Smoke Bitten (Mercy Thompson, #12)

by Patricia Briggs

Mercy Thompson, car mechanic and shapeshifter, faces a threat unlike any other in this thrilling entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

I am Mercedes Athena Thompson Hauptman.
My only “superpowers” are that I turn into a thirty-five pound coyote and fix Volkswagens. But I have friends in odd places and a pack of werewolves at my back. It looks like I'm going to need them.

Centuries ago, the fae dwelt in Underhill—until she locked her doors against them. They left behind their great castles and troves of magical artifacts. They abandoned their prisoners and their pets. Without the fae to mind them, those creatures who remained behind roamed freely through Underhill wreaking havoc. Only the deadliest survived.

Now one of those prisoners has escaped. It can look like anyone, any creature it chooses. But if it bites you, it controls you. It lives for chaos and destruction. It can make you do anything—even kill the person you love the most. Now it is here, in the Tri-Cities. In my territory.

It won't, can't, remain.

Not if I have anything to say about it.

• ISBN10: 0440001552
• ISBN13: 9780440001553
• Publish Date: 17 March 2020
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Ace Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 352
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780440001553

Reviews

[layawaydragon]

Mercy and fam can't catch a break. I'd totally be down for some cozy downtime with Mercy and the pack. Like an in-between novella would be cool AF.

[booksandcats]

Yet another book with Problems between Mercy and Adam! It's nice to see that it's because Adam can't open up for a Change, instead of Mercy having the trust issues. Honestly, I think I would be over them having trouble, except Patricia Briggs manages to actually make it reasonable and not just annoying people not talking with each other. I also understand that Mercy has a difficult past and quite some accumulated trauma so it's nice to see her growth in that she wasn't backing down but was determined to find out what was wrong.

What I possibly love most about Patricia Briggs is that her books have consqeuences. Almost everything happening in this book is some sort of payoff of previous ones and often not from obvious things, but just little things that happen in life and influence the future in ways you wouldn't expect.

It's also interesting to see the pack dynamics and how so many different people change and grow together, how everyone is so different and still form a whole.

As for the plot, there is a mysterious figure, who escaped from Underworld and who can force his will onto people and make them do anything it wants, so very dangerous, very scary. I'm not sure if I was disappointed or excited about who the figure was since I'm from central europe, the plot point of Rumpelstiltskin and having to say his name and all that is just used so often. But I figure it's not as well known for others and I generally like Ms. Briggs inclusion of folkstales and her version of Rumplestiltskin is different enough that I like it in general .

[Berls]

Another really great Mercy Thompson read!! I'm always a bit amazed at the way Patricia Briggs manages to grab little pieces from previous books and tie them together. It makes it so you feel like you really need to pay attention (even though she always explains adequately for those - me! - that missed the reference or forgot it). This was no exception.

Underhill takes center stage in a way "she" hasn't ever before (is she the right pronoun? I'm not sure, maybe they... hmm). One of Underhill's creatures has escaped and is causing all kinds of havoc. I enjoyed not just the way Mercy works to defeat it, but the mystery behind who/what the creature is. I did not see the answer coming at all.

There's also some leftover consequences from the witches - not a huge shocker right? - but the way they are impacting Adam and Mercy's relationship was a surprise for me. It was a little heartbreaking to see, honestly. But that's another piece that I love, how real their relationship is. It's not a fairy tale. Shit happens and it impacts them. Like any other married couple - minus the ability to become werewolf and coyote - they have to be vulnerable and work through it to protect their marriage.

And have I mentioned that I love Ben? His role is always a bit understated in my opinion, and yet it's also always impactful.

All in all a great read and I look forward to the next one for next month's read-a-long.

[MurderByDeath]

Finally!  A Mercy Thompson book that didn't include storylines with animal sacrifice.  The last few books before this had me seriously hesitant to continue with the series, and even after buying this, it stared at me for about a week before I picked it up with the intention of putting it right back down again if it even looked at an animal the wrong way.

Fortunately – and unfortunately – I never had to put the book down.  At least, not until 2.30am when I finally gave into sleep, only to pick it up again the next morning and finish it off.

That's not to say the story was perfect; it was good, but the sub-plot between Mercy and Adam was meh, and got terribly schmaltzy towards the end (keeping in mind I have a low tolerance for "the power of love").

The main plot concerned something that got out of Underhill and started possessing people, making them kill others, before it killed them and moved on.  This was more interesting to me, although it never really achieved 'gripping'.  And towards the end, but long before the climax, I guessed who the smoke demon was, which was both a tiny bit disappointing, and also - YAY!  I was right! - making it a wash overall.

Generally, I enjoyed the story and it restored my faith in the series.  I hope book 13 stays away from the witches, although with that number, I don't like my chances.

[Danielle Ackley-McPhail]

How can I stand the wait until the next one...

No series has ever held my attention as well or as long as Mercy Thompson. Rich and powerful and steeped in lore and legend, every page of every book transports me, and Smoke Bitten is no exception. Thank you, Ms.Briggs for this fascinating and edgy world. More, please!

[Quirky Cat]

Smoke Bitten is the latest novel in Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series. Thankfully, the series appears to be far from over. I, for one, couldn't be happier about that fact. This is a series close to my heart, and I will hang onto it with everything that I have.

Mercy, aka Mercedes Athena Thompson Hauptman, is used to finding herself in strange predicaments. She's a shapeshifter, daughter of Coyote, raised by the Marrock, and now wife of Adam Hauptman, pack alpha. She's come up against witches, werewolves, vampires, and fae.

It's going to take all of that knowledge and experience to work her way through the latest threat For a prisoner of Underhill has escaped, and they are not content to play nice with the people in the Tri-Cities. Or the people in Mercy's life.

“And that, children, is why ultimatums are a bad idea, said a memory speaking in the Marrok's voice.”


I know I say this a lot, but I absolutely devoured Smoke Bitten. And I have no regrets on that count! It was yet another fantastic read in one of my favorite series. Once again, it's a delight to dive back into Mercy's world.

A month or two back the first chapter (or two?) was made available for readers. I opted not to read it because I knew that it would make the wait for the whole novel that much worse. Having now read the introduction (and everything else that followed)...I feel like I made the right choice. I could not have survived the wait to see what was going on, had I been given a sneak peek.

Honestly? I loved everything about this novel. It was intense and fun, just like all of the other Mercy Thompson novels. Though I might be slightly biased, since I've been really enjoying Patricia Briggs' take on the fae, and thus am always happy to see them pop up again.

One thing that did surprise me about Smoke Bitten is how deeply personal it felt. Mercy (and Adam) has been through a lot these past few books, in particular. And it's starting to show. This novel dove right into the personal ramifications and consequences of trauma.

Actually, make that two things that surprised me. Though the second is arguably related to the first. I was surprised to hear of a certain character's actions, and how they were still getting under the skin of everyone around. I don't know why it surprised me, other than that I honestly thought that Mercy would get a break from that. How foolish of me, right?

Along with several really tense moments, I feel like this novel did a fantastic job of capturing the lives of the pack, Mercy, and everyone involved. And of course, I love that Aiden was given a couple of cute moments as well. He really needed that.

Speaking of, anybody else dying of curiosity about what is going on with Wulfe? I'm looking forward to seeing that progress in the next novel or two – because there's no way it isn't building up to something dramatic.

My one regret about Smoke Bitten is that it is now over, and the wait has begun again. All things considered, that isn't a bad complaint to have. So I will take it. And probably reread the series (or get caught up in the Alpha and Omega series, which I have been neglecting).

Check out more of my reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[littleread1]

I don't know why, but I just absolutely love this series and these books and everything about this world.

[Rowena]

Another good addition to the Mercy Thompson. Mercy still rocks my socks and while there were still times that I wanted to kick Adam in his balls, I still love his ol' raggedy ass too. I hope we're getting another book.

[Linda]

I'm not sure if I'm giving this 3.5 or 4 stars... I found the beginning to be dragging quite a bit - because (I almost want to say, as usual) Adam and Mercy were not in a very good place there. And Mercy doubted almost everything about herself and her relationship with Adam.
I enjoyed the overall story as it unfolded, though, and I loved the way Mercy unraveled the various mysteries. However, my enjoyment was tainted by that beginning that almost made me put the book down to read later.

[EBookObsessed]

One of the best Urban Fantasy series. Love these characters. Must do a series re-read soon.

Having one of the scariest vampires ever actively stalking you, should have been the worst thing to happen to Mercy. But at least Wulfe isn’t actively trying to kill her. At least she doesn’t think so. Not yet anyway.

Something has slunk out of the fae home of Underhill; something that can take over your mind and turn you into a killer. Since it tried to control Mercy and failed, it is now pissed off. Immensely pissed off. Fear and the fae don’t go well together and now this smoke beast wants to get rid of Mercy and is using her friends to do his bidding. Everyone Mercy loves is under attack and she can’t protect them all. The worst part for Mercy is once that smoke beast takes you, you die and several of our favorites are taken over with only one goal, get close to Mercy and destroy her.

It is especially hard for Mercy to concentrate on Wulfe or Underhill or this smoke monster when all she can think about is the fact that her husband has started choking off their mating bond. Things have been strained between them since the night they destroyed the zombie horde. Is it the pressure of her declaration that the Tri-Cities was under the protection of the Pack or Mercy’s odd nature being such a draw to more and more supernatural bad guys? Has Adam simply had enough of the trouble that she has brought into his life? If so, why won’t he simply tell her that instead of avoiding her?

Once again, poor Mercy is taking a beating from all sides, and not all of them figuratively.

I am not saying that the smoke monster wasn’t an interesting story plot and didn’t keep me biting my nails but what was going on with Adam had me more distracted than any mind-controlling monster. The monster you know Mercy will destroy, eventually, but was Adam really done with his relationship with Mercy? Can you break a mating bond? Is this some way to bank on that statement Anna makes in Burn Bright questioning Bran’s actual feelings for Mercy? No, no, NO! She can defeat any monster which comes but if Adam wants out? WTF? I was very stressed about this book.

And the thing with Wulfe — you might think “Oh, he’s a great character. I love him. It’s awesome he’s on our side now.” No, no, DEFINITELY NO! He is definitely interesting but I wouldn’t trust his sudden willingness to play nice with the pack for an instant. Wulfe is a great character but he is also crazy and unpredictable. Like many of the older supernatural creatures, he finds Mercy to be interesting? Like a fascinating bug they want to keep in a jar. And in Wulfe’s case, when will his fascination turn to actually trying to keep Mercy in a jar and cutting off her toes for fun? We will need to wait and watch.

I love the Mercy Thompson series and the Alpha and Omega series and want more, more, more! I definitely need to make the time to start this whole series again and do a straight re-read.

Received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review:

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