WOW…a delicious, whirlwind of rioting emotions! A one-sitting, page-turner to the end…

First a little background…  I’d been reading teasers on Lucian Bane's Facebook page, reading snippets here and there. I played this game to pick Sade's favorite song. It was a contest. I won and I received a gift copy of MERCY. My desire to write a review is by my choice alone and was not requested by the author.

It's been awhile since I've read a book where an author made me physically feel, but Lucian Bane paints in words a world so vivid it leaps off the page. It was impossible not to become invested in the lives of Sade and Mercy.

Now for my thoughts…What makes a story interesting, fun, memorable, and just plain engaging on an emotional gut level differs for us all. For me it is the rawness expressed in the characters. Their strengths, weaknesses, and their staggering flaws. And it's in a storyline that takes me on an unexpected journey, challenging my assumptions of where I thought I might go. Lucian Bane hit it out of the park on both these counts…far, far, out of the park…

The story of MERCY gave the surprise of a strong, dominant male lead with so many cracks and scars, I couldn't see how Sade held himself together. But, wow, how he did. He stood tall and proud, and burned with a brilliance I found daunting at times. His self-destructive tendencies were hell bent on ruining his life, but man, how he fought. His self-loathing rose from the page, but so did a wish for something….else. A hope for more.

And here is where Mercy comes in. Lucian Bane does not write in the usual romantic tropes. He twists them and wrings from his characters, something we all hope we could become, but would never dare, because that pain would be too raw. There's no weak female lead here who needed a man to save her. Mercy is strong, independent, willful, and just so incredibly sure of herself. She is a kick-ass woman, strong and free, who gave everything to love a man stronger than herself, but who was also her equal.

For a brief moment in time, I was swept into another world and shared a sliver of a moment with these two incredible characters. Alone, each of them were broken, shattered souls. Sade's a sadomasochist with dark needs. Mercy's an innocent, pure and wholesome, yet tainted by her past. Together, they tackle their demons…

There is no doubt this book is raw. The journey of Sade & Mercy is one full of emotional pitfalls and horrific past experiences that must be unearthed before they each fully understand the pain they feel. Sade's rage pops off the page. His fury is potent and as real as it is desperate. Mercy's outlook is that of an angel, burying her pain so deep to help another that she's blind to the hold her demons have over her. Their journey had me clenching my teeth as they brought each other forward toward a path of healing that could only be travelled together. And just when you think it's over…it's not…

Definitely waiting for book two.