Review: Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs

Fire Touched ( Mercy Thompson #9) by Patricia Briggs
Publisher: Ace
Publication date: March 8th 2016
My rating: 4.5 stars 
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Mercy Thompson has been hailed as “a heroine who continues to grow and yet always remains true to herself.”* Now she’s back, and she’ll soon discover that when the fae stalk the human world, it’s the children who suffer...

Tensions between the fae and humans are coming to a head. And when coyote shapeshifter Mercy and her Alpha werewolf mate, Adam, are called upon to stop a rampaging troll, they find themselves with something that could be used to make the fae back down and forestall out-and-out war: a human child stolen long ago by the fae.

Defying the most powerful werewolf in the country, the humans, and the fae, Mercy, Adam, and their pack choose to protect the boy no matter what the cost. But who will protect them from a boy who is fire touched?

My Thoughts:

When the Fae let a monster loose, the Pack are called to take it down, since the police can’t make any headway and lives are at stake.  Zee and Tad join in the fight bringing with them an odd, fire-touched boy named Aiden who seeks the Pack’s protection from the Fae.  Taking in Aiden brings all kinds of risk and problems, but we all know Mercy and Adam would never turn their back on someone seeking safety. At the end of the battle, Mercy draws a line in the sand with the Fae, and claims the Tri-Cities as the pack’s territory saddling them with new responsibilities, protection of its citizens being one those.  This has far reaching effects on the Pack which could result in an all out war with the Fae.  Can Mercy and Adam defuse the situation all the while standing their ground?  I was glued to the pages to find out!

As usual with the Mercy Thompson series, once I started Fire Touched I couldn’t put it down.  The Fae are very much front and center in this installment, which dives into action and danger pretty quickly. The Fae are creepy and volatile for the most part, and I love getting a little more of their history and secrets when a Fae centered installment comes along.  I was definitely thrilled to have grouchy Zee back, since we haven’t had much from him lately.  

The dynamics of pack hierarchy and relationships continue to fascinate me.  Adam makes a proclamation to the Pack and I was overjoyed! I felt it was a long time coming, and oddly enough, it had a unifying effect over the Pack.  Adam and Mercy continue strongly united and very much in love, while still being interesting and hot together.  Their bond warms my heart a more and more with every installment!  

I’m always impressed how masterfully Mercy sizes up situations, uses her brain before speaking, (something I could do a little more of!) and comes out on top because of it! 

Still can’t stand Christy! She makes my blood boil every time she’s in a scene.  That Mercy doesn’t scratch her eyes out is a miracle in my opinion! Thankfully, Christy’s presence is kept to a minimum.

There were a couple of side stories that really grabbed my interest.  I’d love to continue on with Thomas and Margaret’s story.  Thomas is the vampire in Frost Burned who fought by Mercy’s side, and he’s accompanying Margaret, a fae, to meet with the Gray Lords. This is a story of unrequited love and I need more, please!  Then there’s Sherwood Post, a werewolf Bran sent to Adam’s pack.  He’s a bit damaged since he lost one of his legs, and feels sort of useless to the Pack.  I won’t go further into his portion of the story, but I’m hopeful we get more of him in the future.

I’m addicted to anything Patricia Briggs writes, Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega are in my top five favorite Urban Fantasy series, and Fire Touched is another winner for me. Just makes me want to go back and read them all over again!