REVIEW: Dead Heat (Alpha and Omega Book #4)

Title: Dead Heat
Author: Patricia Briggs
Type: Paperback
Pages: 324
Published: 3rd March 2015

Like Fair Game this book started further down the line rather than picking up at the end of the last book.

Charles decides that for Anna’s birthday he is going to buy her a new horse from an old friend, Joseph who he hasn’t seen in decades. However upon on arrival, it appears that the years have gotten away from Charles and Joseph is not as he remembered, instead he is a very sick old man and Charles has arrived just in time to say goodbye to his dear old friend.

 “But that is the dual gift of love, isn’t it? The joy of greeting and the sorrow of good-bye.”

Upon arriving in town things do not go quite as planned, as Joseph’s daughter-in-law Chelsea is bewitched and nearly murders her own children. Anna and Charles step up to save the day and soon find out that a nefarious Fae, the Doll Collector, is on the loose and replacing children with changelings which results in our favourite FBI agent, Leslie Fisher, coming to assist.

I loved the fact that this book is more about the Doll Collector and his treacherous ways and less about the relationship between Charles and Anna which I thought made a nice change.

I relished learning about Joseph’s family, especially Chelsea, Hosteen and Mackie and I would love to read more about Chelsea’s transition into her new life. I would also like to know more about what happened to the little girl in the attic after everything she had gone through.

This book provides more of an insight into Charles’ life before Anna and I loved it. Although I really wasn’t taken with the Maggie and Charles storyline. A lot of it just didn’t make sense to me, especially that Maggie was possessive and jealous towards Charles after rejecting him, marrying Joseph and having a family that and I felt like it took away from the bond between Anna and Charles.

I always felt that their romance was based around the fact that Anna had managed to break down the walls of the big bad Enforcer and what they had was supposed to be special and one-of-a-kind for Charles. However, after reading about his past with Maggie it turns out that his feelings aren’t all the special as he has felt it all before but was rejected before having the chance to mate with her.

Nevertheless, this is a fabulous series and I hope that there are more books to come!

REVIEW: Fair Game (Alpha and Omega Book #3)

Title: Dead Heat
Author: Patricia Briggs
Type: Paperback
Pages: 308
Published: 6th March 2012

As mentioned previously I haven’t read the Mercy Thompson series prior to reading this series, I think I may have understood a bit more of the lead up to this book if I had.

I had expected the series to carry on from the previous book; however this book took place after the werewolves have come out to the humans, which I now understand would take place after the Mercy Thompson book “River Marked”.

Overall however, I don’t think that this affected my experience too badly.  The werewolves have revealed themselves to humans and they can’t afford any bad publicity, so transgressions that previously may have been overlooked are now resulting in harsher punishments, and Charles is the one handling all the dirty-work, but at what cost.

Charles and Anna are sent to Boston to assist the FBI with a local serial killer case. They quickly realize that there is a pattern and reason behind these killings, and now Anna and Charles are in danger of becoming prey.

This was a wonderful reading. I adore the characters, and I love how Anna has become fiercely protective of Charles, and Brother Wolf. Charles story is brilliant in this book, I love that he tries to protect Anna and be strong for her however when he is on the edge of losing her forever he realises how much she needs him to let her be the strong one sometimes.

This book kept me guessing right to the very end, it was fast paced full of adventure, mystery and action. I am looking forward to following their story into Dead Heat!

REVIEW: Hunting Ground (Alpha and Omega Book #2)

Title: Hunting Ground
Author: Patricia Briggs
Type: Paperback
Pages: 286
Published: 25th August 2009

This book is a very enjoyable read; it is just the right mix of suspense, mystery and romance.

Anna and Charles attend a conference in Seattle, on behalf of the Marrok, to address the concerns the Alpha’s have about the plan to come out to the humans. The trip takes a turn for the worst and Anna and Charles have to find out who is behind the vampire attacks, without getting themselves killed in the process.

Anna really shines in this book; she has become such a mature and confident character who is able to show the other wolves what being an Omega really means.

The way that Charles and Anna are with each other is captivating, they are constantly trying to protect each other and obviously love each other but they still seem to be walking on eggshells which I found made them both feel more real.

I had two absolute favourite scenes in this book:

1. When Anna draws on Charles’ power through the mating bond and stops everyone in dead their tracks; and
2. When Anna asks for permission to take part in the hunt and Charles tells her it was never his decision to make.

“If it would benefit you, I would kill every wolf here. But there are things that you need to do — and interfering with that is not protecting, not in my book. The best way for me to protect you is to encourage you to be able to protect yourself.”

There are so many characters in this book, between the Gray Lords, the Troll, the Vampires, the Witches and the multitude of Wolves.  I found that all the characters were portrayed extremely well and didn’t feature a lot of unnecessary embellishment.

The story moved forward in a fast-paced yet consistent way and I loved that in almost every chapter a little more of the characters was revealed.

“Women are the bloodthirsty sex,” said Ric sadly. “We get the reputation, but it is only because the women stand behind us, and say, ‘Kill it. Squish it.”

My only gripe is that while parts of this book kept me in absolute suspense, there were parts where I found myself bored or confused because the point of view suddenly changed or a scene was happening for a second time but from another character’s point of view.

Overall I loved this book, the depth and realism of the characters, the intense plot and the politics were fabulous.  The book doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, but I am pleased to know that there is more to come in Fair Game.

REVIEW: Cry Wolf (Alpha & Omega Book #1)

Title: Cry Wolf
Author: Patricia Briggs
Type: Paperback
Pages: 294
Published: 29th July 2008

I will note that I started with this book, I didn’t read the prequel and I have not read the Mercy Thompson series, and that series gets referred to a lot throughout the book, so it may be a good idea to read that series first, but I don’t think that it changed my experience of this book.

The book begins in the mountains with Walter’s story.  It had me hooked within seconds!  I wasn’t sure where the story was going to go or how he fit in but it was brilliant.

Then we move to chapter one which is Anna and Charles’s story. This is based at the tail end of a fight that has put Charles and Anna together into a new life that they weren’t exactly ready for but are more than willing to make it work.

Anna is an Omega wolf, and after 3 years of being brutalised, she is rather timid and wary of male wolves. She has been kept naive of what she is and how she fits into the pack but she is a fast learner and within the two/three week span of the book she shows a fierceness that I did not completely expect but definitely appreciated!

I adore Charles (and Brother Wolf); he seems to be the full package. I love his protectiveness, his authority and his strength of character.   Charles helps Anna heal the broken places deep inside of her with his love and Anna brings him a calmness and acceptance of himself that he has not known before.

“Identity was partly heritage, partly upbringing, but mostly the choices you make in life.”

When Charles goes to his next mission to track down a rouge wolf causing trouble, his father Bran, aka the Marrok, decides it would be best for Anna to come along. Maybe she can defuse the situation before the berserker has to come out.

I really enjoyed that the book flicked between Bran, Anna, Charles and Walter throughout the story, it gave it an amazing depth. I loved that when Charles and Anna go after the rogue werewolf, you immediately start assuming that you know who it is going to be and then there is an unexpected twist!!

I have now started Book #2: Hunting Ground and I have high expectations after this great read!!

Cry Wolf (Alpha & Omega Book #1)

I’m on page 40 of 294 of Cry Wolf: The prologue had me hooked! The first paragraph is so enthralling, I am already invested in this book, I have to know Anna’s story!!