Mercy by Rebecca Lim

Mercy by Rebecca Lim
Release Date – October 19th 2010
Publisher Website – Harper Collins
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader
Pages - 281 pages
My Rating- 8.5/10
**obtained publisher for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Mercy ′wakes′ on a school bus bound for Paradise, a small town where everyone knows everyone else′s business -- or thinks they do. But they will never guess the secret Mercy is hiding .... 

As an angel exiled from heaven and doomed to return repeatedly to Earth, Mercy is never sure whose life and body she will share each time. And her mind is filled with the desperate pleas of her beloved, Luc, who can only approach her in her dreams. 

In Paradise, Mercy meets Ryan, whose sister was kidnapped two years ago and is now presumed dead. When another girl disappears, Mercy and Ryan know they must act before time runs out. But a host of angels are out for Mercy′s blood and they won′t rest until they find her and punish her -- for a crime she doesn′t remember committing ...

Imagine waking up in someone else’s life and what that would feel like. Mercy experiences this regularly. She’s an angel who is sent to inhabit the bodies of individuals who need assistance. She’s forced to do this with very little memory of her real existence as a means to make amends for a crime that she doesn’t even recall committing.

Mercy is quite a character. Full of fire, sarcasm and pure awesomeness. She is like a firecracker. The first thing she says to Ryan Daley upon meeting him is that she is considering what he would be like in bed. She doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her, and she isn’t afraid to show that. She was quite tender and caring towards the girls she shares a body with. She wanted to leave them with a better life than what they had when she arrived: helping the abused girl get help, getting the shy girl to talk, etc. This is why she’s there, and she takes that very seriously.

Ryan was equally well developed. His devotion to his sister is inspiring. He doesn’t give up hope even when everyone else does. He has basically put his life on hold to dig, pry and figure out where his sister is. It is a quality that bonds him with Mercy as she is trying to find someone as well - herself.

I almost hesitate to call Mercy an angel novel. While Mercy is certainly an angel atoning for sins she can’t even remember, the novel revolves around the mysterious disappearance of Lauren Daley. A young singer and sister to Ryan Daley. Mercy’s host body Carmen is set to stay with the Daley family and Mercy figures she’s supposed to help solve the mystery.

The novel’s mystery aspect was stellar. Creepy, suspenseful, and packed a punch that you don’t see coming. It made the novel for me. The angel aspect is softly touched upon and the novel would have worked with any paranormal aspect really. The fact that Mercy is sent to make things right plays into the angel aspect but otherwise it is not really developed as much. I am guessing this will be explored more in the subsequent novels. I am curious to find out more about Mercy and why she has been sentenced to atone.

The banter and teasing between Ryan and Mercy is filled with sexual tension, while there is a romantic spark between Ryan and Mercy it isn’t the focus of the novel. They barely get to figure out their feelings for each other with everything else that is happening. It was refreshing to see this take a back seat to the real situations facing the characters. It made it feel more honest and genuine.

The ending is somewhat closed. It makes you feel like Carmen’s story is ending, but Mercy’s story is just beginning and you can only hope that Ryan will play a part in Mercy's life in the future.

A wonderfully unique concept that played out against a brilliant mystery that provided some genuine chills. Mercy is perfect for people looking for an angel novel that is nothing like what they would expect.