Author: Patricia Briggs

The Wednesday Post (21)

Posted October 30, 2019 by Rowena in Books, Features | 6 Comments

Can’t Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tessa over at Wishful Endings and it was based on Waiting on Wednesday that was hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme that is hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. I decided that I’m going to do a mashup of the Can’t Wait Wednesday and WWW Wednesday posts here on my blog. I’m bringing them together and calling it The Wednesday Post. Here’s what I’m up to this week.

WWW Wednesday

What did you recently finish reading?

A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh I finished this last night and enjoyed it. It was a little slow in parts but overall, I thought the story was a good one. I’d read anything by Nalini Singh and I’m happy to report that it remains true of her mystery and suspense stories. 🙂

What are you currently reading?

The One for You (The Ones that Got Away #4) by Roni Loren Oh, man, am I excited to jump into this one. I’m going to start it today. I would have started it last night after finishing A Madness of Sunshine but a bitch was tired so I took my ass to sleep but today is all for Kincaid. Yippy skippy!

What do you think you’ll read next?

Open House (Uptown #2) by Ruby Lang Don’t Break Me by Ash Ley I’m reading these two bad boys next. Open House is a new addition to my review pile and it comes out in November so I need to get that one read and reviewed but I’m looking forward to reading it since I’ve been seeing good things around Twitter about. I’ve also been seeing good things about Don’t Break Me so I got it on Kindle Unlimited and am going to see for myself how good it is.

Can’t Wait Wednesday

Smoke Bitten
by Patricia Briggs
Series: Mercy Thompson #12
Also in this series: Silver Borne
Published by Penguin, Ace on March 10, 2020
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Point of View:First Person
Pages: 368
Add It: Goodreads

Mercy Thompson, car mechanic and shapeshifter, faces a threat unlike any other in this thrilling entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

I am Mercedes Athena Thompson Hauptman. My only “superpowers” are that I turn into a thirty-five pound coyote and fix Volkswagens. But I have friends in odd places and a pack of werewolves at my back. It looks like I’m going to need them.

Centuries ago, the fae dwelt in Underhill–until she locked her doors against them. They left behind their great castles and troves of magical artifacts. They abandoned their prisoners and their pets. Without the fae to mind them, those creatures who remained behind roamed freely through Underhill wreaking havoc. Only the deadliest survived.

Now one of those prisoners has escaped. It can look like anyone, any creature it chooses. But if it bites you, it controls you. It lives for chaos and destruction. It can make you do anything–even kill the person you love the most. Now it is here, in the Tri-Cities. In my territory.

It won’t, can’t, remain.

Not if I have anything to say about it.

All I have to say about this upcoming release is…COME TO MAMA! I am all in on the Mercy Thompson train and all of these books later, I’m still Team Mercy. I cannot wait to see what Briggs has planned for Mercy in Smoke Bitten because whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll be a good one. At least I have my fingers crossed that it will. This one comes out on March 10, 2020 so there’s still a bit of a wait but we can do it! I’ll gladly wait for more Mercy books. So, what are you reading this week? Anything good? Anything that you want to rant about? Are you looking forward to Smoke Bitten? What other books are you looking forward to releasing this year?

6 Comments
Tags: Can't Wait Wednesday, Currently Reading, The Wednesday Post, Week in Books, Weekly Reads, WWW Wednesday

Eye Candy Friday: Mercy Thompson from Night Broken by Patricia Briggs

Posted July 5, 2019 by Rowena in Books | 0 Comments

Eye Candy Friday is all about the heroes and heroines that I’m loving and wanting to spotlight right now. Sometimes I’ll do full-on gush fest posts on why I love these guys, sometimes I’ll post pictures of what I think they look like and that’s it but if they’re featured here, the one thing that will be constant is I loved the hell out of them and want everyone to know. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

Eye Candy Friday: Mercy Thompson from Night Broken by Patricia Briggs

Night Broken
by Patricia Briggs
Series: Mercy Thompson #8
Also in this series: Silver Borne
Published by Penguin, Ace on March 11, 2014
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Point of View:First Person
Pages: 353
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Add It: Goodreads

An unexpected phone call heralds a new challenge for Mercy. Her mate Adam’s ex-wife is in trouble, on the run from a stalker. Adam isn’t the kind of man to turn away a person in need—and Mercy knows it. But with Christy holed up in Adam’s house, Mercy can’t shake the feeling that something about the situation isn’t right.

Soon her suspicions are confirmed when she learns that Christy has the furthest thing from good intentions. She wants Adam back, and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get him, including turning Adam’s pack against Mercy.

Mercy isn’t about to step down without a fight, but there’s a more dangerous threat circling. Christy’s stalker is more than a bad man—in fact, he may not be human at all. As the bodies start piling up, Mercy must put her personal troubles aside to face a creature with the power to tear her whole world apart.

Today’s eye candy is Mercy Thompson from the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. Mercy is the mate to the Alpha for the Columbia Basin Pack in Washington but she’s also so much more than just a regular VW mechanic. She’s unique in that she’s a walker so she can shift into a coyote but more than that, she was raised by the Marrok himself (the King of all of the Werewolves) and she is the lone Coyote in a werewolf pack. Things have never been easy for Mercy but one of the things that I admire the hell out of where she’s concerned is that she doesn’t shy away from what’s right. She never takes the easy way out of things, she’s smart and she’s strong. She would make a great Polynesian person because aiga (aiga means family in Samoan) is important to her and Mercy’s aiga isn’t just her pack. She’s got friends everywhere and those friends are part of her family. Nobody gets left behind with Mercy and it’s hard not to love and cheer for someone as awesome as she is.

“If she tried anything, she would be sorry. Adam was mine. She had thrown him away, thrown Jesse away—and I had snatched them up. Finders keepers.”

In Night Broken, my love and admiration for Mercy grew by heaps and bounds. She just kept right on being hurt by the people that are supposed to have her back but she pushed through and didn’t let her hurt get in the way of doing what was right for everyone involved…even the main person who was hurting her. My limits and my patience were tried in this book but my love for all things Mercy Thompson Hauptman grew and grew until I was damn near bursting with pride and love for her. She is honestly my favorite character of the year so far and I don’t see any other character coming close.

“Just be careful, Mary Jo. Be very careful. You’ve made mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. One you should not make is to imagine that Christy will ever be Adam’s mate. He is mine, and unlike her, I don’t throw away people who are mine.”

Mercy is everything. She is the best. She is caring but more than anything, like my friend Holly said, she’s just a regular person trying to do her best. She’s small but she’s fierce and I completely get why everyone will protect her with all that they are because she would and probably already has done the same for them. Is it any wonder that she’s this week’s Eye Candy Friday?

Character Casting

Another thing that Mercy is…is gorgeous. This is how Mercy looks in my head when I’m reading these books. Isn’t she gorgeous?

Mercy Thompson Series

Have you read Night Broken by Patricia Briggs? Did you love Mercy as much as I did? Who is your favorite character this week?

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Tags: Character Crush, Eye Candy Friday, Mercy Thompson, Patricia Briggs, Urban Fantasy

The Weekly Recap (134)

Posted July 1, 2019 by Rowena in Books | 4 Comments

This week was a pretty quick one for me. I spent as much time as I could with Caiden because he went back to his Utah home on Friday but I also got some books read that I’ve been meaning to read for ages now so all in all, it was a pretty good week. Brenna went camping with her friends this past weekend so I had the freedom to do whatever I wanted and I stuck close to home, refreshing Twitter to see where Kawhi Leonard lands (please say that Lakers, please say the Lakers) in his free agency. Fingers crossed that he lands back home…in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform. I binged Mercy Thompson too and I have no regrets. Mercy is the bomb! Now, onto the books…

What I’m Currently Reading

Storm Cursed
by Patricia Briggs
Published by Penguin, Ace on May 7, 2019
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Point of View:First Person
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Add It: Goodreads

In this powerful entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, Mercy Thompson must face a deadly enemy to defend all she loves...

My name is Mercedes Athena Thompson Hauptman, and I am a car mechanic.

And a coyote shapeshifter.

And the mate of the Alpha of the Columbia Basin werewolf pack.

Even so, none of that would have gotten me into trouble if, a few months ago, I hadn't stood upon a bridge and taken responsibility for the safety of the citizens who lived in our territory. It seemed like the thing to do at the time. It should have only involved hunting down killer goblins, zombie goats, and an occasional troll. Instead, our home was viewed as neutral ground, a place where humans would feel safe to come and treat with the fae.

The reality is that nothing and no one is safe. As generals and politicians face off with the Gray Lords of the fae, a storm is coming and her name is Death.

But we are pack, and we have given our word.

We will die to keep it.

I should be finishing this book up today sometime and then I’ll be moving on from this series because I’M ALL CAUGHT UP! Still, I planned on finishing this book over the weekend and the NBA Free Agency took those plans and threw them right out the window. Oh well, I’m enjoying this so that’s something.

What Made Me Laugh

There you have it, my week in review. How was your week?

4 Comments
Tags: Currently Reading, The Weekly Recap, Week in Books

The Weekly Recap (133)

Posted June 24, 2019 by Rowena in Books | 4 Comments

This past week was for family in town (it seems that I’m always saying that in my weekly recaps but it’s true, ha!) because my niece Maleah graduated from high school. She graduated from the high school that I went to and so I was able to walk around my old stomping grounds while making our way toward the graduation ceremony. Caiden came into town for the graduation and…of course we talked his parents into letting us keep him with us for the week then his grandma is going to drive him home over the weekend. I am loving that he’s still here because I’m one of his favorites and he’s mine.

This weekend was also for another sibling dinner and you guys, for the first time in years, we were all together in the same space to share a meal together and it was fabulous. We even got our Dad to go to dinner with us and he never wants to go to dinner outside of the house. I had a lot of fun catching up with my siblings, reminiscing and just having a blast being in eachother’s company without a million kids running around, screaming at the top of their lungs. The rest of the night, I could have done without (freaking dumbass drama) but that didn’t take away from my sibling dinner and the quality time that I got to spend with the folks I love the most! Now, onto the books…

What I’m Currently Reading

An unexpected phone call heralds a new challenge for Mercy. Her mate Adam’s ex-wife is in trouble, on the run from a stalker. Adam isn’t the kind of man to turn away a person in need—and Mercy knows it. But with Christy holed up in Adam’s house, Mercy can’t shake the feeling that something about the situation isn’t right.

Soon her suspicions are confirmed when she learns that Christy has the furthest thing from good intentions. She wants Adam back, and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get him, including turning Adam’s pack against Mercy.

Mercy isn’t about to step down without a fight, but there’s a more dangerous threat circling. Christy’s stalker is more than a bad man—in fact, he may not be human at all. As the bodies start piling up, Mercy must put her personal troubles aside to face a creature with the power to tear her whole world apart.

I really, really want to catch up with the Mercy Thompson series because I really like this world and though I’ve heard that this book was the book that broke the series for some reader friends on Twitter, I still want to read this book for myself and see how things pan out for me. I’m not that far into the book since I was pretty busy over the weekend but so far, I’ve already experienced some annoyance at certain people in the pack that don’t even bother to mask how much they don’t like Mercy and honestly, Mercy needs to check their asses already.

What I Read

Highland Deception by Meggan Connors | 3 out of 5 The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez | 1 out of 5 Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer | 3.5 out of 5 As you can tell, my reading of bad books has not come to an end and though I didn’t LOVE any of the books that I read, I did enjoy the Kemmerer so I’m definitely interested in reading more of her stuff. I’m crossing my fingers that this week will be a better week in reading for me. Wish me luck!

Eye Candy Friday

Curran Lennart Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews

What I Reviewed

The Understatement of the Year (Ivy Years #3) by Sarina Bowen | 4.5 out of 5

What I Posted

The Weekly Recap (132) Throwback Thursday: The Understatement of the Year by Sarina Bowen Eye Candy Friday: Curran Lennart

What I Got

I didn’t get anything this week.

What I Got for Review

I didn’t even look at anything this week. Too busy.

What Made Me Laugh

There you have it, my week in review. How was your week?

4 Comments
Tags: Currently Reading, The Weekly Recap, Week in Books

The Weekly Recap (128)

Posted April 22, 2019 by Rowena in Books, Features | 12 Comments

It’s been a pretty quiet week for me so I was able to get some TV shows watched, some books read and still hang out with my bestie and my family. My friend, that died last year? We’re creeping up on the one year anniversary of his death and his birthday is tomorrow (he shares a birthday with my Mom) so over the weekend, my bestie Therese and I took some flowers and balloons to his grave because we were thinking of him. We ran into his parents at his gravesite so it was good for us to catch up with them and share some time talking about David with them. After we left the cemetery, we went to lunch and tried Susiecakes and meh, Susiecakes isn’t nearly as good as Miss Priss cupcakes across the street. They don’t have anything on Sprinkles either. Their banana pudding doesn’t hold a candle to Magnolia Bakery’s banana pudding either. Meh. Our Easter was spent going to dinner with the entire family at new to us Japanese BBQ place that was pretty damn good. They kept the food coming, the food was great and thought it was a little pricey, but I still enjoyed dinner quite a bit. Now, onto the books…

What I’m Currently Reading

Frost Burned
by Patricia Briggs
Series: Mercy Thompson #7
Also in this series: Silver Borne
Published by Penguin, Ace on March 5, 2013
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Point of View:First Person
Pages: 342
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges:2019 GoodReads Challenge, 2019 TBR Challenge

Patricia Briggs's novel River Marked was praised as "an urban fantasy where our everyday world is believably twisted into the world of fey, werewolves, vampires, and myths made real." Now Mercy Thompson faces a shapeshifter's biggest fear as the realm she has embraced is thrown into chaos...

Mercy Thompson's life has undergone a seismic change. Becoming the mate of Adam Hauptman - the charismatic Alpha of the local werewolf pack - has made her a stepmother to his daughter Jesse, a relationship that brings moments of blissful normalcy to Mercy's life. But on the edges of humanity, a minor mishap on an ordinary day can turn into so much more...

After an accident in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Mercy and Jesse can't reach Adam - or anyone else in the pack for that matter. They've all been abducted.

Through their mating bond, all Mercy knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. But she fears Adam's disappearance may be related to the political battle the werewolves have been fighting to gain acceptance from the public - and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outmatched and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from any ally she can get, no matter how unlikely.

I’m almost done with my read of this book but holy cow am I glad to be back in Mercy Thompson’s world. I’ve missed these guys and I can’t wait to see how things turn out for Adam, the pack, and Mercy. Man I love these guys!