Hunting Ground

I picked 'Hunting Ground' up because it's been in my TBR pile for three years, because I've missed reading Patricia Briggs and because I wanted something quick and easy I could read on my iPad while sitting in the sun in the garden (note to self: love my iPad mini but the screen doesn't handle glare well - get a Kindle Paperwhite ASAP).

One chapter in and I was already smiling. This was uncomplicated urban fantasy but it's also brilliantly executed. I read it in two pleasant afternoons.

It's been a couple of years since I read 'Cry Wolf' the first book in this Urban Fantasy series. It seems to me that the second book in the series is a big improvement on the first. The relationship between Anna and Charles is more carefully drawn and more show more believable. It was good to see Anna starting to assert herself.

The plot was fun: a whole bunch of European Alpha werewolves coming to Seattle to meet the Maroc and then finding his usually silent and almost always lethal enforcer in the Chair instead. Then there's the impact of learning that Charles has a new mate, who looks like a scared rabbit but is apparently and Omega who attracts the interest of every Alpha in the room. Order is kept by a very scary Fae but that doesn't stop the tension from building as different factions compete. Then the vampire attacks start.

It's a fun, fast, action-packed tale (with at least six beheadings) that enrolled me in Anna and Charles story, kept me amused on every page and revived my interest in this series. show less

I enjoyed this book so much more than [b:Cry Wolf|2355575|Cry Wolf (Alpha & Omega, #1)|Patricia Briggs|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255713165s/2355575.jpg|2362332], which I hated. But I'm a fan of [a:Patricia Briggs|40563|Patricia Briggs|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1228867484p2/40563.jpg]' Mercy Thompson series, and a completist, so I gave it a try.

In this book Bran, in his role as Marrok, sends his second in command Charles to a conference with the alphas of the European werewolf packs to discuss what will happen when the North American werewolves announce their existence. Taking Anna and Charles away from their pack, but keeping them within a place bound by pack dynamics, did a lot to help me see them in a different way, show more mostly because they absolutely had to work together as relative equals. Also, having others recognize Anna for what she is, and removing her from the normal pack hierarchy instead of forcing her to conform to it the way her original pack did, was helpful both for her as a character and me as a reader. She got to navigate her own place and I got to experience her as something other than a victim.

I enjoyed learning about the European packs and their alphas. Where in North America there is only Bran as Marrok (the alpha's alpha, or lord high werewolf, if you will), in Europe there are many, and they battle amongst themselves for dominance and territory.

One of the European alphas is Arthur, who is very intrerested in King Arthur, collecting memorabilia and modeling himself after the King. He's a great guy. He's friendly, he's wonderful to his human wife, and great to his pack. I liked him. I like King Arthur, I was more than ready to like this man who wanted to be like Arthur. When his wife was murdered by vampires working for the unnamed villian, I grieved with him. And then Briggs took my love for King Arthur and for men who want to lead like him and smacked me with it. Arthur doesn't just like King Arthur, he thinks he is him reincarnated. He was responsible for the murder of his wife, and now he's after Charles and Anna. And through it all, parts of the nice guy who Anna and Charles had liked, who his wife had loved, are still visible, making this hurt all the more and be all the more entertaining to read.

I still prefer the Mercy Thompson series, but this book was so much better than Cry Wolf that I'll be willing to see where Briggs takes this series. show less

Let me continue the 'I Love Anna' fest, because I love the girl more and more. She spends a lot of this book kicking butt, ordering folks around and making everyone reorganize themselves to please her. It wasn't that she was completely past the traumas of her history, but she learned throughout the book that the fear was there and she could control it.

The book picks up only a month or so after Cry Wolf, so Charles and Anna are still learning a lot about each other. Sometimes its a little annoying, because they are both incredibly insecure about how the other feels, but when they come to each other's aide its so touching. They do obviously know each other better then either consciously acknowledges, but that is sometimes lost in the new show more wonder of being so bonded so strongly I think.

Most of the story takes place in Seattle, at the meeting mentioned several times throughout the first book. Bran sent Charles and Anna to act as his proxies when talking to the European werewolves, though as Charles points out, they are there to listen to concerns not take a vote. Bran plans on revealing the werewolves no matter what, but he wants to make it understood that he will help anyone who needs it in countries where it could be more dangerous.

There are several threats throughout he course of the novel, though some are more obvious then others. However, even though you have the vampires, you have Chastel and a shadowy threat that Anna guesses at, but can't define, there is one person who is really pulling the strings.

Is it bad that I kind of guessed who was behind it pretty quickly--but for no other reason then I saw the name and it coincides with a character from another fandom of mine so immediately I thought 'oh it must be that person. positive coincidences don't exist between my fandoms'. I mean I spent the rest of the book arguing internally with myself because my brain kept saying 'BAD PERSON' when the character came on and my heart kept saying 'Bu-but look how NICE and funny and charming! Look! Look!' My brain always retaliated with 'And this little domestic scene didn't creep you out at all?'

None of that paragraph is meant as a bad thing by the by.

I missed Aisil, though we did meet his son Hussan (who seemed a jovial sort at least) and he was mentioned quite often. Bran shows up on and off again, though he sticks to Montana for the most part. There was none of Leah and I rejoiced.

I mentioned in the first book review that I wanted to know more about Anna and what the evil done to her did to her mentally, emotionally and wolf-wise. Its brought up that Charles and Brother Wolf are unique--one character goes so far as to say that Charles' wolf was mad as a hatter and should have made Charles a serial killer of brutal proportions. He isn't however, and Anna begins to piece together what Charles has told her (we learn more about his mother and his birth) and what she was concluded herself. As for what it means with her wolf...Anna realizes a lot of things about herself and what her Wolf side means to her. Some of this brings her pain, other times it makes her feel better. Most importantly--she begins to stand on her own two feet without relying on the Wolf to keep her from being scared.

I really really do love Charles and Anna together. Even when they are obviously doing things wrong--and this is a new new new relationship for them both, in so many ways--there is no doubt in my mind that they will solve things and grow. They won't make the same mistakes over and over again.

Briggs' website has a third Alpha and Omega book mentioned--it hasn't been updated since before she finished Hunting Ground--and it won't be out for...at least a year. I'm mourning sadly into my cup as I type this. show less

In this second installment in the series, Anna and Charles are off to Seattle to hold talks with a group of international alphas. The purpose of the meeting is to allay tensions surrounding Bran's plan to announce the existence of werewolves to the world. Charles has a bad feeling about the proceedings and his gut is confirmed by a vampire attack on Anna and the subsequent murder of an alpha's mate. Someone is set to sabotage the talks and Anna needs to get to the bottom of things before someone else dies.

I thought this was a solid sequel but it seems to have lost some of the momentum of the first novel. The plot was a bit skeletal and some of the pacing seemed rushed. Mostly, it lacked direction and was a bit too quickly tied up at the show more end. There was no real tension or fear - which is not what you want when reading a book about monsters.

This book sits better with after the second read through. Maybe it's just that I've been reading a lot of Patricia Briggs lately, but the plotting just seemed more typical of her. It's true that there's a lot going on, but it's zany fun. A lot more fey involvement than I recall, which I always enjoy. I didn't like the King Arthur stuff at first, but by the end it was growing on me. It's pretty crazy how many people Anna kills, but at least it's not always Charles that's rescuing her. I can appreciate that. show less

I started this series because I love the Mercy Thompson series. Though the first Alpha and Omega book was more of a paranormal romance, this is firmly an urban fantasy the way Mercy is. Anna and Charles still have some issues to resolve as a couple, and they work through them in the story, but that is not the basis of the plot.

Bran wants to reveal werewolves to the human population. But, not all weres are convinced it’s a good idea. So, Charles goes to Seattle for a diplomatic convention of sorts. I love how this book expanded on the werewolf society by introducing weres from outside the US, while simultaneously introducing the political structure. Bran is not Marrock for all weres, just the ones in the US. He has counterparts in show more Europe, though none as secure and powerful. Bran has hired a Gray Lord fey to arbitrate the meetings to ensure good behavior. All the players have a hidden agenda. When a mercenary pack of vampires begins attacking and killing, Anna and Charles must solve the mystery of who and why.

There was a lot of growth in this novel from the first. Anna still has problems stemming from the abuse she suffered from her old pack, but it hasn’t crippled her. She’s not the whiner she sometimes came off as in the first book. She knows she has strengths, and happily, Charles does as well. They work as a team to discover what is happening, and accept help form one another. More interesting to me were the interactions between her, her wolf, and “Brother Wolf” – Charles’ werewolf spirit. In addition to adding depth to the paranormal world the author has built, it was a great tool for giving readers insight into their relationship and their werewolf nature.

Overall, this was an excellent book and I can hardly wait for the next installment. show less

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads.

HUNTING GROUND had a lot of interesting morsels in it from both a mythology and a story standpoint; readers get to learn about fae, vampires and dragons (!!!), witness firsthand how Bran’s decision to bring the werewolves out to the public came to be, and observe the continuing evolution of Anna & Charles’ relationship. No author does light/dark quite like Patricia Briggs, and this audiobook really emblazoned that fact by putting these preternaturals’ best and worst qualities on display. Holter Graham’s narration continues to leave me in thrall, and the murder mystery plot line made hours of listening time feel like mere minutes. Now I understand why this series trumps MERCY THOMPSON for many.

I enjoyed show more being a fly on the wall at the werewolf conference; pack dynamics have always fascinated me, and the political aspects that Briggs brought to the fore were so well executed that it was impossible not to get caught-up in the discussions. This novel really showcased the best and worst of shifter society from The Beast who likes to feast on human flesh, to Arthur who obviously wasn’t playing with a full deck of cards, to Anna who’s slowly coming back from the dead. I hadn’t expected to meet another Omega already what with them being extremely rare and all, but it seems like Ric was as clueless about his nature as Latham, so it was amusing watching them attempt to fill-in the blanks together.

In spite of all of the mad goings-on in this tale, Anna & Charles still remain the driving force behind this series. I love how flawed their characters are, and how they continually adapt to each other in an effort to strengthen their mate bond. The open communication that exists between them is a breath of fresh air when compared to other couples in this genre where relationship drama has become the norm. I liked how the author added a historical element to HUNTING GROUND by putting her own werewolf spin on King Arthur, although I do wish that Latham hadn’t been coveted by yet another certifiable shifter so soon after leaving her first pack. Her kill count is staggeringly high after only two installments.

Holter Graham’s narration made an impression on me in CRY WOLF, and in this audio he went above and beyond his original performance. He demonstrated great flexibility and flair by bringing the foreign wolves to life with various accents while still staying true to the original voices of Anna & Charles, although the latter was admittedly somewhat modified. His delivery was both emotionally poignant and intense which were contributing factors to this story’s believably and further increased the purity of the characters. Graham’s inflections made the changes in POVs obvious, and I can’t wait to see what he does with FAIR GAME.

HUNTING GROUND should be on every audiobook listener’s playlist. show less

My Review:

Hunting Ground is the second book in the "Alpha and Omega" series and even though these books aren't necessarily five star reads ....I can't convey how much I am having a blast with these books. There is something about Anna and Charles that I am head over heels in love with. In Hunting Ground, our couple has been sent by the alpha to attend a special summit and one where there are dangers involved. There is a hidden enemy, and one that neither Charles or Anna will expect.

Seeing these two together "Practically honeymooners" going on this dangerous mission but becoming so united was so brilliant to see. And thankfully the intimate scenes were kept to a minimum. I really enjoyed how the author handled their relationship and show more blended it just right into the plot. It could have used a bit more romance time for them though. But y'all know that I just need my romantic feels. I did become so encouraged by this one here and what was built within this story. The author really SHOCKED me with that ending. Like WHAT????!!! How is that individual the villain? Yeah I have a feeling this won't be the last time that this author will take me on such a roller coaster.

Overall I had a blast with this one here and eager to continue to see what is up next. show less