Book Review: Merciless ARC

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin Books (26 July 2011)
• Language English
• ISBN-10: 0373775792
• ISBN-13: 978-0373775798

Tall, dark and eligible? That’s all that matters to the women of Jacobsville when it comes to handsome and aloof FBI agent Jon Blackhawk. But if it were up to him, he would never settle down. Luckily, Jon has the best gatekeeper: his efficient and reliable assistant, Joceline Perry. Without her help, he’d be at the mercy of husband hunters — but the more he comes to rely on her, the more he notices how invaluable she really is....

While Joceline can’t deny that her boss is attractive, as a single mother with responsibilities she’s determined to be professional. But when Jon is accosted by a criminal seeking revenge, she comes to his aid — fueling the spark that is growing between them.

As the attempts on Jon’s life increase, Joceline stands by his side. But when the smoke clears, will the man who avoided love realize that all he ever needed was right there all along?

I went into Merciless thinking it would be another romance novel. Colour me surprised when I found out it was so much more than that. Merciless is a crime novel, a mystery, a thriller with a romantic twist.

When a criminal with an appetite for vengeance is released, he doesn’t waste time making his intentions clear. Both Jon and Jocelyn receive threatening phone calls, putting all their families at risk.

Merciless is full of secrets and revenge and double-crossing…not to mention the achingly sweet romance at the heart of it.

The characters of Jocelyn and Jon are at times beautiful to read, at others incredibly frustrating. They are both well written and complex characters, easily carrying the storyline and the reader along with it.  For comic relief there is the ever-loveable Markie. There’s nothing like a tell-it-like-it-is child to bring a laugh to the story. And every story needs a villain in the shape of Mother Dearest.

Merciless delivers a steady thump of fear throughout, adding to the mystery and the whodunit quality. But always on the periphery, is the growing attraction between the leading characters.

This story will get under your skin and stay there long after the book is finished. My mind constantly drifted back to it whenever I wasn’t reading, wondering what would happen next and how the pieces of the puzzle would all slot together.

Merciless is one book not to be missed this summer.