Hunting Ground (Alpha & Omega, Book 2) [Mass Market Paperback]

Patricia Briggs (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 25, 2009

Mated to werewolf Charles Cornick, the son -and enforcer -of the leader of the North American werewolves, Anna Latham now knows how dangerous being a werewolf is, especially when a werewolf opposes Charles and his father is struck down. Charles's reputation makes him the prime suspect, and the penalty for the crime is execution. Now Anna and Charles must combine their talents to hunt down the real killer -or Charles will take the fall.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Anna and Charles are intriguing new characters to add to the world Briggs created."
-PARKERSBURG SENTINEL

About the Author

Patricia Briggs lives in Montana with her husband, children, and six horses.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Ace (August 25, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 044101738X
• ISBN-13: 978-0441017386
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (206 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,097 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Patricia Briggs is the author of the New York Times bestselling Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series. She lives in Washington state with her husband, children, and a small herd of horses.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#17 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#18 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

#30 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#17 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#18 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

#30 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

95 of 99 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The wolf and the man August 25, 2009

By E. A Solinas HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Imagine if the werewolves were considering coming out of the fur coat closet, and held a conference to debate it.

It's a rather boring-sounding idea. But since Patricia Briggs is a truly brilliant urban-fantasy author, she is somehow able to spin straw into gold in the second full-length novel about the Omega werewolf Anna and her Alpha mate Charles. "Hunting Ground" is a solid little bundle of subplots and warring supernaturals.

Sent to the Seattle conference, Charles and Anna encounter lycanthropes from across Europe -- Russians, Italians, the British lord Arthur, and he savage Beast of Gévaudan, Jean Chastel. Warring opinions and old grudges (plus Chastel's general savagery) cause plenty of tension between the various groups, and Charles finds that while Anna's Omeganess eases some of the conflict, she's freaked out by all the dominant males.

But Anna is attacked while shopping with her new friend Moira -- by a gang of vampires using werewolf magic and tactics. Then a couple of attendees at the conference are murdered as well, one by the vampires and the other by a person unknown. Now the fragile peace between alphas starts to unravel and fae magic starts to manipulate them -- and to save his beloved Anna, Charles must uncover who is would do all this.

The previous "Alpha and Omega" stories have been about the world of werewolves almost exclusively, and "Hunting Ground" expands its focus -- we've got the cruel fae Dana, and a cruel gang of vampires. But the focus is still mainly on werewolves -- their subculture, their leaders, and the place of the Omegas when surrounded by a bunch of grumpy Alphas.

The biggest flaw is that the book is a loosely woven affair without much central plot until the last few chapters.... But Briggs smoothly juggles the various subplots that run through the book, with vivid, powerful prose ("A creek full of fat trout trickled under a thin layer of misty ice") and slightly tongue-in-cheek dialogue ("Way to kill a defenseless net"). Not to mention some unique quirks, like a werewolf who genuinely believes he is King Arthur reborn.

And she strikes a solid balance between the darkness and violence (bloody killings, werewolf hunts, and some brutal human killings) and the more quiet, soothing moments that Anna brings. One particularly lovely scene has her soothing frazzled alphas through a mellow piano performance, and Briggs' smooth writing carries the effect through to the reader.

Anna and Charles may be mates and spouses now, but they're clearly still getting used to each other. Anna is now strong enough to stand up to the Beast and recovered enough to show her love for her new hubby, but Charles is struggling with his tough-guy image and his "Brother Wolf." And there are plenty of other interesting characters -- the unassuming Angus, the bloodthirsty psychopathic Jean, a cute Austrian Omega, and the charming, loopy Arthur. There's even a pair from one of Briggs' short stories: the werewolf Tom and his blind witch mate Moira.

"Hunting Ground" has a rather loosely woven plot, but Patricia Briggs' lovely writing and vivid characters keep it from losings its way. Definitely one of the better werewolfcentic urban fantasies. Read more ›

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great addition to the A&O series August 25, 2009

By JenW

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I am a huge fan of the Alpha and Omega Series. If you haven't already read the short story and the first book, Cry Wolf, go out immediately and get them.

We meet back with Anna & Charles just a couple weeks from where we left them in Cry Wolf. It's now almost Christmas and they are headed to Seattle to meet with the Alphas of the European packs. Anna and Charles are newly mated/married and are still adjusting to each other. While Charles is handling the negotiations for the Wolves to come out in public, Anna is dealing with all of the Alpha testosterone that's flying through the air.

Patti does not disappoint with this addition to the A&O series. As usual we find great characters in both the Seattle pack and the delegations from Europe. Great character development with Charles and Anna. We get to know Charles more in this story and how he's dealing with having a mate and still performing his duties. Anna is a delight to read. She's been hurt, brutalized really, but she's strong to her core-even if she doesn't believe it. Did I mention we get to meet Brother Wolf? It leaves me waiting and counting down the days for the next one.

31 of 35 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars great book August 25, 2009

By Mija

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you have read any of Briggs books you will love it. The relationship between Charles and Anna is fleshed out and much more believable than most romance stories. It is not just lust at first site that somehow becomes true love. Like the Mercy Thompson series the plot has something of a mystery that has to be solved to keep the ones they love safe and the resolution is not obvious. I also love that the female lead kicks as much ass as the male.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Werewolf Adventure August 27, 2009

By Jennifer Bull

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

As a huge fan of the Mercy Thompson series, I am always excited when Patricia Briggs releases a book in this setting. I enjoyed the first Alpha and Omega book as well as the short story in "On the Prowl", but wasn't certain if I would end up liking this series as much as I do the Mercy books, as the first full length novel was extremely enjoyable but just a hare off of perfect.

This book was every bit as enjoyable as the Mercy Thompson books. Anna and Charles, newly mated to each other and still uncertain with their relationship, have to attend a large gathering of werewolves from around the world. Bran, Charles' father and the Marrok - leader of the North American wolves, has decided to make knowledge of the wolves public. Many do not agree with this decision, thus the large gathering to discuss this.

As a romance reader as well as a science fiction/urban fantasy reader, this book melded the two genres perfectly, but those who are not fond of romance may not appreciate the focus on Charles' and Anna's relationship. Part of the joy of the book for me was the interaction between the two main characters, as they learn more about each other.

Another aspect of the book I enjoyed is the teamwork. One of the reasons this werewolf world is so enjoyable is the people don't make stupid mistakes. Important information is shared and discussed among the characters, and the bad guys don't win out because someone forgot to tell another person something important, or just decided to keep an important detail to themselves. Many authors use this contrivance, and it is so refreshing to have intelligent characters behaving intelligently. It makes the danger, and the whole novel really, seem more real and interesting.

I must say that I am also a big fan of Bran.... I like that the Marrok is present in the books - both this series and the Mercy Thompson series - and that he is hands down the most powerful creature out of all of them. It is nice to have a big gun off in the distance, as it keeps the main characters from being *too* powerful, or for power creep to over shadow the story. He is also just a wonderfully drawn character who is really fun to read about.

The mythology of the wolves as well as the fae and other supernatural creatures in this series is fun and refreshing. I really like how Briggs depicts the fae in her books, from nice to scary, but always tricky.

The only thing I didn't like about this book was finishing it and knowing I had to wait for more books to be released. After finishing this book I went through and reread all of the rest of the werewolf books, and today I plan on rereading this book again.

Oh, this book has very few places where you can simply set it down. The plot moves along at a pretty good pace, and there is plenty of action. I read it all in one night, staying up WAY too late just so I could see what happened next. I hope for many more great books in this series, as Patricia Briggs has spoiled me by writing such great stories. Read more ›