Regaining Mercy

Title: Regaining Mercy
Author: Carolyn Miller
Series: Elnora Island, book 6 (Independence Islands, book 12)
Major Themes: Romance
Synopsis: Mindy knows she is doing a horrible job caring for her son—but Dermott is trying to get her to think differently!

I’ve been hearing good things about Carolyn Miller’s books, so I decided to sign up to review one of her books. I think I like her! Regaining Mercy is primarily romance, but there is enough else in the story that I enjoyed the story anyway.

Mindy has just gotten home to Elnora Island from being part of a reality show in Hawaii. She’s doing all she can to make a living for herself and her son, but people are looking down on her. When a particularly nasty woman deliberately insults her, Mindy loses her job at the grocery store—what can she do now? She knows she’s a terrible mother, and that’s probably why Jon, at four, hardly talks. She’s had so little experience with children, though, that she doesn’t know if he’s acting normally or not, and she certainly won’t be taking him to a doctor when she hardly has enough money for food!

Dermott, the interim boss at Greener Gardens, wants to help out his friend in any way he can. He feels overwhelmed, though, with getting jobs done and promoting the gardens they’ve done in a competition. He finds a way to help Mindy by helping him with promoting the business on social media—and doesn’t mind spending time with her! But, will she ever see him as more than just a friend? Then, a severe tropical storm hits, a child goes missing, and Mindy knows for sure that she is incompetent. How can any good come out of this mess?

I liked Regaining Mercy. As I said, it’s not just romance. Mindy is learning to be a mother, and how to get along with people. She is also learning that she is worth something, that she has value. She also had to learn to accept help when she needed to. I loved her friend Tina; she was so kind and caring.

I chuckled at one word in Chapter 8. The author is Australian, and she used an un-American terminology: “That’s when you rang earlier…” We hear that said here, in New Zealand—but in America you would say “called.” Oops!

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

WARNING: The word “gosh” is used once, and two kisses are described.