Fantastic characters, story and performance

This is going to be one of those books I listen to over and over again regularly. I loved Julian and Kerry and their complicated situation. Their feelings for each other are quite clear early on, but with the family and PTSD as well as the fact that Julian is only supposed to be on the ranch for the summer, these two men have a lot working against them. Fortunately, there are also lighter moments with the ranch animals. Nick J. Russo gives a stunning performance here. We feel all the pain as well as all the love.

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Wonderful Story & Narration🎧Gripping & Heartfelt!

I enjoyed this book immensely, it is a beautifully written slow burn romance that contains a whole lot of heart. The story grabbed my attention right from the start and held it straight to the end. The characters are realistic, easy to relate to and connect with. I adored the two leads, Julian North and Kerry Carmichael, secondary characters were great too, especially Ainsley who was a little darling. Julian North is struggling to return to civilian life after a medical and honorable discharge from the Army. Living in NYC is not helping him, too much noise ad hustle and bustle so he decides to go stay at his cousin Sienna’s farm in Wyoming and help convert a Silo into a country story. Sienna lives on Firefly Farm with her daughter Ainsley and her ex-husband Kerry. The two are there for their daughter who recently battled Leukemia, she suffers anxiety and they have a professional working with her, in equine therapy. Sienna’s family was not happy when Kerry broke her heart by coming out, but the two are at a good place now, he wants her to move on but he is afraid to himself, afraid to be himself in front of his family. But when Julian arrives the two just clicked, Kerry saw Julian for who he was and saw he was battling his inner demons with his PTSD. Julian is bi and is attracted to Kerry but both fight the feeling. I loved how everything plays out in this book, the story is nicely plotted and there is never a dull moment. There is plenty of drama, heartfelt and emotional moments and a wonderful slow burn romance. I was rooting for these two, I thought they were great together and for each other. I loved who Ainsley took to Julian, I think they saw each other and their broken parts, loved what the horses did for them too. Christina Lee, thank you for the wonderful story and the emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧And for the wonderful narration, Nick J. Russo is a talented narrator and voice artist. He covers the roles for all the characters, gives each their own distinct voice which makes it easy to follow along and tell who is who. His portrayal of the characters is spot on, sounding just as I picture them to sound. He sets the perfect tone for the story, captures all of the characters emotions and projects them in to his performance. He is an entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for another awesome listen.

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Romance at it's best

Lovely story of love blooming between a cowboy and a war veteran who after a traumatic experience thanks to a careing cowboy they find love. A lovely story beautifully written and well narrated. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

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1 person found this helpful

Decent narration, great story

🎧🎧🎧 Audio Review 🎧🎧🎧

The author and I have a mixed past, but this one sounded as though it was something I should listen to, and with Nick J Russo behind the mic, it was a no-brainer. 4.25 stars.

Ex combat vet and PTSD sufferer Julian from New York and his cousin's ex Kerry...a man who went into the closet for his young daughter, but couldn't keep living a life that wasn't his truth. The Wyoming background and of course some bigoted family members were not accepting of Kerry's truth, but things worked out eventually. Loved the farm animals especially Phoebe and Hamlet, and the fact that they helped Julian with his PTSD.

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Another lovely book

I’m a fan of Christina Lee books – she has all the feelz I love. This book has just the right amount of angst and love to work well.

Julian is an ex-vet with PTSD. Something all too common these days. He’s got nightmares, and the city he once loved now overwhelms him. When offered a chance to visit his cousin in Wyoming to help her out on her farm, he takes the chance. Is willing to try something new.

What he doesn’t see coming is Kerry, his cousin’s ex-husband. Kerry came out after his wife discovered he was gay. She was devastated – as was her family, his family, and a whole bunch of other people. Some quietly supported him but it was just that – quiet. He’s been living his own truth, but at what cost? A few furtive trips to the next town over for random hook-ups? But he gets to live with his daughter who’s recovering from a major illness so that’s something. And living under the same roof as his ex-wife isn’t the end of the world – although it does put a crimp in both their abilities to move on.

When Julian arrives on the farm, Kerry knows he’s in trouble. He’s attracted to the vet, and he sees a vulnerability Julian shares with few people. For his part, Julian is horrified to discover he’s sexually attracted to his cousin’s ex-husband. As time passes, though, those physical feelings develop into emotional ones as well. And the men discover they want more. But Julian’s heading back east and Kerry’s got family responsibilities. It’ll never work, right?

Except this is a romance and I get my happy ending. I love stories where there are obstacles to be overcome but they’re done in a realistic way. This book felt authentic to me. I’ll add on that Nick J. Russo was the perfect narrator for this project. His cowboy works great and I’m appreciative he does great female and children’s voices. Yeah, this one was definitely worth a listen.

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Amazing story!

Amazing and heartwarming story. Felt so real and it was refreshing that the characters talked rather then let things fester. The narrator is extremelly talented bringing characters to life with a golden voice. Will buy author and narrator again🤩

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Emotional from start to finish

Story: Whew! Christina Lee wrote an incredibly emotional story of two very troubled souls. So many difficult themes and feelings are unpacked in this story, that it kept me glued to the phone! The MCs are amazingly well created and their personal development, right along their growing bond, was a truly beautiful sight to behold!
There were plenty of LGBT cowboy romances written and while this book also is one, it truly is unique in many ways.
Narration: Great performance by Nick J. Russo! Not one of my favorite narrators, but it's definitely a top notch narration with all the right emotions and dimensions added to the story.

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Comfort in an audio book.

I enjoyed driving to this story. The narration flowed well, giving the characters distinctive voices and nuances. The relationships between all the characters are complicated but listening to them work life out provides warm feels. Justin doesn’t know how much he needs the farm, Carey doesn’t realise how much he needs Justin! I liked the details about Equine therapy and how much it helps to deal with the effects of trauma.
Overall a fully enjoyable experience.

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Love It

When I read Have Mercy, I thought that Julian and Kerry's story is touchingly sweet. It's a slow burn, pretty low angst joining of two men living with ongoing hurt: Julian is still experiencing PTSD having been injured in service and Kerry, although he is out, still cannot live his authentic life because of his feelings of guilt and drive to put his family's needs first. It isn't a particularly plot-heavy book, but that's kind of the point for me... it's all about the emotional connections, particularly Julian's growing attachment to Mercy, the ranch and Wyoming, as well as his developing bond with Kerry.

Listening to it now, I have a new appreciation for those things that bind Julian and Kerry thanks to their characterisation being brought to life so well by Nick J Russo's excellent narration. This is the first of his audiobooks I've listened to, but it won't be the last. Great job!

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A Beautiful Second Chance

Have Mercy is a beautiful story that really touched my heart. This book is a standalone, contemporary romance that focuses on healing, second chances, and of course, love. Julian North is an Army veteran dealing with PTSD. Kerry Carmichael is a rancher who came out as gay and has had to deal with the fall out from that. These two men have such heavy baggage that they carry. Christina Lee addresses this baggage and trauma with compassion and care, but never lets the story fall too deep into the angst hole. Instead, the emphasis is on healing and the joy of falling in love. I truly enjoyed this story and these two men. I could hardly put the book down and felt completely invested in the story and happy ending.

The audiobook was narrated by Nick J. Russo who narrated the book with care and passion. I loved how he voiced each character, and I felt completely immersed in the story.

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