Line: Legend Series: None Book Length: Novel Book Type: eBook Publisher: Ellora's Cave Publishing ISBN: 9781419926891 MSRP/List Price: $11.90 Our Cover Price: $5.95 Available in Print: No

Punishment and Mercy up By: Cris Anson (Read Excerpt) E-mail this product to a friend   Widowed Mercy Walcott is too wanton for the repressive Massachusetts Bay Colony of 1694, so when she gets flogged in the village square for sexual congress outside matrimony, her father forces her to marry the blacksmith, Seth Burroughs. Strong, virile, dominant and insatiable, Seth tames her. Up to a point.   The young acolyte, Adam Putnam, falls hard for the delectable beauty he’s forced to subdue while the reverend doles out her punishment. Watching her bare ass getting redder and her delectable thighs wetter, he experiences his first orgasm under his churchly robes—in full view of the citizenry.   Mercy remembers the feel of him as she squirmed away from the whip and against his sinewy body. She inveigles Seth to indenture him as an apprentice. Soon Adam is torn between his carnal desire for the woman he’s coming to love and his innate scruples. How can he withstand temptation when Seth encourages his wife to make love to Adam? And how can Adam look his friend in the eye after he does? Quantity:

Product Rating: (2.00)   # of Ratings: 11   (Only registered customers can rate) (Only registered customers can rate) 1 - Not recommended 2 - Could be better 3 - Enjoyable 4 - Recommended reading 5 - Must Read! 0% 50% 100% Sort: New to Old RE-SORT COMMENTS: Helpful to Less Helpful Less Helpful to Helpful New to Old Old to New High to Low Rating Low to High Rating Showing comments 1-6 of 6 1. Natalie on 2/19/2010, said: Mercy Walcott has been tried and found guilty of sexual congress outside of marriage. A widow, Mercy has yearnings and as such, is not repentant at all. In fact, while the young men assigned by the preacher to restrain her during her flogging are holding her down, she has more than just her flogging on her mind. As she is experiencing the whipping of her lifetime, she has never been more aware of her sway as a woman – especially when she meets the eyes of the local blacksmith, Seth Burroughs. Mere days later, Mercy finds herself married to this dark and formidable man. His mastery over her is absolute, but he isn't finished with his new wife. He knows who else she desires and is willing to bring Adam into their life. Punishment and Mercy was unlike anything I have ever read – and I loved every single word of it. Written almost like a diary, I was brought into the lives of Mercy, Adam, and Seth. The story begins with Mercy's punishment by the spiritual advisor of the colony in which she lives and what should have been a devastating act is actually something that Mercy welcomes. She tries to hide her arousal, but Seth knows what she is feeling and he acts on it. There is not a lot written on Seth and Mercy's relationship – I could have used more. But the relationship of Adam and Mercy was beyond what I could have imagined. Morality is brought into question in Punishment and Mercy and I really enjoyed seeing it from Ms. Anson's point of view. Not your average, everyday historical romance, Punishment and Mercy delves into the forbidden for this time period. Love, lust, and the illicit is the name of the game. Add in a surprise ending and Punishment and Mercy became one of my favorites this year. (Natalie S. writing as Talia Ricci for Joyfully Reviewed)   (0 people found this comment helpful, 1 did not) 2. JD on 2/6/2010, said: I've loved all of Ms. Anson's books -- this one was no different! Add it to your list. Hot.   (1 people found this comment helpful, 0 did not) 3. S on 1/24/2010, said: I think it's worth a mention that the first encounter with the 'young acolyte' occurs when he is 17. I wish I had known this before I purchased the book.   (0 people found this comment helpful, 2 did not) 4. A on 1/24/2010, said: Beautiful cover art. Well-researched. Great world-building. NOT a “costume drama” read, but a true historical novel. Readers convincingly transported to late 17th Century Massachusetts Bay Colony, impressive given the unlikely ménage romance depicted in the novel. Anson describes all the “little things.” The work people did. Food they ate. How they lived. What went wrong? 1) Adam Putnam has all the irksome, cloying characteristics of a “Mary Sue” – good-looking, exceptional skill (in the technical field,) and excessively moral. His first person POV scenes read more like a memoir, "distancing" the reader from action. He sounds simpleminded. When Mercy contemplates Adam's "impressive, intelligent speech" I choked on my beverage. I found Adam and Mercy’s dialogue artificial. Adam’s too “saintly” to enjoy sex with Mercy and/or Seth; every sex scene has his passive participation. Accidental arousal, dream arousal, quasi-coercion, comfort sex. Adam’s passive prudery irked me because it never changed. 2) Seth Burroughs was HOT, at least what I got to “see” of him. His underdevelopment is probably the biggest flaw in this novel. Introduced as a dark, dominant alpha male, Seth morphs into a one-dimensional character whose sole concern is to procure Adam’s services to please Mercy. Seth’s scenes with Mercy were quite credible, good dialogue, and they had fabulous sexual chemistry, too. I don’t understand why the author underused this interesting, sexy character. 3) Weak plotting. None of the main characters have any goals, challenges, or aspirations beyond their attraction for each other. Plot revolves around erotica instead of erotica contributing to the plot. I never believed Adam and Mercy were in love. No dialogue or action or description conveyed sincere affection and respect between them. More sexual obsession than a love story. 4) Erotica contains some use of adjective excess and flowery metaphor...Not true purple prose, more lavender. 5) I whooped aloud in honest disbelief that Giles, a man happy to molest female prisoners (including Mercy) assumed an air of self-righteous accusation toward Mercy for molesting Adam. Inappropriate character death occurs, accompanied by tacky deathbed erotica. I hate that I can’t offer a better review of this book; for me bad outweighed the good. NOTE: I am a reader who purchased this ebook, not a reviewer provided with a complimentary copy.   (3 people found this comment helpful, 0 did not) 5. susan on 1/23/2010, said: The story was very strangely done. Sex was blah. I skimmed through many parts of this just to get to the end.   (2 people found this comment helpful, 2 did not) 6. kirsty on 1/22/2010, said: The story is strange, written from two viewpoints, the guy is written in the first person-like a diary, the girl in the third person - but from her point of view. The relationships are disjointed and confusing-the language was irritating -unless you like oldy worldy writing, not just their speech, but the whole of the story. Sex was ok. It seemed to be going somewhere a few times, but I mostly skimmed towards the end to see what happened so I could close it and forget about it.   (3 people found this comment helpful, 2 did not) Showing comments 1-6 of 6

Visit our sister site for mainstream romance and fiction