Review: Beg For Mercy

Beg For Mercy by Shannon Dermott
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: August 7, 2011
Buy Links:

Amzon

Book Description:

Everyone dreams of that first kiss. Of that magic moment when your lips finally meet those of that special person you’ve waited your whole life for. A little awkward, a little scary, a little hot and every bit amazing. We speculate that the whole world will shake and time will just stop. No one, however, ever imagines that kiss to bring Death himself knocking.

Sixteen year old Mercy Moore's life just got more complicated. The kiss that originally could have meant she would finally have a boyfriend now was the kiss that could have very nearly ended his life. A small detail her mother conveniently never told her will take her life for an abrupt u-turn. Dating, no love, was now completely and utterly impossible. And the boy well, that boy would never be the same.

But life, however cruel, goes on. Far too soon for her taste, Mercy finds herself at a senior party with the elite students of her school and her best friend. And of all things, playing a stupid game that could very well mean the death of someone in that small room. If it were not for her best friend, the hottest guys in school, and a small need to fit in, she may have been able to escape the disaster that was to come. Her worst nightmare, her personal curse, her very life, only gets dangerously worse.

This is a young adult paranormal romance novel

♥ ♥ ♥

I loved this book. No, really, I loved it. Beg for Mercy by Shannon Dermott is not only a breath of fresh air in its originality, but I’m pretty sure I enjoyed all of the characters in the book. I read it in just a few hours, which goes to show how much I enjoyed it. Beg for Mercy centers around a 16-year-old succubus who doesn’t know the extent of her own powers. Her Mother has pretty much kept her in line by telling her if she ever gets involved with a guy she’d kill them.

Which granted is probably true with human boys, but they aren’t the only boys out there. Kidding…well not really, but it’s not like I’m advocating sexing up nonhuman boys. Anyway, so Mercy is sort of a outsider. Not really uncool, but not in the ‘it’ crowd either until her best friend Maggie starts dating Brent and Mercy starts dating Luke, two of the school’s senior football players.

I really enjoyed the interactions between the high school kids and their friends and family. For the most part it was realistic and I like that. I like that I can go through the chapters and see the character development in Mercy, Flynn and Luke. There are obviously other man characters, but for some reason these are the three that resonate most with me.



I am of course Team Flynn for the win! I absolutely loved him from the first second he was introduced while they were playing spin the bottle at that party. Yes he’s a jackass, and the first few chapters you pretty much just want to slap his cocky face, but then you actually get to know the real Flynn. The one he doesn’t show to everyone and he’s actually a really good guy.

Mercy doesn’t treat him as well as I think she should, but I totally get why, so it’s okay for now. One of the best parts of the book was when she found out her Mom was dating Flynn’s Dad. That was epic and I totally called it. Another great thing about this book is there isn’t just one kind of supernatural being, there are a dozen different kinds and the first book just scratches the surface of Mercy and her succubus background.

I don’t want to spoil too much of the actual plot, but I will say there are two things that kept me from giving this book a five star rating. While the plot was awesome and the characters were well written and very relatable, I didn’t like how guys all of a sudden flocked to Mercy when it was made clear in the beginning of the book that she hadn’t been noticed often.

I also wasn’t crazy about how ashamed people made Mercy feel for being a succubus. I wish they had encouraged her to be slightly more like Flynn and embrace what she is. Flynn obviously is the way he is for survival, but I think if she gained a little more confidence she wouldn’t be so down on herself. A succubus is a sexual creature by nature, there shouldn’t be a reason she should feel guilt about the urges that come from who she is.

Other than those two minor things, I think this might be one of the best stories I read lately and I’ve already added the Waiting for Mercy, No Mercy and Angel of Mercy to my reading list. I can’t wait to get through the entire series. If paranormal romance is your thing definitely check out Beg for Mercy.

♥ ♥ ♥

Author Bio:

Shannon first love was reading, diving into other realities to explore and brave new worlds. To share her writing is the best experience of all. Her first series explores the life and trials of being Mercy Moore, a teenage cambion. When Shannon isn't writing she loves to shop and watch horror movies that make turning out the lights seem like a stupid idea. You can explore more about her at her websitewww.shannondermott.com. She can also be found on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter.

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