BETRAYAL

Rena Groot
Nov 14
4 min read

Updated: Dec 8

Betrayal is a gripping psychological drama that exposes how evil doesn't always break down the door--sometimes it marries you first.

Betrayal Cuts Deeper Than Any Wound

It shatters truth, destroys trust, and makes you question everything you thought was real.

Ashley Knows This Pain

The man who vowed to love and protect her became a stranger—one defined by lies, manipulation, and infidelity. His deception shattered her world, leaving her isolated and gaslit in a life she no longer recognized.

Heartbreak Wasn’t the End

In the wreckage, Ashley found an unexpected strength—a fierce determination to stand, heal, and reclaim her voice.

A Story for the Betrayed

This book is for everyone who has been deceived, dismissed, or broken by the one who promised love. Though told through fiction, this journey is real: from devastation to transformation, from grief to power.

You Can Rise Stronger

You are not what broke you. You are not alone. You can heal—and rise stronger.

BETRAYAL Reviews:

Steve Krumlauf

When it comes to human relationships, once trust is broken, can it ever be restored? That is the $64,000 central question novelist Rena Groot sets out to answer in her latest title, slated for release in December 2025.

In a dramatic departure from Groot’s recent series of historical fiction, in her latest release, Betrayal, the subtitle tells the reader all they need to know about the contents inside. It truly is “A Shocking Revelation of Infidelity and One Woman’s Journey to Wholeness.”

In these nearly 180 pages, the reader gets an extremely intimate, inside look at a bad marriage in a free fall. Groot takes a very unique approach here. Every chapter is either recorded conversations between the victim of betrayal, Ashley, and her betrayer, her husband, James, via text messages or via email, or, delivered or undelivered letters Ashely writes to James.

Spoiler alert! In documenting Ashley’s painful marriage to James, the author slowly peels back the layers of James’ narcissistic personality disorder. It’s apparent that this is the key to understanding why James treated Ashley so badly all their years together.

In those nearly six years of messages between married partners, Ashely uncovers her husband’s lies, deception, gaslighting, and infidelity which “turned her world upside down, leaving her broken, lost, and alone.”

When it comes to abusive relationships, it should be obvious to the reader that Groot did her homework. Every well-researched chapter includes footnotes that point to Groot’s resources for the wise counsel she shares in these pages. For example, consider these gems of wisdom recorded here:

1.) When an abuser is remorseful, is it shame over what they have done, or, is it grief over hurting a loved one, or, is it regret from getting caught?

2.) If an abuser agrees to getting psychological help, ask if they are doing so just to win their victim back. Rehabilitation should be only about the abuser finding freedom from their addiction.

3.) Repentance means you turn and walk away from the sin.

4.) Discovering your significant other has had a secret sexual life is one of the most devastating betrayals a person can face. Betrayal is like a death, the death of what you thought was true.

5.) Once trust is broken, it’s difficult to believe in oneself or in others again. Fear of being hurt can create emotional walls that prevent healing and emotional connection with others.

6.) Honesty is the firm foundation for true recovery.

7.) Healing cannot thrive in secrecy. Recovery depends on the effort invested, and prayer is a powerful key.

8.) Willpower alone eventually collapses under temptation, and the old patterns return. Real change comes through help, healing, and God’s grace.

9.) When honesty vanishes, the foundation of trust crumbles with it. And without that foundation, the relationship cannot stand.

10.) Finally, the goal cannot be to change the marriage, the goal must be a change of heart.

Betrayal is as real as life gets on paper. This does not read like a novel at all. It’s raw. It’s revealing. It’s challenging. It’s convicting. If Fred Stoeker, Stephen Arterburn and Mike Yorkey are correct, if for example, pornography is everyman’s battle, then for that reason alone, Betrayal is a must read for every married or unmarried man on the planet. It’s a dramatic object lesson in what a man’s secret sex life can do to destroy a marriage.

Linda Lueck

I couldn't put this book down. Although it is a work of fiction, maybe this is the story of someone you love… a mother, a sister, a friend. Maybe it is your story.

I found myself experiencing the roller coaster of Ashley's tentative hopes and crushing disappointments as she tells her story. She wants so badly to trust, to believe, to have the marriage that she desperately wants and deserves.

The author has skilfully incorporated, helpful information and resources as part of the narrative.

This book is a must read.

Martha Martens

I read Rena Groot's book, "Betrayal", in a few hours. I could see myself in Ashley. I didn't go through what Ashley did, but I was married to a narcissistic person so could relate to her confusion, feelings of worthlessness, pain and anguish. I cried with her and felt her pain. Her desire to break free from the narcissist, and stay true to God, and to herself was evident throughout the book. Prayer is powerful, and God answers prayer. God gave her the courage and strength to stand strong and start over again. "Betrayal"is raw and gritty. The book is heartbreaking, but encouraging, at the same time, because Ashley has the answer within her. God gave her the strength to continue to stand strong and not go back into the abusive relationship, to forgive him, go on and start to heal. For anyone who has gone through domestic abuse, Betrayal is a must read. It will give you a spiritual prospective, and some answers to start your healing. This book is life as it is, not as we would like it to be.

Andrea Jones

Rena Groot’s newest book is raw, real and redemptive. Anyone who has experienced relationship trauma needs to read this book. Pre-order now.