Beg For Mercy by Jami Alden
June 1, 2011
Romantic Suspense
Paperback
Forever

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: “I’ve done everything I can possibly think of to help you in the last 3 years, so the least you can do is give me the god-damned time of day before you let them kill you.”

Beg For Mercy revolves around three people bound together by fate-Megan Flynn, Cole Williams and Sean Flynn. Social worker Megan Flynn thought she had met the man of her dreams-Detective Cole Williams. Handsome, sexy, and passionate about life, Cole was everything she wanted for the rest of her life until the night he arrested her brother for a brutal murder. Megan knows her brother Sean could never have done something so horrendous but when Megan’s pleas to Cole for help fall on deaf ears, she vows to prove her brother’s innocence without Cole’s help and walks away without a second glance.

Three years later, Sean is on death row and his appeals are done. He is going to die in five days unless Megan finds something, anything, to prove he did not commit the crime he is accused of. When a client of Megan’s walks in on a crime scene similar to what her brother was accused of, Megan is convinced that this may be the break she needs to prove Sean’s innocence. But when the lead detective arrives, Megan can’t believe her luck; or lack of it.

When Cole sees Megan again, it’s as if the last 3 years never happened. She is as beautiful as he remembers and all the feelings he thought he had buried rear to the surface. Cole walked away from Megan after that awful day because he thought it was for the best. Better she hate him now then later. But Cole didn’t take into consideration Megan’s tenacity or her conviction of her brother’s innocence. Megan believes that someone else is committing the murders and she’ll risk everything to free her brother; even her life.

Beg For Mercy is a shockingly seductive romantic thriller that hooked me from page one. Jami Alden has a wonderful writing style that draws you in to her character’s emotional pathways and lets you feel with them what they are experiencing. Romance and taut suspense go hand in hand as we follow a gritty and dark well plotted storyline down a twisting path of deception and betrayal.

If I were ever to get in trouble, I’d want a friend or sibling like Megan Flynn. Faced with insurmountable evidence pointing to her brother’s guilt, she never gives up. Intelligent and courageous, her vibrant personality shines as we watch her fight, bully, and coerce her way through extreme obstacles to get to the truth. Megan isn’t perfect and she doesn’t always make the best decisions but her heart is in the right place and her determination is commendable.

Cole Williams is a fantastic hero with his brooding good looks and cynical nature. Loyal, brave, and determination lead him as he follows this case. Though he didn’t want to hurt Megan, he had no choice. He had to follow the evidence and it pointed to her brother Sean. He doesn’t come out of it unscathed though. You feel the heavy pain and sadness in him as he remembers how he lost Megan and when he sees her again the joy he feels leaps off the pages. He knows he made a mistake by pushing Megan away before and vows that this time he will help her anyway he can.

The romance between Megan and Cole is unbelievably hot. The chemistry between them burns white hot as they struggle to get past the hurt and pain they left each other with. It’s a major part of the storyline and complements the main arc beautifully. Their physical scenes leave nothing to the imagination yet never cross the line of reality. It was very easy to get caught up in the emotional currents of these two star crossed lovers as try to reconnect for a second chance.

Our secondary characters are all bold, personable additions to the story as they add layers to the suspense and mystery. Each one is a piece in the puzzle; they make up a solid foundation for our storyline to build upon. Ms. Alden does a wonderful job of slowly drawing the answers out of them, giving us tantalizing clues to try and guess the ending. Though Megan’s brother Sean doesn’t receive a lot of face time in here, the entire story centers around him and the reasons for his incarceration. He hates Megan seeing him in prison and watching her waste her life (his words) to free him tears him part. He tries to do the right thing and push Megan away but she will not let it go. I look forward to seeing more of him.

As with any good thriller, there are multi sub plots running through the main storyline and each one is a key to the final outcome. Ms. Alden does a fabulous job of maintaining these separate entities without overburdening us with unnecessary information or complicated scenarios. When it all comes together in the end, we are treated to a astounding finale that ties it all together solid and tight with no questions left answered. Though I figured out rather early who the villain was, the journey into his mind was exciting as we are given an exclusive tour of a sociopath with a sadistic streak. Be forewarned, there are some graphic scenes in here that leave you feeling a little raw.

Beg For Mercy is a fantastic dark suspense thriller that will appeal to all lovers of this genre. I am looking forward to the second in the trilogy, Hide from Evil, which releases November 2011.

Rating: B

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