Review – Mercy Burns by Keri Arthur

Publisher: Dell
Publish Date: Out Now!
How I got this book: Purchased

DARKNESS DESCENDS.
LOVE ABIDES. BUT . . .

MERCY BURNS

Mercy Reynolds is a reporter in the San Francisco Bay area, but she’s also more—and less—than human. Half woman, half air dragon, she’s a “draman”—unable to shift shape but still able to unleash fiery energy. Now something will put her powers to the test.

Mercy’s friend Rainey has enlisted her help to solve her sister’s murder. Then a horrible accident claims Rainey’s life, leaving Mercy only five days to find the killer: If Mercy fails, according to dragon law, Rainey’s soul will be doomed to roam the earth for eternity. But how can Mercy help when she herself is a target? With nowhere else to turn, she must join forces with a sexy stranger—the mysterious man they call “Muerte,” or death itself, who’s as irresistible as he is treacherous. But can even Death keep Mercy alive for long enough to find her answers?
*Blurb from Goodreads*

Keri Arthur has been one of my favorite paranormal romance authors since I first picked up the Riley Jensen series from my local library. When she released her first in the Myths & Magic series, I officially became a huge fan girl. Love. LOVE LOVE LOVE

Mercy is on a mission: save her best friend’s soul within 5 days. She needs to find the killers, all while continuing to work on a case involving the mass killing of a few Nevada draman towns. With the negative view of dramans (half dragon, half human) within the dragon subculture, Mercy is on her own in her investigation, until she runs into Death.

Damon (aka Death) is a trained council assassin. He is working on the same case as Mercy, trying to help out a friend who lost someone during the cleansing. The passion between Mercy and Damon burns hot, but Mercy’s draman status is a huge roadblock between them. While Damon is willing to work the case with her, and take her to his bed, anything above and beyond that is seemingly out of reach. The fire between them burns hot, but will it be enough to break down those barriers for a chance at forever?

I honestly can’t think of one thing I didn’t love about this book: the characters, the plot, the romance. Everything was amazing and perfect for me.

I thought Mercy was an incredible character. She was strong, set in her values, and outwardly confident. I loved getting to see her vulnerabilities as well, her upbringing as a draman and how that really influenced the woman she became. Her strong conviction to fight for the rights of the dramans was filled with passion and intensity, and I loved it. She knew what she wanted, and wasn’t afraid to reach for it with both hands. I loved her drive to run in head first, even when it occasionally got her into loads of trouble.

I have to say, I definitely want a Damon of my own. He was the epitome of tall, dark and handsome, with a dose of danger on top. I loved that everyone but Mercy would quake in their books when he was around. At the same time, he wasn’t afraid to show a little bit of vulnerability towards Mercy, admit where his thinking might be at fault, and showing her that death did in fact have a little bit of a soft side.

The constant conflict between them, especially with regards to the drama issue constantly pulled at my heart strings. I was rooting for them and wanted more than anything for Damon to see the errors of his thinking, to come forward with the times and get out of the dark age. His grand gesture at the end of the book was (in my opinion) a perfect display of his feelings and commitment to Mercy, both in a relationship and as a partner who supported her cause for equal draman rights.

I am so disappointed to report that Arthur told me via twitter that there will probably NOT be any additional books in this world. I’ll admit that when I saw that, I cried a little. The world building in this series is so… perfect. I love the dragon and draman subculture. I love the differences between the sea dragons and the air dragons. I love the backstabbing and subplots between the dragon kings, even though it was only touched on briefly. Fans of dragon shifters need to pick up this series (Destiny Kills & Mercy Burns), and treat them as MUST READS.

All in all, I really just can’t say enough great things about Mercy Burns and the Myths & Magic Series. Everything that PNR fans love are featured and done with excellence: intricate world building, smokin’ romance, well developed characters, and an amazing plot.

I give Mercy Burns an A+