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Mercinia #1
Love Changes Everything
This is the first book in the Mercinia series. Each book can be read as a stand-alone story because there are no cliffhanger endings and each couple have their own story. However, I would recommend you read the books in order as this would help you gather background to the Ursus shifters and Mercinia, as well as following the links through the series.
*WARNING* This book is for the reading pleasure of adults 18 years and above who will not be offended by descriptions of sex, violence, strong language and love.
From the moment he set his eyes on her, there was no doubting the feeling. Their attraction was instant, but whilst Brae Sinclair felt the pull of instant lust, Kincaid, Ursus shifter, knew what he felt was the pull of a life-mate. The problem was, he was not looking for a life-mate and he needed to return to his home planet, Mercinia, in twelve hours. The decision to return home with Brae was made the instant he touched her.
On Earth he is known as Richard Stratton, Private Investment Banker of Stratton and Family, back home on Mercinia he is Kincaid, Chief Warrior and Leader of the Ursus Behanzin Army. His planet had been ravaged by war, a war in which his first life-mate was killed for her genetic engineering breakthrough. Kincaid vowed to remain faithful to his first life-mate’s memory, fulfilling his promises and commitments to Mercinia, his clan and most importantly his family. He made a vow to build his planet back and protect the work his life-mate had been killed for. On meeting Brae Sinclair love returns to the heart of a warrior.
Brae Sinclair is the Founder and Chief Executive of Moving Ahead, a charity for ongoing physiotherapy of stroke victims in the UK and West Indies. She has moved a long way from her troubled past and estranged family. Love was something she had given up on a long time ago. Realising she would never have love to call her own, Brae was happy to capture fleeting moments with her mentor and the Chair of Moving Ahead, Professor Jonathan Montgomery. The night before a working holiday to Barbados, she meets and has a strong instant attraction to the tall dark stranger, Richard Stratton. Brae had no idea a night of passion would take her to another world and introduce her to a love she had every right to receive.
Unfortunately, love for Kincaid and Brae would not be such a smooth road to travel. Kincaid, Chief Warrior and Leader of the Ursus Behanzin Army, will need to fight in order to protect his new life-mate, and this time he cannot lose.
*WARNING* This book is for the reading pleasure of adults 18 years and above who will not be offended by descriptions of sex, violence, strong language and love.
From the moment he set his eyes on her, there was no doubting the feeling. Their attraction was instant, but whilst Brae Sinclair felt the pull of instant lust, Kincaid, Ursus shifter, knew what he felt was the pull of a life-mate. The problem was, he was not looking for a life-mate and he needed to return to his home planet, Mercinia, in twelve hours. The decision to return home with Brae was made the instant he touched her.
On Earth he is known as Richard Stratton, Private Investment Banker of Stratton and Family, back home on Mercinia he is Kincaid, Chief Warrior and Leader of the Ursus Behanzin Army. His planet had been ravaged by war, a war in which his first life-mate was killed for her genetic engineering breakthrough. Kincaid vowed to remain faithful to his first life-mate’s memory, fulfilling his promises and commitments to Mercinia, his clan and most importantly his family. He made a vow to build his planet back and protect the work his life-mate had been killed for. On meeting Brae Sinclair love returns to the heart of a warrior.
Brae Sinclair is the Founder and Chief Executive of Moving Ahead, a charity for ongoing physiotherapy of stroke victims in the UK and West Indies. She has moved a long way from her troubled past and estranged family. Love was something she had given up on a long time ago. Realising she would never have love to call her own, Brae was happy to capture fleeting moments with her mentor and the Chair of Moving Ahead, Professor Jonathan Montgomery. The night before a working holiday to Barbados, she meets and has a strong instant attraction to the tall dark stranger, Richard Stratton. Brae had no idea a night of passion would take her to another world and introduce her to a love she had every right to receive.
Unfortunately, love for Kincaid and Brae would not be such a smooth road to travel. Kincaid, Chief Warrior and Leader of the Ursus Behanzin Army, will need to fight in order to protect his new life-mate, and this time he cannot lose.
210 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 27, 2018
7 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 14, 2018
A very intriguing and gripping read; I was absorbed from the first page into the magical Mercinia world and felt drawn to the protagonist Brae Sinclair and her plight as a human trying to navigate a alternate world completely different from her own.
The narrative is a perfect mix of love and the trials and tribulations that follow Brae and Kincaid, and holds your attention and loyalty from the first page.
'Love Changes Everything' is a very well written and fast paced book that leaves you on the edge of your seat with every chapter, as someone completely new to this genre I must commend S L Gibson on how captivating and realistic she made every attribute. The characters and their individual plights are relateable and the narrative is unique and mysterious enough to draw you into the Mercinia world in a way that has you longing for more long after you've finished the last page.
A very promising and delightful read that does not disappoint I am looking forward to reading the following books in the series.
The narrative is a perfect mix of love and the trials and tribulations that follow Brae and Kincaid, and holds your attention and loyalty from the first page.
'Love Changes Everything' is a very well written and fast paced book that leaves you on the edge of your seat with every chapter, as someone completely new to this genre I must commend S L Gibson on how captivating and realistic she made every attribute. The characters and their individual plights are relateable and the narrative is unique and mysterious enough to draw you into the Mercinia world in a way that has you longing for more long after you've finished the last page.
A very promising and delightful read that does not disappoint I am looking forward to reading the following books in the series.
November 3, 2018
Spoiler Coming in this review
I found GR because i was trying to leave a review on Amazon, but haven't spent enough on it to do so. I read any and everything that keeps my interest and plow through those that don't because i hate for a book to beat me. I don't feel i have a genre, was told by a friend that the sex scenes in this book was hot, so couldn't turn that down. Read the other reviews before leaving mine, and decided to do the spoiler because i think i know what the issues are...
Sex scene kicks in early and he shifts in the middle of taking her up against the door!!! WTF! This isn't my genre, but i know shifters shift - vampires fangs appear, wolves howl and scratch, and Ursus shifters turn to bears! BOOM! I want this in manga! Gibson deals with this well, you get it was not intended by Richard/Kincaid and he cant stop it, and Brae is tripping on her newly found orgasm so doesn't realise it at the time. KA-POW! The DNF % is around this part depending on your settings. Brits will raise an eyebrow and think ok where is Gibson going with this, others may bow out. It's IR (BWWM) but this is not the main pull of the storyline. The IA first-time writing style is UK/Black Brit, so not the USA market - also they are well past their 20s so not the US thing at all, in my experience. I agree with one reviewer that this is a mature read and for people who know you can have a one-night stand and feel more than you thought possible (pardon the pun :) - my age gives me that experience, lmao. I'm not getting the "from nowhere" referencing as the blurb tells you he's a shifter. So, I'm going for this sex-shift setting the tone for the reader and its Marmite for some.
I, being a Brit, read on and i was happy i did. At the start you pick up Brae may be having a platonic affair with her mentor, and has no qualms with being in with the family. She's going on her annual working hols, chilling out with her BFF goes to their local and she meets her man. Now he's a bear shifter and knows she's his life-mate so wants to mate, marry, and live HEA on first sight. She fancies him rotten, they dance, she is turned on and is up for a one-night stand. When they take it to the hotel room (round two is when they make it to the bedroom, lol) she is taken to another level and realises he wants more than one night. I loved the descriptive sex scenes, and as much as my friend was making a big issues of them, i thought they were necessary for the plot and not just hot sex flung in the main story, so not erotica.
Sex has begun the bond and he needs to take her - follows the life-mates are connected by body, mind and spirit theme - she then feels a stronger connection to him but does not know why. She is taken to Mercinia and is kidnapped upon her arrival and the story really does take off from there. We learn of a previous mate, the background to this driven "work comes first" woman. What Gibson does is open a door of a galaxy of all different species of shifters and a planet ruled by Ursus shifters, who have cultures, beliefs and a history. I ended up really enjoying this story, and wanting to know more on the Ursus shifters and the planet/galaxy history.
Richard kidnapped Brae and another shifter kidnaps her from him, you love one and hate the other, but by the end you understand it all. I loved Brae's back story, it wasn't what i had expected and it answered the question of her attitude to love. The reason for the top starts isn't because its the best story every written, but because by the time i got to HEA end i got it, i loved the adventure, the couple, and wanted more, and more importantly i woke up still remembering and thinking of reading it again (esp some scenes) and the next two stories to come. I like the story and it didn't leave me disappointed, hence, I wanted to review this new author.
The back ground people i wanted to read are Max and Faith, Yvette and Nico/Vyhilk - my favourite part was the beach scene with Y & V, my heart was in my mouth. However, it seems Richard's son has the main story of the next book which means we are not reading more on Brae - not sure how happy i am with that. In a Brit nutshell, i would recommend for a good read - don't get too caught up on the sex-shift in the beginning it only happens once, and it is all explained as to why it happened and what it means for the couple - all relevant to the plot. Happy to recommend
I found GR because i was trying to leave a review on Amazon, but haven't spent enough on it to do so. I read any and everything that keeps my interest and plow through those that don't because i hate for a book to beat me. I don't feel i have a genre, was told by a friend that the sex scenes in this book was hot, so couldn't turn that down. Read the other reviews before leaving mine, and decided to do the spoiler because i think i know what the issues are...
Sex scene kicks in early and he shifts in the middle of taking her up against the door!!! WTF! This isn't my genre, but i know shifters shift - vampires fangs appear, wolves howl and scratch, and Ursus shifters turn to bears! BOOM! I want this in manga! Gibson deals with this well, you get it was not intended by Richard/Kincaid and he cant stop it, and Brae is tripping on her newly found orgasm so doesn't realise it at the time. KA-POW! The DNF % is around this part depending on your settings. Brits will raise an eyebrow and think ok where is Gibson going with this, others may bow out. It's IR (BWWM) but this is not the main pull of the storyline. The IA first-time writing style is UK/Black Brit, so not the USA market - also they are well past their 20s so not the US thing at all, in my experience. I agree with one reviewer that this is a mature read and for people who know you can have a one-night stand and feel more than you thought possible (pardon the pun :) - my age gives me that experience, lmao. I'm not getting the "from nowhere" referencing as the blurb tells you he's a shifter. So, I'm going for this sex-shift setting the tone for the reader and its Marmite for some.
I, being a Brit, read on and i was happy i did. At the start you pick up Brae may be having a platonic affair with her mentor, and has no qualms with being in with the family. She's going on her annual working hols, chilling out with her BFF goes to their local and she meets her man. Now he's a bear shifter and knows she's his life-mate so wants to mate, marry, and live HEA on first sight. She fancies him rotten, they dance, she is turned on and is up for a one-night stand. When they take it to the hotel room (round two is when they make it to the bedroom, lol) she is taken to another level and realises he wants more than one night. I loved the descriptive sex scenes, and as much as my friend was making a big issues of them, i thought they were necessary for the plot and not just hot sex flung in the main story, so not erotica.
Sex has begun the bond and he needs to take her - follows the life-mates are connected by body, mind and spirit theme - she then feels a stronger connection to him but does not know why. She is taken to Mercinia and is kidnapped upon her arrival and the story really does take off from there. We learn of a previous mate, the background to this driven "work comes first" woman. What Gibson does is open a door of a galaxy of all different species of shifters and a planet ruled by Ursus shifters, who have cultures, beliefs and a history. I ended up really enjoying this story, and wanting to know more on the Ursus shifters and the planet/galaxy history.
Richard kidnapped Brae and another shifter kidnaps her from him, you love one and hate the other, but by the end you understand it all. I loved Brae's back story, it wasn't what i had expected and it answered the question of her attitude to love. The reason for the top starts isn't because its the best story every written, but because by the time i got to HEA end i got it, i loved the adventure, the couple, and wanted more, and more importantly i woke up still remembering and thinking of reading it again (esp some scenes) and the next two stories to come. I like the story and it didn't leave me disappointed, hence, I wanted to review this new author.
The back ground people i wanted to read are Max and Faith, Yvette and Nico/Vyhilk - my favourite part was the beach scene with Y & V, my heart was in my mouth. However, it seems Richard's son has the main story of the next book which means we are not reading more on Brae - not sure how happy i am with that. In a Brit nutshell, i would recommend for a good read - don't get too caught up on the sex-shift in the beginning it only happens once, and it is all explained as to why it happened and what it means for the couple - all relevant to the plot. Happy to recommend
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 28, 2018
This was a delightful love story with spicy sex scenes (London bus and tube over shoulder readers were getting very red in the face when I got too engrossed to remember to shift my screen). I LOL at the reference to awkward by one reviewer, as I recalled the particular sex scene referred to - the incident which took place must be a genre thing, I wasn't turned off and was intrigued as to how this would develop later (don't judge, lol). We have a H who comes from a race of bear shifter's (called Ursus shifter in the story) who find a life mate and bond to that mate by spirit, and a h who is human and thus is attracted/in lust with this H. The story developes as the two come together, his feelings are not questioned he knows it's love, but her's grow as the spiritual connection grows - from attraction, to lust and then to love, however, much happens in this story. I would say this is a standalone novel, and it didn't cliffhanger me into the next book. I loved how SL Gibson explained the shifter race, it has a adult feel to the writing style. One thing missing from the synopsis is the word suspense, this is a story which developes and the majority of my questions were answered in the end - we have a mate found, mated, taken from Earth because once mated H can't separate or he faces madness/death, kidnapping, assault, revelations and a HEA. I couldn't find a place to put this down and enjoyed it right to the very end. There were two background characters which I wanted to know more about, and I'm glad one is the main character of book two (synopses at the end of LCE)
This is an indie writer in the making, not yet there, but LCE interested me enough with the mature characters/storyline and descriptive style for me to get the next installment. It is not easy to find Black British authors writing this style/genre. I am happy to recommend.
This is an indie writer in the making, not yet there, but LCE interested me enough with the mature characters/storyline and descriptive style for me to get the next installment. It is not easy to find Black British authors writing this style/genre. I am happy to recommend.
July 20, 2018
I really didn’t like this book. The repetitive way the characters said each other’s name was annoying. I tried to get past it but then BAM, insta love. Couldn’t handle it. I tried to keep going even after these two things but then I realized that the author was dropping terms about the book and the characters but then wouldn’t explain wth they meant!! I was confused as heck!! The sex scene was one of THE most awkward things I’ve probably ever read. Just terrible and I only made it to 30%. I couldn’t even get any further, I was going to give it til 50% but no. Couldn’t do it.
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June 11, 2019As much as I am tempted to review my own book, I will not :)
Now available on paperback
Amazon UK
ebook: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07DCG6ZZP
Paperback: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1999617932
Amazon US and Global
ebook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DCG6ZZP
Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1999617932
Barnes and Noble - now available on paperback
Paperback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book...
Now available on paperback
Amazon UK
ebook: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07DCG6ZZP
Paperback: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1999617932
Amazon US and Global
ebook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DCG6ZZP
Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1999617932
Barnes and Noble - now available on paperback
Paperback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book...
September 1, 2020
Too Easy of a Read
Overall this book was a nice read. First, I thought this was going to be a alien or sci-fi BWWM novel, but it is actually a BWWM bear (Ursus-Latin for “bear”) shifter novel. With that said, I won’t be reading the second novel. Secondly, as refreshing as it was to read about a sister who did not spend at least 50% of the book fighting her feelings or love for the lead male, it was also quite boring. Hardly any action from the lead female. Normally, I am used to reading how the lead female has to battle for her survival or maybe fight with some type of jealousy from another female character, but not in this case. Lastly, as much as I wanted to like this book, connect with the characters, and story line, I just couldn’t. I really liked the character development and love between Richard/Kincaid and Brae, but some element was missing with this story to really make it memorable for me.
Overall this book was a nice read. First, I thought this was going to be a alien or sci-fi BWWM novel, but it is actually a BWWM bear (Ursus-Latin for “bear”) shifter novel. With that said, I won’t be reading the second novel. Secondly, as refreshing as it was to read about a sister who did not spend at least 50% of the book fighting her feelings or love for the lead male, it was also quite boring. Hardly any action from the lead female. Normally, I am used to reading how the lead female has to battle for her survival or maybe fight with some type of jealousy from another female character, but not in this case. Lastly, as much as I wanted to like this book, connect with the characters, and story line, I just couldn’t. I really liked the character development and love between Richard/Kincaid and Brae, but some element was missing with this story to really make it memorable for me.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews