Night Broken

Mercy Thompson #8

by Patricia Briggs

An unexpected phone call heralds a new challenge for Mercy. Her mate Adam’s ex-wife is in trouble, on the run from a stalker. Adam isn’t the kind of man to turn away a person in need—and Mercy knows it. But with Christy holed up in Adam’s house, Mercy can’t shake the feeling that something about the situation isn’t right.

Soon her suspicions are confirmed when she learns that Christy has the furthest thing from good intentions. She wants Adam back, and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get him, including turning Adam’s pack against Mercy.

Mercy isn’t about to step down without a fight, but there’s a more dangerous threat circling. Christy’s stalker is more than a bad man—in fact, he may not be human at all. As the bodies start piling up, Mercy must put her personal troubles aside to face a creature with the power to tear her whole world apart.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Vampires, Romance, Werewolves, Shapeshifters

341 pages, Hardcover

First published March 4, 2014

About the author

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 natural choice. Patricia graduated from Montana State University with degrees in history and German and she worked for a while as a substitute teacher. Currently, she lives in Montana with her husband, children, and six horses and writes full time, much to the delight of her fans.

Reviews

[Ferdy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars - Spoilers

I really didn't like this installment, mainly because I pretty much hated every character (especially Adam and Christy)… The only ones I didn't mind were Jesse, Tad, and Warren… Even Mercy irritated me with her overly understanding Mary Sue attitude towards Adam and his ex.

-What's what: Adam's ex wife (Christy) has a crazy psycho stalker after her, Mercy and co have to protect her. Also, Mercy has to look for her sort of dad (Coyote) so he can give her back a magical walking stick that the fae are demanding. On top of that, Mercy has to deal with the fact that Christy wants Adam back.

-I couldn't stand all the bitchy female characters, literally every secondary female character hated Mercy, the only ones that didn't were Adam's daughter and Honey (to a certain extent). It just wasn't believable to me that Mercy was constantly surrounded by mean, jealous, petty women, I found it rather unrealistic. Sure, there are a lot of awful women but there are just as much men who are awful… But like most YA/UF/PNR books heroines tend to spend most of their time with complete fucking cows. Which is bullshit, in real life women usually spend more time with supportive, nice women rather than all the not so nice women. All these books make out like women are all bitches apart from a few speshul snowflakes. It's absurd.
Yes, Mercy gets on with her mum and half-sisters… But she rarely mentions them and doesn't seem particularly close to them, all of them are more or less non-characters. Whereas, Mercy can't stop banging on about Bran, Coyote and all the other wonderful male influences in her life. Apparently, relationships only matter and are only worth taking about if it involves a male. If I'm meant to believe that Mercy has strong, meaningful relationships with other female characters (bar Adam's daughter) then it needs to be shown and time needs to spent on them.
I'm not impressed with the portrayal of women in the series in general, 90% of the ones that have significant roles are nasty and unpleasant. Maybe, they're just written that way to make Mercy stand out and seem more heroine-like. Whatever the reason, it's irritating and disheartening to read a heroine who only really comes in contact with vile women. Would it really be that unrealistic to let her have a few decent female friends that she regularly interacts with?

-A quick summary of Mercy's relationship with male/female characters:

The prominent secondary male characters in the series Mercy gets along with/has meaningful relationships with: Adam, Samuel, Bran, Ben, Warren, Kyle, Tad, Zee, Coyote, Gary, Tony, and Darryl.
The prominent secondary female characters in the series Mercy gets along with/has meaningful relationships with:
Jesse, her mum (who's hardly ever mentioned), and Honey (sort of).
So yea, Mercy has four times as many good male friends/relationships than she has female. That's just not right.

Now for the Adam Hate:

The many reasons why I now hate Adam:

1. Adam let his ex-wife stay in his and Mercy's house. What sort of husband does that to their new wife? Adam could have insisted that Christy stay somewhere else, especially when he saw how it was affecting Mercy.

2. Adam pays for ALL of Christy's expenses. What a joke, what wife would be cool with her husband paying for their ex-wife's rent/car/phone bill/insurance?!

3. Adam happily let Christy play wife and take over Mercy's house.

4. Adam said NOTHING whenever Christy was trying to humiliate and push Mercy around. Why didn't he say something? Why didn't he stand by Mercy? Instead he let her struggle and squirm. He didn't need to fight her battles but he could have at least shown some support.

5. Adam giving Christy his mobile phone when she'd already stopped Mercy from talking to him once before. Why did he let her have it?! To play games? He couldn't have told her to borrow someone else's or use a computer? Really?!

6. Adam exchanging tender looks and memories with Christy in front of Mercy and the pack. How HUMILIATING for Mercy to listen to Adam banging on about the good old times with his ex wife. Ugh, he had all these special memories with Christy that he'll never forget, she'll always be a part of him. Of course, Mercy will only ever be about Adam.

7. Adam telling his ex-wife that she can keep her make up in his/Mercy's shared bathroom. Really?! Why didn't he tell her to make some room in the other two bathrooms in the house? She's not that much of a master manipulator that he couldn't simply tell her to use another bathroom instead of traipsing through his/Mercy's bedroom to get to their shared bathroom. It's not like it would have been unreasonable for him to tell his ex-wife that. And then when Mercy rightly lets Adam know she's not happy, he leaves it to her to sort out the make up/bathroom situation that he created!

8. The fact he kept his house the exact way Christy decorated and arranged it. His house was more Christy's than Mercy's, it was full of Christy's memories and things… There was NOTHING of Mercy there. What wife would want to live in a house that was completely decorated by their husband's ex??

9. Not helping Mercy with trying to find Coyote/the walking stick whilst she was running around helping him and his ex wife. Seriously, he could have done more to help her, she was stressed out about it and he was more interested in his ex-wife's problem. Why is it that Mercy goes above and beyond to help Adam and his pack but in comparison he/they rarely do the same for her?

10. When Adam found out Christy had risked Mercy's life by not telling everyone that her stalker was more than human he didn't shout at her for putting Mercy in danger… No, he was just hurt that Christy hadn't confided in him. Ugh.

11. Adam letting the majority of his pack treat Mercy like shit. She lives her life surrounded by those bastards and he does nothing when they treat her with disgust, hatred, and disdain. It's one thing letting Mercy stand up for herself but it's another sitting back and doing nothing whilst the pack treat Mercy like crap day in and day out. Does he like to see Mercy treated like shit?! He's their alpha, he has their respect and loyalty, he could easily tell them to back off.

12. Adam ever loving a horrid person like Christy. It doesn't say much about his love for Mercy when he could fall madly in love with a vile cow like Christy.

-There's no way Mercy would treat Adam the way he treated her in this. She would never make him feel that small and rubbish by letting an ex stay in their home and then letting them act like the man of the house. She wouldn't have let anyone undermine Adam, let alone a jealous ex, she also wouldn't have gotten all cosy with an ex in front of him either, and she wouldn't still act like someone else's wife when she was married to Adam. It's a shame Adam doesn't respect Mercy as much as she does him.

More ranty, repetitive thoughts:

-WTF Adam pays for Christy's car, flat, bills, and other expenses?! Ugh, I don't care that Adam's an alpha and feels like he has to look after her… He shouldn't be paying for everything as if they were still married!! She's forty fucking years old, she can look after herself, Adam doesn't need to bankroll her! FFS Adam acted like Christy was still his bloody wife.

-My opinion of Adam went way down in this installment. The way he was with Christy pissed me off: he let her get away with all sorts, got all cosy and nostalgic with her, made Mercy feel insecure, and in many ways still acted like a husband to Christy. Also, the fact that he once deeply loved a fucker of a woman like Christy makes me think much less of him. There was nothing good about the manipulative, immature, lying, selfish cow — so either Adam was too dumb to see Christy for what she really was or he loved her despite her being an awful person… Either way, Adam didn't come out looking good.
Also, it was made perfectly clear in this that if Christy had never left Adam he would never have looked twice at Mercy, he would have stayed happily married to Christy and wouldn't have wanted Mercy even a little bit. So yea, that doesn't say much about his feelings for Mercy.

-I LOATHED how Adam let Christy take over his and Mercy house, how he let Christy manipulate everyone, how loving and caring he was around Christy, and how he sat back and did nothing whilst Christy was trying to get one over on Mercy. He should have supported Mercy and put Christy in her place whenever she tried to make Mercy feel like crap — but he didn't, he just went along with Christy's games and then later when he was alone with Mercy he'd thank her for being a doormat. He rarely stuck up for her when the pack was present, he just left Mercy to be judged and bitched at. All Adam did in this was prove how unworthy he was of Mercy.

-Did Christy really have to stay in Adam's house? It was appalling that he expected Mercy to be cool about his ex-wife staying in her house and taking over her home. He could have easily asked her to stay with Warren or another wolf… Yea, Christy would be pissed but so what? At least it'd show that he respected and cared about Mercy's feelings more than Christy's. Also, why would he want Christy to stay with them when she had a psycho chasing her and her living in his house could put his daughter and mate in danger? Ugh, it was all about Christy, her feelings, and her safety… Mercy came last. Adam could have protected Christy without her living in his home, but the wanker wanted her happy and comfortable and couldn't have cared less how Mercy was feeling. The dick.

-It was so irritating that Adam left Mercy to deal with Christy's mind games, he never once put his foot down with Christy. He could have told her to back off, he's a bloody alpha and Christy was no longer his wife… But no, he let Christy do whatever she wanted and then casually watched as Mercy was bombarded with bitchiness from those around her. What sort of husband does that to their wife?!

-Why did Christy keep answering Adam's mobile?! Why did he let her? It was fucked up. Especially when Mercy had already tried to reach him and Christy basically told her to piss off - Adam knew that Mercy couldn't get a hold of him when Christy had his phone, after that he should have made sure he kept his phone with him instead of letting his petty, jealous ex have it. Honestly, it just made me think that Adam liked Christy playing wifey with him and that he didn't mind Mercy feeling like crap or Mercy not being able to get a hold of him when she was in danger. Who was this pathetic excuse for a man?!

-Fans of the series probably think Adam was positively swoony or perfect or even perfectly flawed but to me he turned into a lame-wanker-bastard-douche-loser. I no longer like his relationship with Mercy. He's lost a LOT of points for even loving Christy to begin with, what did he ever see in her? She had no redeemable qualities. It's clear that that he'll always love Christy and have something with her that he'll never have with Mercy… Christy will always be the woman he shared his first marriage, first pregnancy, and first baby with — anything with Mercy can't compare to those joyful and powerful moments. Even if Mercy has his kids one day, it wouldn't feel special because he's already experienced it all before with Christy/Jesse… Anything with Mercy would just be a repeat of that.

-The pack were a bunch of utter dicks, they treated Mercy like rubbish even though she'd done more than enough to warrant their loyalty and respect. In the past she did plenty to prove her worth yet she still had to practically beg and plead for their approval. What have they ever done to prove their worth to her? Nothing.

-I hated that Adam's ex-wife was portrayed as such a bitch. It felt like the only reason she was like that was so that Mercy could look good in comparison. Why must so many ex wives/girlfriends of heroes be vile cows that hate the heroine and want the hero back?! It's so cliched and unimaginative. Why couldn't Christy be a decent woman who was civil and respectful towards Mercy and her marriage to Adam? Also, if she hadn't been written as such a bitch then at least it would have made some sense why Adam fell for her and married her… Writing her as a weak, manipulative slag just made Adam look like less of a man for ever loving her.

-So Mercy is long lived but not immortal like Adam… That means that once she dies Adam will eventually move on and find love elsewhere. I mean, if he could love a woman like Christy then I'm sure he'll have no trouble falling for another woman after Mercy's death.

-It's weird that the series is called Mercy Thompson when she's now known as Mercy Haumpton. She really should have kept her own name.

-I liked the addition of Gary, his banter was Coyote was great.

-The ending was enjoyable and quite action packed.

All in all, I wasn't impressed. The lack of good secondary female characters annoyed me, Mercy spending most of her time around men annoyed me, Christy being an irritating cliche annoyed me, most of the characters being insufferable annoyed me, but worst of all Adam annoyed me, he's now ruined for me. He was a rubbish mate who was still all about his ex, he didn't deserve Mercy. This book just left me thinking that Adam's love for Mercy was nothing special at all, how could it be when he'd also once been deeply in love with a horrible, horrible woman like Christy.

[Lila · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 stars read for me.

It was so good being back in Mercy Thompson world.
You can always count on Patty Briggs to deliver quality story (imo) and Night Broken was no exception.

Bare plot: Christy, Adam's ex wife is running from a nasty stalker, so she decided to seek protection with Adam and his Pack. Unfortunately for Mercy, stalker in question is dangerous supernatural who can end them all and Christy just won't take the hint that there is a new Alpha's Mate in Columbia Basin pack.

When blurb for this book was released my main concern was how is Patty going to handle whole Christy thing. I had two issues with this:
First is tied to series: Adam and Mercy are one of my favorite couple exactly for the reason that they don't go through relationship dramas or misunderstandings that can be resolved with one honest conversation. We read them get together, becoming pair and running a Pack. They are solid.I love that. Second thing is more general: I just don't like love triangles and storylines with ex-gfs getting back because it's rarely done well not to appear as a between-filler meant to drag series and because at one point I am probably going to want to smack hero for doing something extremely stupid tied to his ex.
Well, fear not. None of this happened. I had a wish that some of wolves EAT Christy every two pages, so to say that Mercy had a tough time is an understatement. Christy was such a unlikable character. She is one of those women who will tell you venomous words using their sweetest voice. She was whiny, selfish and manipulative in the worst way possible- You have Jesse who loves her mother and Adam who has a mile-long protective streak and she was not above using that and emotionally blackmail entire Pack.
Now.. the thing I liked the most was Adam. He never strayed from Mercy, never lost connection with her or had trust/conversation issues. In his heart and mind there is only one- his Mate. And because of that, Christy was never a real problem for me. For example, when Christy called for help wanting to come, he didn't say yes right away, he was thinking and looking at Mercy giving her the say in whole thing as well, and Mercy knowing that she is Jesse's mother and thinking about Pack said get her to come. And THIS is how those two work. They are one in mind and soul and thank you, Patty, for not ruining that for me.
If Adam was great... I can't say that about the Pack. You know, after events of Frost Burned, I thought that Mercy finally proved that she earns her place as Adam's Mate. Granted, her position was always shaky, but the way female werewolves (Mary Jo and Auriele) stood to Christy's side was so damn frustrating! Christy played them like a violin and just the fact they can get over the fact that Christy left Adam and Jesse on her own, but they can't get over the fact that Mercy is a coyote made me scream at my reader.
Mercy, on the other hand, reacted the way we can all understand and relate to. She was tolerating and understanding, but she was also self-concious, she was avoiding going home,she snapped back at Christy few times... and in the end she didn't deal with it like a human or a woman or a mate...she handled it like a coyote.:)

The story behind stalker had very interesting mythology and I find him to be intriguing villain, because he was also damaged in a way and that was obvious from his simple motivation.

We met another coyote walker and his banter and sass is priceless and I hope we are going to read more about him. I can already see him becoming friend with Ben.

Also, Coyote was there to cause trouble or save the day... I am really not sure. :) Can you imagine all Mercy's "Dads" -Bran, Zee and Coyote- having a talk that would turn into I-Am-More-Cunning-Than-You clash of epic proportions? I would die to read that.

Reason for half-star deduction is that there was no Bran and Ben had only one line =__= ...but I'll fake that and say that big fight was little anticlimactic at the end and there are few unanswered questions.

Patty floored me again with her craft. She was never a graphic a writer, but how she manages to bring so many strong emotions and feelings in a few simple words is just amazing:

I cried out when his teeth nipped my shoulder, as the hint of pain traveled electrically down my spine,sending me into a climax that left me wrecked in body and whole in spirit.

Still one of my favorite series. ;)

p.s. I have some unresolved frustrations as a result of reading this book:



Can we PLEASE give her to the Dog?!?!?!

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I forgot to update this re/read. This is one of the many covers that I love!!

I loved this one as much as the others with one exception....CHRISTY! Yes, the stupid ex-wife to Adam. I can't stand her. I would not be able to be as nice as Mercy, I would knock her arse out! I hope before this series ever ends, that she does just that!

**SPOILER-ISH**

This time the stupid woman meets some man while she is out gambling and sleeps with him because he takes notice of her! It ends up he's some fire god that she awakens and has to come crawling back to the pack and live with Mercy and Adam until they can help her. Of course.. she tries to take over. I'm sorry, I would not be the good little coyote. I would take her down and let her know how it is, we will help you, but you will do as I say.. PERIOD!

Ok, I'm done ranting about Christy. So they have to figure out how to fight this demon jerk. Also, they pick up a new wolf traveling through, he's a submissive so he's not much trouble. A Gray Lord wants Mercy to get the staff back from Coyote. You have to read the books to know about the staff :). It's a bunch of crazy going on as usual.

I don't like what happened to the dogs! They should have loaded them up and taken all of them with them. Just saying!

We also get a cameo with Stefen. I love him :) A new character is introduced, although I don't think he is coming back.

Anyway! I loved the book as usual! ❤️

[Esra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every book has an end but this one shouldn't ... I can read forever.



MY THOUGHTS ABOUT CHRISTY



Just kill her already . Most hateable character of history
Coyote and gary was my favorite.

They were better than mercy and adam :D mercy was too tame about christy's actions. Blue shampoo revenge thing wasn't enough . Not even close. And adam was unresponsive about her actions too. he banned her from hospital! what a big deal alpha man!!

It was an awesome book. I love every word of it. I love you patricia briggs. Please keep writing this kick ass series.



Türkiyede bu seriye devam edilmemesi çok ama çok yazık oldu. Harika ötesi bir seri. benim favorilerimden biri. Mercy thompson gelmiş geçmiş en sert kadın karakterler arasında elena ve hunter kiss ile yarışacak kapasitede bir karakter. Kitapta başı beladan kurtulmaya mercy'i bu sefer bela adeta gelip kendi buluyor ve kapısına dayanıyor. Bu belanın adı christy . Adam'ın eski eşi jesse'nin annesi. Gerizekalı kadın kendini öylesi bir belaya bulaştırmış ki içinden çıkılası bir tarafı yok. Kanarya adalarından bir yanardağ ruhunun insana bürünmüş haliyle yatmış ve guyoata onun kendi ruh eşi olduğuna inanmış. Tabi bu tehlikeli ruh ona sert davranınca christy çareyi adam'a kaçıp yardım istemekte buluyor. Adam ve mercy'nin evine gelip saklanıyor . Bununla kalmıyor haspa adam ve sürüyü geri kazanmaya çalışıp evi himayesine alıyor. Mercy'nin içinden onun gözlerini deşmek gelsede susmak zorunda çünkü sürünün özellikle bayanları mercy'nin çokta fanı değiller. Ve eski dostları christy'i hemen kanatlarının altına alıveriyorlar. eğer mercy ona ters davranırsa herşeyi riske atmış olacak. Kısacası christy'nin pisliğini yine mercy temizlemek zorunda kalıyor. Seriye eklenen yeni karakterler var. Zack submissive kurt ilginç bir karakter gibi. Başından kim bilir ne travmatik olay geçti ki bu kadar içe çekinik olmuş. Gary gülenköpek var birde :D coyote'nin oğlu yani mercy'nin üvey kardeşi olmuş oluyor böylece. O da çakala dönüşen bir walker . Babaları tam bir çakal :D ne işler çeviriyor ya. En çok coyote'nin kurnazlığından zevk aldım diyebilirim. Şerefsizin önde gideni kendisi.
Tadını kaçırmamak için spoiler vs detaya girmiyorum. Kısacası bu seriyi okumayı bırakanlara gülüyorum ve tüüüü size diyorum neler kaçırdığınızı bilmiyorsunuz =)

http://allkillerbooks.blogspot.com.tr...

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an example of urban fantasy at it's finest.
I hate to say it, but I've given up on a lot of the series in the adult UF genre that I used to love.
Why?
Well, it seems that after a few kick-ass books, they turn into paranormal romance...or worse. Take the Anita Blake series for instance. The first few books had a badass heroine that rocked, and then the series transitioned into shitty erotica.
That's not what I signed up for.
I wanted magic and mayhem!
Not elongated nipples and ten foot werewolf erections.
On a side note, why does every PNR seem to include at least one scene with a vampire biting his lover down there?
Call me crazy, but that one always makes me cringe. How does someone gnawing on your nether regions constitute anything other than a serious ouchie!?

Sorry. I'm veering way off track here.
I've been reading these books for about 6 years now, and I still get all giggly when a new one comes out! Briggs doesn't churn 'em out like a machine, and it shows in her writing. Mercy is still Mercy. She doesn't suddenly develop supernatural orgasm powers, or need to sleep with the entire pack in order to maintain some sort of cosmic balance.
She doesn't overestimate herself, she doesn't doesn't get angsty and overdramatic, and she doesn't overreact to situations that are out of anyone's control.
She's still cool, still tough, and still good.
She's hands-down one of the best UF characters out there today.

And then there's the rest of the characters...
Each of them have a distinct personality, and each of them react to situations accordingly. It's really an amazing world that Briggs has created. And if you haven't given it a chance yet, I'd highly recommend that you remedy that, 'cause you honestly can't do better than the Mercy Thompson series.

So.
In Night Broken, you get an introduction to the ex-wife and a lava monster.
You'd think the volcano god would be the scariest, but you'd be wrong. And while one of them might me able to melt your skin, the other one will make you want to peel your own skin off. In fact, Christy might turn out to be the best nemesis of the entire series. Forget the bloodthirsty vampires or scary-powerful fae! This chick will bake you into a corner, and then cry prettily while the pack tears you apart on her behalf.
She's like the mega-evil version of Martha Stewart.
shudder
You also get to meet Mercy's new/old half-brother, and find out a few more secrets about Mercy's mysterious heritage. Her elusive father, Coyote, pops up just in time to wreak a little havoc...Or maybe he saves the day?
The jury is still out on that one.
Zee is only mentioned off-page, but his son, Tad, certainly has a few surprises up his sleeve. I wouldn't be shocked if the next book centers around him in some way.
Stefan also makes a short appearance, but it counts for quite an interesting twist in Mercy's story. He's definitely not going anywhere anytime soon.

In the end, it comes down to Mercy's natural coyote instinct to survive, and her willingness to think outside of the box that saves the day.
But I really wouldn't expect anything less of her.
P.S.
The last line of the book? Brilliant! It's not a cliffhanger, but it leaves you desperate for more...

Highly Recommended!

[Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars. This installation of the Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series is noteworthy for two things: Adam's ex-wife Christy comes back into town, begging for protection from a stalker but also trying to steal Adam's attention and the werewolf pack's sympathy and loyalty away from Mercy, because that's just how Christy rolls. And an ancient volcano god from the far-off tropical Canary Islands. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but: fiery Presa Canario dogs!



I wasn't fond of the whole ex-wife subplot. Part of it was that I'm tired of the plotline where Mercy is still trying to win over the loyalty of so many members of the pack, who dislike having a coyote shifter as part of the werewolf pack. (Human mates: okay; coyote shifters: not okay. Why???) And although Adam is a good guy, the amount of attention and deference he gave Christy really rankled. And Christy herself: just, ugh. I can't stand self-absorbed pity-party people like her. But I can't say she wasn't a well-drawn character, and the plotlines all made sense and came together well in the end.

The volcano god plot was pretty solid, and a new character shows up, Mercy's half-brother (that Coyote sure gets around), who's a great addition to the story.

It took a couple of books to hit its stride, but I really love the Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-4.5 stars



It’s been a few years since I’ve read a Mercy Thompson book. When the 9th book came out and my husband read it, I was reminded I still needed to read book 8! I started this one on audio and as always, love the narrator that voices Mercy. Even though it had been a while since I’ve been in Mercy’s world, it all came back to me as I started reading. I’ve been reading these books for a decade now and these characters are special to me. Mercy will forever be one of my favorite heroines. With each book, she shows how kick ass she is and how big her heart is.

There are a few things going on in Night Broken and we meet a few new people. LOVED Gary. He was a definite highlight of the book. Then there is Christy… YES- one of the ONLY books where my name is used and the character is crazy annoying and a straight up bitch at times ;p Figures. I could have used a lot LESS Christy. She brought the drama into the story in more ways than one. There is drama in the pack, due to Christy, and drama she brings with her in the form of a (not so) human male… things get crazy, but as always, Mercy stays strong and uses that fight she has within her.

I love Mercy and I LOVE her with Adam. Their relationship is strong and even when things (or people) get in the middle of it, their love is still unwavering. I adore them together.

”Mercedes Athena Thompson Hauptman, if I have not said it, you should know that you brought joy into my life when I thought there was no joy left in the world.”

This is probably my favorite UF/para series. One I’d highly recommend! I definitely won’t be waiting years to read the next this time ;)

[♥Rachel♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read for the 3rd time June 7th 2020
Yep, Mercy still deserves a medal for not strangling Christy! The fight scenes were pretty exciting. The parts with Coyote and Gary Laughingdog were interesting and enlightening! Mercy is definitely more than just a half-human who can turn in to a coyote. Powers and advantages still being revealed.

Re-read March 30th 2017
I think I hated Christy even more the 2nd time around! Mercy deserves a medal for not killing her!

As usual with the Mercy Thompson series, I was glued to the pages. I detested Christy (Adam's ex-wife and master manipulator) and I dreaded her bit in the story. The saving grace was that Adam staunchly supported Mercy, and they were a united front. I do wonder why the heck he let Christy answer his phone so many times, though! The action and plot were fast paced and distracted me from Christy enough to enjoy the story. Mercy shined the whole way through, but I wouldn't have minded if she was a tad more petty and mean to the ex-bitch, but that would've given power to Christy's attempts to undermine Mercy's standing with both Adam and the pack. I marvel at Mercy's people skills and ability to think things through. Love that she's a total badass, too!

This series is just pure awesomesauce!

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic. I loved every minute, every word and every page. The set-up promises an emotionally tense situation for the pack, Mercy and Adam. This could have been done poorly but it wasn't -- Briggs writes the history and the complexity of Adam's ex combing back to town so well. Have you been missing Samuel? Stefan? Wulfe? Tad? The crew is back. Full review to come closer to release date but damn -- good stuff.

Q&A today at Badass Book Reviews: http://badassbookreviews.com/intervie...

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

March 2018 Reread: Buddy read with Sarah and Erica. I've realized that despite hating some particular people in this book, this is one of my absolute favorites in the series.
February 2017 Re-read: I still absolutely despise Christy.

February 2016 Re-read: Buddy read with Sarah

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.

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, bitchy woman. I also really hope that someone puts the fucking Pack in their place. The lack of respect that they show Mercy is absolutely fucking 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. Fuck 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.

8 December 2014: $2.27 on Kindle

16 October 2014: $3.64 on Kindle

Review to come. I need to process.

The more I think about the things happening here, the more impressed I am. This was a more episodic book than some of them - in that there was the 'Big Bad' and only small movements done to the overall world-arc. I, personally, loved that but I can see how it might bother others.

There's a lot of tension in this book, a lot of division - for a good portion of it. But I like the way things are heading. Although, I swear to the gods, if Christy moves back to the Tri-Cities I'm going to freak the hell out! I don't think she will, because I think she finally realized what a using bitch she was (and still is), but I will freak out if it happens. I hate her. I hate the discord she sows wherever she goes. I hate how she blames everyone else for her choices and problems. I hate that she can effortlessly manipulate people to doing what she wants - and that she uses it for nasty reasons.

When I do get my review written there's likely to be a couple of sections of ranting. There were two main elements that I hated - not that made me hate the book, but characters that I either wanted to smack some effing sense into, or characters I'd rather just died.

This has become a pretty long pre-review, so I think I'll stop here for now.

4.5 Stars ... for now. I reserve the right to raise that.

[Jessica ❁ ➳ Silverbow ➳ ❁ · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I've been a superlative person pretty much my whole life. What does that mean? Well, it means I either love something, or I hate it. There are various things in the world that I have a fairly M-E-H reaction to, but mostly it's either "OMGILOVEIT!" or "OMGWTF?!" This is especially true about certain types of situations I come across in the books I read, and what is the #1 thing I hate most in the world with the fire of thousand suns??

EX-DRAMA.

I don't care what kind. If it's an ex-girlfriend, unrequited childhood crush, EX-WIFE, I don't care. I hate ALL of it. Now some of you more canny individuals out there might question why this is my #1 RAGE button, what does it say about my emotional state that this bothers me as much as it does? Well, I'll tell you:

I hate stupid bitches.

That is all. I'm happily married to my first husband whom I trust. I haven't been cheated on in a relationship since I was a teenager. I don't have major trust issues, I have stupid bitches issues. Like the one who called up my husband, about a month before we got married, asking if he'd ever had feelings for her in a last-ditch effort to get her claws in someone else's man. MINE. Not hers. Kate's, Mercy's, whoever's, NOT hers. So all the Christy-like-home-wreckers of the world can just take a BIG step back. Just in case you missed it the first time, here it is again:



Now. That being said, my father instilled several life-lessons throughout my adolescence by repeating a few key phrases over and over (and over) again, the most important being "WAR EAGLE," and the most pertinent being, "If you're going to do something, do it right."

I don't know if Patricia Briggs is just too nice of a person to create a truly hideous attempt of Adam-thievery, but (IMO) her effort left something to be desired. YES, I know, I'm a complete and total contradiction.

Except that I'm not. B/c this is my stance: either give us EX-DRAMA that warrants the explosive reactions I, and others like me, will have, or don't bother with the EX-DRAMA at all. As much as reading Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews just about killed me last year, it was real. It was an in your face home-wrecker trying to bust up Kate and Curran's relationship. And it was miserable. And I hated it. BUT if you're going to do something, do it RIGHT. In Night Broken, Christy got in numerous barbs, and it was frustrating that neither Mercy, nor Adam could retaliate without making Mercy look bad, but mostly all these petty interactions did was make me roll my eyes. And the inevitable confrontation was lackluster as well. Yeah, Mercy was finally provoked to the point of saying something, but Christy was hardly put in her place by the end of the confrontation. She was merely confronted.

So basically all that RAGE I had boiling just under the surface had no outlet. And people, RAGE needs an outlet.

And there were other problems with this installment for me as well. Mostly it felt like filler. I didn't see any real progression towards an endgame. Do we have an idea of what the endgame is supposed to be in this series? Is this another World Peace unification of species deal? I can't tell.

And Gary Laughingdog. Huh? I'll take "it came out of nowhere" for $500, Alex. And for coming out of nowhere, he wasn't even all that interesting. Mostly he bellyached about Coyote. When he wasn't convulsing. Okay, maybe he's useful, I'll give him that much.

Really only two things happened in this book that matter long-term:

1. Tad
2. Stefan (b/c Dollface, you better believe that that is going to have long-reaching implications)

If you've read it, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, READ IT.

And I'm not even going to get started on the ending. No, just . . . no.

[Cece ❀Rants, Raves &Reviews❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“He had that whole “I was a Marine” thing”

With all the mystical badasses of this world, Mercy stops to compare him to a goddamn Marine bahaha i love it



Mercy Thompson is still trying to outrun her problems.

Mechanic, Shapeshifter, and fighter she finally joined the rest of the paranormal world-- meeting new creatures and magic. And now she beating them all up, one book at a time.

This series has started to develop a formula of Mercy getting into trouble and Adam jumping right after her, refusing to let her be alone anymore... but it totally works.

Each new mystery is just another opportunity for the author to build up the world to be more unique, introduce new interesting characters, and provide a fresh take on .. frankly an overused universe of shifters

Mercy is definitely more on the snarky spectrum of humor — her dry pragmatic attitude as a slap of truth compared to all the fantasy that most of these characters live in

“Mercy?” Adam said.
“We need to get new blankets,” I told him, and he laughed.
“Whatever you want, sweetheart.”
I took a deep breath and realized that I really was awake because it hurt”

Awwww i love drugged up Mercy: she says the funniest shit. Been in a coma for a couple days but finally wakes up because she wants better blankets—-so relatable

The relationship between Mercy and Adam is definitely not a typical "will they, wont they bullshit" that most fantasy books go for. They are a strong couple that have their own struggles and problems that they learning how to work through TOGETHER, not some constant tricking information manipulating relationship

I think I've defined the key feature of this book being that MErcy is VULNERABLE. She is not an overpowered person just constantly tricking everyone. Quite frankly she is on the weaker power scale of this magical universe but she keeps fighting and that makes her even better

Plus its always hilarious when Adam blames her for almost dying because he just pissed she fought without him, hahah I love Adam

“He sounded so sad, so I tried to listen. Maybe I could cheer him up. “And the burns . . . I’m sorry, Adam—”
Mercy wants to help cheer up Adam BECAUSE HE SOUNDS FUCKING SAD jesus christ my own mother would just tell me to stop crying so loudly



Highly recommend if you love shifters, paranormal detectives, and want a developed heorines with flaws and limits that she always trying to push and do her best

[VampireNovelFan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baby Mama Drama Rama! Review + Giveaway 3/6/2014-3/16/2014

When a book is quotable, I'm gonna quote!

"Adam snorted as he pulled on a faded green t-shirt that said "I Heart Coyotes." Yet another sign that folding my clean clothes wasn't too big a price to pay to make him happy. He didn't have any "I Heart Christy " shirts--or I would have burned them already."

"I thought we should apply that kind of thinking to the matter of Cristy's stalker." He gave me a skeptical look. "No, really," I said. "Now that we know that Flores is really this nasty, fiery, superpowerful nothing-can-kill-me demon from hell, maybe we should consider just giving Christy to him?" He laughed. 
"I'm serious," I said.

"Seriously? Do you know how many guilty people are in jail? None." Gary's voice rose to imitate a woman's voice. "Honest. I didn't kill him. He fell on my knife. Fourteen times."

You would think that our favorite coyote, Mercy, would have enough to deal with in her life when it comes to adversaries of the supernatural and furry variety.  But she may have to confront her biggest challenge yet in the form of the former Mrs. Adam Hauptman.  That's right, the ex is in trouble and on the run from her psycho boyfriend.  And Adam wouldn't be the Adam that Mercy knows and loves if it wasn't in his nature to help others, especially the mother of his child.

The ex, Christy, is only safest in Adam's house and with his pack even though several things aren't quite adding up.  But one thing is as clear as day, Christy wants Adam back and isn't afraid to play dirty to get him. Mercy isn't going to take this lying down, but Christy's peculiar psycho boyfriend may have more going on than some crazy stalker tendencies and as more bodies pile up, it's up to Mercy to put a stop to it.

Night Broken is certainly one of the more memorable entries in the world of Mercy Thompson.  She's got bad guys...and girls all around and it's hard to know who she can truly trust!  Christy's character is the one you love to hate.  We'd been lucky for a while with her out of the picture, but since the character never died we knew she'd have to crop up sooner or later.  And even death isn't always a guarantee that we'll be done with a character in the paranormal world, so it's always in our best interests to just wait and see.  I did thoroughly enjoy this part of the book, even if Christy made me want to



Mercy's snark was of the highest order this time around and I found it refreshing.  I loved this that novel tested the depth of Mercy and Adam's feelings for one another as well.  They define what it is to be a unit. I think Adam fans in general will find him pretty swoon-worthy.



The villain was pretty interesting.  I wasn't always sure what direction Briggs was going to take with his character so that helped keep the read very engaging.  I did find myself annoyed more than once with Adam's pack though. It really disappointed me how they treated Mercy despite her dedication to them and the fact that she sticks her neck out there for their sakes time and time again.  I really wish they would get over themselves.  One saving grace is the fact that if they can't do it at once, they might be able to do it one by one.  I thought the developments with Honey were well done and are a closer step in the direction of where things need to go.

My biggest gripe for the book would be the length.  The latest Mercy books have felt too short to me. I mean, 350 pages might seem like enough but I feel like I whiz through it so fast.  I could use another meaty 50-75 pages per entry.  Additional pages would perhaps allow for more inclusion of side characters whose presence I found myself missing, namely Stefan.  I know it's probably not very easy to figure out how to incorporate him now that Mercy's married to Adam, but I really like his character and his devotion to Mercy.  Though he plays an important role, he is featured so little here and that makes me miss the old times. I am not very invested in the vampires as a whole in this world, just him. Briggs does a wonderful job at making me care more about pack matters in general, but I could still use a Stefan spin-off!

But all in all it's a good read and I think the fans will enjoy it immensely.  The series still has a lot to offer and I look forward to what's next.

*ARC Provided by the Publisher.
*Review also posted to Amazon.

[Jen Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the most emotionally resonant Mercy Thompson books I have read. Patricia Briggs always does a good job of putting us inside Mercy's head, but I think this book really hit home for me because her emotional struggles centered on something that could just as easily happen to any one of us. The return of the ex.

That's right, Adam's ex-wife is the main foil of this story and I've got to say it felt kind of unusual for a relationship factor to take center stage in one of these books. Of course, Christy isn't the only issue. There are dangerous situations and supernatural threats in the mix. But at its core, the biggest enemy was Christy herself and the threat she posed to Mercy's place in her family and in her pack.

The problems start when Christy calls Adam to ask for protection from a threatening ex-lover. He is stalking her; She thinks he has killed one of her ex-boyfriends; and she fears her life is in danger. Of course, Adam can't turn away the mother of his child. And Mercy is a good person. She knows why the pack needs to grant its protection. But Christy is a master manipulator. From the moment she walks in the front door, she is jockeying for position. She is undermining Mercy. She is tugging on the heartstrings of her old friends and trying to ingratiate herself back into the family she abandoned years ago. I hated her with the fiery passion of a thousand suns.

Yes, the danger to her is real. And figuring out the particulars of her bad guy plays into the story. There's some stuff about giant volcano dogs and whatnot. But this book is about the danger Christy represents in Mercy's life. The thing is, as much as I despised her, I found my real anger reserved for members of the pack. Because I am just about fed up with they way they treat their alpha's wife. Even if their behavior wasn't an insult to Adam (which it totally is) --Mercy has proven herself time and again as worthy of their trust and respect. I know we need internal conflict, but I am losing my patience with their animosity and petulance.

We are treated to a very interesting new character named Gary Laughingdog, with ties to Mercy's coyote roots. I hope we see more of him in future books. I also feel like Briggs set up some interesting story possibilities with Mercy's ties to Stephan --and her trials with the mysterious walking stick-- as well as the continuing saga of what's happening with the Fae since they have cut themselves off from society.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. But it most definitely felt like a bit of a departure for the series. I'm not sure the UF purists will be on board with so much relationship angst, but for me, it worked.

Rating: B+

*ARC Provided by publisher for review

[Sharon ∞❥ is an emotional book junkie ❥∞ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bad news comes into Mercyworld and her name is Christy...aka ex-wife, aka bad mother, aka all around horrible person. That being said, what better way to create a bunch of drama and angst into the story. And have Mercy fight all her battles. It's a win-win for Christy...almost!

See Christy slept with some guy she just met who was definitely handsome but a little weird. Turns out he hit her, she hit him with a frying pan and then another guy she dated ended up dead. Now she's freaked and running back to the "monsters" to keep her safe.

Of course, Mercy can't say no and it's sooo frustrating because it's just at the point where the scales are tipping into Mercy's favor with the pack. Now she has to take two steps back! Even more frustrating is that most of the pack, including Adam, talk about how manipulative Christy is but they ALL fall for it over and over again.

The hardest parts is when Adam gets those "tender" looks...blah!! I would have to say that 75% of the time, he did the right thing and went with Mercy but it's the other 25% that just slays me. Ugh...every time Christy answered Adam's cell phone, I wanted to poke her eyes out!

Back to the story...Mr. Weirdo isn't your usual creepy guy, oh no, he's not even human. Unfortunately when Mercy checks around on him, she draws attention to herself. Mr. Weirdo figures since Adam has his woman, he's going to take Mercy. Naturally, Mercy doesn't take that sitting down.

One of my all time favorite things about this series is the Walking Stick. The Walking Stick is a character in its own right. I just love how it always returns to Mercy and is there when she needs it. There's a situation with a Gray Lord and I'm not really sure where things are going but I'm just glad it's back.



And so is Stefan...YES!! I have missed him and I was thrilled to find out some things about him and Mercy. One we all sort of knew but it was nice to have it validated. The other? Well, that does make things a bit more complicated.

All the pack is involved and play large parts in the story but my favorite was Honey. I was happy we got to know her more and I liked how she was with Mercy. I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't more Ben. And I can't forget to mention Tad, even though he's not in the pack...he was amazing! Can't wait to find out more!

There's also a couple of new players...a new submissive wolf named Zack and someone named Gary Laughingdog. We don't get too much about Zack but there is definitely something there with his story. And Gary, Gary, Gary...well, he is something else and I loved every moment of him. Hopefully, something becomes of him and a certain someone. Oh and Cookie!! I'm hoping she/he? will still be around and I loved how Adam was with her/him.

There's some good fight scenes as always. PB knows how to write that scene well but I was really surprised with the sex scenes. Not that I'm complaining. Oh no, I'm very happy that PB has amped that up. Those were some of the sweeter moments as well especially the one before the big battle!



The ending was pretty crazy. We get a lot of answers but as always more things are left unanswered. I loved learning more about Mercy's mischievous side and I loved what she did with the shampoo! Finally!

No clue what the next book will bring and that sucks because we probably have to wait at least another year to find out. I'm positive Christy is going to be around...I'm just hoping that Adam mans up a bit more.


Recommendation:

For the most part, this book is more old school Urban Fantasy but as I mentioned, we are definitely getting more romance as the series moves along. If you enjoy that and stories about paranormal creatures with different mythologies thrown in, this is right up your alley.


Favorite quotes:

♥ “It was I who caught her,” Adam said softly. “It took years."

♥ “Takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’,” said Warren. “That’s our Mercy.”

♥ “You like my body,” he told me, “you like me sweaty, and watching my belly when I do sit-ups.”

♥ " Here is my happiness. Here is my reason to survive. Here is my home."

♥ "Mercedes Athena Thompson Hauptman, if I have not said it, you should know that you brought joy into my life when I thought there was no joy left in the world.”

♥ “Well, hello,” I told it. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

[If it ain't good I don't read it ! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christy wants Adam back?



Mercy's gonna murder your ass!! hands down !




I got only 3 words for you RUN BITCH RUN!!

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read Time

This held up well. I'll keep my rating the same. It was nice to see how far Mercy and Adam have come in their relationship. The only thing I didn't like was Mercy slut shamed Adam's ex-wife a bit. She was a beast and I was looking forward to the takedown moment but it was a little preachy for a second. Still the rest was awesome and the bad guy, well I could see why it was a close thing in the end. That guys was scary.

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.

[Mandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I truly love this series but it hasn’t been perfect for me. I think the characters and the world are pretty great, but sometimes I’m just darn bored and that kind of happened in this book. Maybe bored isn’t the right word but I felt like this book was a filler for two reasons – Adam’s ex-wife and the villain. They both seemed to have no purpose unless I’m missing something big and if I am please yell at me in the comments.

Adam’s ex-wife, Christy comes to stay in Adam and Mercy’s house when her boyfriend, or really the guy she slept with – they weren’t super serious – starts to stalk her. He beats her up pretty bad too. They take her in and start to figure out how to get this guy in line. Christy is…well…not my favorite character. And by that I mean, I wanted to punch her in the face most of the book. I’ve thought a lot about here since ending the book. She is a manipulative, whiny person. As the reader, we are just now being introduced to her (we’ve heard from her in previous books but she is in this one the entire time). The reader didn’t know her when she was married to Adam. When she cooked for him, and gave him a daughter and cared for the pack. Apparently – she was a good person at times way back when, says the pack now. So that is why when she barges into Adam’s house and starts cooking and taking things over, the alpha werewolves kind of put their tails between their legs and let her do whatever she wants. What the heck?! She doesn’t necessarily cause horrible conflict between Adam and Mercy as the blurb suggests, but she is just plain annoying and I didn’t like reading about her. I didn’t like as a result how Adam and the pack let Christy get a way with being horrible to Mercy.

While the villain in this story is creepy, violent and different, I didn’t understand his purpose. I figured Mercy would somehow be victorious in the end, and at least in my eyes, his actions didn’t further the world building at all. I’ve heard rumblings from people that Briggs may be heading up a path where some of the pack want Adam to choose between Pack and Mercy. I don’t know if this is the case, but if it is that sounds a lot more interesting to read than what was in this book. Maybe Christy coming to town starts those thoughts in some of the pack’s head? But I want a more focused goal for this world.

Now the good things in this book. First, there are numerous quiet romance moments between Adam and Mercy and I really enjoyed that. Adam never once gets swayed by Christy. Mercy gets jealous but I love that she does! We get good things from Honey, Stefan, Tad, and a new character named Gary Laughing Wood. Warren and Kyle make an appearance. I also like (and this isn’t new to this book) how the pack don’t all like Mercy. . I love that this pack is prickly.

I want these books to be super awesome and I felt like this one just floated along. I expected more.

Rating: C

[Audrey Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

*minor spoilers*

This is déjà vu.

I think a comparison is in order. In the latest instalment of the Kate Daniels series (Magic Rises) most of the readers got displeased with the character Lorelei since there was no apparent reason to add some drama in Curran and Kate's relationship. The thing is, it didn't bother me that much because there was enough going on beside that minor issue. But in Night Broken the same trope of 'let's add a third (female) party that desperately tries to disrupt a harmonious relationship' takes another dimension. Because when the ex-wife Christy shows up Mercy turns out to be the bad, mean, unwanted one. At this point Mercy still isn't accepted in the pack. And Adam's behaviour is disappointing.

Some random thoughts:

- Adam passive role is annoying and the fact that he accepts everything coming from Christy is even more so. Night Broken did a pretty good job to lower him in my esteem.

- The female werewolves like Mary-Jo for example showed in the previous books some effort to integrate Mercy or at least to be tolerant towards her presence in the pack. Now it seems they all dislike her. We are not making progress at all.

- Mercy just took all the shit that was thrown her way. She should assert her position in the pack for once and for all. And where is Adam when you need him. It's his pack after all.

- Let's throw a bit of Tad here, a bit of Stefan there and maybe some Wulfe here.

- I can't really give any thoughts about the rest of the story because honestly I didn't care. It was boring.

- Again I demand some more of Bran & Leah, Samuel, Charles and the dynamics in their pack.

Will I read the next one? I'm not sure, I think I will read the reviews first.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

1st Read March 2014
2nd Read February 2016
3rd Read February 2017
4th Read March 2018

Original Review

It's no secret I'm a huge fan of the Mercy Thompson series, I'm incredibly invested in these characters and I adore Mercy and Adam as a couple. I have to admit I was nervous about picking up Night Broken because Adam's ex-wife Christy is back on the scene and ready to cause trouble. I was worried that she would find a way to come between Mercy and Adam and put a spanner in their relationship and I would have been devastated if that was the case. Thankfully I needn't have worried, yes, Christy tries to cause trouble and yes, she manages to get some of the pack on her side but not once did I get the feeling she would cause a split between Adam and Mercy.

Mercy is a bigger woman than I am and when she heard that Christy was in trouble she knew she had to offer her a safe place to stay. No matter how much she didn't want Christy around she gritted her teeth and got on with it. Christy is without a doubt a bitch, I absolutely hated her and the way she was so good at twisting things to make herself look good. She's really quite pathetic and takes no responsibility for her own actions, preferring to blame it on someone else and take the easy way out. I can't tell you how annoyed I was that most of the Pack couldn't see what she was doing. She manipulates them like a pro and it doesn't take long for them to turn on Mercy which makes me so mad I can't see straight. Even though Christy does everything she can to make Mercy jealous I was proud of Mercy for being so secure in her relationship, she never once doubts that Adam is hers and she would never let anything happen to change that. I love that they have such a strong relationship and I love Adam more than ever for the way he stands up for Mercy. I also have to mention that Mercy's revenge at the very end of the book was absolutely priceless!

It was nice to see that Mercy has a few unexpected allies within the pack, a couple of people who I expected to side with Christy didn't but unfortunately the majority of them would take any excuse to get rid of the unwanted coyote. I was annoyed on Mercy's behalf but I think more than anything I was annoyed for Adam. He has given up so much to protect them all, he has been loyal to them and cared for them and even though they all know that Mercy is his world they refuse to accept her. I really hope that Adam puts his foot down soon and that everyone is told in no uncertain terms to suck it up or get lost. Thankfully there is one particular scene that I think shows Mercy starting to gain the pack's respect but seriously how much more does the woman have to go through to prove she is worthy of Adam? She's fought with them, bled with them, suffered more than any woman should ever have to go through and even risked her life to protect Adam so there has to come a point when enough is enough.

Alongside the drama that Christy brings to the table there is also plenty of action thanks to the enemy she has hot on her heels. The pack are facing off against a powerful foe who could destroy them all if they're not willing to hand Christy over. Mercy also has an unexpected visit from one of the grey lords thanks to the fae artefact that she gave to Coyote and she's now in a very difficult situation. Night Broken is another fab instalment to the series and I'm just gutted that I now have to settle in and wait for the next book to be released.

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2nd Read

Buddy read with Ange

Since it's been nearly 2 years since Ange & I buddy read this series last we decided we're well overdue another read in the run up to the release of Fire Touched next March.

I love this series so much! The characters, the world building just everything about these books makes them a comfort read for me. Along with Ilona Andrews's Kate Daniels series this is probably my most reread series & I never get tired of it.

I forgot how much everyone pissed me off in this book! I knew I hated Adam's ex Christy but most of the pack drove me bonkers here too. I'm sooo angry that they won't support Adam, he's made his choice in Mercy and it's obvious to anyone with eyes that they adore each other but the pack do whatever they can to try and get rid of her. It doesn't help that Christy is such a manipulative bitch but they all knew her before and saw what she did to Adam so why are they stupid enough to fall for it again? It's beyond ridiculous and if Adam doesn't put his foot down and kick some pack arse in the next book I won't be happy. On the positive side I love how strong Adam and Mercy are as a couple, Mercy is completely secure in their relationship and even though Christy tries her hardest Mercy never ever lets her come between them. Adam stands up for Mercy too and it was nice to see that she has a few supporters amongst the pack.

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3rd Read

This book makes me more angry every time I read it. The attitude of most of Adam's pack absolutely sucks and I wanted to start punching people more than once. The good thing about this reread is that I know that the set down is coming, we may have to wait until the next book to get the pay off but boy is it worth the wait. I absolutely adore Adam for the way he handles things in the end but I appreciate that he was trying to let Mercy deal with it in her own way in this book.

[Alex is The Romance Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Night Broken is the 8th book in the fantastic urban fantasy series that features Mercy Thompson as the heroine.

Mercy is faced with not one but two new challenges in her life!

Not only having to deal with Christy, Adam’s ex-wife’s hysterical call for help from a dangerous stalker but she wants to come and stay in their home until she’s safe. Adam is not keen to agree to her staying with them….not only is she dramatic but a trouble-maker.

Jesse, Adam’s daughter with Christy, who has become very close to Mercy, is unhappy about her mother’s request…. She knows that she will cause trouble between Adam and Mercy and do anything to break their bond.

Despite not being over the moon, Mercy, has a kind heart and agrees to Christy’s plea, though she does have reservations about Christy’s real intentions….

… she’s also worried about Christy influencing her, just getting better, relationship with the pack.
She is forced to deal with her own insecurities and the feeling that Christy wants Adam back at any cost.

And if that’s not enough to deal with in one night, Alistair Beauclaire, the fae Gray Lord and not exactly a nice one, comes knocking at Mercy’s door demanding that return his father‘s magical walking stick.

Things are not going too well for Mercy. She had given the walking stick to her coyote father and finding him to get it back is not going to be a breeze. Coyote father is a slippery character to track down!!

Adding fuel to the fire, the local law enforcement ask Mercy and Adam for help in solving a gruesome crime. There are very few quiet moments in Mercy’s life……

Mercy and Adam, with the help of the pack try to find and destroy Flores, Christy’s stalker, who turns out to be a very dangerous character. Mercy’s search for her elusive coyote Father has her making new discoveries about her family and herself.

Mercy and Adam are an incredible couple…they work well together and they have a very close and tight bond, which we have seen grow and develop throughout the series. And has much as I love Mercy, I totally adore Adam Hauptman…

I absolutely adore, love this series……I can’t wait for the next installment!!
My favorite quote:

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This is the series that just keeps on delivering.....these books are so "damn" good...I am consistently impressed and amazed by this author's writing plus this urban fantasy world and all of it's inhabitants!!
I seriously cannot get enough of Mercy Thompson ...she is such a badass...and so enormously entertaining to boot!!!!
This story is definitely one of my favorites out of the eight books that I have read so far...I thoroughly enjoyed it... even if it was a tad bit angsty at times....at 64% in I had to remind myself that it is just fiction after all!!

.....“Just be careful, Mary Jo. Be very careful. You’ve made mistakes before. Everyone makes mistakes. One you should not make is to imagine that Christy will ever be Adam’s mate. He is mine, and unlike her, I don’t throw away people who are mine.”........ Mercy and Adam...💘 this couple.

Great start to my 2021 reading.


p.s. I keep meaning to say something about the beautiful artwork ...that adorns the book covers of this series with my reviews...but I keep forgetting... this one in particular is absolutely divine...and it is totally how I envision Mercy to look.

[Paula K (on hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Night Broken by Patricia Briggs is the 8th in her Mercy Thompson fantasy series. Taking place in the Tri-Cities of Washington, this is the story of Adam, the alpha of the areas werewolves, and his mate, shapeshifter, Mercy, and their pack. Different from some other series, humans know of the werewolves and work together to protect their cities.

I really enjoy reading about our female heroine, Mercy, and all the trouble she gets into. Along with the werewolves are vampires, fae, plenty of magic, and romance. Expect plenty of action with some very strong females.

A fun series to read between more serious books.

5 out of 5 stars.

[Michelle, the Bookshelf Stalker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Go check out Regina’s interview at badassbookreviews.com, Regina always has the best questions...

Here is the link to the interview..

http://badassbookreviews.com/intervie...

My review...
Loved it. I thought I'd hate the ex coming back to try and mess stuff up but it is just a minor part of the story. Gary and Coyote made me laugh, Honey rocked, and there is a monster in this story that is so bad, it makes werewolves look like puppies.

[Maria V. Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book brings the magic of the characters and series back! I really enjoyed it.

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars for Night Broken (Mercy Thompson Series, Book 8) by Patricia Briggs read by Lorelei King.

This was a wonderful treat for me. It’s been a little while since I’ve gotten to hear Lorelei King narrate. I really enjoy this series, but for some reason this story seemed even better what I’d remembered. I’m not sure if it’s so much this story or if it’s the other audiobooks that I’m comparing it to that I’ve listened to recently. Maybe I just need to listen to more Lorelei King.

[AH · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just awesome! This series just gets better and better!

In this installment of the Mercy Thompson series, Mercy is trying to cement her role as an Alpha’s mate. The pack doesn’t readily accept Mercy into the pack as she is a coyote shifter not a werewolf. To further exacerbate the situation, Adam’s human ex-wife Christy arrives because she is being stalked. Christy is a master manipulator and soon has the pack eating out of her hands – literally. Mercy is in one of those “damned if you do, damned if you don’t situations.” Surprisingly, Mercy handles Christy with grace and poise and comes out looking great.

On the supernatural front, Mercy is visited by Gray Lord who wants the fae walking stick returned. To do so, Mercy seeks out Coyote. To help find Coyote, Mercy locates Gary Laughingdog. I loved the addition of Gary – it was so nice for Mercy to find a member of her own family.

I think that I love this series because of the diversity of the supernatural creatures. There’s fae, vampires, werewolves, shifters, and even a scary fire god from the Canary Islands. Who knew?

The pack dynamics are a lot of fun to watch. The pack is faithful to Adam because of the Alpha ties, but Mercy needs to earn the pack’s support. She does so by being smart, brave, and kickass. I think that one of my favorite scenes was the pack watching Mercy’s garage security video over and over again as she battled the volcano god.

Watching Adam and Mercy’s relationship develop over the past eight books has been an absolute treat as well. These two are very secure in their relationship. How many couples could survive an ex living in their home?

This is one series that I could keep on reading over and over again. I just don’t want it to end. I can’t wait for the next book!

Check out Regina's amazing interview with Patricia Briggs on Badass Book Reviews. US readers can also enter to win a copy of the book there as well.

[Elise ✘ a.k.a Ryder's Pet ✘ · Rating 3 out of 5]

⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*Has More Potential*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱

Re-read: 11.07.2019
This book is actually one of the more... interesting ones in the series. However, it doesn't live up to its potential. I like seeing Mercy more.. possessive over Adam, and I always love seeing Adam showing love for Mercy. Even though there isn't a competition between Mercy and Adam's ex-wife, it's still interesting to see the influence the ex has on the pack and Mercy's reaction. I wish the pack was more... family like. Samuel is all but disappeared after he got a mate. He's no longer a part of the story of Mercy. I really, really like Stefan and I'm annoyed he's too barely in the books anymore. In fact, I find that Stefan is one of my favorite characters, maybe beating out Adam...

Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Adult) Urban Fantasy (M/F)
Series: - Series, Book Eight.
Love triangle? - No.
Cheating? - No.
HEA? - Yes, for now?
Favorite character? - Adam Hauptman or/and Stefan Uccello.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Sure.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Sure.
Will I read this again in the future? - Probably not.
New Rating - 3 stars (I gave it 4 stars first time reading it).

[Glass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Series review posted at Ja čitam, a ti?

Don't you just love it when great series keep coming your way? And when little something extra comes in a form of two great girls - Vishous and Glam - who are buddy reading it with you? After finishing Kate Daniels, I realized that I am not ready to part ways with urban fantasy, so picked up Moon Called and the rest is history.

What I liked?

# Mythology. Patricia Briggs gave us this weird, but little bit closer to the roots, mash up of different paranormal creatures. Vampires are not sparkling, alluring creatures who are fighting for their humanity (even if some of them are more likeable than the others). Werewolves are beasts who need every ounce of self-control and rigid pack rules to keep their wilder half at bay. And fae... You know how Karen Marie Moning portrayed them in Fever series? You'll find something like that here. But the best part for me way all bits and pieces of Native American mythology mixed into everything.

# Coyote and the walking stick. Speaking about mythology and weird things happening all around, I have to mention my two absolute favorite - Coyote, Native American deity, and the walking stick - not actual living creature, but fae object of power that follows Mercy around.

# Pack hierarchy. I felt like it would be the closest thing if something like this would actually exist in real world.

# Secondary characters. They are so well developed. Asil, Honey, Warren, Kyle, Samuel, Stefan, Darryl... and of course, Coyote.

What I didn't like that much?

- In the first two or three books I couldn't really feel connection between Adam and Mercy. I needed a time to accept them as a power couple of this fictional world, but once I did, I absolutely loved their interactions.

- Some of the sequels dragged a little bit, not even mystery managed to make up for it because it was predictable. That is why I am happy that I waited this long to read Mercy Thompson - otherwise I'd probably postpone reading new books after the one which disappointed me.

[Dana Ilie · Rating 4 out of 5]

NIGHT BROKEN is packed full of strong writing – great moments of humor, horror, and suspense; emotion and drama; romance and redemption. It’s another wonderful story in a series that sets the bar. NIGHT BROKEN is highly recommended for fans of the series and for those readers who appreciate really thoughtfully written urban fantasy.