Mercy Land has arrived. Born in a bolt of lightening on the banks of Bittersweet Creek, she has moved to nearby Bay City and has found her niche – working as the assistant to Doc, the local newspaper editor. When a mysterious book arrives on her boss’s desk that threatens her dreams, Mercy must decide what to do with the book. Mercy’s life is further complicated when Doc suddenly decides to retire and brings in John Quincy as his replacement, a newspaper novice who seems to know more about Mercy and Bay City than he’s telling. Can Mercy determine the book’s purpose before it disappears? Can she solve the mystery of John Quincy before losing her shot at the job of editor?
Jordan is a gifted storyteller who draws the reader in with her descriptions and flowing language. Her characters are alive in this book and kept me cheering them on throughout the story. The issue of the mysterious book, however, was something else. The blurbs I read made me think that this was a book about time travel – which it isn’t. Doc seems to think that the book will give him a chance to right an old wrong – but never in their contact with the book do they do more than lose track of time and gain information about people around them. Since they cannot choose whose name will appear to them or travel in time, I’m not sure how he expected to use the book to change a life. That part left me confused; it was a bit raw, I think. There were also connections between a few characters that were never fully explained.
In the end, Jordan makes the point that we are all connected; all of the choices that we make individually affect the human population as a whole. Forgiveness is also a major theme in this book.
I couldn’t put book down because I just had to know how Mercy was going to save the day; but now that I know the ending, I don’t know how soon I’ll pick it back up again. It’s a good read, but not one that I need to dust off and make part of my regular reading list.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review.
