The main character in Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series is a type of heroine I like to call “the flawed hero who can’t stop herself from helping those in trouble even if it gets her into trouble; sometimes potentially fatal trouble.” There are a number of supernatural series that feature this type of character - Harry Dresden from Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, Rachel Morgan from Kim Harrison’s Hollows, Sookie Stackhouse from Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse, the women in Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld.
These people have weaknesses, faults, and limitations that they don’t try to hide. They are far from perfect. And yet, they don’t hesitate to put their own lives and reputations on the line to help those in need.
Mercy Thompson is a mechanic living in Washington state. She’s also a shape shifter who can turn into a coyote. For a number of years, she managed to keep a low profile among the other supernaturals living nearby – werewolves, vampires, fae. But all it took was one desperate, needy, young werewolf to catapult her into one “adventure” after another.
The series begins with Moon Called.