Angel of Mercy (Mercy Hollings, Book 2)

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

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 show more 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. show less

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 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.

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 show more 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. show less

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 show more 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. show less

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!