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Alpha & Omega #4
Dead Heat
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Fantasy (2015)The Alpha and Omega novels transport readers into the realm of the werewolf, where Charles Cornick and Anna Latham embody opposite sides of the shifter personality. Now, a pleasure trip drops the couple into the middle of some bad supernatural business…
For once, mated werewolves Charles and Anna are not traveling because of Charles’s role as his father’s enforcer. This time, their trip to Arizona is purely personal, as Charles plans to buy Anna a horse for her birthday. Or at least it starts out that way...
Charles and Anna soon discover that a dangerous Fae being is on the loose, replacing human children with simulacrums. The Fae’s cold war with humanity is about to heat up—and Charles and Anna are in the cross fire.
For once, mated werewolves Charles and Anna are not traveling because of Charles’s role as his father’s enforcer. This time, their trip to Arizona is purely personal, as Charles plans to buy Anna a horse for her birthday. Or at least it starts out that way...
Charles and Anna soon discover that a dangerous Fae being is on the loose, replacing human children with simulacrums. The Fae’s cold war with humanity is about to heat up—and Charles and Anna are in the cross fire.
324 pages, Hardcover
First published March 3, 2015
1389 people are currently reading
14712 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Briggs
115 books29.8k followersLibrarian 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,674 reviews
February 8, 2015
10 Love This Series Stars
It was a vacation trip. Visit an old friend who wouldn't be around much longer, buy a horse for Anna's birthday and have a break from the emotional strain that being the werewolves' hitman always puts on Charles.
But sometimes trouble finds you even when you least want it and when a Fae goes around replacing children with changelings right on their friends' doorstep, Charles and Anna will do their best to find the threat and eliminate it.
If I had to use one word to describe this book it would be beautiful. There really is no other word that could describe the bond that Anna and Charles share, or how the book manage to sneak in life lessons without becoming too philosophical and condescending, or even how the author's love for horses showed through the pages. Dead Heat was my favorite book in the series so far and that wasn't because of it's spectacular plotline(although it did have one), or the great writing(and it was great), or the interesting side characters(they were!!). Dead Heat was my favorite because of Anna and Charles.
I love PNR and Urban Fantasy, I loved then three years ago, I love them now and I will love them still three years later. What these books usually have in common is main characters that are loud or impulsive or bossy or mean or stubborn or commitment-phobes or flighty or high-handed or a combination of the above. The couples in these books are usually full of passion and badass and quite impressive on paper but in real life they would have probably driven each other mental a long time ago.
Charles and Anna are unlike any UF/PNR couple I have ever read. Anna is soft and calm, she can be a badass if the situation demands it of her but her usual first reaction isn't "off with their heads" the moment something goes south. She first tries to find a peaceful way out of things, she chooses her words and doesn't let her mouth run ahead of her.She doesn't go into things spoiling for a fight *looks at her beloved Kate Daniels*. I like my badass, impulsive, stubborn heroines but Anna is a nice change to all that.
Charles is a tough guy and he knows it. He is a werewolf who has the powers of a witch and a Shaman. But, unlike most Alpha heroes, he doesn't go around doing an impersonation of a caveman and shouting "I'm badass" with his every move. He is collected, calm and rational and although he is pretty scary(he is his father's hitman after all) and radiates menace by default, he doesn't try to intimidate every single person he meets into submission.
But what is really special about them is their relationship. Anna and Charles have a relationship based on mutual respect, understanding and love. They both know when to push the other person and when to just be there for them. They don't have loud fights followed by silent treatments. They don't go at each other's throats over silly misunderstandings. They talk their problems through and find solutions that both can live with. That may seem a bit less exciting than the full-on passionate relationships with the big arguements and even bigger make ups but in the end of the day it is more grounded and easy to believe it will last in the long run.
Okay, enough of my praise of the protagonists now...
I won't include the plot because I'm afraid I'll use spoilers and since the book isn't even out yet that would be kind of bad, even for me. I will say though that Patricia Briggs has created, once again, a great suspense story that manages to keep you engaged and excited even when nothing major really happens. I honestly couldn't put this book down once I started it.
The writing was beautiful. Everything seemed so effortless to read that I never wanted the book to end. The author included loads of information about horses in the book and not for a moment did I find myself bored or exasperated on the amount of information I had zero use for. It should have been tiring and boring but somehow it just managed to be interesting. Maybe it was because the author's love on the subject was obvious, maybe it was because PB is just that brilliant, I have no idea what the cause was but the result was the same. The writing was as great as one can get.
There are much more to say about the book and I'm sure I will remember them after a while but for now I'm still in book bliss and I just can't do anything better than fangirl over this and thank NetGalley for giving me the pleasure of reading it a month early.
***************************************************
Guess whose ARC request just got approved?? I'm soooooo happy right now, I was sure I wouldn't get it!
It was a vacation trip. Visit an old friend who wouldn't be around much longer, buy a horse for Anna's birthday and have a break from the emotional strain that being the werewolves' hitman always puts on Charles.
But sometimes trouble finds you even when you least want it and when a Fae goes around replacing children with changelings right on their friends' doorstep, Charles and Anna will do their best to find the threat and eliminate it.
If I had to use one word to describe this book it would be beautiful. There really is no other word that could describe the bond that Anna and Charles share, or how the book manage to sneak in life lessons without becoming too philosophical and condescending, or even how the author's love for horses showed through the pages. Dead Heat was my favorite book in the series so far and that wasn't because of it's spectacular plotline(although it did have one), or the great writing(and it was great), or the interesting side characters(they were!!). Dead Heat was my favorite because of Anna and Charles.
I love PNR and Urban Fantasy, I loved then three years ago, I love them now and I will love them still three years later. What these books usually have in common is main characters that are loud or impulsive or bossy or mean or stubborn or commitment-phobes or flighty or high-handed or a combination of the above. The couples in these books are usually full of passion and badass and quite impressive on paper but in real life they would have probably driven each other mental a long time ago.
Charles and Anna are unlike any UF/PNR couple I have ever read. Anna is soft and calm, she can be a badass if the situation demands it of her but her usual first reaction isn't "off with their heads" the moment something goes south. She first tries to find a peaceful way out of things, she chooses her words and doesn't let her mouth run ahead of her.She doesn't go into things spoiling for a fight *looks at her beloved Kate Daniels*. I like my badass, impulsive, stubborn heroines but Anna is a nice change to all that.
Charles is a tough guy and he knows it. He is a werewolf who has the powers of a witch and a Shaman. But, unlike most Alpha heroes, he doesn't go around doing an impersonation of a caveman and shouting "I'm badass" with his every move. He is collected, calm and rational and although he is pretty scary(he is his father's hitman after all) and radiates menace by default, he doesn't try to intimidate every single person he meets into submission.
But what is really special about them is their relationship. Anna and Charles have a relationship based on mutual respect, understanding and love. They both know when to push the other person and when to just be there for them. They don't have loud fights followed by silent treatments. They don't go at each other's throats over silly misunderstandings. They talk their problems through and find solutions that both can live with. That may seem a bit less exciting than the full-on passionate relationships with the big arguements and even bigger make ups but in the end of the day it is more grounded and easy to believe it will last in the long run.
Okay, enough of my praise of the protagonists now...
I won't include the plot because I'm afraid I'll use spoilers and since the book isn't even out yet that would be kind of bad, even for me. I will say though that Patricia Briggs has created, once again, a great suspense story that manages to keep you engaged and excited even when nothing major really happens. I honestly couldn't put this book down once I started it.
The writing was beautiful. Everything seemed so effortless to read that I never wanted the book to end. The author included loads of information about horses in the book and not for a moment did I find myself bored or exasperated on the amount of information I had zero use for. It should have been tiring and boring but somehow it just managed to be interesting. Maybe it was because the author's love on the subject was obvious, maybe it was because PB is just that brilliant, I have no idea what the cause was but the result was the same. The writing was as great as one can get.
There are much more to say about the book and I'm sure I will remember them after a while but for now I'm still in book bliss and I just can't do anything better than fangirl over this and thank NetGalley for giving me the pleasure of reading it a month early.
***************************************************
Guess whose ARC request just got approved?? I'm soooooo happy right now, I was sure I wouldn't get it!
June 16, 2019
4.5 stars
Fantastic, solid, emotional...everything I've come to expect from one of Briggs' novels.
Including a hideous cover.
*shrugs*
Eh, what can you do?
Charles decides to buy a horse for Anna from an old friend, Joseph. He's hoping to use the visit to catch up with him, and finally introduce his wife. The years have gotten away from Charles, however, and Joseph is now an old man. A very sick old man. Instead of a friendly visit, Charles has come just in time to say goodbye.
Oh, the feelings!
The friendship between those two was very well done, by the way. And Joseph didn't feel like a throwaway character that was only there to create a Nicholas Sparks moment.
On top of all that drama, Joseph's family is suddenly targeted by something dangerous. A Fae, who may have been the one responsible for the kidnapping and death of hundreds of children, is on the loose in their area.
Ok. There's this part in the beginning where Joseph's daughter-in-law starts feeling weird, and then she sees a knife, and then she starts getting annoyed with her kids, and then...
I'm not gonna spoil it, but was flipping the pages as fast as I could!
There was so much more that happened in Dead Heat, but it's better if you just find out for yourself.
I'm sure the day will come when I'm disappointed in one of Patricia Briggs' books.
However, today was not that day, and this was not that book.
For those of you who haven't started your journey with Anna (or Mercy), I'd like to give a word of warning to you.
These books do need to be read in order. None of them are stand-alone, so don't attempt it!
Also, I've found that it's a good idea to have food and water nearby, as you will not want to put the books down long enough to find something to snack on.
Personally, I've found that grabbing a pack of adult diapers from Walmart isn't the worst idea, either.
Sure, you turn your nose up at the idea now, but someday you'll realize my genius!
Fantastic, solid, emotional...everything I've come to expect from one of Briggs' novels.
Including a hideous cover.
*shrugs*
Eh, what can you do?
Charles decides to buy a horse for Anna from an old friend, Joseph. He's hoping to use the visit to catch up with him, and finally introduce his wife. The years have gotten away from Charles, however, and Joseph is now an old man. A very sick old man. Instead of a friendly visit, Charles has come just in time to say goodbye.
Oh, the feelings!
The friendship between those two was very well done, by the way. And Joseph didn't feel like a throwaway character that was only there to create a Nicholas Sparks moment.
On top of all that drama, Joseph's family is suddenly targeted by something dangerous. A Fae, who may have been the one responsible for the kidnapping and death of hundreds of children, is on the loose in their area.
Ok. There's this part in the beginning where Joseph's daughter-in-law starts feeling weird, and then she sees a knife, and then she starts getting annoyed with her kids, and then...
I'm not gonna spoil it, but was flipping the pages as fast as I could!
There was so much more that happened in Dead Heat, but it's better if you just find out for yourself.
I'm sure the day will come when I'm disappointed in one of Patricia Briggs' books.
However, today was not that day, and this was not that book.
For those of you who haven't started your journey with Anna (or Mercy), I'd like to give a word of warning to you.
These books do need to be read in order. None of them are stand-alone, so don't attempt it!
Also, I've found that it's a good idea to have food and water nearby, as you will not want to put the books down long enough to find something to snack on.
Personally, I've found that grabbing a pack of adult diapers from Walmart isn't the worst idea, either.
Sure, you turn your nose up at the idea now, but someday you'll realize my genius!
March 7, 2015
2.5 stars - Spoilers
Rather disappointing, the majority of it didn't feel much different from the last book. There were some parts that I really enjoyed though (mainly Chelsea/Hosteen and Charles/Joseph), but a lot of it was quite dull and predictable.
-This had the usual investigation-of-the-week type plot. It was fairly entertaining but nothing that I hadn't already come across before. It was pretty much the same as the previous book with Charles/Anna hunting for a serial killer, only in a different location and slightly different circumstances.
-I didn't like Anna as much in this one, she was nice but there wasn't much to her, it was like her character development had reached its limit and she was just stagnant. At her core all she really cared about was being a wife/mother, she had no other desires/ambitions, it was all about babies and marriage, and that was kind of boring.
Everything in her life revolved around Charles in some way or another, it was like she didn't have a separate life away from Charles or a past of her own. Well, except for her past torture/rape, which to me didn't count - a lot of UF/PNR authors seem to think a heroine who has been abused and who occasionally thinks about said abuse is the same thing as giving them a complex personality and history. It's not, it's just cheap and lazy writing. Anna was plain one dimensional and bland in this, I hope she's actually given proper depth in the next one.
-Liked getting to know more about Charles and his past, especially his friendship with Jonathan. I hated his past with Maggie though, for me it soured his relationship with Anna knowing that he could have been just as happy with Maggie if circumstances had been different.
-All the horse talk was beyond boring. There were so much pointless description of horses and none of it was interesting to me. I thought all that detailed horse talk would somehow become relevant later on in the story but it didn't, if 99% of it had been left out it would have made no difference to the outcome of the story.
-Liked Chelsea, her family, and their whole set up. Chelsea was great around her kids and Hosteen, she was far more interesting than Anna. I wouldn't mind her popping up in the Mercy series or this one again, there needs to be some decent prominent side female characters in either Mercy's or Anna's world, because at the moment there isn't really any.
-The Maggie/Charles storyline pissed me off. Maggie was elderly and had been happily married for decades yet she was still panting after Charles, and acting jealous and bitter about Anna. I highly doubt an old woman who'd lived a great life and had a great family would be so petty towards an ex boyfriend's wife. Maggie hadn't been with Charles for over half a century and she was the one who rejected him, moved on, married, and had kids/grandkids.. So it was beyond ridiculous that she was still hung up and possessive of him.
Briggs seems to be obsessed with female characters being stupidly jealous and mean. She writes such pathetic secondary female characters, I don't expect all of them to be decent but I expect far more than what's been delivered so far.
-I wasn't impressed to find out Charles had been deeply in love with Maggie, not only that but his wolf had also been in love with her too. It made his love/mating bond for Anna seem less somehow. If Maggie hadn't rejected him, he would be happily mated to her and he would never have wanted Anna. What made Charles/Anna's romance so great to begin with was that Charles never let anyone in, yet Anna managed to break down his walls, what he felt for her was special and one of kind.. But it turned out Anna wasn't actually all that special because he'd felt it all before with Maggie, and would have mated with her if he'd had the chance.
When it comes to UF/PNR romances I prefer when the hero/heroine love each other like no other.. That wasn't the case with Charles, I have no doubt that he could have been just as happy with Maggie if she had accepted him.
At times there seemed to be more romance and tension between Maggie/Charles than Anna/Charles. The flashback scene of Maggie actually showed Charles having more passion/emotion for her than he'd ever shown Anna. I hate when heroines are second best/only best due to timing/circumstances. After reading this I've gone off Charles/Anna, Charles's bond with Maggie just ruined them for me.
-Why didn't Charles tell Anna about his past with Maggie before she actually met her? She had to stay in her house and he didn't even think to tell her about their past relationship. Who doesn't tell their husband/wife that they'll soon be meeting and staying with a once serious ex of theirs? Why didn't Anna call him out on that? It was such a dick move. Also, when he did eventually tell Anna about Maggie he brushed it off as them being nothing serious when it was actually so much more than that. He was deeply in love with Maggie and wanted to be with her, yet Anna didn't know that. She had a right to know all the details since she had to live with and put up with her for weeks.
-What's with the latest Mercy/Anna books both having the heroines dealing with jealous/petty women and their husband's ex's?! All it's done is ruin the romance between the hero/heroine in both series.
-I was disappointed that there wasn't really any Samuel, Bran or Asil scenes. Also, I was disappointed that there wasn't one single female character I missed, simply because there weren't any prominent decent side female characters in the series to choose from.
-What happened to the 14 yr old girl with the baby? I really wanted to know more about her back story and powers.
-Why did the gray lord release the doll collector in the first place? The fae cut themselves off from humans and declared themselves as separate, so why did they now want to cause trouble for humans? Was it revenge or something? Do they want to start a war? What's their endgame? It wasn't fully clear what the motives behind the fae's actions were.
-I hope book 5 has something more original than the usual find-the-killer of the week, also I really want Anna to have more to her than just Charles and her abuse, she really needs far more complexity and history than that.
Rather disappointing, the majority of it didn't feel much different from the last book. There were some parts that I really enjoyed though (mainly Chelsea/Hosteen and Charles/Joseph), but a lot of it was quite dull and predictable.
-This had the usual investigation-of-the-week type plot. It was fairly entertaining but nothing that I hadn't already come across before. It was pretty much the same as the previous book with Charles/Anna hunting for a serial killer, only in a different location and slightly different circumstances.
-I didn't like Anna as much in this one, she was nice but there wasn't much to her, it was like her character development had reached its limit and she was just stagnant. At her core all she really cared about was being a wife/mother, she had no other desires/ambitions, it was all about babies and marriage, and that was kind of boring.
Everything in her life revolved around Charles in some way or another, it was like she didn't have a separate life away from Charles or a past of her own. Well, except for her past torture/rape, which to me didn't count - a lot of UF/PNR authors seem to think a heroine who has been abused and who occasionally thinks about said abuse is the same thing as giving them a complex personality and history. It's not, it's just cheap and lazy writing. Anna was plain one dimensional and bland in this, I hope she's actually given proper depth in the next one.
-Liked getting to know more about Charles and his past, especially his friendship with Jonathan. I hated his past with Maggie though, for me it soured his relationship with Anna knowing that he could have been just as happy with Maggie if circumstances had been different.
-All the horse talk was beyond boring. There were so much pointless description of horses and none of it was interesting to me. I thought all that detailed horse talk would somehow become relevant later on in the story but it didn't, if 99% of it had been left out it would have made no difference to the outcome of the story.
-Liked Chelsea, her family, and their whole set up. Chelsea was great around her kids and Hosteen, she was far more interesting than Anna. I wouldn't mind her popping up in the Mercy series or this one again, there needs to be some decent prominent side female characters in either Mercy's or Anna's world, because at the moment there isn't really any.
-The Maggie/Charles storyline pissed me off. Maggie was elderly and had been happily married for decades yet she was still panting after Charles, and acting jealous and bitter about Anna. I highly doubt an old woman who'd lived a great life and had a great family would be so petty towards an ex boyfriend's wife. Maggie hadn't been with Charles for over half a century and she was the one who rejected him, moved on, married, and had kids/grandkids.. So it was beyond ridiculous that she was still hung up and possessive of him.
Briggs seems to be obsessed with female characters being stupidly jealous and mean. She writes such pathetic secondary female characters, I don't expect all of them to be decent but I expect far more than what's been delivered so far.
-I wasn't impressed to find out Charles had been deeply in love with Maggie, not only that but his wolf had also been in love with her too. It made his love/mating bond for Anna seem less somehow. If Maggie hadn't rejected him, he would be happily mated to her and he would never have wanted Anna. What made Charles/Anna's romance so great to begin with was that Charles never let anyone in, yet Anna managed to break down his walls, what he felt for her was special and one of kind.. But it turned out Anna wasn't actually all that special because he'd felt it all before with Maggie, and would have mated with her if he'd had the chance.
When it comes to UF/PNR romances I prefer when the hero/heroine love each other like no other.. That wasn't the case with Charles, I have no doubt that he could have been just as happy with Maggie if she had accepted him.
At times there seemed to be more romance and tension between Maggie/Charles than Anna/Charles. The flashback scene of Maggie actually showed Charles having more passion/emotion for her than he'd ever shown Anna. I hate when heroines are second best/only best due to timing/circumstances. After reading this I've gone off Charles/Anna, Charles's bond with Maggie just ruined them for me.
-Why didn't Charles tell Anna about his past with Maggie before she actually met her? She had to stay in her house and he didn't even think to tell her about their past relationship. Who doesn't tell their husband/wife that they'll soon be meeting and staying with a once serious ex of theirs? Why didn't Anna call him out on that? It was such a dick move. Also, when he did eventually tell Anna about Maggie he brushed it off as them being nothing serious when it was actually so much more than that. He was deeply in love with Maggie and wanted to be with her, yet Anna didn't know that. She had a right to know all the details since she had to live with and put up with her for weeks.
-What's with the latest Mercy/Anna books both having the heroines dealing with jealous/petty women and their husband's ex's?! All it's done is ruin the romance between the hero/heroine in both series.
-I was disappointed that there wasn't really any Samuel, Bran or Asil scenes. Also, I was disappointed that there wasn't one single female character I missed, simply because there weren't any prominent decent side female characters in the series to choose from.
-What happened to the 14 yr old girl with the baby? I really wanted to know more about her back story and powers.
-Why did the gray lord release the doll collector in the first place? The fae cut themselves off from humans and declared themselves as separate, so why did they now want to cause trouble for humans? Was it revenge or something? Do they want to start a war? What's their endgame? It wasn't fully clear what the motives behind the fae's actions were.
-I hope book 5 has something more original than the usual find-the-killer of the week, also I really want Anna to have more to her than just Charles and her abuse, she really needs far more complexity and history than that.
July 10, 2017
2015 is not nearly soon enough! This series is even better than the Mercy Thompson series. I ADORE Anna and Charles and I hope they go on to have a 10+ book series. This is definitely my new favorite urban fantasy series. The dynamics between Anna and Charles and then Anna and the others she comes into contact with is just so cool!
November 23, 2018
4 stars!!
Dead Heat was another fantastic addition to the Alpha & Omega series. I love Charles and Anna. They are such an amazing couple. My husband and I read these books together and he always says they remind him of us… sigh. Anyway, this book was full of suspense, action, and had so much heart.
Charles and Anna are going to Arizona to get a horse for Anna. The trip is more than that though. It’s much more personal for Charles. I loved getting all the looks into his past. As soon as they get there, they realize something isn’t right. It has to do with the Fae and missing children and of course these two have to step up and help.
What I love most about Charles is he’s an alpha, but he’s not your over the top alpha. He’s stoic and calm, even though he’s super tough. He doesn’t get close to many people, but those he loves he loves fiercely. Anna is an Omega, a peace keeper of sorts. She knows how to read people and can be calming to them, but she also is strong and level headed. These two fit together perfectly. The compliment each other so well.
I listened to the audiobook and it was such a great listen. I love this series so much. Patricia Briggs is my favorite PNR/UF author. This and the Mercy series can’t be topped for me when it comes to this genre. I’m looking forward to reading the next one and I’ll be getting to it soon!
Dead Heat was another fantastic addition to the Alpha & Omega series. I love Charles and Anna. They are such an amazing couple. My husband and I read these books together and he always says they remind him of us… sigh. Anyway, this book was full of suspense, action, and had so much heart.
Charles and Anna are going to Arizona to get a horse for Anna. The trip is more than that though. It’s much more personal for Charles. I loved getting all the looks into his past. As soon as they get there, they realize something isn’t right. It has to do with the Fae and missing children and of course these two have to step up and help.
What I love most about Charles is he’s an alpha, but he’s not your over the top alpha. He’s stoic and calm, even though he’s super tough. He doesn’t get close to many people, but those he loves he loves fiercely. Anna is an Omega, a peace keeper of sorts. She knows how to read people and can be calming to them, but she also is strong and level headed. These two fit together perfectly. The compliment each other so well.
I listened to the audiobook and it was such a great listen. I love this series so much. Patricia Briggs is my favorite PNR/UF author. This and the Mercy series can’t be topped for me when it comes to this genre. I’m looking forward to reading the next one and I’ll be getting to it soon!
March 3, 2015
3/3/15: Now Available!
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.
5 Stars!
This is a fantastic book! I need to be clear up front that I am a huge fan of Patricia Briggs. I have read and enjoyed all of the books in the Mercy Thompson series and the Alpha & Omega series. I enjoy each series but I think that the Alpha & Omega series is my favorite out of the two. I just love Charles and Anna. I love each of them as individuals and I adore them as a couple.
Seriously, how can your heart not melt when Charles says things like this?!?! Mine sure did. Charles is unique in the werewolf world. He is the most dominant werewolf around with the exception of his father, Bram, and he has a few extra abilities. He is the one who is sent out when there is trouble since he is Bram's enforcer. Anna is an Omega werewolf which is extremely rare. She has a calming effect on other werewolves and does not feel compelled to obey. I think that she is the perfect mate for Charles and vice-versa. They complement each other completely.
Charles wants to give Anna a gift for her upcoming birthday so he decides to take her to see an old friend so that she can pick out a new horse. Shortly after they arrive, it becomes obvious that there is trouble in town that has touched the local werewolf pack. Charles and Anna work to find out what is going on and protect the members of the local pack and the people that they love.
I really liked that we find out a little more about Charles's past. Charles has lived a long life and his life before Anna and before the series starts is very interesting to me. So far everything that I have learned about Charles has only made me like him more. I enjoyed seeing Anna fully utilizing her Omega abilities in this story. The chemistry and love between the pair is absolutely wonderful.
The writing is excellent and the mystery is solid. The story has nearly perfect pacing and I found that I could not put it down once I started. There is a large focus on horses in this book which may not appeal to everyone. I like horses and spent a lot of time riding when I was a teen so I really enjoyed those parts of the book. I actually liked the fact that this was Charles and Anna's story with only mentions of other characters. Don't get me wrong, I love Bram, Asil, and everyone else but I liked the new characters in this book so much that I found I didn't miss them like I would have thought. There was a lot of werewolf politics in this book that I found that I really enjoyed.
I would highly recommend this book to others. While I suppose it could be possible to enjoy this book without having read the rest of the series, the other books are so good I just don't understand why anyone would want to skip them. My suggestion to anyone interested in this series is to start at the beginning and enjoy the full story. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in this fantastic series.
I received an advance reader edition of this book from Penguin Group via Net Galley for the purpose of providing an honest review.
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.
5 Stars!
This is a fantastic book! I need to be clear up front that I am a huge fan of Patricia Briggs. I have read and enjoyed all of the books in the Mercy Thompson series and the Alpha & Omega series. I enjoy each series but I think that the Alpha & Omega series is my favorite out of the two. I just love Charles and Anna. I love each of them as individuals and I adore them as a couple.
"The day I met you was the first day I ever felt joy."
Seriously, how can your heart not melt when Charles says things like this?!?! Mine sure did. Charles is unique in the werewolf world. He is the most dominant werewolf around with the exception of his father, Bram, and he has a few extra abilities. He is the one who is sent out when there is trouble since he is Bram's enforcer. Anna is an Omega werewolf which is extremely rare. She has a calming effect on other werewolves and does not feel compelled to obey. I think that she is the perfect mate for Charles and vice-versa. They complement each other completely.
Charles wants to give Anna a gift for her upcoming birthday so he decides to take her to see an old friend so that she can pick out a new horse. Shortly after they arrive, it becomes obvious that there is trouble in town that has touched the local werewolf pack. Charles and Anna work to find out what is going on and protect the members of the local pack and the people that they love.
I really liked that we find out a little more about Charles's past. Charles has lived a long life and his life before Anna and before the series starts is very interesting to me. So far everything that I have learned about Charles has only made me like him more. I enjoyed seeing Anna fully utilizing her Omega abilities in this story. The chemistry and love between the pair is absolutely wonderful.
The writing is excellent and the mystery is solid. The story has nearly perfect pacing and I found that I could not put it down once I started. There is a large focus on horses in this book which may not appeal to everyone. I like horses and spent a lot of time riding when I was a teen so I really enjoyed those parts of the book. I actually liked the fact that this was Charles and Anna's story with only mentions of other characters. Don't get me wrong, I love Bram, Asil, and everyone else but I liked the new characters in this book so much that I found I didn't miss them like I would have thought. There was a lot of werewolf politics in this book that I found that I really enjoyed.
I would highly recommend this book to others. While I suppose it could be possible to enjoy this book without having read the rest of the series, the other books are so good I just don't understand why anyone would want to skip them. My suggestion to anyone interested in this series is to start at the beginning and enjoy the full story. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in this fantastic series.
I received an advance reader edition of this book from Penguin Group via Net Galley for the purpose of providing an honest review.
April 15, 2018
I paused my Kate Daniels readathon to inhale this installment in a different urban fantasy series - the one in ALPHA AND OMEGA that I managed to skip over when reading all the others. I went into this one a little leery because of a few negative reviews ... but I actually really enjoyed it!
Though it does help if you are fond of horses. (Walter Farley and Marguerite Henry were a huge part of my junior high school reading diet, so no trouble there.)
Add to the horses a murderous fae, children in grave peril, an aging childhood friend of Charles, and some family drama, and this book kept me glued to it through the end.
Full review to come, after it posts on Fantasy Literature.
Though it does help if you are fond of horses. (Walter Farley and Marguerite Henry were a huge part of my junior high school reading diet, so no trouble there.)
Add to the horses a murderous fae, children in grave peril, an aging childhood friend of Charles, and some family drama, and this book kept me glued to it through the end.
Full review to come, after it posts on Fantasy Literature.
March 15, 2015
4.5 ★'s
My favorite part about this series from the get-go is the relationship between Charles and Anna, The Alpha and The Omega. Sometimes they aren't the only focus but they are always the main focus.
Charles is taking Anna on a short vacation to see a friend of his...and to get Anna a horse for her birthday. Naturally, there is trouble and naturally, Charles and Anna jump right into the middle of things.
It was awesome seeing how in tune Anna was to Charles, reading his little nuances...I just loved that. There is no egos involved, just whoever is the best one to handle something, they do. And the other one supports them.
The "trouble" of the story was a bit intense and a little gruesome. Getting to know the characters and especially knowing what they mean to Charles made it more personal and I felt more invested in the story.
The one problem was all the information about the horses. I even come from a family horse business background and it was too detailed and felt like it interrupted the flow of the story. But those details are what PB is known for so I kind of expected it.
The ending was full of action and I enjoyed how everyone worked together. Of course, you know the sad part is coming but it was still, well, sad. However, I did love the conclusion that Charles and Anna came to. Very much looking forward to their next journey!
Favorite quotes:
♥ “You have a beautiful song in your heart,” he said at last. “I am grateful that my old friend would find such as you because he is too often alone. Don’t break his heart or my ghost will haunt you for the rest of your days.”
♥ "The day I met you was the first day I ever felt joy."
My favorite part about this series from the get-go is the relationship between Charles and Anna, The Alpha and The Omega. Sometimes they aren't the only focus but they are always the main focus.
Charles is taking Anna on a short vacation to see a friend of his...and to get Anna a horse for her birthday. Naturally, there is trouble and naturally, Charles and Anna jump right into the middle of things.
It was awesome seeing how in tune Anna was to Charles, reading his little nuances...I just loved that. There is no egos involved, just whoever is the best one to handle something, they do. And the other one supports them.
The "trouble" of the story was a bit intense and a little gruesome. Getting to know the characters and especially knowing what they mean to Charles made it more personal and I felt more invested in the story.
The one problem was all the information about the horses. I even come from a family horse business background and it was too detailed and felt like it interrupted the flow of the story. But those details are what PB is known for so I kind of expected it.
The ending was full of action and I enjoyed how everyone worked together. Of course, you know the sad part is coming but it was still, well, sad. However, I did love the conclusion that Charles and Anna came to. Very much looking forward to their next journey!
Favorite quotes:
♥ “You have a beautiful song in your heart,” he said at last. “I am grateful that my old friend would find such as you because he is too often alone. Don’t break his heart or my ghost will haunt you for the rest of your days.”
♥ "The day I met you was the first day I ever felt joy."
March 1, 2018
February 2018 Reread. Buddy read with Sarah and Erica. I liked this even more than my previous reads. It's still missing something I can't quite put my finger on, but it's a good story - if a lot of about horses.
February 2017 Re-read: I liked this better than the last time. Quite a lot more. But it's still my least favorite of the Alpha and Omega books. There's something missing for me.
February 2016 Re-read: Buddy read with Sarah
This is the book I've read most recently in the Mercy World prior to this re-read, so it was the freshest in my mind, though I still found I forgot a lot. I think my review below speaks the best for it. The unveiling of the bad-guy was a little disappointing, because I felt like it should have been noticed previously, or at least speculated on. And the whole having kids things...well, I'm just sort of over it. But, *shrugs*, Okay. I get it, too.
I think part of the reason that I'm not into the whole kids thing in these books is that they're essentially done when they have kids. Kids change your life, in a lot of big (and little) ways - you're not your own person anymore, you're not even just a couple anymore. Plus, can't these incredibly long-lived people just...enjoy their mate for a half-century or something?
Moving on - I still enjoy this book, because I love Charles and Anna so much. The horse stuff was a bit much on this re-read (though I remember enjoying it a lot in the first read). And I really enjoyed meeting a whole new pack, and an old, true friend of Charles.
Original Review:
The last several months have been life-changing for me. First, I got engaged. Then I moved across country (Wisconsin to Washington state). Then I was looking for a new job, while assisting the transition remotely for my old job. Then I was buying a house...And still I freaked out and wondered how the heck I had managed to forget that I had this book to read on my Kindle. When I was going through my 'must-have' releases to be happening I suddenly realized that I hadn't ever started this book! I was horrified, and immediately set about correcting that.
I'm really glad that I did. This book was quietly satisfying. I say quietly and I hope that people don't take that to mean a bad thing. This wasn't as action-packed as some of the books, the mystery wasn't as urgent to me - for whatever reason - but I loved how the story moved the world in a new direction, how we got to meet up with some new (and varied) characters, and how we got a lot more from Anna and Charles.
I admit it, I'm pretty tired of the +child aspect to a lot of books lately, I started in Urban Fantasy because I was pretty bored with the 'must have a child' thing in Romance. So it's not my favorite addition to the storyline. That being said, it makes sense here. Anna was changed without even knowing that she'd never be able to have kids. So much was taken away from her, it's understandable that she's going to fight to regain as much as possible. What I really liked about this (almost) side-plot was that Anna never forced Charles hand, she tried to figure out the root of the problem, offer logical solutions and let him figure out where he wanted to be on the subject. They're a team, and it's never in doubt that they are together for it all.
What I loved most here was the cast of characters, both those we know and love already and those that are new to us - even if not to Charles. Seeing true friends of Charles was a treat, and I liked them immensely. There were a couple of new characters in particular that I loved meeting, and I hope we get to see more of them in the future.
I already mentioned that the mystery aspect of the book wasn't that enticing to me and part of that is because I figured out who the "bad-guy" was as soon as we met them. It was a little out of character for Anna - and especially not Charles - to suspect this person when the clues kept lining up pointing to a particular place. Accusing would have been too far, but the way they studiously avoided even thinking that this person could be the culprit left me feeling bland about the whole process. I was really interested in the fae's powers and the consequences of their actions - both for the fae, the werewolves and even the humans. Patricia Briggs definitely knows how to continuously up the stakes in this ever-changing world, I'll never deny that.
Like I said, it was quietly satisfying. We got a lot of time with Charles and his friends - of which we know he doesn't have many, a lot of time with Charles and Anna, and a lot of time learning more about other packs of werewolves. I also particularly enjoyed some of the investigation that was detailed and the things that our investigators found out.
Dead Heat isn't as exciting or flashy as some of the other books in the Mercy Thompson World, but it's definitely satisfying and creates intriguing new directions for our favorite supernatural beings to go in. I'll tell you though, after all the stuff with the fae I'm really curious as to what's going on with the vampires - especially Stefan. Here's hoping we get to see him again in the next Mercy book (Feb 2016 Edit: which despite the order now on Goodreads, at the time of this review, Night Broken had already been out for a year, so I was waiting for Fire Touched - which didn't have a name yet).
23 January 2015: Preorder $5.99 on Kindle - for a new Patricia Briggs ... that's a great price to preorder at!
February 2017 Re-read: I liked this better than the last time. Quite a lot more. But it's still my least favorite of the Alpha and Omega books. There's something missing for me.
February 2016 Re-read: Buddy read with Sarah
This is the book I've read most recently in the Mercy World prior to this re-read, so it was the freshest in my mind, though I still found I forgot a lot. I think my review below speaks the best for it. The unveiling of the bad-guy was a little disappointing, because I felt like it should have been noticed previously, or at least speculated on. And the whole having kids things...well, I'm just sort of over it. But, *shrugs*, Okay. I get it, too.
I think part of the reason that I'm not into the whole kids thing in these books is that they're essentially done when they have kids. Kids change your life, in a lot of big (and little) ways - you're not your own person anymore, you're not even just a couple anymore. Plus, can't these incredibly long-lived people just...enjoy their mate for a half-century or something?
Moving on - I still enjoy this book, because I love Charles and Anna so much. The horse stuff was a bit much on this re-read (though I remember enjoying it a lot in the first read). And I really enjoyed meeting a whole new pack, and an old, true friend of Charles.
Original Review:
The last several months have been life-changing for me. First, I got engaged. Then I moved across country (Wisconsin to Washington state). Then I was looking for a new job, while assisting the transition remotely for my old job. Then I was buying a house...And still I freaked out and wondered how the heck I had managed to forget that I had this book to read on my Kindle. When I was going through my 'must-have' releases to be happening I suddenly realized that I hadn't ever started this book! I was horrified, and immediately set about correcting that.
I'm really glad that I did. This book was quietly satisfying. I say quietly and I hope that people don't take that to mean a bad thing. This wasn't as action-packed as some of the books, the mystery wasn't as urgent to me - for whatever reason - but I loved how the story moved the world in a new direction, how we got to meet up with some new (and varied) characters, and how we got a lot more from Anna and Charles.
I admit it, I'm pretty tired of the +child aspect to a lot of books lately, I started in Urban Fantasy because I was pretty bored with the 'must have a child' thing in Romance. So it's not my favorite addition to the storyline. That being said, it makes sense here. Anna was changed without even knowing that she'd never be able to have kids. So much was taken away from her, it's understandable that she's going to fight to regain as much as possible. What I really liked about this (almost) side-plot was that Anna never forced Charles hand, she tried to figure out the root of the problem, offer logical solutions and let him figure out where he wanted to be on the subject. They're a team, and it's never in doubt that they are together for it all.
What I loved most here was the cast of characters, both those we know and love already and those that are new to us - even if not to Charles. Seeing true friends of Charles was a treat, and I liked them immensely. There were a couple of new characters in particular that I loved meeting, and I hope we get to see more of them in the future.
I already mentioned that the mystery aspect of the book wasn't that enticing to me and part of that is because I figured out who the "bad-guy" was as soon as we met them. It was a little out of character for Anna - and especially not Charles - to suspect this person when the clues kept lining up pointing to a particular place. Accusing would have been too far, but the way they studiously avoided even thinking that this person could be the culprit left me feeling bland about the whole process. I was really interested in the fae's powers and the consequences of their actions - both for the fae, the werewolves and even the humans. Patricia Briggs definitely knows how to continuously up the stakes in this ever-changing world, I'll never deny that.
Like I said, it was quietly satisfying. We got a lot of time with Charles and his friends - of which we know he doesn't have many, a lot of time with Charles and Anna, and a lot of time learning more about other packs of werewolves. I also particularly enjoyed some of the investigation that was detailed and the things that our investigators found out.
Dead Heat isn't as exciting or flashy as some of the other books in the Mercy Thompson World, but it's definitely satisfying and creates intriguing new directions for our favorite supernatural beings to go in. I'll tell you though, after all the stuff with the fae I'm really curious as to what's going on with the vampires - especially Stefan. Here's hoping we get to see him again in the next Mercy book (Feb 2016 Edit: which despite the order now on Goodreads, at the time of this review, Night Broken had already been out for a year, so I was waiting for Fire Touched - which didn't have a name yet).
23 January 2015: Preorder $5.99 on Kindle - for a new Patricia Briggs ... that's a great price to preorder at!
August 14, 2023
Badass Book Reviews is giving away a free copy of this book, stop by to enter to win:
http://badassbookreviews.com/release-...
If I could, I would give it 10 stars. The best yet.
http://badassbookreviews.com/release-...
If I could, I would give it 10 stars. The best yet.
March 13, 2015
Reviewed by: Rabid Reads.
This book started out as a sweet vacay type story line with Anna & Charles traveling to Arizona to buy a horse from an old friend. We got to see a different side of Cornick, witness a couple of flashbacks, reconnect with an old love, and meet Hosteen's pack. There was of course some mild tension, but that's to be expected whenever two alpha males are in the same room; however other than that it was looking like this was going to be a relatively tame installment. Ha! Yeah right, this is Patricia Briggs, and she doesn't do cute. DEAD HEAT's fae mystery kept me guessing, the ending made me cry, and the werewolves rocked, as usual.
I've become accustomed to being spoiled by this author's furry characters, so when I first opened this novel I was surprised to find... horses! I marveled at the level of detail Briggs went into with regards to these magnificent beasts from the various breeds, to their different gaits, temperaments and the competitive side of shows. I actually had to pause mid-chapter to read her bio because I needed to know whether she had existing equestrian knowledge or had put her research cap on for this latest book. She lives on a horse ranch in case you're wondering. I really enjoyed the amount of information she managed to incorporate alongside the plot.
Don't tell Clay & Elena (Kelley Armstrong), but they are in danger of losing their title of being my favourite werewolf couple because Charles & Anna are gaining on them with each new ALPHA & OMEGA installment. Cornick's lone wolf status is no secret, so discovering that he has a human friend was quite the revelation. His relationship with Joseph awakened so many feels; however I wasn't overly happy about Maggie's role. Why is Briggs so big on ex threads? Urgh! Charles & Anna are working through another couple dilemma, and I just love how conflict makes them stronger. Their character growth continues to be one of the high points of this series.
Our friendly neighbourhood FBI agent, Leslie Fisher, is back in the thick of things which was great because I liked her in FAIR GAME. It turns out that the fae did not go quietly into their reservations, instead they are underhandedly siccing their worst monsters on human society, and the Doll Collector was their latest ruse. This novel's plot deals with children, and it's not pretty, so it's not recommended for everyone. That being said, this author has a propensity for misdirection, therefore expect the unexpected! There was also a touch of humour though in the form of Hephzibah, the Evil Queen Hellbitch, and leave it to Briggs to work in a Supernatural shout out. Squee!
This was my first time reading an ALPHA & OMEGA book, and although I missed Holter Graham's narration, it's clear that no matter how you tackle DEAD HEAT, the end result will be 5 stars.
This book started out as a sweet vacay type story line with Anna & Charles traveling to Arizona to buy a horse from an old friend. We got to see a different side of Cornick, witness a couple of flashbacks, reconnect with an old love, and meet Hosteen's pack. There was of course some mild tension, but that's to be expected whenever two alpha males are in the same room; however other than that it was looking like this was going to be a relatively tame installment. Ha! Yeah right, this is Patricia Briggs, and she doesn't do cute. DEAD HEAT's fae mystery kept me guessing, the ending made me cry, and the werewolves rocked, as usual.
I've become accustomed to being spoiled by this author's furry characters, so when I first opened this novel I was surprised to find... horses! I marveled at the level of detail Briggs went into with regards to these magnificent beasts from the various breeds, to their different gaits, temperaments and the competitive side of shows. I actually had to pause mid-chapter to read her bio because I needed to know whether she had existing equestrian knowledge or had put her research cap on for this latest book. She lives on a horse ranch in case you're wondering. I really enjoyed the amount of information she managed to incorporate alongside the plot.
Don't tell Clay & Elena (Kelley Armstrong), but they are in danger of losing their title of being my favourite werewolf couple because Charles & Anna are gaining on them with each new ALPHA & OMEGA installment. Cornick's lone wolf status is no secret, so discovering that he has a human friend was quite the revelation. His relationship with Joseph awakened so many feels; however I wasn't overly happy about Maggie's role. Why is Briggs so big on ex threads? Urgh! Charles & Anna are working through another couple dilemma, and I just love how conflict makes them stronger. Their character growth continues to be one of the high points of this series.
Our friendly neighbourhood FBI agent, Leslie Fisher, is back in the thick of things which was great because I liked her in FAIR GAME. It turns out that the fae did not go quietly into their reservations, instead they are underhandedly siccing their worst monsters on human society, and the Doll Collector was their latest ruse. This novel's plot deals with children, and it's not pretty, so it's not recommended for everyone. That being said, this author has a propensity for misdirection, therefore expect the unexpected! There was also a touch of humour though in the form of Hephzibah, the Evil Queen Hellbitch, and leave it to Briggs to work in a Supernatural shout out. Squee!
This was my first time reading an ALPHA & OMEGA book, and although I missed Holter Graham's narration, it's clear that no matter how you tackle DEAD HEAT, the end result will be 5 stars.
August 1, 2019
4 stars!
“That is the dual gift of love, isn’t it? The joy of greeting and the sorrow of good-bye.”
I am so glad I came back to this series. I had originally given up on it, but I did an audio reread of the first three books and made it to the fourth.
In Dead Heat, Charles and Anna travel to Arizona to visit an old friend. While they are there, they come across a series of horrible crimes involving children and a fae. Now it’s a matter of racing the clock before this evil fae takes another child.
“If you make my children, make any child, feel bad for who they are, I will teach you why people fear mama grizzlies more than papa grizzlies.”
I honestly don’t love this series for the plot, I love it for the characters and the world building. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: I need a character driven novel to enjoy a book. If I don’t care about the characters, I am done. I do wish I enjoyed the plot more in this series, but I find it operates in circles around the core issue and not in a straight line (if that makes any sense).
This is a solid urban fantasy series, if you haven’t picked it up, be sure to do it soon!
“I don't say goodbye very easily, Anna. Not gracefully or prettily. Goodbye tears your heart out and leaves it a feast for carrion birds who happen by.”
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“That is the dual gift of love, isn’t it? The joy of greeting and the sorrow of good-bye.”
I am so glad I came back to this series. I had originally given up on it, but I did an audio reread of the first three books and made it to the fourth.
In Dead Heat, Charles and Anna travel to Arizona to visit an old friend. While they are there, they come across a series of horrible crimes involving children and a fae. Now it’s a matter of racing the clock before this evil fae takes another child.
“If you make my children, make any child, feel bad for who they are, I will teach you why people fear mama grizzlies more than papa grizzlies.”
I honestly don’t love this series for the plot, I love it for the characters and the world building. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: I need a character driven novel to enjoy a book. If I don’t care about the characters, I am done. I do wish I enjoyed the plot more in this series, but I find it operates in circles around the core issue and not in a straight line (if that makes any sense).
This is a solid urban fantasy series, if you haven’t picked it up, be sure to do it soon!
“I don't say goodbye very easily, Anna. Not gracefully or prettily. Goodbye tears your heart out and leaves it a feast for carrion birds who happen by.”
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December 26, 2020
I love reading about Charles and Anna. In this book they're in Arizona shopping for a horse. Lots of information about horses in this book, Arabians in particular. Perhaps a touch too much (yes, I know all you horse lovers are saying "there's never enough about horses" ;) But there's a big bad fae and plenty of danger - all in what you'd expect from this series. Good thing I just got the next book, Burn Bright for Xmas!
May 1, 2015
Update 3/3/15: Check out Badass Book Reviews where we discuss our thoughts about Dead Heat. There's also a chance to win some books!
Thoughts before reading:Want it...want it...want it....NOW!!!!
Can't wait to read this one.
The Review:
Another fantastic addition to the Alpha & Omega series.
When I read a series, I like to watch the character development over the course of the series. This book has one of my favorite UF couples - Anna and Charles and they have grown together nicely over the course of 4 books (and hopefully more). When we first met Anna in the first book, she was very skittish. Now she has come into her pack position as an Omega wolf, using her calming abilities on both human and wolf. She stands up for herself and the people she is protecting. Charles seems to have mellowed out. He seems genuinely happy and eager to please his mate and he's taken her horse shopping in Arizona. But this book doesn't really dwell on their relationship. In the last book, the fae went to ground. In this book, one of them is up to no good. Charles and Anna work with both Cantrip agents and their FBI contact to catch this fae before he kills again.
I love how the author incorporates Native Indian (mostly Navajo) mythology into her narrative.
A must read for Patricia Briggs fans.
Thoughts before reading:Want it...want it...want it....NOW!!!!
Can't wait to read this one.
The Review:
Another fantastic addition to the Alpha & Omega series.
When I read a series, I like to watch the character development over the course of the series. This book has one of my favorite UF couples - Anna and Charles and they have grown together nicely over the course of 4 books (and hopefully more). When we first met Anna in the first book, she was very skittish. Now she has come into her pack position as an Omega wolf, using her calming abilities on both human and wolf. She stands up for herself and the people she is protecting. Charles seems to have mellowed out. He seems genuinely happy and eager to please his mate and he's taken her horse shopping in Arizona. But this book doesn't really dwell on their relationship. In the last book, the fae went to ground. In this book, one of them is up to no good. Charles and Anna work with both Cantrip agents and their FBI contact to catch this fae before he kills again.
I love how the author incorporates Native Indian (mostly Navajo) mythology into her narrative.
A must read for Patricia Briggs fans.
March 10, 2018
1st Read March 2015
2nd Read February 2016
3rd Read February 2017
4th Read March 2018
Full Review
Buddy read with Ange
I read this book last year but never got around to writing a proper review for it so here we go:
I absolutely love Anna and Charles, they're one of my favourite couples and I can't get enough of them. What I enjoy most about them is the way that even though Charles is protective of Anna he also understands her need to stand on her own two feet, he wants her to be an equal partner and he encourages her to be independent while still promising to have her back whenever she needs him. Charles has always kept his distance from everyone else though and even Anna knows very little about his past. It's not been easy for him to work as his father's executioner and it's hard to make friends with other wolves when you know that one day you could be called on to kill them if they ever cross the line.
So the people that Charles considers part of his inner circle are very few and Dead Heat gives us the chance to meet one of his oldest, dearest friends. A friend who is human and who Charles has avoided visiting for a long time because it hurts him to see how old Joseph has become. Charles knows that the time is coming when he'll have to say goodbye and even thinking about that is painful for him. The story is quite bittersweet in some ways but it's also about appreciating the people you love while you still can and I really enjoyed getting to see a more funny, slightly lighter hearted version of Charles. It was also great to learn a bit more about his past and see how much he has changed over the years.
Dead Heat is slower paced than the previous books but I felt that worked really well here, there is a lot of character development and a lot of time just seeing Anna and Charles enjoying each other's company and spending time with friends like a normal couple. Of course, it wouldn't be a Patricia Briggs book if they didn't find some kind of mystery to investigate and I enjoyed the reappearance of FBI Agent Leslie who I think makes a nice addition to the series cast. The mystery was well drawn out and definitely raised the stakes since they were up against a predator who was focusing on children. The one thing I didn't enjoy so much was Anna's desperation to talk Charles into them having kids of their own, it's not a trope I particularly enjoy reading at the best of times but it seems particularly strange when you're talking about a couple who are probably going to have hundreds of years to spend together. Why do they need to start a family so soon? Surely they'd want to enjoy time as a couple first? Having said that I do think the author did a good job of explaining Anna's feelings so it's really personal preference that I wanted them to wait. I'll see how it plays out over the next few books though because I'm sure if anyone can sell it to me Patricia Briggs can!
I don't think this was my favourite novel in the Alpha & Omega series but it's still a solid instalment and I love Anna and Charles as much as ever. I just have a fangirl worship thing going on for this entire world though, I love the cross over of characters between this and the Mercy Thompson books and I always know that picking up a book in this world I'm going to get completely lost in the story and not surface for air until I reach the last page.
______________________________________
1st Read
I read this back in March but left it WAY too long to write my review. Since Ange & I are currently rereading the both Mercy Thompson and Alpha & Omega series I'm going to wait and review this properly after my reread.
______________________________________
Before Reading
OMG I got approved on netgalley!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you ACE, I'm DYING to read this book :o)
______________________________________
3rd Read
I still absolutely love this series but I think this is probably my least favourite of the Alpha & Omega series. There's just a little too much info about the horses they're looking at for my taste (I enjoyed it on my first read through but it's boring on rereads). I'm also not 100% on board with Anna's desperation to have kids immediately, they have so much time on their hands I'd prefer to see them spending more time as a couple before adding to their family. I do think they'll both make wonderful parents but it worries me their storyline might become stale if they're settled down with kids in tow. Hopefully I'll be proved wrong though, especially if they go the adoption route and start taking in kids who have deadly enemies LOL
2nd Read February 2016
3rd Read February 2017
4th Read March 2018
Full Review
Buddy read with Ange
I read this book last year but never got around to writing a proper review for it so here we go:
I absolutely love Anna and Charles, they're one of my favourite couples and I can't get enough of them. What I enjoy most about them is the way that even though Charles is protective of Anna he also understands her need to stand on her own two feet, he wants her to be an equal partner and he encourages her to be independent while still promising to have her back whenever she needs him. Charles has always kept his distance from everyone else though and even Anna knows very little about his past. It's not been easy for him to work as his father's executioner and it's hard to make friends with other wolves when you know that one day you could be called on to kill them if they ever cross the line.
So the people that Charles considers part of his inner circle are very few and Dead Heat gives us the chance to meet one of his oldest, dearest friends. A friend who is human and who Charles has avoided visiting for a long time because it hurts him to see how old Joseph has become. Charles knows that the time is coming when he'll have to say goodbye and even thinking about that is painful for him. The story is quite bittersweet in some ways but it's also about appreciating the people you love while you still can and I really enjoyed getting to see a more funny, slightly lighter hearted version of Charles. It was also great to learn a bit more about his past and see how much he has changed over the years.
Dead Heat is slower paced than the previous books but I felt that worked really well here, there is a lot of character development and a lot of time just seeing Anna and Charles enjoying each other's company and spending time with friends like a normal couple. Of course, it wouldn't be a Patricia Briggs book if they didn't find some kind of mystery to investigate and I enjoyed the reappearance of FBI Agent Leslie who I think makes a nice addition to the series cast. The mystery was well drawn out and definitely raised the stakes since they were up against a predator who was focusing on children. The one thing I didn't enjoy so much was Anna's desperation to talk Charles into them having kids of their own, it's not a trope I particularly enjoy reading at the best of times but it seems particularly strange when you're talking about a couple who are probably going to have hundreds of years to spend together. Why do they need to start a family so soon? Surely they'd want to enjoy time as a couple first? Having said that I do think the author did a good job of explaining Anna's feelings so it's really personal preference that I wanted them to wait. I'll see how it plays out over the next few books though because I'm sure if anyone can sell it to me Patricia Briggs can!
I don't think this was my favourite novel in the Alpha & Omega series but it's still a solid instalment and I love Anna and Charles as much as ever. I just have a fangirl worship thing going on for this entire world though, I love the cross over of characters between this and the Mercy Thompson books and I always know that picking up a book in this world I'm going to get completely lost in the story and not surface for air until I reach the last page.
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1st Read
I read this back in March but left it WAY too long to write my review. Since Ange & I are currently rereading the both Mercy Thompson and Alpha & Omega series I'm going to wait and review this properly after my reread.
______________________________________
Before Reading
OMG I got approved on netgalley!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you ACE, I'm DYING to read this book :o)
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3rd Read
I still absolutely love this series but I think this is probably my least favourite of the Alpha & Omega series. There's just a little too much info about the horses they're looking at for my taste (I enjoyed it on my first read through but it's boring on rereads). I'm also not 100% on board with Anna's desperation to have kids immediately, they have so much time on their hands I'd prefer to see them spending more time as a couple before adding to their family. I do think they'll both make wonderful parents but it worries me their storyline might become stale if they're settled down with kids in tow. Hopefully I'll be proved wrong though, especially if they go the adoption route and start taking in kids who have deadly enemies LOL
March 3, 2015
Another outstanding addition to this fabulous urban fantasy series. Well done Patricia Briggs. Set in the same world as her Mercy Thompson series, the Alpha & Omega series follows Charles (son of the alpha Bran) and Anna (an Omega wolf). I’m not going to recap who Charles and Anna are and how they came to be – I highly recommend this series and reading them in order. I even recommend you start with the novella in the On the Prowl anthology. I also want to note, at this point I’m enjoying this series even more than her Mercy Thompson series. Maybe it’s because Adam annoyed me in the last book (*gasp* did I really just say that?!) but I’m finding Charles and Anna to be so, so intriguing and I like the suspense and conflict in this series better.
The last book ended with the Fae coming out to the world, locking themselves away on their reservations and announcing they were free of the laws of the United States. Oh those fae have some balls! And being fae, they didn’t stay locked up, at least not all of them. We’ll get back to the fae in a second. Charles has a very close friend who is dying. Joseph and Charles spent many years together, but Joseph is human, and is old and sick. Charles takes his wife Anna to visit him before he dies and while he is out there, to buy Anna a horse for her birthday. Joseph’s father Hosteen, is a werewolf and the alpha of the Salt River pack. Charles and Anna stay with Hosteen (a typical alpha wolf that has a big attitude) and his family. We come to learn about all of them in this book. Joseph’s wife, also a human once fell in love with Charles and things turned serious until Charles realizes she could never accept his wolf the way he needed her to. She still holds resent me to this day. Her interactions with Anna, who becomes quite possessive are done well in this book. The action picks up when Hosteen’s daughter in law, comes home from picking her three kids up at daycare with an extreme headache. Several minutes later, she has voices in her head telling her to kill her children. Stabbing herself instead, she weakly warns her children to lock themselves in a room, as the voices takeover again and she tries to kill them. Her husband finally comes home with Anna and Charles who immediately realize something isn’t right.
“The children must bleed,” she gritted out, and the knife shook in her right hand. “Bleed out the bad – ” She dug the knife into her thigh and he winced. But she didn’t push it deep, just slid it along her leg parallel to the other wounds that bled there. “Something in my head wants me to kill my children,” she said in a hurried whisper, very different from the voice she’d started speaking with. “You have to stop me.”
Brother Wolf snarled at this enemy he could not fight with tooth or claw; fae magic surrounded the woman. Charles needed to figure out how to help Kage’s wife.
He figures it out, but you’ll have to read how he does it. This is what I love about Briggs. She writes her fae world so creepy and unpredictable. She doesn’t make them loud or in your face. Just slips in a spell that makes a nice woman want to kill her children. It made me want to read while peeking out from behind my hands.
From here, Charles and Anna realize the fae have decided to attack humans and it all leads back to the daycare. I really enjoyed this mystery – the fae are so intriguing and cruel, and Charles and Anna having to work together to figure things out always entertains me. They are such a great couple. Charles is Bran’s assassin so to say. He is in charge of killing wolves that have gone rogue, or that haven’t gone through the change well, or just those that deserve to die. He has seen so much death – and then Anna comes into his life as a ray of sunshine.
He smiled at her. “The day I met you was the first day I ever felt joy.”
An omega wolf who can calm people and her human self is very smart. Anna knows when to speak and when to let things play out. People come to greatly respect her and she even gets the extremely serious Charles to break into a smile now and then.
Besides the fae drama, Anna wants to have children. Charles is the only werewolf born full-term and this obviously presents a problem. There is also the problem that having a kid terrifies Charles, although he would never say it. But Anna knows. So during this book she very carefully brings up the subject now and again. She thinks maybe a surrogate would be the way to go for them, after much more research. Briggs doesn’t rush this topic. She actually never rushes anything in her books, which in this series I find throughly satisfying. Sometimes in her Mercy books I get a little bored or antsy for things to happen, but I never get that feeling here. I like that Anna broaches the subject of becoming parents, but it’s not rushed to an answer by the time the book ends.
We also get those precious moments between Anna and Charles that I adore. Charles is so possessive over Anna, but lovingly. He respects her freedom and independence, but with her horrific past, she knows he will always be there for her. And that makes her stronger.
“Who hurt you?” she asked, slicing through two other conversations going on at the table.
“He’s dead,” said Charles, his hand sliding up Anna’s back reassuringly. “I killed him. If I could, I would brig him back to life so I could kill him again.”
[..]
Charles put his lips against Anna’s ear. “He’s very, very dead.”
She nodded jerkily. “Sorry.”
“No,” he said, his breath warm against her neck. “Don’t be sorry. Just know if anyone ever tries to hurt you again – they will be dead, too.”
While Charles is usually very quiet and more in the background, when things need to get done, the boy gets them done.
“Pull over,” he told Marsden, interrupting whatever the agent had been saying about the next place they were headed, had been headed.
“Excuse me?”
Impatient, Charles caught the other man’s eye and said, low-voiced. “Pull over.”
The car swerved out of traffic and came to a halt with a jerk.
“What the freak, man?” said Marsden, staring at his hands as though he couldn’t believe what had happened. That he’d just obeyed orders.
This is an excellent urban fantasy series. You don’t need to read the Mercy series to enjoy this. But I recommend reading this series in order. You won’t be disappointed.
Grade: A
P.S. – I will say this in every review I write. I will beg. I have no shame! I NEED, not just want, but NEED a book or a series about Bran. *whimpers forev
The last book ended with the Fae coming out to the world, locking themselves away on their reservations and announcing they were free of the laws of the United States. Oh those fae have some balls! And being fae, they didn’t stay locked up, at least not all of them. We’ll get back to the fae in a second. Charles has a very close friend who is dying. Joseph and Charles spent many years together, but Joseph is human, and is old and sick. Charles takes his wife Anna to visit him before he dies and while he is out there, to buy Anna a horse for her birthday. Joseph’s father Hosteen, is a werewolf and the alpha of the Salt River pack. Charles and Anna stay with Hosteen (a typical alpha wolf that has a big attitude) and his family. We come to learn about all of them in this book. Joseph’s wife, also a human once fell in love with Charles and things turned serious until Charles realizes she could never accept his wolf the way he needed her to. She still holds resent me to this day. Her interactions with Anna, who becomes quite possessive are done well in this book. The action picks up when Hosteen’s daughter in law, comes home from picking her three kids up at daycare with an extreme headache. Several minutes later, she has voices in her head telling her to kill her children. Stabbing herself instead, she weakly warns her children to lock themselves in a room, as the voices takeover again and she tries to kill them. Her husband finally comes home with Anna and Charles who immediately realize something isn’t right.
“The children must bleed,” she gritted out, and the knife shook in her right hand. “Bleed out the bad – ” She dug the knife into her thigh and he winced. But she didn’t push it deep, just slid it along her leg parallel to the other wounds that bled there. “Something in my head wants me to kill my children,” she said in a hurried whisper, very different from the voice she’d started speaking with. “You have to stop me.”
Brother Wolf snarled at this enemy he could not fight with tooth or claw; fae magic surrounded the woman. Charles needed to figure out how to help Kage’s wife.
He figures it out, but you’ll have to read how he does it. This is what I love about Briggs. She writes her fae world so creepy and unpredictable. She doesn’t make them loud or in your face. Just slips in a spell that makes a nice woman want to kill her children. It made me want to read while peeking out from behind my hands.
From here, Charles and Anna realize the fae have decided to attack humans and it all leads back to the daycare. I really enjoyed this mystery – the fae are so intriguing and cruel, and Charles and Anna having to work together to figure things out always entertains me. They are such a great couple. Charles is Bran’s assassin so to say. He is in charge of killing wolves that have gone rogue, or that haven’t gone through the change well, or just those that deserve to die. He has seen so much death – and then Anna comes into his life as a ray of sunshine.
He smiled at her. “The day I met you was the first day I ever felt joy.”
An omega wolf who can calm people and her human self is very smart. Anna knows when to speak and when to let things play out. People come to greatly respect her and she even gets the extremely serious Charles to break into a smile now and then.
Besides the fae drama, Anna wants to have children. Charles is the only werewolf born full-term and this obviously presents a problem. There is also the problem that having a kid terrifies Charles, although he would never say it. But Anna knows. So during this book she very carefully brings up the subject now and again. She thinks maybe a surrogate would be the way to go for them, after much more research. Briggs doesn’t rush this topic. She actually never rushes anything in her books, which in this series I find throughly satisfying. Sometimes in her Mercy books I get a little bored or antsy for things to happen, but I never get that feeling here. I like that Anna broaches the subject of becoming parents, but it’s not rushed to an answer by the time the book ends.
We also get those precious moments between Anna and Charles that I adore. Charles is so possessive over Anna, but lovingly. He respects her freedom and independence, but with her horrific past, she knows he will always be there for her. And that makes her stronger.
“Who hurt you?” she asked, slicing through two other conversations going on at the table.
“He’s dead,” said Charles, his hand sliding up Anna’s back reassuringly. “I killed him. If I could, I would brig him back to life so I could kill him again.”
[..]
Charles put his lips against Anna’s ear. “He’s very, very dead.”
She nodded jerkily. “Sorry.”
“No,” he said, his breath warm against her neck. “Don’t be sorry. Just know if anyone ever tries to hurt you again – they will be dead, too.”
While Charles is usually very quiet and more in the background, when things need to get done, the boy gets them done.
“Pull over,” he told Marsden, interrupting whatever the agent had been saying about the next place they were headed, had been headed.
“Excuse me?”
Impatient, Charles caught the other man’s eye and said, low-voiced. “Pull over.”
The car swerved out of traffic and came to a halt with a jerk.
“What the freak, man?” said Marsden, staring at his hands as though he couldn’t believe what had happened. That he’d just obeyed orders.
This is an excellent urban fantasy series. You don’t need to read the Mercy series to enjoy this. But I recommend reading this series in order. You won’t be disappointed.
Grade: A
P.S. – I will say this in every review I write. I will beg. I have no shame! I NEED, not just want, but NEED a book or a series about Bran. *whimpers forev
April 18, 2015
4.25 Stars – Love, Loss, & Promise
Tennyson's poem comes to mind after completing Dead Heat. Bran, the dominant werewolf of North America and recurring secondary character in the Mercy Thompson and Alpha & Omega series, and his son Samuel have reacted to love and loss their own way. As with many werewolves, there are some that anchor their humanity with relationships to short-lived humans and there are others, like Bran, who cannot bear the pain of loss, which is what Charles faces in Dead Heat.
"Ah. Of course," I noted as I was reading. The previous Alpha and Omega books involved high-stakes situations. Charles and Anna fought to live. They battled their inner-demons to endure as a strong mated couple. This time the conflict isn't a threat directed specifically at them or their relationship. Instead, there is a dangerous Fae. An old character returns. New aspects of Charles and Anna are revealed.
Anna and Charles defied great odds to achieve happiness. Their relationship is stable in this book. They are happy. Their inner struggles are mostly about what they are and, surprisingly, a pang for something they cannot bear as werewolves.
Anna deeply wants something. To get it she tries to pinpoint the source of Charles’s fears. Through characters’ observations we learn more about Anna (she has a dark side she’s hiding), Charles (who understands why Bran has given up human friendships), and werewolf dynamics and laws. There’s also insight into Native American culture.
I gobbled up Dead Heat and look forward to more Alpha & Omega series. There is still plenty to experience with this werewolf couple leading the way through new mysteries, horrors, and human frailties. Overall, I highly recommend this series to readers searching for romance, urban fantasy, mystery, and psychologically-complex characters.
ARC courtesy of Penguin Group via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
************************************
Upon receiving the ARC...
Ohhhhhh, yes! Yessssssssss!
I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.
- Alfred Lord Tennyson
Tennyson's poem comes to mind after completing Dead Heat. Bran, the dominant werewolf of North America and recurring secondary character in the Mercy Thompson and Alpha & Omega series, and his son Samuel have reacted to love and loss their own way. As with many werewolves, there are some that anchor their humanity with relationships to short-lived humans and there are others, like Bran, who cannot bear the pain of loss, which is what Charles faces in Dead Heat.
"Ah. Of course," I noted as I was reading. The previous Alpha and Omega books involved high-stakes situations. Charles and Anna fought to live. They battled their inner-demons to endure as a strong mated couple. This time the conflict isn't a threat directed specifically at them or their relationship. Instead, there is a dangerous Fae. An old character returns. New aspects of Charles and Anna are revealed.
Anna and Charles defied great odds to achieve happiness. Their relationship is stable in this book. They are happy. Their inner struggles are mostly about what they are and, surprisingly, a pang for something they cannot bear as werewolves.
Anna deeply wants something. To get it she tries to pinpoint the source of Charles’s fears. Through characters’ observations we learn more about Anna (she has a dark side she’s hiding), Charles (who understands why Bran has given up human friendships), and werewolf dynamics and laws. There’s also insight into Native American culture.
I gobbled up Dead Heat and look forward to more Alpha & Omega series. There is still plenty to experience with this werewolf couple leading the way through new mysteries, horrors, and human frailties. Overall, I highly recommend this series to readers searching for romance, urban fantasy, mystery, and psychologically-complex characters.
ARC courtesy of Penguin Group via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
************************************
Upon receiving the ARC...
Ohhhhhh, yes! Yessssssssss!
August 11, 2015
3.5 Stars
Beautiful story in itself, but also a tiny disappointment. It doesn't quite fit to the previous Alpha & Omega books.
There was way too little Anna and Charles time, as we have come to know and love it, and way too much talk about horses, which made certain passages of the book quite boring.
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Edit 02.02.2015
SO jealous of everyone reading this! :(
------------------------------------------
This book is calling me...
Beautiful story in itself, but also a tiny disappointment. It doesn't quite fit to the previous Alpha & Omega books.
There was way too little Anna and Charles time, as we have come to know and love it, and way too much talk about horses, which made certain passages of the book quite boring.
------------------------------------------
Edit 02.02.2015
SO jealous of everyone reading this! :(
------------------------------------------
This book is calling me...
March 16, 2015
What the fresh hell is this?
Charles and Anna you say? No way, those books are awesome! This book was decidedly not.
I mean, do you really expect me to believe that the badass author who wrote the glory of Mercy Thompson wrote this nonsensical piece of boredom?
To my utter and complete fucking surprise: YES.
Anna and Charles travel to Arizona thinking it'll be a relaxing trip visiting old friends and looking at pretty horses. But, lucky for them they get to solve a nifty little mystery. A dangerous faerie is stealing children. Charles and Anna set out to solve this mystery, going all Nancy Drew on our asses. Get out your notebooks and flashlights, ladies and gents 'cause we've got a mystery to solve.
For example:
Obviously.
Every once and a while, you ship a couple. C&A were one of my most shippable UF couples, next to Curran and Kate (We can't be friends if you haven't read them, fyi). I truly do love how Briggs built their relationship. I wouldn't say that I love that Charles saved Anna from her previous pack, but I can deal with it. Plus, the use of rape AGAIN was just not to my favor. Oh, and just to be clear: there is no rape in this book. I want to make that very clear. But, still I can get past that because at this point in Urban Fantasy it's an anomaly if rape isn't used. Although, it is suspicious how Briggs uses rape in both series. It must be a genre staple. Even so, I love how Charles gives Anna her space and doesn't hover like most love interests. He just backs way up if she needs it. He's a quiet guy. I just love the quiet mysterious guys. Again, with the mystery aspect. He's just so chill. But, now I'm going to have to say that they have gone the way of the wind. The 'Dead Heat' title takes an entire new meaning, emphasis on the "dead."
I never really realized this before, but Anna is not an interesting person. The only thing that makes her interesting is that she's an omega and she has a traumatic past. Anna as a person? Not so much.
In this book, Charles completely dominated the book. This is not a good thing. I don't care how much you have the hots for him, it is not cool with me when the woman takes a backseat in the story. Too often the guy seems to have a much larger presence than the girl. I'm not okay with this. It seemed like Anna had a presence in the beginning, then it became all about Charles, and then towards the end she showed up to save the day. What is this plate of ripe shit? Do not confuse me like this. I will not be tricked into thinking it's about both Charles and Anna, when Charles has a more dominating presence (not a wolf reference, please) than Anna. Exit the ship, if you don't mind me saying.
Briggs has a way with unweaving a mystery. She's just so excellent at planting clues and teasing you the entire way through. The writing is quite nice and I enjoyed it. Dead Heat did not interest me as much as it should have. It was quite boring, as I've already stated. Patricia Briggs does tend to weave a book slowly and surely. But, there should always be something to interest me no matter how long it takes to unweave the story.
The sad thing about the horses being such a big part of the book is that a lot of the scenes had no purpose other than spew out horse facts. As much as I love horses, having grown up with them, I can't see an actual purpose to many of the scenes. The horses are part of why Anna and Charles went to Arizona, so that's why the horses are so important in the background of the story. But, I felt like the author gave us a little too much. It started to become a little obsessive on the horse info and descriptions.
The plot took so incredibly long to unravel that I cannot forgive the huge chunk of book it took to become known. It dragged on too much for my taste. I love it when stories take a while to unfold. Sometimes, I just love to sink into those stories. But, when the plot takes an entire section of the book to start? That's when I start to consider watching Keeping Up with the Kardashians instead. Desperate times, my friends. I had them.
I don't know why I do this to myself.
I will remember you Charles and Anna. We had some good times. I can honestly say that it could be me. That's possible. But, let's go with the possibility that it's probably you. I'm a confident woman. I don't need hesitate to say what I think. This is what I think.
Thank you to Penguin Group Berkley, NAL for providing me with an Advanced Reader's Copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book.
Charles and Anna you say? No way, those books are awesome! This book was decidedly not.
I mean, do you really expect me to believe that the badass author who wrote the glory of Mercy Thompson wrote this nonsensical piece of boredom?
To my utter and complete fucking surprise: YES.
*What the crap just happened?*
Anna and Charles travel to Arizona thinking it'll be a relaxing trip visiting old friends and looking at pretty horses. But, lucky for them they get to solve a nifty little mystery. A dangerous faerie is stealing children. Charles and Anna set out to solve this mystery, going all Nancy Drew on our asses. Get out your notebooks and flashlights, ladies and gents 'cause we've got a mystery to solve.
It all comes down to this: Did I enjoy it? Sure, there's always going to be things I like or dislike in every book I read, but in the end it always comes down to whether I enjoyed it. I truly did enjoy things about this book.
For example:
HORSIES!
They are majestic creatures.
Obviously.
Every once and a while, you ship a couple. C&A were one of my most shippable UF couples, next to Curran and Kate (We can't be friends if you haven't read them, fyi). I truly do love how Briggs built their relationship. I wouldn't say that I love that Charles saved Anna from her previous pack, but I can deal with it. Plus, the use of rape AGAIN was just not to my favor. Oh, and just to be clear: there is no rape in this book. I want to make that very clear. But, still I can get past that because at this point in Urban Fantasy it's an anomaly if rape isn't used. Although, it is suspicious how Briggs uses rape in both series. It must be a genre staple. Even so, I love how Charles gives Anna her space and doesn't hover like most love interests. He just backs way up if she needs it. He's a quiet guy. I just love the quiet mysterious guys. Again, with the mystery aspect. He's just so chill. But, now I'm going to have to say that they have gone the way of the wind. The 'Dead Heat' title takes an entire new meaning, emphasis on the "dead."
I never really realized this before, but Anna is not an interesting person. The only thing that makes her interesting is that she's an omega and she has a traumatic past. Anna as a person? Not so much.
In this book, Charles completely dominated the book. This is not a good thing. I don't care how much you have the hots for him, it is not cool with me when the woman takes a backseat in the story. Too often the guy seems to have a much larger presence than the girl. I'm not okay with this. It seemed like Anna had a presence in the beginning, then it became all about Charles, and then towards the end she showed up to save the day. What is this plate of ripe shit? Do not confuse me like this. I will not be tricked into thinking it's about both Charles and Anna, when Charles has a more dominating presence (not a wolf reference, please) than Anna. Exit the ship, if you don't mind me saying.
Briggs has a way with unweaving a mystery. She's just so excellent at planting clues and teasing you the entire way through. The writing is quite nice and I enjoyed it. Dead Heat did not interest me as much as it should have. It was quite boring, as I've already stated. Patricia Briggs does tend to weave a book slowly and surely. But, there should always be something to interest me no matter how long it takes to unweave the story.
The sad thing about the horses being such a big part of the book is that a lot of the scenes had no purpose other than spew out horse facts. As much as I love horses, having grown up with them, I can't see an actual purpose to many of the scenes. The horses are part of why Anna and Charles went to Arizona, so that's why the horses are so important in the background of the story. But, I felt like the author gave us a little too much. It started to become a little obsessive on the horse info and descriptions.
The plot took so incredibly long to unravel that I cannot forgive the huge chunk of book it took to become known. It dragged on too much for my taste. I love it when stories take a while to unfold. Sometimes, I just love to sink into those stories. But, when the plot takes an entire section of the book to start? That's when I start to consider watching Keeping Up with the Kardashians instead. Desperate times, my friends. I had them.
I don't know why I do this to myself.
I will remember you Charles and Anna. We had some good times. I can honestly say that it could be me. That's possible. But, let's go with the possibility that it's probably you. I'm a confident woman. I don't need hesitate to say what I think. This is what I think.
Thank you to Penguin Group Berkley, NAL for providing me with an Advanced Reader's Copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book.
March 5, 2025
Another awesome story from Patricia Briggs. There are a few authors that I immedi-click without caring about the synopsis of the book...Patricia Briggs is one such author. Yes, I did read the synopsis but I already new this was a story of worth.
Charles and Anna are called to Arizona, a purely personal trip...a trip to visit one of the people that mean something to Charles. But as soon as they arrive they are pulled into an incident that involves Fae magic. The war between the Fae and humans is heating up and people Charles holds dear are placed on the front lines. Now they must decide whether to keep the agreement between the Fae and Werewolves or risk being pulled into the unofficial war to protect the ones they love.
I don't know if there could be a better pairing than the the stoic werewolf enforcer, Charles, and the calming Omega, Anna. The plot and character development is truly riveting to watch. Briggs masterfully pulls you into her Alpha and Omega world with great storytelling, amazing characters and heart felt emotions all grouped into a wonderful paranormal urban fantasy romance!
I received this ARC copy of Dead Heat from PENGUIN GROUP Berkley, NAL / Signet Romance, DAW - Ace Hardcover in exchange for a honest review. This book is set for publication March 3, 2015.
Written by: Patricia Briggs
Series: Alpha and Omega
Sequence in Series: Book 4
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Ace
Publication Date: March 3, 2015
Rating: 4 Stars
ISBN-10: 0425256758
ISBN-13: 978-0425256756
Genre: Scifi | Urban Fantasy
Find this book on: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Charles and Anna are called to Arizona, a purely personal trip...a trip to visit one of the people that mean something to Charles. But as soon as they arrive they are pulled into an incident that involves Fae magic. The war between the Fae and humans is heating up and people Charles holds dear are placed on the front lines. Now they must decide whether to keep the agreement between the Fae and Werewolves or risk being pulled into the unofficial war to protect the ones they love.
I don't know if there could be a better pairing than the the stoic werewolf enforcer, Charles, and the calming Omega, Anna. The plot and character development is truly riveting to watch. Briggs masterfully pulls you into her Alpha and Omega world with great storytelling, amazing characters and heart felt emotions all grouped into a wonderful paranormal urban fantasy romance!
I received this ARC copy of Dead Heat from PENGUIN GROUP Berkley, NAL / Signet Romance, DAW - Ace Hardcover in exchange for a honest review. This book is set for publication March 3, 2015.
Written by: Patricia Briggs
Series: Alpha and Omega
Sequence in Series: Book 4
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Ace
Publication Date: March 3, 2015
Rating: 4 Stars
ISBN-10: 0425256758
ISBN-13: 978-0425256756
Genre: Scifi | Urban Fantasy
Find this book on: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com
March 3, 2015
Anna and Charles, bonded pair, deeply in love, set out to find the person involved in threatening the family of one of their pack members. They plan on making it a two birds type trip, they will find the source of danger an pick up a new horse for new rider Anna. The threat becomes more then expected, dangerous, deadly and full of hidden truths. During this already horrible time Charles must deal with the mortality of humans, his best friend. The Fae are not following the rules lives will be lost, children are in danger and Charles is a Protector.
Wow, this book lets us see into this great and deadly man/Were. His connection to the human aged man and his family are very interesting we get a good look at a time in his life never seen before. He has to make some hard choices they may haunt him forever. His connection to Anna was a beautiful thing to see. They are a great couple that can keep me reading even after the chase has been run and won.
I really enjoyed stepping into this world again. I wished we had seen more of Bran but it was hinted he will be in the next book. The ending was a cliffhanger that twists the story into a new direction. I can’t wait for more.
February 7, 2022
Dead Heat pulls the Alpha & Omega series more towards the mystery genre. However, there is never any question that it is definitely urban fantasy. The villain of the piece is, after all, a Fae, the theory being that the majority of the Fae have barricaded themselves on their reservations and are strategically releasing their worst offenders to plague the human world. This is one the creepiest Fae that Briggs has introduced us to.
For those of us who love horses, this is the book for us. There is a good dose of horse shows and riding. But it is also a novel that deals with aging, loss, and free will. Charles must say good-bye to one of his few friends, as this man has steadfastly refused to become a werewolf.
Still loving that there’s no romantic angst in this series—it’s lovely to see a married couple acting like adults.
For those of us who love horses, this is the book for us. There is a good dose of horse shows and riding. But it is also a novel that deals with aging, loss, and free will. Charles must say good-bye to one of his few friends, as this man has steadfastly refused to become a werewolf.
Still loving that there’s no romantic angst in this series—it’s lovely to see a married couple acting like adults.
October 2, 2017
** 4.5 stars **
A very nice addition to a good series. We are starting to get into the implications of the Fae being out in the world, I think it's going to get ugly in this series and Mercy Thompson. Can I say that it is so nice to read a book that is well-written for once!
A very nice addition to a good series. We are starting to get into the implications of the Fae being out in the world, I think it's going to get ugly in this series and Mercy Thompson. Can I say that it is so nice to read a book that is well-written for once!
April 8, 2015
A whole lot of time has passed between books three and four in Briggs’ Alpha & Omega series, and yet most of us haven’t forgotten a single thing about Fair Game or any of the previous books. The explanation is rather simple: it’s all due to the quality of Briggs’ writing. She is, and always was, incredible. I dare say she’s the reigning queen of urban fantasy.
Dead Heat is not her best book to date, though, not even close, but Briggs at her weakest is still better than 90% other authors. It read at times like a filler book, and it was, on occasion, more an ode to horses than anything else. Patty loves her horses and she knows them well – understanding their behavior has influenced her writing greatly, and in fact, the way she writes her werewolves is heavily influenced by her knowledge of animal psychology. She raises horses and spends every day around them, which makes her books truly special. In this installment, however, she took things just a tiny bit too far, offering a lot more information on breeding and raising horses than her story actually needed.
That aside, it’s always a pleasure to see how her characters develop and behave. Charles and Anna have progressed so much, and while it’s more obvious on her, his changes seem a lot more significant. I didn’t understand the need to bring in another woman as Charles’ former love interest, but while it bothered me as these things usually do, it also showed how much more confident Anna has become and how firmly she believes in her marriage.
The mystery elements were very nicely done and that part of the story progressed at an excellent pace. This is where Patty’s experience really comes to light – she weaves her stories expertly and smoothly, balancing romance, creepy moments, dreadful monsters and character development with seeming ease. She is the absolute best at what she does and I hope she’ll keep writing stories in this universe for many more years to come.
Her next book will be in the Mercy Thompson series and as far as I know, the next Alpha & Omega book has yet to be announced, but things happen on a firm timeline and, with each new installment, the two series are brought closer and closer together. I feel that they’ll collide at some point, especially now that war with the fae seems more or less inevitable.
Dead Heat is not her best book to date, though, not even close, but Briggs at her weakest is still better than 90% other authors. It read at times like a filler book, and it was, on occasion, more an ode to horses than anything else. Patty loves her horses and she knows them well – understanding their behavior has influenced her writing greatly, and in fact, the way she writes her werewolves is heavily influenced by her knowledge of animal psychology. She raises horses and spends every day around them, which makes her books truly special. In this installment, however, she took things just a tiny bit too far, offering a lot more information on breeding and raising horses than her story actually needed.
That aside, it’s always a pleasure to see how her characters develop and behave. Charles and Anna have progressed so much, and while it’s more obvious on her, his changes seem a lot more significant. I didn’t understand the need to bring in another woman as Charles’ former love interest, but while it bothered me as these things usually do, it also showed how much more confident Anna has become and how firmly she believes in her marriage.
The mystery elements were very nicely done and that part of the story progressed at an excellent pace. This is where Patty’s experience really comes to light – she weaves her stories expertly and smoothly, balancing romance, creepy moments, dreadful monsters and character development with seeming ease. She is the absolute best at what she does and I hope she’ll keep writing stories in this universe for many more years to come.
Her next book will be in the Mercy Thompson series and as far as I know, the next Alpha & Omega book has yet to be announced, but things happen on a firm timeline and, with each new installment, the two series are brought closer and closer together. I feel that they’ll collide at some point, especially now that war with the fae seems more or less inevitable.
August 7, 2015
I love this series…..eagerly wait for the next installment of Charles and Anna. They are what make this series so incredibly enticing and addictive.
Dark Heat is the 4th book in the Alpha & Omega Series, which is linked to Patricia Briggs awesome Mercy Thompson series.
So what’s the latest book all about????? Apart from us getting more of Alpha & Omega???
I am totally invested in Charles & Anna…their relationship has grown into something deep and really beautiful….
I can’t get enough of Patricia Briggs’s incredible series and hopefully won’t have to wait ages for the next book.
My favorite quote:
Dark Heat is the 4th book in the Alpha & Omega Series, which is linked to Patricia Briggs awesome Mercy Thompson series.
So what’s the latest book all about????? Apart from us getting more of Alpha & Omega???
Charles & Anna travel to Arizona to visit an old friend of his and from the first moment of them arriving, they are thrown into a battle between fae magic that is doing something really bad to the children in the area, which includes Charles’s friend’s family.
I am totally invested in Charles & Anna…their relationship has grown into something deep and really beautiful….
The connection between each other is truly amazing ….
An entertaining ride, filled with action, danger and suspense. Also get to meet some additional characters to the series, which I look forward to meeting them again in the future.
I can’t get enough of Patricia Briggs’s incredible series and hopefully won’t have to wait ages for the next book.
My favorite quote:
December 11, 2015
This may be the first time I've mentioned Patricia Briggs' Alpha and Omega books for my blog, but it's absolutely one of my favorite Urban Fantasy series. It centers around werewolf mates Charles and Anna Cornick, whose story begins in Alpha & Omega. Though Charles is not the Alpha of his pack - that would be his father - he's very much his father's second, and one of the most dominant wolves in existence. He dispenses his father's justice wherever he goes. For this reason, many fear him and don't understand him; Charles has few in his life that he actually cares for. He never thought he'd find a mate, until Anna that is. She is an Omega wolf, meaning she's 'outside of' the pack hierarchy. She brings a calming presence to everyone around her. But Anna hasn't had it easy - she was turned against her will and brutalized by a pack that was supposed to protect her, until Charles came. Guys, they are one of my very favorite pairs, especially in Urban Fantasy. Their romance is always something to savor because it is full of nuance and genuine feelings. They give me lots and lots of feels.
While the Alpha & Omega series is one you must read in order, each book has a clear beginning and end. In addition to the growing relationship between Anna and Charles, there's also mystery that reads like a crime scene investigation for the paranormal. These books have a gritty realism that will leave you haunted and breathless. Dead Heat may be the most disturbing of all, as it involves a menacing Fae who kidnaps children and makes them his dolls... literally. There's one horrifying scene in particular that I haven't been able to forget. *shudders*
Each book in this series also examines a different facet of Charles and Anna's relationship, or what this couple is currently facing together. In Dead Heat, Anna wants to have Charles' baby badly, but for a female werewolf to be pregnant would be fatal. Seeing them work through this issue - and Charles' fear of letting another person in his small inner circle - is a beautiful thing. They each have their own insecurities and doubts, but their love for one another always shines through. They truly want to give what the other person needs, and that's always a romance I will swoon for. And werewolves? Let me just say, I've got a major thing for Charles as werewolf, because he is protective and possessive in the best way. Both mates are territorial, and I love it!
If you are looking for your next series to start, I highly recommend Alpha & Omega. Intense action, heartbreaking moments, sexy romance, and pages filled with sly humor. You can't go wrong with that!
***Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for approving my request in exchange for an honest review!***
This review can also be found at Love at First Page.
While the Alpha & Omega series is one you must read in order, each book has a clear beginning and end. In addition to the growing relationship between Anna and Charles, there's also mystery that reads like a crime scene investigation for the paranormal. These books have a gritty realism that will leave you haunted and breathless. Dead Heat may be the most disturbing of all, as it involves a menacing Fae who kidnaps children and makes them his dolls... literally. There's one horrifying scene in particular that I haven't been able to forget. *shudders*
Each book in this series also examines a different facet of Charles and Anna's relationship, or what this couple is currently facing together. In Dead Heat, Anna wants to have Charles' baby badly, but for a female werewolf to be pregnant would be fatal. Seeing them work through this issue - and Charles' fear of letting another person in his small inner circle - is a beautiful thing. They each have their own insecurities and doubts, but their love for one another always shines through. They truly want to give what the other person needs, and that's always a romance I will swoon for. And werewolves? Let me just say, I've got a major thing for Charles as werewolf, because he is protective and possessive in the best way. Both mates are territorial, and I love it!
If you are looking for your next series to start, I highly recommend Alpha & Omega. Intense action, heartbreaking moments, sexy romance, and pages filled with sly humor. You can't go wrong with that!
***Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for approving my request in exchange for an honest review!***
This review can also be found at Love at First Page.
March 14, 2015
**3.5 stars**
After the amazing end of Fair Game, which for me had the best ending to all the books in the Mercyverse, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Dead Heat. I mean, I knew that it couldn’t measure up to the previous book but still, there were several things missing for me. I felt that the villain was obvious, some things were important one minute and dropped the next, and all the talk of horses made some sections interminable. Not a bad book but definitely not great.
Let’s start with the good things: it placed the wolves in the middle of the fae-human conflict. It made me think that maybe the werewolves would be the ones to broker some sort of peace at the end. (Of course, we can expect a lot of bloodshed in the mean time.)
We knew so little of Charles’ life that it was great to meet a man he considered his friend and even a woman from Charles’ past! I confess I wasn’t too keen on this Maggie – I don’t like people who always think the grass is greener on the other side. But Joe was so good. I wish we would have met him when he was in better shape.
I really like to see growth in a couple so I was glad to see them addressing the “children’s” topic. I know this is something couples should talk about before they get together but their courtship was not very conventional, to say the least. I was surprised though that Anna would consider doing what Charles’ mother did (as her last resort, but still.) I think it’s the height of irresponsibility to bring a child into this world when you know there’s a big chance you won’t be there to take care of it. The fact that she even considered it sort of lowered my opinion of Anna.
Now unto the bad…the villain was so obvious. I was surprised that Charles didn’t realize it as soon as he met this person for the first time. I thought both Charles & Anna where off their game, missing clues left and right. You would have thought they would be at the very best, trying to find a villain who targets children. Instead, in moments they could have used to follow leads, they would go ride a horse! To tell you the truth, the horses brought the rating down for me. There was too much unnecessary talk of horses and styles of riding, etc. It bogged down the plot – this is the first time it’s taken me a month to finish one of Ms. Briggs books. When the talk would turn to horses, I would put down the book and pick it up a week later (this happened several times.) And it wasn’t the topic per se, but how technical and detailed it became. I just read a book centered on horse racing (The Scorpio Races) that had less technical discussions of horses than this one.
A solid entry in the series with some weaknesses. Enjoyable but not mind-blowing.
Thanks to Ace Books for providing a review copy of this book.
After the amazing end of Fair Game, which for me had the best ending to all the books in the Mercyverse, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Dead Heat. I mean, I knew that it couldn’t measure up to the previous book but still, there were several things missing for me. I felt that the villain was obvious, some things were important one minute and dropped the next, and all the talk of horses made some sections interminable. Not a bad book but definitely not great.
Let’s start with the good things: it placed the wolves in the middle of the fae-human conflict. It made me think that maybe the werewolves would be the ones to broker some sort of peace at the end. (Of course, we can expect a lot of bloodshed in the mean time.)
We knew so little of Charles’ life that it was great to meet a man he considered his friend and even a woman from Charles’ past! I confess I wasn’t too keen on this Maggie – I don’t like people who always think the grass is greener on the other side. But Joe was so good. I wish we would have met him when he was in better shape.
I really like to see growth in a couple so I was glad to see them addressing the “children’s” topic. I know this is something couples should talk about before they get together but their courtship was not very conventional, to say the least. I was surprised though that Anna would consider doing what Charles’ mother did (as her last resort, but still.) I think it’s the height of irresponsibility to bring a child into this world when you know there’s a big chance you won’t be there to take care of it. The fact that she even considered it sort of lowered my opinion of Anna.
Now unto the bad…the villain was so obvious. I was surprised that Charles didn’t realize it as soon as he met this person for the first time. I thought both Charles & Anna where off their game, missing clues left and right. You would have thought they would be at the very best, trying to find a villain who targets children. Instead, in moments they could have used to follow leads, they would go ride a horse! To tell you the truth, the horses brought the rating down for me. There was too much unnecessary talk of horses and styles of riding, etc. It bogged down the plot – this is the first time it’s taken me a month to finish one of Ms. Briggs books. When the talk would turn to horses, I would put down the book and pick it up a week later (this happened several times.) And it wasn’t the topic per se, but how technical and detailed it became. I just read a book centered on horse racing (The Scorpio Races) that had less technical discussions of horses than this one.
A solid entry in the series with some weaknesses. Enjoyable but not mind-blowing.
Thanks to Ace Books for providing a review copy of this book.
March 15, 2021
Re-read for the 3rd time on audio March 14th 2021 and I'd still like an update on Chelsea and the family! So good!
Re-Read February 21st 2018.
Creepy, creepy fae!
Liked having Leslie, the FBI agent a part of the story again. Would like to see how things shake out with Chelsea and her family in the future.
Now I'm ready for Burn Bright!
Re-Read February 21st 2018.
Creepy, creepy fae!
Liked having Leslie, the FBI agent a part of the story again. Would like to see how things shake out with Chelsea and her family in the future.
Now I'm ready for Burn Bright!
March 3, 2015
There were times I almost forgot what the plot was supposed to be about, with so many horse references!
Full review to come...
Arc provided by Ace /Penguin Group through Netgalley
Release Date: March 3rd
In a perfect world I would have had time to re-read all the previous volumes, so I could fully compare them.
Not being able to do it, the best I could do was re-read my reviews of the previous books...and they weren't all that helpful. In fact, my previous reviews suck!
And this one, also isn't all that great.
-_-
Here's what I know for certain: With the exception of the third book, I have never been a big fan of Charles and Anna. Their relationship was just too quickly done having in mind what Anna had been gone through...
And since we're on the subject, what are the odds of having two series by a same author in which the main characters ?
Wasn't one enough? *sigh*
It changes the dynamics: Mercy went from a strong character to being the mate of Adam.
Anna is the mate of Charles, and what does she do?
She is an Omega, she's a walking Valium for weres.
And now she wants kids...
At least Mercy is a mechanic...
But getting back on this book: It was slow. Painfully slow...
The characters _Anna and Charles _ came out even more dull than what they normally do.
There were way too many references about horses!
For the first thirty per cent of the story, one mainly has boring descriptions about horses.
I don't have anything against the animals, I just don't want to read a long book about them.
In the end, there were times I would forgot what the story's plot was supposed to be about _ Fae on the prowl for children _ because there wasn't a real sense of urgency conveyed on the pages.
Bottom line: as a urban fantasy series I found this story kind of week. There were coincidences, and things that weren't all that explained..
That is not to say, that as a contemporary drama it doesn't work. It does, but this was supposed to be full urban fantasy.
March 31, 2021
3.5 ☆
Dead Heat can be read as a standalone, as the storyline isn't really dependent upon knowledge of any of the preceding stories.
It's February, and Anna is about to turn 26. Her mate Charles decides that a horse would be the perfect birthday gift. A visit to a Native American horse breeder family in Arizona would not only let Anna choose from their stables but provide a long overdue visit to Charles' old friend Joseph. The entirely human Joseph is dying of cancer and circumstances conspire such that Charles gets a busman's holiday in supernatural business. Since the Fae's declaration of independence the previous summer (see Fair Game), all Fae should have been safely locked up within their reservations. But weird, and soon threatening, events in Arizona make it clear that not all of the Fae have been effectively separated from humans.
Dead Heat take place within the space of five days. There is very little true action until the end and what feels like a lot of filler. Briggs wrote a great deal about horses, too much as it interrupted the flow of the mystery. If the content had dealt with what horses are like with respect to people, ie. how humans should interact with horses to gain their trust, then I would have been interested. Instead, these sections were about horse breeds, gait types, and other esoteric aspects that do not interest me, a city person who has sadly only had one horse ride her entire life.
I am warming up to these Charles and Anna books, and I appreciate Charles' quiet and wry sense of humor. Charles is not easy to know, but I feel as though his history, as revealed in Dead Heat, seems strangely contrary compared to how he's depicted in the present. And then Briggs included personal drama involving Charles' old flame / potential mate. The plot involving the Fae is a simple mystery, which is probably why I feel that there's so much filler in Dead Heat. Reading the Alpha and Omega series at least also gives me a deeper look at the supernatural world Briggs created.
Overall though, I still prefer Mercy Thompson as the main protagonist. Dead Heat takes place just about halfway between Frost Burned and Night Broken. Events in Dead Heat have no bearing upon any events in Mercy's life.
#1 Cry Wolf 2.5 ☆
#2 Hunting Ground 3 ☆
#3 Fair Game 3.5 ☆
#5 Burn Bright 3.5 ☆
#6 Wild Sign 4 ☆
Dead Heat can be read as a standalone, as the storyline isn't really dependent upon knowledge of any of the preceding stories.
It's February, and Anna is about to turn 26. Her mate Charles decides that a horse would be the perfect birthday gift. A visit to a Native American horse breeder family in Arizona would not only let Anna choose from their stables but provide a long overdue visit to Charles' old friend Joseph. The entirely human Joseph is dying of cancer and circumstances conspire such that Charles gets a busman's holiday in supernatural business. Since the Fae's declaration of independence the previous summer (see Fair Game), all Fae should have been safely locked up within their reservations. But weird, and soon threatening, events in Arizona make it clear that not all of the Fae have been effectively separated from humans.
Dead Heat take place within the space of five days. There is very little true action until the end and what feels like a lot of filler. Briggs wrote a great deal about horses, too much as it interrupted the flow of the mystery. If the content had dealt with what horses are like with respect to people, ie. how humans should interact with horses to gain their trust, then I would have been interested. Instead, these sections were about horse breeds, gait types, and other esoteric aspects that do not interest me, a city person who has sadly only had one horse ride her entire life.
“Charles asked me to stay here," she said, rather than confronting Hosteen with his lie. "You aren't my Alpha-and even if you were, he can't make me do anything, either." She tapped herself in the chest with one of her needles and half sang, "Omega. Me." Dropping into her own voice she said, "As an Omega wolf, I don't have the urge to obey you. At all. Not even the tiniest bit. Don't worry, it makes the Marrok crazy too.”
I am warming up to these Charles and Anna books, and I appreciate Charles' quiet and wry sense of humor. Charles is not easy to know, but I feel as though his history, as revealed in Dead Heat, seems strangely contrary compared to how he's depicted in the present. And then Briggs included personal drama involving Charles' old flame / potential mate. The plot involving the Fae is a simple mystery, which is probably why I feel that there's so much filler in Dead Heat. Reading the Alpha and Omega series at least also gives me a deeper look at the supernatural world Briggs created.
Overall though, I still prefer Mercy Thompson as the main protagonist. Dead Heat takes place just about halfway between Frost Burned and Night Broken. Events in Dead Heat have no bearing upon any events in Mercy's life.
#1 Cry Wolf 2.5 ☆
#2 Hunting Ground 3 ☆
#3 Fair Game 3.5 ☆
#5 Burn Bright 3.5 ☆
#6 Wild Sign 4 ☆
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