Sunny Shelly’s Review: Absolution, by Missy Johnson

As far as forbidden relationships go, the priest-falls-in-love trope is a secret guilty pleasure of mine. It has been ever since I read Priest by Sierra Simone, and for me, it set the bar pretty high for any other priest romance. I was so excited to tear into Absolution because this book offers so much more than a love affair between a man of God and a parishioner. There is a complicated and twisted backstory between Hannah and Declan, and the current situation he’s found himself in adds another complex layer to an already tenuous partnership.

The story at the core of Absolution had so much potential — but unfortunately, for me, I found it to be poorly executed and full of missed opportunities. It’s been fourteen years since Declan’s actions tore apart Hannah’s family, and the internal struggles that they are both experiencing in their current situation do really come across on the page. He’s incredibly broken and determined to spend the rest of his life repenting for the sins of his past, even though Declan very much seems to be a changed man, a good man. Hannah struggles greatly with what is right and wrong, and just how unsure she is that she’s doing the right thing is evident. But what I didn’t think was evident is the two of them falling for one another. Sure, she thinks Declan is hot, but she goes from hating him one minute to being in love with him practically overnight. I would have liked to have seen more develop on that front, considering their past connection.

Despite what I felt were some shortcomings with the plot, I was really hoping for a twist in the story that would make Hannah and Declan’s relationship acceptable after what he did, and Missy Johnson definitely delivers on that. While there is a HEA for Hannah and Declan, HOW they get there left way too many unanswered questions in my mind and as a result, I was left feeling unsatisfied at the end.

I very much enjoyed Missy Johnson’s Love Hurts series, and found myself reaching for the box of tissues while reading all four of those books. But Absolution just didn’t deliver for me. I received and advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

 

UPDATE: I’d originally rated this 3 stars, but then I received an addendum to the ARC, which included an expanded last few chapters and an extra scene with Declan that tied up some of the loose ends and answered some of the questions I felt were left dangling at The End. I’m bumping my rating up to 4 stars.