January 2017 re-read: Mercy is one of my favorite characters to read about. This world is fascinating, and the characters (and their interactions) are fantastic. 
 15 January 2016: $1.99 on Kindle 
 December 2015 re-read: Buddy read with Sarah 
 This series is so comfortable. Like coming home. I love the world. I love the wolves - that they aren't "nice" all the time, they are sometimes at the whim of the animal that shares their body. But most of all, I love Mercy. She's smart, and practical. She's not uber-powerful (though she's definitely got some special stuff going on). There's a love-triangle, but it's well done, and Mercy doesn't string the guys along, and she still takes the time to make sure the decision is the one that she wants to make (also, I think it's fairly obvious from early in this book which way the wind's blowing on the love-triangle issue). The villain's plan (which I mention in my review below) is still really, really intricate - a little too intricate - but I can't say that it's not brilliant at the same time. 
 One of my favorite parts of this series is that Mercy isn't as strong as the wolves, but she still holds her own, and often it's HER, her brain, her reasoning, her ability (to think without the impulses that rule the werewolves) that ends up being the key to winning. I think that's awesome. (Vague spoiler for rest of series: (view spoiler)[It does become a bit of a place of contention for me later in the series - when the wolves are ALWAYS knocked out of the fight in some way, shape, or form, so that Mercy can be the heroine. Because if the wolves aren't knocked out of the battle, then Mercy wouldn't be necessary to winning in a lot of cases. It's a minor complaint, and one that I deal with because the power (strength) dynamic in this series is handled really well in all other areas. That being said, I prefer my heroines to be as strong (though maybe in different ways) to the heroes (see Kate and Curran), in general. So, it's a minor, minor thing that bothers me more the further I get in this series. Small price to pay, though. (hide spoiler)]) 
 My other favorite thing, is the world itself. Though it starts out focused enough, in this book, in the Tri-Cities of Washington (state), the world is huge, and it's explored a lot more in both future Mercy installments, and the Alpha and Omega series (which honestly, you SHOULD read in the combined reading order, I think that offers a lot more enjoyment of both series). Primarily we get to deal with the wolves (almost always), the fae, and the vampires. But sometimes there are other things thrown into the mix, and sometimes there are really freaking powerful beings that come up. It's interesting and varied and there's never a dull moment. Then you throw in the human politics, and prejucides (on all sides) and things really start to get interesting. 
 This series (the combined one of Mercy & Alpha/Omega) is one of my top 5 favorites, along with Kate Daniels, but I hesitate to really compare these two. This series is quieter - because the heroine is different, and some people won't connect with her in the same way - but I promise that it's just as intricate, just as well-written, and just as full of amazing characters in a fully-realized world. 
 5 May 2014: $4.59 on Kindle ~ still an excellent deal! 
 3 March 2014: $2.99 on Kindle 
 Review: 
 This is one of my top favorite series. I re-read it at least once a year - often even more than that - and I'm always sucked in, always so incredibly emotionally invested in the characters and what happens to them. 
 I think, one of the best things about this book (and indeed anything I've read by Patricia Briggs) is the balance she maintains. Mercy's not perfect. No one is. Everyone makes some mistakes, everyone deals with them - and it's not always pretty, or easy. 
 I can easily root for Mercy (and all the others) because she feels real to me. She's smart, capable, funny and loyal - but that's not all. She knows her limits; doesn't like it when it makes more sense for someone stronger to take care of something, but lets them do it anyways because it's smarter and she fights for what she believes, even when it makes her quake with fear at the consequences. 
 The Mercy Thompson world is another thing that's important to me. The world building has internal consistency and makes sense in and of itself. That alone is a huge thing in a market glutted with PNR and UF that uses paranormal aspects as window-dressing. 
 I can never read this book without laughing, grinning, and sometimes tearing up. Six (Mercy) books later and I (view spoiler)[still miss a character that dies early in this book (hide spoiler)]... 
 I do have a couple of minor niggles with the....incredibly intricate plan that is the mystery, but it's not enough to take away from my enjoyment. 
 I highly recommend this series to anyone and everyone.