Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

One of the reasons I have come to love urban fantasy is the strong, female protagonists. Patricia Briggs writes one of the best heroines in the urban fantasy genre today in Mercy Thompson. Mercy is not only strong and tough but she's smart, loyal and genuinely good, making her a heroine that is so easy to love. In as much as I love her character and don't want her to change, I do want her to be happy with her growly, sexy Alpha werewolf Adam. That's why I was very excited to find that in River Marked we get to see a more romantic side of Mercy as she and Adam take their relationship to a whole new level. River Marked had different feel to it than the previous Mercy Thompson books. While I've loved the whole series I have been frustrated at times in the past with amount of time Adam and Mercy have spent apart, but in River Marked we get plenty of Mercy and Adam quality time. In fact they are together the entire book. With Adam being so Alpha I half expected him to steal the show and over power the awesomeness that is Mercy but it didn't happen. While River Marked is a bit different from the previous books in that there is more romance, there is still gritty violence and some intense action and Mercy is still the star of the show. At five books into the series I've become completely comfortable in the intricate world of Mercy Thompson. I love the cast of series characters and so I was disappointed by their absence. River Marked takes Mercy and Adam completely away from the pack and their group of friends and allies right into the heart of trouble. There are a few brief appearances of some familiar characters (Stefan, YES he's back people!) but for the most part it's only Adam and Mercy with the introduction of several new characters, with one or two having potential staying power for future installments in the series. Mercy's father has always been somewhat of a mystery and her true heritage kind of hazy. Although we don't get any clear cut answers this time, we do get some insight to Mercy's heritage a whole new twist on her father. I look forward to more on that in the future. While River Marked had a slightly different tone than its predecessors, I welcomed the change of pace and focus on the relationships and romance. Mercy has grown and matured but she has still maintained that edge that made me love her when I first became acquainted with her in Moon Called. This series continues to be a favorite and I eagerly look forward to the next book in the series.