Title: Hunting Ground

Author: Patricia Briggs

Series: Alpha and Omega #2

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: Anne Latham didn’t know how complicated life could be until she became a werewolf. And until she was mated to Charles Cornick, the son—and enforcer—of Bran, the leader of the North American werewolves, she didn’t know how dangerous it could be either…

Anna and Charles have just been enlisted to attend a summit to present Bran’s controversial proposition: that the wolves should finally reveal themselves to humans. But the most feared Alpha in Europe is dead set against the plan—and it seems like someone else might be, too. When Anna is attacked by vampires using pack magic, the kind of power only werewolves should be able to draw on, Charles and Anna must combine their talents to hunt down whoever is behind it all—or risk losing everything…

The Review:

This is what I’ve been waiting for! I mentioned in my review of the first book, Cry Wolf, that I didn’t like it quite as well because it read more like a paranormal romance than an urban fantasy. Not so with Hunting Ground. It had everything I’ve come to expect from a Patricia Briggs book: lots of action, plenty of paranormal creatures, and a suspenseful crime to solve.

I especially appreciated the relationship development in this book. A lot of times authors will throw two people together and tell you they were made for each other. With Anna and Charles, you can actually see how well their personalities play off of and fit together which made it feel really… organic. It is one of the best relationships developments I’ve ever read, and I marvel at how well the author paired the two personalities. Briggs has always been great at creating well-rounded characters, but I think she may have outdone herself here.

Another aspect that I was missing in the first book was the involvement of other werewolves. I wanted to know more about the political situation within the werewolf pack and how their decisions are going to affect things in upcoming Mercy Thompson books. There was definitely plenty of questions answered here, and I am really looking forward to reading Fair Game to see how it all plays out. I’m convinced these are must reads for Mercy fans – why miss out on any back story if you don’t have to?

Overall, the story, the humor, and the relationships were fantastic, and it just makes me that much more fired up to read Frost Burned (the latest Mercy book). I think fans of both paranormal romances and urban fantasies would really enjoy this series. As spinoffs, you actually can read them without reading the parent series but you’d be missing out. The Mercy Thompson novels are some of the best on the market, and I recommend them constantly. A warning to the wary: these books contain violence and sexuality.

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