Archive for patricia briggs
Fantasy Book Review – Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
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Cry Wolf is the first installment in a new urban fantasy book series by Patricia Briggs.
Anna Latham, attacked by a werewolf, spent 3 years barely existing in a male dominated pack led by a cruel and abusive pack leader. Anna was frequently the target of his sadistic treatment; it was only after his death (caused by Anna) that she learned the reason for his cruelty. Turns out Anna is an Omega, a special werewolf possessing the power to heal and calm those around her. Omegas are rare; Anna’s former pack leader mistreated her because he feared her power.
Soon after her pack leader’s demise Anna is approached by Charles Cornick, the son of the North American Marrok, the top dog (sorry) amongst werewolves. Charles met Anna before and is convinced that she is his life mate. Because Anna didn’t feel safe with her remaining pack members she agrees to accompany Charles to his homestead in Montana.
Anna and Charles are soon alerted by Charles’ father Bran about a recent brutal mauling of a human in Bran’s territory. All evidence indicates that the killer is a rogue werewolf. Although Charles is still physically recovering from a recent fight to defend Anna, Bran needs Charles, his best enforcer, to personally handle this problem. Bran also suggests that Anna accompany Charles on this mission because of her special powers.
Patricia Briggs is renowned for her ability to develop believable characterizations; Cry Wolf is no exception. The awkwardness that exists between two people who are attracted to one another but not fully trusting of one another is accurately depicted in Charles and Anna’s relationship. Placing them alone in the harsh snow-ridden wilderness forces them to depend on each other’s strengths.
The suspense leading up to the showdown with the creature responsible for the killings is thoroughly engrossing and unpredictable, making for a great read. This book will cause your emotions to run the gamut from sadness to jubilation and from fear to relief. I was so focused on finishing the book that I almost missed an important doctor’s appointment. This is a well written book which effectively blends adventure, suspense, and romance. It receives a “Best Fantasy Book” recommendation.
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Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs
Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs
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Iron Kissed represents Book 3 of Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series. In this one Mercy once again finds herself thrust into the politics of one of the supernatural races; this time it’s the fae, one of the more secretive magical groups. She finds out the hard way that “curiosity killed the cat” can apply to shape shifting coyotes like her as well.
Oh, and on top of that her love life is an absolute mess.
The Story
Mercy’s mentor, former boss, and fae member “Zee”, asks her to accompany him to a crime scene to see if she can “sniff out” the identity of a killer (mass murderer to be exact). You see, someone has killed several fae and thus far, the murders have gone unsolved. Zee knows that Mercy, a shapeshifter that can take on the form of a coyote, has a heightened sense of smell after she’s shifted. He’s hoping she can identify the scent of the killer.
Since Mercy owes the Fae a favor she agrees to the proposal. As such, Zee takes her to one of the fae reservations, a guarded compound/community that the local fae relocated to soon after they revealed themselves to the world. The reservation is a strange place whose lands (and people) hold many secrets. The fae would like to keep it that way so Mercy is forewarned not to ask questions or dwell on any oddities she might witness. For her own sake, she doesn’t want the fae thinking she might reveal their secrets to the rest of the world. Security risks like that are usually dealt with swiftly – no questions asked.
Although apprehensive about the assignment, Mercy is successful in determining the identity of the killer but through a series of events Zee ends up in jail. As Mercy attempts to prove his innocence she learns even more about the Fae – too much some might say. It’s this storyline that provides heart stopping suspense and adventure.
Mercy’s relationships with Adam and Samuel, two werewolves interested in her romantically, provide some of the subplot material in the book although Patricia Briggs handles this in a manner that keeps the reader interested. It’s also handled in a very believable manner. I can actually identify with the uncertainties displayed by Mercy. Rest assured this is nothing like the tiresome Jean-Claude vs. Richard tug-of-war that occurred in Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series.
With Iron Kissed Patricia Briggs has written another entertaining and action packed fantasy adventure. This book, more than the others in the series, sheds some light on the psychological makeup of the werewolves, in particular, Ben and Adam. Although it’s difficult to promote the humanity of aggressive and violent creatures like werewolves without emasculating them at some level, Patricia Briggs seems to have found a feasible and believable balance.
As with the other books in the series the pace is consistent and the storyline is nicely balanced with suspense, humor, action, and a little romance. Although I recommend that you read Book 1: Moon Called and Book 2: Blood Bound (simply because they’re good) it’s not necessary to do so in order to keep up with the story. Patricia Briggs has a talent for providing just enough backstory to get new readers up to speed while not appearing redundant to return readers. Not many writers can pull this off.
A very significant arc occurs near the end of this book. It’s actually quite heartwrenching and affects me even as I’m writing this review. I don’t believe I’ve read a fantasy book that touched me in this way. I commend Patricia Briggs for having the courage to write this into the storyline. It makes the series even stronger. Bottom line: Iron Kissed is an absolute solid winner for Briggs.
You can purchase Iron Kissed and spend several productive hours immersed in a fantastic fantasy story that’s entertaining and thrilling or spend the 7 bucks on two small chocolate Godiva truffles that will rot your teeth and expand your waistline. Your call.
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Female Werewolf Books to Howl About
Posted by: | CommentsThere are several books on the market that include werewolves as either the central character or as supporting cast. What’s unusual is when the central werewolf character is a female.
I just recently stumbled upon books in this genre and I’m glad I did. Below are books that fit the bill for “female werewolf fantasy.”
The Kitty Norville Series by Carrie Vaughn
The female heroine, Kitty Norville, is a female werewolf that comes out of the closet in the first book in the series. She’s a late night DJ who gets bored simply playing music so she decides to open the phone lines and talk about creatures that only come out at night. To her surprise, some of them answer back!
Books in the Series
- Kitty and the Midnight Hour
- Kitty Goes to Washington
- Kitty Takes a Holiday
- Kitty and the Silver Bullet
The Women of the Otherworld Series by Kelley Armstrong
In this series we’re introduced to Elena Michaels, the only female werewolf in existence. It seems that other female humans that are bitten by werewolves always die. Not Elena, who was bitten by her boyfriend when she was younger. This fantasy series contains not only werewolves but witches, vampires, and one particularly plucky necromancer.
Books in the Series
- Bitten, Book 1
- Stolen, Book 2
- Broken, Book 6
Note: there are other books in the Women of the Otherworld series (all good by the way) but only the ones above contain Elena Michaels.
The Mercy Thompson Series by Patricia Briggs
Okay, I know Mercy Thompson isn’t technically a werewolf but she’s close enough. She’s a shifter that can take the form of a coyote. She’s not tied to any moon cycles like werewolves nor is she as strong as werewolves once she’s shifted, but she’s almost as deadly.
In this series Mercy works as a mechanic who’s friends with the local werewolf clan members and one of the local vampires. She’s loyal to her friends which sometimes gets her into trouble. Patricia Briggs has written a top notch fantasy series that I highly recommend.
Books in the Series
Know of any other fantasy books with female werewolf heroines? If so, list them in the comments section and I’ll include them in the post.
Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs
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Meet Mercy Thompson, a shapeshifting no-nonsense female mechanic. Mercy’s a “walker”, a term that dates back to the original Native American’s that occupied this country. A walker can shift into the form of a coyote at will; their power isn’t linked to full moon cycles. No, she’s not a werewolf and she’s not as strong as one, but in the form of a coyote she’s much stronger and faster than any human.
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Mercy is friends with Stefan, a hip, modern day vampire that’s a throwback to the 70′s. Stefan wants Mercy to renovate his VW van so it looks like the Scooby Doo vehicle. He also asks another favor of her: accompany him on a mission to deliver a message to a trespassing vampire. You see, before entering another vampire’s territory it’s proper etiquette to pay a visit to the local vampire leader to seek permission to “hunt” in the area. Apparently a vampire has ignored the rules and Stefan’s leader has ordered him to deliver the vampire a message of warning.
Mercy usually avoids getting involved in local vampire politics, primarily because a centuries old feud exists between vampires and werewolves. Although she’s not a werewolf, in the eyes of most vampires, her coyote-shifting status puts her in the same category.
Stefan wants Mercy to witness the delivery of the message. Why? Because he believe this particular vampire is very powerful and uses mind control over other vampires to make them do his bidding. Since Mercy, as a walker, is immune to the effects of magic she’s a good companion for a mission like this. Mercy reluctantly agrees to accompany Stefan.
Needless to say, the meeting with the vampire is a bloody disaster and Mercy and Stefan barely escape with their lives. They discover the source of this vampire’s power; he’s a hybrid – a vampire sorcerer. This presents a great concern for the other vampires in the area because it means even their strongest might not be able to defeat him.
The werewolves, who came “out of the closet” years ago and made their existence known to humans can’t afford to let this vampire’s work be blamed on them. The vampires, who aren’t known to humans yet, can’t afford to let this guy spoil their secrecy. Since the vampire in question is leaving a bloody path of dead bodies in the area and since the local police are now involved, the werewolves and the vampires decide to join forces to find and destroy the vampire. Let the fun begin!
As usual, Patricia Briggs weaves a captivating and engaging tale of adventure and romance. In this book she delves further into vampire society, their organizational structure, their rules, and their politics. She correctly makes no attempts to show empathy for their habits but instead emphasizes the fact that many of them have lost both their humanity and their emotional attachment to the human race.
Patricia Briggs also doesn’t glamorize the lifestyles of the werewolves. They may not be as calculating as the vampires but they’re equally as deadly if provoked. Note: this series contains male characters partly responsible for My Sexy Werewolf Obsession. Check it out.
As for Blood Bound, I can’t recommend this book enough. Patricia Briggs has developed a believable modern day world that just happens to be inhabited by witches, werewolves, vampires, and fae. This is the first Mercy Thompson series and I predict that after reading this book you’ll want to read Moon Called, the second book in the series.
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
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With Moon Called Patricia Briggs stirs up a storyline containing great action, a few sprinkles of romance, and a dash of adventure. This is the first installment in the Mercy Thompson contemporary fantasy book series.
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Mercy, the shapeshifting coyote heroine, is working in her mechanic shop when Mac, a newly-turned werewolf stumbles in seeking shelter and food. Mercy is initially reluctant to help him because she makes it a point of staying out of werewolf matters. Additionally, because this werewolf isn’t a member of the local clan she knows he’s technically considered a trespasser, a situation that often times results in death. However, she can sense that this young werewolf knows next to nothing about his situation so she decides to give him a job working in her garage and let him sleep there at night.
The action begins when she discovers he’s being hunted by other werewolves and humans. A fight ensues and Mercy ends up killing a werewolf while defending Mac. It’s then that she realizes she needs the help of the local Alpha, Adam.
Although her intent is to place these problems in the hands of the local werewolf clan, when a werewolf turns up dead on her doorstep and two of her closest werewolf friends are kidnapped (one of which is a teenage girl), Mercy realizes she can no longer sit on the sideline and watch the story unfold. She joins the hunt for the kidnapped victims and their persecutors and along the way learns some surprising facts about the werewolves she thought she knew.
What follows is a great story by Patricia Briggs involving the local vampire seethe, a new group of deadly werewolves, local witches, and a gremlin. Although she considers some of these characters to be her friends, the situation at hand forces the different races to side with their on kind. Thus, Mercy finds herself unsure of who she can trust.
Patricia Briggs has created a wonderful character with Mercy Thompson. Mercy is strong but yet vulnerable at the same time – something many readers can probably relate to. One admirable character trait is her ability to step out of the limelight and let other (often stronger or knowledgeable) characters provide assistance when she gets in over her head. Additionally, she doesn’t try to be the “super heroine” that’s so headstrong she ends up getting into deeper trouble. Quite the contrary: she asks for help when she truly needs it. Mercy also has a wry sense of humor which Patricia Briggs inserts nicely into the storyline.
Patricia Briggs includes a proper balance of sexual tension and action adventure, something both the romance and contemporary fantasy fans will appreciate. The story flows beautifully and has an ending that is as surprising as it is well written.
In summation, with Moon Called Patricia Briggs has once again spun a believable tale of werewolves, vampires, and witches in modern day society. Any fantasy book that makes you think "hmmn, this could really happen" has done its job as a paranormal fantasy book. Patricia Briggs delivers ten-fold.
You’ll definitely want to purchase Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Book 1) as well as the other books in the Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson fantasy series.
My Sexy Werewolf Obsession
Posted by: | CommentsAs you know, I love reading books on contemporary fantasy. You know, the books that take place in modern day but also include characters that have special powers. Some would call them monsters – I personally love them and love reading about them.
One genre that really captures my attention are stories that include a sexy male werewolf character. There’s something about a tall, somewhat hairy, incredibly virile and strong “otherworldly” type that appeals to me. So I’ve summarized the books that include characters that fit this category below:
Women of the Underworld Series by Kelley Armstrong
There are two sexy male werewolves in this series: Clayton and Jeremy. Clayton is the love interest of the main character, Elena. Elena is the only known female werewolf in the world. She became one when Clayton purposefully bit her. Now, you may wonder, “what’s so sexy about a guy that bit a woman and deliberately made her into a werewolf?” Well, you have to read the books to understand. Elena and Clayton have a complex relationship that we learn more about as the series progresses.
The next sexy werewolf in the series is Jeremy. Jeremy is the Alpha of the local werewolf pack. He’s older than Elena and Clayton, more of a father figure. However, he’s incredibly handsome, level-headed and strong. He’s also single. There are several events in the books that require Jeremy to show just how powerful he can be and in my mind, that simply makes him all the more appealing!
The series starts with Bitten (Book 1).
Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs
Patricia Briggs’ books contain several characters that fall into the “sexy werewolf” category, but there are two that stand out: Adam and Samuel. Adam is the local Alpha with a fairly large pack containing both male and female werewolves. Adam is totally entrenched in living a normal human life and usually keeps to himself. However, in the second book in the series he’s kidnapped. This forces Mercy (the heroine of the series), along with some of Adam’s pack members, to go looking for him. Adam is sexy because he’s so level-headed and calm and will die for any of his loyal pack members and friends. It’s only in the second book that we see some vulnerability, but that’s only because his daughter’s life is at stake.
Samuel, a physician, is totally enamored of Mercy. Mercy, one of the most practical and unassuming female characters you’ll come across in any paranormal fantasy book, doesn’t lead Samuel on. And Samuel doesn’t force himself on her but instead, patiently pursues her. Samuel is the strong-but-silent type. He’s also quite gorgeous, but what puts him in the “sexy werewolf” category is his kindness. Yes, there’s incredible strength there as well but he never abuses it.
There are 3 books in this series thus far and both of them are fantastic. You can read a review of
Blood Bound, Moon Called, and Iron Kissed at this site.
Even if you’re not into the “sexy werewolf” thing, readers of paranormal fantasy will definitely appreciate the solid storylines in these books. The writing flows well, it’s full of dialogue and action, and the characters are believable. Read at least one book in each of the two series I described above and tell me if they aren’t as great as I’ve said. When done, come back and drop me a line in the comments section.
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