrator. I have been listening to Nick J. Russo for a minute. His voice gets better and better with each book. I love how he gives the characters their own unique voice without being too over the top. It really adds to the story and to the characters.

I love second chances; I like it when we get past and present. Now, usually, I don't like the jump from past to present often because it can take me out of the story. But this one was done well, and I had no trouble. I know I said I don't like past/presents I am a catch 22 I know this!!

Koa and Jersey
As boys, they sought each other out even through the tough times. Koa is a complex character to like in his later years, or he was for me. I felt for the boy. I wanted to know his story, but not all at the same time because I knew it would not be a good one.
The way Jersey inherently knows not to push even in the past and present just made me like him more.
I hated that Koa struggled for so much of his life. But I am also so thankful when Jersey comes back into his life. He just loved Koa for all the good and all the complex parts. That made me love his character all the more. We get a little bit of Jersey's past, too, and I would have liked a little detail, but I think the last hour or so of this book brought me full circle in the end.
All of the emotion, all of the love. How we got Koa's past was perfect. I had tears, as one does with a heartbreaking story like that.

I highly recommend this book. It was angsty and emotional but with some truly unforgettable characters.

Love this story!

This book is amazing! It's emotional and features mental health in only the way Nicky James can do! These two characters tear at your heartstrings and you just have to clutch your tissues as you watch them reconnect and find their place for one another between everything they've been dealing with. Truly heartwrenching and emotional, this book is also beautifully written in a way only Nicky James can do. Not only that, but the narration was perfect and hit the emotional arcs just right that really immersed you into the story.

loved it!

I really loved this as an audiobook. Nick does such a great job bringing the emotion and struggle in it to life. I Highly recommend it.

The surprise ending of his trama

The patience of jersey and the blossoming love. ❤️❤️ the constant friendship past and present and how emotions can change your life

beautiful second chance story

The story:
This story takes place 30 years after 10-year-old Koa and Jersey first met at summer camp.
Koa was the odd kid, who played with his imaginary friend. He was the kid that got teased because of his strange behaviour. Jersey was the popular kid. A jock in the making.
Somehow, they became friends, exchanging hand-written letters when not at camp.
Until they weren't.
30 years later, Jersey finds a box of treasures his mom stored away. A box full of memories. A box full of regrets. He decides to reconnect with his long-lost friend, Koa, hoping to right wrongs.
This is the beginning of a heartfelt, heartbreaking, second chance romance.

This book is a perfect example of what Nicky James does best. She promised us "old-school Nicky, back to higher angst and touching on some heavier mental health topics", and she delivered. As expected, this book, along with her other mental health books are so very well written and with the utmost respect.
Koa has my heart. For most of the book, we don't know the "what" in Koa's past that shaped his life, but all his hurt is on full display. He needs all the love, and Jersey is just the man for the job. Jersey is the man to help keep the demons at bay.

Promises of Forever isn't an easy read, it will pull at your heartstrings and break your heart. The journey to their HEA is hard-fought. If you're a sucker like me for a great story with characters of substance, then I would definitely suggest this book.


The narration:
Perfection! As always, Nick J Russo did an amazing job voicing these characters. If I thought reading this book was emotional, listening to the narration bought out more feelings in me and reminded me why Nicky James is a master of her craft.

Another great collaboration between these two artists.