Dead Heat

I think Ive finally figured out the difference between this and the Mercy series. Anna is so very opaque even to herself about her wants and needs while Mercy is really clear. For some reason Charles tells you why Anna wants something, rather than Anna herself. Its an interesting narrative dynamic and Im torn on whether I like it as a matter of principle. I do know that this story was a joy to read and the story was a satisfying set of sub-arcs that worked really well. There was some foreshadowing for the driving plot need in the previous books but to be honest the best notes about this came from Mercy. I would recommend this book for anyone who has read the previous ones in this series.

The problem with being a werewolf if that you are destined to see your friends die. Charles used to run wild with Joseph, a human man. They were best friends for decades and shared so many stories with each other. But Charles has avoided him for at least twenty years as he got older. Now it is time to go say goodbye to his human friend and possibly save that mans family along the way.

But that is the dual gift of love, isnt it? The joy of greeting and the sorrow of good-bye.

Anna and Charles have stumbled into a Fae mess. Trouble always seems to find them and it is a good thing too that they will be there to help Josephs family from the big bad that has been set free in Arizona since the Fae went into hiding. It is a nasty piece of work that has been let out into this world and children are its favorite target. Seriously creepy

I just adore Anna and Charles together. They complement each other so well and are fun to spend time with. Anna is just down to earth and brings out the best in people usually. Charles is the protector of those who have been hurt. Sure, usually he is his fathers enforcer but at the heart of it, Charles is the best protector or the lost and broken.

We know,” she whispered to him. “We who have been hurt, we know what evil looks like. We know you make us safe.

As they look for who is responsible for the current missing child, we come across some other characters that show the Cantrip agents and our friend Leslie in the FBI some of the other horrors out there.

I honestly loved the plot and story behind this book. It was great to work with Leslie again and possibly meet a few people in Cantrip that arent complete idiots. Charles and Annas bond to each other is fantastic and I love how they are always there for one another and we get to see it in action again in this book. The plot was really engaging and suspenseful. I also thought that Josephs death was done so well in the story, it was really just a great way for him to go out and totally fitting.

I am enjoying this series even more than the Mercy Thompson series. I do think you need to at least have read a few books of that series in order to really like Alpha and Omega but I dont think that you necessarily have to have read them up to the same point of each book to get what is going on.

I’ve now read four of Ms. Briggs’ books in about a week, and of the MANY things that keep me coming back to her, one huge one is that neither of the main characters is blond or blue-eyed!!! I can’t tell you how much I dislike the ubiquitousness of that look in the hero/heroine in fantasy. Being of the same coloring myself, I can say it’s not bigotry that prompts my impatience with the paradigm, but rather that I have an appreciation for the variety of people in the US, and Britain as well. Why don’t the works of more authors reflect the rich traditions of Native American mythology? Or African? Or the many Asian cultures we are second home to?

Anyway, off the soapbox…. Ms.Briggs is not only a talented storyteller, she obviously does plenty of research into localities in which her stories take place. She is also very articulate and has a keen grasp of the damage an abusive relationship can do, as well as the time and effort that goes into healing from one.

The evolution of the main character, Anna, from a deeply damaged and terrified young woman into a calm, courageous and forceful mate is a good one, and one I intend to continue to follow as long as there are books about her to read!

Maybe it’s because I read them out of sequence or because I followed Mercy with Charles, but I just didn’t enjoy this one. I liked the first one. I enjoyed Samuel and his girl more but, that’s cause I like Sam. Both Sam and Charles are more than they appear on the surface. The similarities between the two are more obvious when you get to know them. Samuel is funny, sweet, and light hearted on the surface. It’s only when you pull the layers back that you get power and ruthlessness. Charles is powerful, ruthless, and scary upon introduction. His sweetness is only revealed through Anna. I’m like Mercy I like Adam best. He’s intense but passionate. Charles is cold and aloof in way that frustrates more than intrigues me. But the story is good.

This is such a beautiful book. There were tears running down my face at one point, which is rare for me, especially for a re-read, which this was. This was the first time Id listened to it in audio format, so maybe the performance of the narrator helped with stimulating my tear ducts so impressively.

This book covers Anna and Charles travelling to visit a very old friend of Charles. Joseph is one of the only friends Charles has ever had and he is human. His father is a werewolf and the alpha of a pack in Arizona, but Joseph refused to become a werewolf, enjoying his humanity too much to change. The other reason they are visiting is to buy Anna a new horse as the family are exceptional horse breeders and trainers.

One of the things I really loved about this story was the horses. There were so many details about life in a stable and the deep affection the family had for their horses, even the ones they plan on selling. I was so jealous of the characters and their close connection with the animals, wishing I could relieve that time I had briefly in my teens when I worked at a stable in return for short lessons. Being around horses, even for a brief time, gives you a life long love of them and this book reinvigorated that affection.

You can tell the author has spent time around horses and horse people as she captured the nature of horse folk so perfectly. This was imbued into the character of Josephs family and they are all as horse mad as he is, even down to little 5 year old Mackie and 4 year old Michael.

There is love and pain aplenty in this story. Joseph is old, into his 80s and his wife Maggie was someone that Charles once loved too. Though the plot was about a fae stealing children, I felt that the main subject matter of the plot was about nature of humanity; life, love and letting go of both. It was about love being worth the pain of loss when its gone, something Charles has always been afraid of.

We brought inside a family with its rivalries, pain and love and we cant help but fall in love with them in the same way Charles and Anna do, from the eldest down to the tiny children. Then we watch as they are endangered and hurt for who they are because a fae wants them to hurt.

We are reintroduced to Leslie the FBI agent from a previous book and meet new Cantrip agents who actually know what they are doing and respect their new colleagues Anna and Charles. Because Anna and Charles discovered the presence of the fae and had worked with Leslie before they become part of the investigation.

The book has many layers, from the investigation to the werewolf and family drama and through it Anna and Charles watch it all, letting us see it through their eyes. This really is a superb book and Id forgotten how much I loved it. Im hoping this review will remind me!

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