Page count: 352 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Date begun: March 30th, 2010
Date finished: March 31st, 2010
WARNING! MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR OTHER BOOKS IN THE MERCY THOMPSON SERIES!
Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson is a car mechanic and a shape-shifter. Unlike werewolves, who have to turn into a wolf every full moon, Mercy turns into a coyote, and she can do so whenever she chooses, without the pain werewolves seem to experience. She also seems to be mostly immune to most magics. Not that this keeps her out of trouble. Mercy has attracted the attention of powerful vampires, bad faeries, rogue werewolf hunters, and would really like to just relax for a while and spend some time with her man, but that is easier said than done.
Mercy's roommate Samuel, and one of the oldest werewolves she knows of (and Mercy knows some very old wolves) seems sick of his existence as a lone wolf, and tries to commit suicide. His wolf takes control of the body, but by werewolf law, Samuel should be put down before he becomes a danger to others. Mercy has to try to keep this from her lover, Adam, who is the alpha of the local werewolf pack, as he is honour-bound to tell Samuel's father, the alpha of ALL the werewolf clans in America. Mercy is pretty sure she can help Sam, she just needs some time.
Mercy has recently bonded with Adam as his mate, something no one thought possible since he's a wolf and she's a coyote. Not everyone in the pack is happy about this, and someone seems to be trying to manipulate Mercy through the pack bond, so she'll drive Adam away. There are also mysterious fae after something Mercy borrowed from an acquaintance, and they seem to be willing to kill her or others to get it. Soon her pack is threatened, her home has been destroyed and her friend has been kidnapped...
Patricia Brigg's Mercy Thompson-books are among the ones I wait impatiently for with every new release. I've been reading them for nearly three years now, and am also a big fan of her loosely connected series, Alpha and Omega, which relates to Samuel's brother Charles and his wife Anna. Mercy is a wonderful character, strong and fiercely loyal to those she loves. She is dealing with the aftermath of something she experienced earlier in the series, and it makes her feel like a burden to some of the people close to her. She is determined to manage on her own, and doesn't want to cause any undue trouble for Adam and his wolf pack. She is also furious with Samuel for wanting to end his life, and refuses to let him die if she has anything to say about it.
It took quite a few books for Mercy and Adam to actually get together, and while this book was as exciting as the previous in the series, I wish Briggs would actually spend a bit more time developing Mercy and Adam's relationship, as every scene with the two of them alone together usually takes my breath away, and it makes me sad when too much of the story forces them to spend time apart. I can see why some readers want the action and the further exploration of Briggs' universe, but I'm hoping that the next book lets Adam and Mercy actually be a couple, while some supernatural danger threaten them. Silver Borne is good, maybe the third best in the series so far, but I want more romance in the next one.
"I'm hoping that the next book lets Adam and Mercy actually be a couple, while some supernatural danger threaten them."
ReplyDeleteWhat did you think they were doing in this one? What other couples are joined at the hip to deal with the issues they face?
There is a lot of romance here! The scene where Adam's first real perception of Mercy as something other than a problem the Marrok dumped him onto to watch over is extremely romantic. Each lets the other work from their strengths, and trusts the other to do or attempt to do what's right for both of them, and the extended family of the pack. That's where romance lies, not in hot detailed sex. Fighting to comprehend each other and become stronger as a couple, without letting outside influences drive them apart, be they vampires, fae, other werewolves, or 'normal' people, while maintaining a day to day life, that's what life and true romance consist of. These are great strengths in this story arc.
I'm not saying there isn't some really wonderful romantic moments in the books, I just wish there were more of them. And Adam and Mercy spent both quite a lot of the last book, and significant parts of this one apart. Next time I would love for them to spend the entire book together.
ReplyDeleteI think that The Thin Man, by Dashiell Hammett, is one of the few romantic detective novels that does this. Super book, super movie, though the two are practically unrelated. :)
ReplyDelete