"Silver Borne" by Patricia Briggs

Mercy Thompson, car mechanic and shape-shifter, never knows what the day - or night - may bring in a world where "witches, vampires, werewolves, and shapeshifters live beside ordinary people" (Booklist). But she is about to learn that while some secrets are dangerous, those who seek them are just plain deadly... Mercy is smart enough to realize that when it comes to the magical fae, the less you know, the better. But you can't always get what you want. When she attempts to return a powerful fae book she previously borrowed in an act of desperation, she finds the bookstore locked up and closed down. It seems the book contains secrets - and the fae will do just about anything to keep it out of the wrong hands. And if that doesn't take enough of Mercy's attention, her friend Samuel is struggling with his wolf side - leaving Mercy to cover for him lest his own father declare Samuel's life forfeit. All in all, Mercy has had better days. And if she isn't careful, she may not have many more...

There's not much I can say about this that won't start giving things away, so I'll try to stay away from the plot. The blurb on the jacket pretty much does my work for me, anyway. Here's what I will tell you: Briggs scores again with this installment of her Mercy Thompson series. I've loved these from the start, and I still love them now. If you keep up with my reviews, you know that I read a lot of series in this vein, so for an author to keep me wanting them, that's saying a lot.

Briggs consistently provides excellent character development, well-written plots, and great action. There's just enough romance/sexual tension to keep one happy, and I've gotten to the point where I appreciate the subtle touch that one can find in "urban fantasy" or whatever you want to call it. I used to have find my wolves and vamps in the Romance section, but those are a dime a dozen now (and honestly, a lot of the books are just plain awful). It's so nice to have good - no, great - authors writing what I like to read without all the bodice-ripping fanfare!

If you enjoy a good story about a woman finding her way in the world, falling in love with a handsome man, and getting comfortable in a profession of her choosing, then Briggs and Mercy are a good bet. Yes, Mercy is a shape-shifter, and yes, her man is the Alpha of a werewolf pack, and yes, she just happens to be a mechanic, but no one said life is perfect.