Now a Top Twenty Amazon Bestseller. From USA Today Bestseller Ava Harrison, comes a sexy new STANDALONE romance.I was done with love.When I opened my heart, it was for the men I couldn’t have.The unattainable ones.The ones who would hurt me.A vicious cycle I couldn’t seem to stop.But I had a new resolve.Focus on my career.Stay single.And then I met him.Jace Montgomery.A wounded widower with two … met him.
Jace Montgomery.
A wounded widower with two young kids.
He was exactly everything I was avoiding.
So I did my best to stay away.
But then he kissed me.
And I fell.
Hard.
Hard for a man who would never be mine…
A man who was broken beyond repair.
A man who would break me.
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Truth be told, I went into this book with pretty low expectations. I honestly wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did. I still had some major issues with Jace’s character, but apart from that, it was a pretty decent read for me. Frankly, this author is just a brilliant writer. She can write emotional scenes and heartache with the best of them. This book gutted me. I cried. I was angry. I wanted to throat punch Jace. I wanted to shake Sydney and tell her to “MOVE THE FUCK ON.” I was completely enthralled with this story and couldn’t put the book down. Even the fact that he is still very much grieving for his dead wife for most of the book didn’t bother me. It had only been a year since she and their unborn baby died, and grief (and especially guilt) isn’t a switch you can turn off and on. I understood his pain and anger. I also never once felt that Sydney was second best either. Quite frankly I hate the term second best because it implies that love is some sort of competition. People love different people in different ways. It doesn’t mean that the love he felt for Sydney was less than the love he felt for his wife because he was still grieving over her loss. The love he feels (and will always feel) for his wife didn’t in any way diminish the love he felt for Sydney.
That said, grief isn’t an excuse to be an utterly despicable human being either. It doesn’t give you a pass to treat people like crap. It doesn’t give you a pass for being an alcoholic (something that is never addressed in the book at all and really should have been). It doesn’t give you a pass to neglect your children, who, just an FYI, also lost someone they loved (their mother). Jace was a completely unlikable douche (for most of this book). I felt for him, I really did, but I can’t think of a single good quality this guy had. The way he treated his own children and family was deplorable and inexcusable. A lot of the book from the beginning until right near the end was him treating everyone (especially Sydney) like dirt on the bottom of his shoes. I hated him for that. I also hated how he abandoned Sydney when she needed him the most. However, he did work himself back into my good graces by the end…ever so slightly.
On to Sydney…was she a doormat? Yes, sort of, I can see why some people may feel that way about her character. I am not sure “I” would call her a doormat as much as she was just a decent human being with a big heart. Considering how badly this guy treated his kids, I was happy that she kept coming back for their sakes. She also did give as good as she got at times, so not a complete doormat in my opinion. Did she deserve better than Jace? For most of the book, yes. Should she have made Jace grovel more? Undoubtedly. That said. I ended the book feeling like this couple was on solid ground. It was a heartbreaking, and rage-inducing journey to get there, but get there they did.
So there you go. A bit of a mixed bag. Which leaves me struggling to decide on a rating. The book was amazingly written, and it clearly invoked a lot of different feelings from me. Which usually means 5-Stars. Alas, I disliked (but also strangely understood) the hero with the passion of a thousand white-hot suns. Resulting in me (at times) really wanting the heroine to move on and find a decent hero (lol). What to do…what to do?? I think I am going to go with a 4-Star rating at this point with the option to change my mind after I marinate on it a bit more.
My heart . Hope you’re ready. Grab a drink , shut off your phone and settle in.Jace is so broken , he’s suffered . Sydney has a pattern of choosing the wrong men. This is that sitting on the edge what will happen next turn the page story. You want for them you feel for them . It’s so maddening at times. I want to fight for them with them . This was so heartfelt . Absolutely MUST READ!
This is the first book I’ve read by Ava and definitely won’t be the last. At 40% I was thinking this was a 3 star book it took me a while to get into it, I thought the pace was slow. At the end of 50% I was hooked, couldn’t put it down.
This book gives you grief, guilt, sadness, anger, forgiveness, friendships, lust and love and had me crying like a baby
SOME SPOILERS
Jace lost his wife he was so buried in his grief he shut everyone out not caring if they were hurting too. Sydney comes into his life the chemistry is there right of the bat and slowly defrosts his heart. But he makes so many bad life choices, will she still want him when he pulls his head out of his ass and realizes his future is staring him in the face?
Sydney always looking for someone’s approval, putting others first and the broody Jace is no exception. She there every time he needs someone, the sex is great and falls hard for him, but he’s so lost in his grief he can’t see a future. Her life takes a 360 but will Jace be there when she needs him?
Will they get an HEA or will Jace push Sydney away for ever?
Absolution is on incredibly beautiful story with all the right feels!! Jace is a widowed dad of two wonderful kids and he’s not coping at all. He’s miserable, avoiding the kids and family life, working constantly to ease the pain. He meets our beautiful and patient heroine Sydney and gradually his cold heart melts as he falls for her. This story is a roller coaster of emotions, from the lowest to the highest and everything in between. I loved all the characters so much, the story was believable and so addicting that I found myself turning pages well into the night!! I do hope you grab this gorgeous book and enjoy the ride of your life!!
I loved this book! It had everything! The laughs, the cries, and all the feels! I love Jace… even the broken version. There is no one more perfect for him than Sydney. A five-star sigh-worthy masterpiece!
“You’re my beacon in the darkness. It’s as if the sun only shines over me when you’re around. And when you leave the light dims, the sun fades, and darkness comes again.”
Are you ready for a book that will get under your skin and embed itself into your soul? If so, you need to pick up Ava Harrison’s Absolution right now.
I have been a huge fan of Ms. Harrison’s since I read Through Her Eyes a few years ago. Her writing gets stronger and more compelling with each book. Jace + Sydney will move you to tears more than once as you are immersed in their story. I promise you will feel all the emotions as you read this story of redemption, rebirth and, of course, absolution.
Jace struggles with moving on from a loss that he is convinced he could have stopped; Sydney is the first person since that loss with the ability to make Jace happy. It’s such a foreign emotion that he doesn’t know how to reconcile his feelings about Sydney and who she is to him. For the first time in a long time, he feels something other than pain and grief.
This story was heartbreaking and full of emotion. Definitely grab a box of tissues before diving in. Jace has a lot of baggage and so much sorrow and regret. Sydney was strong and such a loving person. My heart broke for her on several occasions as Jace pushed her away. I loved that Sydney really tried to be everything for him but, in the end, Jace needed to find his way. She couldn’t do that for him.
Absolution is some of Ms. Harrison’s best writing to date. I fall hopelessly in love with each damaged and flawed character that she brings to life—their flaws make them human and the stories so easy to get lost in. You must pick up Jace + Sydney’s story and lose yourself. Another one of my favorites from 2018!
A wounded and damaged hero meets his match in a young, savior of a heroine in the Montgomery family saga following Transference. A great addition to this families stories of emotion, love and loss.
What a couple Jace and Sydney turn out to be. They’ve both had their difficulties over the last few years. Jace is working and drinking his life away, wrapped up in his guilt and negligence from a unexpected death. He’s so stuck in full of darkness, he can’t even see his own children’s needs for a present father.
Sydney is the light that Jace needs. She’s his beacon in a world full of darkness, but one he feels he doesn’t deserve. While Sydney has faced her fair share of bad relationships, she’s the most caring and giving person anybody could ask for, even if it means her own happiness. She’ll give everything up to help some else who is in need and Jace is very badly in need.
Jace and Sydney work so well together. I know everybody else just fell for Jace, but I really thought he was a grade a jerk. He really treated Sydney badly, and she unfortunately went back for more each time, because her nature is to help others. But does she turn out to be the absolution that Jace needs to move on with his life and be present to his children who need him desperately? You’ll have to read this emotional story with heart to find out!
Oh My God! absolution killed me in all the very best kinds of ways. Ava’s writing has always called to me, but she has really upped the ante here in absolution. Jace and Sydney…God, these two! So perfect for each other. He, the broken, damaged soul full of bitterness and anger. She, the bright, loving balm to his tormented spirit, hiding her own issues. From their very first meeting, to the very last word, I fell in love with these two beautiful people. I’m still reeling while writing this review, even though it’s been days since I finished. I won’t lie, more than a few tears may have rolled down my face while I was reading. I’m telling you now, if you don’t like stories with all the feels, steer very clear of absolution. If however, you, like me, LOVE beautifully emotional stories full of love, healing and all the feels in the world, I highly suggest you get your own copy of absolution. You won’t regret it, I promise!!
5+ HEARTFELT STARS!! This book KILLED ME and BROUGHT ME BACK TO LIFE AGAIN. Ava Harrison has written a beautiful heartfelt story that punched all my emotion buttons. My heart was barely working reading Jace and Sydney’s story. You definitely need to hear their story, it is unforgettable. These two characters are EVERYTHING and I loved every word in their story. Please do yourself a favor and read this book. I guarantee it will be in your top reads for 2018.
I absolutely love this story! I think this is my favorite book written by Ava Harrison. I haven’t read Trans.fe.rence (Preston and Eve’s story), but I will! This story is so beautifully written and realistic. The main characters, Sydney and Jace, are great together and we can feel their connection. They share a strong and really intense chemistry. The little ones, Avery and Logan are so cute! Jace’s a broken and dysfunctional man and he’s just so handsome! But I have to admit that I wanted to shake him sometimes! Sydney’s a beautiful character, so protective and supportive. My heart broke for her so many times! I didn’t want this story to end and I loved their HEA. The narration was perfection. Both narrators did an amazing and believable interpretation. I TOTALLY recommend this audiobook. I have read/listen this story.
I am absolutely with out a doubt in love with Jace & Sydney’s story. Jace is suffering heartbreak and Sydney is the breath of fresh air he never knew he needed. The more he pushes her away, the more she’s determined to stay and make him realize just how right they are for each other. This story was so beautifully written with heartbreak, compassion, love and friendship. I devoured this book in one sitting.
4.5 Gummy Bear Stars
I am familiar with Ava’s work. She writes swoony, frustratingly stubborn, yet lovable men with wonderful women that bring out the best in them. The story of Jace and Sydney is on another level, this is some of Ava’s best work. Her writing is very emotional, heartfelt and impactful in a way I didn’t see coming. I skipped reading the blurb, so I think the impact of Jace’s situation was even more powerful to me.
Jace is not an easy man to get along with. He pours himself into his work every day to avoid the pain he feels from his devastating family loss. The guilt he carries with him daily is wearing him down, he’s about to snap and if he keeps heading in this direction he will lose everything he’s worked so hard for. But what does it matter when you’ve lost the one thing in life that keeps you grounded?!? I felt Jace’s pain. I cried and mourned with him as he struggled to pull himself together. HE BROKE MY HEART!
I think Sydney is one of the most selfless characters I’ve ever read, I absolutely adored her. She gives herself freely to the ones she loves, even when it causes her heartache. She has demons of her own, that much is clear. She recognizes that about herself, but still gives and gives and gives. Sydney is the light to Jace’s darkness, but he has a tough time accepting that. How can he be happy when he blames himself for the tragic events in his life?
This is a beautiful story of forgiveness and letting go of the past, for both Jace and Sydney. You don’t need to forget, but once you realize the wonderful reasons you have to live, it makes the acceptance of moving on that much better. There is passion, love and acceptance in this emotional journey. Ava takes you on a roller coaster of emotions you won’t forget!