I have several books that I need to finish, but I set those all aside when I got my hands on an advanced copy of Fire Touched, the latest book in the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs, many thanks to Penguin and Netgalley. If you have been thinking of taking a dive into the urban fantasy subgenre or just looking for a fantastic series with wonderful world building and amazing characters be sure to pick up the Mercy Thompson series. You should definitely start at the beginning. Each book in this series gets better and better.

Description: Tensions between the fae and humans are coming to a head. And when coyote shapeshifter Mercy and her Alpha werewolf mate, Adam, are called upon to stop a rampaging troll, they find themselves with something that could be used to make the fae back down and forestall out-and-out war: a human child stolen long ago by the fae.
  Defying the most powerful werewolf in the country, the humans, and the fae, Mercy, Adam, and their pack choose to protect the boy no matter what the cost. But who will protect them from a boy who is fire touched?

Review: An impending conflict with the fae has been hinted at in the last few books in the Mercy Thompson series and in its spinoff series, Alpha and Omega. In Fire Touched we finally see the strife between fae and the rest of the world escalate. The book begins with a heart-pounding, epic battle scene as Mercy and the pack are called in for reinforcement to handle a troll that is wreaking havoc on a bridge and threatening the lives of everyone in its vicinity. The battle scene made me nervous watching favorite characters get injured. After all of the debris settles, a young boy who is fire touched and has been a captive of the fae for many years appears and seeks sanctuary. Mercy stands tall with her unpredictable walking stick, claims the Tri-Cities to be the pack's territory, and gives the boy asylum as long he agrees not to hurt anyone in the pack for 24 hours.
 With this powerful declaration, Mercy has inevitably shifted the politics of her world. As the fae and werewolves fight for dominance (in the case of the fae) and protection of humankind (werewolves), we finally get a better understanding of the various motives of the fae and their desires. I thoroughly enjoyed watching both competing species play their game and move their pieces after much consideration. Mercy's announcement has strong repercussions for her pack too. The pack is still divided in accepting her as their alpha's mate. In a very alpha-like move, Adam sets an ultimatum for his pack in regards to Mercy much to her ire, but I felt the move was very much necessary in order to move the pack beyond the pettiness that we saw in Night Broken.
 The relationship between Mercy and Adam is a perfect balance of both of their strengths and weaknesses. Mercy once again proves why millions of readers are her ardent fans. She is fiercely independent, resilient, brave, and recklessly loyal. In Fire Touched we get to see her vulnerability, particularly her ability to reach out and ask for help, without being a damsel in distress.  I was really pleased how she proved to the pack that she is a leader, not a leader by default, by being assertive and making quick yet important decisions. Like Mercy, Adam retains his position as one of the best book boyfriends ever who strives to listen to Mercy and reigns his desire to be overly protective of her.
  In addition to an already strong cast of main and secondary characters, Briggs continues to increase her world by adding new characters. We are introduced to new characters such as Aiden, the fire touched, the very powerful fae Margaret, and the vampire Thomas Hao. While we learn a good amount of detail about each of them, I am confident that they will become much stronger as the series progresses as Briggs adds characters that add value and purpose to her worlds. I would very much like to see what Bran, Samuel, and Arianna are up to as they continue to be mentioned in the books. I also am curious to see what Gary and Coyote have been up to.
  While the book does not end with a cliffhanger, we are left with lingering questions and wondering when we will meet these wonderful characters that Briggs created again. Fire Touched is another great installment in the Mercy Thompson series with plenty of action, tender and sad moments with just the right amount of humor.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong violence, some language, and implied sex scenes which take place off screen. Recommended for older teens and adults.

If you like this book try: Alpha and Omega series by Patricia Briggs, Kate Daniel series by Ilona Andrews, Others series by Anne Bishop