If you are into urban fantasy and you haven't picked up the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs, you're missing a treat. Mercy is a werecoyote, or a "walker" as she would have it, one of the last of her kind. She grew up with werewolves, and doesn't have the fear of them that perhaps prudence would dictate. Central to the books is her relationship with Adam Hauptman, who puts the alpha in alpha male (werewolf). That is not to say this series is a romance: guys will like these books just as much as women, especially if they are feminists. Mercy is a mechanic in Washington state, specializing in Volkswagons with her mentor Zee, a fae who can handle iron, unlike most of his kind. Thompson has friendships outside of members of Hauptman's pack, including one with Stephan, a vampire with a Scooby-Doo enthusiasm. Everyone thinks her relationship with Stephan is a bad idea, including sometimes Mercy herself, but she persists. This does mean she gets entangled in vampire politics, which provide the engine to several of the books.
The world-building is first-rate, as are the characterizations. Humor is strung throughout, usually Mercy's wry observations on everything from Adam's teenage daughter's hair (never a color Nature intended), to exactly how likely it is that her coyote's luck has finally run out. Magic reigns, but it has definite rules, and werewolf and vampire cultures and customs are clearly explained. I recommend reading these in order because they do build on each other. Now, go have some furry fun!
Moon CalledBlood BoundIron KissedBone CrossedSilver BorneRiver MarkedFrost Burned
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