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Endless Love
After being attacked outside her home Rose Loxton decides enough is enough - she needs to get out of London.
She falls in love with an old converted Stable Lodge in the Cotswolds and decides to rent it.
But it soon becomes clear that her husband isn’t going to move with her.
Part of Rose feels relieved – she knows their marriage hasn’t been right for a long time, so this is a chance for her to start over.
At the age of forty, she finally feels like she can do exactly what she wants, and revisits her dreams of becoming a famous scientist.
But then strange things start happening in her new home - pages turning of their own accord, sudden drops in temperature, and the sound of music seemingly coming from her empty garden.
Rose decides to delve in the history of the house, and finds out that in 1908 a young servant hung himself from the Stable beams.
But was it really a suicide?
As Rose uncovers more she finds out that the young man, Will had been in love with Emily, the daughter of the land-owner.
They broke all the conventions of the time by embarking on an affair that crossed the class barrier.
It is clear they were deeply in love.
So why would Will have killed himself?
Was his death, in fact, the result of something more sinister?
Can Rose find out the real story behind their Endless Love?
Praise for James MacManus:
'A beautiful and gripping novel. A world that will entice you in and keep you reading until the end' --Kate Williams, author of The Pleasures of Men
'A wonderful book' --Imogen Robertson, author of The Paris Winter
'An engrossing, moving portrait of doomed love and genius' --The Sunday Times
James MacManus is the managing director of The Times Literary Supplement. He is the author of ‘Sleep in Peace Tonight’, ‘Black Venus’ and ‘Ocean Devil: The Life and Legend of George Hogg’, which was made into a film starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and The Language of the Sea. He lives in London.
Endeavour Press is the UK’s leading independent publisher of digital books.
She falls in love with an old converted Stable Lodge in the Cotswolds and decides to rent it.
But it soon becomes clear that her husband isn’t going to move with her.
Part of Rose feels relieved – she knows their marriage hasn’t been right for a long time, so this is a chance for her to start over.
At the age of forty, she finally feels like she can do exactly what she wants, and revisits her dreams of becoming a famous scientist.
But then strange things start happening in her new home - pages turning of their own accord, sudden drops in temperature, and the sound of music seemingly coming from her empty garden.
Rose decides to delve in the history of the house, and finds out that in 1908 a young servant hung himself from the Stable beams.
But was it really a suicide?
As Rose uncovers more she finds out that the young man, Will had been in love with Emily, the daughter of the land-owner.
They broke all the conventions of the time by embarking on an affair that crossed the class barrier.
It is clear they were deeply in love.
So why would Will have killed himself?
Was his death, in fact, the result of something more sinister?
Can Rose find out the real story behind their Endless Love?
Praise for James MacManus:
'A beautiful and gripping novel. A world that will entice you in and keep you reading until the end' --Kate Williams, author of The Pleasures of Men
'A wonderful book' --Imogen Robertson, author of The Paris Winter
'An engrossing, moving portrait of doomed love and genius' --The Sunday Times
James MacManus is the managing director of The Times Literary Supplement. He is the author of ‘Sleep in Peace Tonight’, ‘Black Venus’ and ‘Ocean Devil: The Life and Legend of George Hogg’, which was made into a film starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and The Language of the Sea. He lives in London.
Endeavour Press is the UK’s leading independent publisher of digital books.
160 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 12, 2015
20 people want to read
About the author
James MacManus
16 books80 followersJames MacManus has worked in the newspaper business for 46 years. He is currently the Managing Director of the Times Literary Supplement.
He is the author of On the Broken Shore (The Language of the Sea, UK edition), and Ocean Devil: The Life and Legend of George Hogg which was made into a film starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers
His latest book, Black Venus, is a vivid novel of Charles Baudelaire and his lover Jeanne Duval, the Haitian cabaret singer who inspired his most famous and controversial poems, set in nineteenth-century Paris. Duckworth will publish the UK edition of Black Venus on February 27th 2014.The UK edition follows the successful launch of the novel in the US by Thomas Dunne books of New York.
He is the author of On the Broken Shore (The Language of the Sea, UK edition), and Ocean Devil: The Life and Legend of George Hogg which was made into a film starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers
His latest book, Black Venus, is a vivid novel of Charles Baudelaire and his lover Jeanne Duval, the Haitian cabaret singer who inspired his most famous and controversial poems, set in nineteenth-century Paris. Duckworth will publish the UK edition of Black Venus on February 27th 2014.The UK edition follows the successful launch of the novel in the US by Thomas Dunne books of New York.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 19, 2016
Received this from Endeavour Press as part of their Virtual historical festival being held in April 2016
https://historicalfestival.wordpress....
This turned up to be a pleasant surprise of a book to read! One of those books that slowly pulls you in and has a great mix of romance, history, mystery and the supernatural
Rose is mugged in London on the doorstep of her home and she decides that is the catalyst to make her move out into the country, even though her husband Neil says it is not for him. Their marriage had been going through a very rough patch and with their daughter is at boarding school, so Rose moves to Stable Lodge cottage in the Cotswolds while Neil stays on in London with the occasional visit planned to visit but you soon realise it's the beginning of the end of their marriage and neither seems too bothered by this fact!
Rose is in the process of writing about Kurt Godel, who she becomes obsessed with after hearing a lecture about him and the possibility of time travel and the unknown so her plan is to write about him while she rents this cottage. She seems immediately drawn to Stable Lodge and is soon swept along in finding out the history of its' former owners after a couple of mysterious/ghostly happenings and this quickly becomes her main focus as she wants to get to the bottom of the feelings she has while at the cottage.
I loved the connection she feels with the history of the house and the story behind the former occupiers and it brings in talk of mediums/ after life and time travel in a sensible and rational way whereas there is a tendency in some books to go over the top with ghostly goings on, this has a lovely balance.
Definitely a notch above your normal historical romance story so I'd highly recommend it
https://historicalfestival.wordpress....
This turned up to be a pleasant surprise of a book to read! One of those books that slowly pulls you in and has a great mix of romance, history, mystery and the supernatural
Rose is mugged in London on the doorstep of her home and she decides that is the catalyst to make her move out into the country, even though her husband Neil says it is not for him. Their marriage had been going through a very rough patch and with their daughter is at boarding school, so Rose moves to Stable Lodge cottage in the Cotswolds while Neil stays on in London with the occasional visit planned to visit but you soon realise it's the beginning of the end of their marriage and neither seems too bothered by this fact!
Rose is in the process of writing about Kurt Godel, who she becomes obsessed with after hearing a lecture about him and the possibility of time travel and the unknown so her plan is to write about him while she rents this cottage. She seems immediately drawn to Stable Lodge and is soon swept along in finding out the history of its' former owners after a couple of mysterious/ghostly happenings and this quickly becomes her main focus as she wants to get to the bottom of the feelings she has while at the cottage.
I loved the connection she feels with the history of the house and the story behind the former occupiers and it brings in talk of mediums/ after life and time travel in a sensible and rational way whereas there is a tendency in some books to go over the top with ghostly goings on, this has a lovely balance.
Definitely a notch above your normal historical romance story so I'd highly recommend it
May 26, 2016
Very rarely has a book left me slightly awed but MacManus has achieved this with his book Endless Love. I feel my review cannot do it enough justice. Endless Love’s heroine is Rose Lennox an ordinary working mother with an equally humdrum life who has made many sacrifices & yet life has not turned out as she would have wished. This prompts her to examine life particularly hers & question her decisions in her youth. This is the premise that MacManus draws on in his novel. Unlike the conventional romance, it is an engaging tale of self-discovery triggered by an ugly & frightening incident. As the scene shifts from London to the countryside, the Cotswolds spring to life under MacManus’s lyrical penmanship. Though the reader is aware of the marked change in pace of life for Rose the story does not lose its momentum. Told in the POV of Rose, MacManus throws in a supernatural curveball forcing the intelligent mind to enquire into the mystery shrouding the cottage. Initially when Rose experiences these supernatural occurrences in her new home her scientific mind and unsuperstitious outlook make her ignore them, brushing them aside. Eventually, these very characteristics prompt her to look deeper into the matter. This could sum up MacManus's Endless love but it is so much more because MacManus chose to do so. He has transformed the ordinary into something sublime making the novel an inspiring read. What grabs me is how he has adeptly juxtaposed everyday life and the unnatural to provide the right balance of suspense, mystery and romance making it a page-turner quite unlike other paranormal novels. Rose was trying to find herself, & Endless Love is her journey a journey of self-discovery. She had arrived but had she left well that would be a spoiler & you would have to read it to find out. Though philosophical at times yet not preachy, MacManus cleverly weaves it into the tale ensuring it is unoppressive or opinionated. This only serves to enhance rather than detracting from the plot as so often happens. A great mix of old world values and new, intricately woven alongside well-developed characters draw the reader subtly into the novel and maintain the suspense. Each character enhances & embellishes the story in their own way spicing it and entertaining the readers. The ending is the final curveball and though one is left satisfied one cannot help wanting more. Such is MacManus’s mastery of his craft. Definitely one to keep and read again.
February 8, 2016
I was pleasantly surprised with this book as I progressed with it, after feeling somewhat unsure about it at the beginning.
It's not really so much a paranormal romance story as the title, blurb and cover suggest, as a book about a woman going through a mid-life crisis, with some paranormal goings-on and research into a past love affair as part of that. Which is good, as it saves me comparing it (unfavourably) with Barbara Erskine's River of Destiny, which it would otherwise resemble quite a bit.
At first I found the narrative to be a bit flat and clumsy. It's told in the third person and is very much telling not showing, but I did get used to this after a while. It's also prone to go off on tangents explaining past events and scientific concepts that explain what the protagonist is thinking - it does get close to 'info-dumping' territory, but manages to stay interesting and mostly relevant.
The story itself isn't the strongest and doesn't contain a lot of action (or at least is not described in a way that makes you feel like much is happening), but this is fine, as it reflects how the protagonist is feeling. What I really liked about this book was how human it was - definitely more reflection than action.
The copy editing was terrible unfortunately, perhaps I am picky as I used to be a copy editor, but there were a lot of typos, some of the text did get clumsy from time to time, and I picked up on at least two inconsistencies within the story - both pretty minor but jarring for me.
Overall I enjoyed reading this, and will look for more from the same author.
Note: I received this book free (no strings attached) from the publisher, Endeavour Press, as part of their online Historical Festival.
It's not really so much a paranormal romance story as the title, blurb and cover suggest, as a book about a woman going through a mid-life crisis, with some paranormal goings-on and research into a past love affair as part of that. Which is good, as it saves me comparing it (unfavourably) with Barbara Erskine's River of Destiny, which it would otherwise resemble quite a bit.
At first I found the narrative to be a bit flat and clumsy. It's told in the third person and is very much telling not showing, but I did get used to this after a while. It's also prone to go off on tangents explaining past events and scientific concepts that explain what the protagonist is thinking - it does get close to 'info-dumping' territory, but manages to stay interesting and mostly relevant.
The story itself isn't the strongest and doesn't contain a lot of action (or at least is not described in a way that makes you feel like much is happening), but this is fine, as it reflects how the protagonist is feeling. What I really liked about this book was how human it was - definitely more reflection than action.
The copy editing was terrible unfortunately, perhaps I am picky as I used to be a copy editor, but there were a lot of typos, some of the text did get clumsy from time to time, and I picked up on at least two inconsistencies within the story - both pretty minor but jarring for me.
Overall I enjoyed reading this, and will look for more from the same author.
Note: I received this book free (no strings attached) from the publisher, Endeavour Press, as part of their online Historical Festival.
March 5, 2016
This was an interesting book that I chose to read in advance of the upcoming Endeavour Virtual Historical Festival in April 2016. Although I didn't get goosebumps or any tingly feelings that I would usually get from a paranormal book, I still enjoyed the story.
For some reason that I can't quite explain, I didn't really take to Rose, the main character; she just seemed a little bit wishy washy to me. Rose was living in London and, following a knife attack, decided to move to the Cotswolds. Her husband didn't go with her so I got the feeling that their marriage was on the rocks, further evidenced by the fact that neither party makes any attempts to save it.
I liked the link to the past and I found myself looking forward to the story of Emily and Will together with Rose's attempts to find out what happened to Will so that he could rest in peace. I also enjoyed the comparison of the afterlife with time travel. Perhaps we are all existing at the same time but on a different dimension to our ancestors. A really interesting thought. Will certainly felt that Rose was encroaching on his patch!
Endless Love is a pleasant story of investigations into the past and never forgetting the one you love.
I received this e-book from the publisher, Endeavour Press, in exchange for an honest review.
For some reason that I can't quite explain, I didn't really take to Rose, the main character; she just seemed a little bit wishy washy to me. Rose was living in London and, following a knife attack, decided to move to the Cotswolds. Her husband didn't go with her so I got the feeling that their marriage was on the rocks, further evidenced by the fact that neither party makes any attempts to save it.
I liked the link to the past and I found myself looking forward to the story of Emily and Will together with Rose's attempts to find out what happened to Will so that he could rest in peace. I also enjoyed the comparison of the afterlife with time travel. Perhaps we are all existing at the same time but on a different dimension to our ancestors. A really interesting thought. Will certainly felt that Rose was encroaching on his patch!
Endless Love is a pleasant story of investigations into the past and never forgetting the one you love.
I received this e-book from the publisher, Endeavour Press, in exchange for an honest review.
June 10, 2015
A paranormal ghost story meshed with a midlife crisis, “Endless Love” focuses on Rose as she examines her life and what she wanted and now wants, as well as the mystery surrounding the death of a young servant back in 1908.
Read full review in the 2015 June issue of InD'tale Magazine.
Read full review in the 2015 June issue of InD'tale Magazine.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews