In Absolution, a YA paranormal romance by Ashley Lucero, Alex Constance is a seventeen-year-old high school student who's had a lot of changes in her life. School is tougher than ever, her parents have recently divorced, and her brother's off to the Marines. And then things get really weird as she starts hallucinating, seeing a handsome guy dressed in black. No one else seems to see him, but he certainly looks and feels real. Especially when he holds her hostage in her own house!
Nathaniel is a man with many secrets, but those secrets may be the key to saving her life. But only if she trusts him first. A fast paced novel, Absolution by Ashley Lucero finds Alex caught in the midst of a cosmic war between angels and their fallen brethren. As she begins to discover more about herself and her unique abilities, she finds herself an increasingly bigger target for those who wish to do her harm.

Absolution by Ashley Lucero is a fairly quick read that hits all the notes of the paranormal genre. Nathaniel plays bad boy to a T and Alex starts out as a scrappy heroine who nonetheless falls under the spell of romance. I loved the side characters, especially Alex's best friend. They provided a nice touch of humor and were a great addition to the book. The plot felt a little simple, but still enjoyable, and will easily hook fans of the genre - and with the ending that Lucero left for her readers, they'll definitely be impatient for book 2!

Absolution: The Awakening Series by Ashley Lucero unravels in the middle class home of Alex Constance where the seventeen-year-old girl tries to grapple with her parents' divorce, adolescence, and high school life. Shuttling between her parents' houses and with her brother soon leaving home to join the army, she leads an ordinary life. That is until she meets Nathaniel, the man in black in her mother’s shop who is at first invisible to others. What follows is a surprising turn of events where Constance is caught up in a battle raging between angels and fallen angels. She soon discovers that fallen angels want to use her for their own ends and Nathaniel, her guardian angel, has always been trying to protect her. Hoping to stop Nathaniel from becoming a fallen angel himself, she finds out about herself and her family from the book The Blood Family of Constance. Can she save Nathaniel and herself in the end?

When Alex Constance is stalked by a man in black, her life will never be the same again. Absolution: The Awakening Series is the extraordinary story of a seventeen-year-old girl whose real identity is exposed when Nathaniel is left with no choice but to seek her out. Author Ashley Lucero takes us into a world inhabited by angels and demons and this is admittedly one of the oldest plots in the world. What makes Absolution unique is that it gives its readers a completely different grasp of the classic war between good and evil. Lucero’s imagination shines through in the book’s vivid descriptive style. And it is chilling to imagine that heaven can be invaded by fallen angels and demons if Alex and Nathaniel happen to fail. This book is certainly an entertaining read!

Absolution: The Awakening Series by Ashley Lucero revolves around 17-year-old Alex Constance, a high school student. Alex's life is not going well. She and her brother Derek move to a farmhouse on the outskirts of the town because of their parents' impending divorce. Derek goes off to boot camp and Alex's communication with him becomes minimal. The events and happenings in and around her life turn it upside down. And to make matters worse, she always sees a man in black whom nobody else sees. As the story unfolds, readers get to know more about Alex, her family, and the dark secrets surrounding them. She knows she has to save them, and she meets Nathaniel, a mysterious man whom she thinks might be the only one to help her.

The suspense, violence, and mystery surrounding the plot are palpable and make this a compelling read. Readers will be glued to the book till the very end. The narration is detailed and descriptive and makes readers feel and sense the scenes very well. All the characters are portrayed well and Alex's character has an aura of uniqueness and mystery which will make readers want to know more about her. I found the character of Nathaniel too intriguing and a bit disturbing at times. The angels and fallen angels give another dimension to the plot. The author manages to build up the tempo without losing the pace and movement of the plot. The style of writing is neat, simple, and elegant. It's a story that has been handled well with a lot of finesse and style, leaving readers wanting more.