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Not All Witches are born in Salem…In a small town founded by survivors of the Salem witch trials where rumors of witchcraft abound, something dark begins to stir beneath its quiet streets.Olivia West, a 21st Century Witch, swore she’d never return Mercy, Massachusetts but when an inexplicable compulsion draws her back to her childhood home, she unwittingly finds herself the prime suspect in a string of supernatural murders.Theodore Beckett, a 17th century Witchfinder, is haunted by his dark past. Finding himself dragged through time to present-day Mercy, he crosses paths with Olivia only to realize she may just be his chance for redemption.Thrown together by forces beyond their understanding and trying to fight the growing attraction between them, Theo and Olivia uncover a centuries-old secret, as the past and present collide in a harrowing discovery that will change everything.
564 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 5, 2015
1004 people are currently reading
2486 people want to read
About the author
Wendy Saunders
30 books181 followersWendy Saunders is a supernatural/contemporary fantasy & Romantic Suspense author.
She is best known for her phenomenal world building skills, rich multi-layered storytelling and love of magic & mythology.
But be warned once you step into her world you'll find yourself checking reality at the door and entering a universe where magic is real.
Wendy Saunders also writes dark romance/romantic suspense as W.J. Saunders and she writes LGBTQ+/MM Romance as Vawn Cassidy
COMING Oct 2023 New Covers for The Carter Trilogyt!
Tangled Web, Twisted Lies & Blood Ties are being taken wide across all platforms!
Boxsets
The Guardians Series 1,
The Complete Series 1 Box Set
The Carter Trilogy
She is best known for her phenomenal world building skills, rich multi-layered storytelling and love of magic & mythology.
But be warned once you step into her world you'll find yourself checking reality at the door and entering a universe where magic is real.
Wendy Saunders also writes dark romance/romantic suspense as W.J. Saunders and she writes LGBTQ+/MM Romance as Vawn Cassidy
COMING Oct 2023 New Covers for The Carter Trilogyt!
Tangled Web, Twisted Lies & Blood Ties are being taken wide across all platforms!
Boxsets
The Guardians Series 1,
The Complete Series 1 Box Set
The Carter Trilogy
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
March 29, 2025
5.0 stars ...
Couldn't possibly have loved this more! It was everything I hoped for ... and more. Really lookin' forward to the five remaining books ... and the second series! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Couldn't possibly have loved this more! It was everything I hoped for ... and more. Really lookin' forward to the five remaining books ... and the second series! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
March 29, 2025
Wowser!
Excellent book! Outstanding main characters and a wide variety of interesting side characters! Great opening book to what I hope will be an amazing series! Five stars!
Excellent book! Outstanding main characters and a wide variety of interesting side characters! Great opening book to what I hope will be an amazing series! Five stars!
Want to read
August 21, 2018💝FREE on Amazon today (8/21/2018)!💝
July 13, 2018
"They wouldn’t see Olivia West, successful historian and author. No, all they would see was the daughter of a murderer."
Rating: 2.6 out of 5
The story is well-written and easy to understand as it unfolded. We have an interesting protagonist who is the estranged daughter of a murderer and descended from witches. She's going through a lot of strife and has a great support system even though she was 8 when she left over 20 years ago. Yeah, okay, I'll accept that...ish.
I just couldn't connect with anyone. While I was reading, the story progressed, so I kept reading. Every time I had to put the book down, however, I realized I was missing that element that makes me excited to find out what happens next. It was an odd combination for me.
It was also puzzling at times because, even though it was easy to understand, it felt like maybe too many different plot devices were in play: historical/modern witchcraft, time travel, demons, then out of nowhere some Greek mythology stuff... Which actually sounds great in that list, but didn't mesh as well as I would've hoped.
So, I won't read it again and I won't read the next book in the series, but I also wouldn't call it bad. Yeah, I confuse myself, too.
Rating: 2.6 out of 5
The story is well-written and easy to understand as it unfolded. We have an interesting protagonist who is the estranged daughter of a murderer and descended from witches. She's going through a lot of strife and has a great support system even though she was 8 when she left over 20 years ago. Yeah, okay, I'll accept that...ish.
I just couldn't connect with anyone. While I was reading, the story progressed, so I kept reading. Every time I had to put the book down, however, I realized I was missing that element that makes me excited to find out what happens next. It was an odd combination for me.
It was also puzzling at times because, even though it was easy to understand, it felt like maybe too many different plot devices were in play: historical/modern witchcraft, time travel, demons, then out of nowhere some Greek mythology stuff... Which actually sounds great in that list, but didn't mesh as well as I would've hoped.
So, I won't read it again and I won't read the next book in the series, but I also wouldn't call it bad. Yeah, I confuse myself, too.
August 15, 2021
Well this was one of those books where you start to read it and don't expect it to be as good as it was. I love the ideas used and how the story Flowed. I got sucked in so deep that I had to read the rest of the series. Olivia was amazing and I love the way she just wants a normal life yet everything about her is anything but normal. This is one of those stories where the side characters are just as important and you just fall in love with everyone. This one sets the series up nicely. Plus nothing is as it seems.
August 28, 2017
Mercy is a small town in Massachusetts that was founded by the survivors of the Salem witch trials. Olivia West’s family is the oldest family in town, but Olivia hasn’t been to Mercy in 20 years. She became a ward of the foster system at a young age. Now she is all grown up and has become a historian and author. Her area of expertise is centered on the witch trials of America and Europe along with the history of witchcraft. When Olivia’s Aunt wills her the family home known as The Stick House, Olivia is forced to return to Mercy. Here she will have to confront her past, one that’s full of murder and mystery. The trauma of her mother’s and grandmother’s murders, along with her father’s subsequent incarceration still haunts her. Olivia only has fragmented memories of what took place back then. She remembers her grandmother dead on the floor in a pool of blood and her father sinking a knife into her mother’s chest, and then visions of an inferno.
With its switching POVs and captivating twists and turns, Mercy is anything but ordinary. This is a promising first book in a five book series and I was hooked. It’s full of mystery, magic, folklore, time travel and romance. I am definitely moving on to book two and after you read this one, so should you!
I want to thank link: authoramp.com for providing me with a copy of this book for an honest review.
Get the Kindle edition for $0.00 on Amazon today!
With its switching POVs and captivating twists and turns, Mercy is anything but ordinary. This is a promising first book in a five book series and I was hooked. It’s full of mystery, magic, folklore, time travel and romance. I am definitely moving on to book two and after you read this one, so should you!
I want to thank link: authoramp.com for providing me with a copy of this book for an honest review.
Get the Kindle edition for $0.00 on Amazon today!
May 25, 2019
The storytelling is good and the idea is good but I felt no connection with any of the characters. At all. And I feel disappointed that I didn't. I'm giving up at 60%.
May 19, 2018
Refreshing read
I found this on mg kindle I don't know how long I've had it but all I can think is why I didn't read it sooner it's a fast paced interesting read
I found this on mg kindle I don't know how long I've had it but all I can think is why I didn't read it sooner it's a fast paced interesting read
May 23, 2018
Review also published on Amazon.
Due to the fact that someone from old times was getting pulled through time to the future, rather than someone modern going back, I was looking forward to reading this book.
Slight spoiler warning on details/character relationships.
Background:
Olivia returns to her childhood town Mercy, a town that was founded by people fleeing the witch hunts in Salem back in the 17th century, after her aunt dies and leaves her a house. Olivia has a dark past in which her father murdered her mother and grandmother one night, set the house on fire and kidnapped her when she was 8. Upon his capture and psychiatric imprisonment she has been in foster care until she became an adult, and started living on her own and became a historian.
Upon her return to Mercy, it seems to set in motion a killing spree that is weirdly tied to events leading up to her mother and grandmother’s murder when she was a child. At the same time, a man named Theodore, living as a prosecutor of witches in the 17th century Salem, is pulled through time to her doorstep.
My thoughts:
The beginning of the book had me excited. It sounded promising. It even made me a bit creeped out! However, the further I progressed into the book, the more I felt disappointed.
Too much in this book seems to be “convenient”. It’s very convenient that she is a historian and can explain the history of the past 300 years for someone that’s been pulled through time to the future. It’s also very convenient that her two childhood best friends happen to be a police officer and a nurse. And that the police officer is dating a woman that is an attorney, which Olivia suddenly finds herself needing. And it’s convenient that ancient magic suddenly flares up and helps her rescue herself when she’s badly wounded and has no strength for her “regular” magic, when the two others with her have been incapacitated. Another convenient thing is how the house was just left to her by her aunt, whom she had not heard from in 20 years, and happens to have most things she suddenly finds herself needing (first-aid boxes with a magical salve to just heal wounds in no time, books to find answers in, etc). There’s no note left from her aunt either, so you never really get an explanation to why the house was left for her. Oh, and it’s also awfully convenient that Theo has dreams that warn him of events happening to Olivia, so that he can rescue her from (almost) certain death.
Another thing that bothered me is the instant attraction between Theo and Olivia. There was not really a build-up in their relationship, rather they went from complete strangers to (and I kind of don’t want to say this word) lovers very fast. I got the impression that most of the time when they looked at each other, they were either rendered speechless of each others’ awe and beauty, or almost growling at the raw sexual attraction they felt. The sex scenes felt unnatural and … frankly, rather uncomfortable, from a female perspective. There’s a lot of plunging descriptions of tongues, fingers and other things, tearing lips away from mouths and other body parts, and frankly, scene descriptions bordering on violent sex. I also reacted a bit to the fact that there had not really been any lovemaking from their part (at least as far as I read). Just wild sex.
The third thing I felt disappointed by was the writing/storytelling. I wasn’t bothered by it in the first few chapters. However, the further I progressed, the more I started to notice things. Character focus could change with no warning in the middle of a paragraph. At times this was not very nicely done, making me have to re-read parts of a page to understand when it changed and who it changed to, and other times it was quite clear, but I felt it interrupted the flow of the story. A lot of other authors solve this by changing viewpoints in a new chapter, or starts another paragraph, which I feel is a better solution than this. Another thing was the sentence structure - at times, sentences were so long and “absolute” that it felt like “and this is what happens and you cannot argue with it”.
My biggest disappointment however, was how Theo was introduced to the 21st century. The dude has been pulled through 300 years worth of time, and the only thing I felt he reacted to was the cars. He adjusts to the culture change pretty feckin' well. In reality, I feel that it would probably not be that easy. He comes from a farm, and have been living near a village. Suddenly he finds himself surrounded by not only more people, but electricity, machines, a different culture, a vastly different fashion style, different jobs, modern foods, a lot more sounds, and so on. None of this seems to bother him in the least. Drinking coffee, that they don’t even have back in the 17th century? No problems. It’s nice. He doesn’t react to the bitterness at all (and don’t get me started on the fact that he gets it by pushing a button on a machine, and seeming to find it perfectly normal, not baffling at all). Handling a smartphone and calling someone on it? Sure! Had it been me, I would probably have freaked out sometime in the first few days, and been so mentally overloaded with information and new ways of doing things that I would have needed a … I don’t know, but something to not go insane. You don’t just “accept” 300 years worth of history and cultural evolution within a week.
I never managed to finish the book. I really, really tried. I wanted to. I came as far as chapter 18, or 328 pages, before I felt like I couldn’t take it anymore. I gave this book close to a week, when I normally finish longer books in one to two days.
If you enjoyed this book, I’m happy for you. I couldn’t, even though I wish I would have. And unfortunately, it won’t be something I would recommend to any of my friends, either.
Due to the fact that someone from old times was getting pulled through time to the future, rather than someone modern going back, I was looking forward to reading this book.
Slight spoiler warning on details/character relationships.
Background:
Olivia returns to her childhood town Mercy, a town that was founded by people fleeing the witch hunts in Salem back in the 17th century, after her aunt dies and leaves her a house. Olivia has a dark past in which her father murdered her mother and grandmother one night, set the house on fire and kidnapped her when she was 8. Upon his capture and psychiatric imprisonment she has been in foster care until she became an adult, and started living on her own and became a historian.
Upon her return to Mercy, it seems to set in motion a killing spree that is weirdly tied to events leading up to her mother and grandmother’s murder when she was a child. At the same time, a man named Theodore, living as a prosecutor of witches in the 17th century Salem, is pulled through time to her doorstep.
My thoughts:
The beginning of the book had me excited. It sounded promising. It even made me a bit creeped out! However, the further I progressed into the book, the more I felt disappointed.
Too much in this book seems to be “convenient”. It’s very convenient that she is a historian and can explain the history of the past 300 years for someone that’s been pulled through time to the future. It’s also very convenient that her two childhood best friends happen to be a police officer and a nurse. And that the police officer is dating a woman that is an attorney, which Olivia suddenly finds herself needing. And it’s convenient that ancient magic suddenly flares up and helps her rescue herself when she’s badly wounded and has no strength for her “regular” magic, when the two others with her have been incapacitated. Another convenient thing is how the house was just left to her by her aunt, whom she had not heard from in 20 years, and happens to have most things she suddenly finds herself needing (first-aid boxes with a magical salve to just heal wounds in no time, books to find answers in, etc). There’s no note left from her aunt either, so you never really get an explanation to why the house was left for her. Oh, and it’s also awfully convenient that Theo has dreams that warn him of events happening to Olivia, so that he can rescue her from (almost) certain death.
Another thing that bothered me is the instant attraction between Theo and Olivia. There was not really a build-up in their relationship, rather they went from complete strangers to (and I kind of don’t want to say this word) lovers very fast. I got the impression that most of the time when they looked at each other, they were either rendered speechless of each others’ awe and beauty, or almost growling at the raw sexual attraction they felt. The sex scenes felt unnatural and … frankly, rather uncomfortable, from a female perspective. There’s a lot of plunging descriptions of tongues, fingers and other things, tearing lips away from mouths and other body parts, and frankly, scene descriptions bordering on violent sex. I also reacted a bit to the fact that there had not really been any lovemaking from their part (at least as far as I read). Just wild sex.
The third thing I felt disappointed by was the writing/storytelling. I wasn’t bothered by it in the first few chapters. However, the further I progressed, the more I started to notice things. Character focus could change with no warning in the middle of a paragraph. At times this was not very nicely done, making me have to re-read parts of a page to understand when it changed and who it changed to, and other times it was quite clear, but I felt it interrupted the flow of the story. A lot of other authors solve this by changing viewpoints in a new chapter, or starts another paragraph, which I feel is a better solution than this. Another thing was the sentence structure - at times, sentences were so long and “absolute” that it felt like “and this is what happens and you cannot argue with it”.
My biggest disappointment however, was how Theo was introduced to the 21st century. The dude has been pulled through 300 years worth of time, and the only thing I felt he reacted to was the cars. He adjusts to the culture change pretty feckin' well. In reality, I feel that it would probably not be that easy. He comes from a farm, and have been living near a village. Suddenly he finds himself surrounded by not only more people, but electricity, machines, a different culture, a vastly different fashion style, different jobs, modern foods, a lot more sounds, and so on. None of this seems to bother him in the least. Drinking coffee, that they don’t even have back in the 17th century? No problems. It’s nice. He doesn’t react to the bitterness at all (and don’t get me started on the fact that he gets it by pushing a button on a machine, and seeming to find it perfectly normal, not baffling at all). Handling a smartphone and calling someone on it? Sure! Had it been me, I would probably have freaked out sometime in the first few days, and been so mentally overloaded with information and new ways of doing things that I would have needed a … I don’t know, but something to not go insane. You don’t just “accept” 300 years worth of history and cultural evolution within a week.
I never managed to finish the book. I really, really tried. I wanted to. I came as far as chapter 18, or 328 pages, before I felt like I couldn’t take it anymore. I gave this book close to a week, when I normally finish longer books in one to two days.
If you enjoyed this book, I’m happy for you. I couldn’t, even though I wish I would have. And unfortunately, it won’t be something I would recommend to any of my friends, either.
May 7, 2018
Thoroughly enjoyed this book and have put the series on my TBR list. When Olivia West returns to her childhood home in Mercy, she is forced to relive a traumatic incident from her past. With the help of friends, both old and new, Olivia begins to link murders from 1994 with identical murders taking place since she returned home to Mercy. Throughout the story magic is rife and as Olivia's magical powers come to fruition she is determined to unravel the horrors of her past.
October 13, 2021
I’ve been wanting to find a good witchy book to go along with this fall weather, and stumbled upon this freebie on Amazon. I honestly wasn’t expecting much, but I got sucked in so fast it was ridiculous. On to the next in the series
September 11, 2018
I loved everything in this novel.
The adventure, the historic connections and really the chemistry between Olivia and Theo
The adventure, the historic connections and really the chemistry between Olivia and Theo
Want to read
April 16, 2019Free on amazon 16th April 2019
May 13, 2022
Holly freaking cow! WTF did i just read?!??
Absolutely 10 STARS read, and another hidden gem!
Absolutely 10 STARS read, and another hidden gem!
January 31, 2025
Found this in the library & im glad I did! This book has witch craft, time travel & plot twists, I enjoyed reading a different type of fantasy book. I usually think the first book in a series can be read as a stand alone but I’m looking forward to reading the second story!
September 5, 2016
Unfortunately this one is in my DNF list. I read 17 chapters and just didn't care enough to finish. It takes place in Mass. But some of the language is really odd. Like using the word "whilst" who says that? And the one that irked me the most - and honestly I almost quit the first time it was used was "Camero" I don't care what country or dialect you use its Camaro. It's an American Classic! Anyway the premise of the story was a good idea but Theo caught up way to quick and it just never seemed to go anywhere. Not enough magic was made for me.
March 9, 2016
fantastic book x if you like sleep I'd wait until a weekend to read as it keeps you turning the pages desperate to know what happens next x
June 5, 2018
1994, Mercy, MA. Olivia West’s father Charles “Charlie” Connell stabbed Isabel Connell (mother) & Alice (twin sister, grandmother) then torched the house.
After that horrible fiasco Charlie kidnapped her.
Providence, RI. Olivia swore she would never go back, but she did.
Mrs. Eustacia Bailey (convenience store owner) & Mr. Jonathan Bailey (husband) gave Olivia the lowdown on Adam Miller.
He had disappeared.
Louisa & Jake (brother) had brought lots of wine & Olivia cooked supper for them.
Tommy Linden (Olivia’s husband) is in the Military over in Afghanistan.
Olivia writes about witchcraft especially the Salem trials.
Charles is housed in the high security Morley Ridge psychiatric facility.
Aunt Evelyn refused custody.
Olivia had seen the likes of lots of foster homes growing up.
The 3 of them knew each one possessed a bizarre almost magical power.
Ms. Renata Gersten (German, sister, museum curator, survived Auschwitz) was going to Olivia help search her family history.
2015, Olivia had hit Theodore “Theo” Beckett (28, son/brother) with her car.
He had appeared out of nowhere.
Wires & IV’s were running all through him.
Deputy Jake (Mercy PD) & Louisa had come to keep her company as she watched Theodore’s monitors.
Dr. Linden, & Cathy Wilson (nurse) were checking his vitals.
He has some serious burns.
Chief Walcott was there to do some interviewing.
Adam’s decomposed body had been confirmed. He had been robbed of a lot of his body parts/organs.
Olivia’s blue Camaro had been towed to the station.
Brody Walker (Auto shop owner, husband) was doing the inspection.
Deputy Jake Gilbert (Mercy PD) was removed from the Adam murder case. Conflict of interest.
Davis (associate) went to pay Charles a visit.
Erica Kelly (attorney) came to offer Olivia her services.
At Chief Thomas “Tommy” Walcott requested Deputy Helga Hanson was hauling Olivia downtown for interrogation again.
Salem, MA. Hawthorne Hotel. Davis came to see if Charles had everything he needed.
Brody Walker’s body had turned up by Gas’n’Go.
Olivia let Theo stay at her place so he could help her figure out the murders & solve the witchcraft puzzle.
Will they get them solved?
Warning: This book contains extremely graphic adult content, violence, or expletive language &/or uncensored sexually explicit material which is only suitable for mature readers. It may be offensive or have potential adverse psychological effects on the reader.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written paranormal (dual timeline) mystery book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a huge set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great paranormal mystery movie, or better yet a mini TV series. A very easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; EBookStageAmazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
After that horrible fiasco Charlie kidnapped her.
Providence, RI. Olivia swore she would never go back, but she did.
Mrs. Eustacia Bailey (convenience store owner) & Mr. Jonathan Bailey (husband) gave Olivia the lowdown on Adam Miller.
He had disappeared.
Louisa & Jake (brother) had brought lots of wine & Olivia cooked supper for them.
Tommy Linden (Olivia’s husband) is in the Military over in Afghanistan.
Olivia writes about witchcraft especially the Salem trials.
Charles is housed in the high security Morley Ridge psychiatric facility.
Aunt Evelyn refused custody.
Olivia had seen the likes of lots of foster homes growing up.
The 3 of them knew each one possessed a bizarre almost magical power.
Ms. Renata Gersten (German, sister, museum curator, survived Auschwitz) was going to Olivia help search her family history.
2015, Olivia had hit Theodore “Theo” Beckett (28, son/brother) with her car.
He had appeared out of nowhere.
Wires & IV’s were running all through him.
Deputy Jake (Mercy PD) & Louisa had come to keep her company as she watched Theodore’s monitors.
Dr. Linden, & Cathy Wilson (nurse) were checking his vitals.
He has some serious burns.
Chief Walcott was there to do some interviewing.
Adam’s decomposed body had been confirmed. He had been robbed of a lot of his body parts/organs.
Olivia’s blue Camaro had been towed to the station.
Brody Walker (Auto shop owner, husband) was doing the inspection.
Deputy Jake Gilbert (Mercy PD) was removed from the Adam murder case. Conflict of interest.
Davis (associate) went to pay Charles a visit.
Erica Kelly (attorney) came to offer Olivia her services.
At Chief Thomas “Tommy” Walcott requested Deputy Helga Hanson was hauling Olivia downtown for interrogation again.
Salem, MA. Hawthorne Hotel. Davis came to see if Charles had everything he needed.
Brody Walker’s body had turned up by Gas’n’Go.
Olivia let Theo stay at her place so he could help her figure out the murders & solve the witchcraft puzzle.
Will they get them solved?
Warning: This book contains extremely graphic adult content, violence, or expletive language &/or uncensored sexually explicit material which is only suitable for mature readers. It may be offensive or have potential adverse psychological effects on the reader.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written paranormal (dual timeline) mystery book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a huge set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great paranormal mystery movie, or better yet a mini TV series. A very easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; EBookStageAmazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
April 20, 2020
I can’t recommend this book and I am surprised at the disconnect from the book I read to the reviews which convinced me to give this a go. So, maybe I’m too old or young or have wandered into a sub-sub-genre I’m not used to but I love fantasy so I had hoped to love this too.
First off, this has the “marketing” ending where nothing really is answered and then it advertises the next book, the box set and then T-Shirts from the online store. If you dislike the cliffhanger endings, I’d wait till the series is completed. Admittedly I hate this and it soured my already lukewarm thoughts on Mercy.
The writing wasn’t my cup of tea. Overloading was the biggest problem for me, instead of people huffing and frowning, it’s “brow folded in thought.” I have never read or heard someone’s brow fold and the mental image this gives me isn’t what is intended, I’m sure. Shivers are always “fingers” doing something on “spines”, the air is always “crisp”. Men either are beer-bellied or ripped. Nitpicks I know; but the more I read the more I noticed and I couldn’t undo seeing it.
My biggest issue was the plot or rather how the plot dictated what the characters did. There were moments where my disbelief wasn’t about the magic, it was about the characters reactions or conversations.
Theo’s difficulty at adjusting, living with Olivia, should have been larger than some comedic relief over coffee and some history lessons. Jake’s random acceptance (a few lines of dialogue) and he’s cool with Theo’s origins despite that being just ridiculous.
Olivia wears the finest of plot-armour. Everything that could harm her is stopped by coincidence or conveniences. There was one moment of tension for me and it ended up not going on longer for a page because it was something Olivia couldn’t control but again - coincidence makes it all better. This is when I started struggling honestly because at this point the same reasoning comes up. I call it “reasoning”, but it’s not. It’s a cop out and every time it popped up, I sighed and checked how long I had to go till the end.
Throughout the book, more in the middle than anything, Olivia bases her choices not on anything substantial than “somehow I feel”. It’s one of those “somehow she knew” but that’s all anything leads up to over and over again. Somehow she knew she needs to be here or there or stay because “somehow”. Magic or not, it caused me to see Olivia’s choices not as her own but as a way the author could keep her on track with the plot instead of reacting like a rational person.
If you are enjoying it, good. I couldn’t help but be annoyed at it by the end.
First off, this has the “marketing” ending where nothing really is answered and then it advertises the next book, the box set and then T-Shirts from the online store. If you dislike the cliffhanger endings, I’d wait till the series is completed. Admittedly I hate this and it soured my already lukewarm thoughts on Mercy.
The writing wasn’t my cup of tea. Overloading was the biggest problem for me, instead of people huffing and frowning, it’s “brow folded in thought.” I have never read or heard someone’s brow fold and the mental image this gives me isn’t what is intended, I’m sure. Shivers are always “fingers” doing something on “spines”, the air is always “crisp”. Men either are beer-bellied or ripped. Nitpicks I know; but the more I read the more I noticed and I couldn’t undo seeing it.
My biggest issue was the plot or rather how the plot dictated what the characters did. There were moments where my disbelief wasn’t about the magic, it was about the characters reactions or conversations.
Theo’s difficulty at adjusting, living with Olivia, should have been larger than some comedic relief over coffee and some history lessons. Jake’s random acceptance (a few lines of dialogue) and he’s cool with Theo’s origins despite that being just ridiculous.
Olivia wears the finest of plot-armour. Everything that could harm her is stopped by coincidence or conveniences. There was one moment of tension for me and it ended up not going on longer for a page because it was something Olivia couldn’t control but again - coincidence makes it all better. This is when I started struggling honestly because at this point the same reasoning comes up. I call it “reasoning”, but it’s not. It’s a cop out and every time it popped up, I sighed and checked how long I had to go till the end.
Throughout the book, more in the middle than anything, Olivia bases her choices not on anything substantial than “somehow I feel”. It’s one of those “somehow she knew” but that’s all anything leads up to over and over again. Somehow she knew she needs to be here or there or stay because “somehow”. Magic or not, it caused me to see Olivia’s choices not as her own but as a way the author could keep her on track with the plot instead of reacting like a rational person.
If you are enjoying it, good. I couldn’t help but be annoyed at it by the end.
July 10, 2018
"Mercy" is a pretty straightforward urban fantasy in the vein of... well, a lot of urban fantasies. It's got a witch with a tragic origin story that drives the plot, an occult serial killer, lots of references to Salem (just down the road from the town of the title), neopagan magic, a witchfinder from the 17th century popping up in the modern day a la "Warlock," and destined true love with lots of passionate smooching. It is also (very definitively) just the beginning of a series, so if you're expecting all of this to wrap up neatly... or at all... by the end, you're going to be disappointed.
There's also a few nitpicks I have with the POV (it jumps into different characters' heads quite a bit) a cameo by a powerful magical entity, and the novel's portrayal of mental hospitals (which in no universe let out a guy with knife wounds claiming to be from another time just because his family asks nicely, nor are they fooled by someone hiding a pill in their mouth). And if you think the 17th century guy is going to sound like he's from the 17th century... no. Frequent nods are made to things he doesn't understand, but he drops modern phrases like any contemporary fantasy heartthrob. I'd grade the book down to two stars, but it has some strengths that made the reading experience breeze by.
The pacing is pretty good; the characters form a fairly convincing small town and seem real to one another; the heroes suffer a bit and have to struggle against some fairly powerful forces; and rather importantly, the central mystery reveals that not all allies and enemies are as they first appear. If you've read a lot of urban fantasies in which the hero finds out their True Lineage (tm), you probably won't be surprised by much here, but it came at appropriately dramatic moments. Lastly, I booed the characters that I was supposed to boo and liked the characters I was supposed to like, and that isn't the easiest thing in the world to write. So props to all the work that went into the book. Hope the sequels wrap up the loose ends.
3 out of 5.
There's also a few nitpicks I have with the POV (it jumps into different characters' heads quite a bit) a cameo by a powerful magical entity, and the novel's portrayal of mental hospitals (which in no universe let out a guy with knife wounds claiming to be from another time just because his family asks nicely, nor are they fooled by someone hiding a pill in their mouth). And if you think the 17th century guy is going to sound like he's from the 17th century... no. Frequent nods are made to things he doesn't understand, but he drops modern phrases like any contemporary fantasy heartthrob. I'd grade the book down to two stars, but it has some strengths that made the reading experience breeze by.
The pacing is pretty good; the characters form a fairly convincing small town and seem real to one another; the heroes suffer a bit and have to struggle against some fairly powerful forces; and rather importantly, the central mystery reveals that not all allies and enemies are as they first appear. If you've read a lot of urban fantasies in which the hero finds out their True Lineage (tm), you probably won't be surprised by much here, but it came at appropriately dramatic moments. Lastly, I booed the characters that I was supposed to boo and liked the characters I was supposed to like, and that isn't the easiest thing in the world to write. So props to all the work that went into the book. Hope the sequels wrap up the loose ends.
3 out of 5.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 19, 2020
Good idea. Not bad, but lacks subtly. The H from 300 years ago has not the slightest problem fitting in with modern day life. Most of that’s ok, but sometimes it’s just weird. The bad guy saga is a bat all bat to the head. The support characters are a bit choppy ‘you need me for the story, I’m here, and then I’m forgotten until you you need me again’.
Over all tho, it’s the h! I kinda like her in general... but Jesus on a piece of toast!!!! She repeatedly makes sure all and sundry knows ‘she is a strong modern woman who doesn’t need things kept from her for her own good and she is not a damsel in distress and will not be hidden away and protected’. The woman has bad shit going on, and she finds out, unexpectedly, a couple of times, that a couple of the people who she should have been able to trust have kept huge things from her. So what does our ‘strong in-control woman in charge do’? She stomps her foot and throws a tanty, while kicking them out and refusing to acknowledge their existence... oh, and refuses to hears their stories that included information she needs to know about the bad shit going down! Twice! For months! While there’s still bad shit happening cause the bad guys are still on the loose doing bad shit!
So, I’m a cheapskate. I often struggle to pay more than a couple of dollars for books that aren’t top shelf publishing and my fav authors. Not sure if I would have paid anything for the next in the series (that one big glitch in the h is teeth grinding), but I don’t have to decide, cause the rest of the books aren’t on iBooks anyway. I MAY have bent IF there were a cheap bundle or two, just to see how the time travel went and the why of the bad guy, but I may not. And I definitely wouldn’t have paid several dollars for each book.
Spoilers in case they didn’t format properly...
I’m also curious to know if the mayor was somehow
Over all tho, it’s the h! I kinda like her in general... but Jesus on a piece of toast!!!! She repeatedly makes sure all and sundry knows ‘she is a strong modern woman who doesn’t need things kept from her for her own good and she is not a damsel in distress and will not be hidden away and protected’. The woman has bad shit going on, and she finds out, unexpectedly, a couple of times, that a couple of the people who she should have been able to trust have kept huge things from her. So what does our ‘strong in-control woman in charge do’? She stomps her foot and throws a tanty, while kicking them out and refusing to acknowledge their existence... oh, and refuses to hears their stories that included information she needs to know about the bad shit going down! Twice! For months! While there’s still bad shit happening cause the bad guys are still on the loose doing bad shit!
So, I’m a cheapskate. I often struggle to pay more than a couple of dollars for books that aren’t top shelf publishing and my fav authors. Not sure if I would have paid anything for the next in the series (that one big glitch in the h is teeth grinding), but I don’t have to decide, cause the rest of the books aren’t on iBooks anyway. I MAY have bent IF there were a cheap bundle or two, just to see how the time travel went and the why of the bad guy, but I may not. And I definitely wouldn’t have paid several dollars for each book.
Spoilers in case they didn’t format properly...
I’m also curious to know if the mayor was somehow
October 11, 2018
I am obviously in the minority but I did not enjoy this and dnf'd at about half way through which is quite a lot of pages as this is a long book. I'd rate it 2.5 stars, it was ok and a bit better than that but I didn't actually like it.
The good stuff. Quite well written, a slowly unfurling and very promising plot of increasing complexity and an atmospheric backdrop. A likeable main character.
OTOH - At various places in the book, I kept thinking I am going to put this down and then it would pick up a bit and the book kind of had that pattern to it of excitement, slow, slow, excitement etc. I really wanted to like it but bits of it were dull. Also, there were two other things going on in it that didn't do it for me. A couple of the characters acted so out of character that it was off putting. A guy from the 16th century, speaks in modern day vernacular almost from the get go and in short order makes a move on the girl he likes and they are almost dry humping against the wall. Sorry, it doesn't make sense.
Lastly and this may entirely be my preference but the author writes in a style that was common about 20 years ago, much less punchy and immediate than most writers today, think early Christine Feehan rather than Kim Harrison.
Having said all that, I imagine that there will be many people who enjoy this but if you prefer something more action packed and edgy, this may not be for you.
The good stuff. Quite well written, a slowly unfurling and very promising plot of increasing complexity and an atmospheric backdrop. A likeable main character.
OTOH - At various places in the book, I kept thinking I am going to put this down and then it would pick up a bit and the book kind of had that pattern to it of excitement, slow, slow, excitement etc. I really wanted to like it but bits of it were dull. Also, there were two other things going on in it that didn't do it for me. A couple of the characters acted so out of character that it was off putting. A guy from the 16th century, speaks in modern day vernacular almost from the get go and in short order makes a move on the girl he likes and they are almost dry humping against the wall. Sorry, it doesn't make sense.
Lastly and this may entirely be my preference but the author writes in a style that was common about 20 years ago, much less punchy and immediate than most writers today, think early Christine Feehan rather than Kim Harrison.
Having said all that, I imagine that there will be many people who enjoy this but if you prefer something more action packed and edgy, this may not be for you.
December 1, 2019
Olivia is a beautiful historian who returns to her small hometown of Mercy to collect her inheritance. Descended from a long line of witches, she has been absent for years. Her father murdered her mother and grandmother and set their house ablaze. Or so she believes. She reunites with her best friends, a doctor and a deputy. But things take an ominous turn as mutilated bodies of local men start appearing on her property. The mentally unstable sheriff has her in his crosshairs. Then a mysterious young man who seems to know and love her appears from literally out of nowhere. Olivia understands that evil is afoot and she must embrace her powers and her friends if she is to defeat it and survive.
This book has a lot of elements thrown in: a healthy dose of the supernatural, witchcraft, Wicca, mythology, demons, Salem witch trials, crime and romance. some times less truly is more. The pacing is fast but I did not really engage with any of the characters. And speaking of characters there were too many not essential to the story. It is not a bad yarn; it was pretty much stopped and go for me to read. The twist at the end didn't really make sense but a police procedural it is not. Hopefully, the subsequent books in the series will be a bit more coherent.
This book has a lot of elements thrown in: a healthy dose of the supernatural, witchcraft, Wicca, mythology, demons, Salem witch trials, crime and romance. some times less truly is more. The pacing is fast but I did not really engage with any of the characters. And speaking of characters there were too many not essential to the story. It is not a bad yarn; it was pretty much stopped and go for me to read. The twist at the end didn't really make sense but a police procedural it is not. Hopefully, the subsequent books in the series will be a bit more coherent.
July 12, 2024
I don't know if it's just the Kindle version, but there were so many typos in this book it was distracting. I couldn't help but wonder if this is a self published book.
The story had a good premise: a young woman comes back to her home town because she is the heir to her aunt's house. Her father is in jail for the murder of her mother and grandmother 20 years ago. Murders start happening shortly after she arrives and she becomes the prime suspect for the chief of police. Mix in some magic and some time travel, and you have an interesting story.
Aside from the typos, I found the writing to be pretty basic, lots of common phrases and cliches. I had to skip over the love scenes because they were just too cheesy.
Despite the somewhat interesting story, I won't be reading any more by this author.
The story had a good premise: a young woman comes back to her home town because she is the heir to her aunt's house. Her father is in jail for the murder of her mother and grandmother 20 years ago. Murders start happening shortly after she arrives and she becomes the prime suspect for the chief of police. Mix in some magic and some time travel, and you have an interesting story.
Aside from the typos, I found the writing to be pretty basic, lots of common phrases and cliches. I had to skip over the love scenes because they were just too cheesy.
Despite the somewhat interesting story, I won't be reading any more by this author.
September 2, 2020
Witches, demons, hell hounds, time travel…. what’s not to love?!?!? Mercy, book 1 in The Guardians series, is a suspenseful paranormal thriller that is filled with twists and turns. Upon the death of her aunt, Olivia returns to her home in the small town of Mercy. Unfortunately, upon her arrival, people are being murdered. With the help of new and old friends, she will need to prove that she is not the serial killer the sheriff believes her to be. Worst yet, she needs to figure out what evil is waking in the woods. The story is well written and the history well researched in this unpredictable tale. This was my first read by Wendy Saunders and I am looking forward to reading the second novel in this wonderful series.
September 30, 2020
I rather enjoyed this book and looking forward to reading the second book of the series.
I’m enjoying the characters and must say that Theo is my favourite. The twist at the end was entertaining although I had pretty much guess half of the twist.
It’s my first urban supernatural novel but it almost reads like a cozy mystery to me which I really enjoyed. The writing style is easy to get I to and the characters were nicely developed. Would have liked to have seen more of Louisa in this book though. Not loving Olivia’s character that much but I’m hoping that I’ll warm up to her more when I continue with the next book of the series.
I would definitely recommend this book to a friend to read if they want an entertaining story.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’m enjoying the characters and must say that Theo is my favourite. The twist at the end was entertaining although I had pretty much guess half of the twist.
It’s my first urban supernatural novel but it almost reads like a cozy mystery to me which I really enjoyed. The writing style is easy to get I to and the characters were nicely developed. Would have liked to have seen more of Louisa in this book though. Not loving Olivia’s character that much but I’m hoping that I’ll warm up to her more when I continue with the next book of the series.
I would definitely recommend this book to a friend to read if they want an entertaining story.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
January 13, 2020
Amazing!!
I have found an author who mixed history with present day. I have always loved to read about the history of the witch trials and could understand that innocent people paid a bad price when mass hysteria happens. This book weaves together an amazing story of one woman's ancestry and combines it with her present day life. The struggles and the heartache and has to endure make an interesting read and I can't wait to see what she overcomes next!! I'm glad that I found this series!!
I have found an author who mixed history with present day. I have always loved to read about the history of the witch trials and could understand that innocent people paid a bad price when mass hysteria happens. This book weaves together an amazing story of one woman's ancestry and combines it with her present day life. The struggles and the heartache and has to endure make an interesting read and I can't wait to see what she overcomes next!! I'm glad that I found this series!!
March 27, 2018
I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest review. I loved it. Great book. I loved the magic, time travel, demons, and witches. Olivia, a witch, returns to her home town of Mercy. She can tell things have changed in twenty years. The woods by her property always felt like a refuge. Now she feels an ominous threat. She has to use her magic to stop a demon from hell arriving. There is a major twist at the end I did not see coming. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.
July 27, 2018
I liked it very much. It was fun and heartbreaking at the same time.
This is the firts book I’ve read from Wendy Saunders, but I will try her others as well. Starting with the second one in the series.
The book is about wiches. Actual witches, with powers.
Olivia goes back to her hometown, after the death of her aunt. And that is when bad things start to happen. Murders and all.
The plot was interesting, I liked the characters as well. I think they will develop as the story goes on.
This is the firts book I’ve read from Wendy Saunders, but I will try her others as well. Starting with the second one in the series.
The book is about wiches. Actual witches, with powers.
Olivia goes back to her hometown, after the death of her aunt. And that is when bad things start to happen. Murders and all.
The plot was interesting, I liked the characters as well. I think they will develop as the story goes on.
August 6, 2018
Good premise, witches who escaped Salem found another Massachusetts town Mercy. Fast forward to now and the descendants have magical abilities and are caught up in a ritualistic killing spree. So far so good.
Now toss in a romance and a big strong man. Ugh would have rather at least through book one the heroine stayed strong and more independent or found the strength in friends. This part of the story is what brought my rating from a 3 to a 2.
Now toss in a romance and a big strong man. Ugh would have rather at least through book one the heroine stayed strong and more independent or found the strength in friends. This part of the story is what brought my rating from a 3 to a 2.
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