Books are my drug of choice

The Mercy Thompson series is like crack. Or chocolate. I read (listened to) the first four books in about three days. I’ve paused now (because I was concerned about overdosing) but can’t wait to get back to them. Why do I like these so much? There are so many reasons…

Mercy Thompson, our heroine, is part Native American and inherited the ability to shape shift into a coyote. She’s a walker, and what that truly means is a mystery both to her and to the readers.

Because of her heritage, Mercy is NOT blonde and willowy. She’s strong, fit, and, with straight black hair and dark eyes, her features are more reminiscent of her father’s ancestry than her mother’s. 

Mercy is full of humor (sarcasm being a favorite characteristic of mine). She’s realistic and self-depreciating, but confident in herself and her abilities. She neither wants nor needs an alpha male to protect and rescue her. Though he occasionally does, because she tends to find herself in sticky situations that need some backup.

Her profession is mechanic: an auto mechanic specializing in German cars. Between increasingly difficult encounters with other supernatural folk she wields tools and wrestles transmissions into place.

The romance takes a few books to develop, which totally fits the personalities involved. Mercy is not about to jump into bed with our alpha male, Adam, the leader of the local pack. It’s not her style, even though he makes her weak in the knees and is absolutely delicious. The relationship takes time to develop, and I respect that. It draws out the tension and adds interest to the subplot of their inevitable…whatever it will become. (sorry - almost gave you a spoiler!)

The secondary characters - Warren, Stefan, and Zee - are fascinating and have their own backstories, which I’m hoping to read about in future books. 

Briggs does an amazing job of balancing the show and tell of these novels. Her descriptions are vivid, her action scenes believable, and her characters both amazing and flawed. 

These are just a few of the many reasons I’ve developed a love of the Mercy Thompson series. I encourage fans of paranormal fiction to explore these and see if they get you addicted as well. 

The Mercy Thompson series is written by Patricia Briggs. Here’s a brief synopsis of the four I’ve read so far:

1. Moon Called: Meet Mercy Thompson: Shifter, auto mechanic, and general badass. 
2. Blood Bound: A vampire is out of control and Mercy is ordered by the local seethe to stop it. Since when, however, has the vampire leader needed help to control another vamp? Is this a trick…or a trap.
3. Iron Kissed: The fey need a favor, but Mercy can’t reveal what she learns from sniffing around the murder scenes…even when Zee is framed for the murders.
4. Bone Crossed: Magical graffiti has shown up on Mercy’s shop door. Is it an ominous warning or a curse? Who put it there? And can Mercy get rid of it before something more dangerous happens?