Review of Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

Publisher: Ace
Series: Mercy Thompson #7
Format Read: Hardcover
Release Date: March 5, 2013
Buying Links:  Amazon   Barnes & Noble   Book Depository

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

*Contains spoilers for the earlier books*

Shapeshifter Mercy Thompson's life is calming down, at least enough that she can focus on mundane matters like Black Friday sales. But on her return, Mercy is unable to contact her mate, Alpha Adam Hauptman, or the other members of their pack. All she knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. With the werewolves fighting a political battle to gain acceptance from the public, Mercy fears Adam's disappearance may be related - and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outclassed and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from the most unlikely of allies: the vampire seethe.

Quote:

He also saw something else. Adam had a habit of keeping track of things in his environment - situational awareness. It had saved his butt more than once. He was especially aware of things that could be used as weapons.

One of the blades on the shelves was moving. He didn't catch it in actual motion, but when they'd first come into the room, it had been in the back corner of  the bottom shelf of the bookcase nearest the mirror. Now it was in the middle of  the shelf and had slid nearly off the edge. 

He wondered if it might be chasing Asil, if only very slowly.

Bea's Thoughts:  *May contain spoilers for earlier books*



Sigh, this was such a good book. While I liked "River Marked", it was just okay. The best part of it was Mercy learning about her father and connecting with  Coyote. Oh, and seeing Mercy and Adam on their honeymoon. :) This one was back home in the Tri-Cities with many of the usual gang. That was part of what I liked so much and Patty's writing was top-notch.

In "Frost Burned" Briggs picks up threads from previous stories - the movement against supernatural beings, Mercy's relationships with her garage assistants and their families as well as her evolving relationship with the pack, especially its females, the federal bureau Cantrip (Combined Nonhuman and Transhuman Relations Provisors), Marsilia's power play and subsequent falling out with Stefan, Mercy's gifts from Coyote, the fae's declaration of sovereignty - and mixes them all into a exciting, emotion-filled story that moves the series forward.

Although the action takes place over a few days, I wouldn't call this story fast or action packed, though it has plenty of action. An angry Adam is a scary, scary Adam. Not that Mercy is any softy when she's angry. As the blurb says, her pack and husband are missing, and Mercy isn't about to let anything get in her way of finding them. She enlists allies, friends, and former friends in her mission to find the pack. Naturally, finding the pack doesn't solve everything and there are twists and turns in typical Briggs fashion. I did NOT anticipate the last 70 or so pages.

There's humor, romance, action, character growth and development, and surprises. While some of the bad guys work for the government, Briggs doesn't take the easy way out of painting the entire government as evil or bad but portrays it realistically. For the Adam lovers, there are several chapters from his viewpoint. As much as I enjoyed those, I particularly enjoyed the scenes between him and Mercy. I love the relationship they have - respectful, caring, teasing, understanding. Mercy is a little softer than when the series began but she's still independent, feisty and loyal; she's more confident yet  aware (okay, sometimes :D) of her limitations (though Adam might disagree), still kicks ass, and still open to learning about her abilities as a Walker. Her relationship with Jesse, now her stepdaughter, is evolving too. I liked seeing Mercy as a responsible stepmother. It's a new side to her, one I like.

"Frost Burned" is an excellent addition to the series and I'm counting down until the next book.

MATH, Mercy's initials are MATH. Giggle.

I received a hardcover from the publisher for review.