Broken Road: Absolution

by Angela Kay Austin

To Be Forgiven, You Must Forgive Yourself

Abandoned by her husband, Elizabeth Marie Mitchell, a single mother with a teenage daughter, had no choice but to endure. She had to survive for both herself and her daughter.

What happens when someone you trusted hurts your daughter, and you are at fault?

Charles Mitchell ignored his heart and his responsibilities as a man, a father and a husband. Now, he has lost everything that matters. He wasn't there when they needed him, but he'll never fail them again.

What happens when you have the chance to be the man you were born to be, the man you know you can be?

What will Elizabeth and Charles do for the love of their daughter?

133 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2021

About the author

Bestselling author Angela Kay Austin has expressed herself through words for as long as she can remember. Poems became songs performed with her cousin at every family gathering. But, eventually, short stories filled her favorite pink diary. An infatuation with music and theater led to years playing various instruments and small extra roles in TV shows before giving way to a degree and career in radio and TV production. After completing another degree in marketing, Angela found herself combining her love for all things creative and worked for many many years in promotions and advertising. But once again, she found herself writing, which led to her first published work which stayed on her publisher’s bestseller list for ten weeks. Her second release hit the bestseller list at All Romance eBooks. She’s spoken on author panels, and served on boards for various author groups. When she’s not writing, you can find her reading her favorite authors, or researching her next story idea. Angela shares her downtime with her mixed-bred rescue terrier—Midnight, in the beautiful southern state of Tennessee.

Angela has written for the Ezine Rithm 'n Blues.

She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Chick Lit Writers of the World, Women's Fiction (RWA chapter,) and From the Heart Romance Writers.

Reviews

[Ann Edwards · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't understand this acceptance of cheating and forgiveness. What is going on in the world where a woman is vilified because she won't forgive the cheater and take him back to prove she's a good and abiding Christian. Do you know the first time cheating is the hardest. After the guilt, penance and forgiving. You learn the cost. If you think you can handle the cost again with the expectations of forgiveness you do it again and again and again.

There were two people in their marriage bed. Now because he has become community dick there are many plus the real possibility of disease if this unrepentant cheat continues.

Once a cheater...the bed remains full.

[Erika · Rating 2 out of 5]

Repetitive

The only person I liked was Charles. Everyone else was stuck in a woo me position which got tiresome. Let’s start with Liz. Yes, her husband cheating on her was terrible. Not wanting to at least talk to him was a personal choice. However, she did everything in her power to separate Charles and his daughter. She kept saying that he abandoned them while what he did was respect her wishes and get a divorce. Instead she tried to replace him with Jerry. She should have never allowed herself and her daughter to get that close to Jerry, especially after he kissed her. Sleeping with her husband’s best friend was bad form. After Kelly slept with Jerry, Liz behaved like a child, locking herself in a bathroom instead of taking her daughter to the hospital immediately and getting her plan B. Once Justin was born, again she was lacking wanting to sweep the situation under the rug while Charles stepped up for both Justin and his daughter. The final straw was her reaction to Kelly’s coming out. At no point did Liz question herself, she kept blaming Charles for « breaking their family ». Kelly Rose behavior wasn’t any better. I can understand her dilemma when she was young and not wanting to choose between her parents but after Justin was born she had no reasons to push Charles away. He wasn’t judgmental. In the interim 10 years she made no effort to contact him. She even asked her mother to walk her down the aisle as if Charles had hurt her in some way. The whole I hope she forgives was odd because if anything Kelly should be grateful to Charles for adopting her son. Had she bothered to keep in touch with Charles she would have known where her son was.
My only concern with Charles was why he kept looking for Jerry. At the beginning I could understand but after Justin was born , if anything it was in his best interest to never contact him, so Jerry wouldn’t try to take Justin away or ask for visitation etc. As for him trying to reconnect with Liz, to be honest I was hesitant because she was just so rigid and never wanted to accept her part in the demise of their marriage. Also let’s be honest she was upset with him adopting Justin and apart from photos for 10 years (until once again Charles decided to come back to Memphis) she didn’t try to get to know her grandson. What was her excuse ?

[Hawkeye K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to catch myself when in the first few pages of a story I'm deciding on character dynamics. There's Elizabeth the wife who has just been made aware of her husband, Charles cheating by their best friend, Jerry. The first question that popped into my mind was why would Jerry do this when Charles told him he felt remorseful for what he had done and was planning to tell his wife about his mistake and to ask for her forgiveness. Therein starts the gripping story of what happens to a marriage and a family when one of the partners cheats, two are betrayed and three lives are ruined when a close acquittance decides to be the catalyst to the destruction of a family.
As I kept reading I found more questions than answers. Why for instance would a so called Christian woman not believe in forgiveness or at the least counseling to try and save her marriage. Without giving her husband a chance to explain she became the judge and executor of not only her marriage but the breaking down of what family she has left. Then there is Charles, why move away? I didn't question Jerry because his character reason for doing what he did was well explained. Even the things he did to Liz and her daughter Kelly Rose fell well into his trap. Liz hides behind religion to excuse how she dismissed her husband and alienated her daughter when she admitted to being in love with a woman.
Redemption Road is like a travel show where you arrive at destinations without being told how you got there. You show up at moments in this families' life until you reach the end of the journey

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Bobbi Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first book by this author and I look forward to reading more from her in the future. This is a well written story that I enjoyed being pulled into from the beginning. This is a suspenseful story that not only kept me turning pages but also was hard to put down. I found this book to be engaging and just a great story. The characters are not only connectable but they gave the story life. They made it fun and easy to read. This is a story about what happens when someone hurts your child and you could be the one at fault. How far will these parents go for their child? This is an action filled story that I highly recommend. It was so worth the pick up.

[Amy Vida · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of Broken Road: Absolution in exchange for an honest review. This book touched on some serious and dark topics. The writing was good, and the story captured my attention and kept me engaged right from the beginning. Without a spoiler alert, after Elizabeth's daughter was "violated" the storyline went downhill. Jerry was just an evil man, Elizabeth was lacking empathy, and Charles needed to move on. Charles was strung along his entire adult life, and Elizabeth never deserved him. I'm glad I took the time to read this story, but I was disappointed in how the plot unraveled.

[BooksBooksandmoreBooks69 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new author for me to try.
Genre:Second chance at love.
This couple went through every stage of this second chance.
Cheating/divorce/sleeping with husband best friend.
I really felt for the daughter though 😔 being in the middle sucks, add in her confusion over her sexuality she’s a mess.
Will they work through it?
I did want to bang heads at certain points on the story.
But I’m glad I finished the book.

[Mylene Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liz and Charles have both broken their vows to each other. They realise that there is still love where they thought there was none. Can these two get out of their own way for a second chance? or will they let friendships come between them once and for all.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[ANGEL-A- · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hellishly boring Charles should have dumped Liz, and moved on with his life.

[Teena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshing Second Chance

This was a refreshing second chance story. This was my first time reading anything by this author and I thought she did a great job.