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Review

3.5 stars

I really enjoy Suzanne Wright’s shifter series. The Mercury Pack books tie in very closely with her Phoenix Pack series (see suggested reading order), and all of these books are always guaranteed to make me laugh with lots of romance, sex and banter, with exciting action set in a well-developed shifter world.

Harley Vincent is a cat (margay) shifter. She’s been through some hard times in her life, and is resigned to living her life among humans so that she can escape the politics and drama that come with living in a pride. Her father is in prison with questionable ties, and to make things even worse she has recently become the target of an extremist group out to rid the world of shifters once and for all.

Jesse Dalton is an enforcer with the Mercury Pack. His background is tragic, losing his true mate (the one person destined for him) when they were both still children. He then lost his sister, and his relationship with the rest of his family is not exactly warm. He has found his home in the Mercury Pack, but he is broody and withdrawn – until the time finally comes for him to claim the woman he wants.

Jesse and Harley knew each other as children. They shared one hot night together years ago and haven’t seen each other since, but Jesse knows that he wants Harley, and when he and his packmates step in to save her life, he decides it’s time to make his claim.

Jesse backed her against the wall and placed a hand either side of her head, crowding her. “I don’t play games, Harley, so I’ll tell you straight, I want you. In my bed. In my life. Where you belong.”

Harley has always had a thing for Jesse but she knows his true mate died, and she has no intention of being second best. Added to that, a life with him means living among a pack again and that’s not something that she wants. It’s going to take some convincing on Jesse’s part to win Harley over, and the alpha wastes no time.

“We both want this. We’ve both wanted it for a long time. Really, it was inevitable. I’ll tell you how it’s going to work; I’ll claim you, you’ll claim me, you’ll come to trust the pack, you’ll settle here, we’ll imprint, and we can be fucking happy.”

But Harley is also an alpha, with a wicked sarcastic streak and a whole lot of sass, which sets up a great dynamic as they battle it out.

“If you fuck me over I will claw your face right off your skull.”

This is a really fun relationship. There’s a bit of back and forth, but it’s functional for the most part. Both Jesse and Harley talk about how they feel, what they want, and about the dynamics of their relationship, with both of them keen for the challenge that being together will bring. Their honesty is gorgeous, and their chemistry is electric and the sexy time is really freaking as always. But there’s a beautiful emotion to these two. They’ve been through a lot, and their shared history creates a wonderful bond between them, and I loved seeing that softer side of both of them come out as they find their way forward.

“Home isn’t always a place, sweetheart. Home is something that anchors you, comforts you, and is a safe haven for you.” He rubbed his nose against hers. “Let me be that for you, Harley.”

At the same time that the romance is unfolding, the Mercury Pack is facing a dangerous threat in the form of a vicious land developer. He’s half-shifter himself but seems to have it out for the Pack, and shifters in general, and it will take the whole Pack to figure out his motives and shut him down before his threats come to fruition – even if it means fighting to the death.

This was a fun read. I’ve read all of the Phoenix Pack and Mercury Pack books, so reading this book felt comfortable and familiar, and I really liked that. Having said that though, the storyline doesn’t really differ that much from other books in the series. It’s almost getting to the point where you can change the character names and voila – new book! I liked the characters, their relationship, and the glimpses of life within the pack, and the cast of characters continues to grow and deepen with each book, giving us more interactions and dynamics, but it’s more of the same. Throw in the predictable threat followed by a shifter fight scene and these books get harder to distinguish from each other. But I will continue on with the series. Like I said, it’s comfortable reading and sometimes you’re in the mood to read a book where you know exactly what’s going to happen. I just think in this case that a bit of a shake-up would be nice.

Good fun – 3.5 stars.

Advanced Reader Copy generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

 

The Mercury Pack

 

See our Phoenix Pack / Mercury Pack series page for more information
and to see how these two series fit together (including suggested reading order).