reading the new Mercy Thompson book and I'm always so impressed by how the author eases you right back into the world and presents the new crisis, while seamlessly weaving in past major developments, ongoing trauma, shifting relationships and enemies, etc. no, I don't remember most of what happened in the previous 13 books, but that's okay because Mercy (and the other characters) will keep me up to speed. while I mostly read queer books these days, this series has one of my favorite characters, and she's such a strong person and ally. her best friend is a gay werewolf (who used to be an old time cowboy - yeehaw!), and there have been other queer characters since (including her half brother). overall, Mercy is one of the most sensible, non-judgmental, accepting characters I've come across, to the point that many of her allies only work together because they're all "well Mercy trusts them for some reason so I guess they're alright."
this is so rambling and incoherent but reading this book (Winter Lost) has been so fun and refreshing! it's not romance, though Mercy did have a whole arc at the beginning of the series when she was falling in love with her mate, and what few sex scenes are in the books are like a paragraph long and not detailed. (again, a huge difference from what I typically read!). I love that, even with all the changes and trauma, Mercy holds fast to who she is and still runs a mechanic shop and fixes old Volkswagens. top tier character, she deserves the world (and a vacation!)
