Book 6) (A Mercy Thompson Novel) - River Marked (Mercy Thompson

I have long awaited this most recent book in the Mercy Thompson series and was not disappointed. In my opinion, Patricia Briggs is one of, if not THE best writer in this genre. Pooey to those who say they were disappointed. I enjoyed seeing Adam and Mercy finally delve deeper into their relationship now that they are married. As for the rest of the story...how could anyone NOT enjoy...the complexity of the characters and all the action was still there! Can't wait for the next installment, and there had better be more!!!

The book was in great condition. One page did have a silver dollar sized spot on it that appeared as though it was rubbed out. The page was very thin there and almost a hole was formed. Other then that, the book was exactly what I wanted and I am completely thrilled and satisfied with it.

I love the Mercy Thompson Book's. It's as good as the others. I can't wait to see what gose on next. Patrcia Briggs is one of the best. I have just about all of her work and they are just as good as this book is.

This was a great story about Mercy and Adam's honeymoon. After a surprise wedding (surprising to the bride at least!), Mercy and Adam head to a campground on the Colombia River for a honeymoon. Naturally, trouble follows. Mercy learns that they are honeymooning there because of a vision one of the fae had. She also finds that some of the people there knew her father. She even sees his ghost. The gets involved with a number of Native American legends including Thunderbird and Coyote. She learns a lot about her past as she and Adam look for a way to defeat a fae monster who is snacking on those who venture near the Colombia River.

I enjoyed the interactions between Mercy and Adam as they get used to their new roles as husband and wife. I love Mercy's personality as someone who is quite willing to tweak the vanity of anyone who comes near her no matter how powerful they might be. I also loved the character of Coyote who may or may not be Mercy's father.

I recommend this urban fantasy series to anyone who likes a feisty female character and a well-developed fantasy world. Besides a lot of deadly danger, the book is filled with humorous moments. I found it an all-together great read and one story that I will likely re-read often.

Patricia Briggs never lets me down!!!! Mercy Thompson continues to be my top female character in ANY book. What I loved most about RIVER MARKED was that Mercy got to spend an entire novel with Adam. Briggs managed to explore their wonderful and equal partnership in this book without losing site of the main mystery. I recently saw Briggs at an author signing and was thrilled to hear that there will be at least 3 more Mercy Thompson books. I could not be more thrilled. I think there is so much more to be explored in this fantastic world with a true heroine front and center!

Patricia Briggs is on my short list of goddess writers whose books I snatch up without even reading the back blurb. I know anything she writers will be delicious, fun, and action-packed -- generally everything my ADD heart desires. She didn't disappoint with River Marked, starting off with Mercy's marriage to Adam, her gorgeous werewolf. After that, Briggs plunged us into the dangerous world of river monsters and supernatural gods/avatars, one of which may or may not be Mercy's father. Sorta. It's complicated. I devoured the book like a plate of brownies, only without the caloric guilt afterward. As to the $12 -- Briggs gave me my money's worth, just as she always does. Check out her older fantasy novels too. I also enjoyed DRAGON BLOOD and DRAGON BONES, just to name two of her delightful books. Masques and its sequel are equally fun. These books are very different from the Mercy books, but if you're jonesing for more Briggs -- and I can't blame you -- why don't you nibble your way through the rest of her collection? Clever heroes, resourceful heroines, lots of fascinating creatures, and great adventures await.Dragon Blood (The Hurog Duology, Book 2)

The action is well summarized in other reviews but that is not really the point of this book. As noted by other reviewer this is a much quieter book which serves give more depth to Mercy's relationships. We learn why she has felt the way she has about the various members of her family and her growing awareness that some of her feelings of isolation may have been based on misinterpretations. We also see more of her relationship with Adam. One of the things I love about Patricia Brigg's books is her characters change and grow based on events and their perceptions of the world around them (just like Ben, Mercy has been changing and I think this book was necessary to reflect the transition).

One one hand Patricia Briggs creates such wonderful characters that I did miss visiting some of the other members of Mercy's universe, but on the other was was nice to learn more about Mercy's background (more like a quite dinner with friends than a family reunion) but the stage is set for future visits and I look forward to seeing where this world takes Mercy (and us) next.

I have loved this series from the very beginning. I love Mercy and her adventures and now with her dynamite mate, Adam. Adam is with her almost the entirety of this book which is wonderful. They are developing their relationship and I love it--they are a wonderful couple. This book, however, takes them out of the "pack" environment and gets more into depth about Mercy's father and native American mythology andn ghosts and different kinds of shifters which was interesting but I had a tougher time getting as involved with this book. I felt disconnected somehow. That said, I will buy Mercy's next book of course!

Good book but not as good as the first three. Or maybe I'm just becoming blase about this series?

Or maybe I am bitter about the PRICE of this e-book? Yeah...THAT is probably part of it, anyway.

The book was ok. I mean, yeah, I would probably even say it was good although I got a little bit confused about why such a big deal was made about Stephen in the beginning but then kind of petered out. That was disappointing as I find Stephen to be a wonderful character. Good story, no real surprises.

All in all, a good afternoon read. I love Patricia Briggs writing, I love her characters and I will most likely keep buying her books even though I think they are TERRIBLY over priced, especially for an e-book. I realize its probably not the authors fault the price is set so high but honestly, when I see the high price I immediately associate it with her name....not the publishers name.

Do you hear the whine in my voice about the price? Have I made that part clear?

Ok, then. Good story, super crappy price. If you like Patricia Briggs books you will enjoy this one, too.

I really enjoy the Mercy Thompson series, but this edition simply felt like a stepping stone. I missed all the usual tension that makes mercy and adams relationship so exciting. As part of the whole series I enjoyed River Marked, but i feel like it is a place holder for the next bookwhere we can hopefully get back to the tstory line and charachter development that make this series great.

This was another well-written book in the series. I really liked learning about Mercy's father and the folkloric backstory. And I enjoyed the surprise near the beginning of the story.

What I didn't enjoy as much was the central mystery, and that this was just a Mercy and Adam story, with very little of the secondary characters that we are used to from the rest of the series. I enjoyed Stefan's reappearance, but wished for more from him and the others.

*Some spoilers! Be wary!*

I *loved* the Mercy Thompson books when I found them a few years ago. Mercy was a nice mix of sassy but also sensible, and the world was vivid and interesting. I think Patricia Briggs is #zomgawsome.

However, I think the series is at its apogee and has nowhere to go but down. The progress of the series stopped eliciting feelings of "zomgawsome!" with Silver Bourne and while River Marked is a nice easy read (there are some fantastic descriptions, vivid consequence filled action scenes and whatnot)that is all it is. A nice easy read.

My main problems were with the Adam/Mercy relations and the overall Jump the Shark feeling of the supporting plot.

I always liked Mercy and Adam as a couple, but in this story they read like stereotypes of urban fantasy romance rather than individuals. There is lots of "mine"ing and general goings on about mystical bonds that cheapened their whole dynamic, as well as bringing unpleasant flashbacks of Laurel K. Hamilton-esque nonsense. Some might find it romantic, so try it out for yourself, but personally it makes me cringe to read such pablum coming out of the mouths of characters who until now I adored.

As far as Jumping the Shark...I had always liked that Mercy wasn't capital 'S' special. (You know what I mean - Superman, Harry Potter, John Connor 'only you can save us' kind of Special) Unlike the hordes of other urban fantasy what-if-our-world-was-also-magical stories out there, Mercy knew Special people (Bran, granddaddy of all Werewolves etc), but wasn't Special herself. She was just special (little s) because she was a Walker, which doesn't come with superpowers. I really liked that. Sadly River Marked blows all that out of the water, IMO entirely unnecessarily. Walkers, Mercy and even her trusty walking stick seem less unique by the end of it.

Perhaps this is a growth book, where certain shifts must be made to launch off into a far greater end of series arc, but the feeling I walked away with was this is another book like Obsidian Butterfly (An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 9). The book that seems to say "I ran out of ideas".

I like the secondary characters a lot and missed them in this book. I found the plot line was pretty slow and unsatisfying. I understand her wanting to get into Mercy's Native American heritage but I did not think it was done well. I don't have much to say about it because there isn't much story. I will give the next one a try but I get the feeling the author has tired of the series and simply has nothing left to say.

I would say to save your money, as this book does nothing to move the series forward and contains no new information.

I ordered this book for myself as an avid Patricia Briggs reader, not only was the sellers shipping speed fast, but the way it was packaged made certain that my book came to me in Perfect condition. This is also a great read, I always love Patricia Briggs's work, keeps you on the edge of your seat and not wanting to put it down! I would highly reccomend the Mercy Thompson series to any fantasy-romance-action book lover.

To give context to my review, I have to admit that during my recent Mercy Thompson series re-read, I focused only on the Mercy/Adam interactions. (I blame my romantic sentiment on my husband being gone for a week and leaving me alone with the dog.) I realized that these two characters were meant for each other even from the beginning, but they unfortunately never really had much page time together. Something would always come up to cut their scenes together short, or make them hurried.

Yay for River Marked! This book is all about Mercy and Adam - their love for one and other, their respect, their fears, their happiness. I was completely thrilled by the second chapter, especially since I was worried that I would have to wait until the end of the book, or (gasp!) the next book, for it to happen. At times it did seem to go a bit over board with the I-love-yous and I'll-die-for-yous, but I could deal with that. All the other major characters make an appearance, but to my delight, Mercy and Adam take center stage.

In addition to the romantic element in this book, River Marked also delved into Mercy's parentage and answered a lot of questions about her coyote form and her father. There is a healthy dose of Native American heritage mixed in with the usual magic and monsters that we've come to expect from a Mercy book.

This book is worth 4 stars, easily. I am eager for the next book to read what else the author has in store for Mercy.

The latest installment of the adventures of Mercy Thompson, or rather Mercy Athena Thompson Hauptman ended with a bang, but the journey through this book was significantly less exciting that her other novels and lacked her friends and relationships that we've grown to love. River Marked focused on the solidarity that has grown between Mercy and Adam, but this novel really belonged to Mercy alone. Having said that, this recap contains light spoilers, light in the aspect that they all pretty much happen right in the beginning so I'm not giving away the finale.

The beginning of the novel opens with Mercy going to vampire Stefan's house to run interferance over his depression With the previous book having Stefan MIA, I'm sure readers were pretty excited to see him back. Right after that, the book takes a turn with a surprise wedding event for Adam and Mercy. Soon thereafter, Mercy and Adam take off for their honeymoon in a camper that Adam borrowed from Uncle Mike and this is where it really veers off course. Mercy is concerned that Adam took a favor from the Fae which is a huge no no, but Adam sees it as a message that they're meant to go where the Fae have sent them. To me, this seems so out of character for an overly protective Alpha werewolf, especially since it's their honeymoon, but there you have it. At their campsite, Mercy sees the ghost of her father, starts having terrible nightmares, Adam and Mercy find a dying man on a boat in the river, and ultimately, they find themselves at ground zero where dozens of people are disappearing to a horrible legendary river monster.

This book introduces many new characters from Mercy's Indian heritage and she ultimately meets her spirit father, not to be confused with the ghost of her actual father. The concept is intriguing, however the lengthy explanations, dreams, walking through the woods, secrecy, and other elements leading to the mystery seem to drag on and on and on. 4/5ths of the book is spent on learning the various Indian cultures and icons and essentially all the save the day action is left for the last pages. Aside from the mention of Zee, Warren, Uncle Mike, Jesse, et al, there was absolutely no interaction or development of these characters since the whole book is spent away from them, the Stefan time is minimal at best, and when it came down to the big battle, Mercy has to go it alone without Adam. When reading a series, I've grown to love the supporting cast every bit as much as the main character, and oftentimes more so, and this book lacks all of that. Regardless, it is still a good story, if not slow moving, with some rather poignant moments, and dare I say, the departure of one of my favorite "characters", the walking stick. I guess we'll just have to see what happens...

I was so excited to get the new mercy thompson. I have read them all and really enjoyed them. This one just did not do it! not even close to the previous books in the series. It was very slow and boring. Near the end the excitment picked up a little but this one did not hold up to the rest. disapointed in this one :(

Although there is little urban here. Mercy and Adam finally tie the knot and it is pretty funny. One of the Fae suggests that they go to a particular campground and loans them a rather palatial trailer for her honeymoon. Lots of good characters well drawn some old and some new (one of which is a walking stick). A good strong plot to go with the characters and an interesting monster(s). Big revelation about Mercey's ancestry. Overall excellent story well told.

This is a great read but not the place to start the series if you want to get the best out of it. Start at the beginning, not all home runs but all good to excellent reads.

BTW Ithought the comparison of Star Wars to Cowboys and Indians was both great and funny.

I love this author and this series. I can never put it down and am sad that I have to wait 6 months to 12 before another book is available. It helps that Mercy's story is set in an area I know and have been to multiple times, and the author describes it so perfectly. I hope this series continues a long time!!

I love this series. It started out as a paper back series and it should have stayed that way. That way when one of the books bombs you don't feel like you were ripped off by greedy publishers trying to sqeeze every last ounce profit out of an overpriced dud. The story started out just fine. I laughed out loud during the first couple of chapters, but then its like pod people took over the story writing. I'm not going to drop any spoilers, the story is predictable enough as is. If it was a movie, I'd say wait for it to come out on DVD. Get it at half price or the library. Don't waste your money on the $12.99 kindle edition.

I like Patricia Brigg's writings. Every time I finish one of Mercy's books I can't wait till the next one comes out. If you like Mercy and Adam's story you have to read this book. The plot is somewhat different than Ms. Brigg's usual writings when it comes to Mercy. This time Mercy isn't facing any monsters from the old country but she's facing monsters from new world. It did feel a little slow in places and a little bumpy but I still enjoy Ms. Brigg's writings and the series so much I still gave it 5 stars.

The price is a little steep like one reviewer mentioned but the book did just come out and it's still cheaper to buy it electronically if you can't go to the book store and buy it in person (you save money on shipping).

As always, Patricia Briggs does not disappoint! Simply excellent. I've yet to read a bad Mercy Thompson book. Loved her and Adam's closer relationship. Loved the place they found themselves in. Loved the new and old characters. Loved the story. And, yes, loved the book. Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed all the previous books in the series, but this one was a bit of a letdown. The story itself was interesting, and I enjoyed the insight into Mercy's heritage, and her relationship with Adam, but the lengthy explanations really bogged down the story. Yes, I know they were necessary, but even after that I was still a little confused and had to reread some parts. It didn't grab me like some of the previous books. I was pretty easily able to put the book down and go to bed! The Kindle version was pricey, but I'd rather be able to get it right when I want than to have to wait for a cheaper Kindle book.

I have to tell you that everytime Patricia Briggs comes out with another Mercy story I get excited. She never fails to pull me right back into this world of warewolves and mystical creatures. This book was different from the others. Mercy is married to Adam! Hot sexy alph male he is, her life has forever changed. She's not single anymore!! But the action and story line in this book are great. I can't wait for the next installment.

This is my favorite Urban Fantasy series. The event, in the beginning, was a great surprise. And, it was great to have a lot of Adam and Mercy time, in this book. And learning more about Mercy. I would have liked to know more about Samuel, Gabriel, Ben, but maybe in the next book. Just hate the wait.

I usually like all of Patricia Briggs books as the story is usually so wonderfully woven together. This story was just silly and the dialogue between Adam and Mercy was not believable and Mercy didn't seem like the same person she was prior to marrying Adam. I lost interest quickly and couldn't finish the book. I wish I wouldn't have wasted my money.

love the book it came on time in specified condition my only complaint is that anytime I pre-order books from this site I'm charged for and sent 2 books instead of 1 or at least I have for my last 2 pre-orders though I'm hoping it was just a glitch caused by my old computer. Either way love the book

So, I have loved all of the Mercy Thompson books so far. The series ranks in my top 3. But this one just wasn't as good as the first four I thought. I still love her writing style, and I love that we got to learn more about Mercy's background - Coyote is a great character, but so many of the other characters were left out or just showed up as cameos. I really thought that the book needed a second plot or a sub-plot. Maybe more about Stephen or Jesse and Gabriel...

I really like Adam and Mercy together, but there is so much more going on in Mercy's world I finished the book feeling a little short changed.

Especially at $12.99 for a Kindle edition!

What was there was good, but it just wasn't enough...

Um, well, it was definitely different from her other books. It was shorter, less cohesive, and I felt as if the author was distracted while writing this book. I get the feeling she rushed through this one just to meet her deadline. At first I didn't blink about spending $12.99, but now after reading the book, I would like at least half of it back! Even though I am not thrilled about this book, I will still continue to follow the series. I just love Mercy's humor, selflessness and courage.

I so love this series. It just keeps getting beter and beter. I now have all my guy friend reading it too. Love all the true Washington history in the books. I live here and I find new places I just have to visit every book.

I really, really love Patricia Briggs and all of her books especially the Mercy series. I believe good books take two things: well written characters and strong plots. Ms. Briggs has the characters - Mercy, Adam, Stefan and all the others who inhabit her Mercy world are interesting and delightful. Previously her plots have also been as strong. This one though has slipped in the plot department and I hate to say it. It felt like a short story strecthed (beyond its rightful length) to a full novel. The book is about 30% through before you get the first indication of the plot and there is never much to it. In addition, Mercy and Adam newly married seem to be not themselves. All in all, nice to see our charachters again and to learn something of Mercy's heritage but the plot couldn't hold it all up. A few days after I finished the book i could hardly recall it - I remember every detail of the previous 4 Mercy books. So, all in all a pleasant little visit but a plot not nearly good enough.

I love this author and this series. I can never put it down and am sad that I have to wait 6 months to 12 before another book is available. It helps that Mercy's story is set in an area I know and have been to multiple times, and the author describes it so perfectly. I hope this series continues a long time!!

I love this series. It started out as a paper back series and it should have stayed that way. That way when one of the books bombs you don't feel like you were ripped off by greedy publishers trying to sqeeze every last ounce profit out of an overpriced dud. The story started out just fine. I laughed out loud during the first couple of chapters, but then its like pod people took over the story writing. I'm not going to drop any spoilers, the story is predictable enough as is. If it was a movie, I'd say wait for it to come out on DVD. Get it at half price or the library. Don't waste your money on the $12.99 kindle edition.

I like Patricia Brigg's writings. Every time I finish one of Mercy's books I can't wait till the next one comes out. If you like Mercy and Adam's story you have to read this book. The plot is somewhat different than Ms. Brigg's usual writings when it comes to Mercy. This time Mercy isn't facing any monsters from the old country but she's facing monsters from new world. It did feel a little slow in places and a little bumpy but I still enjoy Ms. Brigg's writings and the series so much I still gave it 5 stars.

The price is a little steep like one reviewer mentioned but the book did just come out and it's still cheaper to buy it electronically if you can't go to the book store and buy it in person (you save money on shipping).

As always, Patricia Briggs does not disappoint! Simply excellent. I've yet to read a bad Mercy Thompson book. Loved her and Adam's closer relationship. Loved the place they found themselves in. Loved the new and old characters. Loved the story. And, yes, loved the book. Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed all the previous books in the series, but this one was a bit of a letdown. The story itself was interesting, and I enjoyed the insight into Mercy's heritage, and her relationship with Adam, but the lengthy explanations really bogged down the story. Yes, I know they were necessary, but even after that I was still a little confused and had to reread some parts. It didn't grab me like some of the previous books. I was pretty easily able to put the book down and go to bed! The Kindle version was pricey, but I'd rather be able to get it right when I want than to have to wait for a cheaper Kindle book.

I have to tell you that everytime Patricia Briggs comes out with another Mercy story I get excited. She never fails to pull me right back into this world of warewolves and mystical creatures. This book was different from the others. Mercy is married to Adam! Hot sexy alph male he is, her life has forever changed. She's not single anymore!! But the action and story line in this book are great. I can't wait for the next installment.

This is my favorite Urban Fantasy series. The event, in the beginning, was a great surprise. And, it was great to have a lot of Adam and Mercy time, in this book. And learning more about Mercy. I would have liked to know more about Samuel, Gabriel, Ben, but maybe in the next book. Just hate the wait.

I usually like all of Patricia Briggs books as the story is usually so wonderfully woven together. This story was just silly and the dialogue between Adam and Mercy was not believable and Mercy didn't seem like the same person she was prior to marrying Adam. I lost interest quickly and couldn't finish the book. I wish I wouldn't have wasted my money.

love the book it came on time in specified condition my only complaint is that anytime I pre-order books from this site I'm charged for and sent 2 books instead of 1 or at least I have for my last 2 pre-orders though I'm hoping it was just a glitch caused by my old computer. Either way love the book

So, I have loved all of the Mercy Thompson books so far. The series ranks in my top 3. But this one just wasn't as good as the first four I thought. I still love her writing style, and I love that we got to learn more about Mercy's background - Coyote is a great character, but so many of the other characters were left out or just showed up as cameos. I really thought that the book needed a second plot or a sub-plot. Maybe more about Stephen or Jesse and Gabriel...

I really like Adam and Mercy together, but there is so much more going on in Mercy's world I finished the book feeling a little short changed.

Especially at $12.99 for a Kindle edition!

What was there was good, but it just wasn't enough...

Um, well, it was definitely different from her other books. It was shorter, less cohesive, and I felt as if the author was distracted while writing this book. I get the feeling she rushed through this one just to meet her deadline. At first I didn't blink about spending $12.99, but now after reading the book, I would like at least half of it back! Even though I am not thrilled about this book, I will still continue to follow the series. I just love Mercy's humor, selflessness and courage.

I so love this series. It just keeps getting beter and beter. I now have all my guy friend reading it too. Love all the true Washington history in the books. I live here and I find new places I just have to visit every book.

I really, really love Patricia Briggs and all of her books especially the Mercy series. I believe good books take two things: well written characters and strong plots. Ms. Briggs has the characters - Mercy, Adam, Stefan and all the others who inhabit her Mercy world are interesting and delightful. Previously her plots have also been as strong. This one though has slipped in the plot department and I hate to say it. It felt like a short story strecthed (beyond its rightful length) to a full novel. The book is about 30% through before you get the first indication of the plot and there is never much to it. In addition, Mercy and Adam newly married seem to be not themselves. All in all, nice to see our charachters again and to learn something of Mercy's heritage but the plot couldn't hold it all up. A few days after I finished the book i could hardly recall it - I remember every detail of the previous 4 Mercy books. So, all in all a pleasant little visit but a plot not nearly good enough.

This book felt like it was ghostwritten by a teenager, as if the author decided to only write the first and last chapter (the only enjoyable parts of the book), gave the general plot to someone else and then decided to have a lie down.

I am genuinenly shocked that I was bored reading a Mercy Thompson book. To be frank I didn't think this book would be as good as the previous books in the series. I do acknowledge that it would be a challenge to continue to make a series interesting particularly when the love interest(s) are resolved but this book was badly written. I thought that the plot WAS interesting, there was no reason for this book to be boring but it was in fact very boring.

SPOILERS AHEAD

The language and turns of phrase used by each character were identical. Given the different cultural backgrounds of the characters this is lazy and made the characters unbelivable in some parts. One example was Coyote using the phrase "Point to you". Not everyone keeps score during a conversation - its not a tennis match.

The author spent an inordinate amount of time on inconsequential minutae (ie the baskets and the jeans) and not enough on character development.

Things that really irritated me were:
1) The fake stonehenge. If you are going to pursue an Indian storyline give it justice, why the fake celtic influence? It felt discordent to the rest of the ritual.
2) Changing goal posts, particularly in regards to power. Adam gets shot with a lead bullet - ONE bullet and he seems to struggle to recover but in previous novels he gets hit with a lot more damage and is able to bounce back instantly. Bran and Charles seem to get more and more powerful with every book and this time they weren't even in the book. Bran gets older and more powerful, I'm expecting in the next book he is 4000 years old and single handedly built the pyramids. Charles while admittedly has witch powers is still only a werewolf and that Coyote was scared of him was unbelievable.
3)The premise for the location in Colarado. The fact that Adam took Mercedes camping in a trailer on their honeymoon alone is ridiculous (he has an internationally successful business but a borrowed trailer is the best he can do?). To make it seem more believable its really a favour for Uncle Mike where at best its a security job and at worse Mercy could get hurt. That's supposed to be beliveable??
4) The monologue by Coyote about how progress isn't a bad thing to Mother Earth its just different. It was such a stupid naive unnecessary speech that I almost stopped reading there and then.

I hope this book isn't marking the beginning of the end of the Mercy Thompson series because if this book is an example of things to come, I'll stick to re-reading the previous books in the series.

First off, I love this series and the spin off series Alpha and Omega. However, I didn't enjoy this one as much as the others.

It was kind of pricey too. I get why the hardcovers are so pricey but $12.99 for the Kindle version just seems like a lot.

I love the Mercy Thompson series and have looked forward to each book, but I have to say this installment fell short. The title refers to an ancient evil monster that Mercy doesn't even learn about until more than halfway through the book. So, what happened in that first half? Not a whole lot, as it turns out.

The first half is almost a house-keeping exercise. We haven't seen Stefan since the devastating events of Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson). So, Mercy visits him only to learn that he, and consequently his menagerie, are wasting away in apathy; he needs a friend to shake him out of it. Then we have Adam and Mercy's long delayed wedding and honeymoon. Readers get cameos from just about everyone important to Mercy. It's not to say I didn't enjoy reading the first half (especially the wedding) - I love the characters and even their mundane activities kept me turning the pages. But, as far as plot goes, this book felt like a short story stretched unnecessarily into a novel. There was a lot of incredibly detailed, and I think unnecessary, description in the story. It felt like every character and setting introduced was described down to the smallest stitch of clothing.

The second half was an exciting read. Readers get more information on Mercy's heritage, the return of Coyote and his contemporaries (Hawk, Wolf, etc.), a great battle and more world-building. The book also had a lot of the humor that makes Mercy so much fun to read - she's not kicking a$$, she's winning through courage and cunning, with a lot of help from friends. Overall, fans will no doubt enjoy this but I'm not sure it's worth the price of a hardcover. Here's hoping the next book gives these wonderful characters, and readers, a more complex plot to chew on.

I was able to put this book down several times. In fact, I started to look at finishing it as a chore. I am glad that Ms. Briggs will only be writing one book a year, I can only assume this one suffered from being written too quickly. It was almost as if someone else wrote it, since all the characters we have grown to love are suddenly out of the picture.

I love all the Mercy Thompson books, but this one is my favorite since the first one. She's such a fun character and we finally get to unravel some of the secrets in her life in this one. Her powers, where they come from and why she has them are explained when she meets others of her kind for the first time.

Spoilers:
As a coyote surrounded by wolves, Mercy has learned to act submissive when necessary, but she isn't submissive so when forced to act that way she generally gets revenge. For years her relationship with dominant Alpha werewolf, Adam, was at a stand still because she didn't like the way he made her want to obey and follow. She was afraid he'd take away her independence and try to rule her.

I'm not sure why she thought Adam would get any further than the Marrok of all wolves did but I guess it's different when it's a man you love. The thought of being trapped into a relationship where she couldn't be herself was scary, but over time and with effort on both sides they have finally found a common ground to base a relationship on, and because they are already mated in the eyes of the pack there is no need to put things off any longer so they are ready to get married.

Mercy's mother however hints that she's going over the top with the huge wedding that no one wants. Finally Mercy decides that enough is enough and she plans to get married on the sly with Adam and be gone before her mother's ridiculous plans can happen but...

Plot twist! Her mom, and everyone around Mercy knows how gunshy she is about the marriage. There are so many people who love her that want to be part of her life that they put together a plot to give her a real wedding. Her mother's plans were really just a trick and Mercy finds herself the recipient of a surprise wedding. (Which had me laughing out loud)

Once the wedding is over her and Adam are off on their honeymoon. A couple of weeks ina luxury rv at a newly built campground that luxurious and not open to the public yet. But things aren't what they seem--the trip was arrange by the Fae and that never goes well. It turns out there is a big problem going on at the campground and the Fae are hoping Mercy and Adam can solve it for them.

But this is too big even for an alpha wolf and his mate. In order to save the world they're going to need the help of others like Mercy, and maybe a long lost relative out of her past.

This, IMO is the best of the series. There are some really fun conflicts involved and I love the native american lore we see. The topic of her being called a Walker, when Walkers in NA myth were evil is also discussed which is really great. I especially loved hearing the Coyote stories, not told in full but hinted at and pieces were explored.

A lot of times as a series goes on the books start to falter and become rote, but this one leaps right off the page with all new bad guys, a new setting, and new problems!

I want to start this review by clearly stating that I am of Western European (English, Irish, Scottish and German) descent and have no claimable Native American ancestry. That being said, I felt that Patricia Briggs (a non-Native author) treated the Native subjects in this book with respect and authenticity. She did not paint them as caricatures or perfectly-wise guardian types, but as real people with foibles and assumptions of their own. Mercy is an excellent bridge between the two cultures--she has mentioned an Indian vision quest, as well as her attempts to fit in with her mother's whitebread family. This is one of the reasons she loves Adam so much, he accepts all of her without picking and choosing the best fit.

So we begin the book with Mercy sweating over the burgeoning wedding plans of her mom and Jesse. To be honest, I do not remember a proposal AT ALL. I remember the mating (obviously) and Adam asking her to move in with him...but nothing official. If anyone knows any different, PLEASE correct me in a comment. If the Mercy books ever make it on the big or small screen, I just really want this wedding to make the cut. I loved the build-up, all the characters that make appearances and Mercy being delightfully overwhelmed.

The first time I read this book I was really underwhelmed by Adam's honeymoon planning, even knowing their background. But more recently I have friends from Denver that went camping in Montana for their honeymoon. So there, past me. I just ate up all the honeymoon scenes (no, not dirty ones, that's for other books) showing Adam and Mercy simply enjoying each other's company. As Mercy notes, they are so rarely alone, positively or negatively.

Now we get to dig into Mercy's past. I grew up with both parents, though divorced, so I cannot empathize with the loss of a parent. But I definitely felt deeply for Mercy's conflict upon learning her father's true nature, and more of her own. Turning into a coyote has new meaning, that's all I'll say.

Once again, Briggs does a masterful job of weaving together all the different supernatural groups' stories along with our lead character's life. Along with the adventure/mystery, we get to learn more about history and art. What a great deal! Also, Mercy remains a grounded and human character (whatever her true heritage) and you won't always like her, but you get her, especially at the end of the book.

Disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

Mercy has come a long way since the beginning from a regular mechanic to a revered member of the supernatural community. If anything happens, you can count on Mercy to save the day. In the opening of River Marked, Mercy and Adam finally get hitched and like all newly wed couples are about to jet off on their honeymoon. Except the honeymoon doesn’t go as planned with Mercy getting pulled in to investigate a murder and find herself attacked and marked by a river demon hellbent on killing her.

I very much enjoyed River Marked and loved that Briggs explored and incorporated Native American lore into the storyline. I haven’t encounter many novels with Native American Lore/Mythology, so it was a nice and welcomed change. With that said, I however, didn’t think the river demon was all that scary…Mercy has faced scarier, life threatening opponents before in my opinion. In addition to learning more about shapeshifters, we finally learn more about Mercy’s background and who her parents are…Especially her father.

All in all River Marked was a solid read, but not the best in the series. But I am still excited to see how the dynamics will change, now that Mercy is officially part of the pack now. If you haven’t picked up this series yet, I highly recommend it. The Mercy Thompson series is one of Urban Fantasy’s staple series.

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Mercy gets married and goes on her honeymoon in this installment which is a bit slower to set up than usual as people manipulate her into doing their dirty work.

Opening Sentence: Under the glare of streetlights, I could see that the grass of Stefan’s front lawn was dried to yellow by the high summer heat.

Excerpt: Yes

The Review:

River Marked is the sixth novel in the Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series by Patricia Briggs. In this novel, you think Mercy is able to finally settle down and get married to the werewolf love of her life but life just can’t be that easy for Mercy, especially when the fae decide to manipulate her honeymoon with Adam. I really love this series and I love how unexpected and different the challenges that Mercy must go up against because nothing ever plays out like I would expect it too.

Roughly six months have passed since the events of Silver Borne, Mercy is busy planning her wedding with Adam and cleaning up from her trailer having been burned down. She hasn’t had much time for her other friends in life when she decides it is about time that she check in on Stefan. He isn’t doing well but Mercy’s swift kick in the butt helps. Mercy is about to have a panic attack about her wedding when she decides to do a spur of the moment wedding because she can’t take the planning or her mother any longer.

The theme of this novel could possibly be ‘subtle manipulations’ because Mercy didn’t see that her wedding would turn out like it did even though everyone else did and then the honeymoon… outside forces putting Mercy in the right place at the wrong time. Or it could be right time? The situation just continues to get worse with time. Mercy and Adam go camping for their honeymoon and what they don’t realize at the time is that people are disappearing at an alarming rate. A dark evil is controlling and eating whole families. Mercy is marked by this creature, will she also become a slave? One thing we do know about Mercy is that magic has a weird effect on her.

This novel focuses a lot more on Mercy’s background and her Indian heritage. She learns the surprising truth of her father. What I really love most about this novel was meeting the other supernatural types and knowing that Mercy isn’t really so alone. And when someone whose name starts with C shows up, I couldn’t help but laughing at the humor even though the situation was quite deadly.

River Marked is possibly the most ominous book in the series so far. Mercy is up against something that has a very high kill rate. The sacrifices that will have to be made could come at a high cost. This novel is a bit slower than others especially in the beginning with Mercy’s wedding and then setting up the mysterious bad guy that she goes up against in the end.

I will continue to sing the praises of this series, it has it all: Laughter, Heartache, Tears, Companionship and more. The world continues to grow along with the story, hence the only knowing of fae when the series began and now the world knows that werewolves are also a reality. Mercy continues to fight for those she feel are hers even though those people may not think so but she just can’t sit back and continue to watch as more people die. These stories are more on the dark side without being graphic.

Notable Scene:

“What can you tell me about the thing in the river?” I asked finally.

He made a rude sound. “I can tell you she’s not a poor misunderstood creature. Gordon is right. She’s Hunger, and she won’t be satisfied until she consumes the world.”

She. That answered several things. There was only one. That seemed more manageable than a swarm of monsters that could bite a woman in half and make a man shoot Adam.

“How big is it?” I asked.

He looked at me and poked his tongue into his cheek. “You know? That’s a good question. I think we ought to find out.”

And he knocked me into the river.

FTC Advisory: Ace/Penguin provided me with a copy of River Marked. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

I listened to the audio version of this book. I think this is the first one of the series I have "read".

In the beginning Mercy and Adam have a surprise wedding, a surprise because they had decided to elope to keep the wedding from turning into a circus act. Next comes the honeymoon. Adam has borrowed a trailer and taken them to a deserted campground. Deserted because it is not open yet, but Mercy has never "camped" in such opulence before. She is not surprised when she learns one of the Fae owns the campground. That explains the beautiful grass in the desert environment of that portion of Oregon. The bathhouse is really nice too.

I am not going to spoil the story for you, but Mercy will learn more about her heritage and some of it will surprise her. There is a monster preying on people on the Columbia River and magic is involved. Both Mercy and Adam will be tested and new friends will be made. Mercy will also help out an old friend and oid friends will help her. I plan to look for more books in this series.

Six books into the series and the Mercy Thompson Series is still holding strong as one of my favorite PNR/UF romance series of all time. All that said, this wasn't my favorite book in the series. To me, this book almost read as a stand-alone with a somewhat different focus than the prior books in the series. In that regard, the main driver of the plot in this book was discovering Mercy's previously alluded to, but yet to be explained real background. And while the shape shifter and American Indian lore was fascinating, it gave this book a slightly different feel than the others in the series which focus more on the werewolf packs, vampire and fae. Additionally, the setting of the story--Mercy's and Adam's honeymoon--removes them a bit from the usual cast of characters which also sets a different tone.

Lorelei King as always renders fantastic narration. Staying true to all of the multitude of voices that she has already created and performed in prior books, while also adding in a whole series of new ones. Ms. King's ability to convey the emotion and action of the scene is also highly instrumental in the enjoyment of this sixth installment in the Mercy Thompson Series.

Source: Library-loan.

As much as I've loved reading every book so far in this series, it is about time that we got something like this one.

The old Mercy and Adam are back at it again but with sweeter, more tender moments between them that will make you melt. And while most of the pack wasn't present in this, it was okay because for once, this book is all about Mercy. Her heritage, her (finally) feeling like she belongs somewhere, and of course, her relationship with Adam and I couldn't of asked for more.

We got so much that has been missing from the other books without even realizing it had been missing. We finally get the in depth took into what makes Mercy, Mercy and I couldn't of been happier about it. With an introduction to some new characters and lots of new surprises, this was a non-stop read from the exciting plot to the romantic moments.

A wonderful addition to the series that just might very well have been my favorite to date.

Patricia Briggs reconfirmed all the reasons I already love her by the way the story begins in River Marked. There's something going on in the Columbia River, and Mercy and Adam just happen to find themselves on the scene … I love it. Mercy is manipulated into something she would have probably done anyway, but in such a way that she can't really take offense, and that at least the beginning of her honeymoon is untainted.

I love the slow unraveling of a knot that had been in the background of every book: the subject of Mercy's father.

I've read some good books this year. I've read a few great books this year. But the fact of it is that I've read a whole lot of schlock this year, too; I let myself get to the point where for the first time in my life since school I was letting someone else determine the bulk of my reading. I wasn't suffering – like I said, there was some good stuff I'm grateful to Netgalley for, because I might not have read it without. But I hit a point a little while ago where a lot of the joy had been sucked out of reading. It was just sad.

There's one sure fire cure for that sort of thing.

Comfort books.
Old favorites.
Old friends.

Almost by instinct – maybe because River Marked kept cropping up on my Kindle like a digital version of a fae walking stick – I turned to Patricia Briggs and Mercy Thompson. The first three books in the series were rereads, and devoured quickly, but the other three were shiny new-to-me Briggs. There is nothing better than a reading something new by a favorite writer and not being let down.

And I just finished Number 6, River Marked. I feel like I've taken a wonderful vacation. I took a break from the grind at the office and all that had become usual, and went somewhere vivid and stimulating and fun, with friends. Closing the (currently) last book of the series with tears in my eyes, I didn't feel sorry that it was over – I am, but there will be a new Mercy Thompson next year, Mayans willing, and it was a perfect place to stop for a while – I felt recharged and refreshed and ready for any book Netgalley can throw at me.

River Marked. It's a pretty simple story, really; on (spoiler alert!) their honeymoon (I'll say no more), Mercy and Adam come across a terrible Native American fae – the river devil – that has taken to killing people in and on the Columbia River, and they must find a way to stop it. Along the way they are helped by a wonderful assortment of Native American powers, an old shaman, a young shaman-in-training, and a few other types I'm not going to spoil, and are opposed by not only the river devil (quite enough to be going on with, thanks) but also the need to keep Adam largely out of the fight (werewolves don't float) and a six-pack of otterkin (sea otters are lovely; river otters, to my vast disillusionment, are even cuter but mean as sin. Otterkin are meaner than river otters). A knot in the shape of Mercy's father that has been taut all through the series finally gets loosened a little; Mercy's human family finally gets a cameo; Yo-yo girl gets a name and, if possible, a little scarier.

I became completely invested in this story, fiercely partisan for my team, and devoured the action scenes and laughed out loud several times and, yes, teared up at the end.

For Patricia Briggs has the enviable (to die for) ability to take something that could easily be old hat – dragons in Hurog, or vampires and werewolves (and give her credit, she did vamps and weres before most), even a happy ending (it's a first-person book, so there's no real doubt Mercy's going to make it in the end. Although I did just have an idea about that …) – and give it all a joyous new life. Without making anything sparkle. The happy ending here is not a hero-and-heroine-smooch-while-a-heart-shaped-cutout-closes-around-them. Oh, no. It's deeper and richer and bigger and quieter than that.

And this book contains a letter which I may just - <i>may</i> - rank up there very near the two letters that reduce me to a blithering mess every time: that of Sullivan Ballou (<I>Civil War</i> edit) and Frederick Wentworth. I will say no more than that – but it was as rain to my shriveled little desiccated heart.

Thank you, Ms. Briggs.

4.5 Stars.... Mercy and Adam finally tie the knot only to be thrust into an ancient battle while on their honeymoon... Nothing is ever easy for this dynamic duo, and their newlywed life is no exception... While lazing around on their honeymoon, Mercy and Adam are confronted with ancient spirits, familial ghosts, sea monsters, and pesky fae otters... Throughout this latest adventure, Mercy’s past is revealed answering some questions while also generating new ones that challenge Mercy in fully understanding the depth of her identity... Whoever said married life is boring never immersed themselves in this read; Patricia Briggs combines Native American history and folklore to create a mysterious and action packed journey... truly a memorable read from start to finish:)

Sixth in the Mercy Thompson urban fantasy and revolving around a VW mechanic who turns into a coyote and her survival amongst a werewolf pack. If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Mercy Thompson and Alpha & Omega books on my website.

Werewolves have been out for the past year-and-a-half. You can buy silver bullets at K-Mart these days. The fae came out in the 1980s. What in the Sam Hill the world will do when, if, the vampires come out, I don't know.

My Take
On this re-read of River Marked, I remain disappointed with this installment, although I did enjoy the insight provided on Indian lore...I do like Coyote, as confusing as he was about the identity of Mercy's father!

I do appreciate Briggs pointing out that many of the Indian supernatural stories can't be relied upon. Between a love for tall tales and government interference, too much was lost.

Briggs includes bits and pieces of fae history and slips in pack concerns. It just lacked that tension It's not the tension that's missing, it's that interaction with the pack and Mercy's friends in the Tri-Cities that I miss. Unfair, I know. I like to think that I'm open to change, but I guess when it comes to my expectations in a series, I'm not so open. So do keep that in mind in reading my review *grin*.
"Change is not bad. Change is just change."

"Things change whether you want them to, or not — unless you are dead. … Don't hold so hard to the past that you die with it."

In spite of my whining, River Marked is a well-written story, as are all of Briggs' books. Yep, she's a buy in my book, and I'm collecting them as my budget allows.
"Only an evil man needs to fear a good man."
I adore Mercy. She'll argue until her face is blue, and she'll admit when she's wrong. That takes a strong person. I also like that Briggs has given her flaws, weaknesses, a need to belong. (This honeymoon is an opportunity for Mercy to open up to Adam. It's that sense of security he gives her.)

Then there's Adam. Talk about an Alpha male! Briggs portrays him well as he lives up to all our conceptions of a strong Alpha werewolf who fiercely protects — with his own life if necessary — but she also has created a man who appreciates a strong, independent woman. As difficult as it is for Adam, he will step back when Mercy puts herself in danger. He does hover to make sure she'll be okay, but he knows he has to give Mercy that freedom. He does have his flaws as well, lol.
"Nothing says you're sorry like a dead bunny."
A great example of an anti-trope. Well, I couldn't think of what to call it. I've whined in the past about tropes I hate, including the one in which the protagonist (usually female) can't, won't, eat or sleep so as to be ready for the upcoming challenge. How dumb is that? In this one, yay!, Mercedes eats because "it wouldn't do to fail because I hadn't eaten". See, it is possible to have a not-hungry heroine…and still get the point across that she's nervous.

Briggs balances fun, drama with its attendant tension, and character interaction creating a real world with characters who hate, like, or love…fear and adore. They just happen to be supernatural. I loved it when Mercy threatened Coyote with telling her mom on him. Coyote's sisters also have a bit of fun with finding Mercy an Indian name.

Wait until you read about the wedding. It is a crack-up and a very sensitive response that will leave you laughing.

The Story
It's the big one — Adam and Mercy get married — but nothing like Mercy had been dreading! The honeymoon is nothing like she had been expecting either, as she and Adam are maneuvered into supernatural battle.

The Characters
Mercy Thompson is a VW mechanic with her own garage. She's also a walker thanks to her Native American blood — Blackfeet tribe — and shifts into a coyote whenever she wants. Marji is her mother and wants doves for Mercy's wedding. Nan (Todd is her husband) and Ruthie are Mercy's half-sisters; Curt is her stepfather. Joe Old Coyote was a bull rider, a walker, and Mercy's father.

Adam Hauptman, a former Army ranger, is Mercy's mate, the Alpha of the Columbia Basin Pack, and the CEO of a security firm that used to deal mainly with government contractors. Not any more. Jesse is his human daughter. Christy is his ex-wife.

His pack includes Darryl, his second, who is mated to Auriele; Warren, his third and Mercy's best friend, who is mated to Kyle, a human lawyer; Peter, a plumber, is the pack's lone submissive and mated to Honey; and, Ben is a foul-mouthed computer programmer.

Samuel Cornick used to be Mercy's roommate until Silver Borne , 5, and a former boyfriend. The Marrok's oldest son, he's with Ari now (Shifting Shadows: "Silver", 0.0001). Bran Cornick is the Marrok, the head of all North American werewolves, and Samuel and Charles' father. Anna is Charles' mate. Bryan and Evelyn had been her foster parents. Jem Goodnight should have known better than to challenge Mercy.

The Native American avatars include…
…Coyote, the trickster god; Raven; Wolf; Otter; Hawk; Bear; Beaver; Salmon; Thunderbird (I think he's Gordon Seeker!); Snake; Bobcat; and, four women in white doeskin dresses who are Coyote's sisters.

Columbia River people
Ben and his sister, Faith, Jamison were out fishing on the river. Julie is Benny's wife. Hank and Fred Owens (both brothers are retired Marines) are walkers who shift into red-tailed hawks. They are all of the Yakama Nation. Jim Alvin is a medicine man (and a retired psychology professor), and Calvin Seeker is his apprentice and nephew. Both are half Yakama, half Wish-ram. Gordon Seeker is Calvin's grandfather, a shaman, and shifts into a thunderbird. Gordon explains to Mercy that avatar is more accurate to describe her than walker.

Janice and Lee Morrison and their two sons and MacKenzie Hepner and her brother are among the twenty-six people who have died.

The fae include…
…Zee Adelbertsmiter is a fae, a gremlin, and he sold the garage to Mercy when the Gray Lords forced him to come out to the public. He still comes in and helps out when Mercy needs a hand. Uncle Mike runs a bar for supernaturals in town. Yo-yo Girl (I think she's a Gray Lord) scares the pants off Mercy. Edythe is the fae who owns the campground.

The otters, otterkin, are fae brought over from Europe in hopes of saving them. River Devil is Hunger and lives half in our world and half in the supernatural.

Gabriel, a human, is Mercy's right hand at the garage. And living in Mercy's insurance-replaced trailer, I mean, manufactured home. Tony Montenegro works undercover at the Kennewick PD.

Stefan "Soldier" Ucello is a lone vampire (since Bone Crossed , 4) and a friend of Mercy's. This boy has got a sense of humor: he drives a Scooby van. Stefan's sheep have been reduced to Rachel, Ford, and Naomi.

Marsilia is the Mistress of the Tri-Cities' seethe. She screwed up big time in Bone Crossed . Seems that Max Schreck really was a vampire, eek. Absolutely EVERY vampire feared him. The Master of Milan, Lord of the Night, was Marsilia's lover who banished her from Italy.

Pastor Arnez married Adam and Mercy. Robert is a young boy with Down's syndrome who twists his ankle.

The Cover and Title
The cover is fabulous with its creamy petroglyphs on a brown rock wall. It's a jean-clad Mercy tattooed and bared against it in her fringed leather vest over her black bandeau.

The title is certainly appropriate to the story, as the victims are River Marked.

One of the reasons I have come to love urban fantasy is the strong, female protagonists. Patricia Briggs writes one of the best heroines in the urban fantasy genre today in Mercy Thompson. Mercy is not only strong and tough but she's smart, loyal and genuinely good, making her a heroine that is so easy to love. In as much as I love her character and don't want her to change, I do want her to be happy with her growly, sexy Alpha werewolf Adam. That's why I was very excited to find that in River Marked we get to see a more romantic side of Mercy as she and Adam take their relationship to a whole new level.

River Marked had different feel to it than the previous Mercy Thompson books. While I've loved the whole series I have been frustrated at times in the past with amount of time Adam and Mercy have spent apart, but in River Marked we get plenty of Mercy and Adam quality time. In fact they are together the entire book. With Adam being so Alpha I half expected him to steal the show and over power the awesomeness that is Mercy but it didn't happen. While River Marked is a bit different from the previous books in that there is more romance, there is still gritty violence and some intense action and Mercy is still the star of the show.

At five books into the series I've become completely comfortable in the intricate world of Mercy Thompson. I love the cast of series characters and so I was disappointed by their absence. River Marked takes Mercy and Adam completely away from the pack and their group of friends and allies right into the heart of trouble. There are a few brief appearances of some familiar characters (Stefan, YES he's back people!) but for the most part it's only Adam and Mercy with the introduction of several new characters, with one or two having potential staying power for future installments in the series.

Mercy's father has always been somewhat of a mystery and her true heritage kind of hazy. Although we don't get any clear cut answers this time, we do get some insight to Mercy's heritage a whole new twist on her father. I look forward to more on that in the future.

While River Marked had a slightly different tone than its predecessors, I welcomed the change of pace and focus on the relationships and romance. Mercy has grown and matured but she has still maintained that edge that made me love her when I first became acquainted with her in Moon Called. This series continues to be a favorite and I eagerly look forward to the next book in the series.

In River Marked we finally get the wedding we've all been waiting for Mercy and Adam! The wedding was written and handled extremely well and you'll love it! Stefan our favorite vampire is also back to make a couple appearances. He's still recovering from the events of Bone Crossed and Mercy is able to help remind him that he's still with us and has people who depend on him. We get to see a little of Bran and the pack, and some funny scenes from Jesse. However the majority of this book is only with Mercy and Adam, which I don't think we'll complain about.

Unlike each of the other books this book doesn't have a true 'Mystery' that Mercy has to figure out. No intelligent bad guy scheming in the background that leaves us wondering what his end game is. Instead this is a monster story plane and simple. Of course its a monster story with plenty of background info on Mercy and lots of Native American information. This book is also about character building. So.. maybe its not so 'plane and simple'. ;-P

Yes, we get to meet Mercy's fathers ghost and even get more information on her being a Walker. The information is excellent and well written as always.

Overall this is an excellent addition to the series. Lots of great romantic parts between Mercy and Adam, a completely evil bad guy, lots of Native American lore, and even a couple new walkers! Completely recommend to anyone who's read the other books.

Most excellent! Going into River Marked I was very nervous. Especially when the wedding gets sped up and things happen lightening fast. A lot of fans won't agree with me, but at this point Mercy and Adam haven't gotten a lot of page time together. Most importantly when the stuff is going down Adam is always somewhere else, out of order, or something so that Mercy can save the day by herself.

Thankfully River Mark is the book where Mercy and Adam really get to interact. A lot of people have told me that they've known each other for 10 years and they don't need to have so much development time. But all of that happened before this series started and I didn't get to see it! That's off page development. When Mercy and Adam where together in previous books I enjoyed them together. There was heat, I saw them as a couple. But once they were mated and stuff I didn't think they had enough time to develop. The books are kind of small and there's a huge cast of characters that all get explored.

I loved seeing them exploring how to be together, how to fight and deal with when they should fight. Stuff like that. It made them feel like a real couple and for me the last book really took some shortcuts in developing characters. So it was bliss to see Mercy and Adam so fleshed out. I adore them together and look forward to them working together. (Maybe Adam won't be passed out next time and they really get to work together. Though if he gets “left behind” or stopped from helping Mercy again I'm going to be exasperated.)

Since Mercy and Adam leave the Tri-Cities that means there's not a lot of time for favorite side characters. But they are covered, so I don't think fans should gripe too much. River Marked helps to finally give some answers to Mercy's father and some other questions. Though I still ended up with a lot of questions about Mercy, a walkers powers, and so on. The Native American mythology is lovely and I love how well researched some of the places are. It was perfect. Not to mention how much I have longed to read Coyote in the Mercy verse. I knew he had to pop up! And yes. It was a glorious thing.

Not to mention how much I loved the monster. There is always something decidedly creepy-wrong about water monsters. River Devil is one of the scariest monsters I've read, definitely the scariest water monster, and I'm going to be hard pressed to read a scarier one!

In the end River Marked restored my faith in the series. Bringing back the character development that I NEED from this series. I am very curious which new characters may be coming back later. While the oldies didn't get much page time, the newbies are tons of fun and I loved them. Briggs is a champ at creating wonderful characters and I can't get enough of the ones she brings into the Mercy books. I'm really happy that this book helps to flesh out Mercy's heritage, even if it still leaves a ton of questions floating around. I loved the different feel of River Marked. Where there was only one bad guy and the book wasn't crammed with a ton of crazy mysteries and problems that Mercy has to solve. It was great getting a slower pace, though it's still a crazy rush of a read, and finally get the time to develop Mercy and Adam together. Even better together outside of the pack. I look forward to enjoying them as a married couple and can't wait to see what happens next! Trouble always finds Mercy.

Sexual Content: There are sex scenes but there the more classic fade to black, with a few “dirty” mentions. Wink Sexual humor and such.

5/5- Fabulous, a beautiful obsession!

Originally posted at Book Whispers.

River Marked is book six in the Mercy Thompson series. This series revolves around Mercy Thompson, a walker that can shift into a coyote. The focus of each book seems to shift between the fae, shifters and the vampires depending on the book. This time around we're focused mainly on the shifters with a bit of fae and vampires mixed in.

The bulk of this installment is Mercy and Adam getting married and going on their honeymoon. The fae kindly donated a RV camper and a camping ground for the honeymoon which was suspicious since they don't do anything for free. We find out quickly that there is more than meets the eye at the camp grounds though and people wind up getting hurt or killed near the water. While I was happy to see Mercy and Adam finally getting married, this one just fell a bit short for me. Though this does have an epic battle as per usual, I do like to see the pack dynamic and all the fae and vampire high jinks that Mercy manages to get into. I plan on reading the next installment to see how the series progresses, I just hope I enjoy that one more!

Patricia Briggs already proved her immense competence as a storyteller, but in this “River Marked” she ascends to new heights. This is one of the best supernatural romance books I’ve read so far.

It’s almost impossible to review this book without spoilers, but I will try. Mercy will have a life changing event and an adventure which seems like a modern translation of ancient Native American myths in a magical background of the river Columbia and its surroundings. She will delve into her past, discovering facts about her ancestors and her father. Many questions will be answered and many more will arise.

With the help of ancient spirits she will have to battle an ancient river being which even gods are almost powerless against it. But Mercy is resourceful, and with Adam by her side she is a power to be reckoned.

This book followed suit with the others as one of the best written books I've read in awhile! I loved the wedding descriptions and liked learning some of the Indian myths. The most exciting part to me though was her dad showing up after all these years. River Marked was filled with the usual: werewolves, fae and also some new supernatural things. Don't think that this series is going downhill... to me it just keeps getting better. If you love a good paranormal romance you should definitely give this one a shot! Not only is it a fast paced book but it also has alot of Native American mythology in it. This book covers mostly myths about walker. The series has it all... Mercy is a Native American skinwalker who is married to an Alpha werewolf, Adam, and best friend's with Stephan (a vampire). Don't forget all the other supernatural entities included in these books. The Mercedes Thompson series is the best series I've ever picked up by accident!!!

To read more reviews like this one, check out Obsessive Book Nerd!

I really liked River Marked. While I'm really enjoying the series as a whole, I'm definitely enjoying some of the books more than others. River Marked was great because it felt almost like a fresh start to the series. Considering it's the sixth in the series, that would make since.

So Adam and Mercy get hitched. This was great, but it really gives us small step back from action packed, preternatural creature crazyness. While I love this about the books, I always love the romance aspect and what is more romantic than a wedding? Even an improtu wedding?

But no worries, the action isn't missing for long. While on their honeymoon, Adam and Mercy have their share of action...double meaning. ;) But what I loved the most about this book is that they get into trouble together. Gone is the story where Mercy finds her self in a bind and needs saving or is on her own to save others. They are in it together.

I really look forward to the rest of the series now that Adam and Mercy are a team. I think they've been a team for a while, but River Marked really made that feel real. Second favorite book in the series for me.

River Marked (2011) is the sixth urban Fantasy novel in the Mercy Thompson series, following Silver Borne. The initial volume in this sequence is Moon Called.

In the previous volume, Mercy was working on the engine of Sylvia's car. Gabriel had been working on it until it stops running. Now he was afraid that he had done something wrong.

Mercy decided that the engine need the attention of Zee. She lent Gabriel the VW Beetle that she was rebuilding. It ran, but the steering wheel came off if the driver was not careful.

Gabriel was reluctant to take her project car, but his mother needed a ride in the next few minutes. Gabriel got Mercy to allow his sisters to clean the garage before he went to pick up his mother.

As Mercy was closing the garage, Tad called with a question. Last night he had an odd phone call from Phineas. He wondered if Phin had left something with her. Mercy sensed that Tad was a little worried about Phineas.

In this novel, Mercedes Athena Thompson is an automotive mechanic and a walker. She can change to a coyote. Mercy owns a garage in Kennewick and a single-wide trailer in the Finley neighborhood next door to Adam.

Adam Hauptman is the Alpha of the local Werewolf pack. He is divorced and has one human daughter, Jesse. He lives next door to Mercy. He is now her mate and a member of the pack.

Margaret Thompson is Mercy's mother. Mercy inherited her walker genes from her deceased father, but her perseverance comes from her mother. Margi is now married to a dentist, who is a very understanding person.

Michael McNellis is a fae. He owns Uncle Mike's tavern, a fae hangout.

Siebolt Adelbertsmiter is a Metallzauber fae. Zee likes to call himself a gremlin.

Darryl is second in command of the local Werewolf pack. He really hates vampires.

Warren is third in command of the local Werewolf pack. He is gay and in love with Kyle, a local divorce attorney.

BBran Cornick is the Marrok -- King -- of the North American werewolf packs. He has two sons, Samuel and Charles. He is at least several centuries old.

Marsilia is a vampire and the head of the local seethe. She was exiled to the New World a couple of centuries ago and wants to return to Milan.

Stefan is a vampire, but is not traditional. He drives a VW Vanagon painted like the Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine. His menagerie has a low death rate and is loyal to him. He eases them into new vampires on a regular basis.

Naomi, Rachel and Ford are member of Stefan's menagerie. They are partially turned vampires.

In this story, fishermen are disappearing from the Columbia River between John Day and The Dalles dams. So are the fish.

Mercy pays a visit to Stefan's mansion. She finds only four members of the menagerie and they are looking bad. Rachel is looking a little better than the others.

Rachel says that Marsilia had broken Naomi. Stefan had left Marsilia, but then Naomi had died. That had broken driven Stefan into depression.

Stefan himself is emaciated. He has been brooding since Naomi died. He doesn't want to recruit any others into the menagerie, but they will all die if he doesn't.

Mercy gives Stefan a firm talk on his responsibilities. Stefan is the only vampire she knows that will listen to such a speech. Mercy donates some blood to Stefan and he shares with the menagerie.

Mercy was on her way to Bad Movie Night at Kyle's house. When she doesn't get there on time, Darryl calls her cellphone to ask what is keeping her. Mercy manages to suppress his -- and Adam's -- overprotective instincts.

Mercy takes Stefan with her to the Bad Movie Night. They talk about Margi's plans for the weddings. Stefan cracks up on the notion of releasing thousands of butterflies

Warren picks Shadows of the Vampire. As they watch the film, they talk about Max Schreck. Warren says that he was a very scary vampire in real life.

After the movie, Warren decides that they have time for another. While Kyle and Mercy are looking for the next film, Warren takes Stefan to the kitchen. Mercy and Kyle both know that Warren is feeding Stefan.

Later, Mercy and Jesse pick up Adam at the airport. Adam asks what she is doing to stir up Darryl. Mercy tells him about Stefan. She also convinces Adam to call Stefan and encourage him to add a few more to his menagerie.

Then she tells Adam about her mother's plans for their wedding. She convinces him to get married right away. The minister has a few other ceremonies, so they get married two days later.

When she reaches the church, everybody that had invited to the big wedding was already there. It had been a setup. People were betting on how long it would take her to break.

So Mercy weds Adam and they go on their honeymoon. Adam's truck is hauling a huge trailer lent to them by Uncle Mike. They are camping out in a private park near the Columbia River between John Day and The Dalles dams.

This tale puts the honeymoon couple into the middle of an undeclared conflict between the fae and humans. They find a terrified fisherman in his boat under some trees. His sister has been taken by a monster.

Uncle Mike wants them to find some otterkin fae who had been in the area, but are now gone. These otterkin have been observing Adam and Mercy from the river. Then Mercy finds kinfolk in the area.

Mercy and Adam have an interrupted honeymoon. The next installment in this sequence is Frost Burned.

Highly recommended for Briggs fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of occult creatures, paranormal politics, and a bit of romance. Read and enjoy!

-Arthur W. Jordin

You could start with this book (and catch up with all characters when they get back into the story).

Yes, it starts out with a lot of station-keeping, but fully engaging without starting in immediately with violence and mystery. I respect a writer who can pull that off. This is also book six and we see many elements continuing to be developed from the very first book. There's some rarely crafted writing here. There's some serious development of Mercy's back story and a well-crafted expansion of mythology that rings true to me. Climax? No spoilers, but you can hear her friends going "Tell me you didn't do that!". Mercy seems to always be breaking the rules in her world and she seems to delight in breaking them--in this book we begin to finally understand what makes Mercy tick. And why she is center of it all.

Patricia Briggs also has Mercy repeat that she only has the one tattoo and will never get another--covers could be more accurate!

As much as I enjoy the MERCY THOMPSON series, the last few books have been rather dark, although I understand that Briggs is staying true to her character, as a reader I've been wanting the old Mercy back. In the opening chapters Thompson cracks a joke about that-horrible-thing-that-happened-to-her which I took as a good sign, this is also the quasi-essential "vacation" installment--another clear indication that the heroine is finally ready to move. It's worth mentioning that this is the first time I've listened to one of these novels in audio, and Lorelei King's narration was also a big factor in lightening up the story line. RIVER MARKED is all around entertaining with great Mercy/Adam moments, a formidable big bad to defeat, and Coyote the trickster god wreaking havoc on all fronts.

Vacations never go as planned in Urban Fantasy, if anything, they usually blow-up spectacularly which is exactly what happens in this book, only instead of explosions its otter kin and a river devil, but we'll get to that. Luckily there's a bit of calm before the storm. Mercy and Adam finally seem to have accepted their bond; I liked how lovey-dovey they were to each other in this installment, and I absolutely adored how Briggs gives them a mini-HEA before the Columbia River tries to eat them. There's also a goodbye letter from Mercy to Adam in case their plan fails and she dies which Briggs cruelly reveals at the very end, and it will make you bawl your freaking eyes out. It's beautiful and sad, and I want to listen to it again.

RIVER MARKED is the first novel that actually revolves solely around Mercy's heritage which I loved. We learn more about her Native American roots including info about her deceased father, what she really is, and how Coyote fits into the mix. There's also some interesting mythology surrounding the river devil; my favourite was the real reason a beaver's tail is flat. According to the lore, after eating a bunch of people the monster was defeated from the inside, and when the beaver escaped through the creature's butthole his tail got smushed. Seeing how this rodent is practically Canada's mascot, I couldn't help but giggle at this.

I rarely switch back-and-forth between reading and listening to a series because typically I prefer to pick a format and stick with it. So I really didn't know what to expect from this audio when I jumped-in at book 6, but when I found out that Lorelei King was the narrator, I knew that it just had to be good. Listening to Mercy is very different than reading her, however I enjoyed the bubbly tone that King brings to Thompson's POV. Her delivery helped draw attention this installment's lighter tone, and gave me a whole new appreciation of how sarcastic one of my favourite heroines truly is. Although, in my opinion, her narration may have been a little too happy-go-lucky for this protagonist; I'm going to listen to FROST BURNED as well before I pass judgment.

RIVER MARKED is the ray of sunshine that this series needed with borderline epic action scenes, and enough mushy moments to make readers fall even further in love with the Mercy / Adam duo.

While honeymooning in a riverside campsite, shapeshifter Mercy Thompson saves a man from being devoured by an enormous tentacled creature lurking in the Columbia River's dark waters. This voracious supernatural beast must be stopped, and, with the help of several Yakama Indian men she befriends, Mercy does what must be done. More importantly, while she and new husband Adam search for clues about the nature and vulnerabilities of the scourge of the Columbia, Mercy discovers surprising truths about her father Old Joe Coyote, the Native American rodeo champion who gave Mercy her magic abilities.

The book's central plot involves a routine but action-packed struggle to neutralize the monster du jour, the "Floating Spaghetti Monster" (which Briggs calls a "river devil"). However, just as the real focus of the previous book "Silver Borne" was Mercy's deepening relationship with werewolf Adam and integration into his pack, in "River Marked" the spotlight is on Mercy's parentage, powers, and Native American heritage. What Briggs has to say on these topics may not awe readers with its extraordinary imaginative scope or cultural depth, but at least she says something.

Despite the thinness of the plot, one of the book's better features is a renewed emphasis on fantasy action over romance. Briggs dispenses with Mercy's wedding in just ten pages, and she allows Mercy few opportunities to lose herself in admiration of Adam's rippling muscles. Although it will displease many readers, this is a relief to me. Another highlight of "River Marked" is a fairly straightforward narrative, a blessing after the scattershot storytelling of "Bone Crossed" and "Silver Borne". Together with the long-anticipated exploration of Mercy's background, these features make "River Marked" the best book in the Mercy Thompson series since "Iron Kissed".

I so love Mercy and Adam, but Mercy always seem to find herself in trouble or should I say trouble has a way of finding her. This was another good and funny read as always with Mercy being as stubborn as she is. And Adam being the Alpha of the wolf pack can sometimes find himself worked up when dealing with his mate, but no one had better bother with his mate. I really love this series.

This book takes a different direction than previous books in the series, because Mercy is doing something that I think is quite rare in the typical Urban Fantasy heroine -- she is getting married. As a married woman, I quite like this turn and the extra confidence and sense of permanence it gives Mercy, but I don't think this is something that every reader will fully appreciate. Still, it feels fresh and new to me, and I think it has the potential to "breathe new life" into the series.
The loose ends of Stefan's mess from the previous book are quickly tied up, and the plot swiftly moves on to a "surprise" wedding for Mercy. The set-up of the wedding was quite endearing, and I even teared up a bit over it. These two sub-plots take place rather quickly, though, as the main focus of the book is what occurs during Mercy and Adam's honeymoon.
Mercy figures out quickly that they have been set up by certain fairy acquaintances for reasons that no one really knows. I was laughing at this, as it feels like a bumper sticker motto: If the world needs saving - send Mercy! So of course, Urban Fantasy heroine Mercy does not get a typical honeymoon, but one fraught with peril and impending doom.
While it may seem on the surface to be a random way to introduce new characters and magical elements into the series, I think that the events that happened at the Columbia River were a great way to focus on Mercy's native heritage and answer many of the questions that I have been harboring through the series about her ability to transform into a coyote. She makes some new friends of native descent that are able to help her tackle her looming battle with the river monster, and she discovers that she is not the only native who can become another animal. She also learns more about her father and his relationship with her mother. The walking stick also plays a major part, though I hope this is not the last we've seen of it. That stick has too many quirks to just let it go.
The river monster itself was quite a creation - as much fantasy as I have read, I've never come across anything quite like it, though some creatures of Greek mythology comes close. Abominations like that remind me why I avoid watching horror movies. The behavior of the otterkin also reminded me of the way members of a cult exalt their leader - creepy. I can't wait for the next book!

Fun read. Good blend of action and relationship. Interesting setting -- a campground and a national park with tons of petroglyphs and pictographs carved into the stone walls in the area along the Columbia River Gorge. I enjoyed this story, even though it was quite different and I missed the characters from the Tri-Cities pack in Kennewick.

plot Mercy and Adam get married and honeymoon at a campground with a new RV, where they battle bad fae otterkin and an evil Native American river monster.

Mercy meets her father (sort of) who died (sort of) about 32 years ago, before she was born. She also must confront Adam's wolf, when the wolf is in control.

A bit hokey -- all the Coyote legends -- but hey, it's fantasy. Also, I wanted to see more of Samuel and Ariana in this book, given how the prior book -- Silver Borne -- ended, and given that we have kept our fingers crossed for poor Sam for 5 books. Sadly, the couple was given no air time, and only mentioned as possible companions for Jessie while her dad and Mercy were on honeymoon.

Note: Children are eaten by the river monster. I wish Briggs would leave children and babies out of the violence.

When River Marked first came out, I didn't want to pay $12.99 for the Kindle version, so I didn't buy it. Then, by the time it dropped to $7.99, a year had gone by and I'd lost the urgency to read it. Since Frost Burned is coming next month, I finally picked up River Marked, and I loved it. I'm thrilled that the next book is right around the corner. It's true that it was all Mercy/Adam and very little of all of the other characters, but in a long running series, I don't think that's a bad thing. I loved seeing the two of them on their own with no distractions (and more Adam is always a good thing!). I also loved finally getting more of Mercy's background, and I feel that this was a necessary piece of the puzzle in order to keep expanding her character. Mercy is always true to herself - she's never the strongest person in the room, but she always manages to come out on top, almost by sheer strength of character and because she never gives up, no matter how bad the odds are. I read a lot of urban fantasy and reading River Marked reminded me of just how good this series is in comparison to most of the others on the market. I'm now re-reading the whole series and I will definitely be buying Frost Burned as soon as it is released, even though I hate the price and wish it wasn't in hardcover.

Like the Lord of the Rings established a plethora of fantasy standards Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series is hallmark of urban fantasy. In this sixth book of the series Mercy has made her commitment to local werewolf alpha, Adam. In fact after a surprise wedding (like a surprise birthday party) Adam whisks Mercy off on a ten day camping trip in a plush trailer lent to them by the fae. Seeing as the fae never give anything for free both Mercy and Adam are suspicious, but determined not to let that ruin their alone time. Until a river monster, and ancient Native American cannibal, rises and claims Mercy as its own.
Briggs is excellent at drawing in both readers and multicultural magical elements. In this story she isolates Adam and Mercy from their pack, and sets them up against what might as well be a god. Briggs reminds readers that they don't need European vampires and Nordic werewolves for intrigue and adventure, American land has plenty of secrets all its own.
This series is very popular, for good reason. It strikes a perfect balance between urban fantasy elements--romance, mystery, horror and magic. It is led by strong, but not perfect characters whose power might set them apart with a less talented literary hand. Instead Briggs keeps them human, valiant, noble, challenged and even light-hearted. Readers looking to try the UF crazy would do good to start here and librarian on a tight budget will most likely see this series gives a high interest value for their money.
Contains: violence, language, sexual situations

I am a huge fan of Patricia Briggs, especially the Mercy Thompson series, but this book fell short. I hate to say it, but it was the worst book of the series - not terrible - but definitely now in par with the other 5 extraordinary books that was before it.

Let's start with the bad news:
It took at least 60 pages of dull reading to finally get to the real action. Instead of the normal start-off action, we received the overly long catch-up on what happened (none of which was very interesting), a few happy moments (here comes the bride!), then the history of her heritage. While I enjoyed the intro into her Native American roots, it was sometimes overly written and unnecessarily long. I also missed the rest of the gang who is missing for much of the book.

The good news
After the first half of the book, the action starts and you are reminded of why you love the series and Mrs. Briggs writing so much. You go from dull to over-time action when Mercy and Adam encounter a sea creature who marks Mercy and many of the residents near Columbus River. A person who is river marked does the creature bidding and soon the murders are adding up and in the middle of it all is Mercy with Adam by her side. Mercy can see visions of the murders and right now the creature has it's sights set on one person - Mercy. She is stronger than the rest of the river marked people, but she needs help and that's where the Native Americans come into play. They reside by the river and have a close connection to Mercy, closer than she realizes. Her father was one of them and one person in particular knows all about him - Coyote. He not only knew her father, he also knows how to defeat the creature. Coyote heads up the team set out to destroy the sea creature, including many of the old Spirits, but it will costs many their lives. With innocents dying and the creature in Mercy's thoughts, can they stop it in time or will the creature overpower them, changing the world forever?

The introduction of Coyote was brilliant and I absolutely fell in love with his character. He is witty, funny, strong and is pure entertainment. I also loved that we are introduced to more shifters and adored the fact that we saw more of Adam and Mercy.

This is definitely not up to par with the rest of the series, but after the initial 60 or so pages, it does pick-up and we are reminded of why we love the series.

It pains me to do this to what is normally a 5 fang series, but this series is rated: 3 1/2 fangs.

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I definitely enjoy the Mercy series and have been hooked since book 1, but I found the others to be slower reads for me. I don't really know why, maybe its the inflection in which it is written, but it always took me a week or longer to read each one.

That was not the case with this one. I flew right through it - it seemed to flow very well and was quite enjoyable with all the dialogue, which I think there was quite a bit more dialogue in this one than in previous books. I am happy about the relationship continuing on with Adam, and think it's great about all the support they have when everyone was fighting against it at first. It was a very interesting place for them to go, and for all the drama to occur outside the Tri-Cities in this book.

I will say that I was alittle disappointed about all the secondary characters that we have come to know and enjoy in each book did not have much of a showing at all in this one. However, Briggs does make up for some of it by allowing us to really learn more about Mercy's background, who she is, where she comes from, and about her mysterious father. All in all, a very solid book, definitely a 4 star read for me! I hope Briggs brings back the secondary pack characters and we get to see more Stefan (and heck, even Marsilia too!)

Originally posted at WickedLilPixie Reviews
Mercy is just a girl trying to make her way in life being split in to four different worlds: coyote walker, human, Native, and white. She has spent her entire life reconciling all 4 parts of herself, never feeling accepted by anyone. In River Marked, she has the opportunity to finally learn more about her Blackfeet father and learn more of where she came from. And with Adam by her side as her Mate. We have not had a whole heck of a lot of information on Mercy's dad in the previous books, aside from his being Native American and dead. This is the book where we get to learn about her Dad! Something nasty and evil is happening down at the Columbia River and some of the locals and her father's people may know how to fight it. And what do you know? Mercy and Adam just happened to be there when everything starts to go down.

I was at first nervous that Mercy and Adam were finally getting some away time to just themselves, because I didn't know how the book would stand without all the awesome secondary characters. I quickly learned that I worried for naught. River Marked is huge for Mercy in her own personal growth, and in that she was way more expressive of her feelings and affection towards Adam. It seems that she is truly healing and moving forward since the awful violent crime perpetrated against her in Iron Kissed.

The overall tone of this book is unlike any of the previous, and even though I missed so many of the secondary key players, I loved getting the very long-time-coming Mercy and Adam alone time. The only thing that could have made it better was more smexy-time scenes, but I know that isn't Ms. Briggs's style. The plot involves a monster in the river and it was really frightening at times! I am especially afraid of water when I can't see anything in beneath the surface, and there are some scenes that had me totally freaked the hell out. Also, for the first time Mercy meets other walkers and learns that she is not the only one out there.

Stefan has been absent from the storyline lately and we finally get to see what has been going on with him. I didn't realize just how much I had missed him until we find out the opposite-of-awesome state he is in. I really wish he could have had more screen time. In fact, I am surprised by how much I did love this book even without all the secondary characters we've all come to love and expect, and that shows you just what a good story this is.

The Mercy Thompson series is one beautiful example of how the heroine in a series can find love and yet the series continues to grow and remain as entertaining and interesting, if not more so. The worlds and characters of the series are so well built and multi-dimensional that the fact that Mercy and Adam are now married only adds to the experience, it doesn't remove any of the suspense or tension. It is one of the first Urban Fantasy series I was ever introduced to and it continues to remain one of the closest to my heart.

Moon Called
Blood Bound
Iron Kissed
Bone Crossed
Silver Borne
River Marked

After reading the reviews and since the last book was such a dog, I took this book off my wishlist. But, killing time in a book store, I passed it on the shelf and just couldn't help myself. I read the first few pages and was hooked. I'm not sure why people have a problem with the current nemesis not being on page one, but it's referred to right in the beginning with a couple of news articles of missing people. You clearly know something is up and are expecting monster at the river. Good lead up, the book flows well! Old characters do get some read time, but aren't center-stage and I can deal with that, since the protagonist is out of town. I have no idea why that's a problem for so many people here. BFD.
I have questions about the overall plot. Sure, Mercy is important to us, the reader, but why does Bran care so much? He seemed fairly lukewarm in the beginning of the series but now he's gotten to the point of calling her his treasure? He's been alive centuries and she's mortal, he didn't even raise her. She's just a blip in the radar.
And speaking of werewolf aging, that's another problem that's beginning to rear it's ugly head. Mercy is 33 now and Adam looks 25. Plus, like Sookie Stackhouse, Mercy is gaining new scar tissue with every book. She's going to look really really ugly if this keeps up--plus she's just getting older and Adam is not. And 33 is a bit long in the tooth for having a first child--which usually follows marriage. Surely the next book will be about that and how can she fight the next monster while pregnant? Sadly, I wish she was younger. I wish she had super healing powers. Once you start mentioning the age of the main characters, it's a downward slide. The author has very nearly written herself into a corner and I hope she has the skill to pull us all out of it.
It's a great book. Because there is so much back story (too much, if you ask me, I hate having to skim paragraphs of old news) anytime anyone is mentioned, I don't think you need to read the whole series to enjoy this book. The Indian fellas in this book were pretty interchangeable and I could never tell anyone apart. No development there, but they were just fluff anyway so I guess it doesn't matter. This book does move the series along, it's not a wasted read. It's not a very thick book, urban fantasy never is, but you'll enjoy it if you're out camping this summer!

This is going to be one of those rambling reviews where I just throw all my thoughts in the air and let them fall were they may. I can't seem to get them to form into any coherent form:

There are mysterious deaths and disappearances in the Columbia Gorge area, which is "coincidentally" where Mercy and Adam are going camping for 10 days. A few days after they get there, they find an injured man in a boat. His friends, who are Native American, show up to help get him to the hospital. They know Mercy is also Native American, and she gets a mysterious visitor who knows who and what she is. As they piece together what's going on in the water, Mercy also learns about her father - who and what he really was.

Thoughts: I love this series! Let me say up front that I don't think this book would make a good stand-alone. I think you could do it, but I wouldn't recommend it.

I loved seeing Mercy and Adam interact in River Marked. The wolf/coyote nuances, signals, and feelings that they deal with, showing their feelings beyond just saying "I love you" or "I'm upset right now". I like that their bond doesn't just automatically make things perfect between them, that there are issues they'll have to work through, just like any other couple (okay, maybe not just like any other couple, lol).

I liked that Mercy got some insight into her heritage as a Native American and as a Walker. She doesn't see herself as such, but it was a fun twist that in River Marked, Mercy was more accepted and Adam was the outsider. The Native American lore was interesting, although I was frustrated that a running joke was that several of the stories supposedly had a naughtier version, and when Mercy was finally told the naughty versions, the reader was not privy to the stories. I felt like I was missing an inside joke. The scene in mini-Stonehenge was fascinating on so many different levels.

The villain was pretty bad. Like creepy bad. And cruel. The fact that the victims walked
complacently to their deaths made it worse. Mercy's tough decision regarding the girl and her brother was heartwrenching to read.

Confession: I've been fascinated with Mercy's "pimp stick" since the day it appeared. I love that it has been a constant through several books and am intrigued by the potential changes to the stick in River Marked.

I want more Stefan!!! I'm frustrated that we didn't see much of Stefan in this book or the last. The end of River Marked left me feeling hopeful about Stephan - both that we'll see more of him in the next book(s) and that things are going to work out for him.

I would have also liked to see more Warren/Kyle...I was glad she was able to work in the few scenes they did appear in.

All in all, I couldn't put it down. It will be a long, long wait until 2013 for the next book!

Why are all the good books such quick reads? Why can I finish a book I love in no time at all and then have to wait a year, or more!, to read the next installment? Why can't the authors of books I love focus only on the series I enjoy and crank out book after book all year long? This is how I feel about the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. (Although, to be honest, I also enjoy Briggs' Alpha & Omega series, so she'll need to start splitting her time between the two :)

River Marked (Mercy Thompson, Book 6) is a book I'd been waiting to read for quite a while. It had been almost a year since Silver Borne (Mercy Thompson, Book 5) and I was dying to catch up with Mercy, Adam, Stefan, Zee and the Pack. Things open with Mercy under considerable stress regarding her impending wedding. Her mother's continued outrageous suggestions leave Mercy crying for, well, mercy. She decides that she and Adam should get married right away, before the planned wedding, without all the bells and whistles. Mercy's simple ceremony turns into a rather pleasant surprise provided by her family and friends--OK, maybe that was a bit of a spoiler, but I didn't tell everything. The real action starts when Mercy and Adam leave for their honeymoon--outside forces have even managed to manipulate where they honeymoon, but Adam assures her that they are in the area for a reason and that the reason will show itself soon enough and, sure enough, it does. At least they get a few days of peace before Mercy finds herself facing a Native American river monster that is terrorizing the area. She and Adam connect with a very interesting group of Native Americans to try and set things right.

What I liked most about this book is that Mercy finally connects with her father's side. She finds out a lot about her father and gains some powerful allies in the Native American world. This is the first time the reader really gets to see this side of Mercy, where her magic comes from and where her roots lay. I also really enjoyed the bond between Mercy and Adam. We get to see them as a couple, without work or pack business getting in the way. Their relationship is explored and explained on new and different levels and they really hone their communication skills. The story is great--lots of action and magic involved, including new magical elements for Mercy to explore. Overall, I really enjoyed River Marked (Mercy Thompson, Book 6), it's a great addition to the Mercy Thompson series. I hope Patricia Briggs is busy writing the next Mercy Thompson book because I can't wait to read it!!

For anyone out there unfamiliar with this series, start with Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Book 1). Once you've started the series, you won't be able to put it down! Also, check out Cry Wolf (Alpha and Omega, Book 1), a companion series to the Mercy Thompson series which focuses on one of Mercy's pack mates from her childhood.

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This book was not anywhere near as good as the first 5. It felt like I was reading a second or third draft copy at best. A problem that this author has had from the start is that her writing is not always as coherent as it needs to be. I sometimes found myself having to read the same paragraph over again to understand what's really going on. This incoherence was more prevalent in this book than in her previous efforts and this also points to a book that was rushed to publication. I wish that the series will continue because I enjoyed the first 5 quite a bit, but my statement is true only if the quality goes back to what it used to be. I quit the Anita blake series after 8 or 9 books when it became clear that Laurell K hamilton had suddenly turned into a complete lunatic. The last 3 books or so of the true blood series were terrible. Maybe something happens to authors after a certain number of books! I will read the next one but I can't help but to cross my fingers on that one.

I've really enjoyed this series to date, but I was beginning to wonder what else could their possibly be that Mercy could go through. How in the world could the author makes the fresh and new and not the same old things. I'll be honest, I was completely surprised and blown away by River Marked.

I was really surprised and enjoyed seeing Mercy get all worked up at planning her wedding to Adam. She freaks out on her mom and soon everyone has a bet on how long before they elope to avoid everything. Instead, she gets a surprise wedding which I loved! Adam wisks her off to a camping honeymoon, which I thought was really perfect and fit with who they are. A secluded camp ground with plenty of open grounds to run and hunt. What more could a girl/coyote ask for?

My favorite part of the story was the full acceptance of Mercy's Indian heritage. We've dealt with wolves, vampires, and the fae to this point. But, in this book we learn more more about Mercy's father and Indian folklore. I found myself fascinated with it. I love Coyote and how he was connected to Mercy. I enjoyed the "father" spirits like Wolf Thunderbird and how they were connected to The Great Spirits. I enjoyed their reactions to modern society.

I really liked the story of the monster lurking in the Columbia river. The legend behind it was wonderfully constructed. I liked the idea of what it wanted and how it was taking people who were using the river. But the story lost points for me with the actual destruction of the monster. I liked how it was done, I guess it was the after math. It lost some of its credibility for me at that point. But, I guess in a society were the fae and wolves are out to society a huge ancient monster is no big deal.

I'm anxious to see were this story could go next and when it might end. I'll continue reading until then I'm sure!

I read this series for two reasons. One, I adore Mercy and Adam. Both separate and together. Mercy is such a strong, level-headed heroine who can claim her independence while surrounded by pack, vampires etc, yet she is so polite and warm. And Adam - well - he fulfills all my dirty needs when it comes to an alpha male. In River Marked we get a lot of Adam and Mercy. And by that I mean, almost the entire book is the two of them together. I was shocked, and I loved every second of it. We get a very intimate glimpse into their relationship. We see another side of Adam, and wow. What a sweetie. I love him even more.

We also learn a lot about what Mercy is. Her heritage is presented in much detail. At times I found these parts to be very slow. There is a point towards the middle that the pacing slows down so much I got worried for the rest of the book. But then something big happens and the rest finished quite nicely.

The second reason I read this series is for the amazing intricacies of pack life Patricia Briggs has created. I love her wolves, and their politics. How they live so closely as pack, yet are always on the verge of violence. I adore their dynamics and how Mercy has come to fit in. But - we don't get that in this book. Adam and Mercy are removed from pack (or as much as they can be) in this one. I miss that. I know I sound greedy because we do get awesome Adam and Mercy stuff, but I will be looking forward getting back to pack life hopefully in the next one.

Overall I enjoyed this book. Like I said, we see a side of Adam that made me smile. Don't worry, he totally loses it a few times and his alpha, growly, wolf takes over. But it is a very romantic, quieter side we see.

The mystery and conflict are interwoven into Mercy's ancestry and I think this look at who Mercy is and where she comes from really makes you understand Mercy better.

Patricia Briggs continues to write one of the best written urban fantasy series out there. If you don't read this series, pick up Moon Called immediately. You will not be disappointed.

For me this had a different tone to it than the previous books. Not in a bad way, just different. I think its because this is the first time that Mercy and Adam spend that much time together without any of the other pack or vampires or the usual clan that surrounds them.

Besides the very beginning where we see Stefan and again at the end, most of the book is set in a kind of national park that is run by Native Americans.

I really liked that we got to know more about Mercy's heritage, or should I say didn't get to know. I am confused about all of it a bit, just like Mercy. :)

Crazy new creatures and Mercy once again having to get bloodied. What else is new. I think Adam said something to the effect that Mercy doesn't start most of the stuff, but she finishes it. So true. Trouble does seem to follow her.

Another great installment in this very interesting world.

** read February 2014

I have thoroughly enjoyed this series and all of the wonderful characters within the world Patricia Briggs has created. Even though it is a very "PG" series, I love Mercy, who is tough on the outside but squishy on the inside. She always strives to do the right thing and takes care of those she loves and who love her.

River Marked was a great book. I read this one in like a few days! It has a lovely pace and you get to see the warm bond between Mercy and Adam. I had thought at first that the marriage was a bit fast and forced but by the time I was even two thirds into the book, there connection seemed right. The pack is not really present in this one and I did miss them. I look forward to seeing how Mercy and Adam relate together in the pack setting. I do agree with others in the fact that if ever Mrs. Briggs was to write a sex scene, this would have been the book to do it.

I loved the historical and Native American aspects to this story. I found it interesting to see Mercy's background and the native lore. I love how Mrs. Briggs took real Native American lore and culture, real places and built something special.

Overall this is a fabulous series and I recommend it to anyone! Now I must wait a year for the next one!

I am re-reading this series and book five is such a favorite! Obviously anyone who has made it this far into the series knows how great it is and is reading on your own and don’t need my encouragement, but I just had to take a few minutes to write how much I love this book in particular. I wish we could see more of Coyote in future installments!

I have to say that this wasn't as interesting as the other books in the series. There were moments that were action packed and crazy with suspense but it was mostly based on Mercy finding out more about herself and who/what she is. The plot moved quickly which is a plus because you don't get stuck with one point where you are actually bored and just waiting for something to happen.

Adam didn't have as big of a role as in the other books I feel like. He was just there in the background wanting to protect her all the time. And then he was just wolf thanks to Wolf. There were some characters that weren't in the story at all such as Sam. He was mentioned maybe twice the whole book but that was it. Something else that sort of bothered me was that we never actually find out what river marked means. It's open to interpretation from the reader, I guess. Some of you might like that.

The crazy monster this time was actually interesting. And all the background of the myths and legends of the Native Americans actually inspired me to go look up some legends that they have and I will be doing that. It was interesting overall and I think this is the best cover so far in the series. Can't wait for the next one to come out!

River Marked starts out with the normal cast and crew from the previous Mercy Thompson books, even bringing Stefan back. (whom I love). Mercy is very busy and stressed planning her wedding to Adam. I absolutely loved the way Mercy's mom, and Adam's daughter Jessie worked to pull the wedding off, and what the Bran says to Adam before they say there vows.

We are finally alone with Adam and Mercy, or so we think. Adam has barrowed a camper for the two of them to be completely alone, and takes Mercy to a camp ground that is not open to the public as of yet. After only a day they relies things are not as they seem. It's not that the action makes River Marked feel rushed, but I would have liked just a little more Adam/mercy time. Before the monster, gods, and fae.

The bulk of this book is centered around learning Mercy's heritage. Patricia Briggs is an amazing story teller. I was enthralled from beginning to end, To learn about each god and how they once defeated the river monster that is now after Adam and Mercy. I also enjoyed learning the truth about Mercy's father, and hope we get to see Coyote in future books.

In the end I was happy with this installment. I liked that when the battle was fought and the day was over Adam and Mercy are on equal ground as they should be, and you know the love between them is real.

I really enjoyed this book compared to previous darker installments of the series. A highly debated concept of mine, I know, wanting to keep the story more "fun" than "dark." I am looking for fun/fantastic entertainment that will offer an escape rather than leaving me feeling depressed about things that would happen in real life (translated as heroes usually die and really bad s*** happens to good people every day.)

Having said that, this one really worked for me. I love the Loch Ness monster, I love lake monsters. I love monster stories. Godzilla even. Anyway, this one had it, I loved it. Best. Honeymoon. Ever. Just kidding but it was a great juxtaposition for an epic monster battle story. If I can think of any cons, I could only wish Mercy did not have to get so banged up in this one --- she could really use a "power up" gimmick to even the playing field if she is going to keep on taking on the big guys. I think PB could pull it off without being too deus ex machina.

As the sixth book in the Mercedes Thompson series Briggs has still got it. Mercy has been through quite a journey in the past five books, and the trouble seems to still be lurking around every corner. As the girl that began as a loner; she can now find herself surround by many friends that continue to show their support and loyalty. Along with the growing number of friends she seems to steadily increase or enemies. As a alpha pack mate Mercy is learning further the importance of her strong and independent nature. Although, it seems that with each additional book Mercy is learning to depend and rely with heart and soul on her Alpha and lover. With trouble allows lurking Adam's patience is tested time and time again. Though, it is obvious that the love this man carries would force him to walk through fire if necessary. I was surprised by the abruptness of change in the first few pages of this book. While I welcomed the change I had never expected it so easily. Suspense was not the nature of this book, as I have come to expect in the past novels. This book seems to focus primarily on Adam and Mercy to deepen the readers knowledge of these two characters. Without the intensity and fast pace this book was entertaining, but lacked the urgency that I have come to expect with a Briggs story.

4.5/5.0

*warning* a huge torrent of gushing admiration about to commence...

I now understand people who are so blinded by their love of an author, they truly believe they can write no wrong (listen closely Lisa Kleypas fans) The eye rolling is over, I am officially capitulating and stand repentant... I am now one of you - with Patricia Briggs. I love everything about the way she writes. Her Mercedes Thompson series is humorous, suspenseful, touching, warm, scary, inventive, romantic - everything, just everything I love in a story! Even with six of them now under her belt, the quality is never better.

In River Marked, Mercedes and Adam's relationship is given the much needed attention it deserves. Briggs ability to write a couple so real yet so sigh-worthy while keeping their animal natures in tact is incredible. They are both strong characters, allowed to be even stronger through their love for each other. While the plot-line of a water monster was not as riveting to me as others have been, the interest and page-turning suspense was still present right along with the touch of humor that makes Mercedes such a beloved character.

Mercy and Adam get some much needed relaxation on their honeymoon. Just kidding! Of course they take a seemingly innocuous escape from the stresses of the pack, the fae and the vampires. Only to be thrown into the path of some big Native American oogie boogie.

My favorite bit about this book was the fact that there was a lot of discovery about Mercy's Indian heritage. For the fact that she these unique abilities, up until now, Mercy hadn't known anything about her father and whether or not there were other Walkers.

There are only some quick guest appearances from the supporting cast. (Jesse, Stefan, the pack, Zee, ect) So we finally get some much needed development of Adam and Mercy's relationship. Up until it'd been: Disaster, Other Disaster, Fae are a pain in the butt, Adam and Mercy give each other googly eyes, disaster. )

One thing I'd really appreciate if Patricia Briggs did, though, is give us a list of sources or something about all the Native American legends she used. There were a lot of offhand remarks about stories I wasn't familiar with. But other than that? I'm still hooked and still LOVING Mercy. Now...when is the next Alpha and Omega book out?

I got this book at the same time I got Kim Harrison's Pale Demon and while each series deals with strong women in a world populated by Vampires, Werewolves, and other paranormal creatures, my experience couldn't have been more opposite. I started reading Pale Demon first and while I had enjoyed the earlier adventures of Rachel Morgan, I was bored by the book and the heroine's never changing behavior. Finally, after a couple of days I put it down unfinished and picked up River Marked. What a huge difference! Mercy grows with every book, and while she always survives her ordeals, she is never unscathed. The changes to her and her world follow into each new story and this installment is no different. River Marked, while another brush with the Fey, gives more information on Mercy's background before her life with Bran and "The Pack" and answers why Vampire's so hate Walkers. I started reading on a Sunday afternoon and even though I had to get up the next morning at 6 am, I finished the book in 1 reading. I know some will have issues with the "villian" of the piece, but not all of us want to read "War and Peace" all the time. I was taken into the entertaining world of paranormal and spiritual beings for a day, and out of our world with it's own very real and very scary disasters. My only complaint....it wasn't longer! ps I still haven't finished Pale Demon

Courtesy of Lost Art Audiobook Review

Native American Folklore & Suspense:
In the first 5 Mercy Thompson books, Patricia Briggs does an incredible job researching and weaving in historical folklore, especially with the faeries who in Mercy's world have revealed themselves to the public. We've seen every kind of fairy in the prior books, but we haven't seen any Native American folklore, with the exception of Mercy herself. This audiobook delves right in. River Marked includes the different tribes in the Washington area (Mercy is half Blackfeet), and includes the spirit animals of Thunderbird, Snake, Wolf, so on and so forth, and, of course, Coyote. We learn a lot about Mercy as she learns a lot about herself.

River Marked starts out much slower than the previous books. After the wedding, there is a ton of information. The action builds up a lot slower and the result is haunting suspense. Unlike the previous books, parts of River Marked aren't just entertaining but down-right terrifying. In one part, for example, Mercy hears about the death of a girl whose brother tries to save her. The girl says "it's so peaceful here" and then the brother discovers her body below her waist has been ripped off. The way it's described in the audiobook is nightmare-inducing. The prior books had scary moments and scary monsters, but they didn't haunt you like these scenes.

On Narration:
This is what makes a great audiobook: great writing plus great reading. Lorelei King is fantastic in the prior Mercy Thompson audiobooks and she doesn't disappoint in River Marked. I mention above that parts are very suspenseful, and that's a result of the way the book is read. One example is a scene in third-person that recounts the river monster taking over a school teacher who leads her family to their death in the river. In the middle of this dream, Lorelei King adds Adam's voice, disjointing the dream with "Mercy" over and over again, while the narration ignores him until Mercy wakes up. When this scene began, I thought I was in a different audiobook. Lorelei King reads the scene with a new voice, giving life to a new character and her new family. It is exactly how the scene should be read. Then, when Adam's voice starts breaking in to the internal dialogue, it brings not only Mercy back to her reality, but the listener back into River Marked. It becomes obvious that the scene is a dream. I recommend listening to that specific scene twice just because of how technically perfect the reading is.

I loved the first three books, but felt disappointed in books 4 and 5. Mercy was just reacting to everything, and had very little control over her life. If I wanted a heroine who was hypnotized/controlled by magic or kidnapped, I'd be reading something else. And it happened in books 3, 4, AND 5!! So I was pleased with book 6. Contrary to some of the other reviews, I thought the plot of River Marked made more sense than some of the previous installments. It felt like people were growing up and finding their places in the world. I am a little concerned that it was all Adam/Mercy--I just don't want Mercy's world to become primarily a romance. We already have that dimension in Alpha/Omega. Part of what I like about Mercy is that she has all these complex relationships she needs to juggle--friends, family, lover, clients, co-workers--just like the rest of us. Not too worried, though, because Briggs emphasizes several times how special this honeymoon "alone" time really is. Anyhow, I really enjoyed it, and am very satisfied.

Oh how I do not like giving this book only 3.5 stars. This is one of my favorite series and up until now, IMO, every single book has been amazing. For me this story started out very slow and you didn't even really get an idea of where the storyline was headed until about midway through. Don't get me wrong, I loved all of the page time that Mercy & Adam were given, but this series is not strictly romance and their scene time was very muted. I would have loved to feel their love more, not necessarily sex, just chemistry. The lack of the usual secondary characters was also disappointing, they have become just as much a part of this storyline as Mercy & Adam are & I missed them. What I did like was that Mercy finally has some answers where her father is concerned. She learned some valuble information not only for herself but for the magic world in general. This was a good addition to the series, just not my favorite. We'll wait & see what the next addition brings.

First off, I want to say I really like this series. I would give every book previous to this one five stars. However, the new one left me completely underwhelmed and so bored, I couldn't even make myself finish it.
There was barely any action, and I could not care less about all the new characters that were introduced. The relationships with the characters are getting stagnant and boring, too. I was surprised when I realized I was halfway through it, and nothing had really happened. All the new characters were hard to keep straight, and I kept wondering why I was supposed to be emotionally invested in them enough to care what happened to them. Mercy and Adam going on and on about whether it was otters or a plant or whatever that injured that guy's foot was enough to put me to sleep. When you try to make cute, little otters out to be dangerous, you know your story is going downhill.
I cannot believe during the whole writing, editing, and publishing process, nobody noticed that this story was pointless. Briggs actually spent pages upon pages describing a museum visit Adam and Mercy made and all the exhibits they saw. It did not add to the story, and I was bored to death! Shortly after that, they were given a petroglyph tour by one of the new characters that went on for way too long, and I finally just gave up. I'm taking the book back today.

This is a very entertaining entry in the Mercy Thompson series.
Mercy has just married Adam, the Alpha of the local werewolf pack. They set out for a campground honeymoon on the Columbia River, where they quickly find that the fae have set them up. Something evil is in the river, and it wants Mercy. She's always known she's unique, but this isn't a distinction - or job - she wants.
In a series of fast-paced (sometimes, mis-)adventures, Mercy discovers much about her own heritage. But she's also tested - this is, on the whole, darker than most of the other novels.
The romance between Adam and Mercy is a strong element, intense and sexual without any leering and nary a hint of treacle.
I loved this, definitely worth your time. (This is part of a series; you could start here, but why? Go get Moon Called, and join this tough VW mechanic as she explores what it means to be a shapeshifter in a world of gremlins, werewolves, vampires and other fae.)

This book has it all- intrigue, romance, supernatural, and a bit of humor. I've loved the entire series. Patricia Briggs knows her way around a keyboard, a plot, and a mystery. I love it that she has a supernatural being who goes to church every week and doesn't bandy about four letter words like they were water falling off a dam. Usually, a book with a Christian flavor will have a plot that is very weak, and the protagonist seems to be a bit lacking in intelligence- or at least in common sense. I love it that this protagonist is a lady with a conscience who does what she feels is the right thing, even though it results in lots of trouble for her. Mercy Thompson is one savvy lady with a loyal heart who will stop at nothing to help a friend. And as for the romance- things are finally beginning to heat up- and I say GREAT!

I hope Patricia Briggs never stops writing- I'd love to see more stories and series like this!

So i just started and I'm like wtf Mercy and Adam are engaged,and 2 seconds later married. But this is again so far is a continuing look at the development of their relationship and romance.
So this one is by far the most different than all the rest. It's just Adam and mercy mainly in this book. No pack ,zee, uncle mike, Sam or Stefan to jump in and save the day. And finally we learn more about "the father" mercy never knew. I have to say I really missed Sam in this one, it felt empty without him in this. And the one thing that keeps bothering me is how will the whole mercy Adam thing work when he is forever young and she ages like a human. . Hopefully she somehow becomes immortal in the next book... Maybe..

I gave this installment of the adventures of Mercy five stars because I wasn't allowed to give it 10!! This is, by far, the best book in the series. While I have loved every one of Briggs' books, for me Silver Bourne was a little slow. I feel very much like she came back with a vengence in River Marked. Briggs' wit and flair for making Mercy believable was so hard to put down this time, and I was very sad when the last page was turned because I could have kept reading and reading.
I loved the Native American side of this book...finally we got to explore Mercy's heritage a little bit. Loving how that turned out. I also love how strong Briggs writes Mercy. She has softened her up a bit since with the love affair with Adam, but Mercy is no shallow "save me" type of gal. She knows how to take care of herself, and even though she has some pretty formidible friends she isn't always begging to be saved. Great inspiration!
Definitly read this book!!! It's worth it!!!!

This one is slow, but not in a bad way. I was still enthralled, and it was nice to have a break from the intensity of the others. This departs from the fae/paranormal lore and delves into Native American lore, which is fascinating. Mercy's allies are impressive and the climactic fight is awesome. We also learn more about Mercy's family, and a minor plot point comes to fruition.

I'm going to be honest and say that after reading all of the books in this series, I was getting bored with the story. Although, I liked Mercy and found the whole coyote - shapeshifter issue fascinating, the Adam and Mercy love affair was just not up my alley. So in reading that they got married in this book, I grudgingly continued, thinking this would be the last one in the series for me. Reading this one, however, changed my mind completely. It was the best of the Mercy books written and had the added advantage of getting me interested in the series again.

In this story, Mercy and Adam get married and decided to go on a camping trip to spend time together as a couple. During their stay on the grounds, they meet some of Mercy's people, strange things start happening and there is something mysterious about the river. All of this builds up to an amazing climax, and provides a true showcase for Mercy's supernatural powers.

I read this book in one sitting and the only complaint is that the story ended and that it wasn't longer. The story grabs from the very beginning and the action in it was non-stop. The Mercy of this book is at her very best: strong, assertive and confident. More information about Mercy's background and her abilities is given. It shows Mercy's heritage in a different light and gives more insight about her powers. It was also interesting to see the reaction of Mercy's people to her abilities and to Adam's werewolf. An amazing read and one that I recommend heartily.

I have to say I was disappointed by this book. Taken away from the pack, I just felt this book delved a little too deeply into myths and legends, and I didnt get the same feel of wonder that I do reading the other books in the series. I actually gave up on this book about half way through the first time, only to come back to it a few months later determined to finish. I was sorely disappointed. If rating after only this experience I'd give it 1 star. However, in my love for the Mercy Thompson series, I was making my way through all the books once again in preparation for Frost Burned, and have to say that it was better this time. I dont know whether it was because I'd read it directly after the other books in the series this time or what, but I generally found the book more likeable. Still not mind blowing, but better.

So to sum up, a bit of a mixed review, but definitely not one of my favourites in the series. I think id be able to give this one a miss and continue on to the next book without any problems in terms of plot, so that tells me in and of itself that it wasn't such a great addition to the series.

Okay, as anyone can tell by now, I am a huge fan of this series. However, I simply was not as into this particular installment as I had been the other ones. Perhaps it was because I had gotten on the Mercy bandwagon a bit late, so I was spoiled to go through the books as fast as I could read them without waiting for the next one to come out. On the other hand, I had pre-ordered this one, and, I was more than a little sad when the publication date was pushed back. Maybe I ruined it for myself by waiting so long. Maybe it couldn't have possibly lived up to my expectations.

However, I have another theory. As much as I hate to say this, perhaps it's time for this series to come to a close. I'd miss it. I really would. But, Mercy and Adam are married. Samuel's issues have been resolved. And, if this book is any example of what I can expect in the future, the other characters just became obsolete. Much of the story, actually 90% of the story focused on Mercy and Adam's honeymoon, which was rudely interrupted by the river devil. Of course, the suspense was high, the danger intense, the mystery interesting, and the battle fast-paced, but where was everyone else? Mercy and Adam, as much as I love them, can't sustain an entire book on their own, especially when the sexual tension has mostly turned to newlywed sex. That of course is all well and good and even welcome after sticking with the couple for five books, but I got so weary of the river and the trailer that I was thrilled when they went to a Wal-Mart. Not a good sign. I know I'll endure a storm of Mercy fans telling me that this was one of the best in the series and that they'll never tire of reading them. But, as a writer myself, I can sense a story coming to a close. I only hope the publishing company doesn't milk the series so long that it loses its audience entirely.

If you haven't read it yet, I recommend Briggs's other series, the Alpha and Omega series. There are two installments of it so far, not including the novella that started it, and the third book is due out in January 2012. For now, I'll try to refrain from pre-ordering it or searching for any details about it on Google.

Mercy's Native American heritage is the focal point in this story, and it was really interesting - as both a plot line for the book and Mercy's further character development.
After SO MUCH push and pull between Mercy and Adam, it was wonderful to see them wholly accept each other and finally, finally! feel and accept the peace and love they bring each other. Well, maybe not peace, not with Mercy around! ;)

I really like this series it is always full of adventure, action and mystery. Mercy is always involved in something that puts her life in danger. This installment of the series is actually the first one that doesn't involve the wolf pack or anyone else in previous books but Adam and Mercy. We meet new characters that provide many answers to questions that I have been wondering about which includes information about who walkers are, Mercy's heritage and proof that Mercy isn't the only one. I loved watching Adam open up and relax since he didn't have to be the Alpha in front of his pack and it really brought out a whole new Adam. I have always liked Adam but now I like him so much more. I dont want to give away any spoilers but I love this series, will continue to read every book it produces and would highly recommend starting it if you haven't already.

I like that this series has been making it a point to evolve the characters. They are more like real people, even when dealing with all the magical problems they face. This book felt like a big set up for a lot of new stories. The conclusion and final confrontation came in fast though and I would have liked to have seen it appear to be harder and a little.longer in that aspect.

I got this book at the same time I got Kim Harrison's Pale Demon and while each series deals with strong women in a world populated by Vampires, Werewolves, and other paranormal creatures, my experience couldn't have been more opposite. I started reading Pale Demon first and while I had enjoyed the earlier adventures of Rachel Morgan, I was bored by the book and the heroine's never changing behavior. Finally, after a couple of days I put it down unfinished and picked up River Marked. What a huge difference! Mercy grows with every book, and while she always survives her ordeals, she is never unscathed. The changes to her and her world follow into each new story and this installment is no different. River Marked, while another brush with the Fey, gives more information on Mercy's background before her life with Bran and "The Pack" and answers why Vampire's so hate Walkers. I started reading on a Sunday afternoon and even though I had to get up the next morning at 6 am, I finished the book in 1 reading. I know some will have issues with the "villian" of the piece, but not all of us want to read "War and Peace" all the time. I was taken into the entertaining world of paranormal and spiritual beings for a day, and out of our world with it's own very real and very scary disasters. My only complaint....it wasn't longer! ps I still haven't finished Pale Demon

Courtesy of Lost Art Audiobook Review

Native American Folklore & Suspense:
In the first 5 Mercy Thompson books, Patricia Briggs does an incredible job researching and weaving in historical folklore, especially with the faeries who in Mercy's world have revealed themselves to the public. We've seen every kind of fairy in the prior books, but we haven't seen any Native American folklore, with the exception of Mercy herself. This audiobook delves right in. River Marked includes the different tribes in the Washington area (Mercy is half Blackfeet), and includes the spirit animals of Thunderbird, Snake, Wolf, so on and so forth, and, of course, Coyote. We learn a lot about Mercy as she learns a lot about herself.

River Marked starts out much slower than the previous books. After the wedding, there is a ton of information. The action builds up a lot slower and the result is haunting suspense. Unlike the previous books, parts of River Marked aren't just entertaining but down-right terrifying. In one part, for example, Mercy hears about the death of a girl whose brother tries to save her. The girl says "it's so peaceful here" and then the brother discovers her body below her waist has been ripped off. The way it's described in the audiobook is nightmare-inducing. The prior books had scary moments and scary monsters, but they didn't haunt you like these scenes.

On Narration:
This is what makes a great audiobook: great writing plus great reading. Lorelei King is fantastic in the prior Mercy Thompson audiobooks and she doesn't disappoint in River Marked. I mention above that parts are very suspenseful, and that's a result of the way the book is read. One example is a scene in third-person that recounts the river monster taking over a school teacher who leads her family to their death in the river. In the middle of this dream, Lorelei King adds Adam's voice, disjointing the dream with "Mercy" over and over again, while the narration ignores him until Mercy wakes up. When this scene began, I thought I was in a different audiobook. Lorelei King reads the scene with a new voice, giving life to a new character and her new family. It is exactly how the scene should be read. Then, when Adam's voice starts breaking in to the internal dialogue, it brings not only Mercy back to her reality, but the listener back into River Marked. It becomes obvious that the scene is a dream. I recommend listening to that specific scene twice just because of how technically perfect the reading is.

I loved the first three books, but felt disappointed in books 4 and 5. Mercy was just reacting to everything, and had very little control over her life. If I wanted a heroine who was hypnotized/controlled by magic or kidnapped, I'd be reading something else. And it happened in books 3, 4, AND 5!! So I was pleased with book 6. Contrary to some of the other reviews, I thought the plot of River Marked made more sense than some of the previous installments. It felt like people were growing up and finding their places in the world. I am a little concerned that it was all Adam/Mercy--I just don't want Mercy's world to become primarily a romance. We already have that dimension in Alpha/Omega. Part of what I like about Mercy is that she has all these complex relationships she needs to juggle--friends, family, lover, clients, co-workers--just like the rest of us. Not too worried, though, because Briggs emphasizes several times how special this honeymoon "alone" time really is. Anyhow, I really enjoyed it, and am very satisfied.

Oh how I do not like giving this book only 3.5 stars. This is one of my favorite series and up until now, IMO, every single book has been amazing. For me this story started out very slow and you didn't even really get an idea of where the storyline was headed until about midway through. Don't get me wrong, I loved all of the page time that Mercy & Adam were given, but this series is not strictly romance and their scene time was very muted. I would have loved to feel their love more, not necessarily sex, just chemistry. The lack of the usual secondary characters was also disappointing, they have become just as much a part of this storyline as Mercy & Adam are & I missed them. What I did like was that Mercy finally has some answers where her father is concerned. She learned some valuble information not only for herself but for the magic world in general. This was a good addition to the series, just not my favorite. We'll wait & see what the next addition brings.

First off, I want to say I really like this series. I would give every book previous to this one five stars. However, the new one left me completely underwhelmed and so bored, I couldn't even make myself finish it.
There was barely any action, and I could not care less about all the new characters that were introduced. The relationships with the characters are getting stagnant and boring, too. I was surprised when I realized I was halfway through it, and nothing had really happened. All the new characters were hard to keep straight, and I kept wondering why I was supposed to be emotionally invested in them enough to care what happened to them. Mercy and Adam going on and on about whether it was otters or a plant or whatever that injured that guy's foot was enough to put me to sleep. When you try to make cute, little otters out to be dangerous, you know your story is going downhill.
I cannot believe during the whole writing, editing, and publishing process, nobody noticed that this story was pointless. Briggs actually spent pages upon pages describing a museum visit Adam and Mercy made and all the exhibits they saw. It did not add to the story, and I was bored to death! Shortly after that, they were given a petroglyph tour by one of the new characters that went on for way too long, and I finally just gave up. I'm taking the book back today.

This is a very entertaining entry in the Mercy Thompson series.
Mercy has just married Adam, the Alpha of the local werewolf pack. They set out for a campground honeymoon on the Columbia River, where they quickly find that the fae have set them up. Something evil is in the river, and it wants Mercy. She's always known she's unique, but this isn't a distinction - or job - she wants.
In a series of fast-paced (sometimes, mis-)adventures, Mercy discovers much about her own heritage. But she's also tested - this is, on the whole, darker than most of the other novels.
The romance between Adam and Mercy is a strong element, intense and sexual without any leering and nary a hint of treacle.
I loved this, definitely worth your time. (This is part of a series; you could start here, but why? Go get Moon Called, and join this tough VW mechanic as she explores what it means to be a shapeshifter in a world of gremlins, werewolves, vampires and other fae.)

This book has it all- intrigue, romance, supernatural, and a bit of humor. I've loved the entire series. Patricia Briggs knows her way around a keyboard, a plot, and a mystery. I love it that she has a supernatural being who goes to church every week and doesn't bandy about four letter words like they were water falling off a dam. Usually, a book with a Christian flavor will have a plot that is very weak, and the protagonist seems to be a bit lacking in intelligence- or at least in common sense. I love it that this protagonist is a lady with a conscience who does what she feels is the right thing, even though it results in lots of trouble for her. Mercy Thompson is one savvy lady with a loyal heart who will stop at nothing to help a friend. And as for the romance- things are finally beginning to heat up- and I say GREAT!

I hope Patricia Briggs never stops writing- I'd love to see more stories and series like this!

So i just started and I'm like wtf Mercy and Adam are engaged,and 2 seconds later married. But this is again so far is a continuing look at the development of their relationship and romance.
So this one is by far the most different than all the rest. It's just Adam and mercy mainly in this book. No pack ,zee, uncle mike, Sam or Stefan to jump in and save the day. And finally we learn more about "the father" mercy never knew. I have to say I really missed Sam in this one, it felt empty without him in this. And the one thing that keeps bothering me is how will the whole mercy Adam thing work when he is forever young and she ages like a human. . Hopefully she somehow becomes immortal in the next book... Maybe..

I gave this installment of the adventures of Mercy five stars because I wasn't allowed to give it 10!! This is, by far, the best book in the series. While I have loved every one of Briggs' books, for me Silver Bourne was a little slow. I feel very much like she came back with a vengence in River Marked. Briggs' wit and flair for making Mercy believable was so hard to put down this time, and I was very sad when the last page was turned because I could have kept reading and reading.
I loved the Native American side of this book...finally we got to explore Mercy's heritage a little bit. Loving how that turned out. I also love how strong Briggs writes Mercy. She has softened her up a bit since with the love affair with Adam, but Mercy is no shallow "save me" type of gal. She knows how to take care of herself, and even though she has some pretty formidible friends she isn't always begging to be saved. Great inspiration!
Definitly read this book!!! It's worth it!!!!

This one is slow, but not in a bad way. I was still enthralled, and it was nice to have a break from the intensity of the others. This departs from the fae/paranormal lore and delves into Native American lore, which is fascinating. Mercy's allies are impressive and the climactic fight is awesome. We also learn more about Mercy's family, and a minor plot point comes to fruition.

I'm going to be honest and say that after reading all of the books in this series, I was getting bored with the story. Although, I liked Mercy and found the whole coyote - shapeshifter issue fascinating, the Adam and Mercy love affair was just not up my alley. So in reading that they got married in this book, I grudgingly continued, thinking this would be the last one in the series for me. Reading this one, however, changed my mind completely. It was the best of the Mercy books written and had the added advantage of getting me interested in the series again.

In this story, Mercy and Adam get married and decided to go on a camping trip to spend time together as a couple. During their stay on the grounds, they meet some of Mercy's people, strange things start happening and there is something mysterious about the river. All of this builds up to an amazing climax, and provides a true showcase for Mercy's supernatural powers.

I read this book in one sitting and the only complaint is that the story ended and that it wasn't longer. The story grabs from the very beginning and the action in it was non-stop. The Mercy of this book is at her very best: strong, assertive and confident. More information about Mercy's background and her abilities is given. It shows Mercy's heritage in a different light and gives more insight about her powers. It was also interesting to see the reaction of Mercy's people to her abilities and to Adam's werewolf. An amazing read and one that I recommend heartily.

I have to say I was disappointed by this book. Taken away from the pack, I just felt this book delved a little too deeply into myths and legends, and I didnt get the same feel of wonder that I do reading the other books in the series. I actually gave up on this book about half way through the first time, only to come back to it a few months later determined to finish. I was sorely disappointed. If rating after only this experience I'd give it 1 star. However, in my love for the Mercy Thompson series, I was making my way through all the books once again in preparation for Frost Burned, and have to say that it was better this time. I dont know whether it was because I'd read it directly after the other books in the series this time or what, but I generally found the book more likeable. Still not mind blowing, but better.

So to sum up, a bit of a mixed review, but definitely not one of my favourites in the series. I think id be able to give this one a miss and continue on to the next book without any problems in terms of plot, so that tells me in and of itself that it wasn't such a great addition to the series.

Okay, as anyone can tell by now, I am a huge fan of this series. However, I simply was not as into this particular installment as I had been the other ones. Perhaps it was because I had gotten on the Mercy bandwagon a bit late, so I was spoiled to go through the books as fast as I could read them without waiting for the next one to come out. On the other hand, I had pre-ordered this one, and, I was more than a little sad when the publication date was pushed back. Maybe I ruined it for myself by waiting so long. Maybe it couldn't have possibly lived up to my expectations.

However, I have another theory. As much as I hate to say this, perhaps it's time for this series to come to a close. I'd miss it. I really would. But, Mercy and Adam are married. Samuel's issues have been resolved. And, if this book is any example of what I can expect in the future, the other characters just became obsolete. Much of the story, actually 90% of the story focused on Mercy and Adam's honeymoon, which was rudely interrupted by the river devil. Of course, the suspense was high, the danger intense, the mystery interesting, and the battle fast-paced, but where was everyone else? Mercy and Adam, as much as I love them, can't sustain an entire book on their own, especially when the sexual tension has mostly turned to newlywed sex. That of course is all well and good and even welcome after sticking with the couple for five books, but I got so weary of the river and the trailer that I was thrilled when they went to a Wal-Mart. Not a good sign. I know I'll endure a storm of Mercy fans telling me that this was one of the best in the series and that they'll never tire of reading them. But, as a writer myself, I can sense a story coming to a close. I only hope the publishing company doesn't milk the series so long that it loses its audience entirely.

If you haven't read it yet, I recommend Briggs's other series, the Alpha and Omega series. There are two installments of it so far, not including the novella that started it, and the third book is due out in January 2012. For now, I'll try to refrain from pre-ordering it or searching for any details about it on Google.

Mercy's Native American heritage is the focal point in this story, and it was really interesting - as both a plot line for the book and Mercy's further character development.
After SO MUCH push and pull between Mercy and Adam, it was wonderful to see them wholly accept each other and finally, finally! feel and accept the peace and love they bring each other. Well, maybe not peace, not with Mercy around! ;)

I really like this series it is always full of adventure, action and mystery. Mercy is always involved in something that puts her life in danger. This installment of the series is actually the first one that doesn't involve the wolf pack or anyone else in previous books but Adam and Mercy. We meet new characters that provide many answers to questions that I have been wondering about which includes information about who walkers are, Mercy's heritage and proof that Mercy isn't the only one. I loved watching Adam open up and relax since he didn't have to be the Alpha in front of his pack and it really brought out a whole new Adam. I have always liked Adam but now I like him so much more. I dont want to give away any spoilers but I love this series, will continue to read every book it produces and would highly recommend starting it if you haven't already.

I like that this series has been making it a point to evolve the characters. They are more like real people, even when dealing with all the magical problems they face. This book felt like a big set up for a lot of new stories. The conclusion and final confrontation came in fast though and I would have liked to have seen it appear to be harder and a little.longer in that aspect.

The book continues with its paranormal super heroine, with the addition of her marriage into the werewolf pack. While I do not normally like werewolf books, the pantheon of supernatural creatures is intriguing, and all of the characters are well developed. The male and female characters are well developed, characters that one enjoys visiting. Suspense, humor, and romance are nicely intertwined. This book would not work well if you failed to read the prior five books in the series. I immediately ordered the seventh book after finishing this one.

I have yet to come across a Mercy book I haven't loved! Each seem so different that it is like starting a new story all over again. Each theme different. I loved that in this book we get to see more insight into Mercy's heritage and what that means exactly.

I would have loved to see Bran a bit more in this, but you know, it isn't his book. But I'd just like to reiterate just how much I love Bran. But, I love Mercy and Adam too, so I was very happy to read about the both of them and their shenanigans.

The story was great. We've dealt previously with a lot of bad guys, but none quite like this. And the help along the way was unexpected, but I loved it. I loved the idea behind it and the symbolism. This book is definitely another keeper. I can't wait for another, the ending left some promising openings for another great book!

This series has been amazing! They were so good that I read through all of the books up to River Marked in less than two weeks. With that said, I am halfway through River Marked and I am quite disappointed. It's very slow and still I have yet to find out what this "evil" is that is being referred to. I've had this book a week and haven't had the need to keep reading it every waking moment like I have the others. I will keeping reading because I do enjoy the relational aspect of Mercy and her Alpha in this book. I think Patricia Briggs has developed some great characters in this series, that is what I love the most from the series, and what I miss the most from this book. I'm hoping it get more interesting as the book progresses, but I hope that the next book brings back our beloved pack and the rest of the characters we have come to love.

In this book, we find exactly what a skin walker is, and more about Mercy's father. After finally getting married to Adam in chapter two, they take their honeymoon in a national park camping ground, where they encounter native American tribesmen and an ancient monster pre-dating the Americas. Much of the book involves Mercy's family history, so I won't spoil it here.

On a minor note, Mercy also shakes Stephan out of a stupor/fugue from past events.

One of the better books in this series, though I found the constant stream of Native American tribal legends, sacred site descriptions, and character clothing on the tedious side. Was the museum visit really necessary? This felt more like an expanded short story than a novel, but I still liked it for answering questions I've had since I started reading the series.

When the paranormal/urban fantasy genre first started to become popular, I gobbled up everything I could find. But just like all series are wont to do, over the years most of the series I used to follow avidly have become stale. Patricia Brigg's Mercy Thompson books is about the only series I still follow; and, sadly, even this series have started to show some signs of aging over the last couple of books.

In Mercy's latest adventure, Mercy is on her honeymoon with her new hubby, the sexy alpha wolf Adam Hauptman. But because Mercy is still Mercy, trouble seems to follow her everywhere; and it wasn't long after they arrived at a campground near a Native American reservation that weird things started to happen. People getting attacked by weird creatures in the middle of the night, Mercy having visions of people drowning...and seemingly mixed up in all of these are a mysterious Native American medicine men, his equally mysterious cohorts and some wild otters...yup...otters. So just what exactly is going on and just what kind of monster are they dealing with this time?

This book reads a lot more like a stand-alone book than a book in the Mercy Thompson series. All of the characters we have become familiar with and grown to love - Darryl, Warren, Stefan - all only make cursory appearances. Even Adam, who was present throughout the book, was nothing but a big and strong presence next to Mercy as she fought to defeat the monster of the week alongside her new Native American friends. Gone are the building and furthering of the complex relationships between Mercy and Adam's wolves, the intricate political maneuverings that the werewolves, the fae, and the vampires engage in to co-exist peacefully in the Tri-Cities area. Instead, we get a history lesson on Native American folklore, a monster that belongs more in a 50's monster movie than a well-constructed urban fantasy, and a lot of filler as Mercy tries to adjust to her marriage to Adam. The book took so long to get off the ground that when the central mystery finally rears its head, we are almost 1/3 through the book. And even then, when the mystery is finally revealed, most of these were told to Mercy and Adam by a Native American tour guide in the guise of telling them folklores, that I was completely bored with the manner in which it was revealed. Native American folklore can be interesting, but the manner in which it was told in this book was definitely not.

To me, the greatest joys of reading an urban fantasy novel is in reading about the world that the author has created, a world with rules and complex relationships that operates within the set of established rules. Too much of what happens in this book seems arbitrary, as if the author is just making up rules as she goes along. And that is why I think this book will be more of a detriment than an asset in the serie's bid to remain one of the best urban fantasy series out there.

Finally! One of UF's most loved couples has wed! Woot Woot! Way to go Mercy & Adam!

Of all the trials and tribulations Mercy has faced, it's quite endearing that the one thing that utterly terrifies her is her mother's garish wedding plans! Lol, I can totally understand why! Seriously! Can you picture Mercy's wedding complete with 100's of Butterflies and Golden Balloons?...Tee hee...No way! Never fear, Mercy's angst is for not and it all turns out perfectly, in the end. Well, that is except for the honeymoon!

Having already faced many a dangerous foe, Mercy now confronts the terrifying reality that she may not come out of this adventure alive. In a coup to place Mercy once again in the position to "save the day", Uncle Mike has loaned the newlyweds his luxurious trailer and they camp in a, yet un-opened to the public, trailer park owned by another Fae named Edythe (aka Yo Yo Girl)...And we all know that nothing is ever freely offered by the Fae! Oh Dear! Looks like Mercy is into "it" but good once again! As it turns out, there is something very suspicious and extremely dangerous going on in the Columbia River and, of course, it seems it's up to Mercy to take care of business!

In book 6 of the series, the information shared about Mercy's heritage is spectacular. While in previous installments we were treated to just a glimpse, this time `round Briggs delves deeper, shedding much more insight into Mercy's past and the history of her people.

Complete with lots of laughs, plenty of "Mercy & Adam" time, and the ever present "trouble" that seems to follow Mercy like a lost puppy, River Marked is yet another example of Briggs mastery of the genre. With plenty of nail-biting excitement, fast-paced action and all sorts of new friends and foes, River Marked culminates perfectly in what appears to be a significant turning point promising much more excitement in Mercy's adventures to come!

While there are plenty of laughs and just as many dangerous endeavors within River Marked, Patricia Briggs included a treat for readers, within the final pages of the book. Now, I can't spoil the surprise because I really don't want to ruin the effect. Suffice it to say, readers will see a new side of Mercy and may even be grabbing for the nearest tissue box! Way to go Ms. Briggs! You always seem to find an amazing way to blind-side your readers! One way or another, you always have something totally unexpected up your sleeve!

I love Patricia Briggs and the Mercedes Thompson series. It was my first introduction to the urban fantasy genre and I've just fallen in love with her writing style and the worlds she creates. This series is super entertaining and full of great characters, kick-butt action, and great twists and turns. I can’t wait for her to write more books!

Mercy Thompson is one of the few urban fantasy heroines who isn't all lily-white -- she's half Amerindian, from whence her coyote shapechanging comes.

And Patricia Briggs' sixth urban fantasy "River Marked" delves into that oft-neglected side of her heroine. The plot is patchy and rather meandering at times, but Briggs keeps it moving with her strong earthy prose, likable characters, and some new insights into the world of shapeshifters. It's nice to get away from the Tri-Cities area!

When her mother starts overplanning her wedding to Adam (doves! Balloons! BUTTERFLIES!), Mercy decides to have a small, intimate ceremony instead. And they immediately embark on an idyllic honeymoon in a remote canyon on the Columbia River. But Mercy soon stumbles across some connections to her long-dead father -- other Amerindian shapechangers, ghosts, and true dreams.

As she searches for connections to others of her kind, Mercy stumbles across something much nastier, when she is "river marked" while rescuing a wounded man (who was bitten by something barracudaesque). The secret to dealing with the river creature will send Mercy back through ancient lore -- and the discovery of her father's true identity...

The previous five Mercy Thompson books all took place in the same general area, so it's a little refreshing to get out of town in "River Marked." Oh, the regular supporting cast makes appearances -- from the mopey Stefan to Mercy's cutthroat mama -- but most of the action takes place in the rugged canyons and murky rivers.

The biggest problem is that that the plot is pretty patchy. The main focus is on Mercy's search for her roots, so the river-monster and otterkin subplots sometimes get shoved to the sidelines. But Briggs' prose is strong and earthy, with some warmly snarky moments ("You stop baiting him -- or I'll call my mom") and some otherworldly ones (Mercy's talks with Coyote).

And it's good to see more exploration of Mercy's roots -- we know she was raised by werewolves, but Briggs really delves into her mystical, mysterious heritage here, and it adds a new dimension to her without seeming Mary-Suesque. Almost as important: she and Adam are now a full-fledged couple in every sense of the word, but they still have some wrinkles to iron out.

Patricia Briggs' "River Marked" is light on plot, but heavy on atmosphere, characterization, and a suitably monstrous magical foe. It's not the best of the series, but it's a powerful book.

Spoilers ALWAYS included

Patty Briggs is one of my favorite writers, and I think Mercy is one of my favorite characters. She is ballsy and doesn't take any prisoners. But she is not super woman, I think one of the hardest scenes I ever read was where Mercy was sexually assaulted in a previous book, her recovery from that incident I think is some of Briggs' best writing.

But on to the actual book, it started out a little slow for me. I think Briggs was trying to establish an intimate relationship with Adam and Mercy, but it honestly just felt to drag on. The last half of the book picks up and became a very enjoyable read. Briggs is one of the fantasy writers that doesn't stay in one or two of the supernatural categories, she is willing to include any and all supernatural elements, and she blends them in such a way that is still cohesive for the reader as well as entertaining. This book is no exception. There is interaction with her vampire friend who needs Mercy's help, the werewolf pack Mercy is no married into, the fae sending Mercy and Adam to the honeymoon spot as well as the Fae villains, as well as the exploration of Mercy's heritage which brought in a whole new supernatural element never explored before.

Mercy has always been an outsider in the books, she is the only one of her kind, or so she thought. As a coyote raised by wolves, I believe that Mercy has always been content with the road her life went down. She has even mentioned in prior books that she has looked in mildly to her heritage but never really took it further. This book changes all of that, her heritage rises up to meet her.

I love the Native American culture, and I love that Briggs did not just make this about one specific tribe, in fact in the end Mercy is the child of all of the tribes because her father is one of the remaining immortal figures Coyote that serve the Great Spirit that all of the Native Americans believe in. The extensive culture that Briggs explores in this book is amazing, and it is great that she was able to not only make a plot that was interesting to the reader but also gives Mercy more depth and a clear and remaining link to her past, that is sure to show up in the following books.

The book was full of small sentimental moments that long time fans of these series would appreciate. I believe my favorite of these moments would be Bran at Mercy's wedding, acting all parts of the father he really feels he is to Mercy. Seeing the bond Mercy had developed with the most powerful werewolf in the world is something so sweet and special. I also love that Mercy is becoming more and more like a mother to Jesse, they have always had a good dynamic together, but it has begun to really evolve into a parent and child dynamic that has been so great to watch evolve.

I also really love the small moments Mercy has with Stefan. Stefan was a main element in the prior book. One of my biggest issues with a lot of series writers is they forget the prior books existed for some characters, the main character always remains changed but the others just seem to be along for the ride. Briggs never does that to her characters. While Stefan was not a main player this time around, she didn't forget him and showed him as the damaged vampire he should be. And true to her form Mercy does everything she can to help him heal. And in the end when Mercy herself is healing from the situation within this book, Stefan comes along to help her as well. The moment between the two of them at the end was sweet not just because of Stefan caring for Mercy when he was still clearly not completely well himself, but also the interaction Coyote and Stefan have together. Mercy is clearly a character that has the ability to unite elements of the supernatural that prefer to remain separate and also typically at odds.

Over all this is a book I loved reading, even though it to in my opinion, took far to long to pick up. The continual mundane activities that Mercy and Adam go through for so much of the beginning of the book reminds me almost of how Harry Potter's last book seemed to go on forever when they were on the run, it was just more and more of the same over and over again for far to many pages. I also think she made the river monster far to large, I think she could have made the monster even slightly smaller and way more believable within that context. But overall I think the book was great, probably my second favorite of her books.

An excellent book, coming from Patricia Briggs I expected no less but I was so entranced with this book I could not put it down. I found it was like being on a carnival ride. It just grabbed me and took off and I enjoyed it to the very end. If you have not gotten into the series you absolutely need to look into all of the Mercy Thompson books.

It is the fate of all urban fantasy series to be compared to Hamilton's Anita Blake. I initially compared the Mercy Thompson books quite favourably as uncomplicated and focussed on action.

Of late however I have been unsatisfied. The first 100 pages of River Marked are all about Mercy's relationship with Adam (nothing interesting or tense just purple lovely dovey stuff about how hot his abs are etc...) This is after a brief chapter about Stefan (her local friendly vamp) which (spoiler alert I suppose) goes nowhere, the the main plot has nothing to do with vampires.

The next 200 pages is yawn worthy mythology and confusion intermixed with adam randomly getting shot and wait for it....

Otters.

Yes the big bad in River Marked are Otters, and yes Briggs did her best to make them a decent foe - even to the point where Mercy ups the drama by penning a 'if I don't come back letter to Adam' something which I feel would be more meaningful if their relationship wasn't so shiny and perfect there was actually something to say other than 'I'll miss your abs.'

In short I guess I'll find myself continuing with this series as there is still plenty of potential for an increase in enjoyment - however every successive book I read reduces that probability.

Just a few comments. I loved this book for the Native American history/myth. I enjoyed meeting Coyote and the rest of the walkers... I appreciated it for the description of the Columbia River near Maryhill... and the no pack drama...BUT I HATED the story line what has Briggs killing 4 children... Wasn't happy when she killed a young boy in Fair Game (Alpha And Omega)... okay I hated that also... but in River Marked she spends pages on the slaughter of these children by the people that love them. I HATED the killing of the children so much I gave this book 3..

Mercy and Adam finally get married. It is suppose to be in 6 weeks, but she ends up having a surprise wedding because of her mother pushing her.

On their honey moon Mercy and Adam help the local Indian tribe with some problems they are having. And Mercy meets more people who are like her, and even someone who might be related to her.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved getting to see more of Mercy and Adam together. And I loved finding out more about Mercy's heritage, and all of the cool walker gifts. This book has lots of different surprises as well, and Mercy's vampire friend is back in action finally.

** spoiler alert ** In Book 6 we have a nice change of scenery and major focus on Adam and Mercy as a married couple. I have to say that I was a bit nervous that we'd never see them walk down the aisle, but thank god they did and did so quickly at the beginning of the book. The timeline of the book was during their honeymoon. I'm glad they got to spend some time together enjoying marital bliss before the drama started. I know that some readers were disappointed about the lack of other characters that we've come to love like Samuel, Stefan, Jesse, Warren, Zee, the Pack, etc. I was a bit sad too, but I also understood the necessity of their absence. First, we see even more development of the relationship between Mercy and Adam as a married unit. Normally Mercy goes out to fight some evil and Adam is brought in last minute. Sorta. Now that they are a team, you see them tackling the evil together and they're both in the loop from start to finish, for the most part. Second, how much drama will the Pack tolerate, right? It's not Mercy's fault that trouble follows her, but I'm sure they want a breather and lets not give them more fuel. So overall, it was a great book. We learned more about Mercy's past and I think she feels more secure and happy amongst her wolves. I look forward to the next book, but wish it wasn't so far away!

BTW, for those of you who have read it, do you think Mercy is preggers? I believe it was Jim that said she's taking something special home with her. I hope she is! I would totally read a spin-off focused on their child. :)

I have loved all of the Mercy Thompson books so far but this one really hooked me. I think it was all the Native American lore that it contained.

I also love the romance and interaction between Adam and Mercy.

Patricia Briggs has eclipsed Laurel K. Hamilton and others in this genre. Her Mercy Thompson series gets better with each book, and she has the rare ability to combine good writing with a story and characters we genuinely care about.

I read this book in one sitting and bought the hardcover, I couldn't wait for the paperback. I'm glad I found Patricia Briggs only months ago -- I had six book in this series to read, and the other books as well, although I admit to a strong preference for this series, followed by Alpha/Omega (same world but the focus is on different characters, well worth reading if you haven't).

While I would never want quality to be compromised, I'd love to see two books a year ;) It's so wonderfully refreshing to have someone write well (another author in this genre speaks of "a large amount of people" in one of her books - and I cringe, because presumably the editor also missed the error?) just flat out good writing, not adequate, legitimately good writing, something that is becoming more and more of a rarity -- especially in genres such as this which aren't entirely "respectable"; ridiculous, but nonetheless true. Patricia Briggs makes it seem easy... great world-building skills, characters we care about, laugh and cry with, and writing that is clear, error-free, and entirely readable.

Very enjoyable, and I look forward to the next book.

I have read probably everything Patricia Briggs has written and I love her characters, detailed worlds, and particularly her voice.

Mercy Thompson is certainly one of my favorite characters of her and I ran out and bought this book in hard cover when it first came out. But I must say it fell short of the mark for me, particularly as Mercy seemed to be at her most passive in this book.

It just didn't all gel, and the ending felt ultimately both too easy and straight-forwards for me. Something was just unsatisfying about it all, but I'll still get the next Patricia Brigg's book and she is still one of my favorite authors.

One of Briggs’ best. I went into this book not knowing a thing about the plot--my copy didn’t have any blurbs--so it was a pleasure to see the story unfold and not know what was coming next. I did skip over reading Mercy’s letter to Adam. I know there are plenty of fans out there who would go crazy if Briggs’ hadn’t included it, but I’m not one of them. Maybe it was meant as a “extra” for the really diehard fans.

I've read every single one of the books in this series and have loved how PB continues to shake things up for the heroine. While I've sighed with the rest of her readers when the heroine seemed to finally get her man, I've been very pleased with how PB has so deftly woven new story lines while tying up others. I simply love her writing style and, in this day where everyone seems to end a book on a cliffhanger, I ADORE that she ends each of her books solidly. Anyway, this review is coming now because I'm preparing for her next book, to be published on Tuesday. Yay!!!

Out of all the books i never found my self having to force myself to read. This was so boring and just not the mercy feel I know and love. I know this was a way to give a better understanding of her but it was not a good one. I don’t know what happened! But none the less I’m continuing the series because the author is an artist (usually ) and I wouldn’t dare not read the next ones!

Many times while reading a book series, after the fourth or fifth book I will need to find something fresh to read for a while before going back to finish the series. This is not one of those! I love how the Mercy Thompson series, even after reading the sixth book, still leaves me wanting more.

The things I enjoyed most about this book were reading about Mercy and Adam (I love Adam!) and their ever-growing relationship and also finding out more about Mercy's background. And, Stefan was back in this book! The thing I really missed in this book was more of the pack. I love the pack life and dynamics, conflicts, and ties, and even though I know we needed to see Mercy and Adam on their own for a while (their honeymoon, in fact), I still missed it. We got glimpses here and there, but the overall feeling was gone.

Briggs has made in Mercy a heroine who so easy to like. She is strong and independent. She can hold her own around the wolf pack, the vampires, and the fae. I can't wait for the next book...but sadly, I'm going to have to.

Geez, too many other people hating on this book!

I thought it was GREAT. As good as any other book in the series.

Firstly, it covered the whole marriage thing without dedicating an entire book to it.

And then it moved on to piles of interesting stuff that the previous five books have hinted at (starting heavily with book 4, I'd say) and really got in depth with it. I don't think this series could live without this book any longer than it has done! Having dedicated a lot of words towards firstly werewolves, then the vampires, then the fae. By the end of book 5 I was wondering when first nation myth would be covered because it was seeming like a big fat void, AND THEN THERE WAS BOOK 6. <3 Yeah.

Maybe some of the downer comments are about a book mainly dedicated to a romance, less from supporting characters, just Mercy and Adam. But this was totally important. The absence of the supporting characters makes me miss them and love them more in preparation for book 7. Seriously though, Mercy and Adam deserved the amount of text they just got after 5 books of build up. Without this accomplishment, I don't think I'd be ready to move on to book 7.

There's still so much ground to cover in this series. I'm totally excited. The world that's been developed still has gaps that could be filled (or ignored,) like the nasties in asia and africa that have caused fae to be a European centered group. Or plot driven open ends that could be left open or tackled, like the Gray Lords, Marcilia's exile, and Bran could probably go off and have his own pile of books somewhere (but I guess he wouldn't like that much.) <~ There's so much more that could be written. *__* Not that it has to be, there could never be another book and the six book series would stand as it is, but I'm ready to throw money at the next thing, whatever it may be. I completely trust Patricia Briggs to write the thing that needs to be written.

I, like many other reviwers love the Mercy series, this book however was my least favorite in the series. Usually when I read Patrioia Briggs I can't put the book down, with this book I kept putting the book down. I love to read about the pack and the interaction between them, and this book had very little of that. I enjoyed the wedding, but the secenes at Stefan's house just seemed like "filler" to me. The second half "honneymoon" part of the book went a lot faster than the first, but I got bored reading the detailed descriptions of every person and place in the book. I will continue reading the series because overall it is one of the best series out there, I just hope the next book stays closer to home.

1. It's about time that the poor girl got some well deserved healing after what has happend to her in her history, and spending it alone with Adam, num numm numm! I am almost torn in my choice of favorite star for this series - Mercy herself or the wonderfully wicked yet innocent intelect that is she who shares my name - Jessi.

2. Patricia also brings in the introduction of Mercy's parental heritage and just what she really is in a novel and smooth way that it flows so beautifully into this paralell world to ours, that it begs the mind to truely question, "are you SURE that these people are not out there?"

please - pick up this entire series, and enjoy all 6 books, and throw in the two books and short story that comprise the "Alpha & Omega" series (note: The introduction to the series is in a short story, which can be found in the book "On The Prowl", a compilation novel.) Ignore the few timeline inconsistancies and get to know the warewolf and shifter world as they come out into the open.

I've read this series for years. I re-read the prior books in the series and rolled right into River Marked.

I won't go into the plot, which is well described by other viewers. Essentially, Mercy and Adam go on a road trip, and Native American paranormal/magic stuff happens. I thought Mercy really rocked in this story.

After the last few books about serious relationship and political entanglements with the vampires, fae, Samuel and the Pack, I found this book a refreshing change. Especially after the scary Monster Blackwood of Bone Crossed and the Fairy Queen and Pack angst of Silver Borne, I found the change of pace really, really, welcome in the series.

So yes, it's different from the earlier books, but I found it just as wonderful a story, and just what the series, as a whole, needed.

Life is changing for coyote-shapeshifter Mercy Thompson. She is now living with fiance, Adam, the werewolf alpha. And at the moment, no one seems to be gunning for her death. But Mercy wouldn't be Mercy if she could stay out of trouble.

As she and Adam embark on a week-long trip to a campground, Mercy learns quickly there is more to the vacation than meets the eye. The fae have actually orchestrated the trip, because one of them had a vision that Mercy needed to be there. It turns out there is a monster in the water, and Mercy is integral in the chain of events needed to kill it.

But while previous installments of this series have focused on the werewolves, the vampires or the fae, this one is really about Mercy's Native American heritage. About the shapeshifting line she hails from and the magic it entails. I have to admit, some of it was confusing off the bat, especially when we got into who her father really was. By the end of the book, I pretty much got the idea, but it didn't sit easily with me.

I was happy to see the continued progression of Mercy's relationship with Adam. But I did miss the supporting characters we've come to know and love. Sure, we got a glimpse of them at the beginning, but for the most part, they were noticeably absent. Of course, they couldn't all cram into the RV and go along with Mercy & Adam, but the family of characters Patty Briggs has created --are really one of the best things about these books. I felt its absence.

When all was said and done, though, it was a good read. Not the best the series has to offer, but one I wouldn't miss. 4 stars.

I recently found Patricia Brigg's Mercy Thompson books and have read through them all (and the Alpha and Omego spin-off series) in about two weeks. I love Mercy's strength, spunk, and loyalty to those around her. This latest book has almost no references to the other characters that we've read in previous books - it's entirely Mercy and Adam. Some of the reviews I read rated the book poorly and thought the story was too slow; however, I found it to have the same great writing style and exciting pace that I've come to expect with the series. The relationship between Adam and Mercy develops nicely, and we learn more about Mercy's heritage and why her magic is so unique. I'm a little bummed now that I found out that the next book in the series doesn't come out until spring 2013 - that's just under two years away.

Patricia Briggs delivers another story that packs a wallop in River Marked! While on their 10-day Honeymoon, Adam and Mercy get caught up in a mystery which leads the reader into some of Mercy's American Indian roots. This includes more background on her biological father. The Fae are involved in the periphery of the story, as well. Along the way, Adam and Mercy are put into a situation where they must contend with a water-dwelling monster lurking in the depths of a river near where Mercy and Adam are staying for their Honeymoon. In order to eradicate the evil river monster, she and Adam must join their new-found allies against the monster in order to conquer it.

This novel is a great addition to this series. Patricia Briggs does not disappoint her fans in this intricate story.

Happy reading from Bona Fide Reflections!

I love the series and waited impatiently for this installment. I was surprised at the marriage, but okay with the fact that neither Mercy nor Adam seemed to become a sidekick. Loved the Demigods. As usual the story was chocked full of mythology. This is one of best feaures of this series. My biggest gripe was that the "Big Bad" - wasn't. The monster was mostly non-descript and limited by its habitat. I know it could reach out direct a few people, it just didn't feel that threatening. At least not in the same way that other Fae, were's or even the odd human in other stories were threatening. It wasn't personal to Mercy - she was there, so she was threatened. I missed the other were's they make a good back-drop for Mercy's coyote. But it was readable and I'll look forward to book 7 as long as Mercy and Adam stay true to themselves.

Why does it always feel like Christmas come early when a new Mercy Thompson book comes out? Oh right, because it's Mercy Thompson. Mercy has changed drastically over the course of this series going from someone who was wary, tough, and very independent to a much softer, more playful, and embracing woman. It's taken me a little while to adjust to this new Mercy, but I think RIVER MARKED is probably my favorite Mercy book since IRON KISSED. Mercy is a lot more emotional this time, and not without reason, as she has to deal with revelations about her father, her heritage, and what the future of her relationship with her mate will be like.

The majority of RIVER MARKED takes place outside of the Tri-Cities, and as much as I like all the wolves, vamps, fey, and human characters we've met since MOON CALLED, it was nice to pare down to just Mercy and Adam. We do meet some rather significant new characters who provide real answers and explanations about Mercy and Walkers in general. I know Briggs has said that she was nervous about delving into Mercy's Native American origins, but she' needn't have been. It never felt like information overload. Most of the explanations--apart from one about Joe Old Coyote--felt logical and interesting.

And after missing Stefan in BONE CROSSED, I was very pleased with the scenes he got in RIVER MARKED (including my favorite description of him to date: "He was like Superman, but with fangs and oddly impaired morals"). I'm guessing here, but I'd be surprised if Mercy #7 didn't deal heavily with Stefan and the Seethe. We'll have to wait until 2012 to see if I'm right.

The Mercy Thompson series is one of the best in the urban fantasy genre for good reason. The mythology of the series is rich and complex, borrowing just enough fact to feel real, and mixing just enough fantasy to feel magical. Mercy's world is about to get much bigger in RIVER MARKED when she learns, in a lot of ways, that she is not nearly as alone in this world as she thought. Overall, Mercy 2.0 may be more domesticated than the, pardon the pun, lone wolf mechanic we met in MOON CALLED, but her transformation into the woman we see now has been believable and hard won.

Mercy is happy now in a way I don't think she imagined possible. And I'm happy for her. Of course Mercy's happiness is about as far from boring as it gets. In RIVER MARKED she battles river monsters, Otterkin, and Native American gods armed only with her wit and walking stick. And she does it all with the same cool and tenacious attitude that endeared her to so many of us six books ago, and hopefully for many more books to come.

Sexual Content:
Kissing. References to sex. References to homosexuality. References to rape.

I love these books, but it took me half way through before I was enjoying it. The fact that you can use your imagination to make the romance real, with out having to be graphic in her books is the best part, I really didn't get it in this one. Most everything she writes sucks you in from the first, and this one was scattered thoughts, some really didn't even pertain to the story line. It was almost like they were thrown in their to make it longer. I hope the next in the series is better.

I have Really enjoyed all the books in the series, and this one didn't disappoint. I did miss the frequent interaction support characters have had in the past, but loved the introduction to new ones. I was happy to see some alone time for our pair, and thought it was well done.
This isn't a really a stand alone book. I recommend reading previous books in order for max enjoyment.
This is a great author, who I hope continues sending us great reads.

I suppose it was bound to happen. Usually a series hits a pit in the second or third book. I suppose it is something that it took five for this one.

What makes this series so likable is the main character. She's not overly beautiful or desirable. She doesn't have a mountain of sexy men all fighting for her attention. She's not incredibly witty or athletic. She's as normal as normal could considering she's a coyote "walker." Mercy is a VW mechanic that grew up with a family of werewolves. All her life she thought she was the only walker, and regardless of her background, she grew up healthy and well-loved by her real mother as well as her foster parents. She's a good girl who tries to do right. She is someone that a reader could relate to easily. And yet, trouble has seem to land on her head in every book regardless of how hard she tries to avoid it.

Mercy and Adam get married and go on their honeymoon in this book. Like every book before, trouble finds Mercy. there is "monster" living in the river eating people. Mercy, like normal, won't turn her back on those in need and risk her life to solve the problem. In addition, Briggs introduces Coyote, the Native American Mythical character, into the story. I liked that Briggs brings in the mythos, but I thought the story was a lot slower than her previous books. The story centered more around Mercy and Adam telling each other that they love each other than it did around the problem of the story. The conflict of the story seemed to be left by the wayside while the two characters made moonie eyes at each other.

Otherwise, I still feel like Mercy Thompson series is one of my favorites and I look forward to the next one. Hopefully, there would be more development.

I have all the Mercy books and loved every one of them. Patricia Briggs is a great fantasy writer that makes you believe in werewolves, vampires and the fae and spins a totally logical and interesting story. She uses humor as well as interesting challenges to keep you reading until the end. I'd highly recommend this and any other book by her to anyone who has an interest in the magical lives of her characters.

Amongst the plethora of urbanfantasinites plaguing the modern reader there only a few whose works have been inspired, involving, exciting... consistently good reads. People like Jim Butcher, Kim Harrison, Ilona Andrews, Jennifer Estep and Patricia Briggs. I've enjoyed reading their works believing them often to be not only the best of a usually poor genre but genuinely good and worthwhile literature.

Which made it all the more disappointing when not only did I not like Ms. Briggs' latest Mercy Thompson novel, but in fact could not even bother finishing it. I usually know within the first 10 or so pages if I will enjoy the book or not so I rarely find myself in a position where I've invested time reading a book that was not worth it but this is the case here. I pushed myself to read just another page, just another chapter, hoping that the pace will pick up, that an interesting character will appear, that there will be some drama or mystery or... something. Nope. Perhaps I am unfair. Perhaps I expected too much from a series and a writer who has always delivered. Perhaps if I had stuck just for another chapter or a few pages finally something noteworthy would have happened. Perhaps not.

To me River Marked feels like an archetypical series book - not a worthwhile work in its own right but rather the fruit of a writer's contractual obligation to a publisher to deliver a preordered and preapproved novel. Yeah, perhaps they had to cut quality a bit but they got their product on the street and that's all us poor addi... uh... fans need, right?

Anyway. Fans of the series will buy the book regardless, most will probably be happy regardless. I just hope this will be a bump on the road not a new direction. It would be disappointing to see one of the truly good urban fantasy series go the way of mediocrity.

That said - to those of you who do buy and read the book - I hope you like and enjoy it more than I did. Cheers :)

I switched between the ebook and audio book. I've enjoyed the narrator for this series. What I loved about this installment was finding out more about Mercy and how it centered more on Adam & Mercy.

I have no complaints about this book or this series. There has been no overdramatic frustrating phases to work through as with other series I have read and the main character, Mercy, is absolutely kick-ass, awesome. What made this book so great was the amazing storyline involving Mercy's heritage and getting to learn about her father while watching she and her new husband bond further on their Honeymoon. I don't want to give spoilers but would love to let the Author know that I love her writing and her charachters. I live in Western WA where the landscape is very different from Mercy's (like in Twilight). Briggs' descriptions of this beautiful place make me want to relocate. LOVED IT. Thanks Patricia Briggs!

I bought River Mark via Audible and loved it. I waited impatiently for this one and wasn't let down. I, unlike a few of the other reviewers, loved the love story part of Mercy and Adam. (I think that is why I love the Alpha and Omega series so much - more emphasis on the relationship.) I knew there had to be more to their relationship than what we had been given in the other books. Patricia had almost made it seem that they fell into a relationship due to living next door, but this one showed that there was more involved then just familiarity. I loved finding out more about Mercy's background. That answered a lot of questions. I will say that this one didn't come across with the evilness that some of the other did - that was ok for me, evil isn't my thing anyway. I wish I had reread the last book before this one because of all the references to things that happened in the last one. There were references to the other books as well, but for some reason it was the one before this one that threw me a little. I enjoyed this book. It was worth the wait. NOW we have to wait again for the next one. If that wasn't bad enough it will be another year before we get the next one in the Alpha and Omega Series - way too long! UGH!!!

I won't go in to the details of the storyline, as it seems everyone before me has, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at the more intimate nature of this installment of the Mercy Thompson series. You learn a lot about Mercy's past and her heritage, as well as get an emotional look inside her relationship with Adam. I thought Patricia Briggs did a great job bringing history, fantasy, and romance together to create an intriguing and captivating story. My mainly complaints were that some story lines did seem to start and then suddenly leave off halfway through the book and sometimes the conversations and explanations would get a little too wordy. Overall, however, I would highly recommend this book and the series in general.

I am so glad this story finally was told. I have been waiting to learn more about the Native American story and Mercedes connection to it. This book was the most rich is Native American lore and Ms. Briggs once again wove a vivid tale, moving her characters through their stories with great finesse and creativity. I enjoyed this book tremendously.

I am new to the Mercy Thompson series, so I have spent the last two weeks reading as many as I can. This is as good as the first, second, third. The characters are someone you want to be friends with, be they werewolf, walker or vampire. Well plotted, suspenseful and a pleasure to read

I've been a fan of this series and thought I'd enjoy Mercy and Adam getting more time together. I don't really believe I got any more in depth feelings from either character or their connection even though they were together. I honestly found this a little boring and have been wondering if I'll continue reading this series as a result..

I agree with the reviews that say the first half of the book was a little slow with the wedding, honeymoon..etc. but it really picked up when we understood what the river devil was. I thoroughly enjoyed the action later in the book but the first half leaves me wondering where future installments in this series are going to go. I feel that the author rushed the relationship between Mercy and Adam way too fast instead of building on the sexual tension and the game play between the two. It was amusing the way she defied him and the pack, wanting to be independent and on her own. The author also could have explored Mercy's relationships with Stefan and Samuel to create conflict between her and Adam. I don't like books that stretch the conflict or romantic triangles out too far. But when characters settle into domestic bliss it can sometimes become boring for the readers who enjoy a little sizzle with their mystery. I'll certainly give the next book a chance!

As other reviewers have noted, this book is a bit different from the earlier Mercy books in that Mercy's relationship with Adam and revelations about her heritage are explored in more depth. Personally, I very much enjoyed the continued evolution of her character. It's the sixth book - it make sense that the story is moving more deeply into relationships and history. The Native American lore was facinating and the story/plot was great fun. Yes, it was a different Mercy story, but I enjoyed it every bit as much. Congratulations to Patricia Briggs for continuing to explore Mercy's story rather than relying on rehashing and recycling the same-old-same-old from previous successful Mercy books!