Night Broken (Mercy Thompson Book 8)

I generally enjoy the Mercy Thompson series and really admire Patricia Briggs talent. While Mercy is sometimes nerve-wracking with her full out dash towards self-destruction, I respect her spunk, her cleverness and the amazing way she can think on her feet. However, I have to say that this book Night Broken caused me to take a hard look at whether I wanted to continue patronizing the Mercy universe. The two biggest reasons for my possible defection are: 1. The constant need for Mercy to involve herself in near disasters. I realize that she’s unwittingly drawn into some of them, but others she plain old dives head first into without any thought for her safety. She's been physically damaged so many times that it is hard to believe she isn't a walking body of scar tissue. 2. In this book, Night Broken, the high school "mean girl" antics of ex-wife Christy. Christy is always described as "pretty" so I guess that makes her nastiness acceptable. She shows up unannounced at Mercy’s doorstep and goes full-tilt at trying to damage all of Mercy’s relationships. Sometimes it becomes a little too much to take and at times looks as if she’s succeeding. I find it difficult to believe that any woman (or man for that matter) would allow an ex-anyone to abuse them and their home in this way. Christy, took over Mercy's kitchen, ordered everyone around, put her toiletries in Mercy and Mercy’s husbands bathroom, connived to engender sympathy from and alienation towards Mercy from the pack; says pretty much whatever she wants to say to Mercy and to husband Adam while constantly whining that everything is always someone else's fault. No one comes to Mercy's defense, including Mercy herself (who keeps justifying her lack of defense by saying she doesn’t want to sound jealous and petty). The only person who attempts to support Mercy is Jesse ( the teenaged step-daughter). Warren and Ben make a couple of supportive comments. However, they mostly remain silent letting Mercy and sometime Adam take hit after hit from the verbal assaults of the "pretty" ex-wife. Ms Briggs did a lot of justifying as to why stalwart, take no prisoners Mercy would tolerate this kind of behavior. After a while, however, it just became excessive. I'm a woman and as much as I acknowledge that women have been abused (and continue to be), it doesn't make it acceptable for another woman to step into the role as the abuser and/or take advantage of another woman- especially in that woman’s own home. Eventually, there was some minor attempt at giving Christy her due, but other readers will have to decide whether it was enough.

It could be said, prior to this book, that all of Mercy’s problems have (nearly) always been aimed directly at her, Moon Called excepted. That’s not the case here. This problem heads straight for Christy – Adam’s ex-wife. Adam, being who he is, can’t deny protection. And I love that about him, honestly, I do. But I absolutely hate Christy in this book – and a good number of the Pack, too. Most of the books prior to this we could see more movement in the overall world and politics between the supernatural beings in it. Not so much here. There are glimpses, moments where we realize and find out that stuff is still moving along, and maybe not to the best of places, but for the most part this book focuses on Adam and Mercy’s Pack. That doesn’t mean it’s slow though. I think back to my experience reading it, and I realize that Mercy spends a lot of time trying to get away from Christy, but that doesn’t mean there’s a lot of downtime. We’re moving from one revelation to the next, learning more about some characters – with a few surprising me hugely – along the way. I don’t want to rant anymore, like I did when I first finished this book, but I still do hope that Christy goes away and never returns. She’s the most selfish, self-absorbed, horrible woman. I also really hope that someone puts the effing Pack in their place. The lack of respect that they show Mercy is absolutely ridiculous. Time and time again she’s put her neck out on the line for them. Time and time again she’s never left them hanging, or in danger. She’s never backed down from a fight – even when she didn’t think she could win. And how do they repay her? With betrayal and snide comments. EFF that. I am so pissed at (most of) them. There are a couple of notable exceptions, and I couldn’t love these four more. I want to gather them all into my arms and give them huge hugs for being decent, caring human beings….or werewolves. I found the mystery pretty interesting – not because there was a huge mystery, I don’t think, but because it was so different! And there are some downright amazing things that happen because of it. I can’t wait to see the consequences of some of the choices that were made here. I think that most fans of the series will hate the main aspect of the book – Christy trying to worm her way back into Adam’s, and the pack’s, life – and I can’t blame them. I hate it, too. A lot. But what I can say is that Adam makes it bearable. Those four other characters gave me hope to hold onto. Also, Mercy’s a better person than I. I’m not sure I would have taken Christy’s jabs with such grace. I get why she did – because of Jesse – but, man. That took some serious strength. I love this book. Now if Christy would just die, I’d be a happy woman. Or I, at least, hope the Pack gets an awesome set-down in the next book, Fire Touched….and that Christy goes back to Eugene.

The world building is epic, at the risk of sounding 16 instead of my 55 years. I love to read, but read enough of the same genre and it gets predictable. I turned to sci fi fantasy because it is not as predictable (for me) as other genres, but I also prefer happy-ish endings. The Mercy Thompson series is wild, fun, intense, and very engaging. The characters are very strongly written, and are constantly learning and growing. The relationships never stagnate. This book, Night Broken, #8 in the series was as riveting as all the others, which is not always the case. I found myself asking, how is she going to get them out of this one? And happy to not know the answer until I got to the end. Spoiler alert - I was so glad that the relationship between Adam and Mercy, while strained with Christy's constant manipulation, was written in such a way that it demonstrated the constant need to communicate, to fight one's inner demons of jealousy, insecurity, and desire to defend oneself against unfairness and injustice. It was so healthy! We don't see enough of that in books and movies. True, the relationship can be healthy since the conflicts are more external. I love that! And even better, I love a strong female protagonist. This series has that in spades. Urban fantasy at its finest. I'm really enjoying this. ❤️

So I bought this because I love the series, even though after reading several reviews that talk about how whiny Mercy got or how the pack treated her so badly, I felt some trepidation about purchasing it. I’m glad I bought it. Adam’s ex-wife comes back with a bang and honestly, it is super easy to see how manipulative she is. I don’t like her; I understand her motives but I don’t like her as a person. However, I had been expecting tons and tons of things she would be doing based upon some more negative reviews and I just didn’t see that. There were maybe 5 “real” incidences that bugged me but the pack didn’t actually treat Mercy like crap like I was expecting. They might have given her disapproving stares or said one thing negative but that was it and not worth all of the hate I read from some other reviewers. As for how Adam handled things, I think he acted pretty in line with who he is and what Mercy has asked of him in the past. She wants to handle things on her own as much as possible, and so she does. I really missed Zee in this installment though because he was mentioned a few times but we never got to “see” him. I did enjoy the addition of Gary and I look forward to seeing him in future installments.

I have to give some major kudos to Mercy in this novel. If my husband’s ex wife ever showed up on my doorstep in this manner I wouldn't have been half as charitable as Mercy was. Negative. Nope. Fug-get-a-bout-it. Christy is a trouble magnet, and this time has attracted a homicidal stalker bent on possessing her. A homicidal stalker who just so happens to be...oh, just a fire breathing volcano god. As Adam’s former wife, she is entitled to the protection of the pack, and many of them are still “on her side” as it were. Mercy does her best to handle the situation with grace, and in such a way to not make her look jealous or weak. But let’s face it, had I been Mercy, that chick would have worn the beating of her life for brassing up into my house like that. Seriously, Christy and her big eyed sugar sweet manipulations got so far under my skin that I was hoping the bad guy would get her. Yeah, the volcano god was a pain, but I wanted to KILL Christy. In addition to this wonderful situation, a Grey Lord (one of the major bigwigs of the fae) shows up on her doorstep politely (not so politely) requesting (demanding) that she return the semi-sentient walking stick that has following her around for the better part of this series. Every time she tries to return it to someone of the fae, it invariably finds its way back to her. Recently she gave it to her father, Coyote, and simply finding him will be a task all unto itself. I loved that Mercy gets to meet another of Coyote’s children in this book - with all the tension within the pack, I love that she has someone that is just on her side, even if he is a little screwed in the head. It’s my humble opinion that Adam needs to jack up some of his pack members for their blatant disrespect for his wife. And Tad! Tad’s growing up, and it shows! And Stefan comes back, after far too long an absence! And Mercy is still Mercy, the same Mercy that we met in the first book. I love how Patricia Briggs keeps her so consistent to her character. This is one series that I can always count on to deliver the goods. Long live Mercy!

You know…. I was originally going to add a "typical" review of this book; until I saw that there are about 1300 of them already up here so what's the point right? Turns out, I was wrong. Turns out, a lot of these reviews remind me of the "B-fests" on IMDb. You know, the site people go to rip into something, or someone, just because they can. Well, of the 20+ reviews I've read on this book, virtually all of them contain some derogatory references to Adam in regard to his treatment of Mercy, Christie and the behavior of the pack. And many of those are followed with comments that continue the "B-slapping" to a degree that I finally just said ENOUGH ALREADY! Adam deserves better, MERCY, deserves better (because the degree of criticism against her mate diminishes HER accomplishments completely), and frankly, the pack deserves better too. So…. "In defense of Adam" here I go: First, does ANYONE remember that Adam was, at the very least, raised in the 50's? You remember… June Cleaver's pearls and wives who did nothing but stay home to care for "home and hearth"? His entire perception of how men respond to and treat women was instilled into him at a time when women weren't much more than appendages designed to silently "stand by your man". How many books did it take, how many YEARS did Mercy spend "teaching" him that she isn't made of glass, doesn't want to be on a pedestal and is QUITE capable (thank you very much) of opening her own bloody doors?! In the years since they've been a couple, she has also had to negotiate her independence right along with forcing him to realize that his need to protect her will NEVER keep her from defending others, even at the risk of her own life. And further, if he gets in the way of it, it means he doesn't trust her enough to let her be who she is thereby creating a situation in which surrendering to his will would "unmake" the person she has worked her whole life to be and consequently UNABLE TO BE WITH HIM! Adam, bless his heart, has taken a LOT of learning and trying to teach ANYONE to unlearn the lessons of their childhood and adolescence is both difficult and time consuming because it just doesn't happen overnight. Furthermore, in the fight to remain true to herself, SHE DOESN'T GO TO HIM WHEN SHE SHOULD because she wants to pick her battles and regards herself as perfectly capable of fighting most of them ON HER OWN. That fact is especially true when it comes to the pack. Mercy, more than ANYONE (except probably Bran) understands pack behavior, hierarchy and needs. What she didn't know, was that in the process of protecting her FOR THE MARROC Adam ended up "claiming her" as his and the whole pack knew it. So the fact that she spent YEARS ignoring that claim diminished their Alpha a fact that, in their eyes, is all on her whether she knew about it or not. So, right off the bat she has a HUGE strike against her for dissing their leader, a man they all love and trust. Furthermore, SHE IS NOT WOLF and pack structure is clearly a hierarchy that is much like the caste system in India. In many of their eyes, she is the equivalent of "the unclean"…. so far beneath him as to be untouchable, far enough beneath him that "touching her" sullies him. What King of England do you think could EVER have chosen a White Chapel "whore" as a wife/mate? Because that's how a number of them see it. And it's worse with the women because women are, in certain circumstances, so casually callous and hurtful to each other. In this case, their love for and admiration of Adam leaves them believing he deserves so very much more than this "mongrel" he has chosen. A "mongrel" who has brought HER battles, HER wars and HER problems and laid them at the feet of their Alpha and his pack more times than they can even count. OF COURSE MANY OF THEM BLOODY WELL HATE HER! Her very existence has threatened the life of their Alpha on more than one occasion and usually for something that would normally be totally outside pack business. As to Christy, the support of some of them for his ex is perfectly understandable. She was his first mate and she bore him a child they ALL completely adore. Because of pack structure and law, she (for those two things alone), to a degree, still belongs to them. Because she is human, she needs protecting even more. While in contrast, Mercy has never been helpless and, to the contrary, has brought her FIGHTS to them rather than her needs. Let's remember that most of the pack is filled with alpha-type werewolves whose first concern is PROTECTION. Christy needs it, Mercy doesn't. So Christy pushes a button in them that is instinctual; a button that also allows them to shove Mercy… who is so clearly undeserving of Adam in the first place, completely to the side. As for Adam, his role as Alpha demands that he not only protects his pack but that he keeps the peace within it intact as well. Given that Mercy has, time and time again, demanded that he let her fight her own battles up to and including those with the pack (by deliberately not telling him enough about them) what the *bleep* do you expect him to do when Mercy herself has told him to let Christy come? She has told him, demanded of him, that he allow her to make her own choices and to be responsible for them as well. So when SHE said "let her come", Adam was honoring his promise TO MERCY. Adam, as Alpha, is a caretaker by nature and Christy is the most high-maintenance, needy person we've met in this world. But until we met her, NO ONE could have foreseen how manipulative she is as well…. except Jesse, who is her child and who loves her Mom even though she knows EXACTLY how her Mother operates. How self-oriented Christy is and how dangerous that makes her to her Father, to Mercy and to the pack in general. But what is SHE supposed to do? She loves her Mom. She's outside the pack hierarchy and all of them see her as a child… with the exception of Mercy. Mercy, who doesn't want to be responsible for more stress on the pack. Mercy, who ALSO wonders if she is genuinely good enough for Adam. Mercy who has spent her whole life leaning on NO ONE, for anything at all…. EVER! And has forced Adam to accept her on her own terms while she in turn has promised to try to honor his need to keep her safe even though she still typically operates outside that promise whenever and wherever she chooses. You don't get to be pissed-off at Adam just because he is doing EXACTLY what Mercy herself has asked of him. Because he struggles EVERY SINGLE DAY TO HONOR MERCY AS SHE IS! So if you want to get angry, get angry with Mercy, for tying Adam's hands behind his back because SHE is the one who is ultimately responsible for this situation. She is the one who said "yes" knowing full well that the fallout would be on her. So I'm sorry… but I don't believe that you get to dump on Adam for things Mercy has asked him to do and you don't get to dump on the pack, who has been severely broken by ALL OF IT, just for behaving in the manner which they are driven to behave both by instinct and the nature of their wolves. I am sick to death of people who are always looking for someone to blame. EVERYONE, every single man, woman and child on the pages of novels and on the streets we drive, the neighborhoods we live in and the stores in which we shop… is responsible for their choices. With the sole exception being those who are mentally incompetent and unable to do so. Schizophrenics for example, cannot be held accountable for their choices because their brains are too dysfunctional to allow for it. Mercy made demands on Adam that limited his choices, so if you're going to blame anyone, blame her. Because he accepted her on HER terms and he sleeps in the bed that SHE MADE. Mercy, is the daughter of Coyote and because of that has a tendency to draw chaos like bees are drawn to honey. So honestly how could you possibly believe, given everything they've already been through, that the marriage of Mercy and Adam would be anything LESS than chaotic? That would be like saying that a walking stick made by a powerful Fae, is JUST a walking stick. Really people… have you read all of PB's books only to know so little about the rules on which they are built? Adam married Mercy, and she to him, with the full knowledge that their life together would always be a challenge and that they would never know from which direction those challenges would come. Adam's commitment to her is present in every single thing he does that goes against his nature because he wants to honor who she is. He is giving her the space and freedom to make her own choices at great personal cost. HOW, can you possibly blame him for that?

I just read this for the second time(along with the rest of the series) and I just can't get past the whole Christy crap. I agree with other reviewers opinion the Adam really dropped the ball with how he let Christy take over the entire house including their bathroom. He then let's Aurelia not only treat Mercy like crap but even lets her interrupt their alone time together because Christy was waiting supper??? Then even Warren snarks about how he didn't see how much of a manipulator Mercy was until Christy came! Betrayal much, Warren? And of course Christy is telling Mercy to just die already when she very nearly was dying and all she gets is banned from the hospital rather than run out of town? Plus I just don't get how the hell the pack can stand by Christy when everyone knows how she has always treated Jesse and Adam. If Christy stays in town I'm not sure I will even read the next book as much as I love the rest of the characters.

I love Patricia Briggs characters. They are always believable no matter how fantastic. Vampire, Fey, Werewolf, Coyote or Volcano god they all have depth and realty. The story is always a can't put it down read! This book is no exception. When Adam's X wife calls needing to escape a boyfriend who just may be killing people and has certainly beaten her, Mercy cannot refuse her refuge no matter how much she dislikes and distrusts her. She is also trying to contact Coyote because a Grey Lord wants the walking stick she gifted to him returned. Trying to remain nice to Christie, who is obviously maneuvering the whole pack, and trying to take back her old home and x husband isn't easy and gets a lot harder when the boyfriend turns out to be a very deadly supernatural. a shape shifting volcano God who refuses to let Christy walk away from him. In hunting for Coyote Mercy's family grows when she finds she has a shifter half brother. The Werewolves are busy protecting Christy Who is playing them to get rid of Mercy. The only two who don't fall for it are Adam and his daughter. Then Mercy kills one of the Volcano gods dog familiars when he comes after her in revenge for Adam protecting Christy and the battle begins in ernest, drawing in Tad, and other friends. In the end Mercy, like Coyote, proves that sometimes being clever and caring deeply is more important than being strong.

*SPOILER ALERT!* Only a great writer could make a walking stick one of my favorite characters in this series. I missed The Walking Stick after River Marked, and am glad it resurfaced. Coyote and Gary Laughingdog have very well rounded personalities. The dialogue was hilarious, especially Mercy's inner dialogue wondering about Coyote's motivation. Briggs' excellent writing also differentiated half siblings Gary and Mercy. Without Mercy's keen insight into people, as well as her support system, Gary has a more bitter, jaded view of life, with few ties. However, he does share a nascent protective instinct, similar to Mercy, because he breaks out of jail and goes against his inner "Run Away! Run Away Now!", perfectly normal instinct to defend friends and family he's just met. I also enjoy how Mercy has such a strong Coyote attribute of not following the laws, but she does so in her intense drive to protect everyone around her (except herself) from harm. Which also made me want to smack some members of the pack for not appreciating a person who has bled buckets of blood for them. In fact, if Briggs keeps having Mercy get injured, I doubt she will have a square inch of unscarred skin left, and she's not going to be able to do karate anymore from all the soft tissue and joint damage. I was frustrated with Adam. I felt a lot of drama could have been avoided by making a very public announcement to Christy: "I love Mercy. I am with Mercy. I am never leaving Mercy. If Mercy died I would spend the rest of my life alone, mourning Mercy. So nothing you do is going to ever get you back into a relationship with me." I also felt that he should have had a talk with Arielle about how she would have felt if the pack decided that Darrel would be better off with some old girlfriend and created pressure to break the mating bond. I'm pretty sure there would have been massive carnage. But I suppose Adam needed some flaws because he was too close to the perfect husband. You know, the guy who can literally fight monsters for you, sees you for who you are and accepts and loves you, has resigned himself that you will continue to break the rules and not do as you're told, etc. This was very well written with characters I've become very attached to

My Review: Once again, I loved this book, BUT...and this is a big but...I also had major issues with this one. Luckily it was so strong in other areas that it helped to negate those awful things, but *gah*....this book definitely has some serious love/hate issues going for me. So let's concentrate on the positives first... *Mercy...omg, Mercy is always a huge plus in these books, but in this one she was outstanding. She is so strong and honestly just good...she always puts the benefit of others above her own and that is so upfront and center throughout most of this book. She rocks and continues to just get better and better and better throughout the series. *Jesse...the only other person besides Mercy that could see what Christy was doing. And out of all of them, she was the one I could have forgiven for overlooking her mother's flaws. I loved that Jesse recognized the issue and stood up for Mercy and took Mercy's side over and over again. *Tad...wow, I did not see that badassery coming. And I loved it...YES!! Tell me, please Patricia Briggs, that Tad is going to get a spin-off series. That would so totally rock!! *Honey...LOVED her. I love her honesty even with Mercy who she really doesn't like. She's badass herself and is proving to be an ally for Mercy...who would have seen that coming? *Mercy and Adam together...despite the description I like that their relationship never really was in jeopardy because of Christy. That doesn't change that Adam is also a negative in this story. But overall, together they had some incredibly sweet...and even sexy...moments. I liked that a lot. The negatives... *Christy...okay, she's supposed to be a negative so mission accomplished, but ugh. My main issue with her though was in the way that everyone else responded to her. *Adam...this is where this book totally failed in my opinion. Adam is a stong, alpha who knows his own mind. I can't imagine that has changed so much over the years. How the hell am I supposed to ever believe that he would have gone for someone like Christy? I don't care how good of a manipulator she is. By writing that he fell in love with her, it takes his character down so many notches in my regard for him. And then in this story, he turned a blind eye to what she was doing which ultimately put Mercy in danger. No, just no. This is not the Adam I've fallen in love with in the other 7 books. *The pack...at some point, Mercy needs to be accepted. She has sacrificed over and over and over again. And they still have issues with her. I can't accept that. They don't deserve her. And then there is the whole story line in this about Christy's stalker. I can't decide if this is a love or hate issue for me because I really never understood his motives. Why Christy? I understood her attraction for him, but that really never explained the reasons behind his actions/obsession. Somehow it just didn't quite connect for me. But I did love the walking stick side of the story and I love that stick...LOL. It keeps me giggling when it shows up. It's definitely an unusual and fun piece of narrative happening in the story to keep it fun.

I generally enjoy the Mercy Thompson series and really admire Patricia Briggs talent. While Mercy is sometimes nerve-wracking with her full out dash towards self-destruction, I respect her spunk, her cleverness and the amazing way she can think on her feet. However, I have to say that this book Night Broken caused me to take a hard look at whether I wanted to continue patronizing the Mercy universe. The two biggest reasons for my possible defection are: 1. The constant need for Mercy to involve herself in near disasters. I realize that she’s unwittingly drawn into some of them, but others she plain old dives head first into without any thought for her safety. She's been physically damaged so many times that it is hard to believe she isn't a walking body of scar tissue. 2. In this book, Night Broken, the high school "mean girl" antics of ex-wife Christy. Christy is always described as "pretty" so I guess that makes her nastiness acceptable. She shows up unannounced at Mercy’s doorstep and goes full-tilt at trying to damage all of Mercy’s relationships. Sometimes it becomes a little too much to take and at times looks as if she’s succeeding. I find it difficult to believe that any woman (or man for that matter) would allow an ex-anyone to abuse them and their home in this way. Christy, took over Mercy's kitchen, ordered everyone around, put her toiletries in Mercy and Mercy’s husbands bathroom, connived to engender sympathy from and alienation towards Mercy from the pack; says pretty much whatever she wants to say to Mercy and to husband Adam while constantly whining that everything is always someone else's fault. No one comes to Mercy's defense, including Mercy herself (who keeps justifying her lack of defense by saying she doesn’t want to sound jealous and petty). The only person who attempts to support Mercy is Jesse ( the teenaged step-daughter). Warren and Ben make a couple of supportive comments. However, they mostly remain silent letting Mercy and sometime Adam take hit after hit from the verbal assaults of the "pretty" ex-wife. Ms Briggs did a lot of justifying as to why stalwart, take no prisoners Mercy would tolerate this kind of behavior. After a while, however, it just became excessive. I'm a woman and as much as I acknowledge that women have been abused (and continue to be), it doesn't make it acceptable for another woman to step into the role as the abuser and/or take advantage of another woman- especially in that woman’s own home. Eventually, there was some minor attempt at giving Christy her due, but other readers will have to decide whether it was enough.

It could be said, prior to this book, that all of Mercy’s problems have (nearly) always been aimed directly at her, Moon Called excepted. That’s not the case here. This problem heads straight for Christy – Adam’s ex-wife. Adam, being who he is, can’t deny protection. And I love that about him, honestly, I do. But I absolutely hate Christy in this book – and a good number of the Pack, too. Most of the books prior to this we could see more movement in the overall world and politics between the supernatural beings in it. Not so much here. There are glimpses, moments where we realize and find out that stuff is still moving along, and maybe not to the best of places, but for the most part this book focuses on Adam and Mercy’s Pack. That doesn’t mean it’s slow though. I think back to my experience reading it, and I realize that Mercy spends a lot of time trying to get away from Christy, but that doesn’t mean there’s a lot of downtime. We’re moving from one revelation to the next, learning more about some characters – with a few surprising me hugely – along the way. I don’t want to rant anymore, like I did when I first finished this book, but I still do hope that Christy goes away and never returns. She’s the most selfish, self-absorbed, horrible woman. I also really hope that someone puts the effing Pack in their place. The lack of respect that they show Mercy is absolutely ridiculous. Time and time again she’s put her neck out on the line for them. Time and time again she’s never left them hanging, or in danger. She’s never backed down from a fight – even when she didn’t think she could win. And how do they repay her? With betrayal and snide comments. EFF that. I am so pissed at (most of) them. There are a couple of notable exceptions, and I couldn’t love these four more. I want to gather them all into my arms and give them huge hugs for being decent, caring human beings….or werewolves. I found the mystery pretty interesting – not because there was a huge mystery, I don’t think, but because it was so different! And there are some downright amazing things that happen because of it. I can’t wait to see the consequences of some of the choices that were made here. I think that most fans of the series will hate the main aspect of the book – Christy trying to worm her way back into Adam’s, and the pack’s, life – and I can’t blame them. I hate it, too. A lot. But what I can say is that Adam makes it bearable. Those four other characters gave me hope to hold onto. Also, Mercy’s a better person than I. I’m not sure I would have taken Christy’s jabs with such grace. I get why she did – because of Jesse – but, man. That took some serious strength. I love this book. Now if Christy would just die, I’d be a happy woman. Or I, at least, hope the Pack gets an awesome set-down in the next book, Fire Touched….and that Christy goes back to Eugene.

The world building is epic, at the risk of sounding 16 instead of my 55 years. I love to read, but read enough of the same genre and it gets predictable. I turned to sci fi fantasy because it is not as predictable (for me) as other genres, but I also prefer happy-ish endings. The Mercy Thompson series is wild, fun, intense, and very engaging. The characters are very strongly written, and are constantly learning and growing. The relationships never stagnate. This book, Night Broken, #8 in the series was as riveting as all the others, which is not always the case. I found myself asking, how is she going to get them out of this one? And happy to not know the answer until I got to the end. Spoiler alert - I was so glad that the relationship between Adam and Mercy, while strained with Christy's constant manipulation, was written in such a way that it demonstrated the constant need to communicate, to fight one's inner demons of jealousy, insecurity, and desire to defend oneself against unfairness and injustice. It was so healthy! We don't see enough of that in books and movies. True, the relationship can be healthy since the conflicts are more external. I love that! And even better, I love a strong female protagonist. This series has that in spades. Urban fantasy at its finest. I'm really enjoying this. ❤️

So I bought this because I love the series, even though after reading several reviews that talk about how whiny Mercy got or how the pack treated her so badly, I felt some trepidation about purchasing it. I’m glad I bought it. Adam’s ex-wife comes back with a bang and honestly, it is super easy to see how manipulative she is. I don’t like her; I understand her motives but I don’t like her as a person. However, I had been expecting tons and tons of things she would be doing based upon some more negative reviews and I just didn’t see that. There were maybe 5 “real” incidences that bugged me but the pack didn’t actually treat Mercy like crap like I was expecting. They might have given her disapproving stares or said one thing negative but that was it and not worth all of the hate I read from some other reviewers. As for how Adam handled things, I think he acted pretty in line with who he is and what Mercy has asked of him in the past. She wants to handle things on her own as much as possible, and so she does. I really missed Zee in this installment though because he was mentioned a few times but we never got to “see” him. I did enjoy the addition of Gary and I look forward to seeing him in future installments.

I have to give some major kudos to Mercy in this novel. If my husband’s ex wife ever showed up on my doorstep in this manner I wouldn't have been half as charitable as Mercy was. Negative. Nope. Fug-get-a-bout-it. Christy is a trouble magnet, and this time has attracted a homicidal stalker bent on possessing her. A homicidal stalker who just so happens to be...oh, just a fire breathing volcano god. As Adam’s former wife, she is entitled to the protection of the pack, and many of them are still “on her side” as it were. Mercy does her best to handle the situation with grace, and in such a way to not make her look jealous or weak. But let’s face it, had I been Mercy, that chick would have worn the beating of her life for brassing up into my house like that. Seriously, Christy and her big eyed sugar sweet manipulations got so far under my skin that I was hoping the bad guy would get her. Yeah, the volcano god was a pain, but I wanted to KILL Christy. In addition to this wonderful situation, a Grey Lord (one of the major bigwigs of the fae) shows up on her doorstep politely (not so politely) requesting (demanding) that she return the semi-sentient walking stick that has following her around for the better part of this series. Every time she tries to return it to someone of the fae, it invariably finds its way back to her. Recently she gave it to her father, Coyote, and simply finding him will be a task all unto itself. I loved that Mercy gets to meet another of Coyote’s children in this book - with all the tension within the pack, I love that she has someone that is just on her side, even if he is a little screwed in the head. It’s my humble opinion that Adam needs to jack up some of his pack members for their blatant disrespect for his wife. And Tad! Tad’s growing up, and it shows! And Stefan comes back, after far too long an absence! And Mercy is still Mercy, the same Mercy that we met in the first book. I love how Patricia Briggs keeps her so consistent to her character. This is one series that I can always count on to deliver the goods. Long live Mercy!

You know…. I was originally going to add a "typical" review of this book; until I saw that there are about 1300 of them already up here so what's the point right? Turns out, I was wrong. Turns out, a lot of these reviews remind me of the "B-fests" on IMDb. You know, the site people go to rip into something, or someone, just because they can. Well, of the 20+ reviews I've read on this book, virtually all of them contain some derogatory references to Adam in regard to his treatment of Mercy, Christie and the behavior of the pack. And many of those are followed with comments that continue the "B-slapping" to a degree that I finally just said ENOUGH ALREADY! Adam deserves better, MERCY, deserves better (because the degree of criticism against her mate diminishes HER accomplishments completely), and frankly, the pack deserves better too. So…. "In defense of Adam" here I go: First, does ANYONE remember that Adam was, at the very least, raised in the 50's? You remember… June Cleaver's pearls and wives who did nothing but stay home to care for "home and hearth"? His entire perception of how men respond to and treat women was instilled into him at a time when women weren't much more than appendages designed to silently "stand by your man". How many books did it take, how many YEARS did Mercy spend "teaching" him that she isn't made of glass, doesn't want to be on a pedestal and is QUITE capable (thank you very much) of opening her own bloody doors?! In the years since they've been a couple, she has also had to negotiate her independence right along with forcing him to realize that his need to protect her will NEVER keep her from defending others, even at the risk of her own life. And further, if he gets in the way of it, it means he doesn't trust her enough to let her be who she is thereby creating a situation in which surrendering to his will would "unmake" the person she has worked her whole life to be and consequently UNABLE TO BE WITH HIM! Adam, bless his heart, has taken a LOT of learning and trying to teach ANYONE to unlearn the lessons of their childhood and adolescence is both difficult and time consuming because it just doesn't happen overnight. Furthermore, in the fight to remain true to herself, SHE DOESN'T GO TO HIM WHEN SHE SHOULD because she wants to pick her battles and regards herself as perfectly capable of fighting most of them ON HER OWN. That fact is especially true when it comes to the pack. Mercy, more than ANYONE (except probably Bran) understands pack behavior, hierarchy and needs. What she didn't know, was that in the process of protecting her FOR THE MARROC Adam ended up "claiming her" as his and the whole pack knew it. So the fact that she spent YEARS ignoring that claim diminished their Alpha a fact that, in their eyes, is all on her whether she knew about it or not. So, right off the bat she has a HUGE strike against her for dissing their leader, a man they all love and trust. Furthermore, SHE IS NOT WOLF and pack structure is clearly a hierarchy that is much like the caste system in India. In many of their eyes, she is the equivalent of "the unclean"…. so far beneath him as to be untouchable, far enough beneath him that "touching her" sullies him. What King of England do you think could EVER have chosen a White Chapel "whore" as a wife/mate? Because that's how a number of them see it. And it's worse with the women because women are, in certain circumstances, so casually callous and hurtful to each other. In this case, their love for and admiration of Adam leaves them believing he deserves so very much more than this "mongrel" he has chosen. A "mongrel" who has brought HER battles, HER wars and HER problems and laid them at the feet of their Alpha and his pack more times than they can even count. OF COURSE MANY OF THEM BLOODY WELL HATE HER! Her very existence has threatened the life of their Alpha on more than one occasion and usually for something that would normally be totally outside pack business. As to Christy, the support of some of them for his ex is perfectly understandable. She was his first mate and she bore him a child they ALL completely adore. Because of pack structure and law, she (for those two things alone), to a degree, still belongs to them. Because she is human, she needs protecting even more. While in contrast, Mercy has never been helpless and, to the contrary, has brought her FIGHTS to them rather than her needs. Let's remember that most of the pack is filled with alpha-type werewolves whose first concern is PROTECTION. Christy needs it, Mercy doesn't. So Christy pushes a button in them that is instinctual; a button that also allows them to shove Mercy… who is so clearly undeserving of Adam in the first place, completely to the side. As for Adam, his role as Alpha demands that he not only protects his pack but that he keeps the peace within it intact as well. Given that Mercy has, time and time again, demanded that he let her fight her own battles up to and including those with the pack (by deliberately not telling him enough about them) what the *bleep* do you expect him to do when Mercy herself has told him to let Christy come? She has told him, demanded of him, that he allow her to make her own choices and to be responsible for them as well. So when SHE said "let her come", Adam was honoring his promise TO MERCY. Adam, as Alpha, is a caretaker by nature and Christy is the most high-maintenance, needy person we've met in this world. But until we met her, NO ONE could have foreseen how manipulative she is as well…. except Jesse, who is her child and who loves her Mom even though she knows EXACTLY how her Mother operates. How self-oriented Christy is and how dangerous that makes her to her Father, to Mercy and to the pack in general. But what is SHE supposed to do? She loves her Mom. She's outside the pack hierarchy and all of them see her as a child… with the exception of Mercy. Mercy, who doesn't want to be responsible for more stress on the pack. Mercy, who ALSO wonders if she is genuinely good enough for Adam. Mercy who has spent her whole life leaning on NO ONE, for anything at all…. EVER! And has forced Adam to accept her on her own terms while she in turn has promised to try to honor his need to keep her safe even though she still typically operates outside that promise whenever and wherever she chooses. You don't get to be pissed-off at Adam just because he is doing EXACTLY what Mercy herself has asked of him. Because he struggles EVERY SINGLE DAY TO HONOR MERCY AS SHE IS! So if you want to get angry, get angry with Mercy, for tying Adam's hands behind his back because SHE is the one who is ultimately responsible for this situation. She is the one who said "yes" knowing full well that the fallout would be on her. So I'm sorry… but I don't believe that you get to dump on Adam for things Mercy has asked him to do and you don't get to dump on the pack, who has been severely broken by ALL OF IT, just for behaving in the manner which they are driven to behave both by instinct and the nature of their wolves. I am sick to death of people who are always looking for someone to blame. EVERYONE, every single man, woman and child on the pages of novels and on the streets we drive, the neighborhoods we live in and the stores in which we shop… is responsible for their choices. With the sole exception being those who are mentally incompetent and unable to do so. Schizophrenics for example, cannot be held accountable for their choices because their brains are too dysfunctional to allow for it. Mercy made demands on Adam that limited his choices, so if you're going to blame anyone, blame her. Because he accepted her on HER terms and he sleeps in the bed that SHE MADE. Mercy, is the daughter of Coyote and because of that has a tendency to draw chaos like bees are drawn to honey. So honestly how could you possibly believe, given everything they've already been through, that the marriage of Mercy and Adam would be anything LESS than chaotic? That would be like saying that a walking stick made by a powerful Fae, is JUST a walking stick. Really people… have you read all of PB's books only to know so little about the rules on which they are built? Adam married Mercy, and she to him, with the full knowledge that their life together would always be a challenge and that they would never know from which direction those challenges would come. Adam's commitment to her is present in every single thing he does that goes against his nature because he wants to honor who she is. He is giving her the space and freedom to make her own choices at great personal cost. HOW, can you possibly blame him for that?

I just read this for the second time(along with the rest of the series) and I just can't get past the whole Christy crap. I agree with other reviewers opinion the Adam really dropped the ball with how he let Christy take over the entire house including their bathroom. He then let's Aurelia not only treat Mercy like crap but even lets her interrupt their alone time together because Christy was waiting supper??? Then even Warren snarks about how he didn't see how much of a manipulator Mercy was until Christy came! Betrayal much, Warren? And of course Christy is telling Mercy to just die already when she very nearly was dying and all she gets is banned from the hospital rather than run out of town? Plus I just don't get how the hell the pack can stand by Christy when everyone knows how she has always treated Jesse and Adam. If Christy stays in town I'm not sure I will even read the next book as much as I love the rest of the characters.

I love Patricia Briggs characters. They are always believable no matter how fantastic. Vampire, Fey, Werewolf, Coyote or Volcano god they all have depth and realty. The story is always a can't put it down read! This book is no exception. When Adam's X wife calls needing to escape a boyfriend who just may be killing people and has certainly beaten her, Mercy cannot refuse her refuge no matter how much she dislikes and distrusts her. She is also trying to contact Coyote because a Grey Lord wants the walking stick she gifted to him returned. Trying to remain nice to Christie, who is obviously maneuvering the whole pack, and trying to take back her old home and x husband isn't easy and gets a lot harder when the boyfriend turns out to be a very deadly supernatural. a shape shifting volcano God who refuses to let Christy walk away from him. In hunting for Coyote Mercy's family grows when she finds she has a shifter half brother. The Werewolves are busy protecting Christy Who is playing them to get rid of Mercy. The only two who don't fall for it are Adam and his daughter. Then Mercy kills one of the Volcano gods dog familiars when he comes after her in revenge for Adam protecting Christy and the battle begins in ernest, drawing in Tad, and other friends. In the end Mercy, like Coyote, proves that sometimes being clever and caring deeply is more important than being strong.

*SPOILER ALERT!* Only a great writer could make a walking stick one of my favorite characters in this series. I missed The Walking Stick after River Marked, and am glad it resurfaced. Coyote and Gary Laughingdog have very well rounded personalities. The dialogue was hilarious, especially Mercy's inner dialogue wondering about Coyote's motivation. Briggs' excellent writing also differentiated half siblings Gary and Mercy. Without Mercy's keen insight into people, as well as her support system, Gary has a more bitter, jaded view of life, with few ties. However, he does share a nascent protective instinct, similar to Mercy, because he breaks out of jail and goes against his inner "Run Away! Run Away Now!", perfectly normal instinct to defend friends and family he's just met. I also enjoy how Mercy has such a strong Coyote attribute of not following the laws, but she does so in her intense drive to protect everyone around her (except herself) from harm. Which also made me want to smack some members of the pack for not appreciating a person who has bled buckets of blood for them. In fact, if Briggs keeps having Mercy get injured, I doubt she will have a square inch of unscarred skin left, and she's not going to be able to do karate anymore from all the soft tissue and joint damage. I was frustrated with Adam. I felt a lot of drama could have been avoided by making a very public announcement to Christy: "I love Mercy. I am with Mercy. I am never leaving Mercy. If Mercy died I would spend the rest of my life alone, mourning Mercy. So nothing you do is going to ever get you back into a relationship with me." I also felt that he should have had a talk with Arielle about how she would have felt if the pack decided that Darrel would be better off with some old girlfriend and created pressure to break the mating bond. I'm pretty sure there would have been massive carnage. But I suppose Adam needed some flaws because he was too close to the perfect husband. You know, the guy who can literally fight monsters for you, sees you for who you are and accepts and loves you, has resigned himself that you will continue to break the rules and not do as you're told, etc. This was very well written with characters I've become very attached to

My Review: Once again, I loved this book, BUT...and this is a big but...I also had major issues with this one. Luckily it was so strong in other areas that it helped to negate those awful things, but *gah*....this book definitely has some serious love/hate issues going for me. So let's concentrate on the positives first... *Mercy...omg, Mercy is always a huge plus in these books, but in this one she was outstanding. She is so strong and honestly just good...she always puts the benefit of others above her own and that is so upfront and center throughout most of this book. She rocks and continues to just get better and better and better throughout the series. *Jesse...the only other person besides Mercy that could see what Christy was doing. And out of all of them, she was the one I could have forgiven for overlooking her mother's flaws. I loved that Jesse recognized the issue and stood up for Mercy and took Mercy's side over and over again. *Tad...wow, I did not see that badassery coming. And I loved it...YES!! Tell me, please Patricia Briggs, that Tad is going to get a spin-off series. That would so totally rock!! *Honey...LOVED her. I love her honesty even with Mercy who she really doesn't like. She's badass herself and is proving to be an ally for Mercy...who would have seen that coming? *Mercy and Adam together...despite the description I like that their relationship never really was in jeopardy because of Christy. That doesn't change that Adam is also a negative in this story. But overall, together they had some incredibly sweet...and even sexy...moments. I liked that a lot. The negatives... *Christy...okay, she's supposed to be a negative so mission accomplished, but ugh. My main issue with her though was in the way that everyone else responded to her. *Adam...this is where this book totally failed in my opinion. Adam is a stong, alpha who knows his own mind. I can't imagine that has changed so much over the years. How the hell am I supposed to ever believe that he would have gone for someone like Christy? I don't care how good of a manipulator she is. By writing that he fell in love with her, it takes his character down so many notches in my regard for him. And then in this story, he turned a blind eye to what she was doing which ultimately put Mercy in danger. No, just no. This is not the Adam I've fallen in love with in the other 7 books. *The pack...at some point, Mercy needs to be accepted. She has sacrificed over and over and over again. And they still have issues with her. I can't accept that. They don't deserve her. And then there is the whole story line in this about Christy's stalker. I can't decide if this is a love or hate issue for me because I really never understood his motives. Why Christy? I understood her attraction for him, but that really never explained the reasons behind his actions/obsession. Somehow it just didn't quite connect for me. But I did love the walking stick side of the story and I love that stick...LOL. It keeps me giggling when it shows up. It's definitely an unusual and fun piece of narrative happening in the story to keep it fun.

I love this series and Patricia Briggs is my favorite urban fantasy writer. Her characters are interesting and the world she has built is fluid and realistic. If werewolves and fae 'came out' there would be political and economic ramifications and Briggs addresses those in each book. I confess that I was a bit irritated with Mercy in this book. Adam's ex-wife needs shelter from a crazy stalker who turns out to be much more than just a stalker and she takes over Mercy and Adam's house. Most of the pack supports this which makes it even harder for Mercy to swallow. But she does swallow the abuse and manipulations over and over again that just did not seem like Mercy. Yes, she had to walk a fine line to not seem petty, but I felt she should have come across stronger to gain pack respect. In the end, Briggs does find a way to Mercy to rack up the respect points and there is a nice bit of revenge on the beyond-irritating ex, but both seem too little too late. Coyote, Mercy's erstwhile father makes several appearances in this story and I find his character fascinating. Briggs makes him elusive and omnipresent at the same time. He is not 'good' and he is not 'bad.' Mercy can't nail him down or how she feels about him and neither can the reader. It's a nice conundrum. Briggs introduces a new kind of supernatural creature in this book and that always makes me leery. When authors start changing their world to conveniently allow for new plots, it takes away from the believability of the world. She does give this creature a background of legend but the fact that even Bran, the leader of North American werewolves doesn't know about it, stretches credibility. If the author wants to bring in antagonists I would rather she pull from the wide variety of unknown fae that populate the nearby fae reservation. That is a vast untapped source of material that her loyal readers are anxiously waiting for her to reveal. As always, Briggs leaves you wanting more and wishing that she could write them as fast a they can be read. If you're a Mercy fan you won't be disappointed. If you haven't read the series, get the first book and settle in for a really good ride.

Briggs is first and often known as an excellent children's books author. This series is much more adult with a very strong female lead in a male-dominated physical profession (auto-mechanic, of all things), adult situations and concepts. Each book develops the characters and universe further. Now there is the addition of Native-American concepts & legends, however accurate or not. Teens, and especially teen girls, will enjoy the strong female role model. I appreciate a better invention of what has become a tired and imitative "werewolf and vampire" fantasy model; and you will too. Excellent read.

There is much to love about this series, and this was a 4.5-star book for me. I love the world, I love the way Ms. Briggs tells a story, and I love most of the characters. Of course, there is always something to hate, and the ex, Christy, is as much a villain (in my opinion) as any of the big-scary-monster villains ever were. She is vile, and Mercy tries very, very hard to walk away from confronting her for Adam's and Jesse's sakes. Your take may vary, but I think she took a bit too much guff from the ex. And I think Adam should have been a lot more alph-ishly clear with the pack and especially with Christy that Christy was to be protected because she is Jesse's mother, but she is his past; Mercy is his present and future, his love, and not to be messed with. (Thus the 4.5 stars instead of 5.) And as someone else mentioned, get Christy her own phone and don't let her answer his! I was glad to see more of Tad, and I liked the addition of Zack, Joel, Lucia, and Gary. I hope we get to see more of them. And I liked getting more story about Honey, as well. She is becoming a more interesting character.

4.5 Stars After not really liking River Marked and enjoying but not loving Frost Burned I was worried that maybe this series was headed down hill for me but Night Broken has revived my love of this series and Mercy. Not only did Mercy and Adam steam my heart all over again but some of the other side characters brought to the forefront and the shift in relationship between Mercy and a few members of the pack I think the series has been rejuvenated. Mercy/Adam/Christy Dealing with your husband’s ex-wife is difficult. Even more so if she is playing dirty and you are protecting the people you love. Christy was both easy to hate and slightly empathize with. I fell more on the side of hate, but I was proud of the way that Mercy and Adam handled the situation, especially considering they have a daughter Jesse to think about. I loved all of the moments they are on page together and even with Christy trying to manipulate the world around them the way they treated each other even if at times you want to feed his ex to the wolves. -- “No, really," I said. "Now that we know that **** is really this nasty, fiery, superpowerful nothing-can-kill-me demon from hell, maybe we should consider just giving Christy to him?” I mean really who hasn’t felt that way about their husband’s ex at some point in time. Tad is a Badass Wow wow wow. I really loved the promise that this showed for him. I think he is going to be a big player in books to come and really I can’t wait to see what he is capable of. Rumor has it he will get his own novella at some point. Introducing Gary Laughingdog Gary was a great introductory character. He added a lot to the story in the form of the history of the coyote shapeshifters. His snarky banter and flirtations were so much fun. Plus it was nice for Mercy to actually get some answers about who she is and what a few of her powers might be. -- “I decided to follow you,” he broke in with a good-old-boy smile before she could say the “prison” word. “The most intriguing, most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I thought, if she would just look at me, I would never need to eat again because that look would sustain me for the rest of my life.” Honey I have in the past been on the fence about Honey but now I’m totally team Honey. Some of the time with her is a little heartbreaking as she is still in morning after the death of her husband. She a Mercy totally have some girl bonding time and really Honey is really kick butt. The way she maneuvers a few situations to be in Mercy’s favor solidified her in my book. There are a few hints that she has something big headed her way too. -- “Won’t hurt you,” said Gary Laughingdog, his voice softer than it had been….”Not on purpose. But there’s a change coming for you. I got a feel for change, and you’ll have a big one somewhere near you soon.” Everything Else The bad guy in this is from lore I’ve never heard of before and that is something I love when authors accomplish it well. He does seem like a force to be reckoned with and everything built up so well that I really wasn’t sure how it was all going to play out in the end. I was genuinely worried for quite a few characters. I liked the plot of Night Broken much better as it involved a little bit from many of the prior characters I love and love to hate. Coyote wouldn’t be Coyote if he wasn’t stirring the pot a little and it is hard to tell if he is helping or just causing mischief. -- “You never get quite what you expect from Coyote,” I told him. “He was amazingly helpful this time, so I expect that something horrible will happen to us in the near future.” Stephan has a confession to make and Wulf, who I didn’t think could be any creepier, IS. There was almost always something happening from the conflicts with the ex, Fae interactions and trying not to get killed. This one got really intense but I was really happy with the execution of the story and all the new possibilities I’m seeing in some of the other characters brought to light. I think this series is back on the upswing, at least for me that is. So if you loved the last few then I think you will easily love this one too, but if like me it had fallen off a little for you I strongly recommend you give it another chance and fall in love all over again.

I LOVE the Mercy Thompson series, however this one was a bit of let down. Briggs' books are usually original and nearly impossible to put down, but this one drove home the grinding formula she follows for nearly every MT book-- the world and characters are established, Mercy is self-depreciating and 'down-to-earth' about how unspectacular she is, instills how easy it is for her to make a mistake and die, grinds into you how serious the situations going on are, a plan is made but goes wrong when Mercy is forced to face off alone (think every Scooby Doo plan ever) w/antagonist, and finally Mercy and/or characters become severely injured, if not almost dying. Normally it's a predictable formula that works. However, I found myself struggling to get through parts in this novel, which I'm happy to say is a first in the MT series (the Alpha and Omega series is a different story for me). Is it still worth the read? Possibly not, but it was still enjoyable to a degree. I'm hoping that this isn't the beginning of the descent that most series take, where they become stagnant and of poor quality.

Deeply and passionately unhappy with the ex-wife subplot of this one, and Adam’s behavior throughout. He needs to sort out his pack, send the ex wife to live in Timbuktu, and strive to be more worthy of his current, ENTIRELY TOO UNDERSTANDING, wife. If the next book is anything like this one I’m done with the series.

Let me start with a caveat: I don't always love or even enjoy Ms. Briggs's writing. That's important. I'm not a "ride or die" kind of reader; I expect things from the authors whose works I read, and if they don't meet my expectations, while I might try them another time, there's no guarantee that I will continue to give them my time or money, both of which are important to me. I loved this book! I mean it. I'm a real fan of Mercedes Athena Thompson Hauptman, aka Mercy, and I have enjoyed almost every book that she is featured in. Her relationship with the Alpha, Adam Hauptman, is funny, sweet, sexy without spelling out every motion (I've been married before, and I'm a nurse. I'm familiar with the plumbing and what it can do), intelligent... I love that Mercy is able to grow and evolve, to acknowledge her mistakes and prejudices and weaknesses. There is violence in these stories, but we're talking about werewolves, the Fae, skinwalkers, vampires, and human bigots. The violence is not gratuitous, it flows organically from the characters and their situations, it furthers the stories along to their mostly logical conclusions. This particular story gives us more insight into Christy Hauptman, the ex-wife of Adam Hauptman and mother of his only surviving child. She's a strong secondary character here, trying to protect herself -- and only herself-- from the kind of stupid mistake only the weak and narcissistic can make. And while we've had snippets about Christy in the past, we now get to see what kind of a person she is, and so does the pack that only grudgingly accepts Mercy's existence in their lives. Anyone who has ever lived with a dog that they loved, who has been the Alpha of their own pack, will understand the intensity of feelings and interactions that drive Joel, a tertiary character. And the most recent antagonist is both the uber-creepy ex-boyfriend and the relentless horror movie bad guy, a Jason who never dies, who just keeps on coming with a single-mindedness that shows his strength and weaknesses. I have read this book more than twice, completing it within 36 hours each time, pausing only when my migraines get too intense for me to be able to look at a Kindle screen. There are portions that I read very quickly, because they are so fresh in my mind, and portions that I reread because the voice in my head (yeah, yeah, I know!) just really enjoys the pacing and enunciating of the words that Ms. Briggs stitches together with seemingly no effort. Just don't let this be your introduction to Mercy and her world. It truly does build on the other previous books, and I don't think that you will get a true appreciation for all that goes on inside the Pack without the others to show that Adam is more than a hot body and pretty face, that Mercy is more than nice woman with a penchant for becoming a coyote. And you have absolutely got to know who Joe Coyote is to appreciate her frustration with him and her half brother!

Oh my, it seems as if the villains get worse and worse in each new story, and this time it’s a doozy. Adam’s ex-wife Christy is being pursued by a stalker, who turns out to be a volcano god that is virtually unstoppable. Of course the pack takes Christy in, and she wreaks havoc on the household, making Mercy look petty and jealous if she responds to Christy’s mischief. Of course Mercy has to fight this volcano monster, and she’ll take all the help she can get, including calling on Coyote and her new found half-brother Gary. Once again, Mercy is putting herself out there trying to stop a viscious monster that is on a killing spree, and he’ll continue until someone figures out a way to stop him, or they could just give him Christy. Too bad Mercy can’t bring herself to give up on anyone, no matter how undeserving, even Christy. This is such a great series, with wonderfully complex and interesting characters, and I can’t wait to read more.

This really is a 5 star book but because it ended so soon I am going to be a brat about it. I wanted more. I wanted to know more about Mercy, Adam, Honey and Gary. I also don't like the ex-wife and her antics. I was never an ex-wife who returned but the brunt of the new wife feeling insecure so in reverse order I understood Mercy and her feelings somewhat. I give Mercy credit for being so adult with the old wife. This book was so exciting and it just ended when things got really exciting. I missed more of Mercy's mentor and have to wonder about Tad. This book left so many questions I have to wonder if we are being previewed of the next nook. If so I hope it is coming soon as I really want answers. I got this book on my Kindle around 1am. Started reading about 2am til 7am. Took a 2 hr nap and finished at noon. The only other time I have done this is with The Harry Potter releases. I love the Mercy Thompson books as they have such a real feeling about them. Mercy and Adam never having much peace in their lives for very long seems to add to the touch of possibly life imitating art. It takes a great author to bring the written word to touch human emotions.

I'll start by saying I adore Mercy Thompson Hauptmann! She's a true heroine, real with faults but loyal and confident. Her relationship with her husband Adam is more than romantic: it's a partnership with bonds so deep you can feel them. So, yeah, I pretty much love all the Mercy Thompson books, and this is another outstanding addition. This time around, Mercy faces what may be her strongest foe yet: Adam's ex-wife, Christy, who has slept with a man who is now stalking her big time. Christy is the antithesis of Mercy and it took maybe 1.5 seconds for me to dislike her completely. Mercy does better with the ex than I would have; she reminds herself that this is for Jesse, her stepdaughter, and Adam's need to make Christy safe. That said, it's more than a little hard for Mercy when it becomes obvious that the majority of the pack still loves Christy and Christy's out to use every bit of manipulation available to make herself look like a victim. Trouble is, she IS a victim to some extent because the man she slept with turns out to be a volcano god and he is beyond crazy, killing his way to get to Christy. Possible spoilers ahead...you've been warned. The scenes where Mercy engages the volcano god are action filled and top-notch story telling. Briggs writes so that you can feel every blow Mercy gives and receives, and her cunning is sharp and mostly self-reliant. I find myself holding my breath whenever Mercy fights because I know she's going to get hurt but the fact is, she is so determined that I feel as though I am there. The way she faces her demons, both literally and figuratively, is thoroughly believable and entertaining. The other facet to this story is Mercy being asked by one of the Grey Lords to return the infamous walking stick which she had previously given to Coyote. This side story brings a whole new character into the sphere: Mercy's half-brother, Gary Laughingdog. Their exchanges are typical of siblings in a lot of ways, and their reactions to dealing with their shared father Coyote are often humorous. Definitely going to love seeing where this goes in future books. This novel takes the pack and Mercy to new levels of understanding and brings some big issues to light. Is everything resolved neatly? Of course not, and that's the beauty of this series. I'm drawn in by Mercy's assertiveness, her relationship with Adam, and her never say die attitude. Highly recommended!

I have read everything Ms. Briggs has written. I love them all, but Mercy is my favorite. I agree with many of the other reviews. It was hard to read through seeing Mercy swallow back retribution when the ex surely deserved it. It was also hard to see Adam getting caught up in the good ole days scenarios that the ex was setting up. I was disappointed in his character. He should have stood up for Mercy and not let Chrissy get away with so much. It should not have all rested on Mercy's shoulders............... Adam needs a little smack down. I mean, come on, it's his ex......... Because of that, it was not my favorite--of her books. She is still head and shoulders above other authors, at least for me. Having said all that, I still could not put the book down. I always read Patricia's book thru twice, and will probably re-read because I love the worlds that she builds. I always want more of Mercy and I love the Charles and Anna books.

While I liked and enjoyed Night Broken (as I have all of Briggs' werewolf work), this was not her usual stellar best. For some reason, this book had the feeling of just being a placeholder/set-up for something much bigger to come. The plot was relatively predictable - some problem occurs that Mercy must deal with, Adam gets involved in his very "alpha wolf" way; it turns out the Faeries ahve something to do with it, magic is involved (the kind no one has seen before!); Mercy saves the day and ends up the hospital. Been there, done that. What was new that made me give this 4 stars instead of 3? Mercy and Adam are married and try to have a relatively normal relationship. I liked how Christy (Adam's ex-wife) affected the dynamic of their relationship, and how they overcame as a couple should do. I liked Mercy's reaction and approach to Christy; it felt real. I also really liked Gary, Mercy's "brother." His character made some of the reading far better, and I hope that Briggs keeps him around. I won't stop reading Briggs, but I also won't jump for the opportunity to buy the next one right away. I've reached the point where I'm content for the Kindle price to drop before I purchase them.

I love the series and I was happy when this story finally was available. I think Adam gave in way too much to the ex wife and yes I understand the alpha position and all but still lines and boundaries need to be made. Mercedes did better than me by putting up with the ex wife. I agree with the other reviews where they say is about time the pack gets off Mercedes back. She is not a werewolf but she is the ALPHA'S MATE. Besides she does what she does to help her man and tries to clean up. I also thought Sam was brought to the story a bit late. The vampires trying to get Mercedes into their group is also a bit unbelievable since they know she's mated to a werewolf and from previous stories and they cannot win. I was even upset with Warren because he also sided with the ex. I think the pack need their own mates

I am such a huge fan of Patricia Briggs, Mercy Thompson is one of my favorite characters in the urban fantasy world. There is just something about the character that completely works for me, she's both strong and kicks ass while at the same time being a kind and gentle person to the people she cares about. I was pretty excited about this book, and I totally wish Briggs would write these books faster (although focusing on quality versus quantity is A-ok with me too). In this book we finally get to meet Christy, the ex from Adam's past, at this point we have heard a lot about her, but without ever being able to paint much of a picture of her. Christy pulls out all the stops to get in between Mercy and Adam, and well really to manipulate everyone around her into feeling sorry for her and giving her everything she could possibly want. I wasn't sure exactly how Mercy would handle the situation, but I should have had more faith because she handles it in typical Mercy fashion, firm when she needs to be but kind whenever possible. The big bad in this book was also a really interesting choice. As the series continues, Briggs really starts to expand on Mercy's background and the Native American mythology that comes along with it. So for me it was really interesting that Briggs is started to delve into more and more mythology, and even better, mythology that not a lot of people are going to be familiar with. I liked that, as with most of the supes in Briggs books, he was able to be in human form and that's why he was able to accomplish the things he was able to. Some of the issues I had with this book are mostly Adam related, and some dog related. First, I am a huge dog lover, and in the book there was some let's just say animal sacrifice, which was icky and hard for me to read. And as for Adam, Adam lets Christy back into the house, which is fine because she is in trouble and is Jessie's mom, but he basically allows her to take over the house. He also lets Christy get members of his pack to treat Mercy badly. While I understand there is a pack dynamic thing, and Mercy really needed to stand her ground and "prove" that she could to the pack, but even so it was hard to read. Even with the little things I didn't like, I thought this was absolutely a solid Mercy Thompson book, I love reading her, and I love reading how she evolves. Mercy isn't the only character that evolves, the secondary characters in this series all grow and are so delightfully interconnected. There was one moment in the book when Sam shows up, and I realized how much I missed him from the earlier books, but I really like the evolution of the series, and this book fit right in. I would hands down recommend this book to anyone who likes urban fantasy and especially to Patty Briggs lovers.

Barely a year and Mrs, Briggs gifted us another great read. I started after work and started reading and was sucked in lo finish long past when I should have gone to bed. As the cast of characters grows the author continues to manage to give space to each and still further the current plot as well as the larger cross novel plot. While some plot devices are familiar Mrs. Briggs wonderfully spices them up with other cultural flavors and minor moments that refresh and enliven those things. The characters are especially the new ones are vibrant and well fleshed out(Christy the ex wife SO reminds of my mother it I'd swear the author studied her for a character model). And Gary is such a comedic scoundrel I dearly hope he sticks around. And while yes we see Chekov's gun multiple times in the story the pay off isn't always what you expect which makes those moments so delicious! You get long time characters fleshed out a little more and long standing relations between characters get more depth. This is easily one of if not the best mythos crafted in the urban fantasy genre and I can think of few series that could learn from this. My only fear at this point is never getting to see the pay off in the larger plot. With the last Mercy & Alpha and Omega novels we've seen a larger plot come into play playing across the books and this one shows that either seeds were placed many books ago or (and more likely in my opinion) the author had a larger plan as the books took off. Unfortunately thanks to Robert Jordan I'm always afraid now when a larger arcing plot plays out long in a series of books and THAT is the only reason I knocked off 1 star. If you've enjoyed the earlier books you need to get this one. The magic of the Pacific Northwest is strong and thriving in this story. If Mrs. Briggs can turn this great a read out in a year I'm way more anxious for next March now!

This is one of my all time favorite series but this book annoyed me. All of the Mercy Thompson books seem to have some tiny inconsistencies (in one book, Adam's wolf's color scheme was backward, NBD) but this book took it to a whole new level. After 7 books of setting up Adam's ex wife as a narcissistic bitch who everyone hated because of how she treated Jesse, this one practically reinvents her character so some of the wolves love her, causing a lot of Mercy's problems in the story. This book felt like it was building on an abandoned story line or in an alternate universe or something and was a little irritating because of it. All the action was up to par, though, and I always love seeing mythology brought into books like this. Overall, a great book but it really seemed to highlight Brigg's problem with inconsistencies in her stories.

I noticed that many of the reviews for this installment were unhappy about Mercy's attitude & characterization concerning the relationship drama over Christy back in Mercy & Adam's lives. And, I have to agree that the angst got on my last nerve as well, and was easily the weakest part of the book. It veered too strongly away from urban fantasy and into paranormal romance. Not that I don't enjoy PR; but it's a tonal shift for this series that I hope is only a one off thing. It got beyond ridiculous that most of the pack continuously coddled and sided with Christy, even after it was revealed that she withheld information that put them all in danger. This woman abandoned their alpha and her daughter, put them at risk, and they simply ignore because she's a good cook? *eye roll* That said, I found the mystery/plot to be very engaging, and while not quite as exciting as Frost Burned, it was very good. Naturally, what is after Christy is not merely human. And, its appearance when the werewolves are fighting to maintain a good reputation toward humanity in the wake of the Fae crisis could not be more..inconvenient. In addition to this problem, the Gray Lord Beauclaire has returned for his walking stick and Mercy has one week to retrieve it from Coyote. A couple new and interesting characters come into play with this story, which helps expand Mercy's world. I was also happy to see her growing more comfortable with her role in the pack, and earn some much needed respect amongst some of them. However, it's somewhat frustrating that Mercy has NO female friends aside from her step-daughter Jesse. This is just unrealistic, honestly, and I hope that Briggs remedies that. Honey being the most likely, and best candidate. Overall, I found this to be a very good installment of the series. But I seriously hope we've seen the last of Christy. She could easily sink the whole thing.

Great story! Mercy can't have much peace in her life - no matter how much she wants just that with Adam and Jesse. A new and important character arrives and it makes you wonder if it's someone we'll see again or just in this book. Adam's ex-wife also shows up in this book for help and to also cause all types of trouble. But you can't get the best of Mercy. Even if she's down, don't ever count her as out!

**This review is written with out spoilers** After waitng a whole year to read this book, let me tell you ladies and gentlemen, it was totally worth it. From the first chapter, to the last page, it made me want more and, the only disappointment was when I was finished reading it. I love that one of my favorite authors can bring me tears, make me laugh out loud, and become irritated; all in the span of one chapter. Watching Mercy have to finally contend with 'THE ex- wife', aka Christy (whom is just as bitchy and manipulative as all the popular girls you hated in high school) in person, was as enjoyable and frustrating as it could possibly be with out too many high drama moments that make you want to sometimes throw a book across the room. Interspersed in this wonderful crazy situation are fights, revelations about Mercy's life span and... ah hem, life, and of course the loving and tender moments between Mercy and Adam, and Mercy and Jesse. There are also plenty of pack politics, wonderful revelations, and quippy one liners; enough that you might find some of the jokes slippi ng into your own personal conversations. Once again Patricia Briggs has managed to make the wonderful world of Mercy Thompson relatable, enjoyable, and able to leave you smiling much as one would after parting ways with an old friend. Bravo Ms.Briggs, and keep them comIng. :)

Mercy Thompson is one of my favorite series. I look forward to each new release so I wasn't surprised when I flashed through Night Broken in 1 day. Things have been going pretty good for Mercy and Co. it's been a couple of months since Frost Burned so we already know that the calm will soon break and that comes in the form of Adam's ex-wife Christy calling in need of help. Christy is having problems with a stalker ex who she suspects may have gone so far as to even murder a man she was dating. When he physically attacks Christy she feels going back to Adam and the Pack is her safest option. No one will deny her their help, but it is also understood that Christy likes to stir the pot and will take every opportunity she can to come between Adam and Mercy. Add to all of this a late night visit by a Gray Lord and things are getting back to normal for our coyote walker. I really liked the fact that Patricia Briggs kept the storyline very tight and controled. In previous books there have been times where there's too much going on and things tend to get a little confusing, but here Ms. Briggs keeps everything tied together nicely. The reader knows where every piece eventually fits and there's a reason for every happening. I liked the addition of Christy as a foil between Adam and Mercy. I was never in any way worried about their relationship, but Christy was this big part of Adam's life and it's been mentioned in previous books that he was broken down after she left so it's interesting to "meet" the woman behind all the emotional chaos. I don't think she's a character that I want around permanently. I think the tension between her and Mercy could be played out rather quickly if this becomes the case, but for the purposes of the story I think her appearance was something that finally had to happen. By extension, Christy's stalker proves to be a very menacing and scary bad guy. In previous books, when a different supernatural has been introduced (besides the werewolves, vamps, and Fae intrinsic to Mercy's world) it hasn't always worked out the best. The mythology behind those creatures can get muffled, but again, here Patricia Briggs does a wonderful job of introducing this new supernatural element and the problem of figuring out how to win the battle. I really enjoyed Night Broken. I think I say this with every new Mercy book, but this one was really good and felt like reading the beginning of the series again. Now I'm just sad that I read so fast and now I'm finished. Until next year!

I was apprehensive about reading this due to some of the reviews and waited till I had nothing to read because I would hate to see this series start to falter. I'm so glad I got it. Briggs is still on point. I whole heartedly agree that enough is enough when it comes to the pack and Mercy. Enough w the bitchy attitudes and not truly cutting her slack. At the end they come through but you read the book and want to drop kick a couple of them several times. During the incident w Darryl, I thought Adam should have stepped up. I miss having Z in the story along with a couple of old characters. It nice to see what Tad is made of but I want Briggs to bring back Samuel and Z. There are a couple of interesting new characters that I can't wait to see develop though. Well as much as they can considering. Adam's ex wife is a piece of work and a master manipulator but it's great to see her get her just what she deserves. I can't wait till the next book and think that if you are a fan of the series this is a must read. Especially because of how things end!

There are a few really good urban fantasy authors who aren't just grabbing a bunch of tropes and creating the written equivalent of an action movie, and Patricia Briggs is one of them. (Others include Carrie Vaughn, C.E. Murphy and, of course, Jim Butcher.) These books have a depth of insight into human relationships, and use that to make the action scenes matter. Because there are action scenes; but they're not constant, and when they do occur the stakes are not the weaksauce "does the character win?" or even "will the character save the world... or destroy it?" Instead, they have implications and side-implications to do with all of the great human drives: esteem and affection, security and survival, power and control. There's not just one thing hanging on the outcome of the fight, and when this is the case you can get away with fewer fights, because they mean more. In a sense, the actual physical fights in this book in particular are almost background to a different struggle, between Mercy (the series lead and narrator) and her husband's manipulative and pathetic ex-wife. The scenes in which Christie, the ex, manipulates everyone around her and sets up conversations and situations in which Mercy has no way to come out the winner are masterful, and show a depth of life experience and reflection on human behaviour that you don't see in many genre books. This masterfulness gained the book its fifth star from me. I've decided to start giving five stars not just to books that leave me gasping or do something new that's completely amazing, but also to books that are particularly well done. This book is particularly well done. Although it's well along in a series, with references to a spinoff series, it could be a starting point, since enough of the backstory is refreshed that you could follow what was going on. Some of the richness comes from having followed the series and seen the characters change and grow, but nevertheless this volume could stand on its own. I looked forward to reading it, and I wasn't disappointed.

5 big fat stars It is not secret that I LOVE Mercy Thompson. I also thoroughly enjoy the Alpha and Omega series, but Mercy is my first love. This book starts out with one of my least favorite situations to read about. Adam’s ex-wife Christie is in trouble and needs his help and wants to come “home.” Many of the wolves still don’t like Mercy and opening disrespect her. There are only three other females in the pack and they all know Christie from when she was Adam’s wife. Christie is very good at manipulating people into feeling sorry for her and generally doing what she wants, and werewolves like to protect those weaker than them. Christie comes “home” and immediately is trying to push Mercy out. She is cooking fantastic meals, and is staying in the room next to Adam and Mercy’s and using their bathroom, etc. The problem is that she is honestly in a lot of trouble and needs protection. The guy she is running from is clearly a psycho. That is only one problem. One of the Gray Lords has come looking for the walking stick…only Mercy gave it to Coyote and doesn’t have it. Of course he doesn’t care about this, she has one week to get it for him or he will take out the whole city. Only, how does one go about trying to find Coyote? Mercy finds this is not easy and her time is limited because Christie’s stalker is of course targeting Mercy now. The writing was super good and I enjoyed the story line as a whole. I felt like Adam needed to stick up for Mercy and put his ex-wife in her place. She repeatedly strove to make Mercy look bad in front of the pack. If he didn’t want to defend himself…fine, but he should have defended Mercy. I am not sure I would have been as tolerant as Mercy was of the whole situation. This is probably more annoying to me than most people as I hate “love triangles” and anything close to them. For more book suggestions, visit my blog at: http://bibliobibulireviews.blogspot.com/

This series gets better and better and that is one of the reasons I <3 these books. Mercy will need loads of patients this time around, because Adam's ex wife is back and bring a disastrous volcano God to the Tri-cities area. Christy will try to get the pack on her side and push Mercy away but the human never should estimated a conniving coyote walker. Most of the pack might hate Mercy but there are some that will side with her then the ex. We got some new team players.into the mix, Joel, a friend that Mercy helps out with his love of cars, his wife a dog whisper and Gary Laughingdog, Mercy's brother, Coyote son. He is a seer and Mercy will need his help in more ways then one. Daddy dearest is up to tricks but with good-ish intentions. Lot more to look forward to in the up coming books, and hope Tad will get free after his true self was revealed in saving Mercy for a fire spitting volcanic God/ hellhound. I will be eagerly waiting for more and I really do hope the Honey and Gary do come together, they both need moral and love in heartbroken lives.

My Initial Reaction... Night Broken may be my favorite Mercy Thompson book to date! After feeling lukewarm about the last one, I loved every second of the action, mystery, and the dynamic between Adam, Mercy, and the pack. Note: Expect series spoilers - we're too far along to avoid them, sorry! The Characters... One of the things that felt off to me in the last book was Adam and Mercy's relationship. It just was just so easy that it didn't have the spark. Well, the spark was definitely back for me - even though I never doubted their relationship. But it did have a real stress put on it - Adam's ex-wife, Christy. OMG I hated this woman. She was worse than any paranormal threat Mercy has faced! She manipulates and lies and tries to gain control and just... UGH!!! I found it surprising that she was so easily able to manipulate members of the pack who should have been more attuned to deceptive behavior. But she manages to not actually outright lie - perhaps because she honestly believes that she is this victim that needs protection and to be babied. But I wanted to throttle her! Mercy wanted to too - but she didn't. I was so incredibly impressed with the way Mercy was able to handle Christy and keep her cool. Adam does a decent job too - he's aware of what Christy is doing and he does his best to let Mercy know that he appreciates her and loves her, despite Christy. Jessie too - she knows her mother is a piece of work, and even though she loves her she sees through her manipulative behavior. A new character introduced in Night Broken was Gary Laughingdog and OMG I loved him. He is another child of Coyote and has a bit of a frustrating relationship with Coyote. He just wants Coyote to leave him alone because Coyote has gotten him into so much trouble - he claims Coyote tries to kill his children - something that Mercy can sort of relate to. Anyway, his life experiences have made him very sarcastically hilarious. I hope we see a lot more of him in future books. With him comes Coyote - and I always love Coyote, Night Broken was no exception! All said - the characters were handled beautifully with a few new ones and little bits of new insight on characters we've known for a while, in and outside the pack. The Story... Night Broken centers on the return of Adam's ex - Christy - to the town. She's running from an ex-boyfriend who got abusive and possessive and she thinks might have even killed another boyfriend of hers. She's staying with Adam and Mercy for protection while Adam uses all his resources to try and find and stop her stalker ex. Christy stirs up plenty of drama within the pack on a good day, so Mercy and Adam are doing their damndest to keep things from getting crazy. Meanwhile (because Mercy's life is never simple), Mercy has a Grey Lord showing up at her door wanting his father's walking stick back - yep, the one she gave to Coyote. She's been given a week to get it back, which wouldn't be easy EVEN IF she knew how to reach Coyote, which she doesn't. Oh and on top of that the police have asked for her help because they've got some horrific massacres taking place and they know it's supernatural - they think werewolf, but Mercy knows it's something else. Something big and bad and unknown to her. Everything about the flow and pace of Night Broken was perfect for me. It struck me how naturally right it felt to have Mercy in Adam's house, at the head of the pack as his mate. She fits there and with the pack in Night Broken in a way she hasn't before, IMO. It was awesome to see and read :) Concluding Sentiments... The mystery and action was fantastic in Night Broken! I was pretty much constantly anxious about what was going to happen - when I wasn't I was either LMAO at Gary or yelling at Christy. There were a few tears, but thankfully not too many. All in all a great read, with some BIG changes at the end, hinting at another awesome read coming up next!

In Night Broken, Marcy Thompson's 8th outing, our heroine finds herself battling a volcano god. As far as monster-of-the-week installments go, this book isn't half bad. It's just not as good as some of the books earlier in the series. One of the things I love about this series is the intricate world building and how the author manages to effortlessly build upon that central mythology in each book. That element, however, is conspicuously absent in this book. Instead, we are introduced another different type of paranormal creature - this time a god/demon like creature that rose out of the El Tiede valcano in the Canary Islands. While the legend behind this volcano god is interesting enough, and Mercy managed to come up with a very creative way to defeat it that I am sure will play a factor in future installments, I found myself sorely missing the intricate pack and Tri-City politics that characterized the previous books. The book also features a truncated and anti-climactic ending that leaves you wanting more. After the mediocrity that was River Marked, introducing yet another paranormal creature seems lazy and uninspired. Another quibble I had with this book is the lack of Stephen, and how many of the pack members are portrayed, including Adam. The trouble in this book all started when Kristy, Adam's ex-wife, becomes stalked by her rich boyfriend, who turns out to be the aforementioned volcano god. So before Mercy can say "bitch, stay out of my house", Kristy has moved in and proceed to take over the house, cooking dinner every night, answering Adam's cell phone, and even in so far as to move her make-up and toiletries into Mercy and Adam's bathroom. And during this whole ordeal, not only did Adam not say anything to put Kristy in her place, he actually expected Mercy to handle it herself while all the while allowing several members of his pack to treat Mercy like dirt. Kristy is nothing if not manipulative, and the way he blatantly manipulate Aurielle, Darryl, and Mary Joe to take her side against Mercy is so over-the-top that I could not believe anyone would fall for her shtick. During the last couple of books, Mercy has fought tooth and nails to save her pack, several times almost losing her life, and these ungrateful people found themselves siding against Kristy just because she's weak and knows how to cry fake, crocodile tears? Not only did the whole set up not ring true, by the end of it - and it goes on for quite a while - I just wanted Mercy to ditch the whole lot of them, Adam included, and go hook up with Samuel or something. All in all, this is an entertaining enough book that kept me turning the pages, but not one of the best in the Mercy Thompson canon.

I love this book. Mercy Thompson has long been my favorite urban fantasy series. I don't know how she does is, but Patricia Briggs keeps knocking them out of the park with Mercy. Night Broken had most of my favorite characters.There are so many well fleshed out secondary characters that there is not enough space to do them all justice in each book. One of the things I anticipate with each installment to the Mecryverse is which of the secondary characters will be featured (that is one of the reasons that River Marked is my least favorite in the series: very little time spent withe the secondary characters.) Night Broken also features some new mythology. Other books in the series have featured mostly European and Native American mythology with a splash of Russian thrown in. The mythology in Night Broken is from a place I have never heard much about (not going to spoil it.) What I loved about the book: -Much more Mercy and Adam time -Christy's personality was unexpected. I thought she would be much more aggressive. -by the end of the book it looks like Mercy may be finally gaining respect in the pack spoiler alert: *********************************** -Mercy finally gets some family! *********************************** end spoiler Things I didn't like: -There are some oddball paragraphs about things that have no real purpose in the story. These always pull me out of the story by either confusing me (do they have anything to do with it, do I need to remember this, why is this here) or annoying me. -Patricia Briggs, in the past, has not overly described sex in this series. She described it a little more in this book. Since it was a deviation from her normal routine, I didn't really like it. Overall: another excellent addition to the series. Maybe my favorite of them all.

NIGHT BROKEN is a five star read full of pack angst and big surprises. It hasn't been long since Mercy and Adam married and he pulled the coyote into the pack, much to the disappointment of the wolf shifters. Things still haven't settled. However, with Adam's love and his daughter Jesse's help it was getting better. But as always, where ever Mercy goes a cloud of chaos seems to follow. This time it's Christy, Adam's ex-wife who calls with a problem, a big scary problem, and things like burning buildings and a trail of dead people follow the annoying human right to Adam's front door for help. Does she know how to peak Adam's best Alpha quality, or what? Mercy finds herself at Christy's mercy when Adam's ex moves back into their home and everyone gather's to help. The pack embraces her, maw's salivating, because the way to a wolf's heart is through its stomach and Christy can cook up palatable delights as well as she can stir up a boiling pot of loyalty, seasoned with helplessness, fear, guilt, lost friendships, and good old times. As the creature gets closer and attacks get more threatening, Tad jumps in to help and we get to see a side of the half-fae we have never witnessed - so totally awesome! Stefan, the colorful vampire (one of my favorite characters in this series) has a big surprise for Mercy that kind of rankles, but hey, at least Mercy's family rallies to help: A brother (who knew) makes an appearance with a prophesy of death and doom. That elusive walking stick is back in the picture, a side conflict that sends Mercy searching for her father, the mysterious and always so entertaining, Coyote. You know he has to offer his...um, well, with Coyote it's hard to figure out what exactly he is offering. Once again, Briggs is the queen of pack politics and all that is werewolf. She never disappoints with great action and imagery that takes this reader right into the pack. Another really good read - I'm waiting, as always, for the next in the series. Susan Stec, author of The Grateful Undead Series.

4 Platypires for Night Broken by Patricia Briggs I feel like my girl Mercy is finally fully back. I freaking adore her. I thought the series lost its flavor in books 5 & 6 but it has fully made a comeback in books 7 & 8. Honestly, I can't believe it's been 8 books already. Not sure how long the series will last. In Night Broken we learn more about Mercy's family and tad more about Coyote. It wasn't over saturated with visions like in the previous books. The story flowed really well with lots of action which I liked. Cameo appearances from favorite characters was a major plus. I actually wouldn't mind seeing more from the Samuel or Stephan. My only complaint is Christy and the way Adam did not put her in her place. He's the Alpha and I know Mercy doesn't need protection but he should have still dealt with her. I really wanted Mercy to slap her or really put her in her place. It was really quite frustrating. Overall, Night Broken was an enjoyable read and I can't wait to read the next installment. Any true Mercy Thompson fan will like it.

The antagonists are getting a bit more far out ... this one (spoiler alert) is a volcano deity, for crying out loud. But once I got over the slight annoyance of thinking "what? Not enough night creatures to fight that you had to import one from the Canary Islands?" then I marveled at how good Briggs is. The subplot of having Adam's ex-wife stay in their house and cause trouble so well was almost enough for a main plot and put that with the fey wanting the walking stick back, with Mercy trying to find Coyote to get the stick and with a serial mass-murderer about, and you have the makings of one great book. I will not say this was my favorite of the series, but it sure is up there as one of the best. Briggs just keeps putting out the wonderful stories and I can't wait for each installment! When it was downloaded to my kindle, I stopped myself from starting to read until I knew I had enough time to stay glued to the page for hours. As in "No! You will get involved and be late to work! Put that book down!" I so love Patricia Brigg's books.

The last couple books I didn't enjoy as much as I wanted to because one issue has been ignored. The conflict of Mercy vs the Pack was really stale. This book finally addresses that issue. It's not fixed but there is some really good progress. Some good character growth for the pack too. The heart of this book holds true to what makes this series so good. Mercy is a trickster. It's such a unique concept in this genre and the Author pulls it off well. She doesn't overdo it. Mercy is smart and often takes angles that aren't supposed to be there. I always look forward to that one moment when Mercy embodies Coyote and this book has it. As for the story. I was hesitant at first because the description is just more pack drama. Just ignore that hesitation and get this book. It's quite entertaining despite my initial fear. The villain is new, original, and a good change. Note: Honey has a small role in this book but it's not enough. She's a great character and I need more of her. There is no real Bran moment but there is a new addition to Mercy, teenage prankster. Even better than the peanut butter incident.

I love this series! Mercy is such a wonderfully developed and believable character - the type of person you would want as a friend. Her strength rests in her ability to pick and choose her battles and to trust those within her circle, even when there are those who would rather see her displaced. She inspires loyalty, if not to herself, then to her family. What I loved most about this book is seeing how Mercy responds when Adam's ex inserts herself into the pack's dynamics by attempting to usurp Mercy's already tenuous position as Adam's mate and 2nd in authority. The other thing I liked was the secondary plot involving the real reason Christy was present in this story - her stalker one-night stand. He is truly a very wicked, if not unusual, character! And, let's not forget, the prankster, Coyote. He's back and cultivating mischief and mayhem for his own gratification; however, his presence and interference also introduce Mercy to another walker who, I suspect, will play a role in the next book. As with anything Ms. Briggs writes, I will anxiously be awaiting the next book, be it a Mercy Thompson book or an Alpha and Omega book!

I would definitely recommend picking up this book to anyone who enjoyed Urban fantasy. I have read all of Briggs books and I own the entire Mercy and Alpha and Omega series on both print and Audio. This book really added to the series because it had more of an emotional aspect. Mercy had to deal with Adams Ex Christy and all the baggage that came with her. While this is all going on Mercy still has to deal with a crime wave being blamed on Werewolves and the constant shadiness of her pack. I loved the twist with Stefan and appreciate all the character growth that Ben has gone through. I loved the narrator again and hope they never change her out.

I'm a long time fan of this series and would loved to have given it 5 stars because there is just so much good about it. Loved the introduction of Mercy's brother and how very different he is from her.The plot was interesting and engaging but short and the ending felt abrupt to me. I also wasn't happy with Mercy's relationship with the pack as a whole. Adam's Ex shows up and all she has done for them is forgotten because the ex-wife is suppose to be the queen of manipulation? That may well be my personal irk and certainly didn't interfere with the flow of the story.I believe this book would be hard to fully enjoy without reading the others in the series, so much back story is part of this new tale.

All of Patricia Briggs' books are phenomenal! Night Broken is not just another jewel in the Queen's crown, but the jewel. I laughed & yes I cried. Patricia Briggs makes her characters seem so real that you are drawn right into the story. I sat down & read this book in 4 hours. I couldn't put it down! Again the love between Mercy & Adam is tested, the pack is tested, & Coyote is present again as both friend & foe. Adam's ex-wife, Christy, comes running back home, afraid for her life from a killer stalker. On top of this The Gray Lord fae has come for his walking stick which Mercy has entrusted to the ever elusive Coyote. He gives her a week to return it to him or else. Mercy is called in for assistance by the police at a gruesome ritual killing site that shows there is something big & bad in the neighborhood. Patricia Briggs swirls & interweaves all these plots to end in one huge white knuckle, edge of your seat finale. And Mercy's last prank out does her great shoe mystery!

Sometimes I get grumpy when an author leaves out some minor characters I like or when an event occurs and one expects to sooner or later discover consequences of the act, but instead one is left hanging. But that's quibbling not with the story as written, but with what one imagined it might be. I had no clue the Coyote might show up again, and as frustrating as dealing with a trickster can be, it took the book deeper into some unfamiliar territory. SO, my first reaction is "cool", really enjoyed the "ride," even if Adam's first wife was a pain, even to just read about her … which explained a lot about him, and about Mercy and Jesse. But I am an inveterate re-reader, and until I've re-read a book several times and fix it firmly into the context of the series I don't fully appreciate the arc of the plotting, the development of characters etc. which is really why I enjoy a good series. So I might say, check back in about six months for a fuller reaction when I will "get it" on a deeper level.

It's genuinely amazing how much I hated Adam's ex in this book. I was already prepped to dislike her but WOW. I've got Mercy's back and ugh I wish someone would just punch that woman in the face. BESIDES HER THOUGH, yes this was an awesome book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Just please no witchy ex-wife in the next book. Thank you.

I find it quite remarkable, how this series keeps growing and changing... it doesn't get too repetitive. There's always new bad guys and mythologies cleverly woven into the lives of Mercy and her pack. Mercy and the rest and change, and are very believable people for all that they're werewolves and shifters and vampires and such. On this installment, Mercy is up against Adam's manipulative ex-wife Christy, Christy's not quite human stalker, and one of the grey lords (of course). In typical Mercy fashion, she throws herself into the cause, regardless of her personal feelings, because it's the right thing to do. While some parts were a little wordy, for the most part things moved right along... lots of epic battles- physically and mentally. And it provided an excellent reminder that Coyote was a trickster.... and Mercy is her father's daughter! I can't believe I read this all in one day... when's the next installment due out?

I loved Night Broken as much as Mercy's other books. I liked that we got a little more in depth look into her background and got to meet Gary Laughtingdog, as well as Coyote. I absolutely love that Stefan made an appearance just wish he would have had a bigger part. It was also refreshing that some other characters made an appearance such as Warren, Kyle and Samuel. That Christy made me want to pull out my hair the way she could get people to do what she wanted and make Mercy look bad. Adam, especially made me mad at times because of this. The one one thing that I don't care for in the Mercy books is the constant repeating of the pack order. Once in a book for those that are reading for the first time is okay; however, every time something happens we are told again about the pack order and to me that means "fillers" or lack of words. I did think the end of the books was a bit rushed and didn't really have a satisfactory ending, in my opinion. Will that keep me from reading the next Mercy book, absolutely not. I love the Mercy Saga

I was a little disappointed in how Mercy let Chrissy get the upper hand, when it seems to me a simple set down in the beginning would have established the pecking order. She has had no problems doing that in the past, so it felt a little incongruous that she allowed Marjo and Aurielle to dictate her actions (or lack thereof). That being said, this book opened so many opportunities for great stories. I'm hoping to see more of Gary LaughingDog. Of course I'm hoping he finds romance. I can't wait to see how Joel and his wife integrate into the pack. And I need to know more about Zach. Where did he come from? Why does he cringe? And isn't it about time we find out if Coyotes can give live births to werewolves?

If you are new to Patricia Briggs, you will understand a lot more about all the character dynamics if you begin with Moon Called and work your way through the series. The book stands alone okay but there are still things that will make more sense if you read after the others. I am a bit tired of reading about some of the "catch-you-up" stuff that she puts in for newbies since it gets repetitive. Do check out the Alpha and Omega series as well since they parallel the Mercy Thompson series and fill in some blanks. I get the gripes by other reviewers about how gullible the pack is about Christie. Adam does come off looking like a wimp at times, too. Mercy is much too kind to those around her that don't support or like her. With all that said, it was fun to read and reread and I look forward to the next installment to see what happens with Joel.

Moving, exciting, emotional, scary, couldn't stop reading wow book! Oh, yes, well, there are more Mercy H. Books than I realized. As far as I can tell, this is the last so far! Truly excellent complex plot. New characters that flesh out Mercy's "family" and add even more depth and future escapades! With the Fae reservation and the U.S. government picking on Mercy's friends.....more and more excitement to come! Patricia Briggs can present relationships and adult characters without getting into blow by blow descriptions of activities. She shows love, strength, faith and faithfulness with a gentleness that makes her couples so real and so deeply in tune with each other. She doesn't need to be crude or overly descriptive to get her relationships into more emotional maturity. Ms. Briggs shows other writers how it should be done! Absolutely one of my favorite series ever!

Excellent read! But, I really hate it when books end practically mid-sentence. I feel cheated and annoyed. However, this book will give your emotions the full workout! I thought I was going to go into a full blown panic attack several times. The wimpiness of Adam when it comes to his x-wife made me lose a lot of respect for his character. The pack for the most part was horrible, other than a few. The x-wife? Well, you know Patricia Briggs is brilliant as usual when the x-wife brings out more of your anger than the big bad ugly character. The big bad ugly is really scary. The main character, Mercy, handled all the drama with her usual grace and "much better human being than I would be" temperament. Plus, she still kicked butt whenever needed. I loved the new character, Gary. I hope he stays in the future installments. Mercy could use some allies. I'm trying to be careful to not do any spoilers. You will love this book, but you will need some yoga or meditation by the end, to recover from the emotional stress. Great storyline. Very unique.

THE GOOD; I really have to say I did in fact love this book but I couldn't give it a 5 star with a good conscience especially if I was comparing it to other books in this series. To start off I am a huge fan of Patricia Briggs, and the Mercy series ESPECIALLY. Her last book and it's ending really left you hanging and personally I was counting down the days till this one was released. I did NOT want to put it down at all! The characters were as spectacular as always and I loved the way Honey and Ben are developing as characters, what we learned about Tad, the fae, Stefan, and I especially love what she is doing with Coyote how he isn't just 'gone'. It was really interesting to say the least how she worked in the ex-wife and how that whole situation was played. I also love her 'pack politics' and the humor that is always consistent throughout these books it lightens certain parts without detracting from the suspense. THE FRUSTRATING; I don't even want to call it bad, but here it goes (and I never leave reviews by the way) the situation with Adam's ex-wife while interesting, funny, and a lot of other positives that added to the book it also fell flat at the end it needed some sort of resolution in my opinion I wasn't a fan enough of the tension or drama to want it carried over into the next book (but if she is planning to do that I can understand why I felt it unfinished and in part that is what keeps me coming back it is a series and I don't want it over maybe just this aspect lol) anyway I would've loved to see the pack side with Mercy a bit more in the end or show more concern especially after all the petty crap Christy did and Adam to have kind of put her in her place more at the end. I didn't like that nobody was around when Christy did finally slip in that hospital setting. I wasn't thrilled with the ending of the book in general it felt REALLY short, like everything just kind of Stopped. I actually thought I had missed a couple chapters. It was kind of frustrating because while her ending usually leave me wanting more than have a sense of resolution about them that this was just lacking it was kind of like after all the crap they went through (as usual) they got off way to easily it was just like BAM ok it's over. Overall another fantastic book and a great asset to the series, while I wasn't crazy about the ending there is so much useful info that adds to the overall story of Mercy's heritage, back story of living with Bran, her love with Adam, interesting info about Zee, tad, and other fae, and even the vampires! It had a lot and i'm sure I will be re-reading it before the next one is out (which I hope isn't to much longer!!!!)

I absolutely LOVE Patricia Briggs! Her books are wonderful. Hugely entertaining, gripping, well-crafted - I usually spent two or three days staying up all night just to read because I can't put them down. Then, I wait a bit and re-read them again, more slowly, just to enjoy them. And I usually read them a third time, too, because they really are that good. This is a truly original story. The author has woven shape-shifters, werewolves, vampires, fairies, and ghosts into a wonderful alternative reality that is almost believable. I'm always a little let-down when the book is over, and I have to return to my "real" world that is devoid of such interesting creatures. I highly recommend ALL of the Mercy Thompson series, and the other series by this author. My only wish is that she could write faster! I want another book to read right now!

I love the Mercy Thompson series and anxiously awaited "Night Broken" but do have to say I was disappointed. IMO, the story focused too intently on Christy and how hard she was trying to get Adam back. The fact that no one, not even Mercy, put her in her place really rankled. And then the end leaves it wide open that she may be an active on-going character. I won't be so excited for the next book in the series. It's like when one of my favorite ensemble group TV shows decides they need an antagonist thrown in to the batch to cause problems. Why? Yes, real life is messy but that's why I read stories with werewolves, vampires, demons and kick butt heroines for entertainment. For me the story would have been much better with Christy's role much smaller. Please, Ms Briggs, dump her in the next book!

LOVE IT!

You finally get to meet Adam's ex-wife. It helps resolve issues in the pack because people finally start to see that Christy is not going to win Adam back, but she also brings trouble in her wake. This story is fun because there is a new mythos that is native to the Canary Islands rather than your typical werewolf/native American. It is also fun because Mercy does what she does best: bring change and chaos. I feel like not only do the wolves start to respect her more in this book, but everyone does.

Coyote, the walking stick and a huge bit of sadness. Mercy winds up pretty wounded again and they manage to mortally wound another character from their myths. Mercy shows her fighting skills and, in the end, her intelligence. Another book in the series that is not to be missed.

I absolutely loved this book, but as one other reviewer said, I read it so quickly I really felt it ended too soon. The end felt a little too cut short, though she absolutely wraps it up for you, it just felt like it needed another page to be complete! :) I too missed a few of the other characters in this book. I keep wishing for more Warren and Kyle interactions - they are always enteratining! Those complaints aside, it's a fabulous book. I wish it were longer and I really wish Patricia wrote faster so we could have more wonderful novels by her sooner!! :) Oh, and I'm so glad Coyote makes an appearance in this book as well! Delighted to have him back, he's always unpredictable and always entertaining! Hopefully he'll grace many more books to come! :)

I've been a fan from page one with Mercy being a VW mechanic named after a Mercedes. However, these last couple books have felt rushed and not as in depth. Things seem to be skimmed over and even though I like a good fast paced action packed story, the pace was fast but the action was lousy. I don't want to give spoilers, but where some scenes needed to be drawn out to be delved into better, they weren't. Everything just seemed to tie up in a neat bow without getting to be shown how that happens, you're just told it happens. Like, Sam and Ariana make up, is what is basically written (as a made up example only..not actually in this book). Instead of giving me the emotional roller coaster that goes along with that and Adam and all these people I love.

This is the latest in the Mercy Thomson series. Mercy is a 30 something woman who is a loving, compassionate, fiercely loyal, hot tempered, with a history degree and works as mechanic. She is an Indian cayote shape shifter mated to the alpha of local werewolf pack. She is friends with a vampire and the fae. Her life is interesting to say the least. It seems no mater how much they strive for simple.....something always seems to come their way. The characters are so well defined they feel like friends. I have often found myself laughing, crying, or being mad due to the situations. The story line is clear and well defined. As it goes along you get back story on all the characters so you can understand them but it never bogs it down. the stories are full and fast paced and hard to put down. Each book is a stand alone story, but I recommend starting at the beginning. That way you do not miss any back story....BUT also just because they are all that good!!!

Patty Briggs delivers! She has made lightning strike in every single one of her Mercy Thompson novels, and this one is no different! Adam's first wife returns to wreak a little personal drama havoc on the pack, the Grey Lord wants his walking stick back, and Coyote with a capital C returns to lend a hand, more or less. We meet fascinating new characters who look to be set up to stick around for the rest of the story. A new, terrifying denizen of the supernatural world shows up to add flavor to the mix, as if the other plot points weren't enough. The story ends rather abruptly, leaving the reader dying for February of 2015 to get here sooner! The next book is due to pick up immediately where Night Broken left off. I recommend this series to any and everyone.

In this book, Mercy and Adam deal with his ex-wife and her unwanted dangerous suitor. She's a manipulative little so & so who should curl up and dye;) If there was one good thing about her presence, it was to show the pack that the "good times" of the past weren't really as wonderful as they remember and that Mercy is better for them. The battles with the suitor, a real Hot Head, were awesome! It was a refreshing change from Vampire and Fae catastrophes. But, don't worry, Mercy still manages to have a couple of skirmishes with members of the Fair Folk and night shift. I loved seeing Tad and Coyote again. So interesting! I didn't want to put the book down:) I loved the ending and prayed really, really hard that I don't have to wait long for the next book!

Christy, came home, scared. She had met some man. If only be had been a man all the trouble such as Christy's condo burning down, people dying and threatening Mercy on giving Christy back to him wouldn't have been a problem. Read a nd enjoy!

Been loving this series for about the last year. This may rank up there as my favorite to date. At this point, the characters and their relationships are fairly established., the world building is complete. The big hurdle is keeping things fresh and interesting. Briggs managed that in Christy and Juan Flores. Man, Christy was a nasty piece of work. I seriously hoped she and Juan would ride off into the sunset. For once, the drama and crisis didn't center on Mercy, which was a nice change. And I'm pretty sure I love Adam more than ever. Briggs weaves a good mystery, the suspense was spot on and she sprinkles Mercy's typical humor throughout.

I wish I could give it more stars, but it was just OK. The trouble with it is the plot. The characters are OK, the dialogue good. But each new adventure seems to consist of a monster of a new kind that must be vanquished, and that meanwhile is on a killing spree. Plots are more interesting if they are a bit more complex. This one was too much like the river monster story for my taste. I'd like to see a little more building upon the cultures of the fae, the werewolves, etc.; maybe some conflict between the old dominant/ submissive ways of the wolves and the modern human world (some of us modern people are uncomfortable with the unevolved wolf ways). I also could have done without the murdered dogs, but that's my own squeamishness).

I have to say i think this is now my number one favorite in the series. Finally The Mercy Thompson series has become much more adult. AND I LOVE IT. You will not be disappointed with this book. I think true Mercy fans will really fall in love with this. There are quite a few scenes..that tease you just enough with a little bit of Adam-Mercy loving, but nothing too eye popping. Thats one thing I always got disappointed with in the other books... there was not enough of their love shown. Well now you finally get it. You finally get to see how their relationship works as opposed to the other books. This book really is different from the others. I really feel that it has finally matured and i can not wait to read the next!!

I could not put this book down save for going to work. Loved it, everything about it. Mercy, Adam, the pack, Stefan, wanted to throttle Adams ex. Well done. Can't wait for another- they just keep getting better and better.

So I wasn't expecting to enjoy it so much because there are many negative feedback about this book. To be honest like most I wouldn't have been so"mature" about an ex-wife then Mercy. I genuinely been entertained. It was a really good one. Almost my favorite. So much easier to be hurtful and be mean then to understand people behavior in situations. I would definitely recommend this book because it's "Mercy". And she is fun

I love the Mercy Thompson books, and the spin off series Alpha and Omega with Charles and Anna. However, I need more. While my logical brain commends the author for taking the time to write quality books in her series, and not rushing them out just to make money like some other authors I could name, it breaks my heart that these are spaced nearly a year apart. She went from being an in between author (one you read when you're in between your preferred series) to being THE author. Each book is consistently well written, and each one leaves me wishing for the next book. You will not be disappointed if you pick these up. Except when you run out, and then have to wait. Like the rest of us.

Mercy is a better person than I’ll ever be. After dealing with Adam’s ex-wife, I would have given Mercy permission to stomp the woman into the ground. But Mercy kept her cool. Even when a seemingly indestructible creature was after her. Such an amazing character. The love between Mercy and Adam keeps growing. I absolutely adore their romance. I don’t care for the way Ms. Briggs propels me onto the cusp of a heart attack with each book. I always ask, Will Mercy make it through this one? With Ms. Briggs killing people off that you wouldn’t expect, you never know.

This is the only book I have ever written a review on. And the reason is I don't want anyone to minis out on this series. Patricia does everything right as an author, Mercy is real as can be even though she is unreal. Adam and Mercy ended up together a few books in but that didn't holt the story or the interest in their relationship. There is no more to say, only everyone read these books, start from the beginning and enjoy. And Ms Patricia please don't stop writing about Mercy, Adam, Stephen, Jessie, the pack and now laughingdog. Thank you so much for these wonderful books

There are some series that wish would end already, so you can get some resolution and move on with your life. But this is not it! Even though we're 8 books in (11 if you count the closely related Alpha & Omega series), none of this has gotten stale. Here we dig deeper into Mercy's magical legacy as Coyote's daughter, and get to see pack dynamics further set in turmoil by the reappearance of Adam's ex-wife, Christy. Christy is a character you'll love to hate and while her comeuppance wasn't nearly harsh enough for my taste, it was still very satisfying. Definitely follow this up with "Shifting Shadows", which features a Mercy short as well as outtakes from this story and Frost Burned.

This book was definitely worth the long wait. I absolutely loved it. I swear Patty cannot write a bad book. I loved the ending haha. This book was exciting, funny and filled with all of my favorite characters. I honestly laughed and cheered and was just thrown into a world where I think would be super freaking awesome to live in. I cannot wait to read the next book! I hope it doesn't take as long as this one because the ending was quite interesting haha. I have a feeling there may be trouble brewing because of that faithful walking stick. Amazing book! But......Seriously Patty!! Did you have to end it the way you did Arggghhh, I will be slowly dying inside until the next book comes out!

I am addicted to this series - it's pretty well-written and the person clearly did some "mechanic homework" and got things pretty accurate. There are a few inaccuracies, but overall it's extremely good. It really pulls you into the storyline and makes you want to continue the reading. A few parts are kinda like "seriously? how much trouble can one chick get into after being fine for most of her life?!" but mainly it's a good read. I'm very happy with it and will continue reading it until the author ends the series (unless they totally destroy the storyline for me somehow). I'd also kinda like it if the romance was a bit more graphic, but that's personal preference and I think the author's trying to keep it a bit "PG". :-)

Another good Mercy book. The basis of the story is Adam's ex-wife, Christy, comes to stay with them because she has a stalker. She tries to get between Mercy and Adam as well as the pack. Turns out her stalker is a volcano God, and presents a few problems for Mercy. Stefan makes an appearance as well as Coyote. These books just keep getting better. So often in series after a while the stories end up being repetitive but these are consistently good, and draw you into the story. The scene between Adam and Mercy just before he goes to fight the Volcano God, was very touching and cements what is great about them as a couple. Can't wait for the next one!

This is book #8 in the Mercy Thompson series. This is a very exciting and fast paced book with a bunch of new characters and interesting story lines. I’ve loved every other Mercy Thompson book I’ve read and I loved this one as well.

I enjoy Patricia Briggs' novels. I especially like Mercedes. She has faith, in God, herself and in her friends. She cares for and about people. I know it is fantasy fiction, but I like to think that Mercy and her life are what life might be like in another world. The books are intelligent. The addition of the fae and occasional fairy tale or legend peak my interest and send me on my own research. Quick reads and hard to put down.

Night Broken, overall, holds up well against previous books in the Mercy Thompson (now Hauptman?) series. As always, I enjoy the author's characterization and the witty banter amongst the characters. It's also nice to see her relationship with Adam be tested in a different, more relatable way with Christy's interference, as opposed to a supernatural trial of some sort. However, I feel Briggs may have set herself, and Mercy, an impossible task with this book and its villian. How do you defeat someone who is by the book's definition immortal and undefeatable? I know there must be a large amount of willing suspension of disbelief with anything in the paranormal/fantasy genre, but the solution in this case just wasn't very exciting or satisfying. I definitely agree with other reviewers that the ending as a whole left something to be desired. These books are fast-paced, but the last 2 or 3 in particular have felt more rushed and in this one, while everything was resolved for the most part, there could have been more to make the end less abrupt. I won't make assumptions about why the author chose to end where she did, but I would have liked to see a bit more with Mercy, Adam, Gary Laughingdog and the pack as a whole to see how this latest fight leaves their relationships & the pack dynamics.

I think what I love most about this series is that the heroine is super badass and super competent on her own two feet, or four paws. She gets in trouble with beasties in the big leagues but she pulls through by willpower and resourcefulness. She is one of the few heroines out there that is not defined by who she is with or who she loves. The plot is always compelling and the story carries you along nicely. I would recommend it to all supernatural books fans.

I love these books, I inhale them every time! I've read all 8 in the last couple of weeks and stayed up nights doing it too. Mercy is such a great character, I love everything about her. She is so noble and so worried about helping everyone around her but yet so self-deprecating and doesn't realize half the time how truly powerful she can be. Adam is always there to support her but has finally learned he can't contain or control Mercy's impulse to help all. This installment was particularly excellent in plot development and character development. Plenty of action and poignant dialogue. But i can't believe I have to wait for March 2016 for next in series!!

I am a fan of this series. At one point I had given up on it, but I came back, re-read the beginning and have been enjoying them ever since. Some of the books can seem a little slow, as they take place over only the course of a few days. At times the characters can be frustrating in the ways that they act, especially when they make stupid decisions that get them into impossible situations. I though this book was well written and found the story interesting, though there is a secondary story line within the book that does not seem to connect with the main story line at all. The only reason for it seems to be set up for the next book in the series. It is a fun read, if you like the genre. This is definitely one of the better series overall. I will definitely read the next one.

Probably my favorite series ever. Prices you do not have to make a book open to be great. All the characters are engaging. Has supernatural, romance, mystery. Only thing that confuses me is artwork on front of books. The changing tattoos that Mercy does not have......

I started this series a couple years ago but didn't get in to it much until now. I've literally read a book a week and it makes me sad I'm almost done. The characters are so real with their love, jealousy, sadness, and anger. I love these book and the character development. I love being friends with mercy and living her adventure with her. I almost wish this was a tv show but so much is unsaid it would not measure up. Thank you patricia Briggs for your hard work and giving us this series.

I really enjoyed the first couple books in this series. After a while the books became either vampire or fae centric so much so that I wasn't really enjoying the stories. This story, however, is back to the first couple. Really centering around Mercy and with a bit of each world in the middle. Mercy is dealing with her biggest foe ever, Adam's ex-wife. She has brought a stalker to town and the wolfs have to deal with it. Mercy meets a half brother and has to work with Coyote to try and defeat the stalker and keep the pack on her side (instead of Adam's ex). You will find this very similar to her first couple books and a fun fast read.

What a great book! This series is awesome and I highly recommend it. I havent been able to put it down yet. Never really been a fan of this type of book until I picked up the very first one in the series, Moon Called. Read them in order. 1000 stars!

I really enjoy this series and was excited for this book. However, I do not think the first chapter was written by Briggs. The tone of the chapter is totally different from the rest of the book. If this had been my first exposure to this series I would have stopped reading. However, knowing the series, I continued and I am glad I did. Briggs gets back her style and tone and the plot becomes engaging. In the end we again have Mercy missing some obvious things which isn't like her - as is also pointed out by other characters, so maybe there is more going on here. But overall, it is once again a very enjoyable read. Just get past that first chapter.

Reading through the reviews I noticed how angry everyone was at Adam, but I have to say this was not as anger inducing as I thought. For the situation they were placed in, Ms. Briggs kept true to form. Adam let Mercy fight her own battles, but with his guidance and protection always in the background. I love that she now has people who can help her understand who she truly is now, and that her and Adam are strong as always. There was none of the "I'm so mad at you, I'm going to be petty, and leave without saying anything", in this book. Their relationship showed it's strength. The ending cut a little, but I was happy with how it resolved and this only made me more excited to read the next book!

If you have been waiting for the further adventures of Super Mercy, you won't be disappointed by this entry in the Mercy Thompson saga. There were a lot of scenes in this story that I went back to just to enjoy all over again. If this is your first Mercy tale, then you will probably enjoy it, but you will not catch most of the nuances that you would if you were more familiar with her world. Thank you, Patricia Briggs, for a great time. I am now waiting for your next Mercy story. I also thank you for having a great proofreader. It was refreshing not to keep stumbling over typos the way I do with some other unmentionable authors.

I LOVE All of the BOOK and look forward to the next Mercy book. I really like the way Mercy can pull everyone into being her Friends and how she's willing to help others even if they have done her wrong.

I'm totally biased. I've read every one of Ms. Brigg's Mercy Thompson books more than once and thoroughly enjoyed then every time. Mercy is a well rounded character who leads you through an urban fantasy landscape which pulls from many Native American and immigrant myths. While I wouldn't recommend this book to someone who want familiar with the characters, it is a strong story in the series and a very enjoyable romp for those who do know them.

every book in this series is fascinating. THis one though, this one rounds it all out. Yes, she has cocyote to thanks for her crazy disposition, yes, she is bonded to a vampire, yes, she is a wolf's mate, yes, she is scarred and traumatized by events in her history. NOW, let's also add....... She has earned her packs respect and more... she has been ousted as extremely devious! This book is a blast. Dry, dry humor. Action. Continuous wrap up of stories introduced previously. Briggs just brings it. Mercedes is one of the best action heroes on the market.!

There were a few problems I had. Not many but a few. Mainly the fact that Adam seemed like he lost his balls whenever his ex was around. From tough ass alpha to wimp who let the ex get away with manipulating everyone around her. And a couple times he almost seemed to enjoy her attentions. I can sort of see Mercy not wanting to get to involved, cause that's weird the new wife dealing with the ex, but still. She should have spoken up a time or two. I did LOVE Mercy's sort of half brother. I really hope he shows up more. I also loved learning that, provided Mercy doesn't get herself killed, she won't age and die as fast as people, After all, her brother was in WW1. He's older than Adam. And Coyote. He's back, and still hard to read. Is he good, is he bad, or something in between? I also loved Honey's growth, and getting along with Mercy. Finally a pack member who "gets" Mercy. I hope to see more of her also. Then there is the new wolf. Or rather the two new wolves. The first one introduced, I wonder about him. He was introduced, we saw him a couple times, then nothing more. What's up with that? And the ending bothered me. It was just over. Bang. Book over. Left me hanging. And I'm getting so tired of poor Adam being forced to see his wife, his mate, nearly dead in a hospital room. Can we have a book where Mercy isn't beaten nearly to death? But overall, I really liked it.

Every book, novella, and short story I have read from the world of Mercy Thompson has been very, very good. I have had hours of enjoyment from this series, and it's companion series (Alpha and Omega). I highly recommend both series, which are closely connected and share some characters. Start at the beginning and read them in sequence for maximum enjoyment. My only negative, if it can be called that, is that in every subsequent book Mercy seems to be more severely physically battered. Please, Patricia Briggs, give her more great adventures, but give her a break in the battering department!

And I think the author has told me who her daddy is, what pack “magic”, the Barack etc. is 800000000000 times. The author can refresh our memories but not over and over and over and over again in the same book. I love this series but the author needs to grow up and stop wasting our time repeating herself. Anyone who reads this series knows exactly who all the players are by now.

Since there are more books in the series, I felt that neither Mercy nor Adam would die. But it's not always easy to see how that works out. Thank goodness for Coyote and all their friends. And Jesse is getting smart about her mom.

I recommend this story to teens to adults. It shares a fascinating old legends long forgotten and reminds us who we came from. Mercy is the epitome of adventure. Outstanding.

I read the first book about 2 years ago, and I instantly was hooked. The third book in the series will have you in tears but this series is worth all the pain and love. The thing I love about the series is that it doesn't focus on just one supernatural but all of them as a whole and intertwine them to the point where it all ties together. All in all, I love the Mercy series and I recommend that everyone read all the books at least once in their life.

The last couple of books in the series have felt a little thin compared to how we came to know everyone. They were important in developing some of the relationships, but they lacked the toothsome quality that initially bound us up with these characters. My interest is piqued, yet again, with the latest installment. Mercy has grown into her role as the alpha's mate, and while she has proven that she will die for every one of them, she is still wholly her own element. I don't write reviews because I don't read them, but seeing as my wife likes to read them, I'll put one out there to support Patricia, and tickle my wife's fancy a little bit. We read, a lot, and we enjoy sharing the humorous passages out loud with each other, something I did many times while reading this book. Thank you Patricia for your characters of integrity and honor. It's a pleasure to read your work. We're looking forwards to the next one. --r

I love the Mercy Thompson series. They are written well enough you feel as if you know the characters as friends & family. I’m always sad when I finish one & eagerly await the next installment.

This one is different than the rest. She reaches an emotional depth that is not in all of the previous works. Definitely worth the read if you are into the series and this genre.

Ok I’m giving this a 4 because these are not masterpieces but they are addictive. They are all the same and they are all good. I’ve passed on this series so many times because I thought it seemed a little YA. I was disappointed when I saw that book 11 was not out yet. I can’t stop reading them so maybe it’s good to take a break.

I love Mercy. This book delivered as well as all the others. The dog details were great. The little bit of horses was good too. Not surprising since Briggs had such a good grasp of animals.

This is one great first half of a very cool story. It does wrap up the story arc, and like always it more than satisfying. Thank you for these great escapes. Love it!

I enjoyed this book more than previous novel, Frost Burned. The story is more suspenseful and interesting, with an enemy that's ferocious and seemingly impossible to defeat. Mercy further establishes herself as the bad-ass alpha that she is through physical battles, a power struggle with her mate's ex-wife and tense interactions with the wolves. At the end I was left excited to see what's in store for Mercy, with her newfound family, complicated relationship with Coyote and the fae walking stick that's strongly bonded to her. Patricia Briggs has me hooked -- I love this series of novels.

This is several books into the series. Ms. Briggs has created a full environment and believable characters. I adore Mercy and re-read the books every once in a while. Mercy is not perfect, she is stubborn and gets the stuffing beaten out of her frequently but she is a fighter and comes back time after time. The books are a quick read - I usually get obsessed with the story and finish a book in 3 days because there is no good place to put the book down.

No matter what she writes, Patricia Briggs is an instant buy for me. . . And my husband. . . And my son. We are fans. Other reviewers have said it better. What I can add is what I took away from this book. I appreciated all those characters from previous books making an appearance, especially Stephan. The cast is growing so large yet somehow Briggs keeps it all together. I thought it sad Mercy has to judge her every action on how it impacts the pack -- Especially when she's fighting for her life. She can't be seen as weak. She can't just run! How sad that her life is now judged and found wanting by those she's tied to. And while she's valued by a few, that respect is never fully given. It's always tested and if it's found wanting, Mercy is back at square one proving herself. As Alpha, Adam can't influence their opinion but it has to hurt him that those he cares for are so hard on Mercy. He's spent years trying to get her to acknowledge him, to get a relationship going, and now all this. It's a very difficult life on both of them yet somehow Patricia Briggs pulls it all together so we as readers understand and hope for future resolve. I have to say that Adam has the patience of a saint. Not just for his pack but for Mercy. The timeline for this book is about a week. In that time she disappears twice . . . With no warning. . . And Adam just sucks it up and deals with it -- And Mercy is always upfront and honest about what happened so it isn't a yelling contest. Just those two incidents show how supportive and loving Adam is towards Mercy, how committed he is to make their relationship work, no matter what happens. I agree with a sentiment from this book -- If anything did happen to Mercy, Adam wouldn't survive. I know his pack instinctively knows this but it hasn't sunk in just how important she is. The supernatural elements in their area revolve around Mercy. She has a finger in every pie. She can influence and manipulate events . . . And it's not just that. . . If Adam's pack gave up their own self interests and concerns and really thought of their Alpha and his mate, then they'd know just what would happen if anything happened to either of them. But especially Mercy. But we can't have an easy life for Mercy. . . Oh no. Not Coyotes daughter. -- Dan's Wife

I love this series of books. I like books with a strong female lead character and Mercy is all that and then some! She takes a beating but never gives up and she has a great big heart. Great character!

There are so many great moments in this novel. Loved the opening premiss Loved the new characters and the fleshing out of old friends. Loved the titan supernaturals playing off each other. Adored the walking stick. BUT The ex-wife Christy: Why, oh why did it take 60% of the book, countless snobs, insults, infringements and lies before Mercy finally tells the nice lady ( feel free to substitute more appropriate adjective ) that " she'd take her out with the rest of the trash". Just would not happen. Loved the book. Love the series.

I love these books because the good guys always win, even if it does take months to heal some. In this book coyote plays an intragal part and lost ties to Mercy are revealed making her family grow in unexpected ways. Other characters are broadened with surprising strength, and as a devoted fan of the series and author, the tri-cities pack brought to life in this book, live in my heart equally expanded as the pack grows in membership.

Off and running into Mercy Thompson's crazy, cool life!!! It was very interesting to finally find out about Adam's ex-wife and Jesse's mom Christy and why she was no longer around. The bonus in this novel was finding Gary and learning more about Coyote. I can't wait to start the next novel!!!!!!

Wow another brilliant story by Author Patricia Briggs! I am amazed at the authors ability to write such an intriguing and captivating adventure. She provides insight into many characters weaving them all into a brilliantly entering story all centering around our little Coyote heroine Mercy.hee evil characters are down right scary and make you think this is it for Merxy, but our scrappy heroine with the help of Adam the alpha werewolf saves the day, but always at some physical role for Mercy. I'm off to read the next in the series!

Your characters have gotten me through a very rough time lately, not that the rough will be going anywhere. My life has changed now and will be more limited but I still have Mercy and her kin to help me through the days.

I have found that over the years a lot of my favorite authors have started writing crap for lack of a better word, laurell k Hamilton being an example of this. Because of this each time I buy a book by an author I love I am always worried that I am going to start to see signs of the author just not caring about the characters or story lines anymore. Thank god Patricia Briggs has not disappointed me, every book you become more and more attached to the characters and the troubles they face. This book was great and I also felt that it set the stage for the next book perfectly!! I can't wait for the next in the series!!!!!

Even though I am a Patricia Briggs fan, I took a loooong time to read this book, especially because I hated the idea of Mercy letting the horrible ex into her home. So I finally read the book... and loved it, lol. I liked how Mercy had to bite her tongue sometimes but overall she showed who the better person was. Just one question and it you don't like spoilers you should stop reading: I just wanted to be sure the book ends with Mercy waking at the hospital, it seems abrupt to me, no epilogue or nothing, am I missing pages on my kindle???

If I could step into the pages of an Urban fantasy world, I would choose this one. I would find Mercy and attach myself to her and be her BFF. I love this series as if it were family. Patricia Briggs has created a world of magic, fae, and monsters, werewolves, vampires and Others that seems as real as our world. If I drive to the tri cities it wouldn't surprise me one bit to run into Zee, Tad, Stephen, Ben, Honey or any of the others. I would expect to run into Coyote if I went for a walk in the desert. I would be a happy camper if Ms. Briggs would stop writing all the other stories and just write this one. MERCY THOMPSON ROCKS!

More characters. More monsters, with lots of creative storytelling. Wonder what two coyote walkers will get up too? But makes for fun reading.

I love this series of books. Mercy maybe somewhat physically "fragile" compared to the werewolves, but that doesn't stop her from doing what's right.

Mercy Thompson can’t have normal problems like every other shape-shifting coyote. Even married to an Alpha werewolf, having an on-again off-again war with the vampires, cops who want to charge her with murder, and Gray Lord wanting his precious artifact back isn’t enough trouble. Now the needy ex-wife wants help. Patricia Briggs proves once again why she could write out a grocery list and I’d hold onto it enthralled. This series keeps getting better. That goes without saying. But this book surpasses them all. It I could give ten stars I would. Night Broken is just that good.

Night Broken is the weakest of the Mercy Thompson series to date. Although there is the requisite bad guy, the focus of the story is Mercy versus Adam's ex-wife. Adam himself is portrayed as a wimp who, despite Mercy's assertions, does not in fact have her back, but instead expects Mercy to keep the peace by tolerating one provocation after another from his ex, who is ensconced not only in their home, but in the bedroom that adjoins theirs. Mercy herself is portrayed as so tolerant of the ex that she repeatedly pulls her verbal punches for fear she will be unfair to this witch. Meanwhile, most of the pack sides with the ex. Prepare to be irritated with the lot of them.

This review is for the first 8 mercy Thompson series. The writing and research is so well done. I just love the creative and wide range of characters.I especially like the way Briggs ends her books. While they still have allusions to the future they are well developed and satisfying rather than just cut off. I am lost now waiting for book 9. I am late to the genre of weres and vamps and fae thou I've been reading fantasy all my long life. Oh mercy what a great ride it has been! Please don't die on me! LOL I am waiting for the next big adventure!

You'd think that she'd run out of paranormal creepy-crawlies, but here's a new one to fight. This one, along with the River Devil of a previous book, have been really uncomfortably horrific baddies. Patricia Briggs does NOT let you get romantic about the evil-doers. Usually it's balanced out by interesting romantic angst in Mercy's life. This time her personal life with Adam is solid but the pack is once again not solidly with her because of Adam's ex-wife's appearance. Patricia does a GREAT job making the ex-wife's manipulative whining plausible and believable, making you uncomfortable on Mercy's behalf. As I said, great writing, but not the coziest read, which is why the 4 instead of 5 stars. Mercy shouldn't have to put up with this nonsense. I want to move onward to Mercy working on forming a new family...

Mercy and Adam are humming along when a frantic phone call from Adam's ex- Christy calls. She has a stalker and needs a place to run. Christy and her schemes are so entertaining! I cannot believe how everyone in the Pack falls for her helpless maiden routine. Mercy does a great job maintaining especially when everything else crops up. Stefan, the Fae, a volcano God, and my favorite Fae relic the walking stick, complicate an intricate plot that had me finishing this book in a day! loved it!!! NITHYA challenge Tracy's list.

I love this series, and am getting all her books I can find on CD or MP3. Sometimes they don't have them on audio, so I have to buy the book, which is not as much fun for me as I don't have a lot of time to sit and read. I can listen to these books at work and it helps make the day go better!

This story is just a continuation of the same story that has been told in all the previous. We see little has changed in most of our characters. This is both on a personal level and physical level. One of the things I like about Mercy's character is that she's a scrapper, taking on bigger baddies and winning but at a price. Its heroic to take on the evil when you're vulnerable. It makes the sacrifice you make that much greater. But where in previous novels Mercy has been almost crippled, in this novel she's not only back at fighting strength, she stronger than ever. This diminishes her in many ways. An enjoyable read, but not Patricia's best.

This was one of my least favorite Mercy books. Still good! But it just didn't have the draw that the earlier works did. I think part of the issue is that a good bit of the conflict driving the early books--the unresolved love triangle, mysteries around her parentage, etc--has been resolved, or at least made irrelevant in the face of larger, but less compelling, issues. That's not to say that I don't recommend it! I'll continue buying Mercy books as long as Ms. Briggs will write them. It's just not my favorite.

I absolutely love Briggs but of the last three Mercy books, I liked this one the best. The last book (Frost Burned) seemed rushed to me. I don't know how else to describe it. This one felt meatier, with more character development, more relationship development with her husband, and even the introduction of a couple of new characters both likable and not. It opens some avenues to be explored in later books, but as with all the other Mercy Thompson books, and the thing I love the most about Briggs' writing, it's a stand-alone story also. Highly recommended!

I love Patricia's Mercy books. She never lets me down. Always exciting and unexpected adventures with lots of magic and surprises. Great twists--hard to put the book down. I just got the next book and it too is well written.

I love how it feels with real people. When folks are hurt, it shows, and our main character has often been damaged. She's not some caricature that can do no wrong and never gets really hurt. She also gets inner scars, which affect her more then one book without crazy amounts of angst for no real reason. It's not all about her, and she knows it.

These books just get better and better as they go on. When Adam's ex-wife come to visit we get to see mercy deal with some new issues and not the supernatural kind either. It's so refreshing to read a book with some adult character. I can't give a good review without giving spoilers, so I'll just say by the last page I was so into the book I was utterly depressed that there wasn't more.

I love coyote. Mercy is becoming especially adept at maneuvering her way through pack bonds hoping to help Adam. Glad it works ... well mostly. While Adam gets to meet some of her family. Plus creepy supernaturals and more. Briggs is at her best keeping all plates spinning at once while keeping you wondering what will happen next.

Love this series. Patricia never disappoints. I’m only sad when I finish a book. I’ve read them all so I have to wait! Lol

I really liked this book. I felt like the last few books in this series fell a little short of the mark the first ones left with me. I loved getting to know Christy, Adam's ex, and seeing the relationship between the two of them. I also loved how Mercy was in this book. She's never one to curl in a ball and wait for someone to rescue her. After reading this book, I'm glad I've stuck with reading the previous ones, or I'd have missed out on this one. I definitely can't wait for the next book.

I love this series. I actually fell in love with Samuel in the first of this series. He was so real to me and so outstanding and perfect in my mind I would have given anything for him to be flesh and blood. I already had it figured out that Mercy was with Adam so Samuel was mine. Until Patricia gave him a mate anyway. But I survived and still love the series. It keeps me reading to know what will happen next and how Mercy is going to fix it. Lots of action, lots of paranormal stuff and lots of personality of characters. A wonderful series.

Oh, I wish I could give this 10 stars! This story has Mercy overcoming more than one monster as Mercy is subjected to Adams' ex-wife visiting. There is a stalker who is a lot more than he seems to be. The fae come a'calling...oh joy, not. A creepy vampire gives an invitation. The pack and coyotes join forces. It is a grand story from a grand dame of urban fantasy.

She just gets better and better. Never make a tv series out of it because it would only be a let down after Briggs wonderful writing. I've also started on the Alpha and Omega series that runs parallel to this and you must add this as well. My only problem is I have to clear a whole weekend to read each book cuz I can't put one down for long.

Fantastic new entry into this engaging series of books, Night Broken lets us focus a bit on Adam, Alpha werewolf and Mercy's husband. SPOILERS The book starts with an interesting problem: Adam's ex-wife and the mother of his daughter Jesse calls for help, and since Adam has a protective streak a mile wide he's happy to assist. The ex-wife is a catalyst for fun problems as the pack quickly falls into two sides--those who like the ex and want to protect her, and those who like Mercy. The little annoyances of the ex-wife's power plays pale in comparison to the villain of the book, but it serves as an amusing aside and a serious look at the dynamic among a group, who is manipulative and why. I love the focus on Adam. In the final sequence, it's Adam playing the hero, going into battle, and Mercy who is left on the sidelines, a nice reversal to previous books where Adam had to stand aside (or didn't know) while Mercy faced the bad guys. We get to learn more about the pack, how they work together. It was great to see Coyote again, we are introduced to a new walker, and we see a Fae from the Alpha and Omega series. I'm not sure I can wait a year til the next one!

I read a LOT of books and Patty is one of my favorite authors. a lot of authors who have a lot of books in a series either seem to run out of interesting things happening to their characters, or fall into this inner monologue thing, or, retell previous books, or worst of all, start psychoanalyzing every characters tells Aston to each other.....BORING!!!! I am in love with all these characters, Adam and Mercy and Samuel and Zee, and hope to go to the Columbia basin territory when I die.

Having read the other reviews I wondered whether Patricia Briggs had gone the way of fellow paranormal authors Charlaine Harris and Kim Harrison in offering up a pallid, stand by your man watering down of the female character. Fortunately not, while the reader could be forgiven for questioning whether Briggs had lost all her previous character notes at times, the book wasn't bad. It seems that she's setting the reader up for a new direction...or something, one hopes. She could have spent a little more time on the protaganist, that felt unfinished, and the ex-wife thing is far fetched but it is a novel. Will give her the benefit of the doubt and read the next one when it comes out next year.

All of the Mercy books are great to read, they have all the elements that readers look for. But, I think that Patricia Briggs might have name this book wrong, because instead of naming it Night Broken, it should of been named Fire Touch. And, yes fire touch is her new book, but I feel that she switch titles, that's all that I think it needs. Love the series just as Beiggs other books, manly Alpha and omega.

I really liked this book. I love the series & Ms. Briggs keeps me coming back for more. Mercy & Adam have a great relationship. They are partners & not only do they love each other, they respect each other. The interplay between the pack members when Adam's ex-wife is around is very well done. Most of the pack members want to protect Christy even though they know what she is like & how she views them. I like most of the characters. I do have a bias for Mercy so I wasn't that fond of Christy, especially when she calls the werewolves monsters. She came to them, looking for protection & she repays them by calling them monsters. I have recommended this series to friends & co workers. I think this book was a great addition to a great series. The Mercy Thompson series & the Alpha & Omega series are both auto buys for me.

I enjoy reading Ms. Briggs' books and this one is true to form. They are all well written and entertaining.

Mercy is amazing brave and kind despite so many "things" always trying to kill her. She survives because she has too. They aren't always pretty, her methods, but she gets the job done. Patricia Briggs is one he'll of a story teller. Her ability to wrap the reader in a world full of walkers,werewolves, fae and other mythology and still keep the story and characters real is a true gift. As long as Patricia Briggs, keeps Mercy thriving and having these e adventures, I`'ll keep coming back for more.

Very good read I highly recommend this series if anyone loves anything supernatural and love thrown into the mix the only character ri cant stand is christy what a nuisance I thought she was

These books are just so enjoyable. Being an avid reader of epic fantasy, I never thought that I'd enjoy urban fantasy so much, but reading Patricia Briggs has turned me on to the genre. Now I can't get enough! As usual, the toughest part will be waiting for the next installment. I'm hooked! +10 points for the amusing 'Chicago' reference!

I liked that this Mercy story involved more of the pack at the same time as it had some connections in the story to human law enforcement which I always think makes the stories more interesting because it shows how the pack relates to the outside world. I also like Adam and Mercy’s relationship but I missed Zee. I can’t wait for the next installment.

I love all of Patricia Briggs' books. There's descriptive writing, phenomenal story lines, humor, heartache, and not a lot of repetition in the series. And let's not forget awesome cover art. In this book, we continue to learn more about Mercy and her familial ties to Coyote. Her Relationship with Adam is tested. Mercy is a tough and loyal woman, willing to sacrifice everything for those she loves. Keep the stories coming Patricia and I'll keep reading 'em.

Patricia Briggs out did herself again! I lov d the storyline and hope that the next book has more of Gary in it. I would love to see how their relationship developed!

I think Patricia Briggs is such an outstanding author! She writes so well. If you've never read this series, you have been missing out BIG time. There's werewolves, vampires, quirky things that can only happen to Mercy, who's the right amount of hero and loyalty, and married to who else, but another hero. Adam, her hero, rolls with all that is Mercy. You'd think after all these books, that Mercy stories would run dry, but nope. This is another really awesome book and totally didn't disappoint! Enjoy!

Mercy in trouble is always good. She's level headed and quick on her feet. Mercy playing mind games is the even freaking better! I love hearing the little stories of how she bested Bran or Leah but seeing her best Adam's manipulative and vindictive ex-wife was truly golden! And of course, I can't forget the actual story with the volcano God! I was wondering how just how she'd get out of this one and was not disappointed. Really great read and we even had a bit of Stephan in this one.

I love Mercy. I really really love Mercy. And Adam. And I enjoy watching the show as she goes into trouble head on to project her own. And this story was so much fun. Can’t wait to read the next book!

The Mercy Thompson series is my all-time favorite paranormal series - and that's saying something, because there are a lot out there and I've read so many. Like Charlaine Harris's characters, Patricia Briggs has created really INTERESTING, living/breathing characters, (except the vamps). You'll care about them and and their histories ,you'll feel the emotion in their relationships. Read these books in order so you follow the connections the characters have to each other. Fantastic reading!

I've fallen in love with the characters and world in this series. Year after year, they come back, always digging deeper into my heart with each book. Mercy continues to get better and better; still flawed, always interesting. I keep worrying that, like the Anita Blake series, it'll finally derail, but so far it just continues a fabulous story each book. DEFINITELY recommended, but I'd say you'd very much need to read the rest of the series first as this isn't a standalone book. LOVED IT!!!

Love her adventures her humor her agility body and mind. This is a girl you just LIKE. READ all the Mercedes books. Treat yourself.

I love this series. Super strong female protagonist with equally strong friends and enemies. Mercy's life is filled with the routine drama of family and friends compounded by the little fact that just about everyone around her is not simply human. Now you throw in an ex-wife with serious baggage, a high ranking fae with deadlines and a flaming volcano God? The humor and deftness with which Mercy handles everything is just so much fun to read. Oh, did I mention Coyote?

Another Mercy book! Love this series. Some really interesting twists here. I found myself wondering how much research to find Guayota and Tibicenas. Hopefully Joel will be around to for awhile as I think he'd be an interesting character as he works through his issues. Mrs Briggs does a great job in developing characters we love and characters we love to hate, she keeps the love scenes refreshingly semi-private and concentrates more on PLOT! Thank you!

I was so excited to discover the next installment of the Mercy Thompson series. I felt like a kid in a candy store reading this book. Great story, funny scenes, great character development. Looking forward to the next two books.

I really thought this one should be called Fire Touched; I couldn't really understand why it was named the way it was. I like the mythology woven in, even if it was mostly Briggs' creation. It was different than her usual Celtic/Native American lore. It's great to see the Big Bads get nastier and nastier, and Mercy face seemingly insurmountable challenges and come out on top.

These books are even better the second time around and I really liked them the first time. Excellent series. Can't wait to read the next book.

How can books that are so good just keep getting better? This one is about bonds and relationships. How they get stressed (try having a vindictive and manipulative ex-wife move in, for starters) and transorm and then get stronger. Mercy and Adam. Mercy and Honey (yeah, who could have seen that one? Honey's character isn't nearly as superficial as we thought). Mercy and Stefan (oh yeah!). And all the others: Ben, Warren, Daryl, Arianna. In case anyone hasn't already notices, these books aren't just genre fiction. They are fine novels. Period.

The problem is, I've now read all 8 books, one after the other in rapid succession and although I suspected that this was the last book in the series so far, I didn't really want to check and then be mortified. Now that I have finished book 8 I'm hoping Ms Briggs is nearly done with the next one. Great stories, a super series and fantastic characters.

Another visit with our favorite coyote and her motley crew of friends and allies. They make you wish you could visit the Tri-cities and hang out with them.

As far as the plot goes, it was not my favorite Mercy novel. I felt like to book was only just introducing the old/new problem/person, and that the end was just the cliff hanger to the next chapter. It doesn't stand by itself, and a first time Mercy reader would be totally lost without having read anything else. I am looking forward to the next release if only because this book felt like the set up to something HUGE.

Despite a title that suggests either finally learning nighttime continence, or disturbing pornographic themes, Briggs' Night-Broken is one of the better ones. I was surprised picking up the book to see how long the series has become, the most impressive thing about it being that unlike others of the genre, Mercy T (or should that be H) has not 'jumped the magical shark' so to speak, or rather each successive plot-line has not pushed the boundaries of power, melodrama, or sexuality as other such books have. Briggs begins Night-Broken with a triple threat, Adam's ex wants back into town and is bringing a potentially murderous ex, the fae are knocking at the door and want that random walking stick back, and a new werewolf is hanging around wanting a pack. Rather than over-complicating the plot, Briggs manages to keep to one major story-line while gradually developing the rest without detracting from either. My only criticism of this installment is that the between action moments where a bit hit and miss. The passive aggressive antics of Adam's ex felt a little forced, and attempts to depict their daughter Jesse working through teenage issues seemed to resolve just a little too conveniently to be believable. Still there were some pretty interesting scenes with Coyote and Mercy's half-brother, and the new wolf in town clearly has some issues which will carry through to later novels I'm sure. Another contrivance was the inclusion of the vampires who didn't feature heavily in the plot at all yet somehow squeezed into a couple of chapters just to remind everyone they were there. Briggs banks heavily on the epic conclusion of this novel, and the gamble pays off. I wasn't sure the author could top the fight scene at the end of the previous novel, but she manages it in Night-Broken. The prose is tight and enjoyable, a good balance between smart-ass wit and serious intensity. I did not that the chapters were strangely long for Mercy Thompson novels, and I wondered if each could have been divided into two or three, just to keep the action and suspense flowing a little more. Nonetheless this was a good book, and I must stress I'm usually harsh on this series, suggesting this is a genuinely good read.

The first book is definitely the best. This one is really good, and I love how Mercy changes from book to book. The interactions between her and Adam are always so realistic. I wish the war had started but it's cool that this one was personal.

I've read all of the Mercy Thompson books , at least 3 times now. I already have the new book on pre-order. Just an Awesome series.

I keep thinking that this series will fall into the same trap of so many urban fantasy series that have come before - the main character will become too powerful, the story will go in a stupid direction, and I'll stop caring. Somehow, though, I'm still in love with the mysteries, the characters, their struggles and their lives.

I have Read Every Mercy Thompson book written to date or at least through this one and all I can say is that They keep getting better and better.... I Can't wait for the next book to see what happens next ❗❗❗❗❗

I can sadly only give this a three be cause it seems as if little thought was put into any of this story ... the lack I'd depth and real storytelling leads me to not buying anymore in this series again. If you are a die hard fan go ahead but if your on the fence with Mercy the you can skip it. It seems like maybe the author is pushed too much or spread to thin to create the story I know she is capable of writing.

As an exclusive romance reader, I was surprised by getting hooked on the life of Mercy Thompson where romance is secondary to life values. Many book series become repetitive and predictable after a few books but after 8 books I still wait with anticipation for the next book. I can say that about no other series and very few other authors.

Love this series! Great stories and having these 3 books in one case is great! My library didn't have these 3 audiobooks so finding them sold in one set was a stroke of luck!

This was the second time I'd read this book, and I loved it just as much as the first. Patrica Briggs always comes through. I love her cast of characters and the tension she builds between them. I sometimes wanted to smack Adam, but his true love for Mercy came through again.

If u love a great story with a heroine that is believable, funny, and mischievous read this series. Patricia Briggs delivers another great story in the Mercy Thompson series. I actually ended up buying two copies as this shifter series is going in my collection. She is a coyote shifter with magical powers who just joins the wolf pack when she marries their pack alpha. I won't ruin it with a summary as when u enjoy this page turner, u go on a journey that u hope continues with more sequels.

I love the Mercy Thompson books. Adam's ex-wife, Christy, returns to cause trouble in the pack and between Adam, Mercy and Jessie, but the terror that follows her could be the downfall of the whole pack. The story had a nice build-up but ended a little abruptly. Not exactly a cliffhanger, just over quickly. Looking forward to next book, as always.

Love all the Mercy Thompson novels! They are always hard to put down! I thoroughly enjoy each one and can’t seem to slow down reading them. I hope she can write more fast lol