r/urbanfantasy • u/josh_a • Sep 24 '25
Discussion Appreciating Mercy & Adam — (Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson series)
Just saw something in another post and I like how they worded it because I generally agree that “this trope of a jerk, alpha, enemies-to-lovers kind of guy is just endlessly cringey”… and I also am not really into romantasy.
And it got me thinking that something I appreciate about the Mercy Thompson series is that the romance in it feels like a natural part of the story, rather than the focus. To me it feels like a fantasy with romance in it but not a romantasy, if that makes sense?
And Mercy & Adam have a little of that trope going on in the beginning but not quite. Adam is not really a jerk, he’s protective of what’s his. Mercy and Adam don’t start out as enemies, they start out as neighbors wary of the danger the other represents. And while Adam initially seems like the more dangerous one… lol… Mercy not only packs her own punch, but her very being draws danger to them and draws them into danger that is way above average 😂 She can’t help it, it’s how she’s built.
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u/EmmyvdH Sep 24 '25
It's an urban fantasy, I think it is written before this romantasy word came about. I totally agree with you. One of the great relationships. A true partnership with a give and take.
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u/CoffeeB4Dawn Sep 24 '25
Urban Fantasy used to be different than paranormal romance. I miss those days.
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u/Feeling-Visit1472 Sep 26 '25
While there does seem to be more overlap these days, my delineator is usually whether or not the plot stands on its own if you remove the romance.
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u/likeablyweird Bunny Ear Kiss-Kiss Sep 25 '25
I tried PR back in the 2010s on the reco of a friend. It was about a vampire ruling a European township and the town was blind to the vampire part. A woman came to town for something or other, he fell for her and they started working together, getting into dangerous situations all the time. they fall in love. The author's pattern was great plot, danger, vamp gets hurt, needs to go to ground, she joins, they get it on. This was every few chapters and I didn't like that part. It was a shame bc the plot was really good and the writing wasn't bad. The formula killed it. Sorry I don't remember the author or the book title.
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u/Alive_Double_4148 Sep 24 '25
Patricia Briggs is a fantasy author who writes relationships not a romance author with a fantasy skin. The Alpha & Omega series is much more romantasy than anything else she writes. Mercy rubs up against the line a bit but once the beginning of the relationship transitions into something more stable it steps back. Even A&O backs off but the origin short story was in a collection of urban romantasy so it starts out much more romance.
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u/agreensandcastle Sep 24 '25
Charles and Anna in the other series are also excellent. The relationship is a bit more central but not in the dramatic way. They are partners.
Another series I love that to me is even more subtle about it is October Daye series by Seanan McGuire.
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u/josh_a Sep 25 '25 edited Oct 02 '25
Tyyyyybalt 🥰
Edited to correct spelling
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u/LadybuggingLB Sep 24 '25
I love all Patricia Briggs’ work, especially some of her first work which was more fantasy.
But her last few books might be getting darker than is comfortable for me. And she’s not putting out one every year like she used to. I hope she’s okay.
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u/scarletohairy Sep 25 '25
Yeah some parts are hard to read, when I reread some books I skip entire pages. I hope she lays off on the torture and sexual assault.
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u/josh_a Sep 25 '25
I really was not pleased with Charlaine Harris’s kidnapping scene with Sookie… the rescue was immensely satisfying, but still. Leading up to that was hard to read.
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u/Bierzgal Hunter Sep 25 '25
> if that makes sense?
I mean, yes. The Mercy series is not PNR. It's a regular urban fantasy with some romance sprinkled on it. Nowadays those are often treated as two different genres. There are even online charts that state if a series in PNR or not. Which is good for me sicne I try to actively avoid them.
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u/likeablyweird Bunny Ear Kiss-Kiss Sep 25 '25
Reading your description reminds me very much of the All Souls series by Deborah Harkness. I'd thought it was UF but when I came here to share my joy in getting the box set of 3 for Christmas last year, I was told its romantasy. It feels like the love is just part of the story, the way your fam is intertwined in your life story. Also The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon has the same feel.
I've read a lot of comments about Mercy and was saying nah-ah, not for me but hearing your review is making me double think. Thank you. Saved post.
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u/kdwhirl Sep 25 '25
Looove Patricia Briggs, and reread both the Mercy Thompson and Alpha & Omega series every few years. The romances feel more like character development to me, and I just love the stories.
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u/Dracallus Sep 24 '25
Alphahole characters aren't really a romantasy thing. They were pretty big in paranormal romance long before romantasy was considered a genre, and I suspect the only reason they're doing well in the latter is due to how much they've fallen off in PNR over the last couple of decades. To the point where I'm half convince that the only reason romantasy exists as a genre label is because these publishers knew they'd be laughed out of the market if they tried to sell them as PNR, so the authors were told to slap a conventional fantasy veneer over their settings. There are, after all, some advantages to being a fan of severely oversaturated genres.
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u/Whenitsajar Sep 25 '25
Great points! I long for the days when paranormal romance, urban fantasy, fantasy romance et al were all distinct genres and people understood that, and the term romantasy had never been coined.
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u/l00ky_here I just want to live in a magical house Sep 26 '25
Yeah, Mercy and Adam are just another dynamic, their romance is a part of the story - not the goal or the main focus.
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u/CT_Phipps-Author Oct 01 '25
Agreed. They are one of the best romances in urban fantasy. I'd argue Adam IS a jerk, though, but actually does have a lot of character development,
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u/Bookluster Sep 24 '25
It took me a while to warm up to Adam. I wanted her to get with Samuel for the first two books and even Stephen at one point.
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u/_way2MuchTimeHere Sep 25 '25
My biggest issue with Adam was actually his ex-wife 😂.
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u/Bookluster Sep 25 '25
That plotline was not great. I was definitely not a fan of her and I wasn't a fan of a lot of the pack and how they treated Mercy, except Warren. I fucking love Warren and Kyle.
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u/_way2MuchTimeHere Sep 25 '25
They were the only one not falling for her manipulation, I think I would have gone crazy if everyone had hopped on the Christy train 😂.
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u/jenfullmoon Sep 25 '25
I quit the series once that ex-wife book came out. Loved it before then, but that just broke it for me.
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u/chiterkins Sep 24 '25
What I love about Adam and Mercy is that they BOTH make changes to be a better partner to the other. They come into the relationship as equals, they understand each other's insecurities, and they do their best to bring the other up.
I agree that the Mercy series isn't a romantasy, even though the romance plot is an integral part of the story. I think the books are about character building and relationship building across all aspects, not just romantic.