Reviewer: Holly Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs
Series: Mercy Thompson #7
Also in this series: Night Broken, Shifting Shadows, Blood Bound, Fire Touched, Silence Fallen , Moon Called, Blood Bound , Iron Kissed, Bone Crossed , River Marked , Frost Burned, Storm Cursed , Night Broken, Fire Touched, Storm Cursed, Smoke Bitten
Publisher: Ace
Publication Date: March 5, 2013
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Point-of-View: First
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Pages: 342
Add It: Goodreads
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Series Rating:
Patricia Briggs's novel River Marked was praised as "an urban fantasy where our everyday world is believably twisted into the world of fey, werewolves, vampires, and myths made real." Now Mercy Thompson faces a shapeshifter's biggest fear as the realm she has embraced is thrown into chaos...
Mercy Thompson's life has undergone a seismic change. Becoming the mate of Adam Hauptman - the charismatic Alpha of the local werewolf pack - has made her a stepmother to his daughter Jesse, a relationship that brings moments of blissful normalcy to Mercy's life. But on the edges of humanity, a minor mishap on an ordinary day can turn into so much more...
After an accident in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Mercy and Jesse can't reach Adam - or anyone else in the pack for that matter. They've all been abducted.
Through their mating bond, all Mercy knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. But she fears Adam's disappearance may be related to the political battle the werewolves have been fighting to gain acceptance from the public - and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outmatched and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from any ally she can get, no matter how unlikely.
Frost Burned is the 7th book in Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson Series. While it can be read as a standalone, I think it’s better to read this series in order. There are a lot of interwoven threads from previous books.
While Mercy is out shopping late with Jessie, her step-daughter, she gets in a car accident. She tries to reach Adam and can’t, which is odd. Stranger still? No one in the pack is answering. She makes it to her shop and finds Gabriel – her employee – and Ben, one of the werewolves in Adam’s (and now her) pack. Ben is severely injured and having a hard time controlling himself. With a little help from some friends, she discovers that Adam and the entire pack – even those not at his house for Thanksgiving – have been taken. Though she can still feel him through her bond, she has no idea how to find him.
I came late to the Mercy Thompson series. I didn’t start them until last year after I read the Alpha and Omega series. Since I binged on them fairly recently, most of the details from the earlier books are still fresh for me. While this wasn’t my favorite book of the series, I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Briggs takes us on an action-packed ride in this installment. From the beginning Mercy leans on her friends, which I think shows how far she’s come. Instead of relying only on herself and reluctantly accepting help only when she had to, she reached out right away. The mystery here was who took the pack and why. I figured out the why early on, but I was kept guessing until just before the big reveal about the who. That rarely happens for me. I was so wrapped up in the story I didn’t have time to figure it out.
Aside from the excellent story, we also got the bonus of two chapters from Adam’s point-of-view. It was interesting to see how close his wolf really is to the surface, and how much he craves violence. Though we’ve seen that from Mercy’s perspective, it was still somewhat of a shock to read it first hand. It made me appreciate his constant restraint even more. It was also wonderful to see his thoughts and feelings on Mercy. She really anchors him. His love for her really came through and solidified what I’d always believed about them.
Having said that, I’m not sure why his POV was included. In the past Mercy is usually the one in trouble, so we see first-hand how things unfold. I can’t help but feel like we were given his POV simply so we could see the action behind the scenes. I’m not exactly complaining about this – hello, it’s Adam – but I have to be honest and say I’m not sure it was necessary.
Another great entry in the series. I’m anxious to see where Briggs takes us next. I only wish we got two or three of these books a year.
4 out of 5
Mercy Thompson
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