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On the Prowl (Alpha & Omega 0.5)

by Patricia Briggs, Eileen Wilks (Goodreads Author), Karen Chance (Goodreads Author), Sunny

3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 · rating details · 11,977 ratings · 746 reviews

Alpha and Omega 0.5 by Patricia Briggs
The werewolf Anna finds a new sense of self when the son of the werewolf king comes to town to quell unrest in the Chicago pack- and inspires a power in Anna that she's never felt before.

Inhuman by Eileen Wilks
Kai has a secret gift of sensing thoughts and desires. What she senses in her neighbor Nathan could be dangerous. Because he ha...more

Mass Market Paperback, 342 pages

Published August 7th 2007 by Berkley

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Jul 09, 2008 Eden rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Urban Fantasy readers

Shelves: fiction, mature, urban-fantasy, couldn-t-finish, read-again

Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs- this story introduces a new character to the world of Mercy Thompson and elaborates on a off-screen event in or between Blood Bound and Iron Kissed. The character Anna is a lot like Kitty ( Kitty and the Midnight Hour) at first, being at the bottom of the pack. The nature of the short story stops much character development, but I enjoyed the peek into their lives, the plot and interaction drawing the reader along at a quick pace. I look forwards to reading mo...more Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs- this story introduces a new character to the world of Mercy Thompson and elaborates on a off-screen event in or between Blood Bound and Iron Kissed. The character Anna is a lot like Kitty ( Kitty and the Midnight Hour) at first, being at the bottom of the pack. The nature of the short story stops much character development, but I enjoyed the peek into their lives, the plot and interaction drawing the reader along at a quick pace. I look forwards to reading more about them. Four stars.

Inhuman by Eileen Wilks - The world made by Eileen is interesting, based on some magical booster that enhanced and woke magic in some humans. There is a great deal of prejudice against the magically woken which could have been handled better, and several of the minor characters are very cardboard. It is not a quick read, the perspective swinging back and forth inelegantly and it did not captivate my attention. Three stars.

Buying Trouble by Karen Chance - Set in the world of her current series, the story centres on a new character called Claire. I enjoyed reading about it through the eyes of another character, though the protagonist was again from an unbelievably well-bred background. The adventure was quick paced and had a good flow, but the reasons behind many key points were undisclosed. The cousin was poorly written, and it is questionable whether he survived or not at the end. Despite this, I liked it. Three stars.

Mona Lisa Betwinning by Sunny - Oh dear - where to start? The setting was modern day, I assume, and the protagonist an ex-nurse. The style the story was written in was out-of-sync. No one thinks like the flowery, over poetic intonations the book was written in, not when they were a woman of the working class in America. It was beyond ridiculous. And then I realized the short story was about the main character in the series Monere, Children of the Moon, and the author was giving major spoilers about the first book. Not only that, but it made no sense. The protagonist Lisa (Mona being the title for Queen) was contradictory and painfully ignorant. I have absolutely no desire to read the author Sunny's works. I closed the book after several pages of the story. A big disappointment after a nice collection. One star. (less)

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Apr 17, 2010 Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of good urban fantasy

Shelves: urban-fantasy, short-story-collection, part-of-a-series, owned-copy, paranormal-romance, started-but-put-down, werewolf, faerie, favorites, favorite-or-autobuy-author

Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs
I've actually read Alpha and Omega twice now. It's such a wonderful story. Very short, but that's okay, because we have two full-length stories with one of my supercouples now. I can't describe how much I love this story. I did write a long review which I added under Alpha and Omega separately. I'll just say that Ms. Briggs did an exemplarly job of writing this story that is full of underlying intensity, but written so simply. Charles and Anna are two characters...more Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs
I've actually read Alpha and Omega twice now. It's such a wonderful story. Very short, but that's okay, because we have two full-length stories with one of my supercouples now. I can't describe how much I love this story. I did write a long review which I added under Alpha and Omega separately. I'll just say that Ms. Briggs did an exemplarly job of writing this story that is full of underlying intensity, but written so simply. Charles and Anna are two characters that I found very fascinating. I could feel their chemistry in every interaction. It's romance at its best, wrapped up in a delicious urban fantasy package. Five stars.

Inhuman by Eileen Wilks
This was one of those stories that I find hard to review and to rate. It's a very good story, but the writing was hard to get into. I found there was a distance between me and Kai and Nathan that I had to work very hard to bridge. The remote writing style was the culprit. Having said that, I liked the world that Ms. Wilks built, ripe with magical creatures, and unfortunately, full of prejudice against those gifted with magical abilities. Nathan is a character that I found myself liking very much. He had a lot of integrity. He was a man of self-control, but also a man of intense emotions. Kai was a strong woman with an interesting ability, that she was trying very had to understand. I liked their romance. But, I must admit. The world was the selling point in this story. Rich with Faerie elements, which never fails to appeal to me as a reader. Four stars.

Buying Trouble by Karen Chance
This is my third story by Ms. Chance, I am definitely seeing why she has such a devoted fan base. Her stories are action-packed. The world-building is intricate and rich. Her characters are appealing and likeable. And she is a very funny writer. I was reading this while sitting with my sister in her hospital room, and I kept laughing out loud and gasping as I read it. Ms. Chance managed to pack quite a lot into this story, but it wasn't overloaded. Although I feel that she could use more dialogue in this story, it's hard to find fault with it, because it was so well done. Sexy, appealing, funny characters that I cared about, humorous moments, and no-holds-barred action, what else could I ask for? Oh, and a heavy dose of Faerie! Five stars.

I didn't read the Sunny story because erotic urban fantasy isn't my thing. And skimming made it clear this was very erotic. So, no rating for it.

I'd give this collection five stars just because of Alpha and Omega. But, the Wilks story was enjoyable, and I loved the Chance story, so it makes it a lot easier to give this book a five star rating. If you are urban fantasy fans, and you aren't reading Briggs and Chance, get to it. You're missing out!

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Jul 08, 2009 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: paranormal romance fans

Shelves: paranormal-romance

This is an anthology of 4 novellas by well-known authors, and they are all supposed to be about animal shapeshifters, like Weres, etc. I usually don't like Were novels, because the ones I have read tend to bog down in pack politics, which bores me. However, I had never read Patricia Briggs before and throughly enjoyed her novella in this book. A very refreshing Were story and the first novella in her new series. Because of this anthology and this novella I went back and read her first Were serie...more

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Dec 22, 2007 Schnaucl rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: anthology, fiction, library, read_2007, urban_fantasy, december

Patricia Briggs' story was okay. It was nice to see something of the "other son." Though once again, the woman is extra special.

Eileen Wilks' story was interesting, though definitely more paranormal romance than urban fantasy. It's a good start for a series and I'm almost tempted to go out and find that series.

Karen Chance's story was all right. I liked the male protagonist, but I'm not really sure I care for the plot twist.

Sunny's story was not urban fantasy. I'm not sure I'd even qualify...more

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Dec 30, 2009 I ♥ Bookie Nookie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: genre-pnr-uf, a-anthology, character-mechanic, species-wolf-shifter, species-weres-and-shifters, sexual-mix-mf, a-series, zz-reviewed

After reading the first 3 and feeling a little meh about the content--I was hopeful about Sunny's contribution. The Mona Lisa series is one of my favorites, but I was not impressed with this novella. Since I have read the Mona Lisa series, I definitely thought it was the best of the 4, but I can see how it could be confusing if you were new to the series. It would not have been a series starter for me.

Monere short story gets 2 stars (and this is one of my favorite series)--do yourself a favor an...more

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Sep 30, 2008 MelissaB rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: paranormal romance/werewolf fans

Recommended to MelissaB by: Denni

Shelves: alpha-and-omega-series, werewolves, paranormal-romance, abused-heroine

This review is only for Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs.

I really enjoyed the first book in the Alpha and Omega series. The book is set in the same world as the Mercy Thompson series but follows Anna, an Omega wolf who has been abused by her Chicago pack for three years, and Charles, Bran's son who we met in Moon Called. I really enjoyed reading this story in third person because I knew what Charles was thinking (the Mercy Thompson series is in first-person, so it's harder to know what Adam re...more

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Apr 18, 2011 ♠ Sharon is an emotional book junkie ♠ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

**only reading Patricia Brigg's Alpha and Omega**

This was a really sweet and short story on how Charles and Anna met. I was surprised....no kissing...nothing!! I think I like that and am definitely looking forward to the courtship in the next book. I had been told that Anna had been abused ~ and she was but thankfully not as bad as my imagination lead me to think.

I enjoyed getting to know Anna and Charles especially since it's been awhile since I read the first Mercy book. I'm really liking Ann...more

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May 28, 2008 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, anthology

These four novellas are all entertaining. My favorite is the one Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs. I can't wait for the first book of the series to come out. The other tree stories were all by authors I haven't read yet, but I think will add to my list.

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Jun 04, 2010 Beanbag Love rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I only bought this for the Briggs story which is a prequel to her Alpha and Omega series.

I'd give it five stars, but I've read reviews of the other stories and it seems the PB story is really the best and the others fall quite short. So I can't, in good conscience, give the whole book a five.

But, if you're into Patricia Briggs, this is a really great novella about what happened during Moon Called when Charles (the marrock's other son) went to Chicago to check things out.

I can't wait to get sta...more

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Feb 22, 2012 ♥ Ashleigh ♥ contrary to popular belief im not actually mad! rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: short-stories, adult, reviewed, 2011

this book only got 2 stars because im sorry to say the last short story kind of ruin the whole book for me.

the first short story - Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs - was awesome but thats no surprise, Patricia is like a god when it comes to writing :P i love how she continued the story into a series. the characters are great :D i'v read the mercy thompson series so its interesting to here about the wolves and the pack from a werewolf's side of the story!.

Inhuman - the second short story by Eil...more this book only got 2 stars because im sorry to say the last short story kind of ruin the whole book for me.

the first short story - Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs - was awesome but thats no surprise, Patricia is like a god when it comes to writing :P i love how she continued the story into a series. the characters are great :D i'v read the mercy thompson series so its interesting to here about the wolves and the pack from a werewolf's side of the story!.

Inhuman - the second short story by Eileen Wilks was wonderful. i'v never read about a hellhound before and i'm always interested in reading about ppl with special "gifts". Kia had an empath's gift (kinda) it aloud her to see what people were feeling - which was really interesting and Nathan use to be a hellhound in fairie and was sent to earth to chase down some super evil black magic mage. this story is based around these two characters and there friends dealing with a monster (awesome monster by the way... i totally want one) thats killing all the gifted people. the story kind of dragged out and was slow paced at the start but once ot got going it was very entertaining, im a bit confused how this story continues into the Night Season but im excited if it does and i look forward to continuing Kia, Nathan and del's adventure.

the third short story - Buying Trouble by Karen Chance - was fantastic, when i first started reading i thought it would be about dory but its actually about a Redheaded girl called claire who has a twin nature who finds herself up for sale as a null. a little bit after the start claire finds herself teamed up with Heidar and stuck in faerie with all the fae's trying to kill them. this story just gets more interesting from here on (trust me). i really hope to read more about these characters in the future.

the last short story was - Mona Lisa Betwining by Sunny - i thought this story was completely crap (no offence to the writer) the main thing that happen in this story was Mona having intercourse with multiple men and it wasnt even written well, in one part she describes her partner stabbing her with his Hardness..... i was not entertained. if the story is going to be mainly based on erotica it should at least be decent. i did not enjoy this short story at all.

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Feb 08, 2010 Shannon (Savhage Temptrest) rated it 3 of 5 stars

"Alpha and Omega" by Patricia Briggs was the prequel for the Alpha & Omega series that focuses on the relationship of Charles and Anna. In this short, we see how Anna and Charles first met and really get a feel for what Anna's life had been like before she met Charles. Really an excellent short, definitely recommend reading it before Cry Wolf that way you won't miss anything. Action packed, emotional, and just a little darker than the Mercy Thompson series but overall just a great short-stor...more "Alpha and Omega" by Patricia Briggs was the prequel for the Alpha & Omega series that focuses on the relationship of Charles and Anna. In this short, we see how Anna and Charles first met and really get a feel for what Anna's life had been like before she met Charles. Really an excellent short, definitely recommend reading it before Cry Wolf that way you won't miss anything. Action packed, emotional, and just a little darker than the Mercy Thompson series but overall just a great short-story to begin the series!

"Inhuman" by Eileen Wilks was really a great short story all around! It had action, intrigue, mystery, love, romance, magic, and alien-like sentient creatures to boot! After a magic revolution called The Turning, many people have either strengthened their magic abilities or sprouted them virtually overnight. Kai is considered an empath by most of society, but she is actually something for more complex and different. Her neighbor Nathan is considered a witch or Lupus(werwolf) because of his abilities, but he is also something much more than meets the eye: he's not human. Together they try to find and stop a killer who is targeting "Gifted" before they lose anyone else or each other to the murders. Very good and very descriptive read! Just really liked it, and can't to read more about the World of the Lupi series!

"Buying Trouble" by Karen Chance was a pretty interesting tale of Claire, a powerful null who is more than one she seems and works in a paranormal auction house in Manhattan. One night she meets Heidar, a powerful Light Fey who is out to make a purchase at this particular auction, and both of them get much more than he or she bargained for. I liked this little short story based in the universe of Dorina Basarab and Cassie Palmer. I thought the story was good, but I wished we had seen and learned more about the three different factions of Fey and Claire's family. Hopefully we will get more from these two in other books as the end suggests future writings.

"Mona Lisa Betwining" by Sunny was just a different type of story than I was expecting. I have never read any of her books before, so I felt like I was walking in blind a bit through the story. The story centered on the Queen of the Monere, shapeshifters, and her time shortly after taking control of her territory in Louisiana. She is just learning her land, but must travel to the Council to discuss how she won her throne. She encounters life changing events that she has no control of, and leans on the one man she has shown only disdain for. I admit, I was a bit perplexed, to say the least, but I liked the way the author wrote and she did peak my interest in reading her Demon Princess series. On the fence about going further into the Mona Lisa Monere series. The multiple lovers kind of threw me a bit, but I'm open-minded, and I'll probably venture into this series at some point!

Overall, I enjoyed the book as a whole although two of the authors were a bit different, but peaked my interest in their writings. I truly enjoyed the first and third stories more than the second and fourth probably because I am currently reading books set in those particular worlds. The fourth story was much more graphic and explicit with the sexual components, but all were not lacking in the romance department say the first story which was mostly Urban Fantasy. Unless you are a fan of two or more of the authors in this anthology, I don't think I'd recommend it to just any reader. (less)

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Feb 02, 2010 Tara marked it as own-it-to-read

Shelves: weres-and-shifters, urban-fantasy, fae

I'll review as I read the stories:

1/1/10: Buying Trouble by Karen Chance: I admit to being confused since this is called the Dorina prequel and Dorina isn't in the story. Since I'm actually writing this after finishing Midnight's Daughter I can say that while it was interesting, I think I would have spent less of the book confused if I hadn't actually read this story first. Maybe that's just me. I think it would have been nice to read Midnight's Daughter, then to have gone back and read this sho...more

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Oct 05, 2011 Tracey rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who aren't sure about Patricia Briggs - just DON'T READ THE LAST NOVELLA

Shelves: fantasy, urban-fantasy, usa, shape-shifters, collection, pnr

Giving this book a rating is not easy.

Alpha and Omega – four and a half stars, rounded because Goodreads is for some reason technologically incapable of halves up to five. I picked this book up solely for Patricia Briggs, although I find it a little odd that a Briggs story is part of this collection; the other three contributors seem to be firmly in the PNR category, and Briggs … isn't. At least, the Mercy Thompson books aren't, despite what their covers look like; it's a hard sell when someone...more

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Jun 02, 2008 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book has four short stories by four different fantasy authors. Patricia Briggs is only responsible for the first, "Alpha and Omega", a spin-off of her Mercy Thompson series. It gives some background information for the Mercy Thompson book "Moon Called". A full length novel featuring the werewolf couple of Charles and Anna (from this short story) comes out in August. It's a well written and interesting piece. The characters and setting are very wonderful, I feel like I need to visit Chicago...more

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Aug 14, 2009 The Flooze rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: anthology-shorties, urban-fantasy-paranormal, paranormal-romance, vanquished_2009, owned

"Read" is a bit of a lie. I'm holding off on finishing this until I'm ready to read Briggs' Alpha & Omega series. But, the story so far....

Eileen Wilks' contribution is confusing. The language is stilted at times and the description of powers isn't adequate. There's potential, but the story and characters weren't very compelling. Also, as others said, the ending felt forced, hasty, and screamed "buy my book." If you want me as a reader, show that you can satisfy me!

Karen Chance's Buying Trou...more

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Mar 19, 2011 willaful rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: story-novella-or-anthology, woo-woo

One of these things is not like the others...

I really enjoyed the first three stories in this anthology, all of which were on the paranormal romance side of urban fantasy, just where I like it. I was familiar with the worlds already established in Briggs' and Wilks' stories but think it would have been fine if I hadn't been; Chance's world was new to me, but stood alone perfectly well. Good characters, good conflicts; I actually feel inspired to continue with Wilks' Lupis series, which had prev...more

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Jan 02, 2009 Pamela rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, paranormal-romance, short-stories-anthology, urban-fantasy

I adored the stories by Patricia Briggs, Eileen Wilks, and Karen Chance.

I tried to read one of Sunny's stories in another anthology and couldn't do it. I gave this one a chance, though, and had to stop reading by the third page. The writing is laughably bad, and the character is such an enormous Mary Sue that I felt like I was reading fanfic written by a fifteen year old girl.

Er... will post a more detailed review of the stories I did like. :D

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Apr 21, 2008 Jaime rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: patricia-briggs

Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs, I liked the story about a romance between two werewolves. I am excited to learned more about the two characters in their series.

Inhuman by Eileen Wilks: I had a hard time getting into it, it was and ok fantasy story.

Buying Trouble by Karen Chance: A paranormal auction that goes wrong can be quite entertaining. A fun story!!

Mona Lisa Betwining by Sunny: This was the first I have read of the Mona Lisa series. I felt there was a great story someplace in Sunny's t...more

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Feb 12, 2011 Carolyn F. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, anthology-omnibus, favorites

AMENDED 02/12/11 I'm re-reading this because I'm going to listen to the Alpha & Omega series and the first story about them meeting is not in an audiobook. Note to publisher: Please make this an audiobook! This is one of my favorite anthologies.

2nd read. Loved the Patricia Briggs and Eileen Wilks stories. Karen Chance's Claire (2nd story I've read with this character) is okay. She's an okay character. Sunny's story is good, but you have to read the other stories in order to understand this...more

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Feb 22, 2010 Lindsey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: shifters, urban-fantasy

I only read the first story in this collection -- Patricia Briggs' Alpha & Omega -- so that I could start reading the A & O series. I got a lot of insight into Charles' character. He is virtually silent and cold-hearted in the Mercy books whenever he happens to appear. Poor Anna, I'm glad she got out of that horrible situation. Hope the other series is good, Mercy will always be the best though.

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Jan 26, 2013 Teri rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: anthology, urban-fantasy, friends-to-lovers, law-enforcement-romance

I loved the first three stories, they were all a UF/PNR short story should be in my opinion. I couldn't get into the last story, though, it wasn't my cup of tea.

"Alpha and Omega" by Patricia Briggs - I had already read this story and I totally love it. It expands the world of Mercy Thompson in a really great way, it's the beginning of a touching and sweet love story, it makes you want to read more about these characters and their future adventures.

"Inhuman" by Eileen Wilks - A very compelling st...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Krys rated it 2 of 5 stars

The writing in three out of the four mini stories in this book confused the crud out of me. It wasn't what the authors said but how they said it. Sometimes they would add an extra few words into a sentence that just tossed the whole meaning out the window because I was so distracted by all of the extra words that I couldn't deduce the meaning. I don't believe they (Briggs, Wilks, and Chance)were purposely trying to be elaborate and frilly in their writing, I just believe they were trying to des...more The writing in three out of the four mini stories in this book confused the crud out of me. It wasn't what the authors said but how they said it. Sometimes they would add an extra few words into a sentence that just tossed the whole meaning out the window because I was so distracted by all of the extra words that I couldn't deduce the meaning. I don't believe they (Briggs, Wilks, and Chance)were purposely trying to be elaborate and frilly in their writing, I just believe they were trying to describe the occurring events and became a little over arduous with their words...
I also found that I had trouble keeping up with the story-line. I'm not sure whether these mini novels are extensions to the respective authors' series or prequels to said series, I just picked this book up off the shelf at the library because I though it was just one novel until I took a closer look. As I read the first three stories I found myself feeling lost and under the impression that (from the flow of the writing and lack of essential detail that marks an independent novel or first installment of a series) these mini stories were meant for readers who had already read the other novels in the respective series and were composed merely to give those readers something to chew on until the next book in the series came out. If this is the case then that would greatly explain my confusion and therefor resulting dislike of the first three stories in this novel.
Th fourth story however, written by Sunny, was cute in the way that only supernatural romances can be. I felt that this story, also, was part of a larger (un-read by me) installment, but I experienced a lesser degree of confusion and annoyance while reading it because of the relative simple nature of events and minimal use of characters with no explained back-stories. Though there were moments when I felt the plot grew slightly cheesy and mundane in the way of paranormal romance novels it was by far the most engaging and interesting out of the four.(less)

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Mar 10, 2012 Jacey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, urban-fantasy

Four stories:
Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs
Inhuman by Eileen Wilks
Buying Trouble by Karen Chance
Mona Lisa Betwining by Sunny

Four variable stories all involving some kind of were-style shapechanging, though not necessarily werewwolves.

I bought the book to read the first story in the new Charles and Anna werefolf series by Patricia Briggs in which a secondary character in the Mercy Thompson series takes centre stage. Charles, the son of the Marrok (werewolf leader) and his enforcer suddenly sh...more Four stories:
Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs
Inhuman by Eileen Wilks
Buying Trouble by Karen Chance
Mona Lisa Betwining by Sunny

Four variable stories all involving some kind of were-style shapechanging, though not necessarily werewwolves.

I bought the book to read the first story in the new Charles and Anna werefolf series by Patricia Briggs in which a secondary character in the Mercy Thompson series takes centre stage. Charles, the son of the Marrok (werewolf leader) and his enforcer suddenly shows a softer side when he's sent to Chgicago to investigate the wrongdoings of the resident pack in which Anna, a newly turned werewolf, is being ill-treated. On discovering Anna is not a submissive wolf but is, iinstead, a valuable omega who can calm down aggression in wolves, Charles realises that the pack is in deep trouble and ends up dispensing justice and winning a mate.

Eileen Wilkes' Inhuman was a bonus because I liked the writing and the characters. Kai ios a police officer with a secret - she's telepathic - but her neighbour Nathan has an even bigger secret. Not only does he have magical talents but he's not even human. Luckily he's in Kai's side. Like Alpha and Omega this is the prelude to a novel length story - 'Night Season'

They definitley started with the best, but 'Buying Trouble is still a tolerably good story. Claire (a fiery redheaded mage) works in an auction house where magical artifacts are the stock in trade. Unfortunately her unscrupulous boss decides that she's going on the block herself. In trying to escape she teams up with Heidar one of the dark fey, crosses over into the otherworld and discovers her own fey heritage.

Last and definitely least is Mona Lisa Betwining, a poor excuse to write about sex. Halway between wooden 'erotic' fiction and unlovely porn this is totally disappointing and about as unerotic as a sex manual. The plot line is a vague excuse for sex from the front, non-penetrative sex and sex from the back - more or less in that order with the occasional touch of dominance thrown in. Mona Lisa, newly made Queen of the Monere (moon-basking shape-changers) is called to answer to the Council for previous actions resulting in... er... more sex. This reads like it follows on from a novel I haven't read on would ever want to read, but there's no indication if that's really the case. Not for me.
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Mar 08, 2012 Thomi rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you're going to read Patricia Briggs' Alpha & Omega series, you have to start with the short story in this book. It's an anthology on stories by 4 authors and Briggs' story is about how Charles and Anna met one another. You could read the first Alpha & Omega book without reading this but you'll feel like you're missing a little bit of background since the first book mentions events that happen in the recent past. These are the details you'll get in the Alpha & Omega short story in...more If you're going to read Patricia Briggs' Alpha & Omega series, you have to start with the short story in this book. It's an anthology on stories by 4 authors and Briggs' story is about how Charles and Anna met one another. You could read the first Alpha & Omega book without reading this but you'll feel like you're missing a little bit of background since the first book mentions events that happen in the recent past. These are the details you'll get in the Alpha & Omega short story in this book. I purchased this book for that reason but I found that I also enjoyed 2 of the other short stories as well. I especially enjoyed "Inhuman" by Eileen Wilks. It's not the typical were or shapeshifter story; it has a very unique twist compared to the series and stories I have read of the same nature. I wanted the story to continue past the end and was glad to see that the author intends to continue it in book. I also enjoyed "Buying Trouble" by Karen Chance. This story is more fantasy than horror but it isn't predictable and I really liked the characters. The end of the story was satisfying and unlike the other stories, it didn't mention that the story continues in the author's next book. If the author did or plans on writing another book continuing the story, I will read it for sure. The only story I didn't especially enjoy was the last one in the book, "Mona Lisa Betwining" by Sunny. The review by the NY Times stated that fans of Laurell K. Hamilton (LKH) will love this author so I was looking forward to reading the story. LKH's Anita Blake series is one of my favorite series. I was greatly disappointed. The only similarity I saw in this story and LKH's stories are the abundant sex scenes which I find also mar some of LKH's books. If you compare this story to the better LKH books like Guilty Pleasures or Skin Trade, the story pales in comparison. If you're reading the story for the erotica and are not concerned with the story or characters, then you'll be satisfied. If you're more interested with the characters and story, you'll be disappointed. I'm glad it was only a short story and not an entire book. Overall, the book is worth the $7.99.(less)

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Feb 27, 2012 Dark Faerie Tales rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-by-sheila

Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: This anthology delivers tantalizing views into well-loved worlds. Fun reads that can be enjoyed without prior knowledge of the series.

The Review:

I don’t normally read all of an anthology. I will go to the sections with my favorite authors and then call it good. On the Prowl is not your usual anthology. The novellas are long enough to satisfy my need for details yet short enough to wet my appetite for more. I had not previously read anything...more

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Nov 29, 2011 Tilly Slaton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews-completed

Although I have not read all of her books as of yet, Patricia Briggs is one of my favorite authors.

The Mercy Thompson series really appealed to me. I love shape-shifter romance books, and I was pleasantly surprised to find the series continue the relationship between Mercy and Adam.

The Alpha and Omega series is a spin-off of the Mercy Thompson series. This series is based on the relationship between Charles and Anna.

Charles is a very dominant werewolf. He was born a werewolf, the only of his kin...more Although I have not read all of her books as of yet, Patricia Briggs is one of my favorite authors.

The Mercy Thompson series really appealed to me. I love shape-shifter romance books, and I was pleasantly surprised to find the series continue the relationship between Mercy and Adam.

The Alpha and Omega series is a spin-off of the Mercy Thompson series. This series is based on the relationship between Charles and Anna.

Charles is a very dominant werewolf. He was born a werewolf, the only of his kind. As son of the Marrok, Bran, he is the head hunter and wielder of justice for their kind.

Anna is an Omega werewolf. Changed without her consent and unknowing of what she is, she endured three years of abuse and rape from her pack. It took some time, but finally she gripped what little courage she had and contacted the Marrok to inform him of the death of the disappearance of one of the new werewolves in her pack.

As Charles was already sent to investigate the evil doings of Leo's pack, Bran added a new order .. to protect Anna from the pack's retaliation.

Charles' wolf claims Anna's wolf as his mate before either of them have time to adjust to one another. This makes things even more explosive as he is territorial and jealous of those around her. The knowledge of her abuse and pass around rape infuriates him.

This is a very short story that introduces this new relationship in the world of Briggs' werewolves. Although Anna's character progression is at light speed, I look forward to reading more of her.

I strongly advise you to read the Mercy Thompson series first. Without doing so, I doubt you would appreciate this book as much as I.

I recommend this book to mature adults. Although there is no descriptive sexual content, there is a semi mild discussion of rape and abuse. Mild to moderate violence.

If I had read this book without prior reading the Mercy Thompson series, I would have rated this with two stars. Knowing what is to come with Crywolf and Hunting Grounds, I rated it with four stars.

~Happy reading(less)

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Nov 13, 2011 Meg rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: women-supernatural, short-stories

I mostly picked up this one to get a hit of Patricia Briggs' werewolves while waiting for the next book to come out. And I was not disappointed in that read. Solid characters, solid world, I adore her werewolves every time she writes them.

I also enjoyed Eilene Wilks' story "Inhuman" and may seek out some of her work after reading the novella. She definitely caught my interest with her characters the world she's set up.

The last two in the collection reminded me that while it's trendy to write wo...more

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Aug 29, 2011 Michele Fogal rated it 4 of 5 stars

It's About...
This book is a compellation of several stories. "Alpha and Omega" is the title of Patrica Brigg's novella that kicks off the "Alpha and Omega" series. It's about Charles, the head werewolf's son and Anna, a rare omega werewolf.

I didn't actually read the whole of On the Prowl - couldn't locate it, and was too consumed with Briggs alone to focus on the others. Therefore, I'll post the review of her novella here and under the Alpha and Omega title itself.

What I loved...
Super hot roma...more

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Feb 10, 2011 ***Dave Hill rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: text

I was turned on to Patricia Briggs through her Mercedes Thompson series. I was persuaded to pick up a new book set in the same world, "Alpha and Omega," only to find the story opening after the lead novella in this collection ... which led me, in turn, to pick it up.

I most likely would not have done so had I read the cover text "Four all-new stories of dark streets and inhuman passions."

The Supernatural Modern Fantasy genre suffers from being overcrowded and from having a big overlap with the Su...more I was turned on to Patricia Briggs through her Mercedes Thompson series. I was persuaded to pick up a new book set in the same world, "Alpha and Omega," only to find the story opening after the lead novella in this collection ... which led me, in turn, to pick it up.

I most likely would not have done so had I read the cover text "Four all-new stories of dark streets and inhuman passions."

The Supernatural Modern Fantasy genre suffers from being overcrowded and from having a big overlap with the Supernatural Modern Romance genre. This book, alas, tends much more toward the latter than the former, with far too many of the protagonists (all of them Women with Mysterious Abilities) being obsessed (and obsessing others) over sex between themselves and the Mysterious Fantasy Hunk Around Whom They Just Can't Control Themselves. As a hint, if every other paragraph is admiring the Mysterious Fantasy Hunk's bod, fantasizing about what they must not (but so want to) do, or actually getting it on with said Mysterious Fantasy Hunk ... that's a problem.

I don't mind a bit of romance and sex in my Supernatural Modern Fantasy. When it becomes the centerpiece, though, a soft porn raison d'etre for the tale, it loses me. Your mileage may vary.

Brigg's "Alpha and Omega" novella kicks off the collection, and is the best of breed. Granted, the protagonist is essentially an abuse victim, the most submissive werewolf in a pack that is being badly, even insanely, led, there's still plenty going on that's not sex between her and the chief American werewolf's enforcer sent to investigate things. There's some good pack politics, a righteous sense of right and wrong, and overall it's a satisfying tale, leading directly into the novel of the same name. Make it 3.5/5 stars.

Eileen Wilks' "Inhuman" is simple, glurgy romance, with a witchy woman (with a secret) and her friend who's mysterious and otherworldly -- all of which factors get cranked up to a lurid 12 as secret after disclosure after discovery ensue, including Fae royalty, shapeshifting cat-women, evil and puritanical persecution of the magically gifted, murder, unrequited romance, a strong man who's humanized by a soft woman, two or three power boosts, and, of course, lots of swexy sex. It's froth, pure and simple, and once you strip away the soft porn, there's just not much there there. Though it would have been hard to take, a full-length novel would have been better, if only to build a more coherent fabric around the tale. One is promised at the end. Make it 1/5 stars.

Karen Chance does better in "Buying Trouble," throwing out a fairly rich world of Fae and magic and elves and dragons and sorcerous families on earth and wars and ... well, and, of course, an unlikely romance between a Mysterious Fantasy Hunk and the protagonist Woman with Mysterious Abilities. When it's not drowning in sex (the woman literally cannot keep her hands off of him, once they touch), or being jumbled with umpteen new concepts or power escalations every page turn, it's not a bad little story. Ultimately, 2.5/5 stars for some good world-building but a rushed and overheated tale.

I read three pages of Sunny's "Mona Lisa Rising" before I had to stop. Amidst language and story elements so florid and over-wrought that they almost read as parody (but without a hint they are meant to be so), I just couldn't take it any more. I'll call it 0/5 for an Incomplete.

I suspect this book will be more attractive to those who already like these authors, or who are, well, looking for the Fantasy Harlequin Romances of the 21st Century. They just weren't my cuppa, with the exception of some choice bits. This one's going in the give-away bin.(less)

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Jan 13, 2011 Kaleigha rated it 4 of 5 stars

*Only for Patricia Brigg's Alpha and Omega

I had heard such good things about this Patricia Briggs series that I had to give it a try. Although very brief, it is a wonderful story and a great set up to the series.

The thing that makes this, for me, are the unique main characters. Charles is a killer. No hesitation, no apologies, he is his fathers assassin. That said, he is not evil, just very very good at his job. When his latest assignment takes him to Chicago to investigate claims against the Al...more

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About Patricia Briggs

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Patricia Briggs was born in Butte, Montana to a children’s librarian who passed on to her kids a love of reading and books. Patricia grew up reading fairy tales and books about horses, and later developed an interest in folklore and history. When she decided to write a book of her own, a fantasy book seemed a na...more

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