Frost Burned (Mercy Thompson Book 7)

Patricia Briggs can write the most down to earth, loveable and yet fascinating characters and put them into stories that begin with the most innocuous scenes, but then bam!!! It leaps into a ferocious do or die story where the heroines and heroes are so tested in action and emotion.Frost Burned is the seventh book in an Urban Fantasy series that must be read in order. My review does contain some series spoilers for those who haven't read the first six so keep that in mind if you choose to continue reading.Ever since the very first time I met Mercy Thompson in 'Moon Called', I was hooked. A female VW mechanic who consorts with werewolves, fae and vampires, but is herself a lightweight supernatural in the paranormal community. She's a coyote shifter and the only one of her kind. Mercy doesn't let her lack stop her from charging in and doing what she thinks is right even when the big baddies outnumber, outclass her and can kill her every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Battered and left for dead, she picks herself up, dusts off and tenaciously fights on. She is also kind, loyal and loving to her friends, her family that includes her new husband Adam and his daughter Jesse. Yes, I adore Mercy!Now, in this latest installment of Mercy's story, it opens just on midnight Black Friday with Mercy and Jesse out hitting the sales. Just when they are heading to yet another store, Mercy experiences what feels like a panic attack and gets in a wreck. By the time they deal with the wreck, Mercy and Jesse discover that the werewolf pack including Adam have been kidnapped by men who claimed to be federal agents. Only Ben escaped to tell the tale and he's fighting the silver poisoning he received from the darts that were shot into him when he got away. Mercy is scared when she uses her mate bond with Adam and discovers he and the others are being held helpless and in pain from silver poisoning. The captors want Adam to do something for them with his pack and the threat to his family as leverage.The unknown enemy is targeting all who are connected to the wolves so Mercy has to hide Jesse and Gabriel, free Warren's Kyle from the men holding him, stay one step ahead of those who want to kidnap her too all the while trying to find Adam and the pack and take down whoever or whatever is big and bad enough to capture a werewolf pack. Mercy's list of allies is thin now that the fae have retreated back into their sanctuaries. But thin doesn't mean non-existent so Mercy sets out with Ben, Stefan the vampire and a disgruntled Tad her half-fae friend.Oh and naturally, much more is going on than it seems when Mercy discovers that her enemies number more than she thought as do their motives. Mercy needs a ton of luck, wily Coyote reminding of what strengths a coyote possesses and a few moments of timely help to get her people and herself through this mess.I am pleased to report that Mercy is back from her honeymoon, healed up from her last tangle with a monster and ready to go. The plot was action driven and mostly from Mercy's perspective. However, big news here- Adam gets a few scenes to tell the story. Loved it! Hope we get more of his perspective in the future, but I would never give up Mercy's narrative voice because it is her voice that sets the tone of these stories making them the wonderful things they are.I was glad that Stefan the vampire was back though it saddens me that he's still not the same after Marsilia did her number on him.Oh and just a piece of advice, have a tissue handy because this adventure does have a casualty that will just break your heart.For those who enjoy the Alpha & Omega series, there is one character crossover and references to what is going on in the other series.On a side note, I personally don't really think of these as two separate series just installments in the same series with two separate sets of main characters. I find it more enjoyable to read them that way.Sometimes when the main character and love interest in the series finally get together, it can get a bit problematic because the tension is gone in the romance plot line. That is not the case in this one. Yes, Adam and Mercy were married for most of the last story, but it was told in isolation and with a different backdrop. This was the first story where they're back on their home turf amidst their people. Much of the story Adam and Mercy are physically separated due to his kidnapping, but it didn't interrupt their story line because of the mate bond they share. Adam's still the strong protective alpha who will do anything to keep his wife, child and pack safe and Mercy is still the determined woman who will deal with matters and get her husband back even if it means ignoring his orders and making him mad because she's putting herself in danger. I was thrilled to see that marriage hadn't changed much of anything for these two.That grand finale just before the ending left me with the whole 'wow,didn't see that coming' that I usually get from these stories. I'm coming to almost expect such awesomeness from this series each book that I pick up which is why I try not to grow impatient for the next book to come out. Good stuff just can't be rushed.I recommend this series and this latest installment to all Urban Fantasy fans who love an underdog -er undercoyote heroine who grits her teeth and makes her own luck.

Another great story in the Continuing Adventures of Coyote Woman lol. Don't start here! There really wasn't as much growth in this book but it's A good contained story. Plus we get to see a bunch of our friends. Looking forward to the next book.

Great addition to the series on to the next should be interesting to see what kind of trouble she gets into this book.

I love that Mercy holds her own with Adam. I just wish some of the others could find their HEA!

I am getting the feeling more we walk along with Mercy on her adventures we will discover what it truly means to be a walker. Tis sad her heritage was lost, so many funny moments as well as sad tearful moments that only crying could fix and trust me when I say they made me cry.I would say the viking funeral was most appropriate for that moment in the book.

I've missed reading Mercy Thompson series, and I also can't believe that Frost Burned is the 7th book in the series. While overall, this is a series I love (along with the Alpha and Omega companion series) I'll admit the last book left me not so sure of the state of the series. Well, Frost Burned turned that right around. It felt like the beginning of the series again. Really fresh. Maybe the long break between books was needed.Frost Burned starts months after the end of River Marked. I think what felt so disjointed with River Marked was the fact that most of our usual characters were not present for the majority of the book. Frost Burned brings us back to the Tri-Cities and focuses mainly on the Pack, with some Fae and vampires thrown in too.Mercy is completely healed from her injuries sustained in River Marked and she and Jesse are out shopping on Black Friday when suddenly, Mercy feels a jolt through the mate bond she shares with Adam. When she tries to get in contact with someone in the pack she can't find anyone. She comes to discover that the pack was taken. Of course Mercy, being the ever jumping into trouble coyote she is, is determined to find her pack and Adam. What she discovers is a plot more twisted than she could think.I was immediately drawn into this storyline. I liked that Patricia Briggs finally brought us back to the werewolves. But I was a little disappointed that this storyline was resolved pretty quickly and we were moved even furthur into the conspiracy as to who could have orchestrated the mass pack kidnapping. It was because of this that I felt the story started to get a little confusing in places. I didn't know where Briggs was taking us and I will admit I thought that the result seemed a little pulled out of the air. I didn't really see a precedence for it, but it was still plausible. There were a couple of threads left loose I thought, but I don't know if this was because I was reading so fast caught up in the story and missed their conclusion or if they weren't there at all.I really like Mercy's character and I have from the beginning. In this alternate world created by Patricia Briggs, Mercy is a weaker supernatural. Probably one of the weaker characters (besides the human only characters) in the books, yet she's the main character and she's continually saving everyone / solving the problems. It's true that sometimes she is the cause of the problems with the mischief she gets in but she never shirks her responsibilities. She is a very strong character and in Frost Burns this is very apparent. With Adam gone Mercy is the Alpha and she's by herself (for the most part) and has to make the decisions without Adam's help. She does a very good job of it. Never one to back down. It has always been one of the things that keeps me coming back to the series.Even though there were a couple of things I had issue with overall I really liked the book. Like I said before, I really felt like we were being taken back to the beginning with this book. As a twist Patricia Briggs threw in a couple of chapters from Adam's POV. I really enjoyed this change of pace and I liked Adam's voice. It was interesting to get to know his thoughts. I oftentimes (with a first person POV story) find myself wanting to know what other characters (especially the hero) are thinking, I always find it a real treat when the author does things like this. I think it enriches the whole world they've created.I will say that I missed seeing Bran and Sameul. Maybe their secondary story will show up in the next Alpha Omega book. I believe the Mercy Thompson series will soon be coming to a conclusion. If the next book is as good as this installment and so on, the series would end on an upswing, which would be really nice since it is one of my favorites.

I absolutely love this authors work! Mercy is such a vibrant character and I can't help but root for her success as she navigates through powerful paranormal circumstances.

The seventh book in this series has me addicted again, after not reading them for a while due to health etc.In this book, unknown forces have kidnapped Adam, 95% of his wolves and are on the hunt for Mercy, his coyote mate and Adam’s daughter, Jesse.This one is very fast-paced as Adam strives to protect his wolves and refuse to kill an anti-werewolf senator, whilst Mercy is on the run with Jesse, young Gabriel and new wolf Asil; sent in Bran’s stead.Asil is a great addition to the series; strong, deadly, a reputation preceding him, sexy in a scary way and a wry sense of humour.He also shows himself to be incredibly loyal.Tad, Zee’s son is coming into his own, as is young Gabriel.There’s a lot going on in this book, espionage and counter espionage, Blood, fights and loss.It ends in what feels like a new and continuing story arc involving the tri-Supernaturals in the Tri State area.And Mercy, as always, is a stunning strength amidst the chaos.

Mercy is out shopping with Jesse when she crashes her car, trying to get a lift she realises that the whole pack are unreachable. She contacts Adam through their mate bond and discovers the entire pack were kidnapped and they kidnappers want Adam to do something that'll change life for werewolves everywhere. As always, people try to kill Mercy - they always underestimate the coyote!I really enjoyed this book - in fact, it may be one of my favourites. I don't know what it was that made it stand out to me - Mercy having to be stand-in Alpha while Adam is missing? Finding out exactly how strong her and Adam's relationship is? Mercy getting more in touch with her coyote self? Or Ben?Yes, Ben. I like Ben - gawd help me, but I do. There's something about Ben that always makes me think of Karl Marsten from Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series - and there is something likeable about Karl, just as there's something likeable about Ben. We get to see more of him come out as the series goes on.I'll admit, I was getting a bit unimpressed with this series. Don't get me wrong, I still pre-ordered this but I haven't been looking forward to the last couple of books as I used to. I'm very impressed with this book and am glad it's rekindled my feelings for the series. I'm looking forward to the next one and can only hope that Briggs keeps the series on the up.

What can I say? It has certainly been a while since the last Mercy book graced the palms of my hands. Was the wait worth the final product? I believe so.Briggs has given Mercy a little bit of her mojo back. The part that always gets her into trouble and makes her believe she is indestructible. I enjoyed the fact that it wasn't all about her relationship with Adam. This book was a lot more like the first ones, more about Mercy and how she balances her world of fae, vamp and shifter friends.In this book she uses the Coyote or does Coyote use her, to help the pack whilst they are in dire need. That event seems to imply a whole new ballgame when it comes to her abilities. So much so that even the vamps have started to regard her in a completely different light.It was nice to see Stefan back in her life and indeed this plot has her knee deep in trouble with the vamp Queen herself.Briggs mentions in the afterword that she has two native German speakers helping her with the German. This was something that always niggled me in the previous books, but this one is spot on. Both in terms of language and the way Briggs uses it in the scenes.I felt that some of the sub-plots were just left up in the air. What happened to the assassin on the Senators detail for instance. A lot of it seemed rushed through, which is it not at all Briggs usual style.So where do we go from here? Is there a war brewing? Are the Grey Lords planning a takeover or is the greater threat still the militants that oppose the supernaturals.This has left me with a lot of unanswered questions, but that also means many areas of development for another Mercy book.

A new Mercy Thompson book is always an event to look forward to. Patricia Briggs writes this character so well and as this is book seven on an ongoing series. We've come to know Mercy pretty well over the course of the previous books, She's a VW mechanic and coyote shapeshifter, possibly even the daughter of Coyote himself, the trickster of legend. There's the usual assorted cast of werewolves, vampires and fae.Mercy married Adam, the alpha of the Tri-cities werewolf pack, a couple of books ago which makes her second to the boss, despite the fact that she's not a werewolf herself. Protect the pack is always the imperative, so when the pack, Adam included, is mysteriously snatched, drugged and held captive by some government agency Mercy, along with one foul-mouthed, escaped, injured werewolf and Jesse, Adam's daughter, are the only ones who can do anything about it. But the pack has friends and Mercy sets about recruiting a few more people to help including recurring characters Steafan the vampire, Zee, the fae ironsmith, with his son, Tad, and Azil, the Moor, a very old, powerful, but somewhat unstable werewolf sent by Bran, Mercy's foster-father and the head of all the werewolves in North America. It was nice to see Azil again, as we've previously met him in the crossover 'Alpha and Omega' series and he's an intriguing character.Patricia Briggs is one of my favourite authors. This urban fantasy series is well-grounded in the real world and you can almost taste the grease on the engine and smell the burnt rubber on the road. If characters make mistakes there are consequences and no one is infallible, even Adam, though he tries hard to be.Highly recommended, but don't start here. You need to read the rest of the series.

When the pack are taken, it's left to Mercy with the help of Tad to find them and fix the problem. Add vampire politics into the mix and it's a fight that just might be the last. This was a riveting read, proving that Patricia is the mistress of great writing!