Short and Sweet Audio Book Reviews - Fair Game by Patricia Briggs, Possession by Kat Richardson, Miss Julia Inherits a Mess by Ann B. Ross

Fair Game by Patricia Briggs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Great series. I started this with book three and quickly went back and read the first two books.  Charles and Anna swiftly became two of my favorite characters. The story is good, the action exciting and there is enough tension for several more books.  Since I need to rest my eyes I picked this up in audio form and loved the story just as much as the first time.  The reader does a really good job.  Hope for more Charles and Anna Soon


Possession by Kat Richardson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am having to rest my eyes so picked this up in an audio book. The Greywalker series is one that is best if read in order but the last one I read was #3. I did not feel the lack of any backstory or world building. It did help that I had read the first books in the series. Harper is still a great character and she is supported by a great cast of supporting characters. The story has a great plot that allows a lot of danger and suspense as the story progresses. The reader does a good job of different voices and keeping the story flow going.


Miss Julia Inherits a Mess by Ann B. Ross
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Like the other books in this post I checked Miss Julia out from the library in audio book form. I read the first book in this series several years ago and was not that impressed. This time I picked for fun listening and Miss Julia filled the bill. The book is read in a southern accent and sometimes it does get old but it fits the characters and the story. Miss Julia (who is not a miss) once again finds herself with a job she does not want. It is fun to see her working toward a solution that will please everyone. If you want something lighthearted, full of fun characters and a bit of a mystery pick this one up. while it is book 18 in the series it can stand-alone.

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Cry Wolf (An Alpha and Omega Novel) by Patricia Briggs

Paranormal Romance

What Goodreads Says:

"Anna never knew werewolves existed, until the night she survived a violent attack... and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she'd learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. Then Charles Cornick, the enforcer—and son—of the leader of the North American werewolves, came into her life.

Charles insists that not only is Anna his mate, but she is also a rare and valued Omega wolf. And it is Anna's inner strength and calming presence that will prove invaluable as she and Charles go on the hunt in search of a rogue werewolf—a creature bound in magic so dark that it could threaten all of the pack."

I started this series backwards.  I checked out Fair Game as an audio book.  I did not realize that it was a side series instead of a Mercy Thompson book.  I am glad I didn’t because I loved Anna and Charles and wanted to know more about them.  I put Cry Wolf on reserve at my local library. I waited a month but whoever had the book never returned it.  (I hate that when it happens).  Barnes and Noble put out a 15% off coupon so I purchased Cry Wolf instead of hoping the book would ever be returned.

World Building:  Most of this world was created in the Mercy Thompson series.  Cry Wolf is set before the start of the Mercy series but because it was written after that series there is little world building in Cry Wolf.  There is some cross-over between the two series.  I did feel I might have missed some references as I have only read the later Mercy books.

Characters:  Charles is his father’s enforcer or paid assassin.  He has little softness in him, is a dominant wolf and seems an odd mate for Anna.  Anna is an Omega wolf who has been told she is a submissive.  In truth she is the one wolf who cannot be ordered by anyone.  She brings an odd calm to any wolf she is around and is a balm to Charles battered soul.  They are the two main characters in the book.  The one thing that is jarring in the book is the fact that you do not get to see Anna and Charles meet.  That story is in On the Prowl an anthology published a year before Cry Wolf.  It is not included in the copy of the book I purchased although I think it is in some later editions.  I suggest you find and read that short novella before you start Cry Wolf.  If you do not you will feel a little lost as the story starts where the novella ends with no backstory or introduction.  There are other important characters in the story: Bran Cornick, the Marrok, or leader of all werewolves in North America and Charles father, Walter Rice who has hidden in the mountains near Charles house for 30 years, and Ansil an old werewolf whose secret is the basis for the plot in the story.  While character development is not at the heart of the story I did feel I knew enough about each character and they fit the story.

Plot:  Bran’s pack is a mix of werewolves who have problems as well as secrets.  Ansil has hidden much of his secret from Bran and now it has come back to haunt Ansil, Bran and Charles.  As the enforcer Charles is tasked with going into the mountains to fix the problem and Anna insists on going with him. Nothing is as it seems and as the story progresses everything begins to unravel and everyone is in more and more danger. 

Tension:  The hunt in the mountains provided the external tension in the story.  That tension just continues to build as the book progresses.  The internal tension comes from the Charles and Anna.  They are new mates, do not know each other that well, and the mating bond is not in place.  The hunt does not leave them time to sort some of the issues out in a calm manner and produces tension between the two.

Writing:  All of Patricia Briggs’ books are well written and Cry Wolf is no exception.  While some scenes are written in the passive most of the book is very active.  Dialog and action keep the story moving.  The passive fits the story as it comes from both Charles and Anna’s internal struggle with the mating bond.

I am looking forward to future books featuring Charles and Anna.  They are both great characters with the potential for many future stories.   

ACE published Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs in 2008.