Tag Archives: Shapeshifters

Bonds of Justice by Nalini Singh

Book Review, , ,

Overview

bonds-of-justice

Title: Bonds of Justice
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling #8, Psy-Changeling Season One #8
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Gollancz
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Turning, she leaned her back against his chest.

Synopsis

Return to the powerful, turbulent Psy-Changeling world created by the amazingly talented Nalini Singh, as a human detective finds himself working the most unlikely of cases – one played out in the dark heart of a councilor’s domain…

Max Shannon is a good cop, one of the best in New York Enforcement. Born with a natural shield that protects him against Psy mental invasions, he knows he has little chance of advancement within the Psy-dominated power structure. The last case he expects to be assigned is that of a murderer targeting a Psy Councilor’s closest advisors. And the last woman he expects to compel him in the most sensual of ways is a Psy on the verge of a catastrophic mental fracture…

Sophia Russo is a Justice-Psy, cursed with the ability to retrieve memories from men and women so twisted even veteran cops keep their distance. Appointed as Max’s liaison with the Psy, she finds herself fascinated by this human, her frozen heart threatening to thaw with forbidden emotion. But, her mind filled with other people’s nightmares, other people’s evil, she’s standing on the border between sanity and a silken darkness that urges her to take justice into her own hand, to become judge, jury… and executioner….

Thoughts

I love the idea of cops bent on justice – those who feel that the victims deserve justice, and ignore the politics that can sometimes stop this from happening. Max’s integrity and desire to chase down the truth in spite of his lack of political acumen shone from the pages of Mine to Possess. The expansion on this character and his drive to find the truth was a great theme throughout this novel, as was the backstory to his past and motivations.

The J Psy are briefly mentioned in some of the past Psy-Changeling novels. It is tantalising enough that it made me curious, but no true information was given. Meeting Sophia in Bonds of Justice completely changed that. The inner workings of the PsyNet and the wrongs of Silence were highlighted. Her scarred past help to make these wrongs even more horrifying, and the looming horror of her future really drives home the total tyranny of such a system.

Although there was still the continuous ‘us vs. them’ feel to Bonds of Justice, the unity between two members of opposing sides (the Psy and the non-Psy) was what really struck me in this story. Sophia and Max’s romance aside, their ability to form a working partnership and find common ground from naturally opposing sides was enthralling. Fighting crime has always seemed such a noble, if not fundamentally terrifying pursuit, and it fitted these two distinctly different personalities beautifully.

<- Blaze of MemoryPlay of Passion ->

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Blaze of Memory by Nalini Singh

Book Review, , ,

Overview

blaze-of-memory

Title: Blaze of Memory
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling #7, Psy-Changeling Season One #7
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Gollancz
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: Since the day he’d realized he carried within him the seeds of the very violence that had shattered his life as a child.

Synopsis

Nalini Singh returns to the Psy-Changeling world and its breathtaking blend of passion, adventure and the paranormal, as a woman without a past becomes the pawn of a man who controls her future…

Dev Santos discovered Katya unconscious and battered, with no memory of who she is. All Katya can tell him is that she’s dangerous. Charged with protecting his people’s most vulnerable secrets, Dev is duty-bound to eliminate any and all threats against them. It’s a task he’s never hesitated to complete… until now, when he finds himself drawn to a woman who could prove to be the enemy’s most insidious weapon yet.

Stripped of her memories by a shadowy oppressor and programmed to carry out cold-blooded murder Katya Haas is fighting desperately for her very sanity. Dev is her only hope. But how can she expect to gain the trust ofa  man who could very well be her next target? For, in this game, someone is going to die…

Thoughts

It took me a little longer to get full immersed in this story – there was little contact with changelings, and it was of a very different pace and tone to the preceding six books. However, when I did finally fall in love with Dev and Katya, as I have with every other Psy-Changeling couple, I fell hard. Hard enough to weep at moments throughout the story.

Blaze of Memory starts to tell the story of the Forgotten, those who abandoned the Silence at its instigation. Dev’s devotion to and suffering because of his position as one of these renegade Psy almost echoes that of the Psy from generations ago – before the implication of Silence. Although the Psy are often painted as the ‘bad guys’ throughout the Psy-Changeling series, seeing the decision to remove emotion from the point of view of those who are now going through the same thing is a great way to create sympathy for the ‘bad guys’. Things are never black and white, and Singh illustrates this beautifully with Dev’s plight and the story of his fellows.

Contrastingly, Katya’s torture and loss of identity was the direct effect of total Silence – a lack of conscience and compassion. The brutality of her story and memories, which slowly unfold are a stark contrast to the emotions and love which flows around the Forgotten. It is Katya’s story that brought tears to my eyes and her ability to find an inner strength that makes the journey all the more meaningful.

<- Branded by FireBonds of Justice ->

Image source: Open Book Society

Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

branded-by-fire

Title: Branded by Fire
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling #6, Psy-Changeling Season One #6
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Gollancz
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: “I think you’re fine, now.”

Synopsis

Hailed by Christine Feehan as a major new talent, New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh brings two fierce changelings together in her most explosive story yet.

Though DarkRiver sentinel Mercy is feeling the pressure to mate, she savagely resists when Riley Kincaid, a lieutenant from the SnowDancer pack, tries to possess her. The problem is not simply that he pushes her buttons; the problem is that he’s a wolf, she’s a cat, and they’re both used to being on top.

But when a brilliant changeling researcher is kidnapped from DarkRiver territory, Mercy and Riley must work together to track the young man – before his shadowy captors decide he’s no longer useful. Along the way, the two dominants may find that submitting to one another uncovers not just a deadly conspiracy, but a passion so raw that it could leave them both branded by fire…

Thoughts

I’ve always been a stronger believer in the idea that opposites attract, so it was a pleasure to read a story about two characters that were oil and water, cat and dog (literally). Mercy and Riley are the perfect example of how opposites are able to work together to become better versions of themselves, and help their other half become what is needed. Riley’s rigid, unyielding, ruled nature is offset by Mercy’s firey, free and spirited attitude. Yet, it is their ability to work together that is the most admirable and enviable.

Although there is heat and passion from the beginning of Branded by Fire, there is a lot more resistance to the idea of Riley and Mercy tying their lives together. Partly it is due to their reluctance to pursue someone so contrary to their expectations, in spite of the physical attraction. But it is also partly due to their inability to completely submit to one another. Where the past Psy-Changeling stories have focused on female characters with a spine of steel, they have also been softer, and more submissive than their counterparts – a good balance to the pushy dominance of a male who is used to being in charge. However, Mercy is herself a soldier and incredibly pushy, and unwilling to give up her identity for the sake of a man. Which is why she is by far one of my favourite leads in the Psy-Changeling stories.

<- DorianBlaze of Memory ->

Image source: Open Book Society

Dorian by Nalini Singh

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

wild-embrace

Title: Dorian
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling #5.1, Psy-Changeling Season One #5.1
In: Wild Embrace (Nalini Singh)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Gollancz
Year: 2016
5th sentence, 74th page: “It needs to care for them… it’s never had the chance to exercise that instinct.”

Synopsis

A changeling who can never shift lives a life of quiet frustration – until he learns how to let his leopard come out and play…

Thoughts

Dorian is one of my favourite sentinels in the DarkRiver pack – his ability to overcome his lack of shifting, and be one of the most terrifying and successful protectors of the pack is impressive. So, discovering a bit more about his past as a non-shifting leopard, and the troubles of not quite belonging was a great new by-line to read about.

The jumping from one point in time to another until Dorian’s experience as a newly shifted leopard is told was a unique way to tell his tale. It was a short novella, but much of Dorian’s life as a changeling is imparted in such a small amount of words. His ties to his pack members and family are shown through their acceptance and pride in his new found freedom.

<- Hostage to PleasureBranded by Fire ->

Image source: Nalini Singh

Stroke of Enticement by Nalini Singh

Book Review, , , , , ,

Overview

wild-invitation

Title: Stroke of Enticement
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling #4.5, Psy-Changeling Season One #4.5
In: Wild Invitation (Nalini Singh) & The Magical Christmas Cat (Lora Leigh, Erin McCarthy, Nalini Singh & Linda Winstead Jones)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Gollancz
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: Annie.

Synopsis

Stroke of Enticement introduces Annie, a wary young teacher who is sceptical about love, and who arouses that man – and the leopard- in the aggressive changeling Zach Quinn. He must prove his affections are true if he’s to win her over.

Thoughts

I loved the beginning of this story – Bryan’s stubbornness and, cuteness, sprung from the page as the seven year-old argued with his teacher. The resultant courtship between Bryan’s uncle Zach and his teacher Annie followed this tone. It was cute, sweet and full of two people who are as stubborn as one another to get their own way in life.

The prejudice and worry of Annie’s mother was both endearing and frustrating – understandable when you view it through the lens of Annie’s past, but irritating when her present is considered. However, the prejudice of her academic family is quickly altered as more of Annie’s familial life is unfolded. Annie’s acceptance of this aspect of her mother’s personality was truly about unconditional love, and accepting the love of someone else, even when it might be more than a little irritating.

Zach, much like Nate, and many other men that have a possessive, protective streak, has a serious faux pas. His wish to protect Annie from the big, nasty world and realities of their mating, has the exact opposite effect.

<- Mine to PossessHostage to Pleasure ->

Image source: Nalini Singh

Echo of Silence by Nalini Singh

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

wild-embrace

Title: Echo of Silence
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling #2.5, Psy-Changeling Season One #2.5
In: Wild Embrace (Nalini Singh)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Gollancz
Year: 2016
5th sentence, 74th page: “If you were like Avril, you would not be Tazi.”

Synopsis

In a deep-sea station, Tazia Nerif has found her life’s work as an engineer, keeping things running smoothly. But she wants nothing more than to break down the barrier of silence between her and her telekinetic Psy station commander…

Thoughts

This was a nice little side story in the world of the Psy-Changeling novels – I really don’t see that it had anything to do with the main storyline, but it was a great story regardless. Tazi and Stefan’s love story fits beautifully into the themes of this series – overcoming the past and one’s upbringing to embrace another’s love.

Tazi was such a different lead female to the rest of the characters in this series – although most of the others were virgins, or had their own insecurities, Tazi was in a league of her own. She had incredibly strong ties to her family and culture – and although the scars left by her past are still an obstacle to get over, it is her love of family and cultural moxis that ultimately shape the way she acts and goes through life.

Stefan was a traditional Psy, in the beginning of the story, it was almost impossible to see how he could feel connected to Tazia on any level other than a professional one. The twists and turns that the characters went through to establish a relationship was fascinating and very surprising in some places.

<- Visions of HeatCaressed by Ice ->

Image source: Nalini Singh

Beat of Temptation by Nalini Singh

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

wild-invitation

Title: Beat of Temptation
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling #0.5, Psy-Changeling Season One #0.5
In: Wild Invitation (Nalini Singh) & An Enchanted Season (Nalini Singh, Maggie Shayne, Erin McCarthy & Jean Johnson)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Gollancz
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: But it made her feel good.

Synopsis

In Beat of Temptation, meet innocent Tamsyn who has always had a place in her heart for Nathan, a fully blooded DarkRiver sentinel. But is she really ready for the fierce demands of the mating bond?

Thoughts

This story was so sweet that it bought tears to my eyes – although, what more could you expect from the love story of Tammy and Nate? Add to that fact that this was also a Christmas story, and this is quite possibly the sweetest, most endearing paranormal romance story that I have read in a long time. Although, like the rest of the Psy-Changeling stories, there is the steamy attraction between Nate and Tammy, this somehow screams innocence far more potently than the other stories.

Christmas has always been a time of family and surrounding yourself with people that you love (and those you must tolerate), and this story reminded me of the beauty of coming together. The symbolism of Tammy’s giant, living Christmas tree was a great way to highlight this. The juxtaposition of this beautiful time of year and Nate’s pigheadedness worked beautifully and helped to pluck at my heart strings throughout the story.

<- More Nalini SinghWhisper of Sin ->

Image source: Nalini Singh

Wild Invitation by Nalini Singh

Book Review, , , , , ,

Overview

wild-invitation

Title: Wild Invitation
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling Companion, Psy-Changeling Season One Companion
In: Wild Invitation (Nalini Singh)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters, Short story collections
Pace: Medium
Format: Collection
Publisher: Gollancz
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: But it made her feel good.

Synopsis

In Beat of Temptation , innocent Tamsyn has always had a place in her heart for Nathan, a blooded DarkRiver sentinel. But is she ready for the fierce demands of the mating bond?

In Stroke of Enticement , a wary young teacher, skeptical about love, arouses the man—and the animal—in an aggressive leopard changeling who must prove his affections are true.

Plus 2 NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED NOVELLAS

In Declaration of Courtship , Grace, a shy submissive wolf, finds herself pursued by the last man she ever would have imagined: a SnowDancer lieutenant said to be “mad, bad, and dangerous to know.”

In Texture of Intimacy , SnowDancer healer Lara discovers the searing joys—and unexpected challenges—of being mated to quiet, powerful Walker, a man used to keeping his silence.

Thoughts

This was a great collection of Psy-Changeling short stories, each with its own beautiful love story that helps build upon the amazingly intricate world that Singh has so painstakingly built. I love that each tale can be read in isolation to the series, but they can help to introduce peripheral characters that are mentioned within the main novels.

The four short stories in this collection are not only held together by their romantic themes and their ability to remind us all that we can all find love, but also in their ease of reading and simplicity. Where the couples in the key novels in the Psy-Changeling series are constantly fighting against themselves, one another and their circumstances, those within the stories in Wild Invitation have shorter, and far less dramatic courtships. That’s not to say that there isn’t a flavour of drama to keep us intrigued, but it is not so frustrating to constantly read about couples that are only ever capable of messing up their potential relationships.

A great introduction to the world of Psy-Changeling if you’re curious about this fantastic paranormal romance series. Singh manages to make you feel emotionally connected to every single one of her characters, hoping to see them triumph in their chosen lives.

<- More Nalini SinghWild Embrace ->

Image source: Nalini Singh

Magic Stars by Ilona Andrews

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

magic-stars

Title: Magic Bites
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: Kate Daniels #8.5
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dystopia, Paranormal fantasy, Shapeshifters
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: NYLA
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: She looked away and pulled smoked venison and a jug of iced tea out of the bag.

Synopsis

Scarred, solitary Derek Gaunt has separated from his Pack, and is truly a lone wolf. With no family he answers to no one; but is fiercely loyal to a chosen few. So, when several of those close to him are murdered, he’ll stop at nothing to hunt their killer through the magic-drenched streets of Atlanta.

Never one to be left on the sidelines, equally determined—some might say stubborn—Julie Lennart-Olsen soon joins in his pursuit; and what began as revenge turns into a race to save the city. Their search pits them against powers they never imagined and magic so old, it predates history. It may cost Derek his life, but there are things for which even he would risk everything.

Thoughts

I haven’t read any of the Kate Daniels books for a little while, since I was waiting for this short novella to arrive, and honestly, I had forgotten how violent these stories were. And how much I LOVE them! The entire series is filled with sass and dry wit, and Magic Stars was absolutely no different. Derek’s first short story and his friendship with Julie are beautifully told in this story. As are some of the aspects of their lives that can’t make it into the main novels.

Derek’s role as the Grey Wolf and his opinions at his trajectory through the Pack are outlined within the first half of the book. Although we have watched his change from happy, bright young wolf to the Grey Wolf from Kate’s POV, it is nice to see how the circumstances of his past have shaped and changed him. As with his different status near loupism, Derek is completely unique and fascinating within the world of Kate Daniels. And definitely worth his own short story.

Julie’s childhood crush on Derek has been alluded to within other books, but as she seems to have grown into herself and her own powers, this seems to have become a more mature regard. Her views of him and simple acceptance of all that he is and does hints at a really great romance to come. Or at least, that’s the way I read the story.

<- Magic ShiftsMagic Binds ->

Image source: Ilona Andrews

Hostage to Pleasure by Nalini Singh

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

hostage-to-pleasure

Title: Hostage to Pleasure
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling #5, Psy-Changeling Season One #5
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Gollancz
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: “Do it,” he whispered.

Synopsis

With her darkly seductive Psy-Changeling world, Nalini Singh has created a sensual, dangerous adventure that’s not to be missed. Now, as the deadly Psy Council tightens its grip, a rebel Psy scientist finds herself at the mercy of a changeling who has sworn vengeance against her kind…

Separated from her son and tasked to create a neural implant that will mean the effective enslavement of her psychically gifted race, Ashaya Aleine is the perfect Psy – calm, cool, emotionless… at least on the surface. Inside, she’s fighting a desperate battle to save her son and escape the vicious cold of the PsyNet. Yet when escape comes, it leads not to safety but to the lethal danger of a sniper’s embrace.

DarkRiver sniper Dorian Chistensen lost his sister to a Psy killer. Though he lacks the changeling ability to shift into animal form, his leopard lives within. And that leopard’s rage at the brutal loss is a clawing darkness that hungers for vengeance. Falling for a Psy has never been on Dorian’s agenda. But charged with protecting Ashaya and her son, he discovers that passion has a way of changing the rules…

Thoughts

Dorian’s stoic, supportive outlook and terrifyingly cold rage pulled me in from the first Psy-Changeling book. His loyalty to his Pack, and the outrageous pain that he felt at his sister’s loss create a stunning character, even when he is simply lurking at the periphery of other characters’ tales of love and loss. Which means that finally reading a story about the latent leopard and his mate was very rewarding, and I found the tale of Ashaya and Dorian impossible to put down.

Ashaya was one of the most intricately intense and confusing Psy characters which Singh has managed to create thus far. She is obviously driven by love for her son, hinted at in Mine to Possess, but she is hidden by layer upon layer of Silence and fear. Resulting in not an unemotional robot, as many of the Psy are shown to be, but in a woman who is steely and terrified, completely unsure of how to survive her new reality away from her people.

The potent mix of Ashaya’s fear and Dorian’s fury lead to a tale of twists and turns. Partnered with a sociopath and the slow revealing of more of the Psy Councils’ insidious plans and this is a story which has the power to draw you in and leave you in awe. After all, don’t we all want to be hostages to pleasure?

<- Stroke of EnticementDorian ->

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