Thursday 22 August 2013

Review: Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson #2) by Patricia Briggs

Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson, #2)
Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson #2) by Patricia Briggs
Narrated by Lorelei King
Publisher: Penguin Audiobooks
Publication date: October 1st 2009
My rating: 4.5 stars 



Mechanic Mercy Thompson has friends in low places - and in dark ones. And now she owes one of them a favor. Since she can shapeshift at will, she agrees to act as some extra muscle when her vampire friend Stefan goes to deliver a message to another of his kind. But this new vampire is hardly ordinary - and neither is the demon inside of him.


My Thoughts:
Blood Bound, the second installment in the Mercy Thompson series has me officially addicted! 

This begins as Mercy’s friend, Stefan the vampire, calls in a favor owed.  Little does she know that repayment puts her and the pack in grave danger, not something Stephan intended, either. What they stumble upon is a powerful threat that Mercy can’t let stand and before you know it, she’s waist high in dangerous vampire politics.  Trying to distinguish the truth from subterfuge is difficult and vital if Mercy plans on staying alive. 

Like most UF’s I’ve picked up, Mercy Thompson has a new mystery/problem to overcome with each book and also a continuing story arc that progresses, bit by bit in each installment.  The new mystery is the vampire/sorcerer-crazy with massive amounts of power and wicked intent.  There were parts of this story that genuinely made heart race from fear!  Vampires are scary (and not sparkly), especially in the end!

I love Mercedes Thompson!  She’s intelligent, a master of reading complicated situations and handling them with care.  She reads between the lines and looks beyond the obvious, making her a force to be reckoned with. 

The continuing arc is the romance, and it’s the part I love best!  There is sort of a love triangle with Adam and Samuel in the mix, but not in an irritating way. Samuel has decided to stay in Washington, more specifically, with Mercy, when she’s made it clear she’s not interested. Samuel makes it clear he is.  He was her first love but finding out exactly why he was interested her sent her running years ago. Mercy could bear his children, ones that would have the potential to be born werewolves, and therefore Samuel would have children he wouldn’t outlive.  Finding out this was more a motivator than love broke Mercy’s heart at sixteen.  Now that Mercy looks back, though, she doesn’t regret the situation, because she realizes now that Samuel, as dominant as he is, would’ve wrapped her up in a protective cocoon and stifled her independent spirit.

Adam, the Alpha of the pack is domineering but still respects and appreciates Mercy for who she is rather than what she can do. He’s attracted to Mercy the woman, and isn’t looking for a pack brood mare.  Mercy knew that Adam claimed her as his mate but thinks this was in name only, just for protection. A lone “walker” coyote like Mercy without protection would be a target for the wolves and probably wouldn’t last long.  A few things happen that make it apparent that Adam’s “claim” has more power and sincerity behind it. This puts Mercy in a bind with Samuel back.  Poor Mercy, *not* with two handsome, possessive, alpha males after her! 

This was an exciting, and sometimes frightening read. Parts at the end gave me chills and goose bumps! I tried to force myself to put it aside just for my commutes.  Something I wasn’t at all successful at! I’ve just finished book three: Iron Kissed, and I have to say the series just gets better!
 
I loved Lorelei King as the narrator.  She has a warm, rich voice with a slightly sarcastic and humorous tone that I find perfect for Mercy. Her male voices are also quite good, as well, and the story flowed seamlessly because of it.  I highly recommend the audio version! 







17 comments:

YA Anonymous said...

Adam! Adam! :) I just finished this one too and I'm really loving Lorelei King. I forgot how good this series is and how many things it explores. And it just gets better! I can't wait til you read the rest, Rachel! Drive around the block a few extra times. :)

-Maggie

Unknown said...

Holy crap this sounds freaking EPIC!!! Absolutely have to read this series :D

Zed said...

Ooh 4.5 stars and a high-praise review. Really must start reading this series.

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad that the sequel went strongly for you, Rachel. This is one UF series that I have on my to-read list because everyone on my friends list has been raving on and on about it.
I love the sound of Mercy. She seems like a kick-ass, smart girl who knows what she wants.
Ooh and I have to say, I already like Adam from your review! ;)
Great review, Rachel.
Hope the series continues to go well for you! :)

Tanja - Tanychy said...

This is one of UF series that I have heard a lot of but haven't read it yet. I might wait until the whole series is out because many UF books have cliffhangers and I don't wanna go through that. Adam seems like a great guy. Great review Rachel :)

Melissa (i swim for oceans) said...

Wow! It's kind of rare these days to see a series that actually steps up its game with each installment. If nothing else, that alone makes me want to try this series! Plus, Mercy sounds like a phenomenal character, which is only an added bonus! Fabulous review, Rachel. I'm really sold on this series now :)

Siiri said...

LOL sparkling vamps is just.. omg. I don't even know what I saw in Twilight years ago. There probably wouldn't be sucha love towards reading if it wasn't for Twilight and Harry Potter though. The latter is at least one of the best series I have ever read and the movies aren't so.. darn.. horrible. Anyhow, coming back to your review, I'm so surfing on the wave that is UF. Have you read Jennifer Estep's Elemental Assassin series already? It's absolutely hilarious and so fun. As you, I love that UF has mysteries in every book, but a continuous story arc throughout the entire series. I like this Elemental Assassin's narrator as well, she doesn't have that many different voices, but somehow I always know which character is talking. I don't think I'd want to read about a love triangle, but if it's solved pretty quickly, I wouldn't mind. I hope the fourth book will be to your liking as well:) These UF are soooooooooooo long, but so easy to follow and extremely entertaining. Glad you're enjoying this series, hon!

Krazzyme(Young Readers) said...

My friend just recommended this series to me when she found out I liked UF . Your review has convinced me to give this book a look ;) great review

Henrietta @ Leisure Reads said...

Rachel, I can tell how much you like this series :) Hope things are going well with your family. Take care.

Keertana said...

I'm so glad you're enjoying these, Rachel! ADAM! *melts* I really loved this installment for Stefan and his friendship with Mercy which is so important to the arc of the series. Also: Iron Kissed is the best of the series, though Frost Burned might be my new favorite. Either way, I can't wait to hear your thoughts as this series progresses. Wonderful review, dear!(:

Maja (The Nocturnal Library) said...

I always understood Mercy's relationship with Samuel, both past and present, but at the same time, I never thought he'd be good for her, not in the least. I figured she needed someone different, a fresh start. In short, Adam. :D
I love that you're loving this series, Rachel. :)
Great review!

Heidi@Rainy Day Ramblings said...

I really like this series as well. However, this book was my least favorite as it was very dark. I didn't like all the creepy vampire stuff, still there were some good things. I agree about Lorelei King, she is one of my favorite narrators. She does the Charley Davidson series as well.

Mary @ BookSwarm said...

This is definitely one of my favorite UF series (and I do read a ton of them!). The characters are fantastic and -- darn it all -- now I want to reread the whole series!

Wendy Darling said...

Oh HO. I didn't realize you were reading this series! It's such a Rachel book, in the best of ways. :) The Mercy series is pretty fun overall (though I think I like the romance a little less than you do), I hope you enjoy the next one just as much.

Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

Unknown said...

I haven't read a good Adult Urban Fantasy in so long! I've heard really good things about Briggs books. And I love the overall continuing arc, with each book having its own.
Great review, Rachel!

Sam (Realm of Fiction) said...

I really need to get started on this series! I've heard nothing but good things about it and I love the sound of Mercy as a character. Really glad you enjoyed this, Rachel. Awesome review as always! :)

MåїÐ»-(¯`v´¯)-» said...

I can't wait to start this series! I hear so many great things about it and I know I am going to love it. Mercy sounds like a fantastic character, and even though I hate love triangles, I think I am really going to enjoy this one! Two hot alpha males....UMM...YES PLEASE!!!! Although, I am leaning more towards Adam's side! lol ;p I'm glad you enjoyed this Rachel! Great review! :D

~ Maida
Literary Love Affair 

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