Review: Blood Bound - Patricia Briggs

My Rating: E, P, B Released: 2007 (USA) & 2008 (UK) Publisher: Ace, Penguin Group (USA) Inc & Orbit (UK) Author's Website: patriciabriggs.com Available @ Amazon.co.uk Amazon.com Mercy Thompson; woken at 3am by a vampire. Stefan also happens to be a friend, and he needs her help. He has to deliver a message to a fellow undead and needs a witness that won’t be noticed – and Mercy’s shapeshifting abilities maker her the perfect candidate. But the assignment turns into a bloodbath and Mercy attracts the attention of not just a powerful vampire, but the even more powerful demon possessing him. She can count on the supernatural community for protection – and alpha werewolf Adam would like her to rely on him in other ways, too – but when it comes to being protective, she’s on her own. Blood Bound is the second book in the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. If you have read Moon Called and enjoyed it, prepare to be enthralled with Blood Bound. This story is full of action, a love triangle or even a quadrangle depending on how you look at it, and a tad bit of lusting. This book has been rather enjoyable to read. It has been a nice break from some of the other supernatural books I have been reading lately as it’s more focused on the plot than romance although the story does touch on the subject more than once. You don’t get caught up in the romance, or lust, enough that it makes you forget what the plot is all about. Our heroine Mercy, gets pulled into some serious trouble along with her wolf friends and Stefan due to her loyalty, caring personality and her over protectiveness for the ones she loves or cares deeply about. (WARNING – THIS PARAGRAPH CONTAINS SPOILERS) From the first book, Moon Called, we know that Mercy was raised by wolves and is a skinwalker. Her other form is a coyote. We also know that she used to be in love with Samuel Cornick until his father Bran, the Morrok, told her to leave. In the meantime, she has been living across from the local Alpha, Adam Hauptman. It seems that there is a love triangle going on between these three – Samuel still loves her and mourned her when she left as if he had lost his mate and previously Adam named her as his mate in front of the pack so that she wouldn’t be attacked by them. But it seems that Adam likes Mercy more than he lets on and I think the feeling is mutual. Samuel was her first love and even though he was using her as a means to have a living child she still loves him deep down. (END OF SPOILER WARNING) Mercy is requested to repay a favour to a friend, Stefan - a vampire, who wants her to witness an act as her four legged self. Paying Stefan back opens a whole can of worms and could have cost Mercy her life. After finding out the powerful vampire is being possessed by a demon, the local Alpha, Adam, and her past love, Samuel, decide that she is to stay out of the way and that they and the vampires will deal with this vampire. Mercy, being Mercy, couldn’t just sit and do nothing. She decides to intervene when the wolves plans go a tad wrong - putting herself in imminent danger. We can clearly see that there is a love triangle but I think this is going to turn into a love quadrangle, the fourth member being Stefan. Mercy thinks of him as a friend, but doesn’t know if he considers her a friend as he has never come out and said it. He is one of the undead and they are known as evil and can turn their back on you in a heartbeat, not the type of person you would think would call you a friend, more like someone that would use you. But Mercy has never thought of Stefan as being like the other vampires. She thinks he is one of the good ones despite constant warnings from her friends that she can’t trust him. I think there is some deep affection for Mercy emitting from Stefan as we find out as the story unfolds, but I am not sure what it will turn into. Mercy already has Adam and Samuel to deal without adding Stefan to the mix. The problem with trying to figure out who Mercy will end up with is down to how submissive she is willing to be. Wolves are known for being dominant and living in the cave ages as their women don’t have the same rights as the men in the pack. Choosing Adam would lead to her having the same status and dominance over the other wolves as Adam, i.e. if Adam wasn’t about the other wolves would have to obey her commands. I think if Mercy officially went and said that she was with Adam as his mate, that this might cause some conflict within the pack as they only currently tolerate her and are not around her all the time. Being with Samuel would leave Mercy uneasy as to whether he is with her out of love or just to get a child out of it. Samuel doesn’t belong to a pack, he’s more of a lone wolf at the moment but he is the Marrok’s son so is a very dominant wolf. If Mercy was to be with Stefan I don’t think she would have to change at all but she would forever be watching her back with the Mistress of the Seethe as Stefan still answers to her. The Mistress doesn’t like Mercy as she fears her. She may like him as a friend but I am not sure how she would cope having a relationship with a man that is literally dead during the day. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series just to find out what does or doesn’t happen between those two. Blood Bound is a book I think you can read on its’ own and it isn’t essential to know what happened in book one, Moon Called, to understand what is happening. The situations and storyline are well set out and quite easy to follow. The action scenes aren’t too graphic and there aren’t really any sexual content in this book. This book can definitely be read by teenagers and any age upwards. Disclaimer: I have not bought this book or been given it free of charge and I am not receiving any money to review this book. I borrowed this book from the local library and everything I have said is based on my honest opinion.