Striving to create a home strong in the foundations of love, respect, and God's truths ...

Thursday, August 23, 2012

"House of Mercy" by Erin Healy

Beth is a healer.  She seems destined to become a vet and help her family run the cattle ranch when an accident takes it all away.  In a bizarre series of accidents, Beth tries to make amends, but misfortune continues to follow hard on her heals.  Can she find a way to heal her family, or will one tragic mistake wipe it all away?

House of Mercy

House of Mercy is classic Healy - if there is such a thing already.  So outlandish it's realistic but with a touch of the supernatural, you won't be able to put House of Mercy down.  Just as Beth races against the clock in an effort to fix her mistake before the damage multiplies, so you'll turn the pages faster and faster to reach that final, hopefully happy conclusion.

You won't find what you're looking for, though - you'll find something better, and not because Healy wrote a poor ending, because she didn't.  I'm not sure she could.  Healy wrote so many twists and turns into this plot that the ending, when it comes skidding into sight, is nothing I could have predicted.  It's much, much better, and this surprise kept me thinking about Beth's plight long after I closed the back cover.

You can't help but like Beth.  One night of indecision, one night of trying to help a friend, one simple poor choice and years of dreaming are erased.  This would be difficult for anyone, but in Beth's shoes it's made worse by the events following that compound it - and so you feel for her, and yet she never gives up.  I admire that determination, and it's that spirit that makes the story feel so personal and alive.

House of Mercy isn't easily classified.  It's not exactly a romance, though it has an element of that; it's not exactly a mystery, though there's some of that, too.  It's not what I consider to be a fantasy exactly, either, though it has a supernatural element.  Maybe fantastic would be a better term.

Maybe you should read it and decide for yourself.  It's definitely worth the read.

I received a free copy of House of Mercy from B&B Media Group in exchange for an honest review.

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