Silver Borne (Mercy Thompson #5)
   by: Patricia Briggs

Publication Date: Mar. 30, 2011
Publisher: Ace Books
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
Age Group: Adult
Source: Borrowed from e-Library
Page Count: 342 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Being a mechanic is hard work. Mercy Thompson, for instance, just spent the last couple of months trying to evade the murderous queen of the local vampire seethe. And now the leader of the werewolf pack, who's maybe-more-than-just-a-friend, has asked for her help. A book of fae secrets has come to light and they're all about to find out how implacable - and dangerous - the fae can be.

OK, so maybe her troubles have nothing to do with the job. But she sure could use a holiday...

                            -goodreads.com description


While I didn't like this book as much as the last two, I did still enjoy it. One of the things I mentioned in my last Mercy review was that I wanted to see more of the pack's dynamic and magic. I got that in this book and that made me happy. I also wanted more Mercy-Adam time and I got that as well.

In Briggs' fifth novel, Mercy is still dealing with the backlash of being officially claimed as Adam's mate and her new role in the pack. There are some who think Mercy, being a shifter, is not suited to be the alpha's mate in a werewolf pack. We see in this novel the lengths some of the dissenting wolves will go to- including messing with Mercy and Adam's bond. Mercy is still learning how pack magic works as well as her mating bond with Adam, so it was really unfair that she got thrown for a loop over something she is still trying to understand.

I've really enjoyed Mercy and Adam's relationship. They have such a fierce need to protect the other and would go to the ends of the earth to save the other if in trouble. Most women would find Adam's possessive claims over the top, but there is something incredibly sexy about a man who would claim you as his and his alone. He is always staking his claim and reminding everyone that she is his. I have really liked seeing the evolvement of this relationship. Adam and Mercy have come a long way from the first book in the series. Adam has been so patient with her, especially after her incident in the third book. It's nice to see her finally starting to overcome that and give herself completely to him.

We also see more of Samuel in this book. Once a contending love interest for Mercy, we now see the loneliness and despair that Samuel feels as a lone wolf. His wolf takes over to keep him from doing anything else that could put himself in danger and it really breaks your heart that he doesn't feel like he has anything worth living for. Having a wolf take control is incredibly dangerous. Mercy knows she should tell Bran, Samuel's father and the Marrok, but she can't bring herself to just yet.

Mercy is thrust back into the fae world, as she is in possession of a book that is incredibly valuable. And the one person she received the book from is currently missing. Mercy embarks on a quest to find out what happened to him and well, you know Mercy. As usual, she lands herself in a pickle, always putting others' needs and well-being first. Which is why Mercy is a legitimate heroine worth appreciating.

Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson #4)
   by Patricia Briggs


Publication Date: Feb. 3, 2009
Publisher: Ace Fantasy
Genre: Fantasy/ Paranormal
Age Group: Adult
Source: Borrowed from e-Library
Page Count: 300 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 5/5 stars

By day, Mercy is a car mechanic in the sprawling Tri-Cities of Eastern Washington. By night, she explores her preternatural side. As a shapeshifter with some unique talents, Mercy has often found herself having to maintain a tenuous harmony between the human and the not so human. This time she may get more than she bargained for.

Marsilia, the local Vampire Queen, has learned that Mercy crossed her by slaying a member of her clan—and she's out for blood. But since Mercy is protected from direct reprisal by the werewolf pack (and her close relationship with its sexy Alpha), it won't be Mercy's blood Marsilia is after.

It'll be her friends'.

                             -goodreads.com description

I have to say, I think this has been my favorite Mercy book thus far. The last one was great, but it was so heartbreaking. This one, while still heartbreaking at times, at least offers healing for Mercy after what she went through in the last book. Mercy is tough as nails, but she is also a human being. What she went through shook her to the very core and at the opening of this book she is still struggling with its aftermath.

I think my favorite thing about this book has to be how all of Mercy's relationships evolve: with Adam, the pack, and Stefan.

Mercy and Adam's relationship is brought to the next level in this book. At the end of the last one, he has claimed her as his mate. We start to see this dynamic here. Where Mercy has always kept Adam at arm's length, she really starts to let him in and I love seeing them interact with each other. Adam really serves as Mercy's rock in this book, helping her overcome her panic attacks and showing her that he is there for her. He is chivalrous, kind, and patient and she finally realizes the depth of their love for one another. Of course, Mercy not being a werewolf, leads to some issues with the pack. However, Mercy realizes that their prejudices are not just going to go away and that she is going to have to learn to accept them, and they her. I look forward to reading more about the pack magic and the magic of the alpha and his mate in the next books.

This book focuses primarily on the vampires. Marsilia, the vampire queen, is out for Mercy, as she killed one of her right hand men. However, Stefan, will not let that happen. I was always unsure of how I felt about Stefan in previous books, but I decided I do like him. He does care for Mercy and will go to great lengths to protect her from harm, as you will see.

Overall, I flew through this book. Obviously, I started it last night and now I'm finished. I am much more interested in reading about the vampire world in the Mercy books than about the fae. Now the waiting begins for book 5. I'll have to check and see where I'm at on the hold list!

Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson #3)
    by Patricia Briggs

Publication Date: Jan. 2, 2008
Publisher: Ace
Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Age Group: Adult
Source: Borrowed from Library
Page Count: 287 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4/5 stars

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...

                -goodreads.com description


Oh my. This was an extremely difficult book to read due to the high emotional content. Mercy is tested as she has never been tested before and I admit I went into reading this book already knowing what happened, and I am glad for that. I was able to mentally prep myself for what was to come. And I don't cry in books, I just don't. But at the end, I was so very very close. It was that emotional and heart breaking.

This is the third book in Patricia Briggs' Mercedes Thompson series and so far the best in my opinion, despite the above paragraph.

We finally get a resolution of the Mercy-Adam-Samuel love triangle and it turned out the way I wanted it to. Though, both guys are great, and I wish she could have them both!

But Adam makes this book. Hands down. I don't want to give anything away, but gah, he really does melt your heart and really does love Mercy- no. matter. what.

I cannot wait to get my hands on the fourth book!!!

Moon Called (Mercy Thompson #1)
    by: Patricia Briggs

Publication Date: Jan. 31, 2006
Publisher: Ace
Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Age Group: Adult
Source: Borrowed from Library
Page Count: 288 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4/5 stars

Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson is a talented Volkswagen mechanic living in the Tri-Cities area of Washington. She also happens to be a walker, a magical being with the power to shift into a coyote at will. Mercy's next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she's fixing a bus for a vampire. This is the world of Mercy Thompson, one that looks a lot like ours but is populated by those things that go bump in the night. And Mercy's connection to those things is about to get her into some serious hot water...

           -goodreads.com description

This is book 1 of the Mercy Thompson series. I love reading books about kick ass females. Mercy is so awesome. She's a skinwalker and can shift into a coyote. This book has it all: vampires, werewolves, fae... you name it. I wouldn't say it was a quick, easy read. I definitely got into it, but for someone who needs the romance element in her books, this book didn't really have it. Sure, we are introduced to the two main guys in Mercy's life: Adam, alpha wolf of the local pack, and Samuel, the dominant wolf she fell in love with as a teen, but didn't reciprocate the same type of love.

The series has a lot of potential. I've already read the second book, Blood Bound, and it was good also. I've heard book three, Iron Kissed, is where it all starts to come to a head, so we'll see!