Frost Burned (Mercy Thompson #7) by Patricia Briggs review

Obviously MAJOR SPOILERS abound as this is the 7th book in a series.

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, what passes for 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. With the werewolves fighting a political battle to gain acceptance from the public, Mercy fears Adam’s disappearance may be related—and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outclassed and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from any ally she can get, no matter how unlikely.

From Goodreads

If you've read my blog long, or even if you're new around here, you might know that I ADORE the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. I found this series fairly early in the game, right before the 4th book was published. I devoured them all and eagerly await the next installment every time. Unsure if they were "appropriate" for my blog audience, I refrained from reviewing them for quite some time. When I finally did bite the bullet, I did 2 sets of mini-reviews that cover the first 5 books (1-3, 4-5) and have subsequently reviewed each released book since then. Even more exciting was the fact that I finally got the chance to meet Patty at a signing for this book! It made all the difference in the world to hear her talk about her characters and actually read to us in the voices of those characters. But enough rambling, let's dig into the review!

Some time has passed between the ending of River Marked and the beginning of this book. Mercy has healed from her wounds and is settling in as the alpha's mate. Now residing in the Hauptman household, she is also officially step-mother to Adam's daughter Jesse. The easy-going nature of this relationship is what lulls you into a fall sense of security because right from the get-go we know something is wrong when no one from the pack can be reached.

There is a lot of suspense and detective work that has to go into discovering just what has happened to the pack. Making things even more difficult is the shear number of those involved. Despite these obstacles, and being a bit out of her element being the one solely in charge of the well-being of any and all pack members, Mercy shines throughout the book. Her dedication to the ones she loves can lead her into trouble if she's not cautious, as it naturally does in this book, but she wouldn't be Mercy if she didn't fight tooth and claw.

What made me really love this book, as opposed to the "meh" feeling I had for the last one, was the reappearance of some long-missed companions. There are a lot of beings and characters in Mercy's world and we don't often get to see many of them as often as we'd like due to other storylines. This book however saw the return of many characters that I had missed and their interjection allowed us to see how Mercy has grown and changed since the series first started. She is no longer just a shapeshifting mechanic working for a fae in a local shop, aggravating her werewolf neighbor with broken down vehicles, but otherwise trying to stay out of the supernatural world. Rather than hide from this world that she can't help but be a part of, Mercy has embraced her role in it and is a bit more careful in her actions.

If you haven't read the series yet, give it a go. There's hardly any romance, but lots of supernatural action that will keep you wanting to read. If you're a bit squeamish though, be forewarned, as these are werewolves, vampires, & fae who don't always necessarily have the best interests of humans in mind.

Do you read this series? What do you think? Do you have any other series that are like it that you love? 

Until I Die (Revenants #2) by Amy Plum review

Kate and Vincent have overcome the odds and at last they are together in Paris, the city of lights and love.

As their romance deepens there’s one question they can’t ignore: How are they supposed to be together if Vincent can’t resist sacrificing himself to save others? Although Vincent promises that he’ll do whatever it takes to lead a normal life with Kate, will that mean letting innocent people die? When a new and surprising enemy reveals itself, Kate realizes that even more may be at stake—and that Vincent’s immortality is in jeopardy.

In Die for Me, Amy Plum created a captivating paranormal mythology with immortal revenants and a lush Paris setting. Until I Die is poised to thrill readers with more heart-pounding suspense, spellbinding romance, and a cliff-hanger ending that will leave them desperate for the third and final novel in the series.

From Goodreads
  
Kate has had a rough go of the last year and change. With her parents dieing & her having to move to Paris with her sister to live with her grandparents, she's been a little shell-shocked. But then came Vincent. He turned her whole world upside down with his very existence. After discovering his true identity as a revenant, she still couldn't give up the way she feels about him. After a trial-by-fire immersion into his world, the two decide that they really should give their relationship its proper attempt. The only caveat is that Kate can't spend their relationship worrying about him having to sacrifice himself in order to save other humans.


As a result they each go about trying to find a way to help ease his pain so he can resist the need/desire to sacrifice himself. As the story progresses we learn more about revenant history & mythology as a new enemy springs up. While the numa have been dormant since their master's murder, they have been too quiet & the truth is more astonishing than any of them could have dreamed up.


Amy Plum has done it again. Until I Die is the perfect follow up to the smashing success that is Die for Me. I said it on Twitter & I will be more than happy to repeat it here, this book does not even remotely suffer from second book in a series syndrome. Plum's lush writing style set against the incredible backdrop that is Paris is a force to be reckoned with. There is a vibrancy to her writing that allows the reader to truly experience of what she is writing.


This book was a little more emotional than the first book simply because it involved deep matters of the heart. Kate is still quite young (by Vincent's standards) but she's desperate to make their relationship work. As such she goes through turmoil that only a teenager's first love can create. Even more nerve-wracking is the ultimate betrayal. Naturally I can't give you any hints, but there is something so visceral about a personal betrayal & Plum hits it right on the head.


A fabulous continuation in a wonderful series, I absolutely cannot wait to see what she has in store for the finale. If you don't already, you really should follow Amy on Twitter because she puts up some great stuff like her current profile pic with Stefan & Damon of The Vampire Diaries! (@AmyPlumOhLaLa)

Hunting Ground (Alpha & Omega #2) by Patricia Briggs review

Anna Latham didn’t know how complicated life could be until she became a werewolf. And until she was mated to Charles Cornick, the son — and enforcer — of Bran, the leader of the North American werewolves, she didn’t know how dangerous it could be either...

Anna and Charles have just been enlisted to attend a summit to present Bran’s controversial proposition: that the wolves should finally reveal themselves to humans. But the most feared Alpha in Europe is dead set against the plan — and it seems like someone else might be too. When Anna is attacked by vampires using pack magic, the kind of power only werewolves should be able to draw on, Charles and Anna must combine their talents to hunt down whoever is behind it all — or risk losing everything...

From Goodreads

The Marrok (Bran) is ready to announce to the world that the Fey are not the only supernatural creatures that walk amongst the humans. It is becoming increasingly difficult to hide the truth & he thinks it will hurt their image if they are discovered because of a violent action, rather than a heroic one. As more of a courtesy than anything else, he sends Anna & Charles to Seattle to present the case for mostly-full disclosure to the rest of the packs from around the world.


Naturally this doesn't sit well with some of the other wolves. There are threats dealt & words exchanged, but what surprises the newly married werewolf couple even more is that the most violent attack on them comes from a whole separate group. Vampires are using pack magic against them & trying to cover for someone else. It takes both of their special talents to root out the source of the trouble before anyone else can be harmed.


Walking back into the world of Alpha & Omega feels like coming home. The characters are so all-encompassing that I can't imagine how I could read books without them. The Marrok is such a strong and yet compassionate man/wolf that it's hard to believe that anyone could question his decisions, but that's exactly what happens in this story. Despite still getting to know one another, Charles & Anna find themselves in the middle of a dangerous situation. I am enamored with the way these two interact. They lean on one another while still taking a stand when needed. They seem to have hits & misses because they're still learning each others rhythm.


What was truly awesome to see in this book was the inter-species & international exchanges. One can often forget the role that politics can play even in our fictional worlds. I found myself shocked, appalled, disheartened & then revived by the actions of members of each party. Also, the dialog & setting were impeccable. Ms. Briggs has a way with words that I find highly intoxicating. Even better is her use of those words to create her world. I have never been to Washington state, but through her stories I sometimes feel like I could navigate the city blindfolded. 


All in all this was a wonderful follow up to Cry Wolf & a great continuance of such a wonderful series. If you haven't given her a try, I would suggest doing so.

Infamous (Chronicles of Nick #3) by Sherrilyn Kenyon review

Go to school. Get good grades. Stay out of trouble. That’s the mandate for most kids. But Nick Gautier isn’t the average teenager. He’s a boy with a destiny not even he fully understands. And his first mandate is to stay alive while everyone, even his own father, tries to kill him.

He’s learned to annihilate zombies and raise the dead, divination and clairvoyance, so why is learning to drive such a difficulty? But that isn’t the primary skill he has to master. Survival is.

And in order to survive, his next lesson makes all the others pale in comparison. He is on the brink of becoming either the greatest hero mankind has ever known.

Or he’ll be the one who ends the world. With enemies new and old gathering forces, he will have to call on every part of himself to fight or he’ll lose everyone he cares about.

Even himself.

From Goodreads

Nick is back in trouble...again. This time he has no clue who really to trust. For the most part everyone seems to be on his side, but everyone has their secrets. It begins innocuously enough, someone disseminates crude photos of an innocent classmate all over the school. Not thinking much of the obviously human cruelty, Nick continues his after-school studies with Grim (aka Death himself), Caleb (a man of questionable loyalties) & his not-known-to-his-mother girlfriend Kody (a very pretty girl hiding some very nasty secrets). With their help he tends to stay out of trouble.

But the cruelty at his school is escalating. Now there is an entire blog outing people for all sorts of things & naming sources of the information. Half of it is true to a point, but most of the sources as bogus. Soon enough though Nick finds himself on the wrong end of a beat down causing him all sorts of issues. Worst of all, he ends up in Azmodea (home of the Malachai's master) fighting to regain consciousness in the real world. As if that's not bad enough something more sinister is at work in the school & if it's not stopped soon, there may be only one Malachai in this realm & it won't be Nick.


Oh how I've missed the snarkiness & teenage angst of Nick & his companions! I genuinely enjoy watching Nick grow into his powers and take on all sorts of big bads. He reminds me a lot of Buffy & the Scooby gang in that while he may be fighting big, nasty monsters, a) he's never alone (maybe physically, but not spiritually or emotionally) & b) he makes mistakes just like any other person trying to find their place in a paranormally-filled world. Infinity & Invincible set us up quite well for all the madness that occurs in Infamous.


All your favorite characters make their return, but tend to keep to the shadows. This book was a chance for us to really get to know Nick, his relationship with his mother & his past/future very well. There is quite a bit of plot development that takes place & I can only see things getting more heated from here on out. A big battle is brewing in which Nick will play a starring role. In order to fulfill that duty he must be able to stand on his own. This book was all about him learning what that means & what he's going to have to do to accomplish his goal.


I really can't say much more because I'm afraid I'll give some of the good stuff away. This book is more demon-based than supernatural based & I really enjoyed that. Sherrilyn Kenyon does a fabulous job giving us glimpses into her Dark-Hunter & Were-Hunter worlds without bring the adult content. It's just teasing enough to convince you to check them out. I recommend them for older readers because they are written for an adult crowd if you get my drift. My favorite part of her Chronicles of Nick series though are the life lessons she instills in her characters. Many of them are wise beyond their current form's years, but the lessons they teach are still accessible & pertinent for the target audience.


Enjoy!

Bad Moon Rising by Sherrilyn Kenyon review

SPOILER ALERT: This is the 18th book in the Dark Hunter series & while the author says that the books can be read in any order, I like to give fair warning anyway. Just FYI.

Fang Kattalakis is far from a lone wolf. He is a member of a pack, with his brother, his father & several other folks. But he has never desired a female as much as that of Aimee Peltier. Too bad she's not a wolf, she's actually the owner of Sanctuary's daughter. Oh, and a bear too.

Fang wasn't looking for a mate, heck he wasn't even looking for a date when he & some pack members wandered into Sanctuary for a meal. Of course nothing can ever be that simple & when Aimee's life is threatened by roving jackals, Fang protects & defends her, winning eternal gratification from the bears.

As it turns out, that "gratification" comes in very handy when things go sour faster than he ever thought possible. When his own father hands down the execution order for Fang & his brother, the bears are there to nurse them both back to health. Unfortunately the damage to Fang is extensive & he finds himself actually locked in a hellish purgatory with Aimee as his only way out. The unwilling couple form a bond that nothing seems to shake & she manages to save, in more way than one. Their bond, although tenuous, comes in handy sooner than they would have liked when the different lycanthrope groups decide to stage an all-out war. Will Sanctuary survive the battle or will it become a casualty of the young couple's budding romance?

Bad Moon Rising is one of the plethora of books from the wonderfully enchanting Sherrilyn Kenyon. I pick and choose which books of her's I want to read because while they are all loosely affiliated, you do not have to read the previous books to understand the main storyline of the current book you're reading. The first book I read was No Mercy , which comes after this book in sequence, so I understood certain things with more clarity after reading Bad Moon Rising, but nothing that completely altered the book for me. Any way...

Aimee & Fang are a fun couple to watch develop. They really have no intention of being attracted to one another & actively try to dissuade & distract themselves from the other, but they just have no luck. As cursed beings their lives are kind of determined by the gods & the gods have a sick sense of humor when it comes to messing with people's love lives. Aimee is a strong-willed woman who is the only female of the bear clan & is doing everything in her power to keep the family name clear & pure to continue their legacy. Fang is a little haggard, but his rough-and-tumble life is as good as he could expect it to be. Bringing these two smart-mouthed, wise-cracking, hard-headed fools together is one of the most explosive & fun things I've seen Ms. Kenyon do in her books.

The writing is spot on with some great quotes & active story building. The Dark Hunter/Were Hunter worlds are very diverse with a lot of history & details that I can't even begin to imagine trying to keep up with, so I appreciate the effort she puts in to make the story so engrossing. This one was turned turn in steamy romance compared to the first book I read, but there is still definitely some lovin' (of multiple acts) going on between these two characters. As I've continued to say, I'm not the biggest fan of misplaced romance. It has to actually add something to the story in order for me to get behind it. That was definitely the case in this book, so I didn't mind so much.

I'm looking forward to the next book I plan to read from Ms. Kenyon, although I'm not sure if it will be a Dark Hunter/Were Hunter book or if I'll wait for the next Chronicles of Nick book that's due out in February of 2012. I'm stuck. What do you think?

Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Nick Gautier is one of the cockiest, most smart mouthed 14 year old in all of New Orleans. Or at least he thinks he is. The son of a teen mother & death-row inmate, Nick hasn't hasn't had the easiest of lives, but that doesn't change this Cajun's fiery attitude. He would lay his life down to defend his mother & wants nothing more than to become the man worthy of her praises.

Unfortunately there are things lurking in New Orleans that have always been on the periphery, that are now attracted to Nick like bees to honey. Every crazy creature from every horror movie ever created, and some new ones to boot, are coming after him & his friends. Some of them have been sent for nefarious reasons & others are renegade agents accidentally created by a nerd trying to avoid being bullied.

As Nick sinks deeper into the new New Orleans, he's learning more about himself & his friends than he ever expected. Those closest to you are your most dangerous enemies & strangers' kindness always comes with strings attached. Can Nick hold his ground or will he have to give an inch to gain a mile?

While I must admit that overall I did like this story, there is absolutely no denying that this book was written by someone accustomed to writing adult, romance novels. Nick Gautier is one of the more intriguing "human" characters in Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunters series. As such, he was created in an adult world. Despite the fact that she is now going back & writing his back story for teens, she can't very well change his lineage as it already exists. Therefore, Nick's mom is a Bourbon Street stripper & his father is a homicidal death row inmate. There are also some phrasing choices & references that some more reserved readers may cringe at, but nothing overly imposing.

All that being said, I really loved the feeling of New Orleans in this book. Sherrilyn really captures the city's majesty & essence while also managing to capture the more struggling side of life. There is something about a "Cinderella" story, rising to greatness from the lowest depths, that I find truly compelling & masterful. Sherrilyn manages to combine all of these elements together in a truly astounding way that is still so very relative.

My absolute favorite character in this story is Bubba. A backwater, zombie-hunting, Oprah-watching redneck who owns a computer repair/gun shop, he is a main source of information on the preternatural & Nick's unofficial guide while he's learning to navigate in this new dark world.

A fun read, with creative flair, Infinity is the beginning of a series I intend to keep an eye on.

One last thing, if you've never checked out Sherrilyn's website, you really should. She has so much information on all her series & characters. Be forewarned though, since there is some crossover between the adult & teen series, there are spoilers in the adult profiles. The niftiest part I found on Nicky's profile was his 10 Things to Know About Me:

1. I was born standing standing up and talking back
2. Cajun born and bred
3. My fave haunts are Mulates and Cafe Du Monde where my mom takes me after work.
4. I live for Zydeco and good gumbo.
5. I really want a gaming system, but we can't afford it.
6. I don't like authority and it doesn't like me.
7. Bubba is one of my best friends.
8. Rich man's gumbo is when the meat is actually bought in a store.
9. Schools and prisons. Both are institutions with people who want to abuse you where you're confined to little rooms.
10. Manga. The new drug.

No Mercy by Sherrilyn Kenyon

SPOILER ALERT: This is the 19th book in the Dark Hunter series & while the author says that the books can be read in any order, the beginning of this one leads me to believe it would give away the ending of a previous novel. Just FYI.

Devereaux Peltier (Dev) has always stayed close to his family's New Orleans-based paranormal night club, Sanctuary, to help his mother & keep a watchful eye on his younger sister. After the gigantic battle to defend their nightclub & the loss of both his parents during that fight, Dev is a shapeshifting bear adrift. As the night bouncer for the club, he sees all sorts of characters. Unfortunately the one who took his breath away is off-limits.

Samia (Sam) is an Amazonian dark-hunter. She is an immortal who sold her soul to Artemis in order to avenge the murder of her family. Eons later she is still roaming the Earth by night to protect the human race from all manner of foul creatures. The night that she returns to Sanctuary for business is a night that will change everything she has taken as fact for the last 5,000 years.

When Sam & Dev have to join together to keep Sam alive & out of the hands of the bad guys, the two find that they have a lot more in common than they originally thought & that their mutual attraction is something they really can't seem to fight.

Let me just preface this review with a personal note. I am not a prude when it comes to sexual situations. I consider myself to be very liberal in my acceptance of all manner & expression of all relationships. That being said, I am not a fan of gratuitous sex scenes in film or print. Honestly, if there is no real plot point behind the deed, then I don't need a play-by-play, let alone several.

Overall I must say I really liked this book. Sherrilyn Kenyon has an amazing ability to capture not only the action, but the essence of a situation, without getting too bogged down in the details or word count. I could picture almost every action & sequence as I read the book, including some that were just a bit too much for my reading tastes.

As I just stated, I don't enjoy reading gratuitous sex scenes, and I feel like this was one of those books where every 75 pages someone was getting it on, or had just finished getting it on. It irked me, but I decided to ignore that and focus on the story. When I did that, I found I enjoyed the story in general.

The characters were certainly engaging & had some depth to them, while still managing to be accessible to someone who has never read the series. The dialogue was witty & amusing & really helped move the story along. My favorite part of her writing though, was her inclusion of the Greek dieties. The mythology added another layer of intrigue to the story that I think bound it together well. While by the end of the book I felt I needed a character index, I was still able to grasp the whole story.

All in all, I would highly recommend this book for more mature young adults. If you enjoy urban fantasy novels, and can get past or even enjoy the extra sex scenes, then I would recommend this book & series. I think I may go back & pick through the series since it doesn't have to necessarily be read in order. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Sisters Red (Fairytale Retellings #1) by Jackson Pearce

Scarlett and Rosie March are hunters. They eat, sleep, and breath hunting. We're not talking about rabbits & ducks; these girls hunt Fenris, wolves. These monsters take on men's forms to lure in young girls who they devour. After a horrific Fenris attack that left Scarlett horribly scarred with an eye patch & their grandmother dead, the girls began training with the Pa Reynolds, their neighborhood woodsmen. Growing up with Pa Reynolds's son Silas, the girls do their duty to protect their homeland.

When another wolf ambles by looking for the Potential, all three teen's senses are on alert. They decide to move to the city in search of better luck tracking the Potential & taking down the wolf population in the process. But Rosie isn't really in to it all. Silas, who has just returned from a year long hiatus in San Francisco, can see it in her eyes and encourages her to explore other activities. Rosie discovers that not only does she enjoy these other activities, but she actually has an aptitude for something besides throwing daggers. Scarlett is determined to put a stop to the turning of the Potential. Silas is torn between his heart's desire & his duty.

One thing is for sure, none of these three will ever be the same & the Fenris don't stand a chance against them united.

This was an interesting twist on the Little Red Riding Hood tale. This time though, Little Red Riding Hood doesn't necessarily need the woodsman to save her. These girls are tough and determined. They are presented as two parts of the same heart which is very understandable given their traumatic experience as children. Put together they really would make a dynamic person, but as two individuals they can't possibly remain together forever. Silas really is just there to throw hormones into the mix. I feel like he didn't really add much to the story other than being a catalyst for Rosie & acting as eye candy.

The Fenris were an interesting group. They really were wolf-possessed men with no souls instead of a traditional werewolf. That was an unexpected element as it made the Little Red Riding Hood background make more sense. I really liked the mythology behind the Potential and how the wolves sought him & found it quite enchanting.

Jackson Pearce is really onto something with this kind of storyline and I look forward to her future works as they seem to be heading down the fables & fairy tales path.

Waiting on Wednesday: Trance

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

I'm pretty stoked about the October 14th release of Trance by Linda Gerber. A twist on the banshee tale, this book takes a different angle.

It begins with a subtle vibration, a tingling. There is time to take only one breath. The trance begins. When it is through, she is certain of two things: Someone she knows is about to die. And she is powerless to stop it.

Ashlyn Greenfield has always known when bad things are going to happen. Each time that familiar tingling at the back of her neck begins, she knows what's to come a trance. She's pulled in, blindsided, an unwilling witness to a horrible upcoming event. But she's never been able to stop it not even when the vision was of her mother's fatal car accident. When soulful Jake enters Ashlyn's life, she begins having trances about another car accident. And as her trances escalate, one thing becomes clear: it's up to her to save Jake from near-certain death.

From Goodreads

I'm really looking forward to the author's descriptions of these trances. I will be sorely disappointed if they don't take on a life of their own. They will hopefully be described in detail. While I'm fairly certain I know the basic plotline of the story, since there are only so many ways it can go, I'm intrigued to see how Linda decides to use her word count. Only the book will tell. What are you waiting on this week?

Shifters Series by Rachel Vincent Mini-Reviews Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of my mini-reviews of Rachel Vincent's Shifters series. If you missed Part 1, check it out here. If you're ready though, go ahead and read below to find out more about the wonderful werecat world.

WARNING: I put these three in a separate post because they contain spoilers for the first three books. You've been warned!

Prey
After coming out on top during her trial, Faythe has returned to the Lazy S ranch once again, only this time it's without her exiled lover Marc. While it's hard on Faythe, she has her hands full with the protection of Kaci, Manx, and baby Des. Faythe is really trying to coax Kaci into understanding that her cat form is nothing to be ashamed or frightened of.

But when they come under attack by a huge pack of strays and then a Pride member is outright murdered on their own property, the Pride goes into a tizzy. Someone is pulling the strings on this operation and they're going to pay dearly, not only for their actions, but also for what their actions cause Faythe to do in her love life.

Shift
With a Pride member dead, the Pride gathers its allies at the ranch to prepare for the coming civil war. There is no other answer for what has occurred in their society. While her father is impeached from the territorial council, the South Central Pride is virtually cut off from everyone else. Which is why the Thunderbirds had no real trouble cornering them and beginning to pick them off one by one. Now the Pride is scrambling to bring them proof that they are not responsible for the death of the Thunderbirds' Flight member. Everyone is depending on Marc, Faythe, and Jace to keep their tempers in check and work together without tearing everything apart.

Alpha (set for release on October 1, 2010)
This is the blurb from the back cover. P.S. I am in LOVE with this cover. It's my favorite of them all!

YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE FAYTHE...

The unscrupulous new Council chair has charged Jace, Marc, and me with trespassing, kidnapping, murder, and treason. Yeah, we've been busy. But now it's time to take justice into our own hands. We must avenge my brother's death and carve out the rot at the heart of the Council.

It's not going to be easy, and loss seems unavoidable, but I have promised to protect my Pride, no matter what. With a target on my back and Marc at my side, I'm heading for a final showdown that can--that will--change everything forever. A showdown I'm not sure I'm ready for. But life never waits until you're ready. From Goodreads

So there you have it folks. Are you intrigued? If you haven't read one yet, go to your library and grab Stray. They're amazing and fantastic! I'm kind of sad to see the story end with Alpha, but Faythe's story can only go so far. Congratulations to Rachel Vincent for an incredible job well done. I can't wait to see where Faythe winds up!

Shifters Series by Rachel Vincent Mini-Reviews Part 1

I did a similar post on the Mercy Thompson series that I love so much by Patricia Briggs a few months ago. Well seeing as how I have managed to fall in love with yet another shifter series, I figured I would do a post about it as well.

Rachel Vincent's werecat Shifters series, staring the completely fallible and wonderful colorful Faythe Sanders, is a fun, quickly-paced series covering six novels. We meet Faythe when she is summoned home from grad school for her own protection. Needless to say, she doesn't go back to school what with all the kidnappings, attempted murders, oh and over-protective ex-fiances hanging around. The books follow Faythe as she tries to navigate her very modern self-existence within the rather 1950's view of a tabby in her pride.

She's smart, she's sassy, she's stubborn, and most of all she just wants to live her life without it being dictated to her. I feel that all women can relate to her, and even some men can, on some level or another. Below you'll find a synopsis/mini-review for the first three books. The other three will be provided in a later post.

See my full review of Stray.

Stray
All Faythe wanted was to be left alone. She was working on her graduate degree, but the werecat community just couldn't leave her alone. After fighting off a stray (a once human, made into a werecat through an illegal attack; no pride) Faythe is summoned home for safety. Someone is snatching tabbies and they're not giving them back. Despite all precautions to the contrary, Faythe becomes one of the snatched. In a race against the clock, Faythe must work quickly to figure out who is behind this, what their plans are for the tabbies, and then set them straight.

Rogue
We pick up where we left off in Stray with Faythe being cooped up in the house of werecats trying not to go crazy. Now as enforcer though, she's getting to see some action and prove her worth. She doesn't want to be seen as weak, so she does whatever is necessary to prove that fact. Even if it means working with her on-again boyfriend/ex-fiance Marc as a partner. While out on a mission, the two come across a dead stray. They do their job of covering it up, so the humans don't find out, but as more toms (male werecats) start to die, the trail becomes hotter than ever. Someone's killing toms in the same places that human girls go missing and it's up to Marc and Faythe to stop them. But who do you look for when anyone's a suspect?

Pride
Faythe Sanders is mischievous at her best, but certainly not intentionally combative. Well, only when the situation calls for it, and the situations she is on trial for were just that. Unfortunately, in the eyes of the council, Faythe has broken some of their major rules and must now pay the price. Only in this world, you are presumed guilty unless you can prove otherwise. Faythe is struggling to keep her temper in check while trying not to freak out about that fact that if found guilty the best outcome is the loss of her claws and the worst being execution. Given that she's one of the few tabbies in the US, that speaks volumes about her alleged crimes. It just so happens though that Lady Luck has not abandoned Faythe yet. The large number of hostile strays in the area is suspicious and the council wants answers. If Faythe can prove her worth, she can keep her life.

Tune in on Thursday for the next three books!