Fool Moon (Jim Butcher)

Harry Dresden is a wizard in contemporary Chicago, working with the police to solve crimes that have occult elements. In this story, people have been torn apart by something with monstrous claws and teeth right around the full moon, and Harry has to figure out how to stop it. There are multiple kinds of werewolves in this story, some good, some bad, some in between, but the real complication comes as Harry tries to sort out his relationships with three women: his young apprentice, a smart and lovely reporter, and a tough, no-nonsense detective. I love this series, because the stories are engaging and Harry is someone I can really like.

River Marked (Patricia Briggs)

I still love this series of contemporary fantasies, featuring Mercy Thompson, who is tough, brave, sexy, and compassionate. In this story, the focus is firmly on Mercy's relationship with Adam, and on coming to terms with her Native-American culture and with Coyote, as they band together to fight an abomination of a river monster that's been returned from the dead to prey on people. Her mechanic shop, the vampires, fae, and even the rest of the wolf pack are secondary. The action is intense, the stakes are high, and Adam and Mercy are put through the wringer in every possible way, but they manage to come through in the end. I will definitely keep reading these as long as she keep writing them.

Bone Crossed (Patricia Briggs)

I just can't get enough of this series. Mercy Thompson is tough, funny, vulnerable, resourceful, sexy, honest -- everything one could want in a hero. In this story she's coping with the aftermath of trauma she experienced in earlier books and trying to find her footing in the new relationship she has with the werewolf pack (and its sexy Alpha), so she doesn't need a threat posted on the wall of her mechanic shop indicating that the vampires have declared open season on her and hers. She has to try to find out what the vampires are after and how to protect herself from them, and also solve a seemingly unrelated problem brought to her by an old college friend who suspects her house is haunted. Of course, the two problems turn out to be related, and much worse than anyone thought, but through bloody-minded toughness and quick thinking, and with help from various expected and unexpected sources, she manages to make everything work out as it should. Mostly. Recommended.

Iron Kissed (Patricia Briggs)

Another story of Mercy Thompson, the shapeshifting mechanic and her world of werewolves, vampires, witches, and fae. She is called in to investigate a series of murders in the fae reservation: murders that have never been reported to authorities because the fae handle these things themselves, but Mercy's fae friend Zee thinks her special coyote abilities might be useful. Along the way Zee winds up imprisoned for a murder he didn't commit and Mercy finds herself a target of the real murdered, who stalks her for his own twisted pleasures. Mercy's ties to Adam, the Alpha of the local werewolf pack, grow ever tighter in this story. I'm really loving these books!

Silver Borne (Patricia Briggs)

After this, I will focus more on reading this series in order! Mercy Thompson, the shapeshifting hero of these books, has a life that progresses and changes, with the events of each book affecting the shape of future events, and dipping into her life at random is making me nuts! Here Mercy learns that a book in her possession is much more important than she realized and is trying to untangle that problem without getting anyone killed. In the meantime her roommate, an alpha werewolf she used to be in a relationship with, has become despondent, and Mercy must also struggle with resentment and outright hostility from the local pack since its Alpha took her as his mate. Briggs handles these relationship issues with skill, dodging any tendency for soap opera overindulgence, while delivering a thrilling life-or-death supernatural mystery to solve. I really enjoy these books a lot.

Finn Fancy Necromancy (Randy Henderson)

This rollicking fun trip of a novel involves elite necromancers, formless Fey, evil witches, brutish Sasquatches, and thuggish gnomes, set in modern-day Washington State under the blind eye of the mundane world. At the center is a mystery: who framed Finn for dark necromancy and got him exiled to the Other Realm for 25 years, and now that he's finally out, who's trying to get him sent back there again? Finn and his funky family and assorted other strange folks have just three days to solve these mysteries before he's dragged back to his non-life. As he tries to figure out what's going on people around him are dying, falling in love, discovering secrets, and speaking from the grave. I enjoyed the romp quite a bit, because although it feels very comic book I could really care about the characters (including several that are diverse in mundane ways such as race, orientation, and intellectual ability, without carrying Look At Me - I'm Diverse!! signs). The ending wasn't terribly surprising but satisfying enough and leaves open lots of directions for sequels, which makes me happy.

Night Broken (Patricia Briggs)

I've jumped ahead to this most recent book in the Mercy Thompson series, and it lives up to the others that I have read. Mercy continues to work with werewolves and other friends (in this case, members of the fae) to fight evil (in this case, the personification of a volcano god - really!). One thing I missed in this book was that Mercy didn't use her ability to shapeshift into a coyote much, though a big part of the story was about her relationship with Coyote, the actual trickster god. A big part of the book related to a confrontation with Adam's ex-wife, who has come home seeking help with a stalker and polarizes the wolf pack into Mercy versus the ex. I raced through it and had a lot of fun along the way.

Blood Bound (Patricia Briggs)

This second book in the Mercy Thompson series is as good as the first. Mercy is resourceful, brave, and likeable as she faces a murderous demon, with the help of her werewolf, fae, and vampire friends. And with her own ability, which is that she can shift at will into a coyote. I like her as a strong female character, though the cover of the paperback annoyed me. Mercy makes her living as an auto mechanic, but I doubt she works with her overalls zipped down below the navel. I also like that the supernatural creatures are not just stereotype. Each individual has a unique personality that comes through even when overlaid with things like the rigid pack hierarchy of the wolves. Briggs has a deft hand with contemporary fantasy, and I will definitely read more.

Summer Knight (Jim Butcher)

I'm not reading the Dresden Files novels in order, but I'm enjoying them a lot. Harry Dresden is my kind of hero: unreasonably strong and competent, but with realistic flaws and foibles and deeply concerned about other people. He is a wizard in modern-day Chicago, dragged into a war between the Summer and Winter Courts of Faerie that threatens the very existence of the Earth, not to mention the lives of everyone Harry cares about. In order to save the day Harry has to solve a murder mystery: who killed the Summer Knight? The Queen of Winter is the obvious suspect, but she's the one who hired Harry to solve the crime, so maybe not. As usual, Harry is helped out by an assortment of people: Murphy, the CPD cop; a pack of enthusiastic young werewolves; the mystical Mothers of Winter and Summer; and a small coven of changelings still balanced between the human and the faerie world. The action is nearly nonstop, and I enjoyed the ride.

Moon Called (Patricia Briggs)

I enjoyed this first book in a fantasy series. Mercy Thompson lives in our modern world with the addition of werewolves, vampires, witches, and fae, but she is not one of them. She's not human, either; she's a walker, one of the few remaining descendants of Native American magic, who can turn at will into a coyote. She's generally maintains good relationships with the supernaturals in her area, but when a young, untrained werewolf in human form appears on the doorstep of her garage, things go bad quickly. Mercy has to negotiate two different werewolf packs and a nest of vampires in her search for a kidnapped child. I liked Mercy; she's tough and smart, but realistically limited in her abilities.The story was engaging and kept me turning pages. I will definitely read more of this series.

Hounded (Kevin Hearne)

I enjoyed this contemporary fantasy story, with an ancient druid living in Arizona as a 20-something dealer in arcane books and tea, fending off the attention of Celtic gods with the help of other gods, witches, werewolves, and his own earth magic. The hip, pop-culture attitude contrasts nicely with the old legends and dire swords. This is the beginning of a series that I expect to follow, at least for a while.

Heartless (Gail Carriger)

I'm still enjoying this series, but this fourth book didn't quite live up to the standards of the previous three. Alexia is still as strong-willed and outrageous as ever, but not as quick-witted, perhaps because she is so thoroughly pregnant. It took her over 200 pages to figure out something I had seen right away. The delightful turns of phrase and thrilling adventure are still there, but slightly diluted. Here's hoping the next installment - Timeless - is back on track.

Blameless (Gail Carriger)

This series maintains its level of wit for a third book. Alexia is as stubborn, resourceful, and funny as ever as she battles vampires and Templars in her attempt to prove that, unconventional though she may be, unfaithful she has never been.The only disappointment is that, while we get to see both Alexia and her werewolf husband throughout the story, we don't get more than a glimpse of them together. I can definitely picture this series as the basis for some terrific movies.

Changeless (Gail Carriger)

This second story (a novel of vampires, werewolves, and dirigibles) is as interesting and charming as the first (Soulless). Alexia is just a strong-willed, unpredictable, and quirky as ever, as she works to discover what is behind a mysterious force that strips the supernatural of their powers and makes them simply human again. Alexia, of course, does this herself, but does it one-on-one with direct touch. Whatever is going on now covers all the supernatural creatures in a large region. In the process of solving this mystery, Alexia learns more about her husband's past, and at the end her life is overturned. Now I have to read the next book in the series!

Soulless (Gail Carriger)

This "novel of vampires, werewolves, and parasols" is delightful fun. It is set in a version of Victorian London in which vampires and werewolves are socially recognized classes of people who hold lordships, gather in gentlemen's clubs, and serve on Her Majesty's council. A few rare individuals are born without souls and are immune to these night people, so that their touch turns them back into ordinary humans. Alexia faces this London with several handicaps: her father was Italian, and dead. She herself is tan of skin, large of nose, and unmarriageable -- and soulless. She is also intelligent, strong-willed, cheeky, and great fun to be around. I enjoyed this story a lot, and will read more.