** spoiler alert ** 
 Okay, I'm typing out this review before choosing a star rating. I can't figure out how low I'll rank it. But I do know it will NOT be a 5 star review! 
 The biggest thing I couldn't overlook in this book was the use of massacring all those dogs. That isn't something I appreciate reading about. And sure, my Mercy books aren't exactly safe from tragedy. I'm not naive enough to think books even SHOULD be. But that makes me sick. It shouldn't be used as a literary shock-factor plot device. I love pitbulls. I love Amstaffs. Not only were these dogs innocent DOGS, but Patricia Briggs even gave her readers a chance to meet them, to like them, respect their bond with their owner and see how brave and loyal they were. Then they were slaughtered. ONE STAR DOWN, because I can't condone that. Simply not okay. 
 Also, the cat survived repeated near-death moments. Killing all those dogs could have been avoided. Freaking cat people... 
 Seriously, this alone is enough to make me question if I'll be reading the series any further. And Mercy used to be one of my absolute favorite heroines. 
 On that note, I usually love Mercy. I always say I wish I were her. But I feel like her wings have been clipped...WAY too much. She's married to Adam now, and they have a great relationship. My knee-jerk reaction is to say that the marriage is why she isn't the independent person I used to love. But that isn't it. Adam lets her be herself, really, WAY more than I would have expected. It's all those dirty looks from the pack. And Mercy takes it, just lets them do it. And allowing her husband's ex to move in and take over?...not my awesome Mercy. She let Christy pull crap on her that wasn't okay. There's a line! I get it. Mercy's trying to keep things smooth. And yes, at the end she got back at Christy somewhat. Not enough in my opinion. I understand compromise, really I do. But she isn't my Mercy. ANOTHER STAR DOWN! 
 Then we have Adam. Like I said, I like Mercy and Adam's relationship. They support each other. I like that. But Adam also let Christy take over his home, fully well knowing how it was making Mercy feel. WHY IN THE HELL was his ex-wife picking up his cell phone?!? That could happen once. Not more than once. Not multiple times. Who knew Adam could be such a spineless pushover? What a wimp! ANOTHER STAR...BYE BYE! 
 Seeing Stefan was nice. The villain was properly creepifying. I'm a fan of Coyote. So, good stuff. I like Honey, like seeing her recovery after Peter's death. I'd like to see her become strong, maybe very high ranking in the pack, though I know it's repeatedly said that she was happy in the bottom of the pack and women only rank cuz of their husbands. Tad was great. Knew he was stronger than anyone knew. The walking stick coming back at the end...not surprising but clever. So I'll add back a star for all of these things I liked. 
 Then, it was a little too coincidental for me that Mercy went to ask some random guy about dog breeds and that guy ends up being from the exact right place to be used by the villain. Know what would have been WAY better!?! Another guy is found from the Canary islands, and a few dogs survive, and since Joel does this sort of thing, he takes those dogs in so THAT is why he's introduced. It wasn't like we got to know Joel. We knew his wife way more. And now Joel is part of the pack? It's just too coincidental, too convenient. Sometimes authors stretch things that aren't likely to happen. But again, there's a line. For me, this is one of those things that is too far-fetched to believe. Another star down. I mean seriously... 
 So I'm back to 2 stars. 
 And I simply can't give Mercy an "It's okay" rating. It's out of principle that she gets 3 stars. But I'm not thrilled about it.