Review and Giveaway: Mercy

Mercy (Mercy - Book 1) by HelenKay Dimon

Publication Date: 05/06/2014
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Heat
Genre: Erotic Contemporary
Pages: 352
ISBN-10: 0425270734
ISBN-13: 978-0425270738

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Heat)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Indiebound

HelenKay Dimon on the WEB: website, blog, twitter, facebook, goodreads

WARNING: This book is considered inappropriate for readers under the age of 18 years. 

Synopsis:

After she infiltrated his business and betrayed his trust, a disavowed CIA agent must seek sanctuary in the bedroom of a man who will either help her, kill her, or bring her to her knees…
 
Becca Ford is on her own. Eight months after she headed up a sting operation to take down millionaire club owner Jarrett Holt, the other agents in her special ops team have been eliminated under odd circumstances, and she needs a place to hide.
 
Jarrett is a man who prefers darkness to light. He deals in the only truly valuable currency—information—and his supper club caters to an exclusive clientele. It was an uncharacteristic moment of weakness when he let a woman into his life. But it’s not luck that the criminal charges disappeared . . . as did the evidence.
 
When Becca returns to the club seeking his help, Jarrett doesn’t want to hear her story. But he does want her body, and demands that she give it to him. He’ll keep her safe—for now—but it’ll be in his bed and on his terms, until he says they’re done. 

Thoughts:

HelenKay Dimon brings readers a new erotic contemporary series, titled after the first book, Mercy. Readers looking for a fast-paced whirlwind romance, will love the energy and emotion that Dimon creates in this book. The character's are gritty and intense and the action is jam packed into the story. Jarrett and Becca have a lot of history, in fact she is the reason he was put in jail. But now she's in survival mode and needs his help. With multi-layered characters and deep seeded trust issues, this is book not to be missed by erotica fans!

What I liked: 

It is not often that I enjoy a book that throws me into the middle of story, instead of the beginning. But author HelenKay Dimon makes it work in her new book, Mercy. The lead couple aren't meeting for the first time in Chapter one of this book, in fact their relationship begins eight months before the book does. Becca is a CIA operative who infiltrated Jarrett Holt's business and his bed. She was under deep cover and played the part of the adoring girlfriend so well, that he was completely in love with the woman who ultimately betrayed him.

Dimon gives readers just enough background in the beginning for them to understand the circumstances and what it would take for a woman like Becca to come to Jarrett for help, after what she did to him. As a reader, I found myself enjoying the tidbits that Dimon intersperses throughout the novel that pertain to Becca and Jarrett's previous relationship. They were little pieces of candy that gave the book the whole different flavor now and then. Readers were able to see the love between them grow, but all the while knowing what was to come. That was a really interesting plot idea that worked well with the story.

Becca is a strong woman. A woman who is used to dangerous situations and the kind of people who get things done, no matter the cost or the circumstance. When the rest of her team ends up dead, she knows she must take drastic measures to survive. Hiding in plain sight may be the only way and protection from a man she loved but still betrayed may cost more than she is willing to pay. She was a no-nonsense kind of character. She was able to guard her emotions where most things were concerned, including killing when she needed to, but she couldn't guard her heart against Jarrett and that's what made this book so good. Her vulnerability with him is palpable and readers won't be able to help being moved by it.

Jarrett is what I would call a ruthless man. Wealthy, influential and able to make things happen that the common man couldn't even fathom, let alone accomplish. He has a darkness about him that is both scary and sexy. Readers will be drawn to him despite his nature and his form of protection. He wants Becca to suffer in some ways and he thinks having her in his bed will do that, but he doesn't account for the fact that they both had real emotions involved in their relationship and that doesn't just go away. Watching him realize that he didn't care what had done to him was amazing. Seeing him start to understand that he loved her anyway. 

What I didn't like:

This is a really intense and action packed book. Readers will probably feel a little spent after reading it. If you can suspend your belief in the fact that a CIA operative would probably never seek protection from someone they ratted on, you'll love it. I will admit that bugged me when I first started reading the book, but it all came together and it didn't matter once the emotions took over with this one.

Bottom Line:

This one has a lot going for it. Intensity, passion, some extremely hot scenes in the bedroom. But I think the best part of it, was the realization that forgiveness can come in many forms and love can conquer just about anything... including organized crime!

Mercy will be available from your favorite bookseller on May 6th. It can be pre-ordered NOW!

I'm giving this book, 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

Bestselling and award-winning author HelenKay Dimon spent twelve years in the most unromantic career ever—divorce lawyer. After dedicating all that time and effort to helping people terminate relationships, she is thrilled to write romance novels full time. She is the author of The Hanover Brothers series, including No Turning Back and A Simple Twist of Fate. Her books have been featured at E! Online and in the Chicago Tribune, and she has had two of her books named “Red Hot Reads” in Cosmopolitan magazine. When not writing, she teaches fiction and romance writing at MiraCosta College and UCSD and generally wastes a lot of time watching bad Syfy Channel movies. 

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Mercy by HelenKay Dimon.

~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US addresses only.
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, May 16th.

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