The Saucy Wenches Book Club

“Fire is a powerful thing. It cleanses as it destroys — and it brings light to darkness.”
~ Burn Bright by Patricia Briggs

“You cannot look at a person, and say, ‘If I could change this or that, if I could pick what I want and discard other things, I could love this one.’  Such a love is pale and weak—and doomed to failure.” ~ Patricia Briggs, Burn Bright (Alpha and Omega #5)

"I'm a mechanic; I fix things that are broken. I turn into a thrty-five pound coyote. I have powerful friends. But when it comes right down to it, my real superpower is chaos."
Silence Fallen (Mercy Thompson #10) by Patricia Briggs

“He was a better fighter than I was, but he wasn’t faster than me. Nor was he as motivated, and I think he underestimated me. He thought he was fighting a girl with a stick when he was fighting Adam’s mate, Coyote’s daughter, armed with Lugh’s staff.” 
― Patricia Briggs, Fire Touched

​This blog started over the Wenches shared love of Urban Fantasy books. We've grown and changed since then, but there are still a few UF series some of us read. The Mercy Thompson series, by Patricia Briggs, is one of them.​ I once wrote about my befuddlement at the fact that more people don't read this series, (read it here). I very much enjoy it. I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of the newest book, Silence Fallen. I'm here today to give you a (mostly) spoiler free review. Keep reading below to find out what I thought!

PS: How badass is this cover? I LOVE IT!

“I don’t know who you think you are” — my mother’s voice was low and dangerous — “but if you don’t get out of my way right this instant, it won’t matter.”
Adam was the Alpha werewolf in charge of the local pack. He was tough. He could be mean when he had to — and he wouldn’t stand a chance against my mom.

Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson #4) by Patricia Briggs

I was lucky enough to read an advanced copy of Patricia Briggs' ninth Mercy Thompson book, Fire Touched. I really enjoy the Mercy books. They are like meeting up with an old friend after a long separation. You just pick up right where you left off and it's like you were never apart. I love my time catching up with Mercy, Adam, Jesse, and the rest of the pack.  Fire Touched is a great addition to the series. We meet some new characters, catch up with some old ones, and encounter a few surprises along the way. I don't want to give anything away so, I will try to keep this as spoiler free as possible. Keep reading after the jump to see what I though about the newest Mercy book!

We have survived another year of book releases. You can see our top ten 2015 releases here, in case you missed it! Now, that we are into 2016, the Wenches are gearing up for this year's crop of new books. There are a lot of new books being added to some of our favorite series' that we are just dying for, and one or two new non-series books as well. A new book in a series is like catching up with an old friend. It is such a delight. Plus, it gives us an excuse to revisit the whole series! Not that any of us really needs an excuse for a re-read. Anyway, keep reading after the break to see which 2016 releases the Wenches are looking forward to!

"Chelsea needed a little help, but I did not force her," Charles answered. "She saw a chance for survival and she wanted it." He wasn't lying, Anna knew. But there was a sick feeling in her stomach. That was what Justin had said when she'd survived the Change - as if she'd wanted what was done to her and all that followed. "Use that," she told Kage. "To comfort yourself, because it is true she had to fight to live. But don't tell her that. Tell her you love her and need her. Tell her the kids need her. Tell her you tried to make a choice she might make. Tell her that you thought she'd want us to find the fae who did this to her so he couldn't kill anyone else. But don't tell her that her survival means that she really wanted this." When she said 'this' she motioned to herself. .... "Truth has many facets. Choose the ones that make her happy to be alive instead of the ones that make her want to smack you.&…

They say opposites attract. And in the case of werewolves Anna Latham and Charles Cornick, they mate. The son-and enforcer-of the leader of the North American werewolves, Charles is a dominant alpha. While Anna, an omega, has the rare ability to calm others of her kind.

Follow me through the jump and read a non-spoilery review of the fourth installment of the Alpha and Omega Series, Dead Heat, which hits shelves and e-readers on March 3.  



For once, mated werewolves Charles and Anna are not traveling because of Charles’s role as his father’s enforcer. This time, their trip to Arizona is purely personal, as Charles plans to buy Anna a horse for her birthday. Or at least it starts out that way...

Charles and Anna soon discover that a dangerous Fae being is on the loose, replacing human children with simulacrums. The Fae’s cold war with humanity is about to heat up—and Charles and Anna are in the cross fire.

“Leslie had learned two valuable things about the fae that day. They were powerful and charming -- and they ate children and puppies.”  ~ Fair Game (Alpha and Omega #3) by Patricia Briggs

“What would a racist call werewolves? Wargs? She kind of liked that one, but suspected that racist bastards didn't read Tolkien.” Fair Game by Patricia Briggs

Say you have a friend and she's constantly gushing over a book and she's trying to get you to read it. Let's say you are not like me who avoids those books like the plague just because someone else recommended them. No, you decide to read the book. You ask your friend to lend you this amazing piece of literature and she does. But just as she's handing it to you she drops this little nugget: „this is the first book in a series of 15 books so far and there are more coming out“. Now what??
Do you:
1.Run away never looking back?

2.Decide to be brave and take on this daunting task?

3.Say you'll wait for the TV show?


After the jump we'll try to give you all the necessary reasons to choose number two.

It's no secret to our regular readers that I adore the Mercy Thompson books. So, I was over the moon when we were approached by Penguin Publishing with an advanced copy. The other Wenches were gracious enough to let me be the one to review Night Broken. And, I am glad they did. This was a great addition to the Mercy collection. There was everything you could ask for: appearances by most of the Mercy characters, a new monster to defeat and plenty of mercy and Adam time.
Keep reading after the jump for a spoiler light review!!

“What are you trying to do? Kill mosquitoes?” Adam was too mad to be aware of my reaction to his anger. “I’m a werewolf. I’m trying to kill you— and you smack me open-handed on my butt?”
[snip]
“It’s a cute butt,” I said.
He rolled his eyes, relaxed the stance, and took a step nearer to me.
“As for my hand on your cute butt,” I continued, letting my shoulders relax against the mat, “I was cleverly trying to distract you.” He frowned at me.
“Distract me from what? Your awesome, sneaky attack that left you lying on the floor?”
I twisted, catching him in front of the ankle with one foot as I put my whole weight behind the shin I slammed into the back of his knee. He started to lose his balance, and I rolled up with an elbow strike that hit the big muscle that ran up the back of his upper leg with charley-horse-causing force and, as he went all the way down to hands and knees, I swung the wrench I’d snagged on my original fall and touched him on the back of the head with it.
“Exactly,” I said...

…

“Never trust a mechanic who drives new cars. They're either charging too much money for their work, or they can't keep an old car running - maybe both.”

“MS. THOMPSON, it said in heavy block letters, PLEASE KEEP YOUR FELINE OFF MY PROPERTY. IF I SEE IT AGAIN, I WILL EAT IT.”

- Moon Calledby Patricia Briggs.

"He will not be pleased with thee, William Frost. But you won’t have to worry about it, because you’ll be dead." Frost had quit smiling.

"It’s like that bit in The Princess Bride," I told him. "When Vizzini says, 'You fell victim to one of the classic blunders.' Never go in against an ancient Italian vampire when death is on the line."

Stefan laughed. I think he might have been the only one who had watched the movie. Or no one else thought I was funny.
~ Patricia Briggs, Frost Burned

~ Patricia Briggs, Moon Called,
Mercy Thompson series

Review: Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson series)



Even though I just finished reading the Mercy books at the beginning of this year, I was chomping at the bit to get the new one. I adore Mercy, Adam, Warren, Ben, Samuel, and the rest of the Tri-Cities gang. So I was very excited to learn that I didn't have long to wait. Frost Burned didn't disappoint me! The story might sound familiar. Someone kidnaps the wolves and drugs them with Gerry Wallace's concocted werewolf drug. But it takes a couple of twists along the way. I'll discuss those twists, and the rest of the story, and my thoughts on the book after the jump!
Warning: Minor(ish) Spoilers Ahead!!