Audiobook Review: Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews

 

Sweep in Peace (Innkeeper Chronicles #2) by Ilona Andrews

Publication Date: November 13th 2015 by NYLA

Pages: 315

Audio Book Length: 10hrs 50min

Narrator: Renée Raudman

Source: Purchased

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

 

Re-read 6/13/25 for Books of My Heart read-long. So good!

I didn't write much of a review the first time I listened back in 2016. I appreciated the story more the second time around, especially since I recently finished reading The Edge series and so remembered George, Jack and Sophie a lot more, and I'd now recommend reading that series before this one.

Dina is a little bored and lonely since Sean left, but that quickly changes when Arbitrator George Camarine requests her in host peace talks, at Gertrude Hunt, between the Vampires, Merchants and The Otrokars, aka "The Hope-Crushing Horde", all engaged in a bloody war for Nexus.

A very risky proposition with lethal delegates, but Dina needs the money and it'll Gertrude Hunt's reputation if it goes off well. But that's a big "IF".

The Innkeeper Chronicles is a wonderfully imagined fantasy world with well-developed characters. Mystery, danger, betrayal and just a bit of romance all blended into this exciting installment!

5/9/2016:

I want the next one!

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

Dina DeMille doesn’t run your typical Bed and Breakfast. Her inn defies laws of physics, her fluffy dog is secretly a monster, and the only paying guest is a former Galactic tyrant with a price on her head. But the inn needs guests to thrive, and guests have been scarce, so when an Arbitrator shows up at Dina's door and asks her to host a peace summit between three warring species, she jumps on the chance.

Unfortunately, for Dina, keeping the peace between Space Vampires, the Hope-Crushing Horde, and the devious Merchants of Baha-char is much easier said than done. On top of keeping her guests from murdering each other, she must find a chef, remodel the inn... and risk everything, even her life, to save the man she might fall in love with. But then it's all in the day's work for an Innkeeper...

Audiobook Review: Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews

 

Bayou Moon (The Edge #2) by Ilona Andrews

Publication Date: September 1st 2010 by Tantor Audio

Pages: 447

Audio Book Length: 15hrs 32min

Narrator: Renée Raudman

Source: Purchased

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

The Edge is a place where magical powers and creatures exist. It sits in between the Broken, our world, and the Weird, a place where magic thrives and where a royal society rules.

 

Cerise Mar’s parents are abducted as part of a land grab in the Edge by a rival family. Their abduction was at the urging of The Hand, a deadly group of unnaturally enhanced humans led by the ruthless and power-hungry, Spider. Cerise has to reclaim her land and get her parents back. Her plans and mission collide with William’s.

 

William was born a changeling and brought up to be a soldier. He left that life when the government turned against him and he’s been living a quiet, solitary existence in the Edge, until the government needs his help again. They have the perfect motivation for William: capture Spider, the killer responsible for the mass murders of changeling children. He’s eager for vengeance!

 

I adored William and Cerise’s first meeting! “The Hobo-Queen” and “Lord Bill” had me cracking up! They had plenty of chemistry, and longing from afar. I thought their romance was well done and in the right amount considering all the danger they were in. I loved the big, crazy extended Mar family and how they *mostly* welcomed William in!

 

Parts really creeped me out, especially the bits in Spider’s POV!

 

My heart went out to Lark (Sophie), Cerise’s younger sister, who had a traumatic event shape her. Lark appears in future installments of The Edge and The Innkeeper series, as does George and Jack, Rose’s younger brothers, so it was nice to reread her introduction. I loved seeing her, George and Jack again and they continue to be some of my favorite characters of Ilona Andrews’ stories!

Renée Raudman's narration is excellent! I highly recommend the audios!

 

I read Bayou Moon back in 2015, and re-read it again for a read-along I’m participating in with Anne @Books of My Heart. I loved it even more the second time around!

5 Stars

Book Description: 

The Edge lies between worlds, on the border between the Broken, where people shop at Walmart and magic is a fairytale–and the Weird, where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny…

Cerise Mar and her unruly clan are cash poor but land rich, claiming a large swathe of the Mire, the Edge swamplands between the state of Louisiana and the Weird. When her parents vanish, her clan’s long-time rivals are suspect number one.

But all is not as it seems. Two nations of the Weird are waging a cold war fought by feint and espionage, and their conflict is about to spill over into the Edge—and Cerise’s life . William, a changeling soldier who left behind the politics of the Weird, has been forced back into service to track down a rival nation’s spymaster.

When William’s and Cerise’s missions lead them to cross paths, sparks fly—but they’ll have to work together if they want to succeed…and survive.

Audiobook Review: On the Edge by Ilona Andrews

 

On the Edge (The Edge #1) by Ilona Andrews

Publication Date: September 29th 2009 by Tantor Audio

Pages: 384

Audio Book Length: 12hrs 8min

Narrator: Renée Raudman

Source: Purchased

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

I read On the Edge back in 2013, and just read it again for a read-along I’m participating in with Anne @Books of My Heart and loved it even more the second time around! If you’re looking for a strong female character, clever banter, and a slow burn romance look no further. Their Kate Daniels series won me over as a fan, and The Edge series only increased my love of their writing!

Rose lives in the Edge, a world in between the Broken: our normal world, and the Weird: a world where magic dominates. She lives with her two younger brothers, having to take over the role of parent since her mother died and her father took off. Rose makes barely enough money in the Broken to care for their needs, and she struggles to keep her brothers behaving while trying to provide. Behaving takes special restraint when you have magic powers like Rose’s little brothers do. Rose is also gifted magically, not that this has made much of a difference in her life so far, other than making her a target for unwanted advances.

Enter Declan, an aristocrat from the Weird. He shows up demanding things of Rose and used to being in charge, but Rose isn’t just going to listen to some stranger. However, there’s something in the Edge killing, so she reluctantly teams up with him.

This was such a strange and different story, in the very best way. Rose is a wonderfully crafted heroine with some pretty cool powers. No TSTL. She works with what she has and tries to get by. I was touched by Rose’s caring relationship with her younger brothers. The boys as well as Rose’s grandmother were well fleshed-out secondary characters that you grow to love.

On the Edge is first in a series, but this story wraps up nicely, and the next one focuses on another secondary character. You can’t go wrong with Ilona Andrews! I’ve loved everything they’ve written!

As for the audio narrator, you can't go wrong with Renée Raudman! She won me over with her performance of Kate Daniels and she was wonderful here as well!

5 Stars

Book Description:

Rose Drayton lives on the Edge, between the world of the Broken (where people drive cars, shop at Wal-Mart, and magic is a fairy tale) and the Weird (where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny). Only Edgers like Rose can easily travel from one world to the next, but they never truly belong in either.

Rose thought if she practiced her magic, she could build a better life for herself. But things didn’t turn out how she planned, and now she works a minimum wage, off the books job in the Broken just to survive. Then Declan Camarine, a blueblood noble straight out of the deepest part of the Weird, comes into her life, determined to have her (and her power).

But when a terrible danger invades the Edge from the Weird, a flood of creatures hungry for magic, Declan and Rose must work together to destroy them—or they’ll devour the Edge and everyone in it.

Audiobook Review: My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland

 

My Life as a White Trash Zombie (White Trash Zombie #1) by Diana Rowland

Publication Date: July 3rd 2012 by Brilliance Audio

Pages: 320

Audio Book Length: 9hrs 5min

Narrator: Allison McLemore

Source: Purchased

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

My Life as a White Trash Zombie was unexpectedly good! I was a little hesitant that I’d like Angel being that she’s a self-described loser and drug addict. However, not only was this a zombie story, but it was also a story of positive personal growth, and a mystery. Angel is a smart cookie who had a rough start in life. I’m eager to see her take charge of her life and happiness and excel!

Angel wakes up in the ER told that she was saved from an overdose, but the flashes of memory she has doesn’t match up with the account she’s been given. Also, when Angel leaves the ER she’s given a note and instructions to show up and start work at the coroner’s office or be reported to her parole officer which would likely result in her going back to jail. A threat that motivates her to comply.

Angel’s job sounds like a nightmare for someone with a notoriously weak stomach, but there are some surprising revelations as she settles in. Also, there’s a string of murders where the corpse has been left decapitated.

My Life as a White Trash Zombie was a “page-turner”! A story I didn’t want to stop listening to! I listened to the story straight through and was tempted to continue with the next story, but it was getting too late! Allison McLemore’s performance was perfection! I loved her Southern accent, and her comedic timing was excellent! There wasn’t as much laugh-out-loud humor as I thought there’d be, more ironic, dry humor that worked well with this story.

I listened to the story for the read along I’m participating in hosted by Anne @Books of My Heart and we had a fun online chat about the book today (Sunday)! I’m not sure I’ll be able to hold off until next month to read the next one!

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

Angel Crawford is a loser.

Living with her alcoholic deadbeat dad in the swamps of southern Louisiana, she's a high school dropout with a pill habit and a criminal record who's been fired from more crap jobs than she can count. Now on probation for a felony, it seems that Angel will never pull herself out of the downward spiral her life has taken.

That is, until the day she wakes up in the ER after overdosing on painkillers. Angel remembers being in a horrible car crash, but she doesn't have a mark on her. To add to the weirdness, she receives an anonymous letter telling her there's a job waiting for her at the parish morgue—and that it's an offer she doesn't dare refuse.

Before she knows it she's dealing with a huge crush on a certain hunky deputy and a brand new addiction: an overpowering craving for brains. Plus, her morgue is filling up with the victims of a serial killer who decapitates his prey—just when she's hungriest!

Angel's going to have to grow up fast if she wants to keep this job and stay in one piece. Because if she doesn't, she's dead meat.

Literally.

2023 Audiobook, Library Love & Bookish Books Reading Challenges Mid-Year Check-in

Hello everyone! I've been a MIA. I had bunch of things going on last week. Working, packing and preparing for a vacation. I'm in Montana right now with my daughter, SIL, and the grandkids and we're having fun, but I haven't had much time to post.  

I'm doing my Mid-Year check in for the four reading challenges I'm signed up for.  Goodreads is one of the four: 95/125. I should've made my goal 150 so I may up it to that. Here are the rest:

The challenge is hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer  again & That's What I'm Taking About. Thank you ladies! Click HERE if you'd like sign up as well. 

I signed up for The 100 Club Audiobook Addict. I'm on track to make this one as I'm 65/100 books so far by audiobook. Some of my favorites:

Click on cover for Goodreads link:

Library Love Challenge is hosted by Anne @Books of My Heart and Angel's Guilty Pleasures. You can sign up HERE.  

I'm signed up for Overdrive Junkie 36 Books: I'm at 31/36 books read so I'll be making this one soon. I didn't add up my library savings. I'll probably start on it and keep up with the savings so that I can have a total at the end of the year.

Some of my favorites:

Bookish Books Reading Challenge is hosted by Susan @Blogginboutbooks. You can learn more and sign up HERE.

I went conservative with Picking and Perusing: 10-20 Books. I'm at 8/10-20 books so I'm set to hit the minimum. 

Here's some of my favorites:

How are you doing with your challenges?

Audiobook Review: Hexed by Kevin Hearne

 

Hexed (Iron Druid Chronicles #2) by Kevin Hearne

Publication Date: April 19th 2011 by Brilliance Audio

Pages: 296

Audio Book Length: 8hrs 52min

Narrator: Luke Daniels

Source: Purchased

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

We pick up pretty much right after the events of Hounded and again Atticus is dealing with multiple problems: witches, nasty Bacchants, two men, a priest and a rabbi demanding to see Atticus’ rare books, the Morrigan, Brighid, and the police. It’s not as confusing as it sounds and Atticus, with his trusty hound Oberon, deftly handles all of it!

 

So many laughs, many from Atticus’ exchanges with his best friend Oberon, his faithful Irish wolfhound, several with the widow Mrs. MacDonagh. Love her!  Granuaile helps in a few tricky spots with the police as she continues her Druid training, and Atticus deals with his attraction to her. I have mixed feelings on Granuaile this second time through.

 

I re-read *listened* Hexed for Anne's @Books of My Heart read-along (you can sign up HERE) and it was just as good as the first time! Again, I ended up listening to the whole book in a 24-hour period of time. I forget how much I loved this series! Clever, laugh-out-loud funny, and action-packed! Never a dull moment and such a good time! Looking forward to the next one!

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

Atticus O'Sullivan, last of the Druids, doesn't care much for witches. Still, he's about to make nice with the local coven by signing a mutually beneficial nonaggression treaty when suddenly the witch population in modern-day Tempe, Arizona, quadruples overnight. And the new girls are not just bad, they're badasses with a dark history on the German side of World War II.

With a fallen angel feasting on local high school students, a horde of Bacchants blowing in from Vegas with their special brand of deadly decadence, and a dangerously sexy Celtic goddess of fire vying for his attention, Atticus is having trouble scheduling the witch hunt. But aided by his magical sword, his neighbor's rocket-propelled grenade launcher, and his vampire attorney, Atticus is ready to sweep the town and show the witchy women they picked the wrong Druid to hex.

Audiobook Review: Hounded by Kevin Hearne

 

Hounded (Iron Druid Chronicles #1) by Kevin Hearne

Publication Date: April 19th 2011 by Brilliance Audio

Pages: 336

Audio Book Length: 8hrs 6min

Narrators: Luke Daniels

Source: Purchased

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads

I re-read Hounded for Anne @Books of My Heart’s read-along (you can sign up HERE) and it was just as good as the first time! Listened straight through in one day. My original review was posted on The Readers Den, the blog I used to post on back in 2014.

Thoughts: It's funny how your reading tastes change over the years. I'm no longer a pure romance junkie, but tend to gravitate to mystery/thrillers with a bit of romance and Urban Fantasy. Since writing the review below I've read a lot of UF since first reading, and The Iron Druid Chronicles continues to be one of my favorites nine years later.

Original review posted January 14, 2014:

I’m first and foremost a romance junkie any genre I read usually must contain some amount.  So it was shocking to me that I enjoyed this so much when there isn’t any! I credit that to the highly entertaining and quick-witted Atticus O’Sullivan!

Atticus O’Sullivan may look like he’s twenty-one but in reality his age is over two thousand. He’s last of the Druids, trying to live a peaceful life running a New Age book and tea shop. Unfortunately, he’s had an age long feud with the Celtic god, Aenghus Og over a magical sword and this god is ready to take what he thinks is his.

 

Hounded was entertaining and fun.  A definite must for any Urban Fantasy fan or just anyone who loves a great story!  Witches, werewolves, vampires and Celtic mythology factor in heavily, and you’d think this would be overwhelming, but the story is fast paced with just enough information to keep you clued in without slowing the story down.

Atticus is a clever and thoughtful hero, who always seemed to be several steps ahead of any opponent like a strategic game of chess.  Loved his encounters with Emily the witch!

There’s lot of witty humor and laughs, and it was a treat being in Atticus’ head. Oberon, his loyal best friend and dog was also quite funny with his obsessive love of sausages and French poodles. 

There is no romance *sniff* BUT there is a hope and a hint (maybe?) of something to come.

I listed to the audio version of Hounded, which I highly recommend! Luke Daniels was an excellent narrator! 

 4 Stars

Book Description:

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.

Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power—plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish—to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

Book Challenges 2023

 I know this is a little late but I don't usually participate in very many book challenges other than Goodreads and Kimberly's Audiobook Challenge. Why? Because I usually don't invest the time to keep up and complete them.  However, I've seen these two and I like them. More importantly, I think I can meet them. I'm going conservative with both:

Library Love Challenge is hosted by Anne @Books of My Heart and Angel's Guilty Pleasures. You can sign up HERE.  

I'm shooting for:

Overdrive Junkie: 36 Books

I've already read 5 in this category so I think I'll make this level easily.

Bookish Books Reading Challenge is hosted by Susan @Blogginboutbooks. You can learn more and sign up HERE.

I'm aiming for:

Picking and Perusing: 10-20 Books

I just went through my books and was surprised I've already read 3, so yay!

What challenges have you signed up for?

Review: Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs

Silence Fallen (Mercy Thompson #10) by Patricia Briggs

Publication Date: March 7th 2017 by Ace

Source: Publisher and purchased audio book

Pages: 379

Narration Length: 11 hrs 13 min

Narrators: Lorelei King and George Newbern

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible | Goodreads

I originally posted this on The Readers Den, but as part of my read along with Anne at Books of My Heart I'm posting my original review for Silence Fallen here. Anne is a giving away a copy of Storm Cursed so stop by and check it out! 

Mercy Thompson continues to be one of my two favorite Urban Fantasy series' and I'm working my way through a third time. Every time I notice new things and love the story just a little bit more. The audios are perfection!

My Thoughts:

Re-read for the 3rd time Sunday August 23rd 2020 and listened to the audio book in one day! My husband and I couldn't stop listening! One of my favorites of the series!

Re-read April 4th 2017, and my re-reading binge is over! *sobs* I want more Adam and Mercy!

Original review:
Silence Fallen kicks off with a bang as Mercy is abducted and taken to Europe by vampires. What do they want and how will she get away?

As usual Mercy survives by her wits, thinking things through quickly and using hard won experience to her advantage. Mercy is away from Adam and her Pack for most of the book, but before you go panicking, let me reassure you Adam is still very much a part of the story and we get his POV more than we have in any other books in the past. I loved it! Got to “see” just how much Mercy means to Adam, and how living with his wolf is more of a struggle than I knew.

It was interesting to get a bit of Marsilia, Stefan and Wulfe’s history, why they came to America. It was interesting to see Marsilia in a little different light, and not as awful as she usually is.

Patricia Briggs has crafted one of my all-time favorite female characters in Mercy. Her intelligence shines with every problem she encounters. Mercy ponders things through like body language, repercussions of action, and what she says, weighing possible outcomes, doing this pretty quickly!

Silence Fallen is another amazing installment in the Mercy Thompson series! I was almost glad I was sick this weekend because it gave me an excuse to sit home and read this straight through. It took me longer to finish than an average book, because I didn’t want to miss anything! There were a few twists, and one surprise I did not see coming. The reveal was worked in very quietly, too, IMO. All around it was a riveting read, one of the best in the Mercy Thompson series! 

5 Suns

Review: Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs

Fire Touched (Mercy Thompson #9) by Patricia Briggs

Publication Date: March 8th 2016 by Ace

Source: Publisher and purchased audio book

Pages: 342

Narration Length: 10 hrs 7 min

Narrators: Lorelei King

Rating: ★★★★½ 

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible | Goodreads

About the book: 

Tensions between the fae and humans are coming to a head. And when coyote shapeshifter Mercy and her Alpha werewolf mate, Adam, are called upon to stop a rampaging troll, they find themselves with something that could be used to make the fae back down and forestall out-and-out war: a human child stolen long ago by the fae.

Defying the most powerful werewolf in the country, the humans, and the fae, Mercy, Adam, and their pack choose to protect the boy no matter what the cost. But who will protect them from a boy who is fire touched?

I originally posted this on The Readers Den, but as part of my read along with Anne at Books of My Heart I'm posting my original review for Fire Touched here. Mercy Thompson continues to be one of my two favorite Urban Fantasy series' and I'm working my way through a third time. Every time I notice new things and love the story just a little bit more. The audios are perfection!

Re-read 3rd time June 23rd 2020

Re-read April 1st 2017

My Thoughts:
When the Fae let a monster loose, the Pack are called to take it down, since the police can’t make any headway and lives are at stake. Zee and Tad join in the fight bringing with them an odd, fire-touched boy named Aiden who seeks the Pack’s protection from the Fae. Taking in Aiden brings all kinds of risk and problems, but we all know Mercy and Adam would never turn their back on someone seeking safety. At the end of the battle, Mercy draws a line in the sand with the Fae, and claims the Tri-Cities as the pack’s territory saddling them with new responsibilities, protection of its citizens being one those. This has far reaching effects on the Pack which could result in an all out war with the Fae. Can Mercy and Adam defuse the situation all the while standing their ground? I was glued to the pages to find out!

As usual with the Mercy Thompson series, once I started Fire Touched I couldn’t put it down. The Fae are very much front and center in this installment, which dives into action and danger pretty quickly. The Fae are creepy and volatile for the most part, and I love getting a little more of their history and secrets when a Fae centered installment comes along. I was definitely thrilled to have grouchy Zee back, since we haven’t had much from him lately.

The dynamics of pack hierarchy and relationships continue to fascinate me. Adam makes a proclamation to the Pack and I was overjoyed! I felt it was a long time coming, and oddly enough, it had a unifying effect over the Pack. Adam and Mercy continue strongly united and very much in love, while still being interesting and hot together. Their bond warms my heart a more and more with every installment!

I’m always impressed how masterfully Mercy sizes up situations, uses her brain before speaking, (something I could do a little more of!) and comes out on top because of it!

Still can’t stand Christy! She makes my blood boil every time she’s in a scene. That Mercy doesn’t scratch her eyes out is a miracle in my opinion! Thankfully, Christy’s presence is kept to a minimum.

There were a couple of side stories that really grabbed my interest. I’d love to continue on with Thomas and Margaret’s story. Thomas is the vampire in Frost Burned who fought by Mercy’s side, and he’s accompanying Margaret, a fae, to meet with the Gray Lords. This is a story of unrequited love and I need more, please! Then there’s Sherwood Post, a werewolf Bran sent to Adam’s pack. He’s a bit damaged since he lost one of his legs, and feels sort of useless to the Pack. I won’t go further into his portion of the story, but I’m hopeful we get more of him in the future.

I’m addicted to anything Patricia Briggs writes, Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega are in my top five favorite Urban Fantasy series, and Fire Touched is another winner for me. Just makes me want to go back and read them all over again!

Review: Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs

Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson #2) by Patricia Briggs

Publication Date: January 7th 2007 by Ace

Pages: 335

Narrator: Lorelei King

Audiobook Length: 10hrs 2min

Source: Purchased Audio & e-book

Purchase Link: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

About the book:

Mechanic Mercy Thompson has friends in low places - and in dark ones. And now she owes one of them a favor. Since she can shapeshift at will, she agrees to act as some extra muscle when her vampire friend Stefan goes to deliver a message to another of his kind.

But this new vampire is hardly ordinary - and neither is the demon inside of him.

So FYI, I originally read and posted this review while on another blog: The Readers Den, back in August of 2013, but as I participate in of Anne @Books of My Heart read-along & series giveaway (For info & giveaway click HERE). I thought I'd re-post my review and my re-read updates. I first re-read the entire series back in 2017 and I've just started my third re-read a couple of weeks ago. This series is so awesome and I can't recommend it more, so if you're at all interested join all of us in the read-along!

My Thoughts:

Re-read for the 3rd time April 2nd, 2020. I notice more to love with every re-read! 

Re-read March 21st 2017. Even better the 2nd time around!

4.5 Stars

Blood Bound, the second installment in the Mercy Thompson series has me officially addicted!

This begins as Mercy’s friend, Stephan the vampire, calls in a favor owed. Little does she know that repayment puts her and the pack in grave danger, not something Stephan intended, either. What they stumble upon is a powerful threat that Mercy can’t let stand and before you know it, she’s waist high in dangerous vampire politics. Trying to distinguish the truth from subterfuge is difficult and vital if Mercy plans on staying alive.

Like most UF’s I’ve picked up, Mercy Thompson has a new mystery/problem to overcome with each book and also a continuing story arc that progresses, bit by bit in each installment. The new mystery is the vampire/sorcerer-crazy with massive amounts of power and wicked intent. There were parts of this story that genuinely made heart race from fear! Vampires are scary (and not sparkly), especially in the end!

I love Mercedes Thompson! She’s intelligent, a master of reading complicated situations and handling them with care. She reads between the lines and looks beyond the obvious, making her a force to be reckoned with.

The continuing arc is the romance, and it’s the part I love best! There is sort of a love triangle with Adam and Samuel in the mix, but not in an irritating way. Samuel has decided to stay in Washington, more specifically, with Mercy, when she’s made it clear she’s not interested. Samuel makes it clear he is. He was her first love but finding out exactly why he was interested her sent her running years ago. Highlight for spoiler: Mercy could bear his children, ones that would have the potential to be born werewolves, and therefore Samuel would have children he wouldn’t outlive. Finding out this was more a motivator than love broke Mercy’s heart at sixteen. End of spoiler. Now that Mercy looks back, though, she doesn’t regret the situation, because she realizes now that Samuel, as dominant as he is, would’ve wrapped her up in a protective cocoon and stifled her independent spirit.

Adam, the Alpha of the pack is domineering but still respects and appreciates Mercy for who she is rather than what she can do. He’s attracted to Mercy the woman, and isn’t looking for a pack brood mare. Mercy knew that Adam claimed her as his mate but thinks this was in name only, just for protection. A lone “walker” coyote like Mercy without protection would be a target for the wolves and probably wouldn’t last long. A few things happen that make it apparent that Adam’s “claim” has more power and sincerity behind it. This puts Mercy in a bind with Samuel back. Poor Mercy, *not* with two handsome, possessive, alpha males after her!

This was an exciting, and sometimes frightening read. Parts at the end gave me chills and goose bumps! I tried to force myself to put it aside just for my commutes. Something I wasn’t at all successful at! I’ve just finished book three: Iron Kissed, and I have to say the series just gets better!

I loved Lorelei King as the narrator. She has a warm, rich voice with a slightly sarcastic and humorous tone that I find perfect for Mercy. Her male voices are also quite good, as well, and the story flowed seamlessly because of it. I highly recommend the audio version!

4.5 Suns

Review: Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

Moon Called (Mercy Thompson #1) by Patricia Briggs

Publication Date: January 31st 2006 by Ace

Pages: 295

Narrator: Lorelei King

Audiobook length: 9hrs 14min

Source: Purchased e-book & Audiobook

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible

About the book:

Mercedes Thompson, aka Mercy, 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...

So fyi, I originally read and posted this review while on another blog: The Readers Den, back in July of 2013, but as I participate in of Anne @Books of My Heart read-along & series giveaway (For info & giveaway click HERE). I thought I'd re-post my review and my re-read updates. I first re-read the entire series back in 2017 and I've just started my third re-read this last week. This series is so awesome and I can't recommend it more, so if you're at all interested join all of us in the read-along! My Thoughts: Re-read for a third time March 29th 2020 and I'm upping my rating from 4 stars to 5! With each re-read my appreciation for the writing, characters, and story grows. The story was captivating even knowing what happens, and with each re-read I notice new things I missed previously. I've already started on book two! I listened to the audio again. Lorelei King's performance is perfection! She is Mercy Thompson to me! Re-Read March 19th 2017. Still awesome! Moon Called is the first book in the Mercy Thompson Urban Fantasy series, and it was a strong start. It was fun, fast paced, with strong characters and an engrossing plot. I love my female protags to have some spunk and be able to kick a little ass and Mercy Thompson ticks all those boxes and more! Mercy Thompson is a “walker” and can shapeshift into a coyote. Mercy isn’t a werewolf but she is very close to them after being raised by a powerful pack. At sixteen, she leaves after the pack Alpha sends her away to prevent her mating with his son, Sam. Now situated in the state of Washington as an auto mechanic, she comes under the Columbia Basin Wolves’ pack in a round-about way, under the charismatic, hot-tempered (and just plain HOT) Alpha, Adam. Not that she admits to it, mind you. Being a coyote she’s not obligated to be under any pack. When Adam is attacked and his teenage daughter, Jesse, is kidnapped, Mercy takes it upon herself to help him and track down his daughter. Mercy returns to her roots for help in unraveling this mystery and getting Jesse back safely. Her past and present collide in the form of Sam and Adam. We are tossed into Mercy’s world with her as our guide, and as a narrator she’s easy to like and root for. If you’re tired of frustrating or whiny female leads, Mercy is your girl! She’s a smart, witty, and feeds us just enough background information so we’re not lost in the story, yet doesn’t overwhelm with too many details. This makes me extremely happy because info dumping is a sure-fire way to put me to sleep! I steeled myself to be patient with this book because I’ve come to realize that in UF usually the first book lays the groundwork for the whole series and might not be as satisfying or riveting because of that. This was not the case in Moon Called. I was immediately drawn into the story and it captured and held my attention just fine throughout. Also, because this is the first book in the series, the romance is just getting started. It seems possible for Adam or Sam to be the love interest, there’s definite chemistry between Mercy and both of them. But it does sway to one a little more than the other by the end. Moon Called wraps up nicely with the main mystery solved by the end, however, the story of the characters, and their relationships have just begun. I can’t wait to see how everything plays out and I’ve got the next one locked and loaded, ready to listen to. Lorelei King narrates this story and she is spot on! I’m familiar with this performer because she narrates the Charley Davidson series as well. She brings just the right amount of sarcastic inflection when needed to make the character’s wit and spunk come through loud and clear. She does a great job with the male voices as well, and most of the time it doesn’t even cross your mind that a female is narrating those parts. Her performance made the story come alive.

5 Suns