I adore Patricia Briggs, so it was a big bummer when I read the first book in the Alpha and Omega series - Cry Wolf - and didn't like it. I have enough faith in the author that I gave Hunting Ground a try - and boy am I glad I did! I thought the book got off to a slow start, but by the end I was really wrapped up in the characters and the story.

The first quarter of the book or so is slow - like Cry Wolf, it has a lot of telling instead of showing. Anna and Charles are endlessly discussing the status of their relationship, testing out the psychic bond they have as mates, and mooning over one another.

Once the conference in Seattle gets started, however, things pick up and the book really hits its stride. A team of vampires is out hunting in Seattle, and after they use werewolf magic to ambush Anna while she's out shopping, it's clear there's some very scary inter-species cooperation going on. Anna makes a lot of progress in Hunting Ground - she's more courageous after the events of the first book, and ready to flex her muscles a bit. It's great to see her standing up for herself more, and exploring what it means to be an Omega. And Charles does his bit, too - he's exactly the kind of caring, supportive partner Anna needs, and I really enjoyed reading about how they faced down challenges together. Their developing trust is one of the sweetest and most satisfying plotlines in the book.

I figured out who the villain was just one or two pages before the big reveal. That was very satisfying! It kept me guessing for a long time, then all the clues came together and I had a big aha! moment, and only a couple of pages later my suspicions were confirmed. That's a sign of good pacing to me, so kudos.

I'm glad to be on board with the series now, and I'm excited about the next installment. I'm worried that Anna might be a little too similar to Mercy at this point - they're both outside the pack structure yet part of a pack, both need good sense to compensate for certain natural weaknesses - but no need to borrow trouble.