Sweet Mercy by Ann Tatlock

Back Cover:

When Eve Marryat's father is laid off from the Ford Motor Company in 1931, he is forced to support his family by leaving St. Paul, Minnesota, and moving back to his Ohio roots. Eve's uncle Cyrus has invited the family to live and work at his Marryat Island Ballroom and Lodge.

Eve can't wait to leave St. Paul, a notorious haven for gangsters. At seventeen, she considers her family to be "good people," not lawbreakers like so many in her neighborhood. Thrilled to be moving to a "safe haven," Eve soon forms an unlikely friendship with a strange young man named Link, blissfully unaware that her uncle's lodge is anything but what it seems.

When the reality of her situation finally becomes clear, Eve is faced with a dilemma. Does she dare risk everything by exposing the man whose love and generosity is keeping her family from ruin? And when things turn dangerous, can she trust Link in spite of appearances?

Review:

I didn't really know what to expect from Sweet Mercy. Gangsters? Prohibition? Well, why not? Not my usual type of book, but sure, I'll give it a try.

I really enjoy trying different types of books. You get to experience a different type of story than your regular run-of-the-mill romantic chick-lit books. (If you can't tell, I quite enjoyed Sweet Mercy). :)

I haven't read a lot of books about the prohibition or gangsters, so this book was a bit of a learning curve. The reader was shown different sides of issues: the law against alcohol, gangsters, the depression and how it affected people. The main theme of the book was to show the reader that things are not always black and white.

The main character, Eve is a "good" girl. She has never broken the law, she honors and obeys her parents, she reaches out to her lonely cousin. But her life changes when she realizes that not everything is so crystal clear.

Sweet Mercy is an enjoyable, page-turning book. It combined not only romance, but mystery, and action - the makings of a great book.


Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.