BURN BRIGHT by author Patricia Briggs is book five in the Alpha and Omega series which is closely linked to the Mercy Thompson series. Both fabulous series focus on children of the Marrok, the head of all werewolf packs in North America. Charles is the enforcer for his father Bran, the Marrok. Charles kills criminal werewolves in punishment for their heinous crimes and has been emotionally isolated his whole life until he meets his mate, Anna.

Anna is an Omega, a wolf with all the leadership skills of an Alpha but none of the need for dominance. The rare Omega exists outside the pack hierarchy to bring peace to everyone around them. I love Anna, even more than I love the character of Mercy Thompson, which is really saying something! Anna has grit and compassion, and her emotional insights bring a great balance to the highly energetic action and fighting of this paranormal fantasy series. I adore Charles, too, who always saw himself as a monster in his own right. Anna, however, recognizes that he acts as justice for the werewolves and their potential prey, defending the week from those who would do them injury.

As always, Briggs' worldbuilding is par excellence. The action is superlative, with so many well fleshed-out characters filling the pages and providing a swirling backdrop for the mystery of who is menacing Bran's Aspen Creek pack. Long-time readers will see many of their favorite characters here, although a number of new faces are introduced from the Wildlings, werewolves who are too broken to live with others (even too damaged for Bran's pack of dysfunctional wolves).

This is a book that should best enjoyed after reading the prior books in the series. While familiarity with the Mercy Thompson series will help fill in some backstory, it is not strictly necessary. But Briggs' writing is so exquisite, why would anyone not want to revel in the whole "MercyVerse"?! Still going strong, Briggs turns out another solid action-stuffed mystery with the vibrantly shining BURN BRIGHT.