Redemption Lost

by Marc Avery

Anthony Porter, a young emerging screenwriter and closeted alcoholic, loses faith in family and relationships after he learns of his father's infidelity.

Then he meets Essence, a girl with, a college degree, her own home, and the perfect smile. Feeling like she is "the one", he throws himself into the relationship, only to learn of her manipulative and vindictive ways.

Battling with inner demons, depression, and other life woes, Anthony turns to screenwriting as his only solace. Just as things are improving, Anthony learns of secrets that shatter his world again, leaving him wanting retribution, which he will risk everything for, including his freedom.

Genres: Fiction

400 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 4, 2014

About the author

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Reviews

[Audra]

Where do I begin with this book?

Anthony, the protagonist is thrust into manhood way too soon after he steps in to defend his mother from his father and his father leaves them both. His dad left when Anthony needed him most. He had no man to guide him through the difficult waters from boy to man. And that led to all kinds of bad decisions, none of which Anthony made on purpose. The pressures of life and trying to make decisions that were beyond his maturity level were the causes of his bad decisions.

But I rooted for him anyway.

Anthony met a girl named Essence who, apparently, was quite a looker but was also the epitome of the cliche that "beauty is only skin deep" because the woman -- or should I say girl -- was bat shit crazy and manipulative and vindictive and a long list of other horrible traits. But Anthony was seduced by her looks and then he had sex with her. Bad move, Anthony.

I can't say much else without spoiling the book. But I will say that Anthony didn't have the best of fortunes, but he never gave up. His persistence paid off because he sold two screenplays and bought a house. He also found the love of his life who stood with him through Essence and her post-breakup antics.

And then it happened.

The ending that I just kept screaming about. I won't say what happened but I actually said out loud "please, Anthony, don't. Essence isn't worth it. Don't do this."

And then he did it.

And the book ended.

And I threw said book across the room.

This was a great read. The only reason I didn't read it in one sitting was because I started it in the evening and I get up early so I had to go to bed.

But I HATE the ending. It made me angry. But I guess that means the author did his job, right?

This book should be read by young men everywhere because it shows the price you pay when you keep sticking your stuff in crazy. Sex clouds your judgment in a huge way. And this book is a testament to that.

Well done, Marc Avery.

BUT....

I need you to write a sequel and make the ending a bad dream that didn't really happen, k??

[Martha weasel Bear]

i read this book in an hour and cant believe the ending.....

[Dy Manapsal]

Misogynistic ass book that depicts women's bodies with way too much unnecessary information, tell me what does "... with the body of a porn star." mean. It's soooo boring + no unique author "voice" that is for some reason an emphasis on the book and the author couldn't even follow that himself. Why is this published? A basic boring book that seems to be written by a twelve year-old. A foreshadowing is good but it's too on the nose... Characters have no depth. A big conflict + a small resolution = resolved, i guess. Unrealistic. Underwhelming. "I slammed my fist into my palm."? You're not an anime villain dude. Did I mention misogynistic? What's the problem with having a daughter? She couldn't carry your "legacy"—that is to beat women and be an alcoholic? Fighting addiction is not explored as much as it needed. No character development nor unique character voice at all. I will say, there's a plot twist i saw from a mile away but still shocked me, and ending's good and satisfying as hell. However, this book would've been 120 pages if it only had the things that mattered to the character.

[Samantha H.]

I was strolling through Barnes and Noble one day when the author of this novel, Marc Avery, was doing a book signing. I immediately needed to purchase a copy because I really respect the independent author hustle. I wasn't expecting much out of this book, but it turned out to be pretty enjoyable. Avery kept the drama coming as the protagonist, Anthony, met one challenge after another. Even though Anthony's decision-making capabilities were not very good, I still rooted for him. That was until the very awful, no-good, incredibly unrealistic ending. This book would have been 4 or 5 stars if the ending were different. I have faith that future Avery offerings will reach the 4-5 star rating, but this one only got me to a 3.

[Kelly Murphy]

Geesh

I'm trying to write this without giving anything away. Geesh it's like making one bad decision after another. I was trying to figure out when would Anthony learn his lesson but it seemed like as soon as I had a little faith in him he turned around and did something else even more stupider than the time before. He was completely ruled by emotions instead of common sense. I won't even touch on Essence smh because if I could have reached out and choke her in real life I may have jumped on that opportunity. Marc definitely wrote this book to hold my attention from beginning to end.

[Antonia (Toni)]

New Author

This book was good. I didn't expect the ending...it was very surprising. There were a couple of typos in the book, but overall it was an easy read and it kept me intrigued.

[Courtney]

I want to preface this by saying I saw a social media post by Marc Avery promoting his new book and felt compelled to give his work a shot. For better or worse I'm glad I did, maybe not for the better.

This story is written from the perspective of a 17-year-old to early 20s man and my goodness does it show. The women in this story have no real character, merely overly done stereotypes. More time is spent describing their big breasts and butts and his fascination with their bodies. What I can't figure out is whether that's intentional by Marc Avery to make the character a misogynist or if it's a reflection of his view of women.

The storyline itself was trite and predictable. It's a quick read because no real story develops, it's just a flash read of horrible choices and consequences. Basically this is perfect fodder for a Tubi produced flick.

[Heather]

I want to read it again.

Holy hell. That was fantastic and so...but what... I dont want to spoil it with my words. All is I can say is you had my adrenaline pumping and my heart racing. I was entirely captivated. The emotions you invoked from joy to pleasure to pain and sadness was insane. Thank you. I can not wait to read the next one.

[WHL (Bill)]

Good Coming of age story

This was a well-written coming-of-age story. Marc Avery did a great job of telling this story about a young screenwriter with dreams and aspirations of making it in the big time. Good read.

[Yvette]

Wow



This book had me from the first page. I could not put it down, completed in a few hours. Good read!!!!

[•♡Bushra♡•]

1.5 STARS💀
Umm... nah!

[Pamela Falls Eyraud]

Unfortunately, it never grabbed me.

[kali stalling]

another good one!

Another good and easy read! Glad I came across this author, and I hope to find more books like this! Amazing!

[Beth]

Loved this book

This book was really good. Excellent characters, nice pace, and kept me interested throughout. Great storyline. Highly recommend both of Mr. Avery's books.