Alpha and Omega (2009)

I bought ON THE PROWL just to re-read this story over and over, then purchased it as a seperate eBook when the opportunity arose. Love the beginning of Charles and Anna, and fascinated to see the Chicago side of the events that unfold in MOONCALLED.

Re-read 11/11 - I love this story, and every time I re-read it I remember how surprised and delighted I was to be on the other end of Bran's phone call. Briggs does a fantastic job of fleshing out her world (without ever making it seem formulaic), and Anna and Charles's story segue's perfectly from this to CRY WOLF.

See Abigail's review at All Things Urban Fantasy. ( )

This novella is a reread, probably my favorite of all the Briggs’s stories set in the world of Mercy Thompson and her werewolf friends. I own the anthology On the Prowl, in which Alpha and Omega is included, but every time I re-read it (at least twice already) I read only this one story.
The heroine of this short tale, Anna, is a recently turned werewolf in Chicago. Changed against her will, constantly abused by her new pack mates and bewildered by their brutal treatment, she is afraid of her own shadow, until Charles blows into town to investigate the local pack.
While Anna is a new character for the readers, we know Charles from the previous Mercy novels. He is the son of the Marrok and the executioner of his father’s will.
Anna’s and Charles’s short association – only a couple of days – is studded with danger and courage and tinged with the beginning of sensual interest. While the action-filled plot zips ahead without pause, the protagonists’ romance unfolds tentatively, reluctantly, as if, like Anna, it is afraid to bloom.
The story is tightly written and sharply focused, everything extraneous ruthlessly pared off. Despite the low page count that doesn’t allow for a very deep characterization, the reader sees Anna and Charles clearly. She is kind and compassionate, learning to accept her new status as a shape-shifter. He is ruthless and just, determined to keep her safe. The result is a charming portrait of a young female werewolf who is gradually coming to terms with what she is.
By the end, the reader is left bemoaning the shortness of the story and hankering for more. ( )

Now that I've gotten a little look into the characters I'm going to start the audio book this week. ( )

Now that I've gotten a little look into the characters I'm going to start the audio book this week. ( )

Originally an ebook, I think, as well as part of the anthology On the Prowl, this short novella tells the story of how Charles and Anna met. The Marrok sends Charles to investigate when he receives a call from Anna about strange goings on in her Pack. While I enjoyed the story, the important events are mentioned in Cry Wolf so that this prequel isn't a necessary read in order to understand the background for Cry Wolf. This is also in the Mercy Thompson universe and so the rules are familiar from those stories.