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yodamom's review against another edition
4.0
Anna and Charles, bonded pair, deeply in love, set out to find the person involved in threatening the family of one of their pack members. They plan on making it a two birds type trip, they will find the source of danger an pick up a new horse for new rider Anna. The threat becomes more then expected, dangerous, deadly and full of hidden truths. During this already horrible time Charles must deal with the mortality of humans, his best friend. The Fae are not following the rules lives will be lost, children are in danger and Charles is a Protector.
Wow, this book lets us see into this great and deadly man/Were. His connection to the human aged man and his family are very interesting we get a good look at a time in his life never seen before. He has to make some hard choices they may haunt him forever. His connection to Anna was a beautiful thing to see. They are a great couple that can keep me reading even after the chase has been run and won.
I really enjoyed stepping into this world again. I wished we had seen more of Bran but it was hinted he will be in the next book. The ending was a cliffhanger that twists the story into a new direction. I can’t wait for more.
karenreader's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
⭐️ horrible, ⭐️ ⭐️mediocre, ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ entertaining, ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ great, ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ excellent
[***The following rambling notes are for me. They may contain spoilers or no information at all.***]
My least favorite book in the series. Changes so much of Charles backstory that has been laid out in other books: that he’s been alone without friends, that he’s never had romantic love, that he’s always been by his father’s side as his enforcer. I don’t mind the actual plot, but really dislike the way everything about Charles life is changed.
laura_corsi's review against another edition
3.0
I love this series by Patricia Briggs but unfortunately things are starting to get a little stale for me. It feels like the characters are who they are and there is no more growing left for them to do. I hope things get better in the next book.
moonny's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
erikajay's review against another edition
4.0
I hated the Maggie/Charles backstory.
One of the beautiful things about Anna and Charles was that he has been alone for so long and Anna was the only one he let in. But apparently he fell in love with Maggie several decades ago and at one point said he would’ve been happy with her. Later in the book though he admits that it wouldn’t have worked out between them and Anna is the right one for him.
I also found Maggie’s actions to be completely inappropriate. She is hostile towards Anna and is jealous and protective of Charles while her husband is literally dying in the next room. Charles even states that she’s been that way ever since Maggie and Joseph got married and it would cause problems when he visited over the years. What a terrible woman!
That being said, I loved the storyline! Anna and Charles at it again! I loved (to hate) the villain. We don’t find out until the end who it is, and Briggs keeps us guessing and on our toes the entire time!
I also love the conversation between Anna and Charles where she tells him that the ones who have been hurt know he is safe. It always makes me tear up!
Holter Graham does another excellent job with the audio!
One of the beautiful things about Anna and Charles was that he has been alone for so long and Anna was the only one he let in. But apparently he fell in love with Maggie several decades ago and at one point said he would’ve been happy with her. Later in the book though he admits that it wouldn’t have worked out between them and Anna is the right one for him.
I also found Maggie’s actions to be completely inappropriate. She is hostile towards Anna and is jealous and protective of Charles while her husband is literally dying in the next room. Charles even states that she’s been that way ever since Maggie and Joseph got married and it would cause problems when he visited over the years. What a terrible woman!
That being said, I loved the storyline! Anna and Charles at it again! I loved (to hate) the villain. We don’t find out until the end who it is, and Briggs keeps us guessing and on our toes the entire time!
I also love the conversation between Anna and Charles where she tells him that the ones who have been hurt know he is safe. It always makes me tear up!
Holter Graham does another excellent job with the audio!
kristen1994's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
gillianw's review against another edition
3.0
I gotta say, I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would. Not that I'm not a fan of Patricia Briggs because I am and I love the Mercy Thompson series dearly. But Charles and Anna are kinda just meh to me. In any case, I finally decided to take the plunge and, low and behold, Dead Heat turned out to be a pleasant surprise! I liked the story, the setting and the slightly more gentle side of Charles, the pack enforcer. If I could give out half stars, this book would rate a solid 3.5. Now, if we can only convince Ms. Briggs to write a whole novel about Bran, I'd be a happy camper!
agirlandherlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Horses, and more horses and arabian horses, and yet more horses.
I love Anna and Charles - I loved getting to see and hear stories about when Charles was younger and his relationship to his old friend and his wife, to see him interact with sorry at a friends illness and how they deal with issues in the family is really good.
But what's with the horse info! I don't need to know half of it! I know, I know, the author researched it, and used that skill to bring realism, but I just don't care about horses.
Loved the story, enjoyed the whole book, but I was taken back with all the horses and it soured a lot of it for me.
The children in the book were good, seeing the Alpha 'drunk' because of Anna's Omega power was very funny, and the way Charles and Anna are growing together even in book 4 is really good to see. Missed Bran but you know, can't have everything.
I love Anna and Charles - I loved getting to see and hear stories about when Charles was younger and his relationship to his old friend and his wife, to see him interact with sorry at a friends illness and how they deal with issues in the family is really good.
But what's with the horse info! I don't need to know half of it! I know, I know, the author researched it, and used that skill to bring realism, but I just don't care about horses.
Loved the story, enjoyed the whole book, but I was taken back with all the horses and it soured a lot of it for me.
The children in the book were good, seeing the Alpha 'drunk' because of Anna's Omega power was very funny, and the way Charles and Anna are growing together even in book 4 is really good to see. Missed Bran but you know, can't have everything.
michellewords's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Charles and Anna stories are like a breath of fresh air. For some reason, the stories and characters in this part of the series are so much better developed. I've been racking my brain all weekend, trying to pinpoint why I like them so much better and if they are really better than the Mercy books. The author is the same and the Mercy books seem to be her golden children, but the characters lack flaws and fawn over Mercy and the plots feel so unnecessarily complicated.
Anyway, I loved this book a lot-with a few caveats.
The book begins with Anna and Charles in a disagreement over children, but that gets quickly overshadowed by a phonecall from one of Charles's few friends (Joe), who is human and near his deathbed. Charles surprises Anna with a trip to buy a horse from his friend. They find themselves thrust into a fae attack against Joe's daughter-in-law and decide to help locate a fae who has been kidnapping children, abusing them, and killing them.
This book was not for the weak at heart. When you get kids involved in abuse and murder, it definitely takes a darker turn. Yet, those darker moments are some of the most powerful and well-written in the book. I felt so invested in this plot and these characters, I could not put the book down.
One thing I love about Charles and Anna is how flawed they are as characters and how that can play into the stories. Charles's history as Bran's police and the ghost reminders that follow him play an unexpected role in this book. Anna's own history under an abusive alpha's thumb also plays a role. While some histories can feel like kicking a dead horse. These moments are subtle and really good additions to the story and the character development.
Blast I love Charles and Anna so much.
You know what I really don't love in this one? Two big things: Anna's pining for a baby and horse-talk.
The woman pining after a baby felt like such a cliche' in this book. it also felt unnecessary and kind of weird for their plot line and story thus far. It came out of left field and I hate it. It's one of those things that can ruin a series for me. Not because I hate babies, but sometimes books add life events to give the characters something to do and I HATE that for Charles and Anna.
I don't think I need to explain the horse talk. Charles apparently used to work on a horse ranch with Joe. Charles is getting Anna a horse and this book was filled with horse-talk. So much so that I felt like I was reading a textbook about horse breeding and shows. It was really boring and weird for this series. I don't need to know what "English proper" is for the characters, the book, or the series. Why on Earth are we getting into this much detail about horses?! I can let one scene go due to the pretense of buying a horse, but there were like six scenes with extreme detailed discussion on horse stuff. So weird!
Anyways, I LOVED the book despite the horses/baby stuff. I'm glad I kept reading because Charles and Anna are always a good time.
Anyway, I loved this book a lot-with a few caveats.
The book begins with Anna and Charles in a disagreement over children, but that gets quickly overshadowed by a phonecall from one of Charles's few friends (Joe), who is human and near his deathbed. Charles surprises Anna with a trip to buy a horse from his friend. They find themselves thrust into a fae attack against Joe's daughter-in-law and decide to help locate a fae who has been kidnapping children, abusing them, and killing them.
This book was not for the weak at heart. When you get kids involved in abuse and murder, it definitely takes a darker turn. Yet, those darker moments are some of the most powerful and well-written in the book. I felt so invested in this plot and these characters, I could not put the book down.
One thing I love about Charles and Anna is how flawed they are as characters and how that can play into the stories. Charles's history as Bran's police and the ghost reminders that follow him play an unexpected role in this book. Anna's own history under an abusive alpha's thumb also plays a role. While some histories can feel like kicking a dead horse. These moments are subtle and really good additions to the story and the character development.
Blast I love Charles and Anna so much.
You know what I really don't love in this one? Two big things: Anna's pining for a baby and horse-talk.
The woman pining after a baby felt like such a cliche' in this book. it also felt unnecessary and kind of weird for their plot line and story thus far. It came out of left field and I hate it. It's one of those things that can ruin a series for me. Not because I hate babies, but sometimes books add life events to give the characters something to do and I HATE that for Charles and Anna.
I don't think I need to explain the horse talk. Charles apparently used to work on a horse ranch with Joe. Charles is getting Anna a horse and this book was filled with horse-talk. So much so that I felt like I was reading a textbook about horse breeding and shows. It was really boring and weird for this series. I don't need to know what "English proper" is for the characters, the book, or the series. Why on Earth are we getting into this much detail about horses?! I can let one scene go due to the pretense of buying a horse, but there were like six scenes with extreme detailed discussion on horse stuff. So weird!
Anyways, I LOVED the book despite the horses/baby stuff. I'm glad I kept reading because Charles and Anna are always a good time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual violence, Child abuse, and Sexual content
brookamber's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0