Fire touched by Patricia Briggs

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Mercy Thompson bk 9. Little Brown, 2016. ISBN 9780356507040
(Age: Adult) Recommended. Paranormal. Good versus evil. The 9th in the Mercy Thompson series, finds shapeshifter Mercy and her werewolf partner Adam and his pack, fighting a ferocious troll. Then they find themselves with a human child, Aidan, who had been stolen long ago by the fae and who can control fire, not always in the safest way. Defying both the fae and their own kind, Mercy and Adam decide to protect him no matter the cost.
I am a fan of the Mercy Thompson series and eagerly await each new novel in this and the related Alpha and Omega series. Patricia Briggs is a master in the art of portraying believable and likeable characters, putting them into tense situations where they have to make hard decisions about good and evil. There is depth to all the characters and this makes the book a very enjoyable read. Mercy's problems with some of the members of the pack not wanting her to be Adam's mate feature strongly in this novel and family and pack life are highlighted. Mercy is strong and level headed through it all, not only fabulous in her action scenes but also in her personal life.
In Fire touched, Mercy is not prepared to see a young boy taken again by the fae and is determined to give him shelter and Adam and his pack are around to give strong back-up. This results in the fae giving chase and all are involved in some exciting and thrilling events including evading a volcano troll and a trip to the fae land of Underhill. Events show that if they are not careful there could be a war where humans would suffer greatly and Mercy is instrumental in trying to avoid this.
Each book in the series is self contained. It certainly helps to have read the books in order, to see character development, but the reader is not left on a cliff-hanger. There is however, plenty of scope for future developments, especially with the status of the werewolf pack. I suspect this series is one that older teens will be seeking at their local libraries.
Pat Pledger

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