Audible Book Review: Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs

This is reliable Briggs: strong writing and entertainment.
Cry Wolf
by Patricia Briggs
Narrated by: Holter Graham

Series: Alpha and Omega, Book 1
Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 01-15-09
Language: English
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Genre: Paranormal, Werewolves
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.5.

Publisher's Summary
Anna never knew werewolves existed until the night she survived a violent attack...and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she'd learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. But Anna is that rarest kind of werewolf: an Omega. And one of the most powerful werewolves in the country will recognize her value as a pack member - and as his mate.
©2008 Patricia Briggs (P)2008 Penguin

Review:
Anna suffered pack abuse after first being attacked and turned to a werewolf three years ago. Her pack Alpha, Leo, in an attempt to control her, had given the pack members permission to assault and abuse her. She learned to hide her feelings along with her distrust of the dominant males.

Bran Cornick, the Marrok, (leader of all werewolves), sent his ‘enforcer’ son, Charles, to address problems and to challenge Leo and other leaders of the Chicago pack. Surprising them both, Charles’ wolf claimed Anna’s wolf as mate even as he battled the corrupt werewolves, suffering major injuries.

Bran arrives to take care of the injured Charles and to help move Anna to his home territory. Anna is still intimidated by Bran and Charles as she tries to believe they mean her no harm. Anna is confused when she is told she is a rare werewolf, an Omega. An Omega has unusual strengths and powers if only she can gain confidence to discover them.

Charles is still recovering from his injuries when he is called upon to investigate some suspicious attacks in the nearby mountains. The latest survivor has described the attacker as a ‘wolf monster’. It may be a rogue werewolf or, more dangerously, it may be a purposeful attack.

Bran directs Charles to take Anna with him for the investigation, hoping to give them a chance to get to know each other. They are supposed to just determine the situation, but instead they face a powerful attack with an obsessed character. Not only are their lives threatened but Bran and his entire pack are at risk.

I have read and enjoyed the Mercy Thompson series by Briggs. I was pleased that this book is set in the same world. Anna’s character is allowed to grow into her true strengths which was a nice process to watch. I liked getting a deeper picture of Bran and especially of Charles and the features he inherited from his Native American mother.

There is danger, suspense and shrewd battle situations. I appreciated the fact that the romance is tentative and allowed to mature with sweet rapport rather than sexual heat. I was engaged with the characters and the story. I recommend this to Briggs’ fans and to readers who like strong, but sweet, werewolf stories.

Audio Notes: Holter Graham succeeds in providing wonderful narration. It was a little surprising to hear a male narrator for this, but his performance was spot on. He was able to give appropriate voices and emotions to the characters. The narration enhanced this book experience for me.

Source: Feb 2018 Audible January Credit. This qualifies for 2019TBR and 2019Audiobook goal.

Audible Book Review: Storm Cursed, Mercy Thompson Novel Series, Book 11 by Patricia Briggs

This continues the fun Mercy Thompson entertainment with werewolves, vampires and witches…Oh My!

Storm Cursed
Mercy Thompson Novel Series, Book 11
By: Patricia Briggs
Narrated by: Lorelei King

Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 05-07-19
Language: English
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Werewolves
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.75.

Publisher's Summary
In this powerful entry in the number-one New York Times best-selling series, Mercy Thompson must face a deadly enemy to defend all she loves....
My name is Mercedes Athena Thompson Hauptman, and I am a car mechanic.
And a coyote shape-shifter.
And the mate of the Alpha of the Columbia Basin werewolf pack.
Even so, none of that would have gotten me into trouble if, a few months ago, I hadn’t stood upon a bridge and taken responsibility for the safety of the citizens who live in our territory. It seemed like the thing to do at the time. It should have only involved hunting down killer goblins, zombie goats, and an occasional troll. Instead, our home was viewed as neutral ground, a place where humans would feel safe to come and interact with the fae.
The reality is that nothing and no one is safe. As generals and politicians face off with the Gray Lords of the fae, a storm is coming, and her name is Death.
But we are pack, and we have given our word.
We will die to keep it.
©2019 Patricia Briggs (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Review:
Mercy has declared the Tri-City area as a safe place for the fae. The government and the Grey Lords, fae leadership, are seeking to meet to work out some guidelines for normal humans and the fae creatures to live safely beside each other. The meeting is to take place in Mercy’s hometown with Mercy’s mate, Adam, and the werewolf pack members providing security. Considering her unique relationship with the fae, Mercy has been recruited (directed) to participate by arranging a safe location.

While the joint meeting is barely being discussed, Mercy is called upon to help deal with some strange community incidents. Mercy faces a rogue, killer goblin and next she has to deal with zombie miniature goats. Mercy gets help from appropriate allies, like Larry the Goblin King and a new pack member, Sherwood, who brings some surprising skills to bare when faced with black magic. The zombie goats are determined to be the work of an invading witch group.

Mercy and Sherwood go to check on the local witches and discover tragedy and horror. They find one survivor, a nearly dead kitten. Mercy and Ben save Adam and a small group of government officials from a bomb. When a curse attack against Mercy is accidentally discovered at her garage, it becomes clear that the enemy witches, including one called “death”, are not only trying to take control in the community, but they want to block Mercy and the joint meeting. Dangers escalate and Mercy seeks the aid of her fae friends, Zee and Tad, and even the wildly instable vampire, Wolfe, to take on the black witches and the minion zombie army they have created.

This is a series that keeps on providing strong entertainment through strong characters and engaging plots. The relationship between Mercy and the werewolf pack is always interesting. Of course, her bond with her mate Adam is particularly well done. The black magic in this story creates a dark tone with evil and death putting a bit of a damper on Mercy’s usual snappy humor. I enjoyed the cameo touch with Mercy’s family, Coyote and Mercy’s brother. I also liked the unique zombie creatures and the surprise connection that appears during the battle. I wasn’t overwhelmed with this episode, but it maintains the entertainment level of the series for me. I recommend the whole series and suggest starting at the beginning for full enjoyment.

Audio Notes: I’ve probably said it before, but Lorelei King is the gifted narrator for this series. She has unique voices for the characters and brings the right emotion and energy to the story. She even captures the darker mood of this story. It is a pleasure to listen to this series on audio.

Source: March 2019 Audible credit (pre-order). This qualifies for 2019Audiobook goal.

Book Review: Wolf Hunt (SWAT Book 6) by Paige Tyler

This is an engaging shifter story with strong passion and a good plotline.

Wolf Hunt (SWAT Book 6)
by Paige Tyler

File Size: 1634 KB
Print Length: 352 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1492642347
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (June 6, 2017)
ASIN: B01MQPZGPV
Genre: Paranormal, Romantic Suspense, Werewolves
My Rating 4.25 of 5.0

A STORM IS BREWING...
Remy Boudreaux is back in his hometown, New Orleans. He's there with three of his fellow Dallas SWAT officers for a week of training with the NOLA PD. On the eve of a tropical storm, Remy and his buddies prowl the French Quarter. One tantalizing scent captures Remy's senses, forcing him to follow until he is face to face with Triana Bellamy—his beautiful high school crush.
After reconnecting, Remy and Triana are close—very. Remy struggles to keep things casual. Ever since his partner—and first love—was killed on the job, he's kept women at a distance.
But when a mysterious wolf pendant ropes them both into danger, Remy's protective instincts kick in. He may have to reveal his true self...and hope Triana accepts him.

Review:
Remy is a Dallas SWAT officer visiting in New Orleans, his home town, for cross training with local cops. No one knows that the four Dallas men have special skills and they have to be careful not to expose their true wolf natures. Remy hits on an enticing scent and pulls his team mates along the night club route as he seeks out the source. Remy is surprised when his nose leads him to his high school crush, Triana.

Triana is a forensic lab tech who is in town to visit her mother. She is thrilled to see Remy as she had a crush on him too. The chemistry between them flares quickly even though Remy has convinced himself he doesn’t want to get too close to any woman since he suffered the loss of a partner whom he had fallen in love with.

Triana’s mother is being pressured to sell her husband’s special wolf pendant. Although she has told the buyer’s agent that she doesn’t have it, he won’t take no for an answer. Thugs return to put more pressure behind the request but they are surprised when Remy steps in to handle the threat. Although they retreat, the threat hasn’t disappeared.

Remy and his team are called upon to assist in a drug raid that leaves a lot of unhappy cops. Meanwhile, a tropical storm is bearing in on the city but these issues raise less havoc than the conflict Remy faces from trying to resist his natural instinct to protect Triana, especially since he won’t admit he could love her.

The story is full of action and steamy passion. It reads quickly and is engaging. The characters are likeable and although the romance is a bit hotter and the scenes a bit more prevalent than I care for, they don’t overshadow a strong plotline. The author does a good job of connecting Triana’s parents’ past with the current situation.

This is the first story I have read in this series and I enjoyed it even as a standalone. I am guessing that the earlier stories are of the other SWAT members finding and protecting their “true mates”. Since I enjoy a good shifter story now and again I will be keeping Ms. Tyler and this series in mind for future reading. I recommend this to readers who enjoy a passionate shifter romance with a strong story.

I received this title from the publisher through NetGalley. It qualifies for my NetGalley Challenge.

Audible Book Review: River Marked, Mercy Thompson Book 6, by Patricia Briggs

This is a full and fast paced story.

River Marked Mercy Thompson Book 6

• UNABRIDGED
• by Patricia Briggs
• Narrated by Lorelei King
•  Series: Mercy Thompson, Book 6

Available in print and eBook as well as Audio.
Genre: Urban Fantasy
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Blurb from Audible.com: Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. She's never known any others of her kind. Until now.
An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River - one that her father's people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need their help....

Review: This is Book 6 in this enjoyable series and if you haven’t read them I highly recommend that you do! I have listened to all of them through Audible library and I really like the narration as well as the characters, plot and action.

Mercy Thompson is a  “walker” who shape shifts as a coyote. Her gifts include a resistance to most magic, like mesmerizing Vampires, and seeing ghosts.  Mercy has never met others like herself but she was raised in one of the strongest werewolf packs in North America. In this world, werewolves and some fae have been revealed to the public although Vampires are not yet exposed as “real.” Mercy has made Vampire and Fae friends and enemies. There are many wonderful characters in the series who are less visible in this story which gives time to Mercy and Adam.


Adam is the sexy, Alpha leader of the local werewolf pack and Mercy’s neighbor. Adam is divorced and raising his bright and outgoing teenage daughter, Jesse. Adam has been wooing, and at times he and his pack have been rescuing, Mercy through the stories.

Book 6 starts off with a delightful and beautifully choreographed elopement/wedding for Adam and Mercy. (Their marriage is not a spoiler since it is disclosed in the book blurb.)  Adam and Mercy head off for private honeymoon time.  They set up their borrowed motor coach at a park along the Columbia River.  Unfortunately it soon becomes apparent that Adam and Mercy have been directed to this spot for reasons beyond a simple honeymoon. 

Their romantic time together is interrupted by an injured man and a trail of dead and missing people.  Mercy gets to meet a very nasty  River Demon and some Fae otters up close and more personally than she would like.  The River Demon threatens to continue luring and eating anyone who nears the river unless it can be defeated.  It looks like Mercy, being immune to the magic, may be the only one who has a chance of killing the beast.  She and Adam team up with some other “walkers”, including Old Man Coyote, who knew or may be her father. Even with all of these skilled warriors the battle is far from certain and many expect to die.

Like the other books, this is full of action, magic and warm emotion in the relationships of the characters.  The narrator does a great job with the character voices and emotions. Although I have to say that I tend to get caught up with the story so that I barely notice the narrator...and isn’t that the way a good audio book should be?

The author manages to give enough backstory to fill in the important elements in case a reader has not read/listened to prior books but I recommend enjoying them all in order! I am looking forward to the next installment and only sorry that it isn’t scheduled until 2013.

 I read this from my own TBR Audible Library.

This is set in Washington for my Where are Your Reading challenge. This is a Just For Fun book this month and I will also add it to my TBR and Audio challenges.

Audio Book Review: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

A satisfactory conclusion to this haunting werewolf trilogy.

Forever (Wolves of Mercy Falls, Book 3) UNABRIDGED
by Maggie Stiefvater
Narrated by Jenna Lamia, Pierce Cravens, Dan Bittner, Emma Galvin, Maggie Stiefvater

• Audible Audio Edition
• Listening Length: 12 hours and 16 minutes
• Program Type: Audiobook
• Version: Unabridged
• Publisher: Scholastic Audio
• Audible.com Release Date: July 12, 2011
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005C7QSX4

Genre: Paranormal Romance
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. In Linger, they fought to be together. Now, in Forever, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.

Review:
This is the conclusion of this YA trilogy.  It started a bit slowly for me but after an hour or so I was engaged in the story and rooting for Sam and Grace as well as Cole and Isabelle.

Sam and Grace met in Shiver. Grace is a young, smart teenager and Sam is a young man who yearns after her but turns wolf each winter. The pack leader, Beck, believed that Sam would remain a wolf the next winter.

At the end of Linger, Sam had been “cured” of being a werewolf by being infected with high fevers apparently suppressing the werewolf cells. Unfortunately, age or stress or a combination of factors, had triggered the werewolf cells to emerge in Grace where they had been suppressed since she was bitten as a child. Sam was now human and Grace a wolf each winter.

In this third book there is more angst between several characters. Cole is a talented but tormented musician who was “recruited” by Beck to “manage” the pack since Beck believed both he and Cole would be unavailable to do so.  Cole has had a pretty rocky and arrogant life and he rubs proper, angry Isabel the wrong way.  She is drawn to him but realizes he would be bad news. For some reason Cole is unable to keep his werewolf stable. He begins to experiment with ways to trigger the changes.

Sam is waiting for spring to bring the wolves, and especially Grace, back to him. Grace's parents and many townfolk think that Sam is responsible for the disappearance of Beck and Grace. The authorities are starting to put pressure on him. Adding to his troubles Sam begins to have emotional struggles thinking that it was a betrayal when he was deliberately bitten as a child.

Isabel’s brother Jack was turned to a wolf and died in the second book.  Their father begins to arrange a public hunt for the wolves.  When several more teens are attacked, the hunters get permission to use a helicopter to herd the wolves together for the hunt.

Sam, Cole and Grace race against time to find a way to move the wolf pack to a safer area. They find a friend in a surprising person but their efforts may not work when the hunt is suddenly moved up by several weeks.

Once again I enjoyed the haunting poetry, music and songs that were shared by Cole and Sam although there seemed fewer than the prior books.  There was plenty of excitement as the hunt pressed in. The writing is pleasantly lyrical and simultaneously simple in presentation but complex in emotion. I was a little disappointed that the ending didn’t fully resolve all the questions but there was enough for the reader to draw in a positive conclusion.

I especially love the audio performance for this trilogy.  The different voices bring the characters alive and enhanced the story for me. If you like werewolf stories and sincere teen romance, I highly recommend listening to this trilogy.

This is from my own Audible TBR library.

This is located in Mercy Falls, a fake town, in Minnesota for my Where Are You Reading Challenge. I will also include it on my Audio Challenge list.

Audible Book Review: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Highly Recommended! This second book in the series is even better than the first! 

Linger
• UNABRIDGED
• by Maggie Stiefvater
• Narrated by Jenna Lamia


• LENGTH
  10 hrs and 43 mins
• AUDIBLE RELEASE DATE
  07-01-10
Genre:  Paranormal Romance, YA; 
My Rating: 4.75.
Publisher's Summary
in Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past...and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves...and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love - the light and the dark, the warm and the cold - in a way you will never forget.

Review:  This story continues and expands from Shiver. Here we have four character perspectives: Grace, Sam, Isabelle and new character Cole.

Sam has been staying with Grace, and although they have not been sexually active, they have grown accustomed to sleeping together and sharing most of their free time when Grace is not in school and Sam is not at work. 

Spring is approaching and Cole is the first of the wolves to shift back. This is particularly frustrating to Cole since he is an angry, bitter young man and is trying to lose himself in the wolf. Isabelle finds him in her house and although she doesn’t like his attitude, she is inexorably drawn to his magnetic darkness. Isabelle lost her brother Jack who refused to remain a shifting wolf and died from the attempted “cure.”

That is only a minor irony in comparison to the big problem. Sam did survive the cure and he no longer shifts. But as the story moves on Grace becomes ill and it is fairly clear her body is fighting the wolf that struggles within her. Sam is burdened with the responsibilities of caring for the pack and preparing for their shift for the summer. He is initially disgusted and somewhat frightened by Cole’s arrogance and destructive nature. 

Now Grace’s parents have forbidden him from their home and are trying to ground Grace. Grace will break away to be with Sam.  As Grace gets weaker and sicker, can Sam hold on to the “summer” girl he loves?

I loved the four voices in the Audio. There are tidbits of Sam’s songs through the book and then a bit more in the studio practice (a birthday gift from Grace.) I really like the gentle love story, the ethereal music and the suspense of what is to happen. I’m ready for the next book!!

 I acquired this audiobook through my subscription at Audible.

Audio Book Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

This is a very engaging and haunting story of young love.

Shiver
by Maggie Stiefvater
  David LeDoux (Narrator), Jenna Lamia (Narrator)

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
• Audio CD
• Publisher: Scholastic Audio Books (August 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545165067
• ISBN-13: 978-0545165068

Genre:  Paranormal Romance, YA
My Rating:  4.5 of 5.0

Product Description: For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can’t seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.
Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It’s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

Review:
These are YA characters but the story is very engaging with real emotions and an ethereal tone.
Grace is dependable and strong, a good student and reliable teen. Her parents are mostly absent as her dad is at work and her mother is an artist absorbed in her studio. Grace was bitten by wolves as a child. No one knew they were shifter-wolves because she did not shift. What made her different?

Even though Grace survived that trauma she looks to the woods and almost yearns for the wolves. Especially the one with the yellow eyes.

Sam has been a winter wolf for a long time. His parental situation is so sad but it brought him to Beck, the wolf leader,  who has raised him to lead the pack when Beck is gone.  Sam writes lilting, emotional songs that fit the loneliness and confusion of a boy caught between two worlds.

Sam has been enamored of Grace for several years. He saw her in the bookstore where he works in the summer but she didn’t recognize his interest ... until now.  They spend a glorious summer together but as winter approaches, when Sam will shift again, they struggle for a way to stay together. There are dangers facing the pack as certain members of the community hunt the wolves in the woods. Some other teens have disappeared and Beck has brought some strangers back to renew the strength of the pack.

The biggest problem is that this may be Sam’s last year of shifting. The wolves only get about 15 years of human shifting and then they remain in the wolf form. Sam doesn’t want to be separated from Grace but what can they do? Can Sam and Grace find a way to be together?

I really like the Audio version of this book. As the chapters rock from Grace to Sam there is a female and male voice. Both narrators do a wonderful job portraying the gentle kindness of Sam and the strong minded but tender Grace.  They also capture the other characters: Grace's parents, Beck and Grace's friends, the wealthy and somewhat arrogant siblings, Jack and Isabelle, and Grace's curious friend, Olivia, who loves to photograph the wolves.  I also enjoyed that Sam reads poetry and his song prose is haunting. I highly recommend the Audio version!

This was a SYNC YA Listening download from AudioBook Community. I am so thankful I got this as I might not have read it otherwise.

Book Review and ARC Giveaway: Wolf Fever by Terry Spear

What do you get when you mix a werewolf and a psychic?  A furry vision? Just joking - more like a sexy vision.

Wolf Fever by Terry Spear

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca; Original edition (December 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402237529
• ISBN-13: 978-1402237522

      Price: Print $7.99; Kindle $6.39
     Genre: Paranormal Romance (Werewolves)
     My Rating:  4.25

Product Description:
She may be his destiny, but she's not his first choice...

Hospital nurse and newly turned red werewolf Carol Woods is being pressured by her pack leader to find a mate, but he's the only guy in the pack who remotely attracts her.

Why is he playing so hard to get?

The fate of the pack rests on his shoulders...

Gray pack leader Ryan McKinley doesn't want anything to do with Carol unless she's willing to embrace her wolf nature-no matter how beautiful she is.

But when a virus infects the local lupus garou pack, Ryan realizes just how wrong he's been not to seize the moment with the woman he's come to love. And now, it may be too late...

Review: I enjoyed this easy read from beginning to end.  I can’t say exactly why it caught my attention but it did.  Maybe it is the combination of  the smooth  flow of the story and the nice strong, alpha characters with their conflicts to be reckoned with. There was a good steady pace with no slow areas.

Carol, who is a strong and dedicated nurse/helper, is struggling with having been recently turned into a red werewolf.  That is not her only problem.  She has been psychic since she was seven and has had to cope with those who consider her crazy, a freak or a fraud.  Her visions are showing her danger for the werewolves as they get stuck as wolves and cannot turn back. So she is fighting extra hard not to shift. Meanwhile the pack leader is concerned she will not have control and he thinks maybe he needs to find her a mate to help her transition.

Ryan is a PI gray werewolf from another pack who solved a murder case five months earlier with the help of Carol’s descriptions.  He doesn’t believe in psychics, especially after having a bad experience with a fraud. He is convinced that Carol overheard clues and that she couldn’t have seen the details in a vision. He is intent on questioning her further so he can put the case behind him.  Or maybe he really just wants to see more of her and has accepted that fact yet.

Ryan shows up in Silver Town a few steps ahead of some red wolves who try to kidnap Carol.  Now he is determined to be her protector even if he has to confront the local pack leader, and his two single twin brothers, to get the position.

There is plenty of action throughout the story: some fun times of play, some tense dangers and some very sexy chemistry.  The sensuality and sexual encounters are handled well.  There is lots of steam but no crudeness. The author gives consistent attention to werewolf detail.  I think this author has a knack for smooth writing that easily engages your attention and keeps you involved through to the end.  This is the second book I have read in this series and I really did enjoy it.

xxx

Thank you to Sourcebooks for this book to read and review.

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