Release Day Review: Burn Bright by Patricia Briggs
Mated werewolves Charles Cornick and Anna Latham face a threat like no other--one that lurks too close to home...
They are the wild and the broken. The werewolves too damaged to live safely among their own kind. For their own good, they have been exiled to the outskirts of Aspen Creek, Montana. Close enough to the Marrok's pack to have its support; far enough away to not cause any harm.
With their Alpha out of the country, Charles and Anna are on call when an SOS comes in from the fae mate of one such wildling. Heading into the mountainous wilderness, they interrupt the abduction of the wolf--but can't stop blood from being shed. Now Charles and Anna must use their skills--his as enforcer, hers as peacemaker--to track down the attackers, reopening a painful chapter in the past that springs from the darkest magic of the witchborn...
EXCERPT
“Asil, my old friend, if you are through being irritated with me, would you open the cupboard above the fridge and get the bottle you will find there. Then, if you will, pour all of those who wish it, but most especially me, a little? I was saving it, but I think this tale . . . I think I need a little strength to tell this tale. I would do it myself, but I would end up on the floor before I got to the fridge. ”
Asil folded his arms and stayed where he was. He and Sage had both lost the ready-to-defend-myself body posture they’d had when Anna woke up.
Sage heaved a sigh, opened the cabinet, and made a sound of approval as she pulled out a wine bottle.
“Merlot,” she said. “And a very good label. Yum.” She opened a cupboard and started to close it when she saw nothing but a plastic bag with cups in it.
“No,” said Wellesley. “That is what I have.”
She looked at him. “You want to drink good wine out of disposable cups? ”
He shrugged. “I tend to . . .”He paused, looked at Anna, and gave her a small smile before returning his attention to Sage. “I tended to break glass. The plastic is easier to clean up.”
She shook her head, found a corkscrew, and pulled the cork—bringing it to her nose. She breathed in—and a warm, fruity smell wafted through the room even as far as Anna’s love seat.
“Very yum,” Sage said. “Charles?”
“No,”he said.
“Anna?”
Anna hesitated but shook her head. “Not just this moment.” Her stomach was unsettled. She assumed it was from the same thing that was making her head ache and her eyes burn—freeing Wellesley had taken a lot of energy.
“Asil? ”
Asil shook his head.
“That’s right,”she said, with a little bite in her tone. “You don’t participate in vice.”
Anna knew for a fact that Asil liked wine, but she didn’t think this conversation was about alcohol. It had the feel of one of those painful battles between lovers that continued past the point where either love or logic could put it right.
He tilted his head, and when he spoke, his voice was gentle and half-apologetic. “I assure you that I am a very bad Muslim. Wine is, for a werewolf, only grape juice—”
“Very expensive grape juice,” said Wellesley. “Also very good grape juice.”
“— though very expensive and good grape juice, I do not feel the need to consume it just now.”
“Okay,” Sage said casually, as if she hadn’t put more meaning into his rejection of the wine than it required. She filled two red plastic cups and brought them both to Wellesley. “You pick.”
“Did you poison one?” he asked with interest.
“You’re a werewolf,” she said dryly. “We don’t need to worry about poisons.”
“That’s not true,” Wellesley countered, taking one of the cups and sipping it with a happy sigh. “Our poisons are just different.”
“Alcohol is technically a poison,” Anna pointed out. “It kills brain cells—which is why humans, who don’t regenerate cells the way we do, get tipsy.”
Sage sipped her cup, raised her eyebrows, and nodded at Wellesley. “May all our poisons taste so good.” She tipped her cup toward Wellesley without stepping close enough to actually touch his. “To dead brain cells.”
He raised his cup. “To freedom,” he said, and as he did, his eyes flashed bright yellow.
**ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review**
The Alpha & Omega by Patricia Briggs is one of my favorite Urban Fantasy series. Unfortunately, the books in this series releases every two or three years, so I treasure the books even more than I do with other series. Charles and Anna are one of my favorite couples and I always look forward to seeing their relationship develop. These two have come a very long way, and I love that the author gives us something new every book in regards to their personalities and their abilities. I will not go into detail about the plot because the blurb gives a perfect summary of it. The writing was great and easy to follow. The story had a very nice pacing and the author took her time to tell the story.
Ours, said Brother Wolf. She is perfect, our soul mate, our anchor, the reason we were created. So that we could be hers.
In this book we are introduced to 'wildings': "They are the wild and the broken. The werewolves too damaged to live safely among their own kind." I loved these wildings a lot because they are very mysterious and have been around for hundreds of years. They have great knowledge about the world and other paranormal beings. Every side character added so much to the dynamic of the story. I loved the plot in this book and the case/mystery Charles, Anna and others had to solve. It was suspenseful, action-packed and had the perfect amount of magic. I haven't been disappointed by any of the books in this series yet, and I hope that Patricia will continue to deliver topnotch work. Burn Bright definitely satisfied my craving for this series, and it will hold me over for the next two/three year.
Patricia Briggs was born in Butte, Montana to a children’s librarian who passed on to her kids a love of reading and books. Patricia grew up reading fairy tales and books about horses, and later developed an interest in folklore and history. When she decided to write a book of her own, a fantasy book seemed a natural choice. Patricia graduated from Montana State University with degrees in history and German and she worked for a while as a substitute teacher. Currently, she lives in Montana with her husband, children and six horses and writes full-time, much to the delight of her fans.
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