Book Description 

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.

My Review 

I have been a fan of Hall’s books for many years, so I was excited about the opportunity to read this one. The first thing that potential readers ought to know is that this is a departure from his more recent books in terms of—I’m loathe to use the terms, but it *is* a universal scale—”spice” level. 

Quick aside: I recently encountered a social media post asking for spicier books and Hall’s name came up. Some well-meaning soul dropped by to inform the populus that Hall’s books were good, but not spicy at all. 

Oh, honey, you have no idea. 

Back to the review: Never After is much more like Hall’s earlier books like the Billionaire and Spires series and is “spicier” than the more recent books. 

This book is the answer to the theoretical question, “What would happen if there was a classic Victorian novel that used f*** a lot?”

Micha used to be a nice boy until he was swept away from his bucolic enclave and studies in the City of Spires (Hall does love a good Oxford reference) and brought to the dark satanic mills of London. After being callously abandoned, Micha succumbs to an opium addiction and then turns to prostitution to support the addiction. After several years of this vicious cycle, Micha is lifted out of squalor by Thomas, who brings Micha home after finding him passed out on the street. 

The second thing that readers ought to know is that although this book has been categorized as a romance, it is most certainly not a romance novel. Yes, there is a romance subplot, but it’s not the main point of the book. I can’t say much more, but it should be clear immediately to the reader before reading that this is not a traditional romance novel.    

I had a bit of trouble getting into the book because Micha was not very likeable. I’m not naive enough to believe that a drug addicted prostitute is going to be sunshine and rainbows, nor will he be a wide-eyed grateful orphan at the first sight of comfort, but Micha was too acerbic. 

In a departure from Hall’s typical style, this book features dual points-of-view, so the reader receives the gift of Thomas’ perspective as well. Thomas is an interesting man, who found his way into the church because being the second-born twin made him the third son of a marquess. He might have doubts about his faith, but nursing Micha back to health is an exemplary act of Christian charity. 

The romance aspect is definitely a slow burn, as Thomas is super repressed, and Micha is recovering from his addiction. Even once they acknowledge their mutual attraction, there are complications because of the forbidden nature of their relationship. 

I would recommend Never After, although I will reiterate that this is much more serious than many of Hall’s other books. The ending is…interesting, although it should be expected that Hall will subvert conventional standards. But then again, this is not a romance, sooo… if you’ve ever thought that the Victorian novel you’re reading could be improved by a liberal sprinkling of profanity, then I have just the book for you.  

I received a digital ARC of this book from Montlake/NetGalley