Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs

Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Iron Kissed has made me even more of a fan of Patricia Briggs. This story takes off shortly after Blood Bound. Mercy and her friends are still recovering from dealing with the demon-possessed vampire, and the wave of violence that he inflicted on the Tri-Cities area. Do not be fooled into thinking that things will go back to normal for Mercy. The heat is on as the pressure to choose between two werewolves who want her as their mate: her former flame, Samuel and the sexy, powerful alpha of the Tri-Cities pack, Adam, gets explosive. Normally I hate love triangles, but Ms. Briggs handles this one so well, I was loving it. I could see how it was hard to choose between Samuel and Adam, because they both have a lot to offer a girl, although my heart already made the choice for her, and I was glad that Mercy made the same choice. I adore both Adam and Samuel, for different reasons. They are both tough and powerful men, with a primal edge that I just adore. Adam is protective but he knows that Mercy is always going to be her own woman, and works hard to give her space, even though his urge to claim her is increasingly hard to control. Although he is dominant and formidable in his own right, Samuel is more touchy feely and does sweet things like cooks for Mercy and provides her with the feelings of home and hearth that she sometimes misses from being part of Bran’s pack long ago. I enjoyed the flirtations she had with both guys, and I didn’t feel like she was stringing them along. It was clear how hard it was to choose one man, and possibly lose the other. Ms. Briggs balanced the tension beautifully in this book.

On top of emotional/relationship aspects, is the mystery about who is killing Fae at the Walla Walla faerie reservation. I love reading about the Fae, and this book didn’t disappoint me. Ms. Briggs captures the ruthless/dangerous aspects of these creatures, but also the allure and the otherworldly appeal awesomely. Mercy is in serious danger in this book, and there are some moments that are intense and very heartbreaking, as Mercy puts herself in jeopardy to save her friend Zee from being framed for the murder of a bigoted, anti-Fae guard who worked at the reservation.

Ms. Briggs is my favorite fantasy author, and this book only solidifies her place in my keeper shelves. She writes urban fantasy with a light, subtle touch, her narrative sparing but rich at the same time. She has all the human elements that make an urban fantasy book call to this reader. Yet she also gives a reader the magic and the preternatural creatures that make fantasy one of my favorite genres. I loved her wolves from book one, and this book makes me love them more. Adam is just awesome, but Samuel is delicious and adorable too. And the rest of the pack and their dynamics stands out beautifully, especially Ben. I loved how Ben was able to talk to Adam and Mercy and help them through the horrible situation the potential mates found themselves facing in this novel.

This book was just fantastic. In fact, I feel the urge to read it again already, although my tbr pile is calling me to other books. I’m so glad that I have the rest of the books to come back to when I get my reading schedule under control. Ms. Briggs, I want to shake your hand. You know how to write an enthralling book for fantasy lovers, and you proved it with Iron Kissed.



Casting Choices:

Julia Jones as Mercy Thompson:


Christian Bale as Adam Hauptman:


Wentworth Miller as Samuel Cornick:





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