Mercy Thompson #6: River Marked Review

Title: Mercy Thompson #6: River Marked

Author: Patricia Briggs

Date of Publication: March 1, 2011

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-Book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: Coyote shifter Mercy Thompson knows that life with her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will never be boring, but even their wedding doesn't go as planned. Nevertheless, a ten-day honeymoon camping on the banks of the Columbia River, alone, just the two of them, should make up for it. But the trip - and the pimped-out trailer they're using - is courtesy of the fae. And nothing from the fae comes without strings attached...

Being a different breed of shapeshifter - a walker - Mercy can see ghosts, but the spirit of her long-gone father has never visited her. Until now. An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River - and innocent people are dying. As other walkers make their presence known to Mercy, she must reconnect with her heritage to exorcise the world of the legend known as the river devil...

My Review:

My re-read of the Mercy Thompson series is finally over and in River Marked I headed into new territory. River Marked most definitely lived up to my expectations of the series and I was thrilled for the chance for Mercy and Adam to finally be alone for a whole book without the rest of the pack butting in. Paired with plenty of romance and even a conclusion to the walking stick side story River Marked was one more fantastic addition to a wonderful series!

Since the majority of this novel was focused on Mercy and Adam being away from their friends in the Tri-Cities there was the opportunity to introduce several new characters. Including one that revealed more about Mercy's past and the origins of the Native American shifters. The river devil was a fascinating new adversary and I think the trip away from the Tri-Cities provided a lot of new opportunities for Mercy's character,  including an interesting trip to Wal-Mart!

The relationship continues to develop between Mercy and Adam. Now that they're married it seems that both of them are more dedicated to making their marriage work and there has been quite a bit less arguing than in previous novels. One of the most romantic novels in the series I loved the banter between Mercy and Adam and watching them become more and more protective of each other. Mercy isn't one to put up with being controlled and I love how Adam gives Mercy enough room to be the independent, sassy character we've all come to love but is still close enough to her to make them seem almost like one person.

Even though I liked Mercy and Adam having some alone time the only thing I missed about this novel was having the rest of the pack and Mercy's friends present. I've come to love Warren, Kyle, Stefan, and Jesse, and while I enjoyed how much time Mercy and Adam were spending together I missed everyone else just a little bit. Jesse is one of my favorite characters and while there was a humorous phone call, I probably missed her most out of everybody.

I cannot stress enough how much I love this series! One of my favorites of all time the Mercy Thompson series is one I would recommend to anyone and everyone who is a fan of romantic paranormal fiction! Including all the things that make books amazing, (good writing, fantastic characters, wonderful plot) this is not a series you want to miss!

5/5