Forever Ago

A Dark College Romance

De: J Rose

Narrado por: Big Bear Audio

From the bestselling author of Blackwood Institute, Sabre Security and Briar Valley comes a standalone, dark romance tale of unconditional care and inevitable heartbreak that favours the imperfect journey of first love—not the happy ending.

Hallie

I’m alone in the sea of my grief until I meet Zeke, a tornado of complications who leaves destruction in his wake. I fall hard and fast, despite all the warning signs.

Our love story is far from a fairy-tale. But if it hurts, then it’s real.

There’s a monster hiding beneath his tattooed skin, an addiction that will tear us apart. I can’t lose him, but I’m powerless to fix wounds that simply run too deep.

How do you save someone who doesn’t want to be saved?

Zeke

I’ve been a shadow of my former self ever since the crash, consumed by guilt. A chance encounter in bereavement therapy changes everything.

Hallie invades my life with her soft smiles and fiery passion. She becomes my whole world and for the first time in so long, I have a reason to live.

My demons aren’t so easily beaten. I should walk away, yet I can’t bring myself to leave the woman who took my broken pieces and brought me back to life, one kiss at a time.

I’ll fight this addiction to my very last breath for her, but the road to recovery is never simple. If I’m not careful, I might just drag her to hell with me.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Forever Ago is a dark, standalone college M/F romance with realistic mental health representation and no guaranteed HEA. Full trigger warning is available inside the book.

©2023 Wilted Rose Publishing Limited (P)2025 Wilted Rose Publishing Limited

Heartbreakingly Intoxicating Love

Thank you Valentine PR, and J Rose, for an ALC of this previously released book!

The audiobook~

I want to start off by talking about the audio, since the book has been out for some time now. I was gifted the release of the audiobook, in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t a fan of the audiobook, which was a shocker to me, because I love audiobooks.
Maybe it was just me, but, I was having a hard time following along. The chapters merged together for me, and it was hard to tell which was Hallie’s POV and which was Zeke’s. It’s tricky, and I fee like sometimes narrators are put in a lose-lose situation, because if Big Bear Audio were to elevate his voice a few levels, it would’ve given me the ick, because I usually can’t stand when male narrators try and mimic a female voice. On the other hand, I wish there was maybe a tiny pitch change in his voice to differentiate from the POVs. Like I said, lose-lose situation for Big Bear Audio, unfortunately. This would’ve been much better with dual narration.
About halfway through, I downloaded the book and followed along with the audio. On parts where a character would laugh or snicker, the narrator would take the laughing to a complete other level. It felt off. Like he was trying too hard to get it right. At one point, the narrator laughed so loud, I actually jumped. I went back and read the passage, without audio, on my kindle, and was getting a completely different vibe.
I almost wish I came across this book without the audio, because the audio ruined it…

With that being said, I read it a second time, with no audio, and it was fantastic. The book was great to begin with, don’t get me wrong, but it’s one of those stories that sink into your bones when you read it in silence. When you can put your own emotions and exclamation into it.


The book~

Despite attending the same university, Hallie and Zeke don’t meet each other until they both attend the same grief counseling group. Both characters are trying to learn how to deal with grief and depression, but, quickly learning that no one deals with it in the same way.

Read your trigger warnings for this book. It’s A LOT. The author, J. Rose, did a phenomenal job at creating so much angst within the writing, that it actually gave me goosebumps. The writing is very realistic, and HIGHLY emotional.

“If it hurts, then it’s real.”

I think what’s so tragic about Hallie’s character, is the optimism she has. Every time Zeke came around, it’s like she put a pair of rose colored glasses on, and it was hard to sit through at times. I wanted to shake her, and beg her to snap out of the allusion she has of him, but at the same time, the unwavering love and acceptance she shows him is commendable.

What I really hated for Zeke, was the fact that he couldn’t see all of the good that surrounded him. He was drowning in self loathing and disgust from his past. It’s like, no matter how many times he was reassured, he wouldn’t believe it. Not even on his good days. That’s what made him so tragic. His mental illness swallowed him whole.

“Keep the light on for me.”

Hallie and Zeke’s relationship is raw, gritty, and heartbreakingly intoxicating. The push and pull of both characters had my head spinning and my heart lurching. It’s full of betrayal, forgiveness, trauma, and quiet acceptance. If you’ve ever loved an addict, in any way, you know just how difficult it is to try and do the right thing by them. It’s far from easy, and it typically doesn’t have a happy ending.

I’m gutted. This book really wrecked me! I haven’t cried over a book like this in a while! I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time, and, definitely checking out more books by J.Rose!

Heartbreaking

How do I begin… I had this amazing opportunity to listen to this ALC. I felt every emotion listening to Zeke and Hallie’s story. Without giving any spoilers, Forever ago is about 2 people coming together while dealing with grief and addiction. Zeke and Hallie as a couple and individuals were so real. As tragic as their lives were they truly did love each other. I cried throughout the book and felt as if they were real people with way this book was written and narrated. I will always think about these characters. Looking forward to reading/listening to more of J. Rose’s work.

Thank you Valentine PR, J. Rose and Big Bear Audio.

This one hurt... but it was soooo good 🖤

This storyline takes us on a turbulent journey of abuse, past traumas, mental health issues, heartbreak and so much more. The author warns us from the start that there may not be an HEA, and I will say, it's an emotional listen from the beginning. Told by a single narrator, Big Bear Audio, the production and narration format were both new-to-me, so I didn’t know what to expect. Soon after hitting play, I got swept away in the tragic tale of two young lovers who fought so hard to do the right thing.

The main characters of this story have an intense but toxic relationship, developed by their past traumas. J. Rose does an amazing job at capturing the ugly, and dark side of loving someone so damaged and broken, they can’t seem to help themselves. This book was literally painful to listen to at times, but in the best way. Both characters refused to give up, even when it was detrimental to their mental health. I believe the MMC really did try to do better, each time… that he wanted to be a better man...

Keep in mind, this is a dark, painful story of two damaged people trying to survive their pain and grief. The pull they have on each other is extremely unhealthy and toxic. It’s a heartbreaking story that made me cry however this book is beautifully written and I will hold both Zeke and Hallie in my heart for a while.

This was really good

This follows Zeke and Hallie; they meet at a grief therapy group. Zeke has no interest in being at the group and lashes out at anyone that tries to talk to him, but he’s instantly thrown off when Hallie snaps at him for a comment he makes. After that, he tries to track Hallie down because she is the only person that has made him feel anything since the loss of a loved one. Zeke has a drug addiction and will do anything for his next fix, and Hallie will do anything to help him. But sometimes, love isn’t enough. This is incredibly heartbreaking and deals with very heavy topics, please check triggers before reading this. This also does not have a guaranteed HEA.

So emotional!

This is VERY emotional and hit home for me...loving someone with addiction is a battle and I was crying my eyes out, like ugly AF crying. Hallie and Zeke are so drawn to each other, but their journey is toxic and heartbreaking. There is no HEA in this and check your TW before reading. The audio is coming soon and is narrated by a single narrator, Big Bear Audio.

"Because if it hurts, that means it was real."

what to expect:
-college romance
-addiction/mental health
-grief
-damaged bad boy
-fast burn
-starcrossed lovers
-no HEA