COURAGEOUS COTOTE
Moon Called
Mercy Thompson Series
By Patricia Briggs
Paranormal
Fantasy
New College
Kickin' Female Lead
Mercedes Thompson isn't your average mechanic, and her customers aren't your average customers. Working on a vampire's VW bus and living next door to an alpha werewolf is just apart of everyday life for Mercy, who happens to also be a skinwalker – a shape shifting coyote. But as long as she keeps her head down, her pet cat off the hot neighbour's couch and her junk cars out of her back yard, she is tolerated by the local fae, vampires, witches and werewolves alike.
Then Mac comes along, all pitiful and doe eyed and a newly changed werewolf who is hiding from something big. He begs Mercy for work until he can move on again and she just happens to have a vacancy open in her car shop. She doesn't belong to the local pack, she isn't even a werewolf, even if Adam the pack alpha seems to forget that, so she actually doesn't report to nobody.
But then out-of-town wolves come hunting Mac down and Mercy takes one of them out. But what starts out as a failed kidnapping attempt, ends up causing more trouble for Mercy with Adam and the local pack. Then, when those same out-of-towners take Adam on nearly killing him and kidnap his young daughter, things get a whole lot crazier. With Mac dead Adam severely injured, its up to Mercy to get him somewhere where an injured alpha werewolf can't hurt himself or anyone else. And then there's his daughter.
I actually started reading this series by reading the Graphic Novel version of the book and got all the way through to discover it only half the story. So I got the novel out and loved it to bits and am really looking forward to reading the rest of the series from the local library this week.
Mercy is very self-reliant, resilient and very strong willed. She doesn't take any shit off of nobody, and refuses to be pushed around by anyone, including the local pack who seem to think she should tow the pack line. This causes some creative conflict in the story and loads of humour when she rubs the werewolves up the wrong way. She hasn't had an easy life, being the only skinwalker she knows in a pack full of werewolves, and was made aware at a young age that she wasn't wanted anywhere. So she's had to make her own way in life and refuses to let anyone take that from her.
It was refreshing to see a kickarse character that had a load of compassion for those struggling around her, and she connected with Adam's human daughter really well. So it was no surprise that she takes it on herself to see the young girl found.
Definitely looking forward to reading the rest of the series, and I'll review them as I can.
5 stars out of 5 for Moon Called.
