Recommendations from Maia for June 2014.

In order to bring some more variety to my blog, I have asked some of my bookish friends to tell about the books they have in the past month, and to give us a recommendation. Today’s post is made by Maia from Holland.

Maia:

Last month I've read four books. My reading time is still limited. But I’ve read some great books and met some very nice authors in Germany at the LLC 2014 and in Lüneburg.

My top three of this month is:

River Marked – Patricia Briggs



Master of Crows – Grace Draven



An enticing debt to pay – Annie West




The one I can recommend to all Aurian's readers is: any book by Patricia Briggs in the Mercy Thompson and/or Alpha & Omega series.



Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. She's never known any others of her kind. Until now.
An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River-one that her father's people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need their help...


This month I want to talk about Patricia Briggs. Thanks to Aurian I came in contact with the books of this writer. I usually don’t read first person books, and I’m not that big a fan of Urban Fantasy, as I prefer Paranormal Romance.
But I started reading these books. The first ones I ‘read’ via audiobooks, A great medium to get to the stories when you’re driving a lot. I became immersed in the world of Mercy Thompson, a coyote shapeshifter. It’s a world of werewolves, vampires, fae and other creatures. It has violence and fear, but also beauty and laughter. It’s has many layers and you can reread it many times and find something new.

The series comprises of eight books and several short stories. The novella’s are being reprinted, with additional stories in ‘Shifting Shadows’ . There is also a spin-off series called “Alpha & Omega”. This is in third person. I love these stories also. They revolve around Anna & Charles, the omega and alpha werewolves of the title. It deals with coming to terms with love between two very different characters, but also with the political consequences of the outing of the werewolves to the world. Fascinating.

Patricia Briggs has also written several other series, more fantasy than urban fantasy. I haven’t read them yet, but will be doing so in the near future. I have most of them on my shelf.

Aurian and I have met Patty and her husband Mike and assistant Ann in Lüneburg last week. They are great people and we had fun times together. She is also very knowledgeable on werewolf lore, as she showed in her lecture at the university. It’s funny how meeting a writer of favourite books can be so great. It makes you appreciate the books even more.


Aurian: Thanks for the recommendation Maia! And of course I can’t agree more with you on the awesomeness that is Patricia Briggs and the worlds she creates. Is there anyone reading my blog that has not yet read a Patricia Briggs book?

© 2014 Reviews by Aurian