| Title | : | Guts \u0026 Glory: Mercy (In the Shadows Security, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 314 |
| Publication | : | First published June 1, 2019 |
Former Delta Force Operator. Scarred inside and out.
In the military, Mercy had seen and done things most people could never imagine. Now working for In the Shadows Security, dangerous jobs are his specialty, the more difficult the better... until his boss assigns him to protect a spoiled, rich woman who never shuts the h*ll up. He has two ways to stop her running mouth, but either could get him fired.
However, first impressions can be deceiving, and underestimating this woman is a mistake Mercy never intended to make. One that might not only threaten his job but the carefully built barriers he’s surrounded himself with.
Witness to a horrific crime, Parris must leave Vegas immediately. After her best friend hires a professional to get her out of Nevada and keep her safe, she discovers there’s more to this emotionally crippled “bodyguard” than meets the eye. As a therapist, Mercy’s a challenge Parris can’t ignore, even when his walls seem too high to breach.
In the end, will Mercy not only be able to keep her safe but allow her to save him? Or will he let the woman who’s become his addiction simply walk away?
Note: Mercy is the first book of the Guts & Glory series, a six-book spin-off from my Dirty Angels MC series. While it’s recommended to read both series in order, each book can be read as a stand-alone. As with all my books, this has an HEA and no cliffhanger or cheating.
Guts \u0026 Glory: Mercy (In the Shadows Security, #1) Reviews
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Audio 5 stars
Story 3 stars -
DNF. The way this starts off is gross.
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OH Wow, is this ever going to be one hellacious Series. Just WOW! Kudos to Ms. St. James for a storyline that kept me entranced from the start to the finish. It is very well written and the characters and actions that are so well defined I I felt every heartbeat and verbal exchange right along with them.
The military has made Mercy into the man he is today, both the good and the bad. He is a loner who is battle worn and visibly wears the battle scars to prove it. However he has found a little peace working for Shadowland Security, taking the most dangerous the job. Mercy now lives for the thrill that will keep his mind occupied instead of dealing with the nightmares of his past. When his boss assigns him to babysit a rich spoiled woman, who refuses to shut up Mercy knows he is going to lose his mind. But with no one else available Mercy agrees to take the job, if for no other reason that the hefty bonus he’ll earn if he keeps her alive until the threat is dealt with.
Parris is a sex therapist in Las Vegas. She has a good life, good friends and loves her work. However when she accidently sees something she shouldn’t by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, he life becomes endangered. Her friend Michael, who got her in this mess in the first place, hires Shadowland Security to protect her until the threat is gone. Needless to say Parris is not happy. Especially with the sexy hard nosed guard who has more rules that she cares to follow and has more walls built up that any client she’s every worked with.
The story will take you on a suspenseful, heartfelt, sexy ride as Mercy tries to keep Parris safe and she tried to breakdown this harden man so he’ll start living instead of just existing when everything is over. 2 Thumbs Up and 5 Stars for this exciting read, and this reader is anxiously awaiting the book 2 in the Guts and Glory Series. -
3.5 Stars
It was 5 stars until about half way through, then it went to 4 stars until about 80% and by the finish down to 3.5 stars. IMO I spent way too much time in Mercy and Rissa's head bouncing the same stuff over and over. Mercy can't commit because he's such a bad person and he can't lose her if he opens up. Rissa, a sex therapist, over analyzes everything. If some of the head space was deleted it would have probably been better for me. I hate it when the same thing is hashed and re-hashed over and over again. But it was still a good book. The Dirty Angels MC played a big part in the book also, which was a plus. -
From when the Shadows showed up in the Blood Fury series I was intrigued by them, but I have to say, I was underwhelmed with this book. Mercy has a shit ton of issues, issues he is letting rule his life, to the point where the almost lost the best thing that he had. I liked that talk that Jewel had with him, he needed the kick in the pants.
I was sure about Mercy and Rissa at the start, but they worked, both had something the other found in them. By the end I was glad that Mercy took Jewel's advice and that Rissa was ready to listen. -
I love a good romantic suspense laced with action, intrigue, and danger, which is exactly what you get with the first title of the In the Shadows Security series. Mercy and Parris story is raw and gritty, but also erotic and sexy.
Mercy is a former special forces operative, and his time in the service has left him scarred and damaged both inside and out. Although a loner, he’s particularly loyal to his brothers of Shadows Security. A deadly, stubborn, gruff, and brooding, driven hero who is both vulnerable and insecure, he ticks all my boxes.
Parris is an intelligent, driven, and successful woman, yet also quite naïve and slightly clueless at the same time. She’s relatable, likable, resilient, curvy, outspoken, confident, caring, and compassionate. She's a sex therapist, and he's the bodyguard.
The ending felt rushed and, though good, kinda predictable. 3.75 rating for me
**Opposites
**Dirty Talk
**Alpha military guy
**Witness protection
**Chemistry 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Libby listen 🎶 -
I have never read this author before, but the book blurb automatically caught my attention. Kudos to the author for that as well as the fact that I really freaking enjoyed this book and will be going and reading the series before this that still ties in!
Mercy works for a security company that has ties to a MC and they take on a few other cases. Lately it has been a few puff cases but due to personal issues, Mercy needs to get away and helping to protect a 'package' from Vegas seems like just the right thing. Until he learns who the package is.
Parris is a sex therapist that has ties to man who she loves like a brother but did not realize how deep and sullied his ties were until too late. After witnessing something that she should not have, she needs protection and fast. Enter Mercy.
Mercy is grumpy as can be and definitely does not want to be attracted to the sexy therapist that would be scared of what is running around in his mind, but cannot help the attraction that he feels for her. Their interactions are quite entertaining and steamy as all freaking get out.
This book had a great concept, portrayal, and some pretty awesome sexual tension. I am a huge fan of this book and enjoyed it so freaking much and looking forward to reading about the other guys in books to come!
5 out of 5 stars!
PS: I received this book as an ARC but am honestly and voluntarily reviewing it. -
5 star review of Guts & Glory: Mercy (In the Shadows Security #1) by Jeanne St James
Audio Review
Book one in a spin off and new series to me from Jeanne St James which was narrated by Ava Lucas and Aiden Snow who drew me in and kept me captivated with their narration which was spot on and really brought this story to life for me.
I fell for Mercy, hook line and sinker. The story was raw and gritty and I listened to this in almost one sitting as I couldn’t wait to hear what happened. Mercy was an elite soldier who is now a member of the Shadow Security team and one that I found absolutely fascinating.
There is so much more to him than meets the eye, so much lurking under the surface that you will be drawn in and kept on the edge of your seat as the story progresses. Now I am off to listen to the rest of the books that are available.
Guts & Glory: Mercy was well written and entertaining and In my opinion Ms. St James has another winning series on her hands. -
So Ryan "Mercy" Mercer is definitely NOT boyfriend or husband material. He's not even summer fling material.. Is he Hot? Yes. Honorable inside his twisted darkness? Absolutely. But he has serious PTSD/emotionally crippling issues. And it's just way too dangerous and even heartbreaking to be the focal point of his mission or his desires. Simply put, being with this man would be a whole lot of work. And I honestly can't see him and Rissa for the Long haul. No matter how hot and intense some of their encounters were. And the Epilogue was kinda sweet too, but it still left me with a big impression of HFN only..
So all of this and the TSTL move that Rissa made that caused them to have to leave the safety of the MC gated community and what Ultimately caused her to get taken.. just why? These are the reasons why I could not give a 5 star rating. But the rest, the overall plot etc, was still pretty good and made for a decent read and intro to this Spin off. -
Starts with a bang! Great, sexy beginning to a new series for Jeanne St James. I love her MC series so much, and this book introduces a whole new crew of loner alpha men for us to fall in love with while also intermingling lots of visits from old MC friends. I loved Parris. It’s such a breath of fresh air to have an older heroine (38) matched up with someone her own age. She’s successful and seems to have everything going her way. My only criticism is that she’s a little too naive and oblivious to recent violent events in her life. This may move the plot forward, but her cavalier attitude with her safety (and others) is is eye-roll worthy. Mercy was gruff, damaged and desperately in need of Parris and her commitment to him, even if he resists at every turn. I loved how this was a “happy-for-now” ending, but with the underlying promise of forever. It just seemed so right for both of these characters and their story. Highly recommend the characters and storytelling here. I wouldn’t say you have to read her previous MC series, but it certainly helps and adds to the enjoyment. And what are you waiting for - those books are awesome! Now bring on Ryder!
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I loved Mercy...but she is TSTL sometimes and for that I had to knock a star off...
When a man who has endured not only war, but hand to hand combat that has left the scars on his face and body tells you to "stay in the f-ing house" and responds to "is it serious" when conversing another dude who survived war with a "yeah"...Guess what bitch...stay in the house and do not bring that shite to my baby girl Jazz...
Uggg...I dislike "supposedly smart" women who do the absolutely most stupid things. Mercy battled so hard within himself and yeah, he likely had a wicked case of PTSD, but what does she do...boink his brains out and then internally monologue about how she was going to force his PTSD out. hmmmm...anywhoots...Mercy liked her so that's great. She is no Sophie or Diamond or Bella, but she'll do. -
I borrowed Guts & Glory: Mercy from the Kindle Unlimited Program.
Mercy is an ex-Army special ops soldier that due to his last mission and how he was wounded he lost his place in the Army. Now he works for Shadow Security run by D in Pennsylvania doing the undercover work he excels at with his team of brothers.
D gives him an assignment to guard a woman from Vegas because of what she witnessed and now she is being hunted. Parris is a sex therapist and finds the issues Mercy hides a challenge she can't resist digging into his mind and helping him to find a way to move forward.
The action is exciting and full of danger. The attraction between Mercy and Parris is full of sex and lots of fun dialect as they clash over her clever ways to get him to open up to her.
Warning: If you find lots of rough consensual sex in a romantic novel, you need to skip this one. -
Mercy me
Jeanne gets me! She really gets me! I've been intrigued by D's "shadows" since their first mention. I'm so glad getting their own series and I'm ecstatic it began with Mercy.
What I didn't expect was for Mercy's story to be so deep! Knowing some of the history from the DAMC series,you know all of these men have gone through some tuff stuff (edited for review!) but the way Jeanne makes you become so invested in these hardcore alpha's stories is just mind boggling every time!
And his Rissa is the perfect compliment to keep him on his toes!
Ryder is up next!! And good old DC! 😳😂 -
We finally get to meet D's crew!
Mercy is definitely a damaged man, but is he as damaged as he thinks?! Parris is in trouble due to her connection to a friend and seeing something she shouldn't have. Protection is needed and this is how our couple meet. I loved that she didn't have an average job - and who better to deal with the man. My only complaint is how often they went off in their own heads! Seriously, there were times I couldn't imagine them not being in the present.
Can't wait for more. -
Mercy
I have been waiting for Mercy's story. He has always been my favorite Shadow. I've wanted him to find his special someone and Rissa is perfect for him. This books pulls you in from the first page. It has action, a hot couple, and you see some of your favorite DAMC members. I'm so excited about this series. This book was a great start to a great new series. -
Cheesy but I like it
I love the author and like the premise of this book. I found the book to be over the top cheesy but I enjoyed it. Mercy was a grump but he had a reason to be. Paris was naive but I liked her. The story wasn't to dramatic but it most me reading -
Freaking loved it! Literally read it in one sitting. 💛
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Fell short. Story line was good, but Mercy was turned into a total arsehole in this book, and Parris was too stupid to live. Disappointed.
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I got little glimpses of Mercy through most of the DAMC series and just knew when he fell, it would be like a redwood going down.
He had so many wounds and so much baggage that it would take a strong woman to take him on. Well hello Parris! She knew when to be strong and when to bend. I loved every moment. -
This wasn’t and book at all. Rissa was a little older than I anticipated and she was aggressive. Our hero was truly damaged but I liked him a lot.
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Good but I expected more. This felt like a HFN.
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I'm sadden to say that this one disappointed me. This book was a much anticipated one, as I loved the DAMC series where we first meet Mercy. However, the first half of the book they're in a safe house on DAMC housing property, where Mercy goes for a run and leaves Rissa behind- unprotected, and he has a poker night with the guys. Of course Rissa does the most stupidest thing to jeopardize herself, her sister, and a DAMC chick- which was someone Mercy wanted a relationship with in the past. Why do the h's always have to be idiots? I don't get why she didn't realize how bad of a situation she was in after what she saw. Anyway, they also spend a good portion of the book thinking, doing, or talking about sex. It really put me off his story. Also, the book revolved a lot in the H and h's minds and it just didn't work for me in third person. Especially when they're thinking about something and then bam, they're having a speaking moment that takes the other one a page later to reply after we get through their other thoughts. Also, things were stated and restated in other ways or likened to other things constantly and to me it was over kill. We got the point the first time around. And lastly, Mercy was more of an Ahole then I had wanted.
And where was there any real action? Scenes happen then it’s the next scene and you didn’t see the full picture of how something happened. Like this: We’re being told she was kidnapped- bound and gagged and blindfolded, to her being in a room, to her being outside... no real interaction in those scenes. She’s so scared yet we don’t see them scaring her and she only wants to know what happened to Mercy.
Sigh.
This book was:
Sex
Be mean and bark at her
Sex
His buddies eye eff her and make their comments
Sex
Be mean again
They say he stakes his claim and he denies it
Rinse repeat with a little sprinkled in story of why she was being guarded in the first place.
There was no connection to this story. It was all surface based. No real action shown in the 3rd person, which was a waste of reading- and a lot of repetitiveness. And the sex was from page one to the last page- literally.
Over all, I thought Mercy would have a badass book...he was so mysterious in DAMC that I had to know more. Sadly, I was very disappointed. -
The first of a new series. If you have read the Dirty Angels MC then you have met Diesel's crew. His security workers is what this series is about.
Mercy is first up. He is the one who has a huge scar going across his face. He doesn't seem to even have a soul. He doesn't mind the messy, nasty jobs. Only thing that has bothered him was when the Warriors had kidnapped and couple of the DAMC women and had raped one. After that he and the other men hunted the Warriors down and got rid of all of them. Now he is back to regular work at the security company. His job is to hide a woman who has seen something she shouldn't have and keep her alive. For his skills it should have been a piece of cake.
Parris is a therapist.... mostly a sex therapist. It never said exactly how it came to be but her best friend is a man. A very married gay man. He's happy and in love but he still has a female best friend who he loves like a sister. She seen something she shouldn't have... wrong place at the wrong time. He hired the best. Diesel's company is to take her home with them and keep them safe. This is Mercy's job. He is told by Diesel to keep his hands off her but with a body like hers and nothing else to do that's going to be hard for both of them. Two opposites and lust. A man if few words who hasn't faced his past and a sex therapist....hummm...yes things get very interested. -
Another hot, hot, hot story from Ms. St. James with great performances by Ava Lucas & Aiden Snow. When it was announced there was an MC series with Special Forces guys I knew I would be devouring these books - and it was worth the pre-order credit. Loved the fact that Parris was a strong character and even though Mercy put her in the "dumb with big boobs" box he changed his mind without much pressure from her - she just was her strong, resilient self and that proved the point.
And now not only has my "girl crush" on narrator Ava Lucas continued, but now I may have a bit of love for Aiden Snow, too. Too many books, not enough time! -
My Rating: 4 stars!
