Veena’s review of Fair Game (Alpha and Omega Series, Book 3) by Patricia Briggs
Paranormal Romance published by Ace 6 Mar 12

Fae, werewolves, witches, and vampires (not sure if they’re out) have revealed themselves to the human population of the world. It is now “Fair Game” for a serial killer to target werewolves. This urban fantasy by Patricia Briggs brings in Charles and Anna from the Alpha and Omega series of adventures as expert consultants to the FBI to help solve these murders.

Charles is second to Bran Cornick, Marrok (supreme alpha) over all the werewolf packs in North America. He is soul sick with guilt due to the number of wolves he has had to kill recently to enforce the pack laws. In order to give Charles some breathing room, he goes ostensibly as Anna’s bodyguard to help hunt the serial killer who is targeting werewolves.

Ably assisted by the local wolf alpha, the FBI, a Fae lord, and a witch, Charles and Anna work against the clock to find the latest victim, the fae lord’s daughter, who is in the hands of the serial killer. The suspense is masterful and the story moves at a very good clip toward a stunning conclusion.

Woven masterfully through the chain of events leading to solving the mystery and finding the serial killer is the relationship between Charles and Anna as they find their way toward dealing with the darkness in Charles and strengthening their relationship.

I believe this is one of Patricia Briggs’ best written books, certainly the best in the Alpha and Omega series. She delicately reminds readers of the links with the Mercy Thompson series by referring to events in her last book River Marked and also to the relationship between Bran, Adam, Mercedes, Charles and Anna. The world is certainly poised for great change at the end, so it will be interesting to see where she takes both series next. In the words of the author, “Changing times, as Coyote might say, lead to interesting adventures.”

Grade: A

Summary:

They say opposites attract. And in the case of werewolves Anna Latham and Charles Cornick, they mate. The son-and enforcer-of the leader of the North American werewolves, Charles is a dominant alpha. While Anna, an omega, has the rare ability to calm others of her kind.

Now that the werewolves have revealed themselves to humans, they can’t afford any bad publicity. Infractions that could have been overlooked in the past must now be punished, and the strain of doing his father’s dirty work is taking a toll on Charles.

Nevertheless, Charles and Anna are sent to Boston, when the FBI requests the pack’s help on a local serial killer case. They quickly realize that not only the last two victims were werewolves-all of them were. Someone is targeting their kind. And now Anna and Charles have put themselves right in the killer’s sights…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

When anyone asks me what I am waiting for, there is really only one book that I immediately think of. I am pretty blinded to anything else, so I had to look at what’s coming out. These are what I found, which I mostly knew about, but they just got shoved into the back of my mind.

Lover Unleashed by J. R. Ward

I don’t think anyone else could write a world like this and get away with it.

The Darkest Secret and Dark Taste of Rapture by Gena Showalter

I love her books. I can’t say I’ve ever read one I didn’t like. She is an auto buy for me, no matter what the book is.

The Vampire Voss by Colleen Gleason

I’m really looking forward to all her books that are coming out this year.  I love her Gardella Chronicles books, so I am excited for this one.

Ghost Story by Jim Butcher

Every April, it’s not spring that I am looking forward to, it’s Harry Dresden! My favorite Urban Fantasy man will be back again and I so cannot wait. This is my 2nd most wanted book this year.

Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh

This is the book I have been waiting years and years for! Hawke is just….well, words cannot describe how badly I want this book right now. I don’t think I have ever been so anxious for a book that wasn’t Harry Potter.

Naked City anthology

Jim Butcher and Patricia Briggs, it doesn’t get much better than them in urban fantasy.

Hidden Away by Maya Banks

I think this is my favorite contemporary series. Maya Banks knows how to write amazing emotional love stories.

I am going to stop here, there are so many books coming out this year, this list could be pages long.

So it seems I read more good books than bad in 2010, which is pretty great. These are the ones I loved most of all and that I now want to go read right this minute.

10. When Blood Calls by J. K. Beck – This book has one of my favorite heroes. I absolutely love Luke and I can see myself re-reading this again for him alone.  There is lots of great potential with this series, so I might be willing to overlook the second book. More on that one later, though. See my review here.

9. Bitter Night by Diana Pharaoh Francis – It’s hard to find an urban fantasy that stands out. I read so many books that if I don’t write down my thoughts I quickly forget what I love or hate about it. Bitter Night has stayed in my head and the next book, which just came out, is in my needs to be read soon pile.

You can read my review here.

8. The Darkest Hour by Maya Banks – Maya Banks has become a favorite author of mine when it comes to romantic suspense. Even though these don’t feel very much like romantic suspense to me, it has everything I usually want out of the genre. My emotions get involved and I’m hooked. I love the Kelly family and I hope I get to spend a lot more time with them in future books. My review is here.

7. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare – This book and series for me is like Twilight all over again. The staying up late, anxiety over what could happen next, wanting the couple to overcome their seemingly insurmountable problems and be together. For some reason young adult books turn me into the stereotypical romance reader. I become a teenage girl again and these books are like crack to me. I’m sure there are flaws in this book, but I get sucked in and I can’t see beyond the page I’m reading.  Also, I would pick Jace over Edward any day.

6. Enemy Within by Marcella Burnard – I don’t read sci fi romance nearly as often as I’d like to. It seems to be a genre that I forget how much I like it until I’m reading another book. I probably wouldn’t have thought to read this book unless it’s been sent to me to review. It really would have been a shame if I had missed this book. It’s fun and exciting, everything I could want from the genre.

5.  Mocking Jay by Suzanne Collins – This is a hard book to read, a hard series to read, but it belongs on my best of ever list. My review of it says it all, and I’d rather not get into the emotions of it all again. There are some books I just have a hard time moving on from once the final page is done, and this is one of them. I just hope the movie based on this series can live up to the book.

4. Kiss an Angel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips – I wish I could read this book again for the first time. I’m not a huge contemporary fan, I’m picky with them and I think it’s because paranormal is my first love. After reading about vampires, demons, and angels, real life books just seem a bit dull. Not at all the case with Kiss an Angel. This is the only contemporary book that is on my keeper shelf, which itself is not very big, I don’t tend to keep many books. I’m very tempted to go start this book again, just from typing this.

3. Silver Bourne by Patricia Briggs – This is one of my favorite series that I can honestly say I have enjoyed every book. Briggs knows how to write a story and keep it fresh. Mercy and Adam are on the top of my favorite characters list. If you haven’t read this series, then you are missing out.

2. Archangel’s Kiss by Nalini Singh- Of course I couldn’t make this list without having a book by Ms. Singh on it. She can’t really do any wrong to me, and I can add any of her books here. I love Elena and Raphael and the rest of the characters in this world. It’s angels and vampires, a must read for anyone.

1. Changes by Jim Butcher – I can’t think of anyone who tops Harry in the urban fantasy world. I can’t even express how much I love Harry, this world, and Jim Butcher. This is the 12th book in the series so I can’t really say anything without giving everything away. If you aren’t reading it, you should be.

And now…the bad. There aren’t as many, which was good for me.

5. Evermore by Alyson Noel- I don’t think this book would be so well liked if it wasn’t the ‘in’ thing right now. It doesn’t stand up to the really good paranormal young adult books. It’s boring and underwhelming.

4. Tempted by a Warrior by Amanda Scott – The characters are uninteresting and the plot is predictable. I couldn’t stand the heroine and I ended up skimming the book. Not sure I plan to bother reading any more by Amanda Scott.

3. Finding the Lost by Shannon K. Butcher – This book is just bad. It’s a series that I can’t seem to stop reading, even though I don’t like it very much. I do have to say the latest book in this series is a bit better, but not a great read by any means. Finding the Lost is my least favorite and I still don’t really care what happens to Andra and Paul. In fact, in the latest book, I hate Andra even more. She isn’t the type of person I could ever like, and because of her, I couldn’t find anything to like about Paul. See my review here.

2. When Pleasure Rules by J. K. Beck – What makes this so bad is not even the fact that it’s a bad story, but that I enjoyed the first book so much. I don’t understand how one book can be one of the better ones I’ve read and the next is almost the worst. I still don’t know if I will read the third book, I don’t want to waste time on what could be another bad book. I hate that what I thought would be a great new series has turned out to be such a dud. You can read my review here.

1. Shadows at Midnight by Elizabeth Jennings – My review pretty much says it all. I kind of wish I never had to read this. If I was one to throw books, it would have been this one.

]]> http://goodbadandunread.com/2011/01/10/ash-reviews-the-good-and-the-bad-of-2010/feed/ 1 http://goodbadandunread.com/2009/09/26/review-hunting-ground-by-patricia-briggs/ http://goodbadandunread.com/2009/09/26/review-hunting-ground-by-patricia-briggs/#comments Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:00:46 +0000 Gwen http://goodbadandunread.com/?p=7446

Gwen’s review of Hunting Ground (Alpha and Omega, Book 2) by Patricia Briggs
Paranormal romantic suspense released by Ace 29 Aug 09

I love Briggs’ storytelling.  Her books are always these lovely tales that are full of interesting, unique, and oddly believable paranormal elements.  You sincerely feel as if her world could exist and she’s just telling you about it like a newspaper relates events.  I love that kind of confidence in an author – I have no trouble giving them several hours of my time because I know it won’t be wasted. 

The Alpha & Omega books are set in the same world as the Mercy Thompson books.  While Mercy is told in first person POV, the A&O books are in third (yay!).  We get to see into all of the characters’ motivations and heads. There are a few common characters, some common story arcs, and common species, but that’s where the similarities between the two series ends.  And Hunting stands alone fine – no need to read the first book in the A&O  series; but why deprive yourself, read it already.

Charles and Anna are set the task of negotiating the U.S. werewolves’ “coming out” to the public.  They’re negotiating the reveal with the other werewolf communities – helping some to stay hidden, helping others with public relations expertise and expense, and just generally making sure everyone knows what is about to happen.

As you can imagine, there are quite a few beings who are NOT happy about this upcoming event.  There are plots within plots and lots of gamesmanship involved – some of it deadly.  I had a lot of fun reading all the action and machinations.

The romance between Charles and Anna continues to be sweet.  However, I would have liked to read more about their one on one time and that’s the only reason I dropped the grade from an A to a B.  Otherwise, I really enjoyed the book.

I highly recommend the book to fans of the author and the series.  It stands alone fine, so if you haven’t read any of the related books, please pick this one up.  It’s a very fun story chock-a-block with lots of interesting action and characters.

Grade: B++

Read other reviews and information by following the series’ tag here.

Summary:

Mated to werewolf Charles Cornick, the son -and enforcer -of the leader of the North American werewolves, Anna Latham now knows how dangerous being a werewolf is, especially when a werewolf opposes Charles and his father is struck down. Charles’s reputation makes him the prime suspect, and the penalty for the crime is execution. Now Anna and Charles must combine their talents to hunt down the real killer -or Charles will take the fall.

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series:

Untitled Book 3, Aug 2010

This just in (to me, at least)…

Patricia Briggs’s Mercy Thompson character is coming to a graphic novel near you 25 Aug 09! Read on for more info on this four comics series…

From the author’s site:

There’s been quite a bit of progress on the comic book front lately. The Dabel brothers are cooking right along, and new pages come out every other day or so. The art work is phenomenal, and David Lawrence is doing a wonderful job of working with Patty to make a successful adaptation (which involves some serious creativity on his part!). Actually, here’s an interview with Dave where he talks about working on the comics with Patty. The first four of the Mercy Thompson comics will soon be available in an omnibus edition, and I have permission to show some of the artwork here.

Consider yourself flashed.

Liviania’s review of Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson, Book 4) by Patricia Briggs
Urban fantasy hardcover released by ACE 3 Feb 09

I discovered Patricia Briggs on accident.  I picked up Dragon Bones (possibly her best book) from the library and fell in love.  I couldn’t be happier with the success of the Mercy Thompson series because it means I’m getting even more of her a year, especially with the spin-off Alpha and Omega series.  At the end of Iron Kissed she made a plot point I wasn’t sure I was cool with, so I was eager to see how she dealt with it in Bone Crossed as well as to see what trouble Mercy gets into.

So here’s your warning: I cannot discuss Bone Crossed without mildly spoiling the plots of both Iron Kissed and Blood Bound.  I’m being as vague as I can, but most of Bone Crossed deals with the fallout of the events in those novels.  Let’s give Briggs props for continuity.  (One of my favorite continuity nods: Mercy asks Bran about the teenage werewolf girl he took in last book.  I’d been curious what happened to her.)

Mercy’s love life should be on track since she realized she loves Adam and only loves Samuel as a friend.  Of course, it would be easier if she didn’t still have panic attacks.  At the end of Iron Kissed it seemed a bit early for Mercy to be ready to have sex again, so I was glad Adam and her ended up taking things slow.  Mercy’s recovering from what Tim did to her and it doesn’t help that the incident made national news.  Adam’s temper could worry me in the hero but Briggs does a great job of displaying his self-control.  He accepts Mercy taking care of some things herself more in this book, and Mercy works on accepting the help others can offer.

One thing that makes me sad about this series is it shifts focus between creatures.  I love that Blood Bound and Bone Crossed focus on the vampires since Stefan is an incredible character.  He’s loyal, has a strong sense of humor, but is willing to kill innocents to further his agenda.  Wulfe is still an enigma but we get the teensiest glimpse more of what drives him. But focus on vampires means some other characters don’t get much screentime.  Jessie barely shows up in this book, but she’s quite funny whenever she does.

Briggs excels at characters.  It drew me to her traditional fantasy and serves her even better in the longer series format.  You come back to a series to see what the characters are doing now, because their lives absorb you and you want to know how things turn out for them.  Her characters a multi-dimensional, engaging people and I can’t think of one who I’d wish she’d kill off.

As for plot, Mercy accepts a former friend’s offer to examine a haunting since she needs to get out of town.  Unfortunately, she runs into the only vampire in Spokane almost immediately.  Even worse, the haunting is more than Mercy can handle and it’s centered on a great kid.  Chad is only ten, but he does very well considering his father doesn’t believe the ghost exists and he still has to deal with being haunted.  In addition to those troubles, things have to be worked out so that it’s safe for Mercy to return to her shop and home.  Briggs makes the politics interesting and indicative of the creatures involved without spinning those parts out long enough to get boring.

Briggs mixes the two plots going along well, with each getting a decent amount of focus and neither becoming overly muddled.  Adam and Mercy made good steps forward in their relationship and I really believe the two of them can make it together.  This isn’t my absolute favorite urban fantasy series, but it’s definitely up there.  I can’t wait for the fifth book.  Briggs proved herself worthy of the jump to hardcover with Bone Crossed.

Grade: A-

Read other reviews and info for this series by following its tag.

Summary:
In a world where “witches, vampires, werewolves, and shape-shifters live beside ordinary people” (Booklist), it takes a very unusual woman to call it home. By day, Mercy Thompson is a car mechanic in Eastern Washington. By night, she explores her preternatural side. As a shape-shifter with some unusual talents, Mercy’s found herself maintaining a tenuous harmony between the human and the not-so- human on more than one occasion. This time she may get more than she bargained for.
Read an excerpt here

Other books in the series:

Shannon C.’s review of Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Book 1) by Patricia Briggs
Urban fantasy released by Ace 31 Jan 06

I know what you’re thinking. You are no doubt thinking to yourself, ‘What took you so long to start the Mercy Thompson books, Shannon?’ And you would be right. They have only been recommended to me on numerous occasions by lots of people, most notably Gwen, who, upon my random squeeing about this book over at Duckie Central, laughed and pointed me to her reviews of the rest of the series and implied that I might not have been paying sufficient attention to her great taste in books. Well, if they’re all this good, I will never doubt Gwen again. 

What works really well for me is Mercy herself. In a word, I love her. You know how in some books they tell you over and over that the heroine has a big heart? Yeah, well, we see that firsthand. Mercy is loyal to her friends, and is willing to do whatever she needs to in order to help them. And it’s that big-heartedness that made me a Mercy fangirl. She also seems fairly smart, and doesn’t just wade in with her size nines the way some urban fantasy heroines seem to. I even bought the love triangle, because I really did believe that Mercy cared about the two men she’s going to have to choose between, and there was no silly, “Oh, now why would you be interested in li’l ol’ me?” antics on her part.

I also felt the world-building was superb. I liked that the implications of how supernatural creatures would be treated if they came out of the closet were explored in greater detail. And the werewolf and vampire politics and maneuvering were fascinating.

This book wasn’t quite a keeper for me — I put it down fairly easily a time or two — but I did stay up way too late trying to finish it, and now I have the rest of the series to look forward to reading. Thankfully, there are only two other Mercy-centered books, so it’s possible I will actually manage to catch up before a new Mercy book comes out.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Mercy Thompson’s life is not exactly normal. Her next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she’s fixing a VW bus for a vampire. But then, Mercy isn’t exactly normal herself.

Read an excerpt.

LauraD’s review of Cry Wolf (Alpha and Omega, Book 1) by Patricia Briggs
Urban fantasy/Contemporary paranormal romance released by Ace 29 Jul 08

I had been hearing the buzz about Patricia Briggs’ new novel, so I was thrilled to win a copy from Avidbookreader. I am one of the few readers who hasn’t yet read one of the Mercy Thompson books, so I went into my first Patricia Briggs experience with a completely open mind.

Anna Latham is a werewolf; as the book begins she is in the process of leaving her pack in Chicago where she has been the object of sexual abuse on a regular basis. The pack leader is dead, killed by Anna’s new mate Charles. Charles is an alpha by nature, but instead of leading a pack he works as an enforcer for his father who leads all werewolves as the Marrok. The Marrok had sent Charles to Chicago to solve problems within the Chicago pack; while there Charles recognized Anna as a rare Omega wolf, with the power to calm other wolves. He also claimed her as his mate and she is moving to Montana to be part of the Marrok’s pack.

The first couple of chapters of Cry Wolf are quite confusing if, like me, you didn’t know that these characters were previously introduced in a short story from an anthology called On the Prowl. If you don’t read it first, you will be doing some guesswork and making some assumptions, as this book starts immediately after that short story ends. It’s possible that more of Anna’s backstory was told there, but the very abrupt beginning to Cry Wolf made me put it down for several days.

Fortunately, I picked it back up again. Patricia Briggs does a nice job of building her werewolf society without dumping a lot of information on the reader at one time. Characters are introduced when it’s appropriate and when they have a purpose. Unlike most series, no one exists just to scream “sequel bait”. I especially hope to see more of Asil as the series continues, I found his character fascinating.

Anna and Charles are just lovely. She has been badly abused, and Charles understands that it’s not something that Anna is going to get over quickly or easily. He makes many small, caretaking gestures that show her he can be trusted; and at one point when he is badly injured he changes from wolf to human because Anna needs him to be human – even though it will slow his healing significantly. Forced to be judge, jury, and sometimes executioner for his father, Charles battles internal demons but keeps his morals and ethics intact.

On her part, Anna is brave and open minded; while she occasionally wants to obey her flight instinct she isn’t stupid. She understands the changes in her life are inevitable, and she approaches them head on.

Of course, there is a suspense plot. A rogue werewolf is in the Montana forests, and a human has seen it. Charles has to find the werewolf, and take care of the problem one way or another. Anna convinces him to take her with him into the woods, and they battle both the elements and genuine evil.

Cry Wolf is a great start to what is probably going to be a wonderful series. I wish the book itself had a better start; for me the abrupt beginning was what kept it from being an “A” read. I’m just hoping there’s not an anthology published between this Alpha and Omega book and the next one; I don’t want to start off behind again!

Grade: B+

Read other reviews by following the Cry Wolf tag.

Summary:

Anna never knew werewolves existed until the night she survived a violent attack…and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she’d learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. But Anna is that rarest kind of werewolf: an Omega. And one of the most powerful werewolves in the country will recognize her value as a pack member-and as his mate.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Gwen’s review of Cry Wolf (Alpha and Omega, Book 1) by Patricia Briggs
Urban fantasy/Contemporary paranormal romance released by Ace 29 Jul 08

Patricia Briggs has been on my very short list of favorite writers ever since I read the first book in the Mercy Thompson series, Moon Called, in February 2006. I wait, very impatiently, for each new Mercy release. It looks like I’ll be waiting, equally impatient, for future releases in the “Anna and Charles” series. Yes, it was that good.

With the Mercy Thompson books, Briggs created a world where the paranormal is beginning to take hold in everyday life. “Normal” people are slowly being introduced to the not so normal – fae, vampires, etc. And, soon, werewolves will be part of the known universe. Unless those opposed to the revelation get their way. Cry Wolf is set in Mercy’s world and focuses on the leader of all the American werewolves – the Marrok – and his pack, of which Charles and Anna, our hero and heroine, are part.

(First – sincere apologies for the grammar in this paragraph, but I just can’t force myself to adhere to The Rules tonight.) One of the things I like the most about Briggs’s writing is how rich in detail it is. Her world has a smell and taste, and I can feel the characters’ environment on every page. The writing isn’t bogged down one bit by this attention to detail – in fact, it is all dovetailed with extraordinary emotional development. Briggs has an elegance to her pacing and phrasing that delivers a punch in every sentence. And, thankfully, Briggs has not written Cry Wolf in first person – unlike Mercy’s books.

The lead characters in Cry Wolf, Anna and Charles, share large portions of the stage with Charles’s father and other members of his pack. Even so, we get to know Anna and Charles very well, and they’re more than one dimensional characters in this book. The beginning of their relationship is in the short story “Alpha and Omega”, however, so be aware that if you pick this book up without reading it, you may feel a bit at sea with some details. I recommend reading it before read Cry Wolf, though I think someone familiar with Mercy’s world could skip it.

Where the Mercy books are strictly urban fantasy with really no HEA’s, this book definitely has one. The emotional development is very satisfying and the action is gripping. I can’t say enough good about this book without gushing very unbecomingly.

I highly recommend this book to any fans of paranormal romance. I highly recommend the Mercy books to anyone who loves urban fantasy, as well. I also highly recommend Briggs’s writing to anyone who simply likes an elegant turn of phrase.

Grade: A

Summary:

Anna never knew werewolves existed, until the night she survived a violent attack… and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. Then Charles Cornick, the enforcer – and son – of the leader of the North American werewolves, came into her life.

Charles insists that not only is Anna his mate, but she is also a rare and valued Omega wolf. And it is Anna’s inner strength and calming presence that will prove invaluable as she and Charles go on the hunt in search of a rogue werewolf – a creature bound in magic so dark that it could threaten all of the pack…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

• The prequel to the Alpha and Omega series is the short story “Alpha and Omega” in the anthology On the Prowl. Read my review here.

What’s next for Briggs:

• Briggs’s short story, “Star of David,” is in the Christmas anthology Wolfsbane & Mistletoe and is in Mercy’s world. Excerpt here. Releases in Dec 08.
• Book 4 in the Mercy Thompson series, Bone Crossed, releases 3 Feb 09. There’s an excerpt in the back of Cry Wolf. Squeee!

Gwen’s review of Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson Series, Book 3) by Patricia Briggs
Contemporary paranormal fantasy published 2 Jan 08 by Ace (Penguin)

Briggs’s Mercy Thompson books have consistently delivered several things:  well-developed and interesting characters, complex and compelling plots, unique details, and some good sexual tension.  Iron Kissed is no exception – it delivers all of the quality I’ve come to expect and entertains beyond all expectations. 

In Iron Kissed we learn more about Mercy’s former boss, Zee, and the fae.  She feels compelled to be Zee’s champion, contrary to all common wisdom and warnings.  She gains the support of an inanimate fae object along the way – something that helps her in the clinch.  She also gains the attention of the fae’s Gray Lords – something that definitely isn’t desirable.  This is all deliciously twisted and convoluted and oh so interesting to read.  Very fun paranormal/fantasy elements.

Also in this book, Mercy has an epiphany about her love life.  How she reaches it and what she does with it is so worth the wait in the previous books.  I bemoaned Mercy’s lack of “busy-ness” in the previous books.  Briggs’s resolution to that lack is very satisfying.  We actually get a sort-of-HEA in this book, unlike the others.

Read my review of Blood Bound here, and On The Prowl – Alpha and Omega here.  This book stands alone, but you will enjoy it a lot more if you read the previous entries.  Briggs doesn’t belabor details and doesn’t rehash a lot of previous plot points, so some things may be confusing, though you’ll still enjoy the story.

If you’re a fan of paranormal, contemporary/urban fantasies, you will love this series.  If you’re simply a fan of excellent writing, you’ll love this series.  If you’re a fan of strong female characters, you will adore this series.  This book is icing on the Mercy Thompson cake.  I cannot wait for the next entry.

Grade: A

Blurb:

When her former boss and mentor is arrested for murder and left to rot behind bars by his own kind, it’s up to shapeshifting car mechanic Mercy Thompson to clear his name, whether he wants her to or not. And she’ll have to choose between the two werewolves in her life-whether she wants to or not.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Same world, but different story line:

What’s next for this author :

[Taken from Briggs' website] The first “Anna and Charles” book is finally done, and is tentatively titled Cry Wolf…  Cry Wolf picks up the story of Anna, an omega werewolf who spent several years in a dysfunctional pack, and Charles, a powerful werewolf sent to clean up the mess. Their story began as a short story, Alpha and Omega published in On The Prowl, an anothology of urban fantasy stories… [note from Gwen - these characters are related to and live in Mercy's world, but it's a separate story line.]

Gwen’s Review of Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson Series, Book 2) by Patricia Briggs
Paranormal/Fantasy romance published 30 Jan 07 by Ace Books (Penguin)

Blood Bound is book 2 of Briggs’ novels surrounding a mechanic named Mercedes (Mercy) Thompson and her world. Book 1 was Moon Called  is not a prerequisite, but is a fine book on its own. 

Briggs surprised me again by how she’s able to completely suspend my disbelief – making me believe in her characters and the story. I never had that moment of “yeah, THAT can happen.” These two books are less love story than action-adventure, though, so read them if you’re ready for a change. I think the character relationships are involved and complex enough to satisfy any but the most demanding romance reader. They’re just not the conventional HEA.

Mercy Thompson is a coyote walker (can shift to the form of a coyote at will).  Her friends are vampires, werewolves, and fae. The world Briggs creates in these two novels is rich with interesting, diverse characters, complicated relationships, and normal concerns (getting up for work and dealing with the mundane). I really like Mercy and would love to find myself having coffee with her one day, laughing about the heap she keeps in her yard to annoy her neighbor (you have to read it to understand). The overall story arc is well conceived and very satisfying – and she leaves us wanting to know more about Mercy and her world.

I really enjoyed this book. The pages kept flipping, and I kept laughing at the dialog or something the characters did. I was also left on the edge of my seat with some of the action and suspense. It’s a rich, complex world that Briggs has wrought and one I want to visit again. Here’s hoping we see Mercy soon and that she gets busy with one of the seriously steamy guys she hangs with.

Grade: B

Blurb:

A sorcerer-turned-vampire wreaks havoc on Washington’s Tri-Cities, causing death, destruction and a paranormal faceoff in the second of Briggs’s series featuring Mercy Thompson, a mechanic and “walker”: one who can turn into a coyote at will. After attempts by the paranormal community to destroy the malevolent sorcerer fail, Mercy finds herself pulled into the fray: though her werewolf and vampire friends are stronger than she, it turns out that Mercy’s abilities make her the only one in town who can save them all. While she discovers the truth about her powers, she also learns more about her past, and the werewolves who raised her. Though the romantic subplot-involving two rival werewolves, Alpha wolf Adam and Mercy’s roommate Samuel-fizzles, Briggs has a refreshing knack for imbuing her characters (even non-humans) with lived-in human qualities. When it gets going, this paranormal adventure story is engaging, but a flabby first-person narrative stunts the suspense.

Read an excerpt.