Perfect Book from Patricia Briggs

Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson 5*
BLURB: Mercy Thompson’s world just got a whole lot bigger…
A collection of all-new and previously published short stories featuring Mercy Thompson, and the characters she calls friends…
Includes the new stories…
“Silver”
“Roses in Winter”
“Redemption”
“Hollow”
…and reader favourites
“Fairy Gifts”
“Gray”
“Alpha and Omega”
“Seeing Eye”
“The Star of David”
“In Red, with Pearls”

My Review: I really love her Mercy Thompson books so I was delighted to find she had an anthology of stories set in the Mercy Thompson world. Most of the stories are told from others point of view and are about other great characters that appear in the Mercy books. Included are some old ones from various other anthologies but also some new ones, in fact according to the intro it contains every short story ever published from this series. I loved reading each and every story, enjoying the revisit to those I'd read before and learning new things about Mercy's world from those that were new to me. I highly recommend this for any fan of Patricia's books.

What I've been doing lately with my reading & crocheting.

I've been doing a lot of reading of these free stories on the Goodreads M/M Romance Group. What amazed me this year is the wonderful quality and length of stories there has been. In the 152 stories I've read from the 166 currently published so far, I've only had one DNF, one 1* and seven 2* ratings.

I am also currently reading Shifting Shadows by Patricia Briggs in paperback, Perihelion by Tami Veldura on my Kobo and listening to Marque & Reprisal by Elizabeth Moon on Audible.

In the crochet department I have anther few baby blankets finished and am actually wering my Flights of Fancy shawl at the moment. It's both warm and cheerful and I love it :D


I finished my crohook blanket too and am pleased with how it turned out for my first attempt. My current WIP is from yet another CAL, this time it's the Christmas Crochet Along on Crochet Playground with a new pattern for each week to make Christmas gifts from. Not sure how many I'll actually make but the scarf for week #1 is a pretty design. oh yeah, I am also making a second Flight of Fancy in cotton yarn and have got to round 45 on my single coloured Sophie's Universe blanket (third time so I get one too). Naturally I have a couple of baby blankets on the go too (so that I have something to do on the bus when I go to sign on :D)

Reviewing a graphic novel

Mercy Thompson: Hopcross Jilly by Patricia Briggs. Artists: Rik Hoskin and Tom Garcia. 5*
BLURB: Mercy is a shapeshifting coyote and honorary member of the Tri-Cities werewolf pack. When the pack stumbles upon the buried bones of numerous dead children, she shapeshifts into a mystery of the legendary fae - a mystery that draws Mercy's stepdaughter Jesse into the fray! The supernatural romance series Mercy Thompson continues in this all-new, original story by New York Times bestselling author, Patricia Briggs, exclusively created for the comic book medium! Collects the six-issue Mercy Thompson comic book series from 2014-2015, a story set in official continuity.

My Review: Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley. I don't often bother with graphic novels in electronic form as it means having to sit in front of my laptop to read them but I couldn't resist this one. I have loved the character Mercy Thompson since her first book. I like the mixture of paranormal creatures that inhabit her world and the way Patricia Briggs makes it all seem so realistic and ordinary to live with werewolves, vampires, and fae in the same town. So, you are asking, what about the graphic novel? My answer is go and buy it if you like stunning artwork that is detailed and interesting and married to yet another great story from Patricia. What appealed to me most is the way the artists managed to make the character look just as I imagined them from the descriptions in the books.
p.s. Unfortunately for you all, unless you are into pre-ordering, you will have to wait until 30th June to buy it.

Some more audio books

I've been doing a lot of crocheting for Christmas and customers of my new shop so I have listened to a number of audio books lately. I am adding a short review of them here:

Fuzzy Nation (UNABRIDGED)by John Scalzi
Narrated by Wil Wheaton , John Scalzi 5* for story and narration
The storyline was excellent and, having read the book it was based on, I was pleased with how well John Scalzi adapted his story. It made me laugh and cry and gasp aloud and I was very emotionally involved throughout. The part when Fuzzy spoke was done so well by the narrator that I could almost see him stood there.

The Vortex Blaster: Lensman Series (UNABRIDGED) by E. E. 'Doc' Smith
Narrated by Reed McColm 4* for story and narration
I really enjoyed the narration on this one - the vivid images I got from it were so much better than what I remembered the book to be like. In fact, just like in the original story I read so long ago, I still enjoyed the character of Dr. Neal "Storm" Cloud the best. The idea of someone being so good with maths still fascinates me. I also think that hearing it narrated was so much better. The narrator gave such wonderful pronunciation to all the alien planet names and words I had so much trouble with back then.

Alpha and Omega: A Novella from On the Prowl (UNABRIDGED) by Patricia Briggs
Narrated by Holter Graham 5* story 4* narration
I bought this to compare it to the print book and was pleased that I did as it was so well done and now I can listen to it any time I want instead of reading the book until it falls apart. The visual imagery I got from the good narration made this an audiobook that I would rank near the top. I certainly had a more emotional response to the story than I had reading the original print version. Overall it was a good experience.

I've been lucky with my reading

Captive Prince Volume One by S U Pacat 5*
BLURB:Damen is a warrior hero to his people, and the rightful heir to the throne of Akielos, but when his half brother seizes power, Damen is captured, stripped of his identity, and sent to serve the prince of an enemy nation as a pleasure slave.
Beautiful, manipulative and deadly, his new master Prince Laurent epitomizes the worst of the court at Vere. But in the lethal political web of the Verethian court, nothing is at it seems, and when Damen finds himself caught up in a play for the throne, he must work together with Laurent to survive and save his country.
For Damen, there is just one rule: never, ever reveal his true identity. Because the one man Damen needs is the one man who has more reasons to hate him than anyone else.
My Review: This was an online read that has since been released as an ebook. It is a good read that is a part one so has an open ending that is not a cliff hanger. I was captivated by the characters and storyline. Even the world building was so good I felt I was there with them.

Captive Prince Volume Two by S U Pacat 5*
BLURB:With their countries on the brink of war, Damen and his new master Prince Laurent must exchange the intrigues of the palace for the sweeping might of the battlefield as they travel to the border to avert a lethal plot.
Forced to hide his identity, Damen finds himself drawn to the dangerous, charismatic Laurent. But as the fledgeling trust between the two men deepens, the truth of secrets from both their pasts is poised to deal them the crowning death blow
My Review:I found out that this was again an open ending that didn't actually leave me feeling as if I was in a cliff hanger situation. Again the characters and storyline sparkled and kept me intrigued to the very last word.

Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs 5*
BLURB:Shapeshifter Mercy Thompson's life is calming down, at least enough that she can focus on mundane matters like Black Friday sales. But on her return, Mercy is unable to contact her mate, Alpha Adam Hauptman, or the other members of their pack. All she knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. With the werewolves fighting a political battle to gain acceptance from the public, Mercy fears Adam's disappearance may be related - and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outclassed and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from the most unlikely of allies: the vampire seethe.
My Review: To quote Charlaine Harris from the front cover "I love these books". If Urban Fantasy comes any better than this I want to know who I should add to my autobuy list! Patricia Briggs drags you so deep into her characters lives it is a physical wrench to reach the end of the story.