Review & Audio-Book Giveaway: Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

Moon Called (Mercy Thompson #1) by Patricia Briggs
Narrator: Lorelei King
Publisher: Penguin Audio Books
Publication date: September 1st 2009
Source: Audible
My rating:  4 stars


 

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.

An unabridged recording (9 hours, 14 minutes).

My Thoughts:
Moon Called is the first book in the Mercy Thompson Urban Fantasy series, and it was a strong start.  It was fun, fast paced, with strong characters and an engrossing plot.  I love my female protags to have some spunk and be able to kick a little ass and Mercy Thompson ticks all those boxes and more!

Mercy Thompson is a “walker” and can shapeshift into a coyote. Mercy isn’t a werewolf but she is very close to them after being raised by a powerful pack. At sixteen, she leaves after the pack Alpha sends her away to prevent her mating with his son, Sam.  Now situated in the state of Washington as an auto mechanic, she comes under the Columbia Basin Wolves’ pack in a round-about way, under the charismatic, hot-tempered (and just plain HOT) Alpha, Adam.   Not that she admits to it, mind you. Being a coyote she’s not obligated to be under any pack. 

When Adam is attacked and his teenage daughter, Jesse, is kidnapped, Mercy takes it upon herself to help him and track down his daughter.  Mercy returns to her roots for help in unraveling this mystery and getting Jesse back safely.  Her past and present collide in the form of Sam and Adam.  

We are tossed into Mercy’s world with her as our guide, and as a narrator she’s easy to like and root for.  If you’re tired of frustrating or whiny female leads, Mercy is your girl! She’s a smart, witty, and feeds us just enough background information so we’re not lost in the story, yet doesn’t overwhelm with too many details.  This makes me extremely happy because info dumping is a sure fire way to put me to sleep! 

I steeled myself to be patient with this book because I’ve come to realize that in UF usually the first book lays the groundwork for the whole series and might not be as satisfying or riveting because of that.  This was not the case in Moon Called.  I was immediately drawn into the story and it captured and held my attention just fine throughout.  Also, because this is the first book in the series, the romance is just getting started.  It seems possible for Adam or Sam to be the love interest, there’s definite chemistry between Mercy and both of them.  But it does sway to one a little more than the other by the end. 

Moon Called wraps up nicely with the main mystery solved by the end, however, the story of the characters, and their relationships have just begun.  I can’t wait to see how everything plays out and I’ve got the next one locked and loaded, ready to listen to. 

Lorelei King narrates this story and she is spot on!  I’m familiar with this performer because she narrates the Charley Davidson series as well.  She brings just the right amount of sarcastic inflection when needed to make the character’s wit and spunk come through loud and clear.  She does a great job with the male voices as well, and most of the time it doesn’t even cross your mind that a female is narrating those parts.  Her performance made the story come alive.

I find I’m “reading” more and more audio books after discovering how it makes my commute back and forth not only bearable, but something I look forward to. So when Audible approached us about featuring their service on The Readers Den, I jumped at the chance because I’ve had a totally positive experience with them.  I signed up for one of their offers, but I really didn’t think I’d purchase too many books because the kindle or hardcover versions are still usually cheaper.  However, I’ve noticed they have quite a few sales where they have a list of books for sale. On one of those sales I bought three books for $4.50 a piece, and another I bought books that were $7.95 a piece, so it hasn’t been as expensive as I thought.  All in all, I’m a fan. I just download the file on my phone and I can listen in the car or anywhere else with my ear buds.

The offer I signed up for is very similar to this one: Audible 30 Day Free Trial

As part of this post Audible has provided a giveaway of TWO AUDIOBOOKS for one lucky reader! The giveaway is restricted to US residents only and will run for two weeks.  Just fill out the rafflecopter below for a chance to win.  Good luck and thanks for visiting The Readers Den!

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In exchange for featuring their site and offer/giveaway, Audible provided two free audiobooks.