Goldilox and the Three Weres: Review: Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs

Dead Heat
(Alpha & Omega #4)
Patricia Briggs
Release: March 3, 2015
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For once, mated werewolves Charles and Anna are not traveling because of Charles’s role as his father’s enforcer. This time, their trip to Arizona is purely personal, as Charles plans to buy Anna a horse for her birthday. Or at least it starts out that way...

Charles and Anna soon discover that a dangerous Fae being is on the loose, replacing human children with simulacrums. The Fae’s cold war with humanity is about to heat up—and Charles and Anna are in the cross fire.

Review by Rose Red:
I loved this book so much! I feel like I've said that about every book in this series but I mean it for each and every one. I really love Patricia Briggs' books. Each new one feels like coming home to old friends, and I've never been disappointed. Out of all the books in this series, I rank this one as my second favorite with Hunting Ground barely ousting it for the number one spot. And ZOMG! Charles is finally in human form on the cover! It only took four books! With everything that happened in the previous book, Dead Heat was the perfect sequel.

This book is slightly different than the others in this series. Charles and Anna are finally getting to spend some time together that does not involve Pack business or Charles being the Marrok's enforcer. They are visiting an old friend of Charles’s and looking for a horse for Anna's 26th birthday. But as soon as they arrive, they get thrown into a situation where Charles's friend's daughter-in-law and grandchildren are in danger. After declaring themselves separate from the humans and retreating to their reservations, the Fae have started to quietly attack the general public by unleashing some of the worst of the Fae. The one that Anna and Charles face in this book is a particularly nasty one. I have never wanted a villain more dead than the evil Fae in this installment. The evil members of the Fae are so creepy and dangerous in this series.

I loved that we got to know more about Charles's past in this book. The fact that he keeps himself separate from most in order to do his job as the Marrok's enforcer is no secret so discovering that he has a human friend was quite the revelation. His relationship with Joseph was sweet. Joseph is Charles's best friend. That friendship made my heart hurt since it was the emotional conflict Charles had to endure. He loves Joseph, and has known him since he was a kid. It shows how being longed lived is a very hard thing for Charles and all immortals really. It's hard watching your friends age while you don't and Joseph has gotten old. It's just another barrier between Charles and the rest of the world. The idea that you are going to outlive all your friends and love ones would be a bitter pill to swallow. Especially when you know that there's a chance that they could live forever with you with just a bite. Briggs explored this dilemma so well in this book.

If I could given this book more than 5 stars, I would. Patricia Briggs continues to amaze me with the plot and character development of each book. I loved that in this book Anna took her power to a whole new level. She's come so far since book one and I look forward to seeing how her character will grow as this series continues.

In Dead Heat, Charles and Anna are now in a place where they are comfortable with each other and themselves. In Cry Wolf, Anna was getting to know who Charles was and how different his wolf, Brother Wolf, and the wolves in his pack were different from those she knew in Chicago. Charles, on the other hand, was coming to terms with the precious gift he was given in Anna. The opportunity for peace in a number of ways was presented to him in who Anna was. Hunting Ground continued along the same thread but we were able to glimpse Anna stepping away from the shadows that plagued her and from the overbearing protection that Charles was ready to always provide. That's when she began to stand on her own two feet and Charles realized that she needed to protect herself when she could. Fair Game showed how confident and strong Anna was becoming with Charles's help. While Anna's confidence was growing, Charles was starting to recognize that he could let Anna in to help him with his troubles and fears. I've seriously loved how their relationship has grown and that it has become this amazing and sweet romance.

Anna is fierce. She has vulnerabilities like anyone but she does not hesitate to do what is necessary to protect her relationship with Charles either and I loved seeing her act with confident authority. Although Anna has become strong, the effects of her trauma are still there. I’ve always liked that her trauma is treated with sensitivity and care and it hasn’t been magicked away in these books. I’m also very glad that Charles, the fierce protector that he is, knows that it is best for Anna to be able to protect herself. He steps back when he knows she can do things herself even though he finds it difficult being a very dominant werewolf. Nevertheless, he is always looking out for her and he will not hesitate to do whatever is necessary to keep her safe. Anna and Charles work as a team and I love that Anna is every bit as likely to come to Charles’s rescue as he is to come to hers. Their relationship is a true partnership and it always makes me very happy to read it.

One of the main reasons Charles and Anna go to Arizona is to pick out and buy a horse for Anna and I loved that about this book! I was that eight year old girl who was obsessed with horses so it made it a lot of fun to read about. It didn't help that I also grew up on a farm where we bred and raised horses. I've been to several horse shows in the last two decades and it made me nostalgic reading about them here. The only difference is that my family raised American quarter horses and not Arabians. And while I loved all the technical horse bits because they're intriguing to me, I can see that it will be boring to some readers. It makes me a bit sad because Patricia Briggs knows her stuff and you can tell that she's passionate about horses by how she writes about them.

A word of warning: The part of this story deals with violence toward and harm done to children. While it doesn't go into explicit detail, the book does not shy away from horrible things. It doesn’t dwell on them either and in some ways, the words are more powerful because of it.

The Fae mystery was great. I love that Briggs makes each conflict unique and self-contained in each book. The villain was evil and super creepy. I didn’t solve the mystery myself until nearly the end.

I seriously loved everything about this book and I am so terribly sad that I've run out of Alpha & Omega books. WHY AM I OUT OF CHARLES AND ANNA BOOKS?!? THIS IS NOT OKAY! I can’t wait for more books in this series. I have my fingers crossed that we'll get another book in a couple years. Anna and Charles always make my heart happy.

Recommended for fans of: Urban fantasy and sweet paranormal romances.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.