Mixing up my reading genres, I move from a romance to a mystery. A few years back I read a book by Abbie Roads called Hunt the Dawn where the main character had special abilities and enjoyed the book. Saving Mercy starts with us meeting Cain Killion aka the son of a famous serial killer called The Triple K. Cain can see through the killer's eyes by playing with their blood - it has to be clean through and not tampered with. His adoptive dad Mac works for the FBI and calls Cain to help him with a murder scene. It turns out that the scene is similar to a murder his father committed twenty years ago, down to a symbol on the wall painted with blood. Twenty years ago, Cain's father killed the Killion family and left Mercy Killion - the young daughter alive. He also carved a symbol into her over her heart. Cain feels connected with her as he too has a symbol carved on his heart among his numerous scars. Cain decides to talk to Mercy when he arrives at the center, his friend Liz ( became like his adoptive mother) tells Cain to help Mercy and take her away /keep safe. Cain takes her to his cabin and helps her go through the withdrawal symptoms. The next part of the book focuses on Mercy trying to escape from Dr. Payne who is obsessed with her and Cain trying to find out who the killer is as everyone close to him is being killed and if it's not careful, the killer may come after Mac and Mercy. This book reveals a major twist that I was hoping we would meet the person known as Daught. The ending revealed a bit about Daught, this part though annoyed me as was so excited with the twist and felt a bit letdown. However, if you are looking for a good mystery featuring special abilities, then check out Abbie Roads mystery novels.

5 Blood pumping stars

Warning, if you don't like dark thrillers or have an aversion to blood, this book is not for you!! Even so, this Criminal Minds junkie only read it in broad daylight...and watched a Disney movie afterwards. It's DARK! 

I started this book at 10pm while laying in bed thinking I'd read a few chapters before I fell asleep. I was about 4 sentences in before I realized my mistake. My brain did a mad scramble of Abort Mission! and conjured up fluffy puppies. This is not a light read and cannot truly be defined in the romance category as it's really more a hard left into the thriller/suspense category, with a layover in paranormal. You'd think that might get a tad busy but it's exceptionally well crafted; even the paranormal aspect of it is...believable somehow. 

Blood is the poison and the cure. 

Cain Killion is the son of a serial killer. A broken, damaged man who believes he was crafted in his father's image and has run from that his entire life. In his formative years, while his father was honing his craft, Cain was his witness to it all. His body may bear the scars of his physical abuse but the scars to his psyche and soul go deep enough they'll never heal. Adam Killion passed down more than his looks, inside of Cain there is something that cries out for blood, a thirst that's never quenched. I imagine he and Dexter would've understood each other well. One side of him wars with the other. The killer vs the kind. To keep the beast that lives within himself on its leash, he sacrifices closeness to everyone in his life, even his adoptive father, Mac.

He has a connection to blood that allows him to "become the killer" whilst touching the blood of their victims. It comes at a great price to his health but as a consultant for the FBI, it's his way of trying to even out the scoreboard. 

Mercy Ledger is the only surviving victim of "Killer Killion", as such she's a circus freak, something to be examined. How she was supposed to ever try to live a "normal" life is a question for the ages but that's before she's targeted by another madman. She's been committed to an asylum, where she doesn't below. Against all odds, she's retained her humanity and gentleness. There's a gentleness to her that lives up to her name and even hope. But hope is running out. Everyday she struggles to hang on to her sanity, all while trying to escape the clutches of someone she somehow knows bears her evil intent. 

Cain has always watched over Mercy in some small way. He feels responsibility for what his father did to Mercy and her family. She bears the scars on her throat and he wears that weight like a chain around his neck. When a nurse from inside the asylum reveals that Mercy is in danger and begs Cain to save her life, he has no choice. He'd do anything for Mercy. Now the real fight for their lives, and love, begins. 

Terrifying. Revealing. Heartbreaking. Disturbing. Heart-pumping. Breath-stealing. Morbid. Emotional. Riveting. Redemptive. 

These are all words that describe this book and there are so many more but mainly...WOW. 

In the end, I was satisfied with the wrap up for Mercy and Cain and although, this isn't what I'd call a cliffhanger, they dropped a bomb toward the end. I can't wait for the next book in the Fatal Truth series to figure out the next piece of this dark and twisty puzzle, which I'll read in broad daylight!

Review by AnnMarie

I barely got through this book. It was too gory, and I have a pretty high tolerance for gore. This one just didn't work great for me, but the premise and characters were interesting.

Interesting book and cast of characters. I'm very interested to see the direction this is going. Not my favorite in the series but I am ready to see where it’s going.

Saving Mercy grabbed me at page one and kept me flipping pages well past bed time. Fast paced, with lots of twists and turns, the two lead characters are unlike any I've seen paired before, and, of course, they were clearly destined to be together. They quickly won my heart, and the plot kept me guessing. Masterfully written, Mrs. Roads! My only complaint is that I couldn't put it down when it was time to resume my real-life duties...

This book was absolutely fantastic!! The passion, mystery and heat! An all around hit! I can't wait for more from this author in the future. I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

Rating
5 out of 5 Hearts

!!Emotionally Gripping and Intense!!

OMGosh! Abbie Roads Rocks it dark and gritty in this first multilayered rollercoaster of a ride installment in her new Fatal Truth Series. Well written, easy to follow, and hard to put down. Grabbed my attention from the start. 

Deep and tortured characters, blow your mind action packed scenes, within a twisted tale of boy meets girl... The antagonist is as diabolical as the devil himself. I had to put this read down a couple of times because I wanted to chunk my device across the room. The nerve of some characters... Great job!

I really love the authors no holds barred writing style... Bring on Installment #2.

This is the same review as posted on Goodreads and Amazon.

Saving Mercy is a whirlwind of emotions. Mystery crime thriller dark romance with a splash of paranormal.

Cain has a gift or a curse depending on how you look at it. He has a special connection with blood that allows him to see things. It is his torture and his redemption. He is taken to a crime scene that effects him deeply.

Mercy has been brutalized but she is an amazingly resilient woman. When Cain meets her he knows she will be his salvation and hers.

Ms Roads has written a brilliant twisty story that was thrilling. The murder mystery was fed to me a little at a time, which was just perfect. Mercy and Cain's relationship is dark and beautiful. 

Saving Mercy is the beginning to what looks to be a brilliant series.

I was gifted a copy for an honest review.

Reviewed by Becky for JoandIsaLoveBooks

Saving Mercy is the first book in Abbie Roads' Fatal Truths series, and is not for the faint-hearted! There is blood in this book, a lot of blood! Twenty years ago, Mercy was the only survivor in a horrific massacre. For reasons that become clear, Mercy is sectioned and spends most of those twenty years undergoing psychological 'help'. She has gained the ability of being able to know a person's intentions though, which can sometimes help her. Cain, who is Killion's son, has his own trauma to contend with. Following his upbringing, he has the ability to see the past through touching blood. He is using this ability to help the FBI by being their profiler. He can give them intimate details that no one else can. When murders start happening again, and Cain in painted in blood on walls, then Mercy and Cain end up trying to help each other, whilst staying alive.

Saving Mercy is dark and violent. There is love, but it's not easy. It is layered with intrigue and deceit, and you are not sure just who is who and whether they are a friend or enemy. These characters come alive as you read, and you care about them. It is exceptionally well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. The story isn't over yet, and I can't wait to find out more about Daught. A dark story, but an amazing one. Absolutely recommended by me.

This book took me by surprise and I enjoyed it more than I expected!It was twisted,dark,sexy and emotional.I need to read more from this author!

Wow. This book blew me away. I've never read Abbie's books before and I can see that I've been missing out. The characters are fascinating and have real depth. The story was so heartbreaking and at the same time had me on the edge of my seat. I will definitely be reading more of the series as well as going back and reading the other books in Abbie's catalog.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

More dark, bloody, chilling romance by Abbie Roads. Saving Mercy has a real sinister feel to it, and can be real morbid with the content, Cain can be lugubrious but with his method of finding out what happened at crime scenes is quite disturbing and how he got that way is disconcerting and it is completely understandable for him to be the way he is. Cain is the son of a serial killer, Adam Killian, who forced Cain to watch all his murders and bathed him in the blood of the victims. Ever since Cain has had an extrasensory ability to read the murder scene, he can see the murder through the killer's eyes. He now works for the FBI with the agent who saved him from his father and then raised him as his own.   

Mercy survived the unthinkable, she watched as a serial killer murdered her parents in front of her and his own son. She barely survived but grew up fairly normal and well balanced until the "good" Dr. Payne has her institutionalized. Dr Payne is obsessed with Mercy and her survival of the attack, he is telling everyone she's crazy and out of her mind. Cain is friends with a nurse, Liz, a woman who has been like a mother to him since his Father was caught and he was saved. Liz tells him he needs to save Mercy from the doctor. Cain has been keeping tabs on Mercy the whole time and when Liz fills him in on what the doctor has been doing to Mercy he knows he's the only one who can save her. But the most recent murders is tieing Cain to them, and it is suspiciously like his father's murders, only it couldn't possible be his father he is still in prison  and only Cain can track down this copycat. Cain and Mercy have a connection, and while Cain feels guilty for it Mercy sees it as a kinship. Mercy proves she doesn't hold him responsible for the sins of his father. Can their bond prove to be thicker than blood?

Overall, such a good book. OMG! Suspenseful, nice twist. Bloody, oh so bloody. Romance in an unlikely time but fated to happen. Abbie Roads is a great writer, she transports me into the book and proceeds to creep me out, I love it.

Saving Mercy is a psychological thriller with some serious sizzle mixed in to give it just the right combination. I have read Abbie's previous series and couldn't wait to read this one in her newest series. She blends the dark and twisted so well that I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see where she was taking me in Mercy and Cain's story. It is a love story in the midst of the scary. I loved that they are connected even if it is because of a monster and that connection grows into something so much more. Abbie has crafted characters that are complicated in some ways and so simple in others. I am totally hooked and loved every bit of Mercy and Cain's story. I can't wait to read more in this series.

I give Saving Mercy 5 hearts!

A toast to Abbie Roads... Here's to your seriously twisted but admittedly phenomenal book. 

Abbie Roads where have you been all my life?

I couldn't get enough of Saving Mercy. The second I opened the first page I was sucked into a savory drink that blended a mix of equal parts psycho with equal parts intensity with a dash of passion just to soothe the burn.

I couldn't believe how crazy took center stage from page one and completely ensnared me into following along the dark trail until even I had a hard time separating good guy from bad guy and how the good guy also came with a pinch of darkness himself.

Not sure I bought into the whole instant love connection but you could definitely sense that the broken bits in both Mercy and Cain drew them to eachother from the get go.

I applaud Roads for twisting up her readers and plot until you're questioning what you think you know about Cain and Mercy and whether you can trust in what you thought about them. Its fantastic.

The writing is beautiful, its descriptive and it leaps off the pages with so much life that I am running out of the house to buy this series in print. I am so excited!

No rating DNF 
This book caught my eye because of the blurb. Diving into the story it seemed to be a suspense mixed with paranormal and romance too. While at first I was interested it slowly dissipated because I'm not a fan of insta anything. Not only that but at times I was confused, wishing for more back story and would have loved for the author to show me vs telling  me the story. Because of the too much telling I got bored and started skimming and then lost interest completely. This book was sadly not for me :(

BROWSE

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Ain't He Precious? (The Sex and Sweet Tea Series Book 1)
Ain't He Precious? (The Sex and Sweet Tea Series Book 1)
Price: $2.99

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun, delightful and light hearted story!, April 14, 2017
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This review is from: Ain't He Precious? (The Sex and Sweet Tea Series Book 1) (Kindle Edition)
This is the first book from "new" author, Juliette Poe (Sawyer Bennett). It's a sticky sweet novella about second chances between to different as can be lawyers, Ryland and Trixie. I really enjoyed reading this one! Sawyer Bennett is so incredibly talented to be able to write such diverse material. I have to say, just from reading Pap's introduction to southern sweetheart, Trixie...poor Ryland really had NO CHANCE! LOL! It was a fun, delightful and light hearted story that I was able to read pretty quickly. I especially liked Trixie's grandfather, Pap. What a hoot!! Told from dual POVs with a happy ending. I received, read and voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
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Truly, Madly, Whiskey
Truly, Madly, Whiskey
Price: $4.99

5.0 out of 5 stars SWOON worthy characters!, April 14, 2017
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This review is from: Truly, Madly, Whiskey (Kindle Edition)
Melissa Foster is the go to author for SWOON worthy characters! This is an adorable standalone although characters from TRU BLUE make an appearance. Bear's probably the most deliciously charming biker I've ever read about!! He was possessive and strong willed in an appealing way and he was also really SWEET. I loved how he handled Crystal's past and how he treated her...with tough tenderness. Just as I've come to expect from Ms. Foster, Bear and Crystal's story is another dreamy contemporary romance that hit me right in the heart! Told from dual POVs with a happy ever after! I received, read and voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
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Saving Mercy (Fatal Truth Book 1)
Saving Mercy (Fatal Truth Book 1)
Price: $1.25

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm in AWE of the vivid imagination Ms. Roads must have!, April 12, 2017
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This review is from: Saving Mercy (Fatal Truth Book 1) (Kindle Edition)
I was first introduced to Abbie Roads last year by another author when her first book, RACE THE DARKNESS came out. Since then, I've learned to just one-click on whatever this author puts out because I know I'll love it! I'm in AWE of the vivid imagination Ms. Roads must have in order to write such graphic and distinctive stories! Cain and Mercy fascinated me from the very beginning. They both have unusual "abilities" and a crazy connection that brings them together and holds them captive. The plot is an INSANE and erratic rollercoaster ride, full of twists and turns. I loved everything about this fast paced book and it's unconventional characters! Told from dual POVs with a surprisingly happy ending.

Abbie Roads has wrote another book that had just enough suspense and romance. That you kept turning they page trying to figure out the mystery. Once you start reading her books you are hooked, you can't stop. You will want to start reading everyone of Abbie's books. Then you will be surprised because Abbie's writing career has just started. She will have a long career writing books, she is that good of author.  You will see once you start reading Saving Mercy.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Rachael – ☆☆☆☆☆
4.5 Stars

Well, there was one part of this story that really sort of grossed me out and that I never really could make sense of… the putting of victim's blood ALL over Cain. I mean, I get that he was taught by his father, but I didn't understand how he could literally get into the killer's head by doing this. If anything, he should've been able to do it without the distraction of the blood.

However, once you get past that part (or the times it is done) there is a seriously awesome story here. I really, really enjoyed the insane characters and the way you are enveloped into this world of serial killers and their followers, as well as the damage this particular one (Killian, Cain's father) impacted not only his son, but the only survivor of his rampage, Mercy.

I loved that the two victims, so to speak, had this undeniable connection and this amazing chemistry even though they both had this terrible time in their life that they had to deal with because of the same man.

The pacing and plot twists were great and unexpected. I can honestly say I'll be looking for more from this author in the future.


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
This is an incredibly creepy story. Alternately compelling and disturbing, I’ve never read anything quite like it. There is a supernatural element to this book that takes it beyond the usual police vs serial killer book. The violence in this book is incredibly graphic.

The hunt for the killer and the chilling links back to Cain’s father’s crimes are woven together in a complex and fast paced plot. I was able to piece together clues but there were a few frightening surprises left for the end. The detailed violence and slightly supernatural elements of this story push it beyond police procedural and into the horror genre at times. This is a well-crafted book with interesting and original characters.

As the son of a serial killer, Cain is drawn to the gore and almost excited by the violence. As a main character, he is unreliable and difficult to like at times. I struggled with the graphic sex that often followed his exposure to a gruesome crime scene. His relationship with his father is difficult and complicated. His connection to Mercy is unnerving.

Mercy is incredibly vulnerable when we first meet her. Like Cain, she gained abilities after surviving her attack, but she hides her skills to protect herself. I found the connection between Mercy and Cain quite creepy. They are drawn to each other compulsively. Violence seems to excite and arouse these two and the sex between them seems almost to be a reaction to the gore they encounter.

I have a couple of reservations about this story. There are moments where realism and plausibility are tested in this book and I personally struggled with the way sex and violence are so closely intertwined her. However, I’m probably just a little more queasy that most readers in this genre and I did find the story both engaging and compelling.

SAVING MERCY by Abbie Roads is a dark romantic suspense and the beginning of Roads’s new FATAL TRUTH series. A chilling tale of obsession, murder, and love that surpasses the darkness in all of us, SAVING MERCY is a must-read.

Cain Killion is the son of an infamous serial killer, and it doesn’t help that he’s the spitting image of the man. Or that Cain has paranormal abilities tied to blood. He helps the FBI catch killers, hoping to atone for his murky past. Unfortunately, his father left more victims than just Cain, and Cain finds out he needs the help of the one girl–now a woman–who survived. Mercy Ledger.

Ever since the trauma of losing her entire family to a sadistic killer, Mercy has been able to tell dark secrets about people. She knows if they mean harm. And the sanitarium in which she’s been placed is a very dangerous place for her, because the doctor treating her isn’t quite…right.

So begins a fast-paced story of brewing danger, passion, and intrigue. The book has twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters have been through hell and back but find redemption in each other. I like that though victims, Roads’s characters persevere. The thread of paranormal entwined with the plot make the story that much richer.

SAVING MERCY is another winner from Abbie Roads. If you want spine-tingling, dark romance with paranormal elements, then this book is one you won’t want to miss.

4.5 Hearts, SJ  Romance Junkies

What a fantastic paranormal romantic suspense read this turned out to be!!! Full of twists and turns, I didn't know who was behind the killings until the end. Abbie Roads has a way of writing a story, and just when you think you've got it figured out, there's another twist added! Cain and Mercy were perfect for each other. A bit damaged, and they have a bond which was brought on by terrible events, but it has only made them stronger. This book is definitely a must read!!!