Mercy Thompson Series - Book 4 - Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs

*Okay, last post for Monday, I promise! I just had to catch-up a little!*

Books Completed: 38
Completion Date: February, 2009
Pages: 309
Publication Date: February 3, 2009

Reason for Reading: Next in the series, Series Challenge Season 3, 2009 Pub Challenge

New in the #1 New York Times bestselling urban fantasy series.

In a world where "witches, vampires, werewolves, and shape-shifters live beside ordinary people" (Booklist), it takes a very unusual woman to call it home. By day, Mercy Thompson is a car mechanic in Eastern Washington. By night, she explores her preternatural side. As a shape-shifter with some unusual talents, Mercy's found herself maintaining a tenuous harmony between the human and the not-so- human on more than one occasion. This time she may get more than she bargained for.

New Patricia Briggs! I waited a year for this book, so I was so excited to get around to reading it! The big problem with reading it in a day, though, is that now I have to wait another year for book 5... At least there is a comic strip about Mercy that is being collected into one book; that is due out in the summer, and then there is the second book in her other series that is due out in July. Still, no more Mercy for another year!

Anyway, so I was really excited about this book. I think people have got that impression, huh? I don't know what it is, but I just love this series! Mercy is definately one of my favourite fictional characters right now, and Briggs is easily one of my favourite paranormal authors. She writes such believable characters. I love both the main characters and the secondary ones. This book is a lot about cleaning up from the previous book. There is still action in it, but there were still some loose ends that needed to be cleared up. Mercy has always prided herself on being really strong, but she is finding it hard to find the strength that she needs after the events that happened to her. A person can only take so much, and Mercy is easily at her breaking point. This makes her relationship issues that much more harder to handle. As we all know, if you have at least read the first book, Mercy is faced with making the decision between Adam, the local pack leader, and Samuel, the Marrock's son and her childhood sweetheart. The decision has been made, but I will just leave it at that. I don't want to spoil it for someone either new to the series or still back on earlier books.

Anyway, this book has some very angry vampires in it. Stefan, the vampire in Mercy's life, drops in the middle of her living room to warn her that the leader of the local vampires, Marsilia, is after her because she successfully hunted down and killed a monster that would have returned the favour if he hadn't been stopped. They were apparently too successful for Marsilia, though. Then, an old friend from college shows up on Mercy's doorstep because she has a ghost problem, something that Mercy is able to see, and would like Mercy to help get rid of them. While not eager to job at the chance, it turns out to be the chance she needs to get out of harms way and leave the vampires to the werewolves. The only problem is that trouble seems to find Mercy wherever she is, which is something that she quickly finds out.

The Marrock, Bran, and his son Charles also have momentary appearances. Not a lot, though, just enough that you know they are there. They are more central in the other series. I still love Stefan, the vampire that drives a Scooby-Doo inspired bus. Such a cool idea and great imagery! So, even though the story is supposed to be a clean-up from the previous books, it still has plenty of action! Another great book from a great series! I don't think it was my favourite, though. Still, I loved it! Now, if the next one could come out just a little bit faster...