Title: Bone Crossed
Author: Patricia Briggs
Series: Mercedes Thompson #4, Mercy-verse #13
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Werewolves
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ace fantasy
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: Still, as Warren had said, it is a good thing to know your enemies.

Welcome to Patricia Briggs’s world, a place where “witches, vampires, werewolves, and shapeshifters live beside ordinary people. It takes a very unusual woman to call it home – and there’s no one quite like Mercy Thompson.

As a shapeshifter with some unique talents, ace car mechanic Mercy has had to maintain a tenuous harmony between the human and the not so human within the Tri-Cities of Eastern Washington on more than one occassion. But this time she may be in over her head.

Marsilia, the local Vampire Queen, has learned that Mercty crossed her by slaying a member of her clan. Now she’s out for blood. But since Mercy is protected from the vampire’s direct reprisal by the werewolf pack – and her close relationship with its sexy Alpha – it’s not Mercy’s blood which Marsilia is after…

It’s her friends’.

Although the activities in Iron Kissed were kind of horrifying, it was nice to end on the note that it did. With Mercy making her choice, and starting her life with Adam. The last scene is the very beginning of their courtship, and I remember when I first read Iron Kissed, I actually double checked to make sure that my book wasn’t missing a page. Which is just where Bone Crossed picks up… Mercy and Adam figuring out their completely new relationship. Although, to be fair, very, very, very little of this story is about that… mostly it’s about the fall out from Mercy’s actions in  Blood Bound, with just enough romance and emotional connections to make it heart warming and beautiful.

Bone Crossed also introduces a part of Mercy’s past (not to mention her mother) that hadn’t previously been seen. The return of an old nemesis (of sorts), and promise of a clean getaway from Marsilia’s revenge are, as predicted, dramatic. Mercy is forced to literally jump from the frying pan into the fire. And, although you just know that that is what’s happening, the way in which Briggs goes about it is still surprising. The amount of trouble that Mercy finds herself in, and the quarter from which it comes is spine tingling and enjoyable.

Werewolf politics are thoroughly investigated in the first few books of this series. Even the motivations of the fae are delved into a little, but, it’s only in Bone Crossed that the far reaches of vampire politics begin to be explored. There is something about vampires that is not only more terrifying, but also far more convoluted than anything the werewolves or fae have managed to concoct thus far…. Although, that might just be until the next book….

Image source: SF Reviews

Title: Iron Kissed
Author: Patricia Briggs
Series: Mercedes Thompson #3, Mercy-verse #12
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Werewolves
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ace fantasy
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: The magazines on the bottom shelf had given up any pretense of art – judging by the photos on the covers.

I could smell her fear, and it satisfied something deep inside me that had been writhing under her cool, superior gaze. I curled my upper lip so she could get a good look at my sharp teeth. I might only weigh thirty or so pounds in my coyote shape, but I was a predator…

Mechanic Mercy Thompson can shift her shape – but not her loyalty. When her former boss and mentor is arrested for murder and left to rot behind bars by his own kind, it’s up to Mercy to clear his name, whether he wants her to or not.

Mercy’s loyalty is under pressure from other directions, too. Werewolves are not known for their patience, and if Mercy can’t decide between the two she cares for, Sam and Adam may make the choice for her…

This is both one of my favourite, and least favourite books. Mostly because of the fact that it features sexual abuse. The very ending of the book makes me cry every single time. Not just because of the horrors that Mercy is forced to face, but also because of the fact that she has an amazing support system. And, that you finally find out what has happened in Ben’s past to make him such a dick.

Where Moon Called was about werewolves, Blood Bound about vampires, Iron Kissed delves deeper into the world of the fae. Zee’s calling in of a favour (much like Stefan’s) leads to a world of pain, and Mercy’s further discovery of the things that truly go bump in the night. I love that there is a lot of well-informed bases upon the lores of the fae. But, Briggs is able to bring it to a modern setting and in a way that makes it almost plausible to believe that the fae could be existing alongside us.

Iron Kissed forces Mercy to not only begin to face her past, but it also forces her to make a choice about her future. Sam and Adam have been vying for her attention since Moon Called, and she needs to make a choice before it all ends in bloodshed. Sometimes a good love triangle is fun in a story, but the fact that Mercy is so quickly forced into a decision in this series, actually is more enjoyable. I loved the fact that she is kind of indecisive, but there is also a lack of the back and forth that is present in a lot of series. Don’t get me wrong, that is fun. But it’s also nice for a romance to start quite early in a series.

Image source: SF Reviews

Title: Blood Bound
Author: Patricia Briggs
Series: Mercedes Thompson #2, Mercy-verse #11
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Werewolves
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ace fantasy
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: “I understand,” said Stefan.

Under the rule of science, there are no witch burnings allowed, no water trials or public lynchings. In return, the average law-abiding, solid citizen has little to worry about from the things that go bump in the night. Sometimes I wish I was an average citizen…

Mechanic Mercy Thompson has friends in low places – and in dark ones. And now she owes one of them a favor. Since she can shapeshift at will, she agrees to act as some extra muscle when her vampire friend Stefan goes to deliver a message to another of his kind.

But this new vampire is hardly ordinary – and neither is the demon inside of him…

The hits keep rolling for Mercedes Thompson. After asking for Stefan’s help in rescuing Adam, she has to return the favour. Which, since this is Mercy Thompson, means that things go wildly out of control. This might be the story in the entire series that gave me the most goosebumps actually. And I have, at some point or other, read most of them.

There is something about vampires that is kind of scary. Or at least, well written ones. Although Stefan drives a Mystery Van, and obviously cares for Mercy, he is kind of intimidating throughout this. There is a reminder that although he is “one of the good guys”, he’s still a vampire. He’s still evil and has to subsit on others’ deaths and blood. Mercy’s introduction into this world, of which she knows nothing, is intense and terrifying. The added complication of Samuel’s sudden return to her life, and Adam’s pledge of affection just help to raise the stakes higher and higher.

Where Moon Called was about Mercy’s interactions with the werewolves, and introduced Briggs’ hierarchy, Blood Bound is about the vampires. As Mercy slowly discovers more and more about the intricacies of vampire politics, so do we, and it is certainly an amazing journey. Her ability to somehow overcome dangers and predators far greater than herself and her willingness to do anything to save her friends is a testament to how amazing this heroine is.

Image source: Pinterest

Title: Moon Called
Author: Patricia Briggs
Series: Mercedes Thompson #1, Mercy-verse #6
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Werewolves
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ace fantasy
Year: 2006
5th sentence, 74th page: Bran didn’t have a telephone at his home – or hadn’t when I left.

Werewolves can be dangerous if you get in their way, but they’ll leave you alone if you are careful. They are very good at hiding their natures from the human population, but I’m not human. I know them when I meet them, and they know me, too.

Mercy Thompson’s sexy next-door neighbour is a werewolf.

She’s tinkering with a VW bus at her mechanic shop that happens to belong to a vampire.

But then, Mercy Thompson is not exactly normal herself… and her connection to the world of things that go bump in the night is about to get her into a whole lot of trouble.

Mercedes Thompson is one of my all-time, all-time favourite literary characters. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read Moon Called since I first bought it – it’s a great book to pick up when I don’t know what to read and every time I pick it up, I discover a new aspect of the story that I had previously missed. Mercy is a great mix of intrinsic toughness and independence, with a caring and compassionate centre.

The amount of detail that Briggs puts into her storyline and world is amazing. Mercy’s unique voice and way of explaining the world of werewolves slowly unfolds the complex social rituals of another species. The sass with which this information is delivered adds to the amusement and delight of this new world. The gradual unfolding of the world of werewolves alongside the greater story of death, mayhem and conspiracies was a great technique to impart a lot of knowledge without completely overloading my brain.

There are a lot of vampire and werewolf books out there these days – the literary world of paranormal fantasy and romance seems to have seriously expanded recently. So, finding a really independent voice and unique character is rare. So is finding a series that portrays vampires and werewolves as dangerous predators worthy of respect, instead of romanticised, misunderstood creatures.

Image source: Patricia Briggs