I loved book one in this series and couldn't rate to dig into this one. It was another good story, and the continuation of "Mercy's" quest to find out who she was. (For those who've read book one, you know that Mercy was injured at the end of the civil war and she has a severe case of amnesia.) She now knows she was a sharp-shooter confederate soldier, but she wants to find out why and who she used to be.

Mercy does learn a lot about her past in this book, and she also finds her family and family home. But she still doesn't have her memory, and she must re-discover who she was, and whether or not she is still that same woman.

There's also a lovely romance story told in the book that doesn't give us too much, but is gently woven into Mercy's life. However, she can't get away from what she's been up to since the civil war ended, and there are those on both sides who want to exact vengeance upon her. Her loyalties and love are greatly tested.

Yes, I enjoyed the story, though on the negative side, I would say it wasn't told as tightly as book one. The point of view could have been written more deeply (my author friends will understand what I mean by that)as I found a lot of the "she felt" "she saw" and so on... distracting. That's nitpicking, but there it is. I will definitely read the third book because the authors haven't given Mercy her actual memory back yet, though they did bring nice closure to the situation she found herself in at the end of the story. ( )

Title: Finding Mercy (Mercy Medallion Series)
Author: Michael Landon, Jr & Cindy Kelley
Pages: 416
Year: 2014
Publisher: David C. Cook
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Mercy-Novel-Medallion/dp/0781408709/ref=sr_1_1?s=b...
The novel that introduces the audience to the characters and story line was released in 2013 and titled, Traces of Mercy. Set during the Civil War, a young woman poses as a Confederate soldier until wounded and carried to a local doctor where her secret is discovered. When she wakes up, her memory is completely wiped out and her life begins at the exact moment of waking up. Nothing she does jiggles her memory and when she is staying in the care of nuns they name her Mercy. Mercy’s adventures begin to expound in this second novel, Finding Mercy, picking up where Traces of Mercy ended.
It was hard to wait another full year to see how the authors were going to either wrap up the story or share another installment. The tension begins to really climb when Mercy along with her companion Elijah find out her true home, name and family. Since Mercy still cannot remember anything, what brings family problems to a boil is that Mercy’s heart has changed along with her viewpoints on slavery.
These kinds of novels are so enjoyable because they take historical events, people or places and set them in various situations. Women disguising themselves as men in order to serve in the Civil War wasn’t new to me, but the fact women were in prison during the war was revealing. After the novel, the authors include historical information that brings further clarity to those who lived at that particular time.
To see how far someone would go to help another is compelling more so when it is during a time in our history when slaves were viewed as less than human. Using this backdrop, the authors show us how God reaches out to bring people close to His heart. Once again I could read the desperation people lived with as food supplies diminished and how hard it was to bring comfort and hope even after the fighting was over. Well-crafted, exciting, captivating and adventurous are words that make these novels a must read for one and all!
My rating is 5+ stars.
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