Toni AndrewsReseñas

The thing is, Mercy and Sukey co-adopted a dog they rescued from a psychopath. This is the kind of thing they do. They and the rest of their found family are pretty great at standing up for people (and animals!) who need it.

In this book, Mercy, who has begun her hypnotherapy business, is approached to provide her services to women who have escaped domestic violence. In her zeal to help, Mercy maybe goes too far and has to deal with the fallout.

Trigger Warning: Domestic Violence, Sexual Violence, Violence Against Women, Violence Against Children

Mercy's friend Tino needs her help to negotiate his way out of gang leadership. Her friend Sukey is pushing her to speak to the foster parents that gave her up. Mercy herself is still interested in finding more about the only other person she's met who can do what she does.

Big, huge secrets come out in this book. I'm longing for another because I really want to know what happens to Mercy next.

From the very beginning of this book I flat-out liked Mercy Hollings. Sure, she's isolated herself for the good of others, which is not a trope I particularly love, but she's pretty bad at it, and she's starting to realize she's become a part of a community whether she wanted to or not.

Her powers--the ability to persuade people to do whatever she wants--are pretty cool, and she uses them to help her friends. In the case of her friend Sukey's abusive boyfriend, using her powers gets her into a mess of trouble but might also lead to knowledge about her past that she needs to know.

TBR

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ANGEL OF MERCY, book 2 of the Mercy Hollings series (after BEG FOR MERCY) really hooked me in. I liked BEG FOR MERCY but I'm never sure about a series until I've read at least a couple of installments - I need to know if the author can deliver over the long haul.

I really like Mercy Hollings as a character - I like her sharp mind, her quick reasoning, and her occasional lack of tact. She's an independent and capable, like so many paranormal heroines, but in a very normal way - she runs her own business, pays her own bills, tends to her own wounds. The everyday burden of keeping herself afloat really adds to the realism of the books (and reminds me, in a way, of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series).

I really like seeing the ethical dilemma inherent in Mercy's use of her unique ability, the press, kept front and center - it's the hinge around which the series turns. Once again, we see how Mercy's ability to make people do what they are told, no questions asked, can save the day or lead straight to disaster.

The cast of secondary characters has settled nicely. In BEG FOR MERCY, Mercy collects her gang of friends and the recruitment felt a little artificial. In ANGEL OF MERCY, I could just enjoy the group dynamic. I grew up in Orange County, and characters like gangster with a future Tino, rich and idle Hilda, ditzy Sukey, retired businessman Gerald, etc., really capture the feel of the place and its inhabitants. Their characters acquire some much needed depth here, and their interactions are fun. This isn't the usual band of sidekicks/peanut gallery - for one thing, two of the gang are *gasp* middle-aged - and I'm glad. Mercy's support system makes the series more unique and really adds to the authentic, local feel of the book.

I'm really excited about the Mercy Hollings series now, and I can't wait to read the next installment.

"I though this was a great start for a paranormal series. Mercy has a special ability to make people do things she wants. I love the characters a...more"I though this was a great start for a paranormal series. Mercy has a special ability to make people do things she wants. I love the characters and the writing. It was an interesting read."½

"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."

"Ok I wasn't all too happy with the direction mercy took in this book. Its supposed to be a paranormal book which it kind of is with the mind reading and press thats going on. However all that was masked up by mercy trying to do the police's job. If I pick up a book and it has incest or kiddy porn rings in it I think that should be stated somewhere on the cover. Or the fact that mercy was trying to help an abused wife and her child but doesn't really know how bad they suffered. Something like that but nothing was mentioned on the back that let you know what direction the story was going in. There were so many ways and I just didn't happen to like this one at all.

If I wanted to read about sexual abuse of children I would not have picked up a paranormal book. I might have tried a horror story but not paranormal."

Still solidly okay, but not the sort of absorbing experience I LIKE to have when reading two books in the same world back to back. Interesting, and entertaining bit not moving.

A solid read without being fantastic. Not particularly warming to Mercy which is probably my main issue with the book - I just don't CARE that much about her!

This review was originally posted on my book review blog : Falling Off The Shelf.

Mercy Hollings is beating herself up over the death of man that she caused a month ago, and now she's afraid that her abilities may be from some evil source. She's helped so many people with 'the press', but how many has she hurt, and now, how many more will she end up killing?

In Mercy's line of work telling people what to do is an everyday thing. When someone comes to her because they'd like to stop smoking, or eating too much, she can make them stop with a light 'press'. But when a woman shows up to an appointment with bruises from being abused, it's not so easy to tell someone what to do with their life.

With the help from a local battered women's shelter, Mercy is able to help those women and children in need. It's satisfying for Mercy to know that she's making a real difference for these women, who seem to be nothing but fragile creatures. It's not so easy for Mercy though, when she's given the task of helping a women and child overcome their fears of an abuse so horrible it puts Mercy in shock. Will she be able to control her abilites, or will she 'press' the wrong issue?

This was the second installment in the Mercy Hollings Series by Toni Andrews, and I'm glad that I ordered myself a copy of it to read. Mercy's abilities still amaze me, and I personally wish I could borrow them just a couple of times. I'm glad to see that Mercy is opening up more to the people that care for her, but wish that her relationship with Sam Falls would move forward.

I'm very interested in reading the third novel in this series, Cry Mercy, to see if Mercy finds out more about her origins. I'm still waiting for my copy to arrive from the publisher, and have been checking my mailbox religiously in hopes of its arrival.

This has potential, that isn't quite realised. Mercy Hollings has an ability to make people do what she wants them to do. She calls this the Press. She tries to control it but it frightens her, though sometimes when she gets angry there's nothing she can do about it.

It shows potential and I would like to read more by this author at some stage, I'm just not sure that I want to continue with this obvious romance masquerading as a paranormal novel.

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 can’t help but think that Sam is a bit of a twit for trusting Mercy under these circumstances… okay, she’s hot – but surely all the other alarm bells going off would counter that? Or perhaps not! This is a great premise and a has one of the best opening chapters I’ve read in the genre but unfortunately the execution didn’t live up to the promise. Very easy reading, just not remarkable reading.

This review was originally posted on my review blog : http://fallingofftheshelf.blogspot.com

I'm not sure why I waited as long as I did to finally pick this book up. I've literally had it on my to be read pile for a couple of months. The description alone had me intrigued, but then again, a lot of books intrigue me (and a lot of books are sitting on that same pile that this one finally came off of). I'm extremely happy I read this book though, it was a lot different than other paranormals, and for that reason alone I think I enjoyed it even more.

Mercy Hollings was born with the ability to command those around her to do what she wants, and they can't help but fulfill her wishes. She calls this ability 'the press'. She's not happy she has this ability, because it's caused her to feel as though she were a freak her whole life. It's also forced her to keep to herself, and not let many people in, for fear of who would find out. The last thing she wants is to become some kind of science experiment.

I thought this was an interesting ability for a paranormal heroin, especially since she doesn't have any other special abilities to back it up. She doesn't have super strength, and she can't move things with her mind. I guess that doesn't really matter when all you have to do is tell someone to do exactly what you want though.

I really liked the characters in the book, especially Mercy's best friend Sukey. She's a bubbly 30 year old woman that reminds me a little of myself. The only thing we don't have in common is that she likes big, 'beefy' biker guys, and she clings to them more than white on rice. One of the other characters that I am beginning to really like is Sam, the new guy in town that Mercy can't help but drool over. He owns his own business in the community and has a great interest in Mercy.

I'm very anxious to read the next book in this series, Angel of Mercy, which is sitting here on my to be read pile. I'm curious to see where Mercy will go from here, and how much more her ability will develop. I'm also interested in seeing how her relationship with Sam will end up.

The third novel in the Mercy Hollings Series, Cry Mercy, was just released on June 1, 2009.

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.

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!

Here is an example of an intriguing premise that unfortunately turned
into a boring book.
Also, be aware that this book is primarily a romance novel. I had
thought this was more of an urban fantasy with maybe some romance
elements. The paranormal elements in this book are almost
nonexistent. The main character, Mercy, has the ability to compel
people to do whatever she tells them. Unfortunately, we never learn
anything about this ability, where it came from, how to fully use it,
etc. we only get a few scant hints about the possibility of others
like Mercy. Really, this book feels like a generic romance
that got a few paranormal elements tacked on to it as an after
thought.

Sexual Content:
Ugh! This was so unnecessary. There is an extremely graphic and as another reviewer rightly wrote 'disgusting' sex scene
in the middle of the book that includes numerous body parts identified
by their medically correct names. The whole thing came across as
extremely vulgar.

This book was good if not particularly great. The characters are enjoyable, but the plot is only so-so. For much of the book I was still waiting for something powerful to happen. All of a sudden, things were wrapping up. It wasn't until the last few chapters that I truly began to feel pulled in. Like I said, though, the characters are interesting I may continue with the series based solely on that.½

This is the second Mercy Hollings book. Mercy has an ability to 'press' people, stating things and making them do it or believe it. In the previous installment, she used her 'press' to take care of a bad guy out to hurt people. Here Mercy finds she can use her gift to help woman at a battered women's shelter. When she finds a six year old girl has been abused, Mercy cannot fight the urge to try to talk to her and maybe help her feel better. This goes against the head of the shelter, who insists that Mercy has no previous experience hyptnotizing children and could indeed make the child's situation worse. Mercy goes against the woman to find the child has been more abused than anyone imagined and that in fact, this could be happening to other children. Mercy and her friend Sukey begin to investigate and try to bring justice to the abusers in this case. The side plot revolves around Mercy questioning whether she is human and if she is good or evil. Mercy, Sukey and their friends begin a quest to find out about Mercy's biological parents and to see if they can find others like Mercy. The story, like its predassessor, is a page turner. I finished this one in two fairly short sittings. The side characters are truly a fun bunch. Tito, the ex-gang leader, the elderly high society woman, the elderly high society gentlman, and especially Cupcake the ex-guard dog. Sam, Mercy's sometimes boyfried, is really only around to give Mercy grief and to star in the requisite sex scene. I think he is totally boring and needs something to happen to liven him up. The story finished far too quickly for my liking here. Things just wrapped up too neatly with a pretty bow on top. Also, I really like Mercy as a character but there are tons of references to how tough she is and I never have seen that. This is a woman who hears about the child being abused and has such a crying fit that you can see it in her eyes hours later. Her feelings are also hurt when others are even slightly mad at her. It makes her human and it makes me like her, but I wish the author would realize she doesn't come across as all that tough. I liked this book. It won't be something I read over and again, but I enjoyed it as I did the first book, and I intend to read the next.

This is the story of Mercy Hollings, who we are lead to believe has some crazy non-human mutant thing going on. (According to the back of the book, that is) Now if that doesn't have us paranormal freaks out there grabbing it up, I don't know what would. In actuality, Mercy is most definitely human. She has a job, a best friend, and a cat. How much more human can the girl get? She does have a 'gift'. She can bend someone to do as she says by stating her order in what Mercy refers to as her 'press'. Mercy has been ostrasized during her growing up years for being a freak. Now she is scared to fit it, but does without any kind of problems whatsoever. I think Mercy is supposed to come up as rough and tough, but I think she seemed more like your girl next door. The story is interesting enough and the bad guy actually gave me the willies, which isn't an easy thing to do. I liked all the expected cast of secondary, colorful characters, espcecially Tico and Cupcake/Cujo. Her romantic interest, new guy in town Sam, was nice enough but also a little bland here. He really needs to get some color in the next installment. This is a good piece of quick reading. The writing was good, the characters were good, the plot was good. Nothing, however, was great. I will read on and if you like this kind of book, I encourage you to read on.

This is the second book about Mercy Hollings. I really liked this book. Sukey and Sam are still around and Mercy is still beating herself up about things. A great plot, you know what Mercy is going to do, but it's the getting there that is interesting. I can't wait until she knows who or what she really is. Going to keep a close eye on this writer!

I wasn't sure about this book, bought on a whim, hypnotherapy? hmmmm? I was plesantly surprised, I really enjoyed this book. Yes the charachter Mercy is a bit self absorbed but she starts to change her ways, you can;t just expect her to have an immediate turn around, it adds to her charchter and certainly changes a bit more in the next book.

I will certainly be watching this author for more!

I found that this book was almost better than the first. I could not put it down. I know it probably had more to do with the horrible case that she was solving. I cannot handle child abuse so I wanted to know there would be a happy ending to it. But her not knowing who she is and the author's ability to take you thru the motions of her research adds to the emotional rollercoaster. I am mad at Sam for not being there but I can understand since she does cut him out so often. Sukey is a gem for her. I am curious to see Mercy's character development and will look for the next in the series.½