Under the rule of
science, there are no witch burnings allowed, no water trials or public
lynchings. In return, the average law-abiding, solid citizen has little
to worry about from the things that go bump in the night. Sometimes I
wish I was an average citizen...
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. |
"A dominant wolf's desire to protect was a strong instinct- Samuel was very dominant. Give him an inch, and he's take over the world- my life, if I let him."
While being impressed, I wasn’t blown away by the first book, but I still was itching to see where the writer led me next in the unusual life of Mercy. Many recommendations and high five praises helped me have hope the series would rise above average with each book. It is easy to see glimpses of greatness trying to sneak a peek out of the first book’s pages.
Happily the hippy Stefan plays a heavier role as he calls in some friend-obligation favors from pal Mercy. Obliged to help her vamp friend battle a supernatural nemesis that’s bringing down the city, she prioritizes the fight while juggling a potential love triangle and trying to see where she fits into the local pack safely.
Action wises it pushes the first off the bookshelf with a hard shove, having much more exciting stuff at play and starting earlier. This also can rev the heart more since it seems the characters are brought more into the limelight and seem more alive.
Adam’s intriguingly awesome and delicious. Samuel is haunted but that backstory history certainly took creative sparks to conjure. Not many are in mood for “romantic/hate love knots” and really, Briggs doesn’t torture us. The love triangle is subtle, a mere possibility looming, in the face with a caress but not a cliché slap.
Stefan simply fascinates. He sounds hokey by review but he sure rocks by book.
There’s airs of mystery with him too so it’s hard to know what’s going to come up. The villain is well done and bizarre.
Briggs again dishes out a great heroine, and she clearly has fun making her supe world flesh out to a more realistic experience. I’m pleased I continued with this series – as I figured it got better with the second book.
To me this improved much upon the first. Mercy is just as likeable as always, but the plot seems firmer and more exciting. I read this one quickly, devouring the drama and relationship angles that aren't laid on TOO thickly, the bizarre villain, some pretty disturbing stuff, and the "super ending". It's as if the author took the characters from the first book and spruced them up for this one. It's not the kind of intense story where you'll be on the edge-of-your-seat chomping your nails to the bit, but still further fleshed out and intriguing.
Book Quotes:
“Never trust a mechanic who drives new cars. They're either charging too much money for their work, or they can't keep an old car running - maybe both.”
“Now, I'm not very vain. If I'd ever been, making my living covered in various grease and dirt mixtures would have cured me quickly. Still, I wasn't up to facing two sexy men when I had one eye swollen mostly shut and half of my face black and blue.”
Other Reviews from this series:
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