Moon Called

by Patricia Briggs

ACE Fantasy, 304 pages, $7.99

and

Blood Bound

by Patricia Briggs

ACE Fantasy,292 pages, $7.99

Moon Called and Blood Bound tell the story of a VW mechanic named Mercedes who just happens to be a shapeshifter. Mercy, who can turn into a coyote at will, was raised by werewolves but left the pack when it became clear she didn’t really belong. In a world where the preternatural are slowly making themselves known she now owns a repair shop she purchased from Zee, a gremlin, lives next door to the local Alpha werewolf and has a vampire friend whose van is painted like the Scooby van. Who could resist a set-up like that?

Both novels are packed with action. The plots move along quickly, the characters are well rounded and the romantic triangle is wonderfully tense and fun. Even the auxiliary characters are interesting such as Stefan the vampire and Warren the gay werewolf. This promises to be a delightful series and, having read the first two books in two days, I look forward to the next one.(Due January 2008 aarrgghhh!) - Stephanie L Bannon