Fair Game (Alpha and Omega #3)

  After being disappointed in Hunting Ground and River Marked , both of which I thought were lack luster reads by Patricia Briggs, I was hoping that Fair Game would infuse a bit more oomph to the characters and to the story line. I'm pleased to say that Fair Game delivers and sets up an interesting new direction for Briggs's future releases.

Description (from the publisher): They say opposites attract. And in the case of werewolves Anna Latham and Charles Cornick, they mate. The son-and enforcer-of the leader of the North American werewolves, Charles is a dominant alpha. While Anna, an omega, has the rare ability to calm others of her kind.
   Now that the werewolves have revealed themselves to humans, they can't afford any bad publicity. Infractions that could have been overlooked in the past must now be punished, and the strain of doing his father's dirty work is taking a toll on Charles.
  Nevertheless, Charles and Anna are sent to Boston, when the FBI requests the pack's help on a local serial killer case. They quickly realize that not only the last two victims were werewolves-all of them were. Someone is targeting their kind. And now Anna and Charles have put themselves right in the killer's sights...

Review: Fair Game is the third book in the Alpha and Omega series, a spin off to Brigg's popular Mercy Thompson series. Though the two series can be read independently, I would highly recommend that you read the Alpha Omega series in order and begin with the novella On the Prowl which first introduces us to the relationship of Charles and Anna.
  Briggs continues to explore the dynamics between the very alpha, serious and quiet wolf Charles and his stubborn, deceptively demure, and omega wife Anna. While they are still learning about each other and enjoying the early stages of their mating, Charles and Anna have hit a new bump in the road. Charles has a problem and he refuses to open up and let Anna help him.
   For many years, Charles has worked as Bran’s (the alpha of all werewolves in North America and Charles's father) executioner, destroying those who have broken the code of werewolves and have threaten the safety of the werewolf packs. Recent events have led werewolves to come out to the public and now Bran is trying to maintain a positive and safe image for his wolfs.
  Briggs's werewolves manage to keep the carnal aspects of the wolf without losing their humanity. While they can assimilate with the general public, they still pose a volatile and violent threat to those around them as their anger can be triggered very easily. For this reason, Bran sends Charles out to kill those wolves who are unable to keep their wolf in check. Neither Bran nor Charles take pleasure in hunting down fellow werewolves, but a system of balance is needed. Charles's executions are now taking their toll and as a result he is emotionally shutting everyone out, especially Anna.
  Charles's conflict is very complex, which Briggs effectively demonstrates this by showing how it effects many people especially Anna and Bran through their point of views. If we are placed in Anna's shoes, we can't help but wonder if Bran is just using his son to do the dirty work and is completely oblivious to see the ramifications on his son. If we see it through Bran's eyes, he knows he asks a lot from his son and feels guilty about it, but he really can't send out other alphas, fearing they couldn't handle it and it would push the older wolves to go lope. As for Charles, it's just another thing that he has to deal with and sort through himself.
  Readers of this series know that Charles is very introverted. His physically aggressive demeanor is a front and his reputation of a killer doesn't exactly make him approachable. In Fair Game we see Charles at his most vulnerable state. He has the ghosts of his previous kills lurking around him. They talk to him, scare him, and he is terrified if he acknowledges them too much, they will take control of him and eventually harm his wife. So he fights against the spirit's growing strength and keeps this pain and torment hidden from her. For the majority part of the book, Charles resorts to transforming himself to Brother Wolf, the name of Charles’s wolf, in order to deal with people. 

  Brother Wolf is an interesting character. Though completely separate from his human side. He is more forth coming and direct to the point. They both love Anna, but sometimes they disagree with each other. It is fascinating how Briggs is able to create different voices to these two aspects of Charles along with the long and serious struggle for Anna to break through Charles's walls.

  In order to reprieve Charles from his duties to the pack, Bran comes up with a somewhat temporary solution for him. There have been a string of murders in the Boston area involving werewolves. The FBI are desperate to catch this serial killer, and have given into the fact they might need a werewolf to give them some insight. With Adam Hauptmann home helping Mercy recover, Bran sends Anna and Charles to Boston. When a powerful fae’s daughter becomes the next victim, Charles and Anna stick around until they can bring justice. The mystery is probably one of the best plots written by Briggs as it not only matches the inner turmoil of her characters, but it also stays on track. There is no lengthy, long winded explanation of how the murder is solved like they can be in some of her books. There is also enough clues to keep the pages turning. While there is no cliffhanger per se, the ending leaves us with lots of questions about the future the political maneuverings of the various paranormal creatures in Briggs's world. It's too bad that we have to wait until March 2013 to find out what happens next.

 

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: Strong violence, language, disturbing images related to mutilations and rape, and a small sex scene. Recommended for mature teens and adults only.

If you like this book try: Mercy Thomspon series by Patricia Briggs, Nightshade series by Andrea Cremer, Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews, Bitten by Kelley Armstrong, Silver by Rhiannon Held, Touch the Dark by Karen Chance

Hunting Ground (Alpha and Omega #2)

Just a quick note: I will be on vacation when this review posts. I may not or may not have internet access during vacation, but I will play catch-up with your blogs and comments when I get back. 

  I'm really enjoying the Mercy Thompson spin-off series, Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs. While it's hard not to compare these two series together, the Alpha and Omega series explores the aspect of romantic relationships particularly of the main pair, Charles and Anna, much more than the paranormal politics in the Mercy books. I do highly recommend reading both series.


Description: Anna Latham didn’t know how complicated life could be until she became a werewolf. And until she was mated to Charles Cornick, the son- and enforcer- of Bran, the leader of the North American werewolves, she didn’t know how dangerous it could be either.
Anna and Charles have just been enlisted to attend a summit to present Bran’s controversial proposition: that the wolves should finally reveal themselves to humans. But the most feared Alpha in Europe is dead set against the plan- and it seems like someone else might be too. When Anna is attacked by vampires using pack magic, the kind of power only werewolves should be able to draw on, Charles and Anna must combine their talents to hunt down whoever is behind it all- or risk losing everything.

Review: Hunting Ground takes place a month after Cry Wolf. Charles and Anna are officially married as they accepted their wolves counterparts to be mated. Though they have a mating bond, their relationship needs work as both characters learn to trust one another and themselves. As I mentioned in my review of Cry Wolf, I love that Anna's and Charle's relationship is a work in progress. Despite them being paranormal creatures, their relationship makes them more human and familiar. Briggs does a great job in demonstrating how difficult it is for Anna and Charles to open themselves up as we get to be in both Anna’s and Charles’ heads and experience their doubts, fears and deep need for one another. Their ability to see one another for what they truly are, is what makes their relationship so special.
  I know many readers were a bit put off by the plot in Cry Wolf, but it didn't bother me as I was so entranced by the characters. Unlike many readers who enjoyed the mystery part of Hunting Ground, I found myself a bit annoyed with it. I thought Briggs took much time to introduce us to many different international werewolf packs mentioned in the book. While I did find a few of them piqued my interest, I got a little bored. I also thought the villain and the good guys were apparent to me in the book as well as the incorporation of Arthurian lore, while an interesting angle, appeared to be a bit forced. Despite these issues, I did enjoy the book and I absolutely love the idea of Anna, who appears to be fragile like the book covers indicate, is completely the opposite and continually saves the day with staying true to herself. She, like her mate, is a force of nature. I’m anxiously awaiting the third novel, Fair Game, which seems to be most people's favorite book of the series thus far. 

Rating: 3.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language, strong violence, and suggestions of sex in the book. Recommended for mature teens and adults only.

If you like this book try: Fair Game by Patricia Briggs (Alpha and Omega #3), Nightshade series by Andrea Cremer, Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews, Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

Cry Wolf (Alpha and Omega #1)

I really hope this review posts. Blogger has been glitchy for a few hours last night. I've received many recommendations to start Patricia Briggs' Alpha and Omega series. This new series is set in the same world as her Mercy Thompson's world but it focuses on different, secondary characters with rules of its own. I finished and really enjoyed the first book, Cry Wolf.

Description: 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. Then Charles Cornick, the enforcer- and son- of the leader of the North American werewolves, came into her life.
   Charles insists that not only is Anna his mate, but she is also a rare and valued Omega wolf. And it is Anna's inner strength and calming presence that will prove invaluable as she and Charles go on the hunt in search of a rogue werewolf- a creature bound in magic so dark that it could threaten all of the pack.

Review: Cry Wolf continues the story found in the anthology On the Prowl, where we are introduced to Anna, a reluctant and new member of the Chicago Pack werewolves. Three years ago, she was turned against her will and since then went through emotional, physical and sexual abuse by her Pack. The purpose of the abuse, which thankfully wasn't shown but discussed briefly, was to 'break' Anna and make her submissive around dominant wolves. Anna is unlike many wolfs in the sense that she has a special ranking as an Omega, which means she is protective and brings peace to a pack with her natural ability to soothe the animal part of the werewolf. She has been made to believe that she is weak, but in reality she's fierce, strong willed, and incredibly determined to move beyond her brutal past. 
  When Charles Cornick, the enforcer and son of the Marrok (the leader of the North American Werewolves) and brother of Samuel, comes to Chicago to investigate the issue, he has an immediate attraction to Anna. Anna's and Charles' wolf counterparts pretty soon see each other as "mated". The human counterparts however, want to take their relationship slow, which is where Cry Wolf begins. Anna goes back to the Marrok's territory in Montana with Charles and tries to find her place in her new life, a chance to start over again on a relatively clean slate. In the mean time there's a rogue werewolf on the loose that is causing danger and needs to be dealt with.
 I really enjoyed Cry Wolf because the book's focal point is more on the character development and relationship between Anna and Charles which differs from the Mercy Thompson novels, where action and paranormal politics take center stage. With Cry Wolf, I follow the happenings of the other, secondary characters that are vital to Mercy's world but make a brief appearance such as the Marrok and Charles, who really come to life in this book.
     The love story was very well done. Though they are mated according to their wolves, Anna and Charles are at the beginning of their relationship, where they are learning things about one another and trying to become comfortable with having another person in their lives. There is lots of awkwardness, tension, misinterpretation of feelings going on between them. The distance between the characters isn't your typical hate/love relationship or the annoying "does he/she like me now? what am I doing wrong" running inner dialogue that cause a reader to groan, but rather a plausible conflict as each character have built defensive walls around themselves that will take time to break.
   Charles has been employed as his father's assassin for over 150 years. He is a not the first person you would think of if you're having a rough day. He is not good with words and keeps his distance. It's not that he doesn't like people or isn't personable, but he simply afraid to be close to anyone in fear that he'll have to harm them if they step out of the pack's rules. Being in a new, solid relationship is very foreign to him. Though he physically appears to be intimidating, he is incredibly patient, gentle and sweet with Anna. Similarly, Anna's walls are built from fear which makes sense given the horrors that she has experienced. She has to learn all over again to trust her instincts and needs time to rebuilt her trust, though she shares mutual attraction to Charles. Though the characters make strides in their relationship, there is still a lot of development needed. There is no doubt that my favorite parts of the book are when we see Charles and Anna spend time together, whether it's through dialogue or just being together. I think they both compliment each other very well.
    The mystery surrounding the rogue werewolf wasn't very action packed and unfolded leisurely. I wasn't bored with it, but I also thought it was more like a subplot of the book. I know that the mystery aspect is considered the weakest part of the book, but honestly, I was more interested in reading about the relationship amongst the characters to take notice. I liked meeting new characters and learning a bit more about background information on the Marrok, a character that I always found to be enigmatic.
  Briggs' writing style is simple, straightforward, but also has the right touch of emotions. You get a chance to tag along the characters, get to know them on a personal level without ever being intrusive. The paranormal and human aspect to the characters are balanced, which makes them very appealing.
   As a side note, I don't know if you should read the Mercy Thompson books before starting this series, as they both stand alone, however, I felt very comfortable in jumping on one to the other with having knowledge of the Mercy universe already established. I did pick up on the hints of what's happening outside of Montana. Overall, I really enjoyed this first book and I plan on reading the rest of the series. 

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong language, violence, and a brief non explicit sex scene that fades to black. Recommended for older teens and adults only.

If you like this book try: Hunting Ground (Alpha and Omega #2) by Patricia Briggs, Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews, Skinwalker by Faith Hunter, Chicagoland Vampire series by Chloe Neil