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.
more
5 amazing stars!!!
This book…. this book will gut you. It’s emotional. So emotional that I could feel my heart breaking with each page. Jace is a broken man. Barely functioning, not even close to living. Until he meets her…..Sydney.
These two are wonderful characters. I totally feel in love with Jace, maybe because I had a loss like his myself and reading about him brought back lots of memories. Sydney brings him back into the living. She’s funny, cute and has a huge heart. Their story was wonderful and beautifully written. You definitely need to read this one.
*Reviewed by Michelle
Absolution is a story about healing and second chances. You can feel the pain that Jace feels with the loss of his wife but slowly the weight of grief slowly lifts as Sidney shows him how to live again and be there for his children.
It was tough to like Jace in the beginning. He really was an asshole to everyone around him, but knowing how much he was hurting and the guilt he carried, I found I wanted him to heal and find his HEA. Sidney was a saint. She was there for him as a friend and put up with his moody behavior. Slowly she started breaking down his walls to find the wonderful man underneath.
What a powerful title. The idea. The need. His life is in turmoil. He is an absolute mess. He drinks away the pain. He avoids his children. He cannot leave the abyss he has found himself in.
He needs …Absolution. I think that what effected me the most. The agony and pain tearing him apart. You can feel grief pouring of him in the words on these pages. You can feel the desperation.
But there’s always a light in the darkness, you just have to look for it.
Reviewed for Sweet Spot Sisterhood
Sydney is a career oriented character, who is the maid of honor at her friend’s wedding. Jace is a broken widower and single dad, who has immersed himself in work in order to survive, and he is the groom’s older brother. Sydney is drawn to Jace, but will she be able to get him to move forward with his life? No spoilers; this is a definite must read, you will not be disappointed! This is a beautifully written flawless story, which is tragic, emotional, sexy, and a poignant love story. I was totally enthralled throughout this addictive page turner, and I highly recommend this talented authors work for all readers.
4 Cranky Stars
Sydney White seems to find love in all the wrong places. So, she decides to stay single and avoid men altogether. When she meets Jace Montgomery, though, all of that changes.
Jace is a single, widowed dad of two young children. HIs wife passed away a year ago. He never dealt with his grief, and is a shell of a man he used to be. He drowns himself in work and alcohol to avoid dealing with his feelings. His personal life is suffering, including his relationship with his kids and family. The last thing he can think of is another woman. Yet, he meets Sydney and all of that changes.
The romance between Sydney and Jace is HOT and the angst was off the charts. I felt the frustration that Sydney and Jace both felt. I felt the pain that was consuming and torturing Jace. I felt the overwhelming sadness that Sydney felt when she was in the hospital (I won’t say why, I don’t want to give anything away).
Overall, this book was great. I wish I would have read Transference before reading Absolution, but it isn’t necessary. There were a few points that I felt left unanswered. One being why Sydney REALLY was hospitalized. The other being the fact that Jace never really addressed his alcoholism. Other than those two things, the story was great.
Absolution is a compelling and thoroughly satisfying romance that you won’t soon forget. Jace was devastated by his wife’s death and is drowning in guilt, believing he could have prevented it. For the last two years, he’s buried himself in work and alcohol in order to avoid his feelings, and he doesn’t see any way out of this nightmare that he’s living. He’s a broken man when he meets Sydney at his brother’s wedding and feels an immediate and powerful attraction to her that makes him feel uncomfortable and alive. While Sydney sympathizes with his pain, she does the one thing that no one else has — push back and call him out on his behavior. Her no-nonsense but optimistic personality fascinates him, challenges him and tempts him, but he still has demons to exorcise, if he is ever going to be able to give and receive love again.
Jace is an enigmatic, tortured hero who steals your heart and doesn’t let it go, and he and Sydney have a potent, tender connection that leaps off the page. I was so invested in their happy-ever-after that I could barely take a breath, and Ava Harrison’s evocative writing ensured I felt every gut-wrenching moment along the way. Absolution is a captivating and deeply affecting love story that’s bursting at the seams with emotion, angst and steamy sexual tension, and it owned my heart from cover to cover.
Recommendation appeared @ USA Today’s Happy Ever After on October 16, 2018
ARC provided, but this review was voluntarily and honestly written.
My first book by this author and boy did it pack a punch. It was emotional and angsty with an angry tortured hero and a sassy compassionate heroine. Not a traditional romance but one filled with a sense of loss, of coping, of self destruction and of absolution.
Jace Montgomery is man you love to hate and hate to love. He’s on a path of self destruction. He’s had a rough year and he hasn’t really grieved for the loss of his wife. His sweet twins need him but work is the only thing that keeps him from remembering and dealing with his loss. He’s become a mean and angry man.
Sydney White is beautiful and has a huge heart. Always doing for others, she overlooks herself. She gravitates towards the unattainable man thus putting herself in love situations that won’t work.
So when Sydney meets Jase at her best friends wedding, she sees the broken man before her. Her unapologetic attitude for speaking her mind starts to break down the Jase’s walls. But while breaking down the walls, Jase and his anger continually go at Sydney.
I will say that I got Jase and his attitude. It’s not right or pretty but I believed that a man or a woman can be angry and hateful for what they lost. Yes he has kids and his attitude towards them and his family was atrocious but I felt his pain and his spiraling towards self destruction. Sydney and her need and want to help did not turn me off. There were times when I wanted to shake her for allowing his ugliness towards her but she was falling for Jase and his kids. And what we do and what we tolerate are sometimes not what others would do.
This story ends in a HEA but getting there is torturous and painful to the heart. I felt for all the characters and I enjoyed that the story was different. I will say that there were some transitions parts that felt off and sometimes the dialogue had me questioning. But in all I really loved the story and the writing. I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.
I will also add that I loved the dual narration. Sebastian York and Grace Grant were the perfect Jace and Sydney. A very enjoyable audible with these two
Ava Harrison did good with this book.
She was able to portray mourning in such a way that is not really look at much in romance books.
Jace Montgomery is stuck in the past without being able to move on. Having this dark cloud over him constantly causing him to self hate. He’s neglected everyone, including his kids. A ticking time bomb, if you will.
Sydney is the woman that ALWAYS dates the wrong man. And, then on top of that, she is always trying to fix them plus go out of her way to help them.
I gotta say, I’ve always loved bad men. But, I was really disappointment with the way Sydney wouldn’t defend herself when Jace was being so horrible to her.
I love a good strong heroine. And this time, it felt like she was just a constant doormat up until the end of the book. That’s the reason for removing one star.
The story line was amazing though. This book will take you on a HUGE emotional ride. I definitely got a little tear eyed many times throughout the story. And, the chemistry these two characters experience when they don’t allow any outside thoughts govern them, is AMAZING.
I wanted to throw my kindle a few times. And, you gotta love novels that will make you not think twice about damaging an e reader.
This is an emotional tale of two lost souls. Told in a dual perspective which is my favourite, you cannot help but get pulled into Jace and Sydney’s story. While reading this book I ran through a gauntlet of feels, but the most pronounced would have been sadness and anger.
Jace is struggling. A workaholic to his core he can barely function without the distraction of his very demanding job. He has lost so much and now he is pulling away from what remains of his life. He blames himself for what he is suffering, and is blinded by his grief. When he isn’t working he uses the bottle to drown out his memories and pain. All he wants to be is numb.
Sydney is the opposite end of the scale. A pathological people pleaser, who cannot say no, is always willing to lend a hand and constantly chooses the wrong men to give her heart too. She too has suffered loss but instead of isolating herself from the rest of her life she stills wants to live and is looking forward to the day when she can finally be happy in love.
Sydney burst into Jace’s life and completely flips it on its head but he still refuses to let go of his guilt. When the unexpected happens, how Jace deals with the situation tells us he is far from ready to move forward. Sydney however, surprised me. She knows what she must do, refusing to crumble, Sydney chooses to fight for what she deserves.
These two will have you shouting at your reader no doubt but stick around there is one powerful story within see pages. Well worth the read!
Talk about an emotional rollercoaster ride!! This was a had to read in one sitting kind of book. This could very well be my favorite book that this author has written thus far.
This is only my second Ava Harrison book and like Transference I absolutely loved Absolution. I just can’t explain how much I loved this book.
The book gave me all the feels, the pain and the sorrow and the hurt that came through the pages had me getting teary and being so invested in the story. The writing was perfect and had me wanting to not put this book down
Jace was such a complex character you wanted to hate him for being a nasty guy but you couldn’t blame him at all for what he went through you could see how he was going deeper and deeper into the darkness. I really did love Jace you just needed him to see the light.
The light came in the form of Sydney, she was caring and compassionate and was the perfect person to help Jace through his tough time. I really liked Sydney and she had so much bad luck with relationships and felt sorry for her.
I have to say that I absolutely loved this story, I loved the characters and the feelings you get from them, especially when you could also see the hurt in Avery and Logan, they may not have been the main characters but they were just as important and you couldn’t help but love them and feel for them as you could tell that they felt so alone.
Such an amazing story and loved every minute of it that I didn’t want it to finish this story could have just kept going and I would have just kept reading. Such a beautiful story of forgiving yourself and finding love when you think its just not possible.
Loved loved loved it massive 5 beautiful stars for this book.
Absolution was a story that captivated me that broke me and that put me back together again……. I loved every page of this book it was an emotional read that I didn’t want to end. I don’t want to write a review that full of spoilers I think for me the title says it all this is a story that takes you on a journey of Absolution it’s not fluffy it’s heartbreaking and gut-wrenching, it’s an emotional roller coaster but as I said at the start it may break you but it will also put you back together again because throughout this story there is light at the end of the tunnel. This book has all the feels you want to experience in an epic story it may be raw but it’s also pure and it’s beautifully written. Ava Harrison is a very talented and diverse author and I’m looking forward to reading more from her.
An emotional read Absolution is heavy and sad but at the same time hopeful and heart warming.
This is my first read by Ava Harrison and I read this based off a book friends recommendation. I wasn’t sure what I was getting with this read as the only thing I knew was the title and the author.
Absolution is sad, it’s emotionally charged and it’s angsty and heartbreaking and I couldn’t stop reading it. The storyline sucked me in. The relationship between the two main characters slowly builds and I found myself wanting them to be what each other needs. Both of them have some baggage.
My emotions with this were everywhere. From being angry at the situation and sometimes with his actions yet I understood them. I definitely shed some tears with this one, both sad and happy tears.
It’s definitely a book that brings out the emotions and I absolutely enjoyed the read. I’m looking forward to reading more from Ava Harrison.
omg this book was so amazing so sad and all around a really great book. I could not put down this book until the very end I highly reccomend it. plus the cover is amazing
Oh my goodness. This book!!!! This is my first read from this author and what the heck am I doing only just finding her now? Where have I been, and where have these books been hiding? I now need to go back and read them all! This book is just amazing. The emotions swirling in the writing of this novel are so beautifully written. I could not get enough of Sydney and Jace’s story.
Sydney has not had the best track record with men in the past. Always falling for the ones that will never truely be hers. She has been hurt by love, and doesn’t think she will ever find the one she is meant to be with.
Jace is broken. He has lost his wife in a tragic accident and truly does not know how to go on. His emotions in this book will rip your heart apart. I felt for him. I could only imagine what pain his character was going though.
The writing in this book was flawless. Every word had meaning, every emotion was palpable. I felt this book, the connections, the anger, the heartache, I felt it all while I was reading, and that just makes this book amazing in my eyes. I feared up a little while reading this novel, My heart broke more than a couple of times. I just loved the reactions I had to this book. I was captivated from the very start, the writing pulled me straight in, I could not put it down. I can not wait to see what other books this author has written! I highly recommend reading this book.
This story, a first for me by Ava Harrison, CONSUMED me. I couldn’t stop reading so I read the whole thing in one sitting, staying up way too late to do it. It’s painful, poignant, and full of broken moments. Absolution is also healing, full of love, and portrays all sides of humanity. How do we recover after tragic loss? Do we ever truly heal? Is guilt ever really erased? All questions Ava Harrison presents and answers with her story in the only way these larger than life characters can answer them. It’s a hard book. A sad tale. It’s also triumphant. For in the broken pieces of this man, this woman finds herself and discovers a new him.
This is real romance to me. It’s not all rainbows and unicorns. It’s strength and perseverance coupled with heartbreak and unimaginable pain. It’s a brilliant story of rising above, of understanding and compassion, of making yourself vulnerable no matter how much the idea scares you. The writing, in spots, I thought was confusing with dialogue and a few others I wish were looked at more closely for repetitiveness and consistency but even those can’t detract from how deeply I care about this story. Overall, I’m seriously impressed with Ava Harrison’s storytelling. She so exquisitely wrote about pain she broke me. The way she crafted these characters and to tell this amazing story left me captivated from beginning to end. After being broken by her words, she healed me – all in one sitting. Two of my favorite jerky, torture, broken-beyond-belief heroes hail from L.J. Shen and Nicole Jacquelyn and the women in which they meet their match are quirky and oh-so-strong very reminiscent of the characters and story in Absolution.
I loved this. It’s hard. But pain is beauty. I’ll be thinking about this for a long time. I was up until 1:30am reading it and I woke up and re-read the last few chapters this morning because I missed Jace & Sydney and their family already. Excited to dive into more Ava Harrison romance.
He wore the loss and guilt like a shiny coat, but he couldn’t help it. She didn’t want to like him. He was everything she was trying to get away from all wrapped up in a pretty picture. I didn’t want to like Sydney either. She wasn’t the typical lady I enjoy in my reads but the more I read and understood about her he more I got her. Jace was a. . . well he wasn’t the easiest person to deal with between his guilt and flashes and panic attacks. Together yet separately they work through their issues and seeing that change and their growth makes it a great read. Feeling their emotions, sharing their pain, watching them learn to enjoy a healthy love. This author makes us feel each and every pain and each and every tear. It isn’t an easy journey for these two. They will be tested and so will their love. Along the way Jace will find what he needs to put on his big boy pants and man up, he will find absolution.
5 Star Review Absolution by Ava Harrison
Ava Harrison is a new author to me and what a way to be introduced to an author. Jace Montgomery almost broke me. The anguish, heart break, guilt and sheer defeat in him had me in tears. What an absolute emotional roller coaster of a story Absolution was.
This was one of those books that touched me on so many levels that I find it hard to review; it was truly a gut wrenching book to read and Ava Harrison had me riveted from the first to the last page.
Trying to recover from the death of his wife, Jace has closed himself off from everyone including his two young children, a man shattered, whose only way of coping is to work. The pain, suffering and guilt throughout this book was palpable.
With his brother getting married, Jace is forced to attend and it is there he meets Sydney White, the best friend of his brother’s fiance. Sydney has given up on love and romance and is focused on her career.
Sydney decides to take Jace under her wing to help him through the events of the wedding weekend, after all the last thing she wants is for his morose attitude to spoil her friends’ wedding.
Her decision changes their lives. Slowly but surely a friendship between Jace and Sydney forms and with time, it becomes something more.
Will Jace be able to move past his guilt and consider a future with Sydney or will he run? When tragedy strikes, will Jace and Sydney ride out the storm, or will it destroy them once and for all?
There were times that I wanted to smack Jace across the back of the head for his behaviour, not only in ignoring his children, but also for the way he treated Sydney. I was frustrated that Sydney accepted Jace’s treatment of her and I did feel at times that she should have put her foot down.
This story is about forgiveness, love and hope and that despite all the pain, there is light at the end of a very dark tunnel and life goes on.
Tragic moments in our lives can blind us to see what the tragedy will teach us. This is the case with Jace.
After losing his wife, he lost himself in grief (and work) and it doesn’t let him see those beautiful and strong kids he has. This is until a broken Angel shows him the good in front of him.
“But I remember her. She hovered over me like an angel from above, and for a brief moment, I thought maybe it would be ok. “
Sydney has her own issues, always falling for men that she feels the need to fix or completely wrong for her, so when Jace comes into her life, she doesn’t trust her feelings towards him.
“No one has ever looked at me like this. Like I’m his salvation. As if I am what is necessary to keep him alive.”
I will always go after Single Dads read is this one it was perfect. Because we get to know the other side of the grief of a widow that is drowning in his grief and taking his kids along with him without realizing it. How we take for granted all the good things that surround us but never see them as positive.
I loved the side characters, especially Prescot (that I just learned we have his story already) and his support for Jace is incredible, no matter how hard Jace push him (and everybody ) Jace will be always there for him, even to confront him to make him open his eyes and be thankful for everything he has. The kids, just as their father, are special and loved reading about them.
Jace and Sydney will teach to each other to face their mistakes and fears, every step along the way will be a step towards a life with love and forgiveness
“And I know this is how it was meant to be. Every bad thing that happens is meant to teach you something. Make you stronger. Make you learn.”
There’s something mesmerizing about the way Ava Harrison writes. Not only does she write with fierce passion and heart, but she has a way of reaching deep within and making you feel everything. The pain, the sadness, the depth of the heartache, the hope.
Jace is so broken. The pain that radiates from him is felt through the pages. My heart ached for him and his children. His healing is painful, yet beautiful to see his growth.
Sydney is amazing! She’s been through a lot herself, but she has this spark about her. She’s so lively, and lives in the moment. She’s funny and caring and brings joy and makes you smile. She warms your heart and she’s just what Jace and his children need.
There is an immense depth of emotion in this story. It grips you from the start and never lets go. It’s a roller coaster of emotions and a heartfelt journey.