Goldilox and the Three Weres: Review: Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs

Blood Bound
(Mercy Thompson #2)
Patricia Briggs
Release: January 1, 2007
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Under the rule of science, there are no witch burnings allowed, no water trials or public lynchings. In return, the average law-abiding, solid citizen has little to worry about from the things that go bump in the night. Sometimes I wish I was an average citizen...

Mechanic Mercy Thompson has friends in low places-and in dark ones. And now she owes one of them a favor. Since she can shapeshift at will, she agrees to act as some extra muscle when her vampire friend Stefan goes to deliver a message to another of his kind.

But this new vampire is hardly ordinary-and neither is the demon inside of him.

Review by Rose Red:

It doesn't matter how many times I reread Patricia Briggs's books, I can't help be drawn into them so much that I am oblivious to everything around me. There's a sort of magic of being lost in a 300 page book and the magic is strong in Briggs's Mercy Thompson series. To me this is Urban Fantasy at it’s best. Clever writing, action packed plot, great characters, witty dialogue and subtle romance, Blood Bound has it all. This book was just as good as the first one! I'm delighted that Briggs has made the mythology of the creatures that go bump in the night all her own. There are a lot of similarities to what other authors use but enough differences that the books are fun and engaging. Although, the villain in this book was a little scary.

In the first book, we're introduced to Mercy Thompson, a VW mechanic who is also 'walker,' which means that she can change into a coyote. Mercy is not really a kick-butt heroine. She's a very little fish in a very big pond. She knows that she has very little chance of taking on the vampires, werewolves, or Fae in her town. That doesn't mean that she's going to let that stop her. She's not preternaturally strong but she's smart and more than a little stubborn. Being a walker has given her other abilities that come more into play in this book.

Blood Bound starts with a bang. You can't help but wonder what trouble is coming Mercy's way when she gets a 3AM phone call from her vampire friend, Stefan, asking for a favor. Stefan needs her to go with him to witness a meeting with a vampire who has arrived in the Tri-Cities without permission of the local vampire seethe. Let's just say that the meeting did not go as expected as they find out that the vampire has a demon possessing his soul. Soon Mercy, Stefan, the werewolves, and the surrounding community find themselves dealing with an evil that's not afraid of the high body count it's amassing. The vampires and the werewolves tell Mercy to stay out of it. But when the ones she cares about are in danger, Mercy isn’t the kind of girl to sit on the sidelines and wait especially if she can do something about it.

As much as I love the action-packed plot, my favorite thing about this book was the characters. They are each so well developed and unique for such a large cast of characters. They all have their own roles and personalities and I love them all. Some I love to hate more than I actually love them. Mercy remains the snarky and awesome person she was in book one. I love that Adam has more screen time in this book! He may be a slightly overbearing Alpha but he's loyal and dependable and willing to do what he knows needs done. It helps that he's sexy as hell. Samuel is still a sweetheart and I love that he wormed his way into being Mercy's roommate even though he's not playing too nicely with Adam. Stefan, well, he may be a vampire but I find him equal parts scary and adorable. He drives his own version of the Mystery Machine, for heaven's sake. How can I not like him? Warren is still my favorite of Mercy's friends and I have much hope that him and Kyle will stay together. Hell, I'm even coming to like Ben. If you've read this series you know how big of a deal that is! I don't think I need go on, the characters in this series just rock.

I'm so glad that the romance comes to the foreground more in this book. Of course, it's moving along at a snail pace but it works well as they have great chemistry ensuring sparks are flying whenever Mercy is alone with either Adam or Samuel. The love triangle doesn't bother me like it does in some other books. I think because you can see why Mercy is confused. She trying to work through her old and yet very real feelings for Samuel at the same time she's trying to understand the complex emotions that she feels for Adam, the local Alpha. I'm not a reader who usually goes for love triangles in my books but this one doesn't feel like a triangle to me. It's more Mercy trying to make peace with her past and how that is going to shape the person she is now. I know who I want Mercy to end up with and that's all I'm going to say on the subject.

Overall, Mercy's world is getting a more interesting if not more dangerous. This world makes for one hell of a setting. And it makes this book (series really) such great read! If you like Urban Fantasy, kickass heroines, and lots of action wrapped in mystery, this is the book for you. Trust me. You'll love it!