Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
The Rose and the Thorn  By  cover art

The Rose and the Thorn

By: Michael J. Sullivan
Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $23.42

Buy for $23.42

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Two thieves want answers. Riyria is born.

For more than a year, Royce Melborn has tried to forget Gwen DeLancy, the woman who saved him and his partner, Hadrian Blackwater, from certain death. Unable to get her out of his mind, the two thieves return to Medford but receive a very different reception - Gwen refuses to see them. The victim of abuse by a powerful noble, she suspects that Royce will ignore any danger in his desire for revenge. By turning the thieves away, Gwen hopes to once more protect them. What she doesn't realize is what the two are capable of - but she's about to find out.

©2013 Michael J. Sullivan (P)2013 Recorded Books

Featured Article: The Best Audiobooks Under 2 Hours


Short on time but want to immerse yourself in a memorable listen? These audiobooks have great stories and strong performances, all in an approachable run time. Between work, school, family, and home, it isn't always easy to carve out time for yourself, no matter how much you want to or how much those unread books on your shelf may haunt you. If you find yourself struggling to carve out time for reading or listening, these audiobooks under two hours will make the perfect additions to your library. Get swept away on an amazing adventure in the amount of time it takes to watch a movie.

What listeners say about The Rose and the Thorn

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    12,405
  • 4 Stars
    2,371
  • 3 Stars
    320
  • 2 Stars
    32
  • 1 Stars
    18
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    12,446
  • 4 Stars
    1,332
  • 3 Stars
    149
  • 2 Stars
    20
  • 1 Stars
    8
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    11,253
  • 4 Stars
    2,257
  • 3 Stars
    351
  • 2 Stars
    37
  • 1 Stars
    13

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Prequel

After listening to this on I am torn as to the best order to read this series. if you want a complete story, start with the prequels (although they may not all be written yet). If you enjoy ah ha moments, start with the main series first. Very enjoyable either way.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

An author on the level of JRR Tolkien. Sadly, I'd already read the main series and remembered what had happened to many of the characters introduced in this prequel.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great characters, average plot

Builds well on the first book. Hadrian and Royce continue to be the amazing duo that they are and with the introduction of other memorable characters. The plot however felt .... disjointed. The characters got involved in the plot by accident and while the build up was excellent I didn't really care that much about it nor about the other characters involved in it.

It felt like it wasn't the duo's story. Despite that, I enjoyed listening to it and Tim's performance is excellent as usual.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

excellent

I often have difficulty "being read to" but with the excellent narration and writing, I thoroughly enjoyed it and excited to listen to the next one.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

What??? No more??

This whole series is great. These are some of the best this genre has to offer. You will not be disappointed. I would recommend reading them in the order of publishing starting with the Ryria Revelations Trilogy. I hope Michael Sullivan keeps writing these because I love his characters, world, and stories. If you haven't read any of this series yet you are in for a treat.

Enjoy.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

uh duh

Absolutely loved it, it was nice to tie up all those ends in such a neat bow from Revelations. Already listening to Dulgath while typing this!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Very good story, Great narration

I have followed Reynolds from one series to this. My introduction to Sullivan. I really like the story and the structure behind it, but Reynolds has a way of story telling that allows one to really get lost in the fantasy by giving such unique qualities to each character.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful book but too many pauses in the audio

Would you listen to The Rose and the Thorn again? Why?

Probably but on a faster speed. I may have missed some details. Either I wasn't paying attention very well, the file didn't download properly or the book jumps around.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The narration was good. My only concern is that there are some long pauses in the audio between chapters and other moments. I like pauses between chapters but it's maybe half a second too long.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, except for the pauses.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A great read for fantasy lovers.

The complex characters of Royce, Hadrian and Gwen. I would start the series with the Revelations rather than the Chronicles because the Riyria Revelations were much more exciting and then reading the Chronicles were a great back story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Not my favourite Riyria book, but still good

What made the experience of listening to The Rose and the Thorn the most enjoyable?

Excellent narration. I just love Hadrian and Hilfred and having already read Riyria Revelations I found myself crying my eyes out inspite of the audio format. Didn't feel all that chummy with Royce in this book...

What other book might you compare The Rose and the Thorn to and why?

The Crown Tower.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I cried.

Any additional comments?

Overall good inspite of some plot holes.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!