Enjoy!
#13 Mercy Thompson
Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Ace
Published: 8.23.22
Pages: 400
Rating: 4.5 stars
Format: hardcover
Source: Purchased
Sellers: Amazon
ADD TO: GoodReads
GoodReads Blurb:
Mercy Thompson, car mechanic and shapeshifter, must face
her greatest fears in this chilling entry in the #1 New York Times
bestselling series.
The vampire Wulfe is missing. Since he’s deadly, possibly insane, and his
current idea of “fun” is stalking me, some may see it as no great loss. But,
warned that his disappearance might bring down the carefully constructed
alliances that keep our pack safe, my mate and I must find Wulfe—and hope he’s
still alive. As alive as a vampire can be, anyway.
But Wulfe isn’t the only one who has disappeared. And now there are bodies,
too. Has the Harvester returned to the Tri-Cities, reaping souls with his
cursed sickle? Or is he just a character from a B horror movie and our enemy is
someone else?
The farther I follow Wulfe’s trail, the more twisted—and darker—the path
becomes. I need to figure out what’s going on before the next body on the
ground is mine.
Sophia Rose's Review:
Returning to the Mercy Thompson world is a joy and pleasure
that I relish with the eagerness of a forever fan. The latest sees a trip to the Pumpkin Patch
for the pack as the calm before the storm- make that the calm before the horror
show begins. Follow the horror show
safety tips and you may survive to play the latest version of the pirate video
game with the pack while munching on Mercy’s brownies.
Soul Taken is the
thirteenth in the Mercy Thompson series and nineteenth installment in the Mercy
Thompson world of books that absolutely must be read in order (and I do mean a
combo of both series).
For all the intense devastation wrought by evil monsters
halted from their goal by Mercy, the werewolves, and their allies, Mercy’s own
life is in a good place with home, husband, family, and friends. She is accepted as the alpha’s mate and is
growing to accept this role along with her others. That is why the shock that comes when
Sherwood, the mystery wolf of their pack getting his memories back suddenly
(see Alpha and Omega series’ Wild Sign
for reason) and Marsalia, the vampire Seethe’s leader, warning and asking their
help finding Wulfe and where this adventure leads do more than upset the
pumpkin cart.
Soul Taken, like
many others in this series feels like a mystery to be solved with a ‘case’, evidence
trail, investigation, suspects, motives, and detecting team, but instead the
mystery has a supernatural backdrop and characters to add to the
excitement.
I’m not a horror movie fan by any stretch of the
imagination, but I got a kick out of the fall themes of pumpkin patch and corn
maze setting for a pack outing, Jesse and Tad’s homework in lit class focusing
on the latest horror film, and Mercy learning how it all ties in with the
darker plot going on with missing local supernaturals and the necessity of
digging into Wulfe’s mysterious past to find the answers before it’s too late.
Some of the series books feel global and epic in scale, but
this one didn’t. That said, the long
range and far reaching effects of them figuring out what was going on, stopping
it, and what would happen if they didn’t kept the book edgy and immediate. Mercy and the pack with their allies are a
great experiment when she inadvertently made the Tri-Cities a supernatural
neutral haven and so many want to see it as weak or take it for themselves
because they arrogantly dismiss the misfit community there as weak. I love seeing Mercy and the others hold
strong against the odds and keep making the impossible work. This brings yet another challenge to them and
I cheered them on to the finish which was interestingly abrupt in ways. And, there was a certain phone call with
Samuel that made me more than curious what was going on at the other end of
that call in the Alpha and Omega world…
And, so, I tried to take my time and relish this latest
installment properly. I was doing so
good and then self-control snapped and I devoured it as usual. Series fans are in for a treat and Urban
Fantasy lovers need to consider this series ‘don’t miss’.
Author Bio:
Patricia is the #1 New York Times best selling author of the
Mercy Thompson series and has written twenty four novels to date; she is
currently writing novel number twenty five. She has short stories in several
anthologies, as well as a series of comic books and graphic novels based on her
Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega series. Patty began her career writing
traditional high fantasy novels in 1993, and shifted gears in 2006 to write
urban fantasy. Moon Called was the first of her signature series about Mercy;
the non-stop adventure left readers wanting more and word of this exciting new
urban fantasy series about a shape-shifting mechanic spread quickly. The series
has continued to grow in popularity with the release of each book. Patty also
writes the Alpha and Omega series, which are set in the same world as the Mercy
Thompson novels; what began as a novella expanded into a full new series, all
of which debuted on the NY Times bestsellers list as well.
Patty was born in Butte, Montana, back in 1965. If you’re good at math,
you’ll have deduced that she’s currently twenty-nine. In fact, she’s been
twenty-nine for a while and has no intention of getting any older. Fiction
authors don’t obey the laws of space and time, they invent them. Don’t argue,
or she’ll make up a dragon right behind you . . .
Patricia was born book-privileged. Her mother was a school librarian, and
she shared a room with an older sister who loved to read. Long after they had
been put to bed, her sister would use the small night light to read Patty
stories; her early favorites were fairy tales. Knights and castles, fair
maidens, and monsters of every ilk became their nighttime companions.
Soon, Patty learned to read, and whole worlds were hers to explore. She rode
on the Black Stallion, and flew the skies of Pern on a dragon. Sometime during
that period she stumbled onto a treasure trove. Her older sister had begun
collecting comic books; pristine originals were place in cellophane sleeves and
organized in cardboard boxes. When her sister was away, they were removed by
grubby fingers smeared with peanut butter and jelly for a clandestine read,
returning with a faint smudges and wrinkled pages from reading under the
covers. To this day, her sister periodically calls Patty and tells her how much
more her original copies of the X-Men would have been worth if left pristine in
their sleeves. The number keeps going up.
Patty is a prevarication professional. She lies for a living, telling
whoppers and fibs so outrageous that people pay her to fib some more. Her only
concession to honesty is that she tells people she’s lying to them, which is
what separates a fiction author from a politician. She loves to play with her
imaginary friends, and meeting with readers who know her imaginary friends is a
treat. Her biggest complaint with writing is that she has far more ideas for
stories than time to write them.
Patty and her family reside in Eastern Washington near Tri-Cities, home of
Mercy Thompson; yes, it's a real place! When not working on the next book, she
can be found playing truant out in her horse pastures, playing with the newest
babies.
Website: https://www.patriciabriggs.com/
Sophia’s Bio:
Sophia is a quiet though
curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, and gardening. Encouraged
and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian
transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball,
Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.
Sophia’s Social Media
Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sophia.rose.7587
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiarose1816
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418187.Sophia_Rose
Yes, the horror aspect was creeptastic!
ReplyDeleteI got a real kick out of her wink toward the seasonal stuff. :)
DeleteI neeeeed it
ReplyDeleteI agree. :)
DeleteImagine that, being paid to fib. She must be an excellent fibber. Great review, Sophia.
ReplyDeleteLOL, she's a champ at it. :)
Delete