Moon Called (Mercedes Thompson, #1) - Patricia Briggs

292 pages

Rating: 5/5
Werewolves can be dangerous if you get in their way, but they'll leave you alone if you are careful. They are very good at hiding their natures from the human population, but I'm not human. I know them when I meet them, and they know me, too.

Mercy Thompson's sexy next-door neighbor is a werewolf.
She's tinkering with a VW bus at her mechanic shop that happens to belong to a vampire.
But then, Mercy Thompson is not exactly normal herself... and her connection to the world of things that go bump in the night is about to get her into a whole lot of trouble.

I was pretty reluctant to start reading this series considering all the hype - i figured this would be another series i wouldn't like despite the good reviews (flashack to Twilight and sparkly Vampires)

Boy was i wrong

Mercedes Thompson is a coyote (or walker) who grew up with a werewolf pack. After leaving one werewolf love behind, she moved to the tri-states and is now an established VW mechanic who lives next to the local Alpha werewolf.
The book started off pretty boring for me, but as the pages went by, i was hooked.

Life takes a rollercoaster turn when a lone new wolf turns up at her garage. What follows is werewolf killings, the kidnapping of the Alpha's daughter, return to her original werewolf pack for help, Samuel - her first love and a plot that i didn't figure out until i actually read the actual who-dunnit.

Too many people have reviewed this book a lot better, so I'm not giving away any plot. However, i will say that for once i loved ALL the characters in a book.

I liked Mercy - she is well grounded, knows her limits, and is comfortable in her abilities - human and otherwise. She has a brain in her head. She wasn't out to prove anything, and new when it made sense to give in and when to go for it.

Adam as the local Alpha werewolf is hot. The attraction between Adam and Mercy is subtle and fun to see. They both care for each other, and they're just beginning to show it to each other. You can tell it'll be a good romance in the next book. You cannot help but like Samuel, the love Mercy ran away from at sixteen. Despite their problems in the past, they still have feelings for each other. Bran, as the Marrok - the alpha of all alpha's, had just the right amount of complications to make him a mysterious character. Warren and Kyle were fun as a gay couple. I liked Kyle trying to hit on Samuel. A vampire who drives around in the mystery machine will always be thumbs up in my book.

This book really has it all - werewolves, vampires, fae. You can tell that despite Mercy's smart mouth, she's surrounded by friends she cares about and who are loyal to her.

I loved Briggs description of werewolf politics and rules and culture.

The beauty of this book was that it got me completely involved in the lives of Mercy, Adam, Samuel and everyone else. Each of the characters was well rounded and made a connection. That's what makes it a great book.

Aaah well. Just go read it if you haven't already.