Frost Burned (Mercy Thompson, #7) (2024)

Re-Read. Still love ❤️

Another awesome Mercy Thompson Hauptman book! It was really sad of one of the pack members, but that has to happen. The whole wolf pack is taken and Mercy has to help set them free, in which she did in a very cool way.

I thought the book was going in a different direction, but Patricia Briggs put in a nice change of events. I thought it was great!

I recommend this whole series to people that love werewolves, shape shifters, fae and vampires. But it is mainly about the werewolves, in which I love the most.

I also really loved the ghost element that was added to the book. :)

”All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.”

Thank god we have Mercy to do the job!!! XD

So this was already the seventh book in the Mercy Thompson series and even after all those many books I still can’t help but have to love Patricia Briggs heroine. =)

Mercy is such a strong female character and I really wish there would be more of them in literature. XD Don’t get me wrong, it’s getting better and better and a lot has improved ever since I started to read this series, when I was younger and began to get into reading, Mercy Thompson was almost the only cool heroine though.
Well, next to Kate Daniels (start of the series 2007) and Rachel Morgan (2004)! *lol*

Still, I’m very thankful that Patricia Briggs and the other authors wrote about those strong female leads and I think their stories influenced a lot of other young writers to do the same thing. ;-)
This said, I guess it’s no wonder I still love to come back to this series and enjoy it immensely. It almost feels like coming home whenever I begin to dive into the next book and I really hope there are more to come. =))

Of course the 7th book didn’t disappoint as well and I was once again pulling for Mercy and her pack! I swear, I love the interactions of the pack so much!!! Each and every single member is so unique and likeable, it’s like they’ve become my family over the years. *lol* Still, I can’t believe what happened at the beginning of this book!!!! >_<
A Cantrip agent killed Peter!!! Sweet and gentle Peter!!! OMG!! I’ll never be over his death…. The “heart of the pack” is gone and I’m sure there will be a lot of trouble because of this. T_T
I’m still shocked but there was so much action that I could barely process everything that happened. *lol* Next to our typical vampires (Marsilia, Stefan and Wulfe) there were also some new additions to the cast and I’m really curious if they’ll have a part in the next few books as well.
Hao and Asil were two really intriguing men and I definitely want to find out more about them! So yeah, I hope they’ll stick around. XD
Oh and if we’re already speaking about awesome boys, Tad is such a sweetie pie!!! I love this guy so much!!! <333 He’s definitely one of the coolest characters of the entire series and whatever his personal troubles, he still decided to help Mercy! Which tbh only makes him even more adorable! *lol*

”I am always careful with the truth. It is a powerful thing and deserves respect.”

Isn’t he a sweetheart?! XD

Anyway, like all of the books before it I really loved “Frost Burned” and I can’t wait to continue with the Mercy Thompson series. =)))
So far there are 10 books which means I only have three more to go until I have to wait for the release of the 11th one. Let’s see if I’ll manage to catch up! ;-P

"Expected publication: Spring 2013"

*blinks*
*blinks again*
HELL.
NO!
(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

UPDATE:
February, huh?
*sniff*

POST-READ
Hmm.Still not sure how I feel about this one...

This is book #7 in the Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series, and poor Mercy can't catch a break. Hardly recovered from injuries suffered in River Marked, she's trying to distract her stepdaughter Jesse by taking her Black Friday shopping on Thanksgiving evening. Mercy has a panic attack while driving, which leads to a car accident. At first Mercy thinks it's because Jesse asked her when she and Adam were going to have a baby, but it soon becomes apparent that her Alpha werewolf husband and almost all of his pack have been abducted, and Mercy has a psychic connection to them.

As Mercy scrambles to try to find Adam, protect Jesse, and rescue someone who's been left behind, it becomes clear that these problems, as terrible as they are, are just the tip of the iceberg. Several characters have hidden motives and deep-laid plans. Luckily, Mercy has several magical friends who are NOT werewolves (vampires, faes ...) that it makes the job a little easier. Not so luckily, there are Reasons the pack was kidnapped, and those reasons center on Mercy herself.

The plotting in this series is just so good. This is the first book where the Alpha and Omega series (which is almost as good) really starts to intertwine with Mercy's, plotwise. From here on out you really need to read them all in order.

4.5 stars
A few weeks ago, Patty Briggs and her husband Mike joined a chat room to discuss both Frost Burned and Patty’s previous books. The idea was to discuss each Mercy Thompson book separately, but that’s not how it went in the end. I was able to join them just once because the timing didn’t work for me, but the half hour I spent talking to Patty and her fans further convinced me that she is both a great author and a very pleasant person. When I shared with her my opinion that Fair Game, her third Charles and Anna book, is the best one she’s ever written, she assured me that Frost Burned is even better. At the time, I took that statement with a healthy dose of skepticism, but now that I’ve finally read it, I both agree and disagree with Patty.

Frost Burned is neither better nor worse than Fair Game – both are as good as urban fantasy can get. From the first Mercy Thompson book (so far there are ten books in this universe), Patty has been getting better and better. In pacing, characterization and plot development, she has reached perfection. Big words, you say? Well, yeah, but so is this series.

After all that fear of her mate bond and of losing herself to the pack, it was nice to see Mercy so comfortable in her role as mate of the Alpha of the Columbia Basin Pack. She and Adam have such a beautiful, healthy relationship. In River Marked, Mercy was feeling more comfortable as part of the pack, but she was still adjusting and she still had her doubts. In Frost Burned, she is truly the Alpha’s mate – she thinks as one, acts as one, and protects as one.

I was going to have to come up with a rank for myself besides Alpha’s mate. In the pack, I was just Mercy – but if ten more people called me the Alpha’s mate, I was going to hit someone. It sounded like a chess move.

The addition of Adam’s point of view was so very unexpected that I had to take a moment to think about it and decide whether I liked it or not. I certainly understand the need: Adam and Mercy spent most of this book apart and their mate bond can only be used so much. Besides, I feel that I now understand Adam just a bit better, and Patty did an excellent job writing from a male perspective. And yet, something bothered me about it, and it took me a while to figure it out. It wasn’t the change in perspective, it was the switch from first-person view to third person view. I wish she’d done both Mercy and Adam in first person. I think that would have worked much better.

Although he was mostly absent from the second half of this book, one Mr. Kyle Brooks stole the first half all to himself. Yes, that’s right – an ordinary human (though admittedly a lawyer) won me over by being a bigger hero than all those other heroes Briggs has created. Kyle has always been the brightest star in Mercy’s universe, but I felt that hi finally got due respect in Frost Burned.

All of the secondary characters appeared, at least for a little while, with the exception of Samuel and Bran. I didn’t miss Samuel all that much (I never did warm up to him), but I missed Bran greatly. He was a constant comforting presence both in Mercy’s mind and mine, but I missed his subtle sense of humor and everything else that makes him who he is.

Those of you who are still unfamiliar with my favorite coyote and her wolves should consider giving this series a chance. And I doubt I need to say anything to those of you who’ve read this series before except: We waited two years for Frost Burned to be released and now it’s finally out. Yaaaay!

Want to win a copy of Frost Burned? Want to read an interview with Patricia Briggs?!! Then click here! Check out this review and others like it at BadAssBookReviews

Beyond typing “I loved it. I loved it. OMG I loved it.” over and over again, it is hard to write a coherent review. Why? Because I loved this book so much. It was an emotional and a fun experience reading it. I feel like I lived another life through the pages of this book!

Patricia Briggs’s talent seems to increase with every book that she writes. Frost Burned brings a heightened level of complexity and character development to the Mercy world — in the same manner that Fair Game did for the Alpha & Omega world. Like the other Mercy novels, there is danger and Mercy is engaged in figuring out the source of danger. What I like about how Mercy traces down the danger is that she does it in a rational way. She does take chances, but only if she has to. She really doesn’t want to be reckless. And Mercy’s actions make sense. I can see her living a real life off the pages of these books, fixing cars and giving Adam heck. The cast of characters that are involved in Frost Burned is large, but in my opinion it was manageable and oh so satisfying to see “everyone”. Frost Burned feels longer than previous Mercy books and is very meaty. This book is worth reading and buying now.

The monsters are freaking scary and yes this includes the werewolves. Briggs’s stories are engaging because they are not simplistic. She does this by writing horrifying creatures that remind me of what I was afraid of when I was younger and alone in the dark. Vampires are not sexy — well they may be sexy, but only in a terrifying way. Werewolves’ protective nature may be admirable, but it gets in the way of modern life and puts others in the vicinity of a protective werewolf in danger. And then we have the Fae. For those readers that read Fair Game, then you know that the stakes have been upped and the world is suddenly a much more dangerous place for supernaturals. In the midst of all this there is Mercy and Adam. Their humor, banter and flirting shine through the pages and as does their love for each other. Thankfully, their bond is stronger than ever ..

Kyle blinked. “You can talk to Adam when he’s not in the room, and you don’t have a phone?”

Frost Burned gives readers several chapters from Adam’s point of view. These advance the story line and give good insight into why Adam does what he does. But also, (for me anyway) reading Adam’s point of view solidifies that he there is NO doubt that Adam is my favorite werewolf. I live to read when he is frustrated with Mercy and yells, “Mercy!”

I gotta say that I love what being an alpha and submissive means to Briggs. Alpha is not just to push people around and to dominate. Alpha is to protect and care for others. As Briggs writes, having a submissive werewolf in a pack is a gift because it breaks the tension and gives the alphas something to focus on and protect. I love this concept, it is so beautiful.

Frost Burned is funny (lots of really good humor) and sweet; it moves the Mercy world forward. Fans of Mercy and Patricia Briggs will not be disappointed.

3.5*.

Another fantastic edition to the series. A new villain, great action, and some great fun moments in between, a perfect read for a weekend read.

Favorite Quote: He laughed again, and his body softened as much as it ever did – there just wasn’t much soft about Adam. “I love you,” he said.

“I know,” I told him seriously. “How could you help it?”

While the Mercy Thompson series is an absolute favorite of mine, the past couple of books have been a little on the slower side for me. But I am happy to say, Frost Burned brings back the fun action and world building I’ve come to expect from this series. And before I go any further, let me also say –

We get two full chapters of Adam Hauptman POV.

I’ll give you a minute to recover from this. Because yes, it is that fabulous.

Frost Burned starts with Adam and almost his entire pack being kidnapped by possible federal agents (although everyone is pretty sure they are rogue, human radicals). To take down almost 30 werewolves means these guys are serious and must have a lot of power and knowledge about the werewolf community. What Adam soon learns is that these rogue agents want to set-up the shifters by having Adam assassinate a senator to look bad in the public eye, as public perception of the supernatural population is on very thin ground. Pumped full of silver and drugs, Adam must play these kidnapper games to keep his pack safe, all the while concerned for his Mercy and his daughter Jesse, who have yet to be kidnapped.

Mercy and Jesse were out shopping when it all went down. Unable to get ahold of anyone after getting into a fender bender, Mercy starts to panic. Eventually she finds Gage (Jesse’s love interest), Ben (the only werewolf able to escape – I love me some Ben) and Kyle (Warren’s partner). The three of them along with some help from Stefan (I love this vampire too) set out on a plan to keep Jesse hidden and safe and try to figure out where Adam is being kept and how to get them all out.

I think the Mercy/Kyle/Ben dynamic is a really nice in here. While Mercy is quite upset and panicked that Adam is in danger, using their bond she is able to reach out to him and she knows he is still alive. She actually “visits” him on two occasions through a dream of sorts too, which gives her a tiny peace of mind. Even with the dark cloud hanging over them, this book is still full of some lighter moments, especially when Mercy takes Marsilia’s (head vampire queen) car from her shop (it was in for an oil change). The car is a really fancy expensive model and let’s just say, while Mercy has every intention of just harmlessly borrowing it, horrible things happen to this car which is quite amusing.

When I first read the blurb and noticed that Adam was kidnapped, I was bummed he wasn’t going to be in the book very much, but I was wrong. As I said, we get two chapters of his POV and he has a lot of page time. I really enjoyed what we get between him and Mercy in this book. Now married, they have such a mature relationship, and by getting Adam’s POV, we get insight into how proud he is of Mercy, but also how fragile he thinks she is and his overwhelming need to keep her safe.

I have to give Patricia Briggs a lot of credit for the way she writes her shifters. She makes their wolf part of them, so realistic. So violent, so feral, so….not human. Adam has to make some decisions in this book that are hard core, and I love that she shows the reader his complete alpha side. We see the ramifications of pissing off the leader of the pack. We see the ramifications of supernatural power and how human police also need to follow through with their procedures. This author portrays so well how a shifter world would integrate into a human world and is really careful with the details. And that is something I really appreciate with this series. As well as the fabulous characters – all of them, even the small supporting ones add so much to each book. Such a well done urban fantasy world. I really enjoyed.

Rating: B+

I've been enjoying this series and for me to make it to book 7 is rare. This had all the elements of the previous books, danger and strange magic and political machinations. And I like the characters, but for this one the plot was....not weak, but the main protagonists, were more reactive than active. I know, sounds strange - here's some examples: Adam and his pack don't escape, the mercenary captain gives him the key to his cuffs - having him kill everyone was a nice bit of revenge, but would have been even better for Adam to figure out how to escape. They don't discover who the money man is - Hao shows up and Marsilia tells them about Frost.

I have the next book and will be reading it as I do like the characters and world and there was a chapter teaser at the end about Adam's ex-wife showing up, which promises for lots of conflict!

In FROST BURNED, Mercy and Jesse are doing some Black Friday shopping when Mercy feels through her connection to Adam that the entire pack has been kidnapped. Mercy has to call on all her favors with the vampires and the fae as allies to help find them and figure out who is behind it. The Mercy Thompson series is one of my favorite werewolf series for good reason. Always outstanding world building with interesting dynamics between the worlds of werewolves, the fae (my favorites in the series) and the vampires, as well as smaller players like coyote and ghosts. This one was especially good. Really enjoyed all the werewolf dynamics in this, and also the focus on Adam and Mercy. This book really hit all the right notes for me.

Re-read Time

I might have enjoyed this a little more the second time through but will retain my 3.5 star rating. I again had forgotten most of this book and so everything felt new to me again. I do like this new discovery Mercy makes about her connection with ghosts and what she can do for them. The bad guy is pretty fascinating and I did wonder when he was going to show up again.

Also, Vampires. Can't live with them, can't stake them all. Marcella and Wolf do have an interesting relationship. It was a little funny all the stuff that happened to Mercy while driving around in Marcella's very nice Mercedes. Some smells just will not come out.

Original Review

3.5 Stars

While I was not a huge fan of River Marked, Frost Burned has bounced back and was much better. It still is maybe not as great as some of the earlier books but a solid addition to the series. If nothing else we have learned that Mercy has a way of finding trouble no matter what. She is settling into the married life with Adam and even trying to do a little black Friday shopping with Jesse when trouble and chaos strike again. Mercy must figure out more about her mate bound and her status as a ‘Walker’ if she is going to be any help to the pack.

“Coyote never loses. Because I change the rules of the games my enemies play. What are the rules of your game?”

There is a plot a foot against the pack and most of them have been taken and drugged. No one is safe and not everyone will make it out alive. Mercy again will have to enlist the help of a few friends including Stefan, Tony and Tad (Zee’s son) to be able to keep those she loves safe.

There are cameos by a lot of my favorite characters. Zee is in hiding with the rest of the Fae on the reservations but he is sneaky and always seems to find a way to help. Also Kyle, who is one of my favorite characters gets to wear the best t-shirts and bust out his lawyerisms to help out Mercy and Adam.

I enjoyed the plot line of this installment more than the previous book. Someone is targeting Adam’s pack but it is unknown if it is the Humans, Fae or Vampires. It seems like anyone or everyone could be behind it at some point in time and honestly I didn’t see the direction it was turning until we were there.

There is also some cute cuddle time with the alpha pair of course

“Do they always flirt with biblical quotes?" Asil asked Tad.
In long-suffering tones, Tad said, "They can flirt with the periodic table or a restaurant menu. We've learned to live with it. Get a room you guys.”

But overall it all seems to be building up for something big to go down later with the Fae and the humans. Not all the country is happy about the supernatural beings in the world and there will probably be a fight somewhere down the road.

Still a solid enough series that I will continue on.

I greatly enjoy the Mercy series. It's like a branch of the Kate Daniels world that focuses on another sassy capable heroine with a hilarious love interest.

In other words, I friggen love this series.

“He bit his tongue because he’d look like an idiot if he yelled at her for not arguing with him”

Adam knows Mercy is being herself when she argues and bites back. Otherwise, she is broken and weak. She always fights, so what do you do when she doesn’t bother to fight back?

“Zee taught magic the way he taught mechanicking—by making Tad do all the work while he stood behind him and made acerbic corrections.”

Zee is honestly the real MVP.
He just this all powerful badass fairy that decided he likes the small annoying walker and teachers her some mechanics before deciding he would f*cking die for her

“and Adam turned to me and roared at me, too.
“I couldn’t help it,” I said to him. “He was going to destroy the world.”
Adam snarled and snapped his teeth at me.”

He literally roars at her like ~bitch what the f*ck are you doing??? we suppose to be relaxing~
and Mercy is just like ~sorry love i gotta~

Adam showing up to try and save Mercy from the idiotic trouble she’s gotten into

I love their banter, it’s just so real and well-done. Another great book in this series, 3 Stars ✨

This series is one of the best Paranormal/Urban Fantasy series out there. Patricia Briggs has a wonderful ability to create a world that feels real and is totally believable.

Mercy Thompson as found her place in Adam’s life, even though there are few things that just get to her…

Because of their incredible bond and unique abilities they were able to do things that have not been previously done; she gets into Adam’s body and is able to see what he sees. She will need all her resources, including her growing powers.

I adore Mercy and Adam as a couple…have I said that before??? Truly, their relationship is intense and emotional and I admire the fact that they respect each other – a real team!

The character development continues to surprise me. Something new about them is revealed and it just pulls you in more and more.

The plot is very complex and it’s almost impossible to guess who the villains are until almost at the end.

Another fantastic read.

My favourite quote:

Say hello to my most disappointing read of 2013.

Frost Burned’s plot is one of the most unoriginal and boring plots I have read in a long time. It managed to bore me to tears. Adam’s POV was a nice change, but it didn’t impress me much. It lacked the “danger” that I was expecting, and just brought up a way too serious and, yes this is the key word here, boring man.

Well.. Adam does seem like he is way too serious and boring. Am I wrong to expect something more exciting from his POV? Maybe.

Mercy was mostly just playing the paragon in this one. And she was extremely – let me hear it!!!! - boring as well. No surprise there.

There was a point, say 60-70% in, where things picked up a bit, thus my 2.5 star rating, but it didn’t last long enough. Say about 3 chapters long. The conclusion was a mess, the ending was a mess. Meh.

I will be reading the next Mercy though. I’m too big of a fan to give up that easily.

I was so happy that this book took place back at home especially after River Marked. I was really missing the pack, the fae and especially Stefan but of course, we don't get any time to enjoy it. Right at the start, Mercy and Jesse are involved in an accident. When Mercy is trying to call someone to pick them up, all she gets is voice mails and no answers. Turns out the pack has been taken...thank goodness for the pack bond!

This book is action packed and practically non-stop with a lot of variables involved but not enough for it to get confusing. When the pack is held hostage, an extremely sad part happens that just killed me but I felt better about how PB incorporated things later on. And at the end, we get a good battle scene...I think my only complaint is that I wish it was more detailed.

We get to spend time with most of our favorite characters but because almost everyone was involved, some of the character's page time was limited. (What in the heck happened to Samuel??) I really enjoyed catching up with Stefan and Mercy spending time with Ben but I missed having more Warren. There are a few new characters (Hello Hao) and one from PB's other series, Alpha & Omega, Asil. Asil's one of the old but yummy werewolves with some problems. I have a sneaky feeling something might happen with a certain female werewolf. Anything to get her out of Mercy's hair...that's dragged on long enough!!

We do get some good Adam and Mercy time, namely Chapter 9, but alas, not really any smexy time. I swear the 'fade to black' drives me crazy sometimes! But...we do get a couple of chapters from Adam's POV which I really liked.

I think my one main complaint is that I felt PB over explained things. I don't remember it being this much before! One example is her telling us that Mercy can see well in the dark. Not only is this the seventh book of the series and we should know..and remember that by now but she explains it at least four other times. It was a bit frustrating!

Overall, I thought it was a good addition to the series. I guess there are some tradeoffs with every series. In this one, we got caught up with the characters but I did miss having more humor...and even that darn walking stick! The funeral pyre at the end was a great help to end things on a lighter note..."just because."

Favorite quotes:

♦ "When are you and Dad going to have a baby?"

♦ "I was going to fight vampires, and my name wasn’t Buffy—I was so screwed."

I wrote this wonderful review and deleted it! Yup, completely gone... I need a vacation or at least a week of uninterrupted reading ;D... So now I’m just going with a simple review.

I loved Frost Burned. I read it straight through in one day and yeah, it was just a great read. I loved having some past characters back as well as a few new ones. Since the pack has been kidnapped, Mercy is on her own making allies and connections to help her save her loved ones. I was especially happy that Mercy and Jesse’s new dynamic as stepmother/daughter was brought into the story as well as Tad being back.

Mercy continues to grow into her new roles while still staying true to herself. I’m a huge fan of this series and Patricia Briggs' writing. I was thrilled with Frost Burned and where it might lead next. 5 Big Stars!

1st Read March 2014
2nd Read February 2016
3rd Read February 2017
4th Read February 2018

Original Review

Buddy read with Ange

Mercy should be settling into life as Adam's wife and Jesse's step-mother but when a Black Friday shopping spree ends in an accident and not only Adam but the entire pack aren't answering their phones she knows something has gone horribly wrong. Discovering that the whole pack has been abducted sets Mercy in full on rescue mode, especially when she can feel Adam's suffering through their mate bond. The only member of the pack not captured was Ben and along with him, Tad, Stephan and a few new allies Mercy sets out to rescue the others and bring them home safely.

I'm happy to admit that I'm a fan girl when it comes to this series and Frost Burned was another great instalment. Anyone who is also reading the Alpha & Omega series knew to expect big changes after the major events at the end of Fair Game but I definitely wasn't expecting an enemy powerful enough to take down the entire pack! I think one of the things I love so much about this series is that Patricia Briggs is always throwing curve balls at us and she consistently manages to surprise me with her plot twists. I was a bit disappointed when I realised that Mercy and Adam were going to be separated for at least part of the novel but getting a couple of chapters from Adam's point of view more than made up for that fact! It was so nice to get a chance to see inside his head and understand exactly what Mercy means to him.

Actually it was quite nice to see Mercy on her own without the pack for back up for a change, I've always loved the fact that even though she isn't as strong as the wolves physically she is able to stand up for herself. In this case she also has Jesse and Kyle to protect while she searches for Adam and the others so she really has her work cut out for her. I was pleased to see Stephan back on the scene and I also really enjoyed getting to know Tad a bit better but the best thing was a surprise appearance by Asil (who is a regular in the Alpha & Omega series). He is completely crazy and more than a little dangerous but I've been fascinated by his character since we first met him so it was nice to see him out and about causing trouble with Mercy.

I love these characters, I love this world, I love the fast paced stories full of plot twists and shocking surprises, I love how things are changing with the werewolves now they've come out to the public and I'm incredibly excited to see how the new situation with the fae effects things as the series continues. Patricia Briggs is an auto buy author and my only complaint is that she just doesn't write fast enough (surely a new book every month isn't too much to ask?).

________________________

2nd Read

Buddy read with Ange

Since it's been nearly 2 years since Ange & I buddy read this series last we decided we're well overdue another read in the run up to the release of Fire Touched next March.

I love this series so much! The characters, the world building just everything about these books makes them a comfort read for me. Along with Ilona Andrews's Kate Daniels series this is probably my most reread series & I never get tired of it.

________________________

3rd Read

Mercy is awesome as always, I loved getting a couple of chapters from Adam's POV, one particular moment broke my heart but it was awesome to see Thomas again.

[January 10, 2021] This was a stressful one! These wild kids keep getting into so much trouble.

What I liked about this book: I loved getting to see more of Mercy's power, FINALLY. I know that she's not powerful like all of the other creatures around her, but my next wish list item is that 7 books in, we lose her sort of wide-eyed "WHY ME?" thing, seeing as how she keeps proving that she's a right badass, 35-pound coyote or not.

I enjoy anytime we get lots of supernatural creature crossover, and I like that each of these books is building on the previous one, not only in a larger arc sense, but even the "mystery of the week" has ties to what we are building toward.

We also get more pieces of mate bond magic and pack dynamics, which was great. And finally, I forever love Mercy, her quick thinking and decision making skills, her bravery, her sass and commitment to do as much right as she can. Like, she'll understand why her husband has to go on a murderous rampage, SURE, but also she can't stand by if some baddie is going to hurt lots of innocents. It's a gritty morality and I like it.

Above all, Mercy Thompson books are so easy to read, so entertaining, and just fun to dip back into for the strong sense of lore and world and characters.

What I didn't like about this book: As always, these heavily rely on tropes of the genre, including the whole mates and possession thing. For the most part, these stories navigate it in a way that it doesn't bother me, but every once in a while it goes one growl or one MINE too far, and I have to roll my eyes. I have to.

Overall, exactly the time I want to have whenever I pick up another Mercy Thompson book.

[August 2021] Yes, I did read this book twice in one year lol.

[June 19, 2023] Marking for reread

I love this series and one thing of many that I love about it is its characters. Whether those characters are the main characters, the secondary characters or even the side characters, it doesn't matter, they are all great and truly help make this series so much fun and so addicting.

It was so much fun to not only see all those characters this time around but to get some unexpected ones as well from her Alpha & Omega series. I adore Bran and Charles and while they aren't new to this series, Asil is and I loved, loved, that he got to play a part in this book. It was nice to see him away from his greenhouse and to really see him not only meet and interact with Mercy, but with other wolves and supernatural beings as well. He is one of my favorite secondary characters from Briggs Alpha & Omega series. He is dark and mysterious and you can tell that although he is suffering and even damaged in ways we have yet to fully understand, he is also, whether he believes it or not, redeemable and good at heart. And the fact that he shared a past with Zee? Even better.

This was so much fun, even with all the danger and seriousness to it, it was just plain and simply, fun.

And is Asil wasn't great enough, we get more of Kyle and really get to see what this human living in a werewolf world is really like, what he is made of and I loved him even more because of it. And we get more of both Zee (in bits and pieces) and Tad as well. I really couldn't of asked for more.

This series continues to be a favorite and one that I just can't get enough of. I'm so glad I'm still behind and have a few books to read before I am all caught up because it will be so sad when I have to wait like everyone else for each new release to come out.

Re-read for the 3rd time April 25th 2020Maybe I'll add a review at some point, lol.

Re-read March 29th 2017

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

This was another great installments in an excellent series. I have been working my way through an audio re-read of this amazing series over the course of this year. It surprises me how much I am enjoying this series during my re-read. This book isn't one of my favorites in the series but it was really good. I wanted to listen to this book for hours at a time because I wanted to stay with Mercy and the gang and make sure that everything would work out for them.

This book opens with Mercy and Jesse doing some black Friday shopping. Mercy gets into a small traffic accident while they were out which really shouldn't have been a big deal. They realize that there is a problem when they can't reach Adam or any other member of the pack when they call for a ride home. The entire pack has been abducted.

Mercy is such a strong character and great leader. She takes her role as Adam's mate seriously and works to keep everyone she safe. There is quite a bit of excitement as she works to protect the few connected to the pack that were not taken. She is able communicate with Adam through her mate bond so she isn't completely unaware of things that are happening.

I really enjoyed spending time with some of my favorite characters. Mercy was incredibly brave and smart in this story. She is willing to sacrifice her own safety to keep others safe when needed. Adam was fierce at times but such a great leader and protector. I do wish that Mercy and Adam hadn't been separated so much during this story. I really enjoyed the focus on Ben, Tad, and Asil in this book since they are characters that we don't always see a lot of.

Once again Lorelei King does a fantastic job with the narration. There were a few sections of this book that were told from Adam's point of view and I thought she did a great job with those. She really does bring Mercy to life. There is so much emotion that really comes through in her narration. She is quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators and I look forward to listening to more of her work soon.

I would highly recommend this series to others. This is my second time experiencing this book but it will not be my last. It is simply wonderful to find a series of books that you know you will enjoy no matter how many times you read them. I can't wait to listen to the next book very soon.

Initial Thoughts
Another great installment in the series. The story was good and the narration was excellent.

Book source: Audible purchase

February 2018 Reread. Buddy read with Sarah and Erica.
February 2017 Re-read

February 2016 Re-read: Buddy read with Sarah

I can't believe that I haven't written a review of this one. That seems so foreign to me, especially since I just re-read it a little over a year ago. But, I guess that gives me time to write my review now.

I'm not sure I love it quite as much as my original thoughts below, but I do love this book still. Mercy and Adam are, as always, amazing. And we even get a couple of chapters from Adam's point-of-view! He's much calmer in his head than I might have expected, but Mercy gives a very good reason for that in this book, and it makes sense. I love Adam, completely.

There's not a whole lot of a chance to figure out who the baddie is in this book until it's revealed to you - and that's probably my only complaint. I like to have the opportunity to determine what is going on, and who is calling the shots. Even if I never can figure it out (and there've been a few books out there that have thoroughly stumped me - I love those the best), being able to see the breadcrumbs on re-reads is a real pleasure for me.

I didn't remember as much of this book as some of the previous books in the series, and that's probably because this is only the third time I've read this book. Still, I didn't see the clues I was hoping for throughout the story.

Even despite that, I love this book. The first obstacle (as Mercy calls it, her 'triage' of the situation) is fraught with suspense. I love this part of the book even though there's a ton of worry in my head for all these characters that I love. And there's a huge heartbreak that I can feel in my chest, still. The second, and in truth - real, obstacle is ... scary. I can't say more than that for fear of revealing any of the truth, but it scared the hell out of me. And scared me more that Mercy decided to fight that fight. She speaks the truth when she says that all that is required for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing, but she's so damn vulnerable! I don't like my heroines invulnerable, but I'd love it if Mercy could find some mithril armor or something.

Also, I loved all the geekish references throughout the book. They added some much-needed levity in very scary and wrenching moments.

This book is another excellent addition to the series, and I can't wait to continue my re-read.

I have two minor complaints as a whole with this series:
1. Patricia Briggs ends the books REALLY abruptly. It's not cliff-hanger-abruptly, usually, but I always feel like I could have used a couple extra pages of denoument to bring me down off the high of the climax.
2. In order for Mercy to fight the 'big-bad' at the end, Adam is ALWAYS taken out of commission somehow. Probably because he's so much stronger, physically, and able to take on damn near anything. But after several books it just starts to ... become noticeable.

Some spoiler thoughts:
1. Who was the information man? It was hinted that perhaps Gerry Wallace (villain from the first book) could have provided the information, but it seemed REALLY current for him to have been the one. Maybe they just updated their records? At any rate, someone had the information from Gerry, and was distributing it now. I don't like this loose end. Does it get tied up at some point?

2. Peter's death is heartbreaking. Of all the wolves, him. *cries*

3. Thomas Hao - same Thomas from the 'Fairy Gifts' short story - his license plate says "Daylight." Hehehehe

4. The fae - wanting to take over the world, but unable to get their swords pointing in the same direction for ten minutes. LOL. Though really scary if they do get their swords in the same direction.

5. Gauntlet Boy - freaky. Also, I hate Marsilla.

6. Wulfe - do you think he was actually on Marsilla's side? It seemed like he was quite clutzy during the battle, and helping work against Frost, helping to protect Mercy, more than anything. He said in one of the books that he knew how to make demon-ridden vampires, but that he knew it was a bad idea. Maybe he hated the idea of Frost as well? I worry about Wulfe. I want to like him actually, but he scares the hell out of me, and I don't feel like I can trust him.

Original thoughts:
Ah-Maze-Ing.

Really loved this book. Fantastic and beautifully written. I actually would have liked it to be a bit longer because I feel like a couple of threads could have been expanded a bit more.

And, as always, Patricia Briggs leaves me wanting more, more, more.

⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*Bored*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱

Overall, I was bored. Though lots happens, I feel disconnected and I'm just not feeling this book, nor the series. I think that it's because it's too little feelings in it. Here they hide it more, so the readers don't really feel it even though they might be there. Anyways, in this book, we actually get Adam's POVs. It's nice to see things through his eyes, to feel his love for Mercy. Other than that, the book wasn't anything special. I feel like in every book, something happens to Adam so that Mercy has to stand on her own. Why can't they fight side by side and be a true power couple? I just don't get it. But the covers... they are great.

I was going to fight vampires, and my name wasn’t Buffy—I was so screwed.

NOTHING CAN HAPPEN TO ADAM!!!!

NOTHING!

I LUZ HIM!!

MERCY BETTER KICK SOME SERIOUS ASS TO FIND HIM!

GRRRR!!

UPDATE: LOOK AT THAT COVAH! MERCY IS SO FIERCE!

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I am at a loss for words even though it has been two days since I've finished reading Frost Burned, but let me just say that it. was. worth. the. wait.

Patricia Briggs, you own me.

Review to come later.

Another very good book. I truly enjoyedFrost Burned. Finally, I feel like the series is coming to a more focused overall direction, while incorporating elements from prior books. I cannot wait for what comes next for Mercy, Adam & Co

Each books shows the development of the characters. I enjoy each of these books greatly

I love Mercy. She's not your typical stock UF character. So, here are 15 questions about Mercy's age, ancestry, beliefs, occupation, etc.

Frost Burned is set in the Yakima Valley of Washington State, not far from Mercy's home in the Tri-Cities: Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland. This is a fae-rly satisfying urban fantasy involving werewolves, a coyote-shifter, a few fae, some vampires, a witch or two, and humans. I very much enjoyed the bulk of it, but... Who is the informant? Is the money man the informant? (Why did Briggs drop the thread? Or did I miss something? It has to be someone in the know, an insider, like that treacherous wolf from Silver Borne ( my review ).

If you have already read the book, here are MAJOR SPOILERS of my favorite scenes: I LOVED the merging of the A&O series with the MT series, via the inclusion of Asil the Moor, and it was great to see Kyle in such a strong role, and to see Tad back in the loving circle again. I am glad Sylvia and her son Gabriel are reunited, and it was good to see Zee again (even though we didn't get much fae politicking and the scene in the attic dragged a little). Most moving scene in the book was when Adam confronted his identity, remembering his past as a child in the church and now wondering if God could love -- or even make -- a monster. Also, the scene when Mercy drew the silver from Adam's body (but that scene went down too easily, and Briggs didn't adequately portray how the whole pack felt as it healed miraculously). Loved the ♥ scene in the garage, with Adam and Mercy getting some tender time. I cheered when the Mistress of the Seethe apologized to Mercy, but I wanted Marsilia to die and Stefan to take over as Master. Stefan is finally on the mend after that B nearly destroyed him and his menagerie. He was on par, serving as Master of Ceremonies in the Death Challenge. As for that whole scene, Mercy rocked with her Lamb necklace and with Zee's ancient "Hunger" sword at hand. Plus, I am totally gaga for Hao, the Sensei fighter from San Fran ╍●‿●╍ and want more of him. Adored it when Adam ripped the heart out of William Frost and roared at Mercy and Marsilia (hee-hee).

Summary, with vague spoilers and my critiques:

Book 7 begins on Black Friday, early in the midnight hours, right after Thanksgiving. This ALONE should strike horror in kindred spirits who, like me, like Mercy, hate to maneuver through murderous mobs of manic sale-hounds. But what's a stepmom to do? Yielding to Jessie's pleadings, Mercy takes her girl to Walmart. Then, Slam!! The Rabbit takes a hit and "the game is afoot."

All communication with the pack is immediately shut down. When Mercy cannot find her beloved Adam, cannot reach Daryl, or Warren, or anyone, the coyote shifter goes into a tail spin. Well, no, actually. She doesn't. She's cool, keeping Jessie safe (but I didn't agree with the location), finding and protecting the remnants of the pack (loved Ben and Kyle), and doing what she can to help Adam. But she's not alone. She's got a few allies in the Tri-Cities, and from Montana, Bran sends a cool character, ╍●‿●╍ who pads right out of Alpha and Omega's Cry Wolf, merging the series -- yes! So our girl has help, even though most of the pack is MIA.

Plus, it turns out she can do more than she knew, thanks to sorta-daddy Coyote (seeRiver Marked). With Coyote's promptings, Mercy learns to "change the rules of the game" (but that smacks of deus ex machina). Mercy does something with the mate bond that's not been done. It hurts, and the "fall-out" just doesn't add up. ツ

Because of Mercy's sacrifice, Adam is finally able to act (but first, a long info dump between Adam and his captor). Adam's subsequent retaliation leads him to wrestle with his conscience. Briggs uses Blake to prompt this:

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

It then goes flat for a while in the middle of the book. I grew snoozy in the scene up in the attic, and didn't wish to reflect again on sad events of Mercy's past -- why go there again? why did Briggs engineer it? -- even though I was quite happy to see you-know-who step through the magical mirror.

But soon enough, the story flows along to some flirty banter, like when they see a bus covered in Bible quotes:

"Wives, be subject to your husbands," Adam deadpanned without looking at the bus. "Let your women keep silent..."

"Ah, Paul. He has so many useful things to say. 'It is well for a man not to touch a woman,'" I replied sagely, and Adam laughed and kissed me....making a sound closer to a purr than a growl."

More delicious repartee with Adam ツ

This is followed by a rather longish info dump, with Adam chairing the meeting upstairs.

In the last 25% Mercy gets an unexpected visitor and sallies forth to save the day. Once she arrives at this very spooky setting with these very spooky spooks, what happens? Another info dump! Several characters take turns telling Mercy the whole history of William Frost.

Until suddenly the sky is falling (had to be there) and all hell breaks lose. It's nonstop action. I was glued to the edge of my seat. There's a fight to the death in teams of three (echoes of the Midnight Games in Magic Strikes) and it looks bad for the good guys because Frost suddenly starts popping power-boosting pills (of a sort), but have no fear! Mercy has a little lamb (thank goodness, too, cuz "Hunger" didn't work out so well, at least not at first). Kudos to Briggs for plot twists, and surprising behaviors in a few characters (like the one who giggles). Loved that Sensei fighter from San Francisco. Hao is way cool. ╍●‿●╍

Then Adam bounds into the fray. Loved seeing him, but I was also hoping the other werewolf -- the one on loan from Bram -- would get even more action. But Adam!! Wow! Enraged alpha on the scene!! ●^● Bloody spine chilling! Gory as hell. Kinda cool. And can that guy roar or what?

★★★ Strengths ★★★ The humor, the witty dialogue, the flirty banter, and the more serious philosophical or spiritual moments. Loved seeing Kyle in a more prominent role, and seeing a broken relationship heal. Great to see Mercy come into her own, as the co-alpha and protector of the pack. Briggs neatly portrayed "the heart of the pack" (so glad he got to play a role in the final battle). And I LOVED seeing Stefan ALMOST back to normal.

★★★ A Big Plus ★★★ FINALLY my favorite series, Alpha and Omega, has merged with this fine series. A central figure in the A&O series plays a key role in this book (see Cry Wolf). Furthermore, in this book we see the fall-out from the (justifiably) enraged proclamation of the grieving fae father at the end of A&O #3,Fair Game.

Weaker bits: This story has an odd arc, where there is a major resolution at about 45%, followed by various filler events for 30%, followed by a new conflict and resolution in the last 25%. It almost felt like two books, two different plots (they didn't add up well). The last pages are confusing, deliberately written out of order, jumping around in time and place. Also, as described above, Briggs includes several long info dumps -- the least interesting way to learn something. Plus -- and I guess it doesn't matter too much -- but whatever happened to Senator Campbell? What about the informant who provided dossiers, photos, etc?? I thought we got a clue when Adam killed the rogue Fed. The dying man recited Blake and then "...looked Adam in the eye, and said again, quite clearly, "Forest." (that felt like it should mean something, like a name, maybe Frost. It wasn't resolved (*shrugging*). Small potatoes, but I wanted the other female engaging in the final death challenge to die. Why let her live? Also, Honey has no love for Mercy, does she? What's up with that? I didn't feel the cause made sense. Cost a whopping $12.99, which is a lot for an e-book.

PS. One reviewer felt Briggs was taking pot shots at Republicans, since the senator who doesn't trust werewolves is one. I don't agree with that view, but by using the senator as a plot contrivance and not finishing off his story, the argument gains some ground.

Bottom line?Frost Burned is lots of fun and action-packed, with some good laughs and surprising plot twists, but it also has info-dumps, an odd arc, and a weak ending. My favorite in the series is still Silver Borne (my review).

4.5 Kick Ass Stars!

The Hauptman’s: Adam and Mercedes

This is the 7th book in the Mercy Thompson series- I feel like I have been waiting FOREVER for this book to come out! I was so happy to get more Mercy and Adam!

FYI- If you haven’t read books 1-6, there may be a few spoilers...

We start out with Mercy and Adam’s daughter Jesse out Black Friday shopping. Mercy wrecks her beloved ‘rabbit’ and tries to get ahold of Adam. She can’t reach him. Or anyone in the pack for that matter. The pack, Adam included has been taken. Mercy can tell through her bond with Adam that he is alive, but he is also in pain and raging. She has to figure out what to do...

It was like triage. Decision one- preserve those who were safe. Decision two- retrieve the rest. Decision three- make the ones who took them regret it.

Mercy must first make sure that Jesse is safe, along with Kyle- Warren’s mate who wasn’t abducted and Ben, the only one in Adam’s pack to get away (I <3 Ben!). Luckily, Mercy has many friends including a fae, half-fae, and Vampire (So glad to see Stephan again!) Getting Adam and his pack free and out of danger is only half the battle. As we know, Mercy is a magnet for trouble. Some one has a bigger plan for Mercy, needing to use her for her skin-walker talents. She finds that the abduction, and the people who are after her are all intertwined. Mercy has to do what she can to help, even if it means sacrificing herself to do it.

“But Adam, good and evil are real- you know better than anyone. I have to do the right thing. If not, I’m no better than that-”

I will make this short and sweet... I LOVE THESE BOOKS! This is one of those series I have been reading for years and I look forward to a new book every time one comes out! Adam is the best. The ultimate Alpha man! I guess it doesn’t hurt that he is a true alpha... and Mercy is just a bad ass. Love those two together. If you like Urban Fantasy/PNR type books full of werewolves, shape shifters, skin walkers, vampires, faes, and many other supernatural beings with a kick ass heroine and sexy , tough alpha male- these are for you!!!

Some of my favorite lines...

“You should know better. There are some things you never name out loud, like Macbeth, the IRS, and Voldemort.”

Dominant werewolves are control freaks.

This, this was his Mercy, and he wanted her- mind, body, and soul, she was his. And he was hers.

“You’ll be the death of me,” he told me. “I wish you could be less bold, less brave- less driven by right and wrong.”
“Too bad for you.” I commiserated.

“I love you.” he said
“I know,” I told him seriously. “How could you help it?”
He laughed again and rolled over until I was on the bottom, and flexed his hips against mine. 
“I tried,” he whispered in my ear. “But it didn’t work.”

“It’s like that bit The Princess Bride,” I told him. “When Vizzini says, ‘You fell victim to one of the classic blunders.’ Never go against an ancient Italian vampire when death is on the line.”

I was going to fight vampires and my name wasn’t Buffy- I was so screwed.

I am not going to bother with a blurb for this one, I figure if you have gotten to book 7 of a series you are probably going to get it no matter what the blurb says! All you need to know is Mercy, Adam and the Pack face some troubles, which they then proceed to beat the crap out of.

Adam and Mercy are one of my favourite couples, they seem far more real than other couples I have read, they argue, they piss each other off and they have separate interests but they are still unmistakably in love. This book just goes on reaffirm how much I like them.

But, I think in comparison to the rest of the series I thought it was a little weak. They story trundles on really slowly until near the end and suddenly there is a rapid fire string of events and then the book ends. And although I did enjoy the first part of the book, it was a bit slow especially compared with the last part.

Frost Burned didn't seem to move the series on very much either, I think this book seemed a bit like a filler, in the previous book we find out a lot about Mercy's past and in others we have been finding out about the different races and watching Adam and Mercy get together, this book I feel like we could have skipped it without missing out anything too important.

Wow this sounds like such a negative review when in reality it took me about a day to read this because I was so engrossed! I don't mind the it was a filler book, I just enjoy reading about Adam and Mercy and the rest of the Pack, but my expectations have become really high for Patricia Briggs and I think I just expected more.

I skimmed through most of the book, skipped entire chapters, and read only the first 15% and last 5%. Since doing that alone took me over a month, I think it's safe to say I'm done with this series. I'll only reconsider reading the rest of these books if the focus shifts from the boring plot to Adam the characters.

*Buddy read with Jenny. Read her review here.*