Review: 36. River Marked by Patricia Briggs...

I love love LOVE Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series, and couldn't wait to read River Marked... Alas, I did have to wait, but I did (finally) get my hands on a copy and inhaled it. I'm so going to read it again, when I find some extra time...

Title: River Marked (Mercy Thompson #6)
Author: Patricia Briggs
ISBN-13: 9780441019731
Hardover: 336 pages
Publisher: Penguin Group, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Purchased

drey's thoughts:
This newest installment in Patricia Briggs' popular Mercy Thompson series focuses on Mercy & Adam's relationship, and on Mercy's background. Who was her father, really? All she's ever known was what her mother told her. But then she meets a shaman who challenges her assumptions of her heritage. And drops a doozy of a revelation on her. Or does he?

Character: Mercy and Adam have gotten to the next part of their character growth--that of being a couple. Being able to trust that there's someone who has her back is something that Mercy has to work at, since she's used to being solitary more often than not. And I like the Mercy that emerges in River Marked. She's carefree, she laughs and giggles, you can almost feel her happiness radiating off the pages. I mean, seriously, she giggles! *grin*

I've always been an Adam fan, so 'nuff said. He's still yummy, and he's still taking care of my gal Mercy. Stefan needs a bit of a knock-down to get his head straight after the chaos from Bone Crossed (so of course Mercy provides it), and Jesse, Kyle, and Warren make an appearance. But otherwise, that's it for those we've grown to know and love--there's a new group of characters introduced here, and the one who stands out most is Coyote (because really, who else could it be, when Coyote's around??). I really enjoyed the Native American folklore that is infused into River Marked, I can't wait to see where the story goes from here.

Pace & Plot: This being a Mercy story, you know there's a whole lot of danger liberally sprinkled throughout. Why start making it easy for Mercy now? And indeed, the baddie here is baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad. Somehow, though, the baddie didn't get me all spooked and watching over my shoulder, like some of the previous villains have. Maybe because it just seemed so impossible to defeat? I don't know. All I can say is, in between laughing at Mercy giggling, smirking at Stefan's humor resurfacing, getting caught up in the Coyote-storyline and the baddie's appearances, you'll be glued to the pages until you get to the back cover. And then you'll be mad that you read it so fast and now have to wait for the next one. *sigh*

drey's rating: 4/5 Excellent!!

Have you read River Marked? What did you think?

63. Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs...

Title: Silver Borne (Mercy Thompson #5)
Author: Patricia Briggs
ISBN-13: 9780441018192
Hardcover: 342 pages
Publisher: Penguin, 2010
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon

FTC Disclosure: My copy of Silver Borne came by for a visit from my local library. And I looked at it for a while, wishing I could pick it up, while I was reading other books. I am an IndieBound and Amazon affiliate, and any purchases made by clicking on the cover or the links provided may result in monetary compensation.

drey's thoughts:
Oh Mercy. You sure know how to attract trouble, don't you? I mean, yeah, things are working out (slowly, sure, but it's all good...) with yummy Alpha Adam. And you're in one piece (mostly). But things have a way of smacking you upside the head while you're trying to have some fun with said yumminess...

In Silver Borne, the fae pick a fight with Mercy. Well, just a fae. But still. She turns things upside down for Mercy, and for Gabriel's family. If that wasn't enough, Adam's pack still has elements who aren't too thrilled about a mere coyote being second-in-command--and are letting it show. And Samuel's wolf is asserting itself because Samuel isn't looking out for their best interests. Whew.

I really think Mercy is my favorite urban fantasy heroine. And in this installment, she relies on her wits because she wasn't going to win by duking it out with the big bad fae, or even the pack. I heart me a girl who can think on her feet. *grin*

Waiting impatiently for the next book in this series...

drey's rating: 4/5 Excellent

Challenges: 100+, Pub, Support Your Local Library

185. Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs...

About the book:

Anne Latham didn't know how complicated life could be until she became a werewolf. And until she was mated to Charles Cornick, the son--and enforcer--of Bran, the leader of the North American werewolves, she didn't know how dangerous it could be either...

Anna and Charles have just been enlisted to attend a summit to present Bran's controversial proposition: that the wolves should finally reveal themselves to humans. But the most feared Alpha in Europe is dead set against the plan--and it seems like someone else might be, too. When Anna is attacked by vampires using pack magic, the kind of power only werewolves should be able to draw on, Charles and Anna must combine their talents to hunt down whoever is behind it all--or risk losing everything...

drey's thoughts:
Hunting Ground is Patricia Briggs' follow up to Cry Wolf, where Anna finds out that instead of being a worthless submissive in the pack, she's actually a rarity--an Omega. The one that all pack members strive to protect, and not because she's weak. But because she's outside of the pack's hierarchy.

In this sequel, Anna and Charles head to Seattle to attend a summit with the Alphas from the other continents, to discuss the "outing" of the werewolves. While there, they run into the most feared European Alpha, nicknamed "The Beast" because, well, he is. (ha ha)

Things turn tense when Anna is attacked by vampires, and another Alpha's spouse is killed. Hunting Ground is precisely that, as Anna and Charles try to stay ahead of their enemies, while trying to figure out who they are.

While I prefer the Mercy Thompson series, Briggs' Alpha and Omega books display another dimension into the werewolf. And this is not bad reading, at all. Pick it up if you (a) like weres, (b) like Charles, (c) want a good story to go along with your weres (and Charles)...

Title: Hunting Ground (Alpha & Omega #2)
Author: Patricia Briggs
ISBN-10: 044101738X
ISBN-13: 9780441017386
Paperback: 286 pages
Publisher: Penguin Group, 2009

Challenges: 100+, Pub, Series, Support Your Local Library

Disclosure: My copy of Hunting Ground came from my local public library. It went back home safely after this review was written.

61. Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs...

Bone Crossed is book #4 in Patricia Briggs' Mercedes Thompson series. I love Mercy. If you've never read the other books in this series, you'll want to do so before picking up Bone Crossed.

Mercy's story picks up from where Iron Kissed (#3) left off. While recovering, she accepts Adam's proposal to be his mate. The Scooby-Doo-loving thing that goes bump in the night shows up in her living room (hah!) and gives her a warning. Apparently Marsilia has found out what Mercy did in Blood Bound (#2), and wants retribution.

So, when an old college roommate shows up asking for help, Mercy goes. And leaps from the frying pan straight into the fire.

This was a quick read. I liked that it expanded on Mercy's relationship with Adam. She's growing (& you've probably figured out that growth in my main female characters is a good thing), she's learning, and she's standing up for those she cares about (another theme here...). And maybe it's just because I like Mercy, but I read it twice. Well, having to bring it back to the library probably has a teensy-weensy bit to do with that, too. =)

Title: Bone Crossed
Author: Patricia Briggs
ISBN-10: 0-441-01676-6
ISBN-13: 978-0-441-01676-1
Hardcover: 309 pages
Publisher: Ace Hardcover, 2009