And So The Breaking Begins: Mindbreaker Duet, Book 1 (An Age of War and Prophecy 3)
Lacey Lehotzky
4.2
Mercy (A gay gothic angel romance)
by Ian Haramaki
About this book
Queer Indie Awards 2023 Winner
A PRIEST AND HIS ANGEL...
Father Ilya Pavlovich Sokolov is a lonely priest and pariah of his small town. Tasked with killing an injured monster in the woods, Ilya is certain of his death. Instead, he heals the monster’s injury and lifts its curse, revealing a handsome, memory-less man.
Cocksure Danya is a man lost in an unfamiliar world. He struggles to recall his past life, flashes returning as he and Ilya grow closer. Soon, his appearance begins to change once more, but not into a beast — instead, Danya grows into something just like the Sun that Ilya has worshiped all his life.
With complicated pasts between them, the two must work together to deal with the corruption of Ilya's own church, as well as their blooming feelings for one another.
"This cozy gothic angel romance is sizzling but tender. Funny. Passionate. Tense. Heartbreaking. A beautiful portrayal of intimacy as reverence. Be prepared to savor every word." — Morgan Dante, bestselling author of Providence Girls
"A compelling tale of romance and healing, MERCY lures you into a world rich with history and mythology." — K. M. Enright, bestselling author of MISTRESS OF LIES
"MERCY is a whirlwind of magic, gay sex, and confronting trauma in the wake of love. Unputdownable romantasy, fun, sexy, depressing, hilarious — I will never recover. Pick it up for your sad priest and handsome angel fix." — Rafael Nicolás, bestselling author of ANGELS BEFORE MAN
"MERCY is an endearing story that tugged at my heartstrings too many times to count. Haramaki’s writing made me cry for these characters, connecting me so closely to them and their world. Ilya and Danya now are embedded in my heart, their love, their struggles, and their triumph. If you are a connoisseur of angels, you don’t want to pass up this book!" — S. S. Genesee, author of ALL TOMORROW’S PHOTOS
- Publication Date
- May 25, 2026
- ASIN
- B0CKT9XDRH
Reader Reviews
August 4, 2025
NO SPOILERS I originally bought this book digitally, but liked it so much that I will be purchasing the physical copy as well. It's such a well-done queer romance, juggles some topics of religion (fictional religion), and ends with a HEA. It's a slow-burn, emotional, historical fantasy. Medium pace, mostly character-driven, with some focus on the flaws of those characters (don't worry, there's great development). Overall, I'm obsessed with this book and will be rereading it for a long time to...
February 24, 2024
All in all, this book was a breath of fresh air after my poor luck with other poorly edited works. The writing was clear and concise, and the story itself was a fun read. My only complaint is that it felt a little rushed at the end, some certain things didn't make sense at that point especially, but that was at the very end and so I was determined to finish the book regardless. The romance itself was fun, though a lot of the spicy scenes felt a little unnecessary, I tended to skip past them (a...
February 13, 2025
Ian Haramaki built a very interesting world in this that I think is begging to be explored more. The 20s alternate earth setting with magic, monsters, angels, and the church being sun/moon worshippers has so much potential. A sequel could go in so many directions! Ilya and Danya had a sweet, slow burn romance that is one of my favorites in a while. I love hurt/comfort vibes, and this book DELIVERS. )
March 23, 2025
I like a side of religious trauma with my angsty achillean romances. Admittedly, the setting was a major sticking point for me. I wasn't sure why it was specifically set in the 1920s, as the specific year didn't seem to affect the plot and the characters were using slang from later decades like \"what's your damage?\" repeatedly. But the biggest sticking point was the town itself. The town felt less like a realistic place and more like I was in the head of someone with generalized anxiety...
June 17, 2024
One of tje best priest angel stories I ever read. Thebplot is on pint and I can see it worthy of a series. This explores the depths of one human's power of mercy and unconditional love, Pure and true and the depths of depravity of humans and their ideal for power over others. Love does con quer all! I need more books for this series. Great job Ian! ) One person found this helpful
