Have Mercy by Shelley Ann Clark

Have Mercy

by Shelley Ann Clark

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Published by: Loveswept on July 1, 2014
Genres: Music Industry, Erotic Romance (light on BDSM), Alcoholism
Source: ARC from Publisher
Rating: 4.5 Stars

NOTICE: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Rock diva Emme Hayes already broke up one band after sleeping with the lead singer, and she swears she won’t let sex screw things up again. The problem is, her new bass player—a lean, muscular, tattooed mystery man who makes her want to demand his absolute attention—has her so worked up she can hardly carry a tune. Emme promises he’s off-limits. She just doesn’t know how she’ll be able to confine the heat to her love songs.

The moment Tom McKinney lays eyes on Emme strutting around the stage of his blues bar—all curves, eye liner, and teased blond hair—he knows she’s one of a kind. So when she offers him a two-month paid gig to tour with her band, Tom can’t say no, despite family troubles and the bar’s precarious finances. Onstage and off, the music they make thrums in his soul, but Tom has too much going on to get involved—even if he burns to let Emme play his body like a fine-tuned instrument.

If you're looking for something hot, but not too hot, this is the book for you. I'm not a big fan of BDSM erotic novels, but this one was more chaste than most in terms of the submission. I didn't mind it as I usually do. It was more about submissiveness than anything; it presented itself as foreplay rather than erotica.

Emme and Tom are attracted to one another from the moment they meet. I got the feeling that Emme really just wanted to get laid and with cute Tom on the scene, he was as good as any man to get involved with. Tom seemed to be more interested in her as a person than she was him. There was a bit more depth to him as a character than to Emme.

The story's conflict comes from two places: Tom's alcoholic sister and Emme's fights with band mate Dave over keeping things professional with other band mates. Dave knows that Emme broke up a band in the past after connecting with a married coworker, and he wants her to steer clear of Tom. Meanwhile, Tom, who's been his sister's protector and enabler for years and years, has to come to terms with the fact that he needs to let his sister hit rock bottom or she's never going to clean herself up. Emme's pent-up sexual frustration and Tom's genuine like for Emme turn into heated, secret nights and not-so-secret public exploits. It's hot as hell, but I would have liked to have more emotion shown between the characters before they instantly decide they love one another after having good sex. Good sex does not equal love. Despite that, I would highly recommend this book if you're looking for a light erotic novel with interesting characters.