Welcome to a feature I'm going to post on Mondays called:
Read This F@!%ing Book!
This is a feature for me to push my favorite reads that just aren't getting enough attention!
I'm also opening it up to anyone who would like to guest post. Do you
have a book that you just LURVED but feel like its not getting the play
it deserves? Email me to let me know and I'd be THRILLED to have you
post about it here! Especially if its something I haven't reviewed yet - that's even better (but not necessary)! If you're interested email me:
It's no secret that I absolutely adore Patricia Briggs' urban fantasy books. I've reviewed enough of her books here at Goldilox and the Three Weres that you all know exactly how much I love her books. I first found her Mercy Thompson books while I was in college and I quickly devoured all of the books that had been released at that point (Silver Borne). I had heard that Briggs had written a companion series to the Mercy books but I couldn't bring myself to pick it up. What if it wasn't as good? What if it ruined Mercy for me? I finally picked up her Alpha & Omega series this year and, guys, I think I'm infatuated with it. All of my fears were completely unfounded! Actually, I love this series more than Mercy and that's saying a lot! Why do I love this series so much? Let me tell you!
YOU HAVE TO READ THE NOVELLA FIRST!
What I find interesting about this series is that it started out as a novella. Briggs' publisher loved it so much that they asked if she could make the novella a series. Thank heavens for that! That being said, it's very important for you to read that novella before starting the first book in this series. It takes place slightly after the events in
Moon Called (Mercy Thompson #1) where Mercy helps a
teenager named Alan MacKenzie Frasier who had been unwillingly turned into a werewolf. The novella is the story about Bran's son, Charles, going to
Chicago to deal
with the werewolves who did it and this is how he subsequently meets Anna. Cry
Wolf begins the day after the events in the novella so if you skip it the book will read like it's missing a few chapters at the
beginning.
You Will Fall In Love With Charles And Anna!
The real star of these books is Anna and Charles’s relationship. These two are so different from each but somehow it works perfectly. Seriously. They are complete opposites and their relationship is equal parts passion and struggle. Anna and Charles are a rather odd pair in that their inner wolves chose each other as mates before their human selves could even say hello. This series is one of the few times that the "my wolf chose you as my mate" plot line actually works for me. I love that we get both Anna and Charles’s perspectives in this series. It gives us a look into their relationship and there are several precious moments between the two of them! Their romance is very different from anything I've read before and it's one of the reasons I love this series so much! It is a sweet romance that's not all fluff.
Both characters are deeply scarred by traumatic lives, and those scars play a very real role in their ability to interact and trust each other. When they first meet, Anna has been dealing with a terrible situation that leaves both physical and mental scars. What I love is that Charles ended up being a very scary white knight for Anna. He's not a conventional love interest, but he is what Anna needed. It goes both ways as well. As you progress in the series, you see that Charles needs Anna as much or more than she needed him. Anna's trauma is at the forefront of the first few books and Charles is SO gentle and understanding with her and the situation that I couldn't help but fall in love him a bit myself. Okay. I love him a lot. Their struggles, their getting-to-know-you phase, and the relationship itself is dynamic, raw, real, and full of emotion. The relationship between Charles and Anna is one of the reasons this series is so great! And despite their romance being a huge part of the story, it doesn't overshadow the rest of the plot. It only adds to it.
The real star of these books is Anna and Charles’s relationship. These two are so different from each but somehow it works perfectly. Seriously. They are complete opposites and their relationship is equal parts passion and struggle. Anna and Charles are a rather odd pair in that their inner wolves chose each other as mates before their human selves could even say hello. This series is one of the few times that the "my wolf chose you as my mate" plot line actually works for me. I love that we get both Anna and Charles’s perspectives in this series. It gives us a look into their relationship and there are several precious moments between the two of them! Their romance is very different from anything I've read before and it's one of the reasons I love this series so much! It is a sweet romance that's not all fluff.
Both characters are deeply scarred by traumatic lives, and those scars play a very real role in their ability to interact and trust each other. When they first meet, Anna has been dealing with a terrible situation that leaves both physical and mental scars. What I love is that Charles ended up being a very scary white knight for Anna. He's not a conventional love interest, but he is what Anna needed. It goes both ways as well. As you progress in the series, you see that Charles needs Anna as much or more than she needed him. Anna's trauma is at the forefront of the first few books and Charles is SO gentle and understanding with her and the situation that I couldn't help but fall in love him a bit myself. Okay. I love him a lot. Their struggles, their getting-to-know-you phase, and the relationship itself is dynamic, raw, real, and full of emotion. The relationship between Charles and Anna is one of the reasons this series is so great! And despite their romance being a huge part of the story, it doesn't overshadow the rest of the plot. It only adds to it.
ZOMG! The Audiobooks Are Freaking Fantastic!
If you like Audiobooks, then you have to listen to this series! Holter Graham is the narrator and he does a phenomenal job! He nailed all the voices perfectly to what I imagined them sounding like in my head. I have a confession to make. I love these audiobooks and these stories so much that I have been listening to the audio on a continuous loop since I first read these books in February. They are really just that good, guys!
I'm so sad that I am out of Alpha & Omega books! I need more Anna and Charles in my life! Seriously. I hope we get their next book soon! If you haven't read this series or the Mercy Thompson books, you should fix that ASAP! I'd recommend reading both series together in chronological order. Patricia Briggs has a timeline on her website that you can use to know the reading order. Both of these series are wonderful examples of why urban fantasy is a great genre! They are freaking fantastic!
Our reviews of books in this series:
Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs
Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs
Are you interested in starting this
series? Did we persuade you to add it to your TBR mountain? Or have you read it and love it as much as I do? Let us know in the comments below!
I love this series so much. I started with Mercy back when there were only three or four books out. I think there were only one or two of these. I just love them. I actually got to meet Patty and Mike at RT this year. They are so great and really funny. I can't say enough good things about them. I want to go back and try some of her high fantasy stuff.
ReplyDeleteMe too! I feel like I've been reading Mercy forever and it's only been a few years. I love both series so much! I'm kind of jealous you got to meet them! Briggs is the author I want to meet the most right now.
DeleteI've been surprised at how many people are reading Mercy Thompson but not Alpha and Omega. I think this series is even better! And Mercy is one of the best.
ReplyDeleteI'm guilty of that. I didn't pick up A&O until it was pointed out that it would spoil books 7 and 8 of the Mercy books. I wish I hadn't have waited! I love Charles and Anna more too! And that's saying a lot because I adore Mercy!
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