Preview
  • The Thornless Rose

  • Elizabethan Time Travel Series, Book 1
  • By: Morgan O'Neill
  • Narrated by: Elizabeth Brook
  • Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (229 ratings)

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 Thornless Rose

By: Morgan O'Neill
Narrated by: Elizabeth Brook
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $21.49

Buy for $21.49

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

What happened to Dr. Jonathan Brandon, a dashing RAF flight surgeon, who disappeared from London in 1945? Kidnapping? Murder? Or did Brandon merely vanish of his own free will, seeking another life?

American teacher Anne Howard is stunned by a different explanation - that her British grandmother's long-lost fiance was unwillingly wrenched back through time to Elizabethan England. Anne knows time travel is nonsense - until she is handed a fresh-cut thornless rose, a bloom extinct for over 400 years! And then, when the impossible happens, and Anne journeys back to 1560 London, she must somehow survive encounters with royal enemies, accusations of witchcraft, and the possibility of never returning home.

In the midst of the chaos, she meets Brandon. Drawn into the perilous web of Elizabethan court life, they must confront their growing feelings for each other, complicated by poignant familial ties, while struggling with the shared danger of knowing what the future holds.

©2017 Morgan O'Neill (P)2018 Tantor
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about The Thornless Rose

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    153
  • 4 Stars
    52
  • 3 Stars
    16
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    6
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    152
  • 4 Stars
    41
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    135
  • 4 Stars
    48
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    5

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
    4 out of 5 stars

Narration was amazing!

The story was interesting, but not quite gripping. My mind would tend to wonder so I'd have to roll it back and listen again. Maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind, but the narration would be worth a listen because she was great! The author did her historical research, which was impressive if you'd like to come away with some knowledge about the 16th century England.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

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

Flawed Heroine and Actively Evil Antagonist

I very much enjoyed the premise of this story, as well as most of the characters. Tutor England is the historical time period of which i have the most knowledge, which makes the experience so much more engaging. I enjoyed the description

However Anne is a very difficult character. She feels cobbled together, one moment she is bold and brazen the next shes as meek as a mouse. My least favorite part about her is this sense of superiority she takes on in part three and four. She goes around thinking about how much better she and Jonathan are compared to people who have 400 years less knowledge and are doing their best with what they know. Instead of being understanding and kind and trying to enlighten others she jumps into saying things like "You can't be serious!" They don't know better so they are entirely serious.

My second problem with this story is the Antagonist, they have literally no redeeming qualities. They seem to be on a sociopathic level of maliciousness, which might not bother others, but to me it makes them so one dimensional. If they were a fanatic or someone who seemed like a sociopath from the outside but when you got to their pov, had some sort of justification for their behavior other than self interest and sadism then they would have more depth and be less nauseating to listen to. I found myself wanting to fast forward through any mention of them because their behaviour was so despicable and I had no way of understanding what would cause someone to exhibit such behavior.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

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

loved the time travel concept

exciting love story mixed with time travel. I can't wait for book two of the series.

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

great read

loved it and the story reading was excellent and Love the history of it too

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

Wonderful

I enjoyed this book very much! Held my interest from the first page. I wanted to continue!

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

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

Great Time Travel Story

I enjoy time travel stories and this did not disappoint. I try to guess how the plots will play out and this author did well to stay ahead of my imaginations. So much so that I had difficulty falling asleep one night attempting to figure out how the characters might be delivered from a hopeless situation. I also like to create lists in my head of modern day items I might want to take back in time. I find myself considering personal modern day items wondering what previous century individuals might make of them.

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

Could not put it down!

I love history, especially History from this time period. I also love stories about love, time travel! This book had me hooked. It is a wonderfully written and historically accurate even though fictional. The narrator was wonderful! She did amazing with the voices, accents, and she really helped visualize this amazing story. I wish they would make this into a mini series! On to book two!!

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

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

excellent reading

A wonderful captivating story with the perfect mixture of love and suspense! The reader is excellent.

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

Amazing!

Well researched and thought out story! So much adventure and the love story is perfect! I can't wait for 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

Loved it ❤️

I found the story to have an interesting take on time travel romance. I listened to it in 1 day. Book 2 the next day. I’m glad I gave it a try.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!