Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson #3)

Spoilers ahead! You've been warned! 

I could smell her fear, and it satisfied something deep inside me that had been writhing under her cool, superior gaze. I curled my upper lip so she could get a good look at my sharp teeth. I might only weigh thirty or so pounds in my coyote shape, but I was a predator...

Mechanic Mercy Thompson can shift her shape - but not her loyalty. When her former boss and mentor is arrested for murder and left to rot behind bars by his own kind, it's up to Mercy to clear his name, whether he wants her to or not.

Mercy's loyalty is under pressure from other directions, too. Werewolves are not known for their patience, and if Mercy can't decide between the two she cares for, Sam and Adam may make the choice for her...

OMG! How much did I love this book? Lots and lots and lots.
But it also broke my freakin’ heart! 

I don’t know where to start talking about this book. I want to jump straight to the end but can’t. I need to talk about the before then the after… So, we had the intro to the world in book one, an up close and personal with the vampires in book two and here in book three all things fae come to the forefront of the series.

Mercy has a favour called in by the fae and when things go horribly wrong she sets out to save her friend and mentor - Zee - from being used as a scapegoat for the Grey Lords (hidden rulers of the fae).
On top of this, things are coming to a head in Mercy’s love life and she has to make her choice between Adam (the pack Alpha) and Sam (past love and the Marrok’s son). Thankfully, things go the sensible way in that regard and Briggs managed to resolve it in a way that didn’t cut the other out of her life which was awesome.

The book is pretty action packed and it was completely engrossing.
The characters are becoming more beloved and their backstories and personalities are developing beautifully. The “bad guy” I guessed surprisingly early but what I couldn’t work out is how he did it but was thoroughly enjoying how it all played out… Then something truly despicable happens to Mercy and even though I knew it happened before reading - so spent a whole load of the book on edge waiting for it - I still wasn’t prepared. No one should suffer through that but Briggs handled it well.

I was so upset and angry… Rape isn’t something that is ever easy to read about but the insidiousness of what happened to Mercy was brutal. Wonderful, strong Mercy broke and no one could blame her but then she picked herself up and started to piece herself together. The healing, I imagine, will take a long time but she has amazing people around her who will help her through.

Adam and his pack knocked it out of the park in this book. They rallied behind Mercy, supported her and protected her as best they could. In the beginning of the series, I wasn’t a fan of any of Adam’s wolves (except Warren) but they’ve grown on me and now I adore so many. Especially Ben! (Now I just need the reason he truly left London answered and I’ll be happy! For after this book  there is no way he did what he is accused of.)

I have no idea what to expect next. I have no idea how the events of this book will impact upon Mercy and her relationship with Adam but I have faith in them. Adam will be whatever she needs him to be, I’m sure of it. I’m also 100% sure Adam, Sam and the rest of the werewolves are going to go into super protective mode and that’s going to cause Mercy untold headaches!

Iron Kissed was a wonderfully written but in the end a tough read. It definitely stepped the series up to another level and I am so excited to continue the series!

Favourite Quotes

“Some people are like Slinkies. They aren't really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to my face when I push them down a flight of stairs.”

💬

“When things started to get dangerous, it was important to have people who knew as much as you did. That way, when you stupidly got yourself killed, someone would have a starting place to look for your murderer.”

💬

“There's something really disturbing about finding out how little you really know about something you felt like you were an expert on.”