CompleteMartialArts.com - Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson Series, Book 2)
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List Price: $7.99
Our Price: $7.99
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Ace
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780441014736
ISBN: 0441014739
Label: Ace
Manufacturer: Ace
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 304
Publication Date: 2007-01-30
Publisher: Ace
Studio: Ace
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Editorial Reviews:
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Mechanic Mercy Thompson has friends in low places-and in dark ones. And now she owes one of them a favor. Since she can shapeshift at will, she agrees to act as some extra muscle when her vampire friend Stefan goes to deliver a message to another of his kind.
But this new vampire is hardly ordinary-and neither is the demon inside of him.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Have Mercy on Me........
Comment: This book was exciting from start to finish. I would have loved to see more of some Mercy and Adam interaction though.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Oh my, Mercy me...
Comment: Mechanic and walker Mercy Thompson just can't get a break. A rogue vampire-daemon-possessed killer is on the loose, leaving a trail of bodies hard to miss in the small town of Tri-Cities, WA. Worse, Stefan is collecting her debt to him. At the same time opening the door for the Mistress of the seethe to use Mercy as she sees fit, and she's got a hungry eye on a woman who can see ghosts, slip through the magical pull of most supernatural beings and has more loyalty and guts than most normal human beings. They hope. And good thing she's not really that human.
To add to the stress, she's not only fighting between the attraction between two dominant werewolves, Adam and Samuel, but Mercy also has to contend with a third, and surprising potential love interest. But romance takes a deep backseat when her friends go missing, and the daemon-vampire Cory Littleton only has eyes for Mercy.
This second installment, while pretty good and considering most second books in a series tend to be much weaker, Blood Bound made for an exciting and pulse-pounding tale of a woman who just can't back down when the people she cares about are in trouble. What scant restrained romance element there was, it was well done and keeps me hanging on. And I need more.
This one was more horror than real fantasy or otherwise, which is fine. And there were a few scenes with the vampires that was so well done, it gave me the creeps, a Clive Barker-esque sort of chill.
That being said, the weaknesses in Book 2 falls into the category that all authors tend to fall into. It seems that in order to reduce the candied and emptier versions of most vampire/were/witch/ghost series, and to make it more substantial with real emotional weight and character driven plots to ensnare the reader (and she's quite effective anyways), Mercy herself and other characters tended to 'talk' a lot. Talking about the mechanics of their world, its functions, explanations, to understand what is going on with the story at hand, is necessary but Briggs tended to just go on and on in several places. While inherently, that's almost unavoidable, because too little and it's just as tedious, Mercy herself became much more impersonal than she should have, considering the state of things in the story. At one point, all her friends are either mortally hurt or MIA, yet she's so calm and detached, almost not really that worried that they could all be dead. I hope Briggs doesn't fall into the fatalistic female heroine trap (think a la Eileen Wilkes. And, yes, LKH--and we all know how that series went down real south). Mercy is in danger of becoming that focal point in story where she's this invincible hero, but y'know, with everyday and girly problems, and men throwing themselves at her, minus the sex. Mercy went from girl next-door neighbor mechanic to Wonder Walker. Book 1 was so intriguing because Mercy really WAS a normal person, messing up but handling it a realistic way that I could relate too. She's not as relatable in this book, just...very supernatural and removed from that elemental normalcy that Book 1 had in spades. Stories that try to have booth vulnerable female leads but tough as nails hard-liners is a hard thin line to walk upon, but hopefully Briggs can manage the balance a bit better in Book 3. She's very talented and a fresh breath of air, so I have great hopes.
Also, there are also two endings which, after reading it complete, I didn't mind. But when you get to where it 'feels' like it should be done, and the movement completely stills because it's a scene with Adam, and you know what that werewolf wants and is thinking. But you can't help thinking: there's still thirty pages left? Even though you know what she's planning, it threw me. Then again, it's the calm right ahead of the storm before the final calm, and is a primer for Book 3.
All in all: a well-worthy second book. And I can't wait to start the third, something I both relish and dread.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Vampires and Werewolves and Demons....Oh My!
Comment: "Like most people that own their own businesses, I work long hours that start early in the morning. So when someone calls me in the middle of the night, they'd better by dying. "Hello, Mercy," said Stefan's amicable voice in my ear, "I wonder if you could do me a favor." Stefan had done his dying a long time ago, so I saw no reason to be nice."
Stefan is Mercy's vampire friend. If you could possibly call a vampire a friend, that is. And yes, she owes him a favor. He had gone to bat for her with his seethe when she had some werewolf trouble, and now he is calling in that favor. Stefan has been asked to investigate the appearance of a new vampire in town. One that didn't ask permission from the seethe, which is a big no-no in the vampire community. And Stefan wants Mercy to come along as a witness, in case something happens. He needs her for 2 reasons. Because she is a Walker, she is virtually immune to the powers of a vampire. And she can shapeshift into a coyote and no one will know who she is.
So Mercy goes along on the meeting. But when they meet up with this vampire, she knows that trouble has come to the Tri-Cities. Not only is he a vampire, but a sorcerer.....that has let a demon inside. He actually had the ability to control Stefan, and he's about the most powerful vampire around. And now this new vampire's bloodlust is causing a rather large body-count. Which for a group of vampires that don't want the human world to know their existence is big trouble.
What can I say? This is one fantastic series!! Mercy is tough as nails, funny, and exceedingly humble. I just love her! Strong female characters are always good for me, and Mercy is definitely one of the best. The main storyline is fascinating, as we learn a lot more about the vampire community. And Mercy's lovelife is only getting weirder. Not only is she caught in the middle between 2 dominant werewolves, now there is a little something with Stefan the vampire! Blood Bound is ever bit as good as the first book, Moon Called. Maybe better. I can't wait to see where Mercy goes next!!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Second is even better!
Comment: Second in Brigg's Mercy Thompson series, I think I liked this one better than the first- and that's saying something!
In Blood Bound, mechanic and part/time magical world protector- Mercy Thompson, agrees to return a favor for Stefan, the vamp who assisted her in Moon Called (mercy Thompson Book 1).
Stefan needs her to be his eyes and ears while she's in coyote form when he sets out to confront a character who has the appearance of a vamp but is actually much more. When the encounter goes awry, Mercy finds herself firmly entangled in the intrigues of the vamp seethe living nearby- a morass she certainly doesn't like finding herself in.
Adam and Samuel, the two alpha werewolves competing for her affection, don't like it either. Naturally, they all become involved, because the last thing they need is for the world to discover that Vampires really do exist, let alone for the knowledge to get out that they are far less tame than the other magical beings all ready "out" seem to be.
The something-more-than-vamp is definitely a creature that needs to be neutralized and however helpful the leaders of the vamp seethe seem to be in reining in the rogue creature, their motives are not all together pure. It falls to Mercy, whose shapeshifting nature vampires fear and loathe, seems to be the only one to take him down. In the end, it is indeed she who gets the job done.
Briggs does a wonderful job of plotting her novels so that everything ties together without breaking her own rules and in the process having it all make sense.
What keeps me coming back, however, is the love triangle (who will she choose?) subplot of Mercy, Samuel, & Adam. (Yeah, I'm that easy.)
Another excellent addition to a great paranormal series!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Okay follow-up to the second book; still nothing special
Comment: This is the second book in the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. It was about on par with the first book. It was okay but nothing special.
In this book Mercy is contacted by Stefen who calls in a favor that Mercy owes him and asks her to accompany him on a short trip. Stefen is supposed to check in on a vampire who entered the area unannounced. Stefen is nervous about the encounter and wants Mercy to come along because her Walker abilities should make her immune to any magic effects that this vampire has. Well, the vampire is more than he initially seems to be and the remainder of the book is dedicated to hunting him down and destroying him.
The story is straight forward and is a quick, fun read. I am still having trouble really liking any of the characters. The tension in the relationship between Mercy, Samuel and Adam is getting old. The vampires seemed kind of boring and predictable. The writing is still nothing special. Mercy's walker abilities are also nothing really interesting so far. The bright spots in this book for me were Mercy's dealings with the fey and the interesting weapons they gave her. I also though that the Wizard was an interesting character and I hope we see more of him in the future.
All the above being said, I'll read the next book because I already have it. Hopefully the next book will really draw me in. If not that's it for this series and I won't read anymore.
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