Just a Wager (At the Mercy of Dominant Females)

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You build the tolerance by keeping doing it - you can do as much working out as you want but as soon as you are in a wrestling match it's a new challenge. I was really shocked as we had no idea we were being drafted. We were just sat at the Performance Center in Orlando waiting to see whose picture would appear on the show and when mine appeared I just dropped and started crying - until I realised I was being filmed and had to stand up!

It was an emotional experience and I was just so overwhelmed. I had been in NXT for over three years having started from square one with no prior wrestling experience - I basically went in blindfolded without knowing anything, so when I got drafted it made me feel like all that hard work had paid off. I now can't wait to continue progressing on the main roster and push myself to my limits. I wouldn't be where I am today without all the coaches in NXT and all the other women building and helping each other out.

Mercy Thompson (Literature) - TV Tropes

As a roster we were all really close - it had a real family feel, so my move to Smackdown is a bit like leaving for college in that you don't get to see your family as much. Hopefully people will come up from NXT and we'll all be one happy family again! There is a funny story when it comes to your family and wrestling, isn't there…. When the Atitude Era came along I wasn't allowed to watch wrestling at home because my mum once told me to clean my room and I told her I had two words for her - D-Generation X's "Suck It" chant - so I got grounded!

His true love is music and he's a phenomenal bass player. So when Emme approaches him to tour with her up-and-coming band, he desperately wants to say yes, but doesn't feel he can.

I love country music but the sound of a banjo sometimes rubs me up the wrong way!

Even when he commits, it isn't all the way. When they go out on tour together, their mutual attraction has them taking tentative steps toward each other pretty early on, but both have issues outside the relationship holding them back. When they eventually do let their sexual relationship develop, the way it plays out may not work for every reader, particularly if the woman taking the lead in a mild BDSM scene is new to them. But there's a reason why this is important, and it's not just to hit readers' kink buttons. That said, those with that particular kink button will find this story very satisfying indeed.

At first, Emme allows herself to be painted as a victim, even in her own mind: They want to label her a chunky homewrecker who uses her feminine wiles to distract from her lack of talent. It takes almost the entire duration of the book for Emme to realize that this is all, not to put too fine a point on it, bullshit. More importantly, it's bullshit that she can turn back on itself and use to her benefit. And it's her sexual relationship with Tom, along with his unflagging confidence and pride in her, that teaches her about how to take the power she wields as an artist on stage and as a capable professional offstage and extend that into her interpersonal relationships.

It takes a special kind of man to provide that support. For Tom to acknowledge that Emme has a deep well of strength of her own and to accept that and celebrate it and lean on it shows Have Mercy's true colors. It's not just about the femdom sex or the sultry blues club atmospherics.

It's about revolutionizing the way we women see ourselves: View all 5 comments.

Jul 10, Andrea rated it liked it Shelves: Have Mercy was in interesting story. And a sexually dominant woman at that! While the story didn't consume me, I did like it. And I'll just lay it out here: I like Tom and Emme. I liked them together. I liked their sexual relationship, one in which she can finally have control and he can give it up.

Have Mercy

Knowing the characters, that made perfect sense. Toms been responsible his whole life. Raised in a bar by am alcoholic, raising his younger sister when he was only a child, and then basically taking over his fathers life when he dies, it's all too much. Emme taking control is good for him. As for Emme, she's an organized, take-charge person when it comes to her band. Her public personna is that of a man eater, home wrecker. So to me, it made sense that Emme would want an area of her life in which she can make the calls, isn't questioned.

This all worked for me. Having said that, somewhere, Have Mercy felt a bit lacking to me. I didn't feel the deep pull that I love to get lost in. I've turned this over and over in my head because I don't like just shrugging and not giving a reason, but it's hard. I think it's that some of the developing feelings between Emme and Tom must have happened off-page. I say "must have" because if this big intense love happened in a scene, it flew right past me. I got that they were insanely attracted to each other, but I never felt the big spark. Speaking of things happening off the page, I also got that sense with events related to Emme's band.

Maybe it was due to story length restrictions, but I noticed. I liked it, there were moments that I was flushed and so happy to be in the moment with the characters. And despite my lack of super strong connection, I'd definitely say it's worth a try.

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Favorite Quotes He wasn't big; about average height, but wiry. She'd seen him lift their heaviest amp with almost no effort, which had led to several nights trying to imagine what his shoulders must look like under his shirts. And when he smiled, which wasn't often, he looked like a kid who'd gotten in trouble and learned how to charm his way out of it. She wanted to get him in trouble. As the last few notes of the song faded, she reached up, cupping the back of his neck with her hand. He bent down toward her with the slight pressure of her hand against him, reading her cues perfectly.

She skated her lips over his ear, gently, before whispering. Jan 30, Amy Cousins rated it it was amazing.

I'm not a remotely objective reviewer of this book. I read Have Mercy as a manuscript, before it was sold to Loveswept. Turns out I was so blown away by Have Mercy that I immediately wanted to track down every extant copy of my own first book and burn them all in a bonfire. That's a marketing error that I wish I could erase, because Have Mercy I'm not a remotely objective reviewer of this book. That's a marketing error that I wish I could erase, because Have Mercy is about full-blown adults who know themselves pretty damn well.

Their problems are adult problems. They run businesses and have careers and when they fuck up, it's because being an adult doesn't remotely protect you from being stupid. The difference is that more people depend on you the older you get, so your mistakes have even bigger repercussions than when you were younger. This book is set in dive bars and broken-down tour vans, populated by musicians and bouncers and two main characters that might not ever be rockstar famous but are still playing the music they love with a passion that bleeds into their lives offstage.

It's not fancy and it's not always pretty, but what it is is completely and utterly real. It's also hella hot. I emailed Shelley shortly after reading her book and told her that it was the most polished debut novel I'd ever read. I love this book with the fire of a thousand suns, people. Can't wait to talk about it with you all!

May 10, Camille Adams rated it liked it. Reading about the effects of self doubt, internalised shame, and loss of authentic direction through the allowance of the imposition of other people's views onto your perspective was good. It was also good to read about the journey to and eventual reclamation of self. Both Tom and Emme had to contend with such.

The femdom was also fine. Not great; too much doubt-riddled Domming In addition, I prefer to read about pe Goodish. What was not good to read about was: Tom thinking it "incongruous" for someone with "dreadlocks" to be wearing a polo shirt. The ignorance and ethnocentrism of that statement reminds me how tiresome some white authors can be. It actually, in fact, seems incongruous that a singer who garners such fame and notoriety performs at little bars and stages a self-funded tour. Emme takes back her power but not completely.

The perpetuation of a relationship with the emotionally abusive mother and the failure to totally declare her truth puts a damper on the end. May 17, Kelly rated it it was amazing. I love me a book about a dominant heroine and submissive hero , so it was a no brainer that I'd love Have Mercy. What sets this book apart is that -- without sacrificing the romance at all -- it deals head on with the double standards women face every day. Several of the secondary characters in the book -- including a pesky music blogger, one of the band mates, and the heroine's own mother -- demonstrate the double standard by condemning the heroine for breaking up an indie band and a marriage I love me a book about a dominant heroine and submissive hero , so it was a no brainer that I'd love Have Mercy.

Several of the secondary characters in the book -- including a pesky music blogger, one of the band mates, and the heroine's own mother -- demonstrate the double standard by condemning the heroine for breaking up an indie band and a marriage by being an attractive backup singer for whom a married man develops a tendre; apparently, it's OK for this married man to have roving eyes, but it's not OK for a young woman to be the recipient of his flirtation. The hero of Have Mercy , however, calls that double standard what it is: While I wanted a little more from the ending some sort of closure on the disappearing band mate story, maybe , I thoroughly enjoyed this read for its searing heat, sweet romance, and on-point social politics.

Jul 01, willaful rated it really liked it. Really good femdom erotic romance. My review at Dear Author: Jul 12, Beth rated it really liked it. When I was about 14 years old my parents took my brother and I on a fishing trip, where we spent a long weekend in a friend's cabin in the middle of nowhere.

Harley or Halloween - Bliss still pondering what to wear on Sunday

There was TV, but no cable, which meant nothing but fuzzy baseball games and public access church to watch. There were a few board games, which we tired of quickly. My brother soon decided he'd rather be fishing with my parents than stuck inside with his grouchy sister, leaving me to my own devices for entertainment. What this cabin did have When I was about 14 years old my parents took my brother and I on a fishing trip, where we spent a long weekend in a friend's cabin in the middle of nowhere.

A Novel of the Woman Of Jericho. This book novelizes the story of Rahab, the harlot who helped the Israelite spies in Jericho during the Israelite conquest. And to my teenage brain, it was the sexiest thing I'd ever read. After that I was hooked. To this day they're still some of my favorite books of all time, period. I was drawn to Claire, the main character of The Duchess, because she defied my expectations of what a woman in a Romance Novel should be like. Claire loved to read as much as I did. She was the Edwardian version of a total nerd. She had everything, but all she wanted to was to learn and grow as a person.

Aren't these women supposed to be wilting flowers? Granted, my expectations for this type were very, very high. A Supernatural Romance, which I have called out several times as being one of the finest Young Adult books ever written. What I found was that, while the women in these books oftentimes embraced their femininity, they were painted as strong individuals who wanted love and pleasure in equal parts. They wanted it all, and they weren't afraid to go after it.

Well, sometimes they were, but they always seemed to get over that fear by the end of the book I can't help feel that steeping myself in Romance Novels in my teens and early twenties help me to mold many aspects of my personality from my self esteem to my independent nature. I won't say "main character" because both Emme and Tom are given equal time and equal measure in this book. Neither one is relegated to "main character" and "love interest. Her life isn't perfect, but she knows how to roll up her sleeves and take care of business.

Maybe it's just me, but that happens to be the 1 thing that draws me to a character. These women have their wants and their needs, but are driven and practical by nature. Shit has got to get done. And then there's Tom Yeah, he's insanely attracted to her. Yeah, they both have baggage, but Tom is always ready to step in and support her. Tom doesn't want to sweep Emme off of her feet and rescue her, because he knows she can rescue herself.

His emotional awareness fits beautifully with the strength of Emme's personality. I wouldn't hesitate to say that a Romance Novel can be feminist and I'm not alone! Emme and Tom find themselves fully embracing their own sexuality in a way that neither ever had before, and there's nothing more empowering than that.

Also, it's sexy as hell.

Now go get it. Jul 01, Petra Grayson rated it it was amazing. I felt like each time I picked up the book, I traveled outside space and time and just got lost in the story. I lost all track of what was going on around me and became completely immersed in these characters.

This book turned almost every gender stereotyp Rating: This book turned almost every gender stereotype on it's head. From the heroine telling the hero he was beautiful, to putting her in charge of the band, to having her be the dominant one in the relationship, to having the hero be more emotional. It made me stop and think all the time about how we look at stereotypes. The only thing I didn't like about the story, was that it ended.

I wanted it to keep going for so much longer. It didn't end on a cliffhanger or anything, but many of the resolutions required the reader to infer what happened; there was no big reveal at the end where every loose end is tidily completed and explained. Don't get me wrong, the ending was perfect too, but I really wanted more. In true gender-bending fashion, Tom had to learn to stand up for himself with his family. He was a passive character in his life choices and his relationship with Emme gave him the strength to make changes and take what he wanted from life.

He did smoke for most of the book. It was sort of distracting for me because you never read books with smokers anymore. I loved the music and togetherness — being in a van together, the camaraderie of playing side-by-side, the little quirks of musicians. It made me feel like I was a part of the band and Emme held everyone together. She had an undeniable presence and while she stayed true to herself, it took this story for her to accept that there was nothing to be ashamed of. So, let's talk about the kinky sex. Clark handled it fantastically.

This was a female dominant story and hoo-boy was it sexy. There was a lot of talk and teasing, but it never veered towards reluctant willingness. Both characters wanted exactly what was going on. There was a little bit of spanking and it gave hints of a desire to be kinkier, but mostly it was a woman power playing a man And not only that, but Tom really wanted what Emme was offering.

It wasn't a matter of him letting her have fun until he could go back to the dominant role. I will definitely read this story again and I can't wait for more books by this author. I received a complementary ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. The Theory of Lieto Fine Nov 19, Xan West rated it really liked it Shelves: I love the way this book tells the story of a new top who is struggling to find her feet as a top, and makes it so damn hot and fleshes it out so much.

I love that the bottom is a bit more experienced than her, and steadies her. If you love vulnerable tops, this is a book for you. If you love worshipful strong bottoms, this story is for you. Dead Heat is set in Arizona. A prequel comic, Mercy Thompson: Homecoming , deals with her arrival in the Tri-Cities and meeting the main characters of the story. You need to login to do this. Get Known if you don't have an account. Mercy would probably hit the artist with a wrench if she saw this. Beauclaire "It is not meet that my daughter's attacker should live. All the more reason to give me yours.

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