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Welcome to the River Marked & Fair Game Buddy Read Discussion thread! This thread officially opens on April 08th and anyone can join at any time. Please keep in mind that spoilers are allowed in this thread but only up to the group's current reading place. Do not spoil the book if you've read further than the group. Any extra days can be used to catch up!

Each day we will be reading by chapters or page numbers. Page numbers are an approximation based on the hardcover or paperback that is the default on ŷ������. The suggested Buddy Read discussion schedule is as follows:


River Marked
Week of 04/08
April 08: Chapters 1-3
April 09: Chapters 4-6
April 10: Chapters 7-9
April 11: Chapters 10-13



Fair Game
Week of 04/22
April 22: Chapters 1-3
April 23: Chapters 4-6
April 24: Chapters 7-9
April 25: Chapters 10-13


PARTICIPANTS
~ Jen
~ Mina

I have it. I meant to start last night but I fell asleep at about 6 PM. Long week. Will start this morning!

Okay, good 😂 I haven't started it either, but hopefully later. I toned a bit my reading because I got hooked to kdramas, plus I started working so it'll probably take me longer to read it than usual.

Sounds good! I will try to not rush it. I have tons of work to catch up on this weekend too. At this point in the series, not quite as shiny new fun as kdramas. :)

Chapter 1: Poor Stefan. I'm glad Mercy finally tracked him down and saved him with a bad movie night. I love that Mercy has regular bad movie nights. Hopefully Stefan pulls himself together.

Chapter 2: Loved everything about this chapter. Really nice to see Mercy have such a happy moment with friends and family. Sounded perfect.

Now to see how the earlier clues pop up on the (view spoiler)[honeymoon (hide spoiler)],

Yes, kdramas are much more fun than books this past week or so.

Chapter 1: Yes, poor Stefan, hopefully he'll recover more. Yeah, the bad movie nights are so cool, I like that and that she has friends to have traditions like this.

Chapter 2: 🙈 I don't remember the marriage thing.. Like how? I was surprised with it when she mentioned it and her mother's dove/pigeon/butterfly plan.

yeah, it was nice that all was good.. which is also a tad concerning because something bad must happen next.

Yeah, I don't remember much on wedding planning or talk of an actual marriage either. Maybe when her mom visited that one time?

So probably not surprising but the book was way more interesting than work over the weekend. I haven't finished but I'm close. I kept reading one or two chapters throughout. I'm at the office now though and can't remember what chapter number I'm on.

Overall, I'm enjoying this one! The two storylines are much more intertwined which I prefer over the more disparate storylines last time. I also appreciate that Mercy and Adam are mostly on their own and she is able to learn more about her own heritage.

Okay, good I'm not the only one, I was really shocked with the marriage and I think that's something like that I would remember. I mean still, it's possible it was said and I forgot it because oh, okay Mercy is ending up with Adam.. but on the other hand them being mates is what was more shown and told to us.

Also, I forgot to say, but I saw it again and I have to comment. They've known each other for 10 years??? What? That sounds like too much time. If it was said 5 years I would buy it but 10 sounds too much. Especially taking in consideration that the books we read happened in the span of 3 years tops.

I haven't picked up the book yesterday because I was listening to Blood Heir, but today is Mercy day.. although I picked it up late so I don't know how much I'll be reading because I have get up early.

I didn't make any real progress, read only chapter 3. But I have to say I'm interested in her vision. Since we are told that I assume and also hope there'll be more about it.

No, I don't think its just you. It seemed a bit of an afterthought. Maybe moved up since her trailer burned down? I was wondering how that would affect the relationship status.

10 years is a long time. Apparently they were neighbors for quite a while before her interactions with the pack picked up. Remember the whole brownie shared memory in the last book? She was already his neighbor when he was married and then divorced and then caught his eye.

There is much more about the vision which is the great part of this book.

I'll listen to chapter 9 and be done for today.

* I'm very confused with all the new people appearing, and for a second I was annoyed that I can't remember who is who, and with whom they are in relations.. but then I remembered that I don't remember the pack members so I guess that's okay.

* Mercy's talk with the Coyote also confused me.. So is he kinda her father?
It's because of him that she has the ghost seeing ability, and being immune to most of magic stuff.

You are almost there! I think it gets tricky because she keeps dreaming about the people the river devil are eating? Those would throw me off a bit but the hard cover might have helped.

Kinda daughter of the Coyote? She is the daughter of Joe Old Coyote but Coyote took that form to walk the Earth for a bit? I'm not sure on the ghost thing. It still seemed a bit rare even with the other walkers/ avatars and not just because she is a part of Coyote? Possibly the magic stuff? but it was all a bit confusing. She was immune to the river devil because the Coyote has defeated it, it seemed more of a specific instance but maybe it does apply to all magic? I mean she isn't getting it from other places, just the Coyote heritage. My brain just didn't go that far.

Hm.. So far she only dreamed of the teacher, so I'll see if adding more will confuse me.. but mostly the new native characters are confusing me 😂

yep.. her heritage is very confusing 😅

“You should take him to Disneyland,�� suggested Gordon. “Or I could. I like Disneyland.��

😂😂😂

Way later after the battle and when Coyote appeared at Adam's I found out Gordon was one of the spirits/gods or whatever they are.. which also makes the sentence up much funnier.

I finished it, and I liked that it was "fresh". The pack members and other cast are good, but I'm not gonna lie I'm getting a little bored with reading about same people. So it was nice to follow only Mercy and Adam on a new adventure, and to find out more about Mercy's heritage.

Agreed!! I was also struggling with the same pack, fae, vampire issues repeating. This one seemed much stronger with jus Mercy and Adam and learning more about Mercy's background. The spirit/gods were fun especially Coyote. I'm excited to have him come back and visit though I will actually miss the walking stick.

I have Fair Game ready to go next weekend. Do you want to break during the Spring Fling? I haven't figured out if the books will fit the challenges or not?

Yes, the stick.. I forgot to mention it. I was curious what will happen with it, and thought maybe there'll be a story line with it and its corruption but... it resolved pretty quickly. Unless, it'll play some part in later books.

Mhm, let's do Fair Game next weekend and then hit pause while Spring Fling is happening. Because maybe it won't fit for a task, but also like I said I'm getting a bit bored with the same old same old so the pause should help.

Works for me! Better to pause and then hopefully have them entertain again than push through for the sake of it.

Read chapters 1-3 and will try to be disciplined to stay on schedule. It is actually nice to be back with Anna and Charles and not Mercy and her ever expanding gang.

I like that Anna and Charles have left the ranch on their own (similar to Mercy and Adam on the last one) to give a new setting and I like the set up of them consulting on a criminal case with local/ federal authorities. It will be interesting to see how they all work together and how it will strengthen Anna and Charles' relationship.

oh no 🙈 I forgot this starts now.. which is not surprising because this week I don't know the days. I probably won't be starting it today or tomorrow, because of Easter things are busy and because of work I'm tired. But Sunday and Monday I have off days, so I'll read then.

I was thinking the same the last time I was looking at the books we have yet to read, a change will do us good.

No problem! Take your time and happy Easter!!

Thank you 😃


I started the book, and I'm not that far in, maybe 20 pages, but I feel more enthusiasm for this which could be because it's not a Mercy book 😂 I also, unsurprisingly, don't remember a thing that happened so Briggs' recaps are going to be welcome.

I love Asil 😃 i'm glad we have him.

Just finished chapter 4. And yep, definitely enjoying this more than Mercy. Also, is it just me because this is "new" but is this better written than the Mercy books? Like, it has more descriptions, and a nicer flow while Mercy is a bit.. well bonier comes to mind.

Yes, I also found myself immediately enjoying a bit more. Maybe because it is only book 3 of Anna and Charles? Or that they are in Boston in a whole new setting? Mercy is just a bit more difficult to like in general than a friendly Omega.

It is definitely written well or better as well though. I was also reading book 2 of the Dresden Files and the writing is terrible in comparison to Fair Game. Her writing just flows well and even though there are similar themes, Butcher/Dresden's sexism is so much worse, prevalent and it just makes some of the language so stilted and awkward. I didn't have to pause in Fair Game because of bad or awkward writing.

Chapter 4, I really like Leslie and I like that we get her perspective on Charles and Anna.

PS Asil really is the best!

Change of cast and location is probably the reason we enjoy it more. I liked River Marked a little bit more than the previous Mercy book because we got a new location of the story. I don't know, I think I liked Mercy from the start, but also that was a long time ago so I'm not sure sure.

I read chapters 5 and 6 because I want to start Merciful Crow, to reread it and hopefully that way I'll trick myself to pick up the sequel too and to finish the duology.

I liked Mercy from the start too. I guess the different location is key just to break it up a bit.

I'm gonna try and read the most I can today, but I'll probably have chapters for tomorrow too.

* I'm not going to be surprised if Heuter or however his name is the killer, or someone from that organisation because that Ana's observation was cool.

* Eeeeem 😅 the sex scene.. I was not expecting it. All of the Mercy books were chill, or maybe not the last and second last we read... but that's where she was getting more close with Adam... so it's not like I wasn't surprised there either.. just didn't expect it.

Finished chapter 10.. and what a surprise Heuter is one of the bad guys...

I skim the sex, already forgot that happened.

Excellent guess on Heuter and not too surprising sadly.

These people are just sick... I just can't. I get hating something and killing it because of that, it's not normal but I can understand it.. but their logic that they "should have some fun" for "doing something good".


Wooow, the fae dude is one of the Gray lords? *mind blown* It's going to be interesting to see how things will progress after that.

RIGHT???? Sadly this sh*t is still happening and people are getting away with it- all those citizen arrests, neighborhood watches that end up with dead children holding a candy bar. :(

Anyhow, it was quite an ending! I'm fascinated as to how this will affect the upcoming books.

I think that the fae making their own country is a great move world wide, and by world I mean the world Briggs has made not the world the characters are active in... if that makes sense? Like, it's a good move because we as readers get change, but for the characters... we'll see how things will go.
I don't know how it'll affect the Mercy books but hopefully it'll give it a bit of a shake .

I agree, it made me much more excited to see what will happen next now that all is shaken up. Lots of good possibilities for different storylines and settings hopefully.