Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs

Trouble follows Mercy more than any coyote I know.  Not that I know many.  Someone is killing fae and Mercy’s favor is being called in for help.  Zee is thrown in jail for a crime he didn’t committ.  Mercy is the only one silly enough to ignore the Gray Lord’s orders and to clear Zee’s name.   This series is turning out to be one of my favorites.  Ms. Briggs surprised me with the first two installments and has not let me down.  I think that Moon Called is the strongest first installment of any series I have ever read in this genre.  Each book gets better and better.  Iron Kissed is spectacular.  The mystery is brilliant and the ending is written so thoughtfully.   The final chapters are indescrible unless I include spoilers which I am not willing to do– suffice to say it it the best ending that I have read in a long, long time.  The raw emotion that Ms. Briggs evokes from the reader is extraordinary.   I was apprehensive on how she would deal with the Samuel/Mercy/Adam triangle, as I love both werewolves involved.  I shouldn’t have been anxious because Ms. Briggs knows her characters and her craft.  It is dealt with beautifully.  I did not find it anticlimatic like some reviewers, but instead focused on the beauty of how people grow and change without realizing.  

Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs

Iron Kissed is the the third book in the Mercedes Thompson series by Patricia Briggs.  Mercy has a lot going on for her in this one- she’s still got Adam and Samuel competing for her attention, she’s waiting for the other shoe to drop from the vampires (see Blood Bound for details there), and her friend and mentor Zee has landed himself in jail. The fae are willing to sacrifice Zee in order to stay out of the spotlight, but Mercy can’t let that happen, of course.

 I love this series.  It’s getting stronger with every entry. I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish because there was just NO WAY I was going to bed without knowing how it ended. I love that Mercy, who is way underpowered in her circles, manages to get the upperhand  MOST of the time.  Each book goes in a slightly different direction and it does not feel repetitious at all. The Samuel- Adam triangle is resolved beautifully. I love the direction she’s gone with Ben. In fact, Ben plays a pivotal role at the end of this one, in a scene that could not have been done better.  There is a Big Event near the end of this one that has drawn some controversy, but I think it was handled beautifully. I cried, a lot. I don’t think it was pregnancy hormones either. If I were still rating books, which it appears I am NOT, I would give it 5 of 5. I can’t wait for the next one.