Book 27, 2017
Yesterday, I powered through Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs. It's the fourth installment in her "Alpha and Omega" series, about mated werewolves Anna and Charles.
For one, Charles and Anna are taking a trip for pleasure, rather than for work. When they go to visit an old friend of Charles' in Arizona, they arrive in time to rescue the man's daughter-in-law and her children. The woman, Chelsea, is under a fae compulsion to kill her children and then herself. Charles Changes her to save her life. Soon, they are embroiled in a case involving a missing child, and the investigation leads them to realize that the most recent girl is just one of many, going back for decades, in the area. Charles and Anna lend their special talents to the investigation, working with an FBI agent, whom they're familiar with.
The story was tense and fast-paced, as Anna and Charles race to recover the missing girl and eliminate a dangerous Fae. Compounding their troubles is the fact that the newly-Changed Chelsea is also witchborn, making for a volatile combination of wolf and magic. The actions scenes were well done, as was the characterization. The subplot of why Charles and Anna were in Arizona was that he meant to buy her a horse, and his friends raise Arabians. There was a lot of horsemanship and riding and conformation in the story, as well as a horse show.
Favorite lines:
♦ "But that is the dual gift of love, isn't it? The joy of greeting and the sorrow of goodbye."
♦ Sure, it was serious business, but humor in the face of evil robbed evil of some if its power.
♦ "I find it somewhat reassuring that I'm not the only one who feels like I should be running around shouting, 'Where's the script? Where's the script? If only I had a script, I'd know what the freak I'm supposed to be doing.'"
Love this series, and this book was no exception. Five stars!
*****
For one, Charles and Anna are taking a trip for pleasure, rather than for work. When they go to visit an old friend of Charles' in Arizona, they arrive in time to rescue the man's daughter-in-law and her children. The woman, Chelsea, is under a fae compulsion to kill her children and then herself. Charles Changes her to save her life. Soon, they are embroiled in a case involving a missing child, and the investigation leads them to realize that the most recent girl is just one of many, going back for decades, in the area. Charles and Anna lend their special talents to the investigation, working with an FBI agent, whom they're familiar with.
The story was tense and fast-paced, as Anna and Charles race to recover the missing girl and eliminate a dangerous Fae. Compounding their troubles is the fact that the newly-Changed Chelsea is also witchborn, making for a volatile combination of wolf and magic. The actions scenes were well done, as was the characterization. The subplot of why Charles and Anna were in Arizona was that he meant to buy her a horse, and his friends raise Arabians. There was a lot of horsemanship and riding and conformation in the story, as well as a horse show.
Favorite lines:
♦ "But that is the dual gift of love, isn't it? The joy of greeting and the sorrow of goodbye."
♦ Sure, it was serious business, but humor in the face of evil robbed evil of some if its power.
♦ "I find it somewhat reassuring that I'm not the only one who feels like I should be running around shouting, 'Where's the script? Where's the script? If only I had a script, I'd know what the freak I'm supposed to be doing.'"
Love this series, and this book was no exception. Five stars!
*****