Patricia Briggs' Alpha and Omega series - set in a world of shifting shapes, loyalty, and passion - brings werewolves out of the darkness and into a society in which fear and prejudice could make the hunters prey....
They say opposites attract. And in the case of werewolves Anna Latham and Charles Cornick, they mate. The son - and enforcer - of the leader of the North American werewolves, Charles is a dominant alpha, while Anna, an omega, has the rare ability to calm others of her kind.
Now that the werewolves have revealed themselves to humans, they can't afford any bad publicity. Infractions that could have been overlooked in the past must now be punished, and the strain of doing his father's dirty work is taking a toll on Charles.
Nevertheless, Charles and Anna are sent to Boston when the FBI requests the pack's help on a local serial killer case. They quickly realize that not only the last two victims were werewolves - all of them were. Someone is targeting their kind. And now Anna and Charles have put themselves right in the killer's sights....
©2012 Patricia Briggs (P)2012 Penguin
"Best of the Best"
I normally don't write reviews but I have been waiting patiently for this book and I must say it does NOT disappoint! Without a doubt this is the best of the Mercy Thompson world novels. I will be certainly listening to this one over and over right along with Moon Called, Silver Borne and River Marked. The story keeps you engaged from start to finish. The interaction between Anna and Charles is great showing the vulnerability of Charles and the strength of Anna better than any of the previous books. The plot is a great detective story complete with good cops, bad cops and questionable government agencies. The Fae are shown in a different light and WOW what a cliff hanger ending!! The only negative thing I can say is now we have to wait a year until the next book. :-(
My favorite characters are always Anna and Charles, but I think Issac is certainly a standout supporting character. I really hope to be able to see more of him in the future. He's young and flamboyant on the outside, but when the Sh$$ hits the fan he is stable, strong and loyal. Very cool dude.
Holter Graham's narrative is superb. As always he does a great job of giving each character a voice of their own and uses inflections to convey the emotions and excitement perfectly throughout the entire book. One of the most important part with the narrative is that there are NO swallowing, breathing or gulping sounds during the reading like i have found on other audio-books.
Patricia Briggs please write faster! Another year before the next Mercy Thompson is going to drive me nutty.
"The best book in this series to date"
I've read and loved the Mercy Thompson books from the beginning. So I was glad when she started a new series with many of the same characters. But I didn't actually like the first couple of books all that well. However, in this book, the story was every bit as good as any in Mercy's series. I particularly liked the ending.
"WOW! What a great book!"
This is a wonderful addition to the Alpha & Omega series! It's a great book so wonderfully written and... there is a great shocker at the end! I can't wait for the next book!
QUESTION : DOES LISTENING TO AUDIO BOOKS MAKE YOU SMARTER? If so, I'm. Freakin Genius!
"Finally, The Wait is Over!"
It is one of the BEST! Holter Graham's performance was wonderful.
Charles. Anyone that has read this series will know why.
I have a few. I was surprised that Charles and Anna were having such a tough time with their marriage. But, I loved they way the handled it.
I don't want to even try.
The Alpha and Omega series is one of the best.
I highly recommend buying all the books. They are just that good.
"It's a testament to Briggs writing that"
It's a testament to Briggs writing that I loved this book as much or more than any of her Mercy books and that I love Anna and Charles just as much or more than Mercy and Adam. What a great book. I enjoyed every minute of it.The story is very good. The narrator did a wonderful job and I'll be looking forward to hearing him again. I bought it when it came out this morning and thankfully didn't have to work today so I pretty much listened to it straight through. The only terrible thing is having to wait until 2014 for the next one.
"I hate the wait, but so worth it!"
This book is definitely one that was worth my time and money. I have enjoyed all of Patricia Briggs books and so wish there were more. I will reread this one again - and I don't do that very often unless it is something I really, really enjoy.
Picking my favorite part is hard because the book is so good, but I have to say I think one of my favorites was the discussions Anna and Asil had with Brand in the beginning. Got to love someone who can respectfully disagree with their leader and help him see a different point of view. (And knowing that other than Mercy, no one else will stand up to him makes this part fun to listen to.)
Holter Graham does a great job. Listening to a book means that you listen to every single word written, with some that is a little bit of a struggle, but not with the books narrated by Holter. His reading not only helps bring the books to life on a different dimension, but the characters as well. Since listening to him read, I tend to hear his voice and intonation while reading other books in the same series (this series as well as others he has read). I didn't have but maybe one or two times I had to think about who said what and usually that was pretty clear just by what was being said. Sometimes narrators struggle with the quick switching back and forth and loose the voice needed for each character. (I don't complain because I know just how hard it is to do.) Holter is so good at it that it isn't a problem for him. I have enjoyed his work on other books as well. As others commented, there are no other sounds that can distract from the listening. I am not sure if that is the narrator or studio recording differences, but it was a pleasure to listen to and I will search for other books he has done because of it.
I usually listen during my drive time or at lunch while I am working. With this book, I listened every spare moment I could find, even when husband was home (Thank God for March Madness). :)
I couldn't wait for this book to come out. I started the series with Alpha and Omega and was hooked. Unlike many authors, Briggs doesn't rewrite the same story over and over with each new book. She writes a fresh story and makes the characters real in ways that others can sometimes struggle with. At no time do you wish that they would just get on with the story; she keeps the relationships real, never fake and dumb. With this book, she gives you a really good insight into Brand, Anna and Charles. You know that at the end of this story, the results are going to impact Mercy Thompson's series too. I like that while they are two separate series, they do flow so well together. I so wish that we could get more than one book a year, but I will admit that the wait is definitely worth it. I will just have to do what others have said and reread the two series again.
BJS
"Stories get better and better"
I've followed this series and "Mercy Thompson" since their beginnings. The story in this third book of "Alpha and Omega" is the best so far in this series. Although I did figure out who was instigating the honorable serial killings, it did turn out more complicated than I thought. There will be a 4th book in this series, at least that is the way the ending of this book left me feeling. It sets the supernatural world on it's ear at the end and there just may be a holy war between humans and supernaturals. I'm sure Ms Briggs will do us proud.
"A Surprise Set-Up for the next one"
Highly enjoyable urban fantasy. A world shared with the Mercy Thompson series continues to develop in fascinating suspense. It's as much fun to watch the world develop as it is to keep up with Briggs' thoroughly engaging characters. Either Holter Graham's narration is getting better, or I'm getting accustomed to his sometimes odd rhythm. A worthy addition to the Alpha and Omega series.
bookworm
"JUST BRILLIANT"
Each of her books are spellbinding - I could go on about the 'GREATS' in this book such as the storyline, characters, twists, their enduring love etc etc etc but it's all been said before. Enjoyed every last minute and the book 'had me hooked' at the prologue.
Worth a credit? Well, what do you think after my comments !
itsallaboutthestory
"Another Winner!!"
I really loved this book. I'm totally addicted to the Mercy Thompson Series and Alpha and Omega is no disappointment either. With all of Brigg's books that I lhave read and listened to 99% of the content is ok for my kids to hear too if i want to listen over the speaker system. Fair Game is a lot grittier than the other two books in the series and there are only a few instances in Mercy's Series that I don't allow my kids to hear.
The story is dead on, nothing disappointed me here. One thing to note is there is explicit sex in this book. So if you're going to listen be careful when and where so your kids don't get an early education.
Holter Graham is an excellent narrator. The only thing that threw me was his "Adam" voice. But that was just because I am so used to King's voice for Adam.
If you're a Brigg's fan you won't be disappointed.