Customer Reviews

Undressing Mercy

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mercy Rothwell is doing her best as Assistant Director to make the Holman Gallery something to talk about. She's managed to get several hard to pin down artists to sign up for showings, so when artist Shamus Montgomery agrees to meet and talk about showing his work there, Mercy is ecstatic. Shamus, however, has plans. He had noticed Mercy years ago and he stipulates that the only way he'll show his work at Holman is if Mercy agrees to pose for him.... in the nude. Mercy knows she needs Shamus to sign so that she can consolidate her position and take over as Director when the current Director retires. To top it off, Mercy finds Shamus a sexy challenge she can't resist. Once she and Shamus are in close quarters, the passion between them is explosive. Unfortunately, Mercy is still dealing with a violent act that makes it difficult for her to trust any man. Can Mercy deal with the passion and feelings Shamus brings forth in her?

Undressing Mercy is my first book by Deanna Lee but it most certainly will not be my last! As a hero Shamus is so yummy, but it is truly Mercy who l came to love. The determination with which she deals with her pain made me sure that she really does deserve Shamus. I found myself waiting for her to finally have her day. Ms. Lee perfectly combines steamy sensuality with emotional intensity, and the odd quirky humor. Add to this secondary characters that I am anxiously hoping Ms. Lee will be giving their own story, and Undressing Mercy is a winner!


Melissa
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

With the writing of this book. The way Shamus Montgomery and Mercy Rothell were portrayed, captured and held my attention all the way to the end.
I could really sympathize with Mercy. The emotional breakdown she fought to keep in control from her rapist "Jeff King."
I too, had been in that kind of situation. I also understood why she didn't file charges on him in the beginning. That Shamus Montgomery was every bit of the singing artist Sade's hit song,
"Smooth operator." I visualized him, as a tall, dark-skinned brotha, with a discreet intellect and an uncompromising charm. In other words, he could charm the panties off of any strong-willed woman. I liked Jane, she made me chuckle with the amusing way she'd deliver her information to Mercy. Lisa Millhouse was as real as characters can get. The way she deals with her own demons of the past, makes her seem a danger to society.
The entire book will have you glued to it, from the beginning to the end. The hot sex scenes with Shamus, and Mercy will leave any woman longing for a man like him. I'm glad I purchased and read the book. This is the first book I've read from Ms. Deanna Lee, but it wont be my last. "Well-done, Deanna." :o)

Now this was a great book, what I wouldn't give to be in Mercy's shoes.

Slight spoilers ahead...

Mercy was raped at her old job and she has slowly been putting her life together. She has a new job, new friends and soon a new position which will give her new responsibilities and challenges. Life is good and our girl knows it and is relishing it.

She draws a new artist to her gallery one she knows will make the gallery a lot of money. And as a bonus this handsome downright beautiful man wants to learn everything about her both inside and out and what he finds inside her astounds the both of them. This is a true partnership and what I wouldn't give to find a man like him.

Of course there are hardships but not the usual romance book plots of misunderstandings and what not. But she handles her struggles with grace and threw Mercy we see what a real woman's power really is and where it comes from.

I wish the book was longer I loved these two people and I wanted to read more about them.

This is the first erotic romance novel I have read and I must say I was very plesantly surprised by how much I liked it. It had a good story and the sex was realistic. I found it hard to believe that this was the author's first novel and I look forward to reading her next work. Read it; you'll like it!

What a wonderful story out of the Aphrodisia line. While not as erotic as some of the line's stories, Mercy is among the best of the releases I have read so far. The hero is hunky in every way, yet has a sympathetic side that keeps him from being too alpha for his own good. The heroine has a past that leaves her scarred despite her best attempts not to be, but still maintains a spunky personality and strength in nearly everything that she does. An excellent cast of secondary characters round out the story and make it a terrific read.

If you enjoy a story that will have you feeling the range of emotions, from sorrow to laughter to ecstasy, pick this one up!

Undressing Mercy is by far the best book I've read this year. Deanna Lee's talent of working words into a form of art had me wishing the book hadn't come to an end. This is certainly one author that has climbed to the list of my favorites.

Mercy Rothell's struggle to find herself after a tragic time in her life, unfolded beautifully, with the help of sexy, Shamus Montgomery. Oh to find such a warm, wonderful sexy man to heal what ails a woman!

If I could give this book more than a five-star rating, I would!

In Boston, assistant director at the Holman Gallery, Mercy Rothell wants to showcase and sell the erotic work of renowned sculptor Shamus Montgomery. The famous artist agrees with one stipulation or the deal is off. Mercy must pose naked for a work he wants to do.

Mercy wants to say no though she finds Shamus hot and would not mind lying naked with him also sans clothing. However, she reluctantly accepts his terms. As he works his magic, Mercy dreams of his hands working her into an ardent frenzy instead of his sculpture. He desires her as much as he finds a need to knead the real thing. Both begin to think in terms of one statue on display for them to see only in their boudoir.

Readers who appreciate heated contemporary romances will enjoy Deanna Lee's fine tale UNDRESSING MERCY. Shamus is a hunk who knows what he wants, which is simply to have Mercy. She is the more complex character as she does not trust men since the Jeff King rape and her observations of her male boss using his position of power to manipulate women. She sees a shrink to help her cope with the nightmares. Now Shamus is using the show to his advantage, which makes her want to classify him with the other male rats. UNDRESSING MERCY will prove difficult, but Shamus believes the prize is worth the quest.

Harriet Klausner

Undressing Mercy is a fabulous romance that examines the life of a rape survivor and teaches that love and healing can be found after such a horrible experience. Mix in a bit of heated chemistry and you have a book that will keep you reading to the very last page.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and each character Deanna Lee allowed me to meet. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romance and triumph over tragedy.

This was the first book that I read by this author and the writing was good enough to get me to hunt down and purchase some backlist titles. I only wish that buyers had been informed that this book had already been released as an ebook with LooseID so that the buyer wouldn't inadvertently buy the book twice.

Mercy, an assistant director of a major gallery in Boston, is attempting to cement her position as next in line for the directorship. She has a promise from one of the premier artists in the world to show an exclusive at her gallery. The catch is that she must pose for a piece to be included in the collection. Her goals are impeded by Milton Storey, the current director. And, her past. Mercy is recovering from a rape from a former co-worker. When a current project brings her former co-worker to Boston, Mercy's attempts at recovery are tested.

Mercy moved to Boston from NY on the basis that she would be given the directorship at the gallery. One of the main reasons that Mercy moved was that she suffered the rape. Because she was afraid of the scandal, of her position in the art world, and the thought of a trial, Mercy decided to move instead of pursuing any legal charges. The book opens with her at her therapist's office and I thought that was a smart move. It showed me that Mercy was actively seeking help to recover from the trauma.

Milton Storey is a blowhard who skirted the edge of believability. His goal is to get rid of Mercy but she has the backing of the board who brought her in. With the confidence that she lacks in her personal life, Mercy is able to stand down Milton. I do not know whether it was intended the work situation to parallel the sexual assault Mercy had with her co-worker or whether I was reading things into the story but it seemed to me that part of the plot was watching Mercy assert herself over Milton Storey in a way she couldn't do over her co-worker in NY but learns to do during the course of the book.

Shamus Montgomery is a well known sculptor who specializes in art depicting nude and sensual women. As part of the deal for allowing Mercy's gallery to show his pieces, Shamus wants Mercy to sit for him. At first, I thought this was a ridiculous request but over the course of the story, the author sold me on how great of an honor it was for Mercy to be asked and how normal it seemed for the artist to be making the request.

As Mercy "undressed" she gained more power over her own life, in part because she was regaining control over her sexuality. The story is told in the first person and other than the graphic language, I didn't find the book to be outre in terms of the sex. It did have erotic overtones because of the nature of the book: i.e., Shamus sculpted erotic pieces and therefore needed to explore those aspects of a woman.

I wasn't sure what to make of the names: Mercy and Shame (his nickname). I felt that they were so unusual that they should mean something but I wasn't sure where they fit into the overall story.

The niggles in this book would be that some of the secondary characters were too broadly drawn for my taste, their actions were too extreme. Further, I felt that Shamus was really a mystery. I couldn't understand the attraction between Shame and Mercy because I really never understood Shame. This is a good book.

I love this book. It's a definite re read. The story line, love scenes, and the charisma Shamus has will leave you breathless. Great great book. Very clever title.