Mercy Thompson

Moon Called, Blood Bound and Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs
Why I read these: Great reviews around blog land.

In Mercedes Thompson's world there are Vampires, Fae, and Were Wolves. Both the Fae and Weres have come out to the public. The Vamps are still secret, and they want to keep it that way.

Mercy is a mechanic who was raised by the Marrok of Were Wolves. Even though she is not a wolf, she can shift into Coyote form anytime the mood strikes. She shares a property line with the Alpha Wolf, Adam. She is also roommates with her former flame, Samuel. Sam is the Marroks son as well as a Dr.

In this trio of books Mercy is both a hero and a victim. She is a strong willed, smart, independent woman. She is not some alpha wannabe who pretends to be the toughest bad ass around. She knows her limits as to what she can and can't do, and even though she is able to accomplish many things on her own, she knows when to ask for help, and she is not too proud to do so.
That is why I love Mercy so much.

Like most series books of this nature, there is a bit of a love triangle happening. It's subtle enough to keep us interested, but not so in the plot that we are angry that she has yet to choose who she wants to be with. By the third book, Iron Kissed, Mercy does have to make a choice, and IMO, she made the right one. Not only because she picked the guy I liked the best, but it was a smart move for her and the people around her.

In the first book, Moon Called, Mercy helps rescue the Alpha's daughter who has been kidnapped.

In the second book, Blood Bound, Mercy helps to find a monster who has been killing humans. She works both with and against the vampires in this one.

In Iron Kissed, the third book, Mercy comes to the aid of Zee, a Fae who is in all three books. He has been accused of murder, but she and everyone around her knows that Zee is innocent.
Iron Kissed was an emotional read. Ames had once mentioned that she cried when she read this one, and I must say that I don't blame her. I was not at all expecting to see the book take a turn as it did. The author took a very important issue and handled it perfectly. She wrote it in a way that was sensitive to readers, without portraying it in a too graphic way. One of the Weres, Ben, who I wasn't too sure of through out this series surprised me. I have a new respect and understanding of him. I hope to see more of him in future books.

The next book, Bone Crossed, is out in Feb! You can read the first chapter on the authors website. I ate it up, because the way Iron Kissed ended was a bit of a cliff hanger. I just HAD to know what happens next.

A+ for Mercedes Thompson!