Mercy Thompson Series (Part II) by Patricia Briggs

So, I've kinda been slacking on my blog posts. Well.... slacking by my standards. So I'm making up with it with this double post for Mercy Thompson.

Could I just tell you how much I loved this series. If you read the first book and you aren't hooked (because I wasn't either), then you have to keep going. By the third book I was so hooked that no amount of money or Husband could have kept me away from books 4 and 5. However, lucky on both counts, the library had them ready for me to pick up. Good thing I thought ahead and put them on hold the previous week. :D

Title: Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson No.4)
Author: Patricia Briggs
Pages: 304
Published: February 5th, 2009 by Orbit
Read: July 27th, 2010
Rating:

Synopsis: 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 (from goodreads.com)

Title: Silver Borne (Mercy Thompson No.5)
Author: Patricia Briggs
Pages: 342
Published: March 30th, 2010 by ACE
Read: July 28th, 2010
Rating:

Synopsis: When mechanic and shapeshifter Mercy Thompson attempts to return a powerful Fae book she'd previously borrowed in an act of desperation, she finds the...more When mechanic and shapeshifter Mercy Thompson attempts to return a powerful Fae book she'd previously borrowed in an act of desperation, she finds the bookstore locked up and closed down. It seems the book contains secret knowledge-and the Fae will do just about anything to keep it out of the wrong hands. And if that doesn't take enough of Mercy's attention, her friend Samuel is struggling with his wolf side-leaving Mercy to cover for him, lest his own father declare Sam's life forfeit. All in all, Mercy has had better days. And if she isn't careful, she might not have many more to live... (from goodreads.com)

On to the review:

These last two in the series were my favorite, especially the very last one. I had checked them out from the library and even after I read them kept renewing them because I just didn't want to part. I actually kept going back and rereading them. If anyone knows anything about me, that is something I do when I need some comforting. I turn to books to comfort me so much of the time and this story line and words just had this power to sooth me, pulling me into its fast paced story with hints of love everywhere.

Briggs has this way of telling about her characters that is just enthralling. I love how her characters seem to be true to their character personalities. Sometimes characters change randomly without development just to fit the story or to further the story. Briggs doesn't do that. I mean, yeah she has character development and her characters do change, but it flows with the story and is gradual. You can feel the change and it's appropriateness with the character. I think that is what makes the characters seem so real to me. I love how we get to see into Mercy's thoughts and see what leads to her decisions and it totally makes sense.

There is this kind of huge cliff hanger at the end of book 3 and then book 4 starts off at the exact same scene. I loved that. I loved how she didn't start later when the scene had already passed. I'd been craving that romance for the first three books and if Briggs would have taken away the taste of it that she gives at the beginning of Bone Crossed, well, I don't know what I would have done. Probably kept reading, but still that little morsel of deliciousness at the very beginning of the book is like the sauce on my flank steak... not necessary, but OH so YUMMY! I know you are wondering what I'm talking about, but you will have to read the series to see because I'm so not giving it away here.

However, I will say that the book only gets better as it keeps going. You get to see all the ways Mercy gets her chance to develop and how she grows with her surroundings. You get to see her kick some ass and keep up with the big wolves. I loved every minute of it, every minute of the suspense. Especially this particular scene at the beginning involving a broken down VW Rabbit, Mercy, a Werewolf and a particularly crazed best friend Vampire. It was intense. (I know I'm evil, but you should read it.)

Then there is Silver Borne. I just don't have all the words to express my feelings for this one. I think it's because Briggs was so creative with the way she flipped the story all over the place with so many twists that you couldn't guess what would happen. I love stories like that. Where you try and try to figure it out, but you just don't know where it will take you except to a place of wonder and delight. And, to top it all off, the very very end has this scene that will make you sweat and fall in love and possibly cry. I just wanted to reread it, which I did, and never give the book back to the library.

I always like to go through my favorite characters, but as I've kind of already done that in Part I, I will reiterate and tell you about one other character. As I've said before, I love, love Mercy. She is just so strong and doesn't let people push her around... or werewolves for that matter. Wolves don't like the coyote in her and she still stands tall and has a stare down or two. She is just such a lovely character.

Adam, he is just a hunka hunka burnin' love, I tell ya that much! Yes, I just said that, don't judge me. :D I love that he is protective and strong and is so worried about Mercy and the wolves, but he still doesn't try to force Mercy to do anything and he never controls her. I think that above all else is my favorite aspect. To be loving and protective and still give her the independence that she needs to be herself. Seriously, he is my dream guy. Plus, his smokin' abs don't hurt the senses.

Sam is Sam. He is like this comforting caring soul who has the power to comfort those who need it. He has this power to love and look past the faults of Mercy and others and see what needs to be seen. He is a very interesting character in these last two books and I think he was excellently written and his story was amazing to read.

The one other character I wanted to mention was Zee. He is in these books about as much as he was in the first several, but he is just such an interesting character. I love his gruffness and how he says what he thinks no matter who he may piss off. I think I love it because I can still feel how he cares for Mercy even though its not a common thing among the Fae. When his "glamour" dropped, that was pretty cool too, nothing like a super sweet death sword to really make a story!

These last 2 books bring oakmen, forest lords, walking sticks, attempted suicides, possible child crushings with a bowling ball, pack bonds and a wonderful collaboration of werewolf and coyote that you may never want to put them down.

Series Rating (last 2 books):5/5
Quotes:

"That’s a pretty lame superhero name,” I told him.

Scooby-Doo is already taken,” he said with dignity. “Anything else sounds lame in comparison."(Stefan - Best Friend Vampire)

"Are you going to tell me what that was about?" Adam asked as we went back upstairs.
Sometime," I told him. " When we're telling ghost stories around a campfire, and I want to scare you."

"Hey, Adam,” I said.
I thought you’d want to know that Warren and Darryl made it out of the vampire den alive.”
I sucked in my breath. “You didn’t actually agree to their meeting on Marsilia’s grounds?”
He laughed. “No, it just sounded better than saying they made it out of Denny’s alive. It might not be romantic, but it’s open all night and set in the middle of a brightly lit parking lot with no dark places for skulking parties to ambush from."

He was obviously dead. But since he was a vampire that wasn't as hopeless a thing as it might have been.

"Do you have any idea how much I love you?” he asked.
”Enough to accept my apologies?” I suggested in a small voice.
”Heck no,” he said, and pushed off from the wall, stalking forward.
When he reached me, he put his hands up and touched the sides of my neck with the tips of his fingers – as if I were something fragile.
”No apologies from you,” he told me, his voice soft enough to melt my knees and most of my other parts.

There is something incredibly arousing about being wanted