Customer Reviews

Cry Mercy (Mercy Hollings)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I like Toni Andrews 'Mercy' series and her latest "Cry Mercy" had me glued to the pages. This isn't really a romance, per se; there are romantic elements, but this is essentially the story of a woman with unusual abilities living her life. Her differences and the reactions of people in her past have caused her to close herself off. Recent experiences though, have brought her into contact with people-some with special talents, some without-and she's learning that EVERYONE is different in some way. So although this series so far has centered on her growing talents and her struggle to use them without abusing herself or others, for me it's just a fascinating series of stories about someone struggling to be themself and be happy...and find love of course.

Mercy works as a hypnotherapist, very convenient since she has the ability to 'push' her wishes on others. Her work gives her the opportunity to use those talents to help others and keep the talent from escaping her control. Recently, she's noticed some changes in her talent and that's not necessarily a good thing. She's also become involved with a group of 'friends', very different for the loner Mercy's always tried to be. But now having friends means trying to help them, and somehow Mercy has become involved in trying to save a friend and his younger brother from continued life in a gang, but to do that she'll have to use her 'push' in ways she's never tried before. Mercy also delves into her past; trying to discover more about her birth parents and prove, once and for all, if she's really human...or something more.

If you've not read any of the Mercy books, I wouldn't suggest beginning here--you'll miss alot of the changes in Mercy's life that make each book so engrossing. Toni Andrews' style of writing works well as Mercy tells her story in the first person and let's us peer inside her mind and her struggles in using her ability without crossing the moral boundaries she's set for herself. That personal touch of being inside Mercy's head is part of what makes this such an 'unputdownable' series. Like I said, not exactly your normal romance. More of a fantasy with light romantic elements, mystery, and some action. Or maybe just the story of an unusual woman...or you could always read it and decide for yourself!

In this third installment of the excellent Mercy Hollings series, Mercy, a psychic who can "push" people to do her will, faces her 30th birthday, a startling revelation about her ruined childhood, and dangerous confrontations with street gangs.

Tino, leader of a powerful local gang, has been trying to go straight with the help of some of Mercy's friends. To finally release himself from the Hombres Locos, he must negotiate a delicate deal with not only his own gang, but the leaders of several other gangs in the region. He recruits Mercy to help him "hypnotize" the other leaders into agreeing to his terms that will free not only him, but his reluctant little brother.

Andrews is a master of teasing out little bits of information on the long arc (Mercy's origins), and giving us a great story for the immediate arc. None of her characters are dull, and Tino is one of the best. In Cry Mercy, we learn about Tino and his family, meeting some interesting new faces along the way.

Mercy's integration into "normal" life-a life with friends-continues, as she reluctantly accepts a 30th birthday party from Sukey, and quietly deals with Sam's continued presence in her life. She has been forced to trust some, and is learning to trust others.

I continue to be absolutely taken with this series, and cannot recommend it highly enough.

If you're skittish because you know that Toni Andrews is a romance author and that you "don't read romance," then get over it because this is a good book for you.

CRY MERCY is a story about a loner who's not anymore. It's gritty, got some dramatic jolts and will make you laugh.

It's also about the efforts of a gang leader working to go straight.

This is the first book I've read in the Mercy Hollings series. I didn't feel lost at all when I dropped into Mercy's world.

Now I'm eager to read the first two books in the series.

I have really enjoyed this series from the get go. In this volume, our favorite hypnotist with powers has several things to deal with on the table. She meets her ex boyfriend Sam's father who is suffereing from Altzheimers, she continues the search into her mysterious birth and adoption and she finds herself right in the middle of her friend Tino's inner gang war. Tino wants to leave the gang and wants safe passage for himself and his younger brother. That Mercy just may be able to help is a bonus. This series isn't great because of Mercy's powers or even the action that intermingles through the stories. This series is great because of the amazing cast of supporting characters Mercy has around her. Hilda the sociatlite, Tino the gang leader, Grant, a millionaire, and Sukey, the best friend with telepathic powers herself. Add in Cupcake the dog and we have one of the most well rounded, character driven series on the market today. The only reason for a four rather than five star rating is because Tino's story takes up the majority of this book, and I didn't think it was nearly as interesting as the subplots. I did find Tino's mother and brother interesting characters in their own right. I am very excited to read future volumes in this series.

I've read all three Mercy books, and while I like the unique characters, I'm missing the romance. In the first and second book, Sam brought just the tiniest bit of romance to the books, but in this third book there was almost no interaction between the two characters. If your looking for sexual tension, then the Mercy books probably won't do it for you. While I do like the characters, basically the unusual mix of characters, the three books are fairly simple and just a bit of fun. I'd like to see Andrews work in 5 or 10 years. I gave three stars because all three books are a fun read.

I was hoping more on the romance department of this novel, but I was very happy with the story. It was very well written and I had a hard time putting this book down until I got to the end!

I'm excited to read more in this series. The mystery behind Mercy's birth is very engaging. I'll be watching the author's site in anticipation for any news of the next book.

"For her first trick Mercy takes down a drug dealer pretty much on her own. Then for the second she takes down a ring of child porn film makers. Ok wasn't happy about that one but oh well. Then for the thrid Mercy book she helps Tino get out of the gang and yet again kills another person. I'm not sure what I would expect mercy to do next or that I will be tuning in to find out although I am kind of curious what exactly she is."

Lucked into this book recently. I won't repeat what jjmachshev "jj" has said. His write up is spot on. I will say I am a romance reader and would normally have passed this one up. But the characters caught me. They are richly drawn, and come alive as people I can care about. A real page turner, I didn't get to bed until three in the morning. Yes, I now have to read the first two and can't wait until Sam and Mercy face each other with the truth.

I highly recommend it.

I can't really recommend this book- or this series. Book 3 in Ms. Andrews' 'Mercy' series, which begins with Beg for Mercy (Mercy Hollings, Book 1), suffers from the same pitfalls as I found in earlier books: an annoying lack of compelling conflict.

I really want to like this series. Good points:
- The concept is intriguing, enough so that I keep coming back
- Mercy is a great character, full of human flaws and inhuman potential
- A couple of the supporting characters are well developed and engaging, such as the love interest. Though, not all of them are- one or two are annoyingly shallow.
- The ongoing subplot around the mystery of Mercy's heritage is highly compelling.

All of that not withstanding, I have to concentrate in order to make it through the book. The plots seem, frankly, weak and provincial. There just isn't that much at stake and there are never any surprises. The stories are highly predictable and lack luster.

I can appreciate the way Ms. Andrews is humanizing the stories, but I think she is trying too hard- or perhaps hard enough. This story in particular centered around the adversity faced by a supporting character that I had never developed more than a superficial affinity for in the first place. Tino is a gang leader of questionable moral values- I never really found myself identifying much with him. It was very hard to really CARE all that much about the outcome. Even as he struggled to raise himself out of his criminal life, he never acknowledges it as being wrong and even works to MAINTAIN his lucrative connections. Tino works as a supporting character to lend color to the books. Using his life as central conflict was a mistake.

So, either the tales are too dependent on these characters or not enough has been done to create characters the reader can identify with.

With such a creative paranormal concept, it is almost painful to watch our main character struggle with such dull conflicts. She never manages to face anything more challenging than maintaining relationships and the basic crime you would find in any urban setting.

In addition, there is little "fantastic" about this urban fantasy other than Mercy's special talent. If the plots were more engaging this would be enough, but as it stands, it lacks spice. If there were additional paranormal elements, I think the lack of high stakes and complex conflict would be less important. A good example of this would be Patricia Briggs' 'Mercy Thompson' series. Moon Called (Mercy Thompson) Here we have fantastic writing filled with lots of intricate magic and relationships which are explored through conflict that, in the end, often just has local implications (though not always). If there was more to Mercy Hollings' world, then perhaps I would be more absorbed.

Ms. Andrews writes well, but doesn't plan well, in my opinion. The stories end up reading more like human interest than urban fantasy. The plots are nothing more than loose strings allowing her to move from one relationship to another, one personal interaction to another. In addition, there seems to be a TON of irrelevant background information on the setting- when buildings were built, how the towns have changed- none of it has any bearing on the story. Often the environment is more developed than the characters and the plot.

One or two action and suspense-filled moments, sprinkled with tantalizing glimpses of real risk around Mercy's gifts just don't add up to making a good book.

Toni Andrews did it again. I loved this book and the series. As soon as I put the book down, I'm looking for the next one in the series.