IN RED, WITH PEARLS by Patricia Briggs

Title: "In Red, With Pearls"
Anthology: Down These Strange Streets
Series: Mercy's World
Author: Patricia Briggs

Summary

Warren, the third in  the Columbia Basin Pack, works as a bodyguard and investigator for the clients of his human mate, Kyle Brooks.  Kyle is a divorce lawyer, and though he is good at deceiving his opponents, his clients and sometimes their kids are in need of protection, which is one thing that werewolves are particularly good at.

But one night, a client comes to speak with Kyle.  Thankfully, Warren can tell immediately that she is not all she seems.  Soon, with the help of Nadia, the niece of the pack's witch, Warren sets out to figure out who would be able to create a zombie, and who wants Kyle dead.

My Impression

I have to say, I was a bit disappointed with this short story.  I really love Warren and Kyle, so I couldn't wait to read a short story about them.  This story wasn't really about them, though.  While they were definitely the main characters, the story was most concerned with trying to figure out who wanted to kill Kyle; there wasn't much about their relationship, other than Warren has to protect Kyle and he is afraid that one day his methods might drive him away.

I also thought there were a few hasty jumps made in the story. While Warren was able to figure out who was behind the entire assassination attempt, I found it hard to connect the dots, and I wasn't able to really follow his train of thought until he had already uncovered the bad guys.  It felt too rushed, and I found myself being distanced from the situation because I couldn't follow along as Warren played investigator.

Why I Picked Up This Book

I really love Warren's character, and I was excited to see more about his relationship with Kyle.

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Romance
My Rating: Three Stars

Interested in other books by Patricia Briggs?  Check here to read my reviews of other books from this series.

SILVER BORNE by Patricia Briggs

Title: Silver Borne
Series: Mercy Thompson #5
Author: Patricia Briggs

Summary

Mercy is no longer a target for the Mid-Columbia Seethe, and she has repaid her debts to the fae and the vampires, with interest.  It would seem like Mercy can finally fly under the radar...except that life as a coyote is never peaceful.

In Iron Kissed, Mercy borrowed a book from Phineas Brewster, one that would help her learn some of the basic fae stories and artifacts.  When Tad calls and says Phineas is wondering if Mercy still has the book, she offers to return it. But Phin seems to have disappeared, and there are strange fae lurking around his bookstore and his home.  One thing Mercy knows is that if these fae are interested in the book, the only way she will be able to find Phin is if the book stays hidden.

The fae aren't the only people Mercy has to worry about.  Mercy's new status as pack member and mate to Adam is upsetting quite a few people, and they are doing what they can to get Mercy kicked out of the pack.  And something is wrong with Samuel, something bad enough that his wolf has taken control.  If Mercy can't figure out a way to fix Samuel, then he won't live much longer.

My Impression

I'm glad that this book focused on more of the pack dynamics.  Though Mercy was officially brought into the pack in Bone Crossed, the focus of that book was primarily on "vampire politics".  It was obvious from other books that there are a few members of the pack that barely tolerate Mercy, and that the only reason they don't attack her is because of Adam's protection.  I liked learning about other members of the pack and the unrest that has been taking place.

I also liked the plot with Samuel. This is another story that has been building throughout the series, and it seems pretty logical that Mercy becoming Adam's mate would increase Samuel's depression.  And since we learned in Iron Kissed that Samuel views Mercy as pack, I like that she is the one he turns to, and that the blame isn't placed on her.  It was also interesting to see the differences between Samuel and his wolf, since the only other characters we have seen that kind of characterization in are Charles and Anna.

Though the fae plot doesn't dominate this book, I think I enjoyed it because it built in intensity as the book went on.  It was also pretty cool that the fae that become involved have a history with other characters from the series, so meeting them also meant learning a bit of the past.

Why I Picked Up This Book

I just can't put this series down.

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Romance

My Rating: Five Stars

Interested in other books by Patricia Briggs?  Check here to read my reviews of other books from this series.

BONE CROSSED by Patricia Briggs

Title: Bone Crossed
Series: Mercy Thompson #4
Author: Patricia Briggs

Summary

Mercy was able to prove Zee's innocence, but at a high cost; as tough as she may be, Mercy still panics at the memory of Tim and his abuse.  She is trying hard to not feel victimized, but it's hard when everyone is walking on eggshells around her.

But Mercy has other things to worry about. When a starved Stefan shows up in her trailer, Mercy knows that Marsilia has discovered her betrayal.  While none of the vampires are making a direct move against her, Mercy's friends soon become targets; so when Mercy's friend comes to visit claiming she has a ghost in her house that is terrorizing her son, it seems best for everyone involved in Mercy goes to investigate.  Mercy believes that leaving town will lessen the targets on her friends' backs, whereas everyone else seems to believe that it will protect Mercy from the vampires' reach.

Either way, vampires don't just live in the Tri-Cities, and Mercy has a tendency to attract trouble, or in this case, the notice of the only vampire in Spokane.

My Impression

My main happiness with this book is that the love triangle has been dissolved. There is still some tension, which I find totally realistic, but I was worried that the love triangle would hold back this series, so I'm glad that it didn't overstay its welcome.  I am also really happy that Mercy chose Adam. While I do like Samuel's character, I never felt that Mercy could have a healthy relationship with him, which she also seemed to be aware of.

However, I also liked that things didn't just automatically work between Adam and Mercy. Much of this has to do with the Tim events at the end of Iron Kissed, events which were painful to read, and while I wish Mercy had been able to escape with less abuse, it did give the series a way of easing into the relationship between the two. (I really hope this doesn't make me sound like a monstrous person.)

The way that Mercy dealt with her rape and abuse was also realistic, in my opinion.  I found it believable that Mercy would quickly become irritated with being treated with pity, especially since she has a hard time controlling her panic attacks.  I also liked that she couldn't just brush away the horror of her rape, which was one thing I also feared with this book.  While Mercy is a remarkable strong woman, it would have been hard to believe that she could walk away without being haunted in some way.

As far as the plot went, I wasn't super interested in Blackwood, the vampire from Spokane, or the ghost haunting Amber's house. I liked that it gave a bit more insight into Mercy's abilities, and that it was one instance where Mercy really got herself into trouble; outside of that, I was more interested in the things happening in the Tri-Cities.

Why I Picked Up This Book

I honestly love this series, as well as Briggs' Alpha & Omega series.

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Romance
My Rating: Four Stars

Interested in other books by Patricia Briggs?  Check here to read my reviews of other books from this series.

IRON KISSED by Patricia Briggs

Title: Iron Kissed
Series: Mercy Thompson #3
Author: Patricia Briggs

Summary

Mercy fulfilled her debt to the vampires, but she was only asked to kill one vampire, not two.  Now it is only a matter of time before Marsilia realizes Mercy's betrayal and targets her.

In the meantime, Mercy travels to the Walla Walla far reservation to payback her debt to Zee. Some of the fae have been murdered, and Zee thinks Mercy's nose will help uncover who is behind the murders. But when the killer is discovered dead and Zee is found at the scene of the crime, Mercy refuses to let him be accused of a crime he didn't commit.

The Gray Lords seem content to let an innocent fae take the punishment for the crime in order to protect themselves from public scrutiny, so Mercy has to take the investigation into her own hands.  And she'll soon discover that sometimes the most monstrous people don't look like monsters.

My Impression

The characters in this series often comment that Mercy, like the coyote, seems to attract trouble. While that may be the case, it's more that she does whatever it takes to save her friends, but then she ends up owing favors.  She gets involved with vampire business in Blood Bound because she needed a favor from the vampires in order to save Adam and Jessie in Moon Called. While she is fulfilling her debt to the vampires, she asks a favor from the fae, which results in a debt that drags her into fae business in this book. I like that, though Mercy does seem to always find herself in danger, she doesn't go searching for it, and what may start as repaying a debt quickly becomes protecting her friends.

The love triangle is still there, though I did appreciate that it received more acknowledgement in this one. Mercy is obviously aware of the growing tension, and she knows that she needs to make a decision soon.  By the end, there is closure! (Though I won't say how.)

I enjoyed this book more that Blood Bound, and I'm not sure if that is because this book is focused on the fae instead of the vampires, or if there is some other reason. However, as much as I liked this book, I felt that there was very little focus on the werewolves. Though Mercy has been claimed by Adam, she isn't pack, so I can understand why the wolves aren't always the focus of this series, but I find them more interesting than the other characters, especially since they are the ones who Mercy most strongly associates with.

Why I Picked Up This Book

It's the next book in the Mercy Thompson series.

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Romance
My Rating: Four Stars

Interested in other books by Patricia Briggs?  Check here to read my reviews of other books from this series.

BLOOD BOUND by Patricia Briggs

Title: Blood Bound
Series: Mercy Thompson #2
Author: Patricia Briggs

Summary

After saving Adam, the alpha of the Columbia Basin Pack, and his daughter, Jesse, from the werewolves that had captured them, Mercy is ready to return to her life as a mechanic.

The only problem is that Mercy asked for Stefan's protection when she faced his vampire seethe, so she now owes him a favor.  When Stefan calls Mercy and asks for her help, she has no choice but to agree.

Stefan and Mercy visit a vampire who is visiting town without the permission of Marsilia, the Mistress of the Seethe.  Stefan doesn't trust this vampire, and with good reason.  Death surrounds his visit, and as she digs deeper in to the world of the vampires, Mercy learns that this one may not be an ordinary vampire.  But Mercy has proven that she can handle bad guys, and she'll need every bit of strength to save her friends from the monster that's now living in the Tri-Cities.

My Impression

This book goes deep into the world of the Mid-Columbia Seethe.  I liked that I got to learn more about the vampires in Mercy's world, especially since she is friends with Stefan, despite the warnings she receives from the wolves and fae.  The vampires are very political, much like the werewolves, but it is obvious that everyone who is aware of the existence of vampires is against revealing their existence to humans. I like that Briggs paints the darkness of the vampires in a way that clearly makes them seem monstrous but still allows us to see the moral side of certain vampires, such as Stefan.  As much as I liked this book, and I liked learning about the vampires, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed Moon Called.

There is also more development in the love interest in this series, though it does take a back seat to the vampire plot.  It's clear that Adam has feelings for Mercy, but Samuel also has an interest in Mercy, so she has to deal with the competition between the two dominant werewolves, as well as decide which one she wants to be with.  I both love and hate this development.  I think it's realistic that Mercy would still have an attraction to her first love, and that as a dominant werewolf, Samuel would want another shot at having Mercy as his mate; however, I really like the chemistry and understanding that Mercy and Adam have, and Samuel is just getting in the way.

Something I really liked about this book is that Mercy is a unique character, and though she is not always certain that she will come out on top, she is always willing to do what she can to save her friends.  Though some characters have more confidence in her strength and her ability to defeat monsters that the werewolves, vampires, and fae can't, there are still some that doubt her because she can turn into a coyote. Nevertheless, Mercy seems to be able to get herself out of the trouble that she gets into, even if she isn't sure that she can.

Why I Picked Up This Book

After reading Moon Called I wanted to find out what happened to Mercy.

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Romance
My Rating: Four Stars

Interested in other books by Patricia Briggs?  Check here to read my reviews of other books from this series.