Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs

#1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Briggs presents the first Alpha and Omega novel—the start of an extraordinary series set in Mercy Thompson’s world, but with rules of its own... Anna never knew werewolves existed until the night she survived a violent attack…and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she’d learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. But Anna is that rarest kind of werewolf: an Omega. And one of the most powerful werewolves in the country is about to recognize her value as a pack member—and as his mate.

http://fantasycafe.blogspot.com/2009/07/review-of-cry-wolf.html

Cry Wolf picks up right where the novella Alpha & Omega left off. I recommend reading that one first, or you might feel a little lost at the beginning. Anna and Charles are new to the mates' thing, but I can tell that I will enjoy their escapades.

I am very glad I read the prequel novella before reading this one. The novella [book:Alpha & Omega 5393637. It shows Anna Latham, a rare and valuable Omega wolf and her story which is very important to know for this novel because it takes place immediately from the prequel and would have been horribly confusing.Anna and Charles (the Marrocks youngest son) head to Montana to start a new life. Being an Omega means she can calm down a werewolf, giving peace to a species of volatile monsters, she in invaluable. But she was brutalized by her maker so she is very fearful and doesn't know the extent of her powers.I think this is a beginning to a great series. Hopefully they will all be as intriguing as this one.

Read Alpha & Omega first (book 0.5) first, it matters. It is a short story that shows how the protagonists met each other.

The Alpha & Omega series is much more love oriented then Mercy Thompson. It starts with a romantic relationship, and then it proceeds to describe the story and evolve the werewolf mythology. And it does a fine job at both aspects.

The characters may not be very nuanced, but they easy to empathize. You have your typical lone wolf personality, the brooding, stern, stoic male, Charles, who finds a vulnerable, abused, broken female, Anna, to rescue and marry.

Their love slowly evolves throughout the story, as Anna starts to heal from her psychological wounds, as the physical part is quickly healed by her werewolf blood. A gift and a curse, as that allows her to take a lot of punishment without the merciful release of death.

Charles is patient and considerate of her feelings. His whole life, hundreds of years old, he and his wolf have never taken anyone for a mate. He has had lovers, but never has fallen in love. As the enforcer for his father, the Marrok who is the leader of the werewolves in North America, it is part of his job to be emotionally disconnected from others, because he might one day have to kill them.

But Anna is a special and very rare kind of werewolf, an Omega. She is able to quiet down the beast inside others in a way no one else can, not even the Marrok. Charles wolf is immediately taken over by hers.

I enjoyed seeing the briefly mentioned characters in Mercy Thompson come to life in this story. This is much more fantasy heavy, supernatural focused book. The Marrok's character which is was briefly mentioned in Mercy's books, here he is fully fleshed. We get to see his behavior towards his children, friends, pack and the troublesome relationship he has with his mate. Also Azil, the Moor, plays an important part in the story.

The plot revolves around a rogue werewolf who is killing people in the Marrok territory. It may be an isolated case of madness, something that happens to some young werewolves who are unable to control the beast inside them, specially after they have just turned. But it also may be something else.

The Marrok is in the process of carrying out his decision to make the werewolves existence public, and there are a lot of people who doesn't like the idea. It is up to Charles, with the help of Anna, to investigate and deal with the matter appropriately. It it is a mad werewolf, maybe Anna can calm him down. If it is a political act, Charles will have to deal with him his own way.