DEAD HEAT by the amazing Patricia Briggs is book four in the fabulous Alpha and Omega series. Dead Heat can be read as a standalone book, but readers will gain a fuller appreciation for the story by reading in order. And if you haven't read the first three books and the prior novella, I guarantee that you will immediately snap them up after reading Dead Heat. I think I adore the Alpha and Omega series even more than I love Briggs' Mercy Thompson series, and that's really saying something!

I absolutely love Charles and Anna. Both werewolves, Charles and Anna are polar opposites, and despite being mated for three years, are still learning about each other. Anna is an Omega, a very rare werewolf who can calm the wolves around her. She was forcibly changed to a werewolf, and tortured and degraded by her then-Alpha to keep her cowed and under control. Anna is slowly coming out of her shell and becoming more confident, and I am loving watching her become the beautiful being that she is meant to be. After finishing Dead Heat, I had to go back and reread all the prior Alpha and Omega books to relive the yumminess that is Anna and Charles' tale.

For both Charles and Anna, their prime focus is how to make their mate's life better. How can one not fall into a gooey pile of happiness at that?! Charles is his father the Marrok's enforcer, the boogeyman that the Marrok, the ruler of all North American werewolves, turns loose to punish or kill the errant werewolves under his control. This has taken a huge toll on Charles, who in addition to being a werewolf has Shaman powers through his mother's Native American heritage. Anna has to fight both Charles and the Marrok in order to take care of Charles in the face of the work he is forced to do- go Anna! I relish Anna's spirited defense of the hurting she finds surrounding her; her empathy in the face of her past is so lovely.

Dead Heat starts with a personal trip where Charles intends to buy a new horse for Anna. They travel to Arizona to see one of Charles' only friends, an elderly Arabian horse breeder who is dying after refusing to become a wolf. While there, they discover that a dangerous Fae is on the loose, replacing human children with simulacrums. Charles and Anna step in to rescue a kidnapped child, and find themselves in the cross-hairs of the Fae's worsening war on humanity.

There is a lovely mix of poignancy and action in DEAD HEAT, with heartbreak and suspense keeping me on edge throughout the whole book. I devoured this book as I did not want to set it down for mundane things like sleeping or eating, but DEAD HEAT is a book that I will go back to savor again and again. Briggs has once again brought an absolute winner in DEAD HEAT, showing why she is the darling of urban fantasy and PNR readers everywhere.