Hunting Ground
(Alpha and Omega, #2)
By: Patricia Briggs
Publisher: Ace
Published: Jan. 25, 2009
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Rating:
Anna Latham didn’t know how complicated life could be until she became a werewolf. And until she was mated to Charles Cornick, the son — and enforcer — of Bran, the leader of the North American werewolves, she didn’t know how dangerous it could be either…
Anna and Charles have just been enlisted to attend a summit to present Bran’s controversial proposition: that the wolves should finally reveal themselves to humans. But the most feared Alpha in Europe is dead set against the plan — and it seems like someone else might be too. When Anna is attacked by vampires using pack magic, the kind of power only werewolves should be able to draw on, Charles and Anna must combine their talents to hunt down whoever is behind it all — or risk losing everything…
Anna and Charles are in Seattle for a conference to talk to the other Alphas and their packs about the Marrock’s decision to come out. While in Seattle they are met with resistance. Anna’s attacked, other wolves are attacked, other mates are attacked, and not everyone comes out unscathed. However, the conference is only half of the story. Once Charles listens to the Alpha’s concerns the Alpha of the area they are in has put together a hunt. A hunt that also leads to bloodshed and causes even more chaos for Anna and Charles.
Charles and Anna are not married and are starting to settling into their bond. However, Charles and his Brother Wolf are still over-protective of her and are afraid to scare her away. But Anna trust them completely and is always quick to realize why Brother Wolf or Charles saw/do the things they do. For instance when Anna tries to use her Omega power to cal a room full of hyped up wolves, Charles barks at her to stop. She’s quick to realize that in using her power on the other wolves, she was also calming down Brother Wolf, who Charles needed in order to have the upper hand and keep the other wolves in check. I really liked that instead of a the frightened person she was in the beginning of the series, Anna has started to gain some self-confidence. She doesn’t immediately turn tail and run when something happens, she assesses the situation and finds a way to stand her ground.
This one had a lot of action in it between the fighting leading up to the conference and then the hunt itself. There was always something going on. The two characters never had a quiet moment while in Seattle. They also didn’t get a lot of time to just interact with each other. I would have liked to have seen more one on one time with the two of them. I highly enjoyed the moments where we got to see Brother Wolf. He makes contact with Anna through their bond and they are able to communicate. It’s explained in this book that Brother Wolf and Charles are two beings in the same body. Instead of most shifter books where the animal and human are one, Charles and Brother Wolf are two separate beings. There’s even a snippet in here where Ana’s wolf comes out to play and Charles is able to talk to her for a little bit. I like that you get to see their other sides come out.
This was a good addition to the series. Not as good as the prequel novella but still enjoyable.
“Women are the bloodthirsty sex,” said Ric sadly. “We get the reputation, but it is only because the women stand behind us, and say, ‘Kill it. Squish it.”
Previous reviews from Alpha and Omega
Alpha and Omega
Cry Wolf
LOL that quote totally made me laugh. I need to get to these again. I read the first but got sidetracked.