Title: Last Guard (Psy-Changeling Trinity #3)

Author: Nalini Singh

Date of publication: 20 July 2021

Genre: Paranormal romance, shifters

Author's links:

Rating: 5 Stars

To save those he loves, Canto needs the help of a woman bound to him by a dark past neither has been able to forget. A woman who is the most powerful Anchor of them all: Payal Rao. Neither is ready for the violent inferno about to ignite in the PsyNet…or the passionate madness that threatens to destroy them both.

This is just brilliant, one of my favourites in the whole series which is no small with over 20 books in the series and me loving most of them. Nalini Singh is truly a master of the paranormal romance and her stories set the highest of high bars against which I measure any other shifter romance I read.

I loved everything in this story - the familiarity of the world, the amazing writing, the suspense and the romance.

Together with the familiar things in this story that gave me comfort and warm feel, there were a number of firsts here that keep the series fresh and every book stands out with something. For the first time we see an MC with a physical disability, furthermore he is a Psy and Psys don't tolerate imperfection (or everyone thinks). It was great to see Canto Mercant being a strong leader despite everything. I can judge the disability representation from an outsider perspective only but I felt it was done with care and empathy.

I love Psy-changeling couples the most with psy-psy coming close second. It is fascinating to watch how the psy embrace their emotions, how they deal with them in different ways. Canto is not really silent and his close contact with the bear shifters set him apart from most psys. The unwavering support of the Mercant family is also a powerful force that shaped him.

In a way Payal family has also shaped her who she is in a very, very different way from Canto's family.

Re-discovering each other after years, it was like getting to know each other again while at the same time, they already knew the most intimate secrets of each other. I loved how they got to trust each other, to rely on the other in all things.

We move between Moscow (bear country) and India (Rayal's world) and we get to see some of the bears which is always fun. We also get another first here - a queer relationship between to men - a psy and a bear shifter (we already met them in Silver Silence). It's not a central element or presented in much detail but it is there, wrecking havoc on the very heteronormative world we have seen in this series so far. I

The over-arching suspense plot of the series continues, it might be a bit repetitive at this point, with new threads to the psy network coming up all the time and then being resolved with the help of a new sub-designation of psys. Still, I can very much overlook this and just enjoy the good guys coming together and victorious (for now) against the bad guys.

The ending of the story was such a tender touch, highlighting the role of kindness in the world. It worked brilliantly for me.

A note of warning in the end, child abuse and the respective trauma feature prominently in this book (this is not somethin new in the series), it made for a difficult and very emotional read at times. The violence and suffering is not gratuitous at all, it makes sense in the world of the series though that doesn't make it any easier to read through.

Overall, this is another unforgettable instalment in the series and I can highly recommend it.

CW: child abuse (in the past), eugenics, torture (physical and mental), violence, ableism (challenged throughout the story)

Add to Goodreads / Buy on Amazon

The next installment in the Psy-Changeling series by Nalini Singh, Silver Silence, comes out on June 13! It's the start of second season of the series under the title Trinity and it features Silver Mercant finding her mate in a certain alpha bear. I absolutely loved this story and I can't wait for you all to read it so that we can gush over it together. For now, check the book info (including purchase links) and enjoy a short excerpt.

Excerpt

Laughing at the cubs’ antics, Valentin jogged down the slight incline and waded into what had to be ice-cold water after kicking off his boots and socks. He splashed the cubs, laughed when they splashed him back. Running so they could chase him, he turned abruptly and chased them back, to their unhidden joy.

Silver took a seat on the grass. When the female bear looked her way, she inclined her head in a silent greeting. The bear did the same, then they both watched an alpha bear play with two energetic cubs, his hands holding rough care for their small bodies.

By the time Valentin made his way back to her, he was drenched and his eyes weren’t human in any way. When he spoke, his already deep voice was so low it felt like thunder against her skin. “Couldn’t resist,” he said, pushing back his wet hair with one big hand. “If you weren’t in recovery and if I wasn’t in terror of Nova’s wrath, I’d have invited you. The small monsters wanted to play with you.”

Silver didn’t get to her feet. “Can we stay here a little longer?” It was patent that Valentin had an extremely high tolerance for the cold, but he might want to dry off.

“Sure,” he said, and, moving away several feet, shook off the wet.

Fine droplets settled on the skin of her cheek, but she didn’t flinch at the unintentional tactile contact. She also controlled her urge to reach up and touch the water where it lay against her skin. There was no reason to do that, and Silver was alive because she only did things that were rational.

Settling beside her, Valentin waved at the cubs as their guardian led their tired forms toward a path in the trees that was at the same level as the stream. “Gentler climb,” Valentin told her.

“They seem too exhausted to make it to Denhome.”

“It’s all an act—they’re hoping for a ride on their aunt’s back.” His tone held the same fond affection she’d heard when he spoke of Dima. “It’d take more than a few minutes’ play in the water to wipe out those two.”

The cubs had played with Valentin for almost a half hour. “They’re hyperactive?”

“They’re baby bears.”

Silver watched as those baby bears turned toward her and rose up on their back paws, as if in challenge. A stern sound from their caretaker, and they dropped down and scrambled to catch up with her. Their bodies disappeared into the trees as dusk began to turn from orange to shadowy gray.

Beside her, Valentin sprawled out, bracing himself on his elbows. His drenched T-shirt clung to the ridged muscles of his abdomen, pulled tight across his pectoral muscles, shaped itself over his shoulders. His jeans weren’t much better, outlining the raw muscle of his thighs.

Valentin Nikolaev was a man of violent physical strength even in human form. Yet he clearly had iron control over it; when he’d played with the children, they’d displayed zero fear of their alpha.

“You thought about where you’re going to live when you escape the bears who’ve kidnapped you?”

When she raised an eyebrow at him, he grinned. “Fringe netter with his own Internet channel sent out a breaking report last night. Pasha—who obviously needs more work duties—made up a fake account and posted a comment swearing to have seen you being pulled into a black van by six burly bears in bear form.”

“You don’t seem too concerned.” Amber eyes and deep voice, he remained very much a bear in human form.

“Well, according to this ‘eyewitness,’ the getaway driver was in bear form, too. Must’ve been tough for him to steer with one paw since he was drinking a beer at the same time.”

“Bears,” Silver said, making Valentin throw his head back and laugh that huge laugh that wrapped around her.

Posted by arrangement with Berkley, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © Nalini Singh, 2017.

Book 15 in one of my favourite PNR series, Psy-Changeling by Nalini Singh comes out in a little over 2 weeks. I can't believe there have been 14 books already. Allegiance of Honor promises to catch up the readers with everything that has been going our favourite couples since we left them in a happy place in their own books.

Here is all the info about the upcoming release, which btw, will take coincide with my birthday, June 14, making this book a special birthday gift to me :)

Ms Singh and her team have been kind enough to offer a giveaway to celebrate the release of Allegiance of Honor. You have the chance to win a SIGNED US paperback edition of Tangle of Need (one of the most emotionally complicated and intense stories in the series for me). The giveaway is open internationally and you just need to fill the rafflecopter below to be enter in the draw.

Pre-order links: Amazon / B&N / Kobo / iBooks / ARe

GIVEAWAY

Review

Waiting on Wednesday is a book meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and it features books that we are eagerly awaiting to be released.

Synopsis

Awakening wounded in a darkened cell, their psychic abilities blocked, Aden and Zaira know they must escape. But when the lethal soldiers break free from their mysterious prison, they find themselves in a harsh, inhospitable landscape far from civilization. Their only hope for survival is to make it to the hidden home of a predatory changeling pack that doesn’t welcome outsiders.

And they must survive. A shadowy enemy has put a target on the back of the Arrow squad, an enemy that cannot be permitted to succeed in its deadly campaign. Aden will cross any line to keep his people safe for this new future, where even an assassin might have hope of a life beyond blood and death and pain. Zaira has no such hope. She knows she’s too damaged to return from the abyss. Her driving goal is to protect Aden, protect the only person who has ever come back for her no matter what.

This time, even Aden’s passionate determination may not be enough—because the emotionless chill of Silence existed for a reason. For the violent, and the insane, and the irreparably broken…like Zaira.

*** *** ***

Why am I waiting for this? - I'm a huge fan of this series and Nalini Singh's writing as a whole. The world building get better and more complex with each next book and the romances are strong and passionate and so diverse. Can't wait to see how to Arrows will get together as a couple. 

Title: Branded by Fire (Psy-Changeling # 6)
Author: Nalini Singh
Date of publication: 7 July 2009
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Shapeshifters
Author's links:
Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

My rating: 4.5 Stars




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’ll leave them both branded by fire…

Note: I've already finished the series and I've posted my review of the latest book, Shield of Winter, on the blog. I've decided to post spoiler-free mini-reviews of all the books over time.

I loved the romance between Riley and Mercy. The two changeling were not afraid of their emotions and they acted in their desires right from the start, unlike the Psy in previous books who need time to embrace their sensuality. Still, Mercy and Riley had their own problems to deal with - on the one hand both of them were dominants and on the other, they were members of different packs - wolves and leopards, so this made mating a challenge on many levels and ultimately their actions affected not just them and their families but also both changeling packs as a whole.

I liked the intensity of their relationship, it was perfect reflection of their changeling nature and the need for touch. The story opens with some very hot love making which both of them try to play off as a casual thing, a physical contact to satisfy  their needs.

We see how different members of both pacts react to the new couple and I have to say that Mercy's family were just wonderful and Riley's brother and sister, together with Hawke were just as fun to read.

I didn't particularly like the suspense plot line. We see a new player coming to the scene, the Human alliance, yet the whole issue with the kidnappings and assassination attempts took a back seat to the turbulent relationship between Riley and Mercy. He is he typical dominant changeling - powerful, possessive, protective. The thing is that Mercy was just the same - the road to their mating it was true clash of wills. 

It was another intense installment of this series. Mercy and Riley are of my favourite couples, though I was not particularly invested in the criminal aspect of the story and loved the romance with it complexity and passion.

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Here are the rules:

After some absence I'm back with the Teaser Tuesday Meme. Today I want to share a few sentences (it's a longish excerpt but it's really powerful one) that I stuck with me for a while after I finished Shied of Winter by Nalini Singh. It's book 13 her Psy-Changeling series and I published my 4-star review of it on the blog last week.

Love was a concept of which Vasic had no comprehension, though he knew how to recognize the signs of it in others. Learning the subtle physical cues that betrayed emotional bonds had been part of his training, intended to give him tools he could use to exploit targets from the emotional races. He didn't, however, actually understand what it was any more than a trained animal understood the words spoken to it. 

He could ask Judd to explain it to him, but he suspected he simply didn't have the correct emotional foundations to comprehend the explanation.

Shield of Winter

(Psy-Changeling #13)

Nalini Singh

Synopsis

Assassin. Soldier. Arrow. That is who Vasic is, who he will always be. His soul drenched in blood, his conscience heavy with the weight of all he’s done, he exists in the shadows, far from the hope his people can almost touch—if only they do not first drown in the murderous insanity of a lethal contagion. To stop the wave of death, Vasic must complete the simplest and most difficult mission of his life. 

For if the Psy race is to survive, the empaths must wake…

Having rebuilt her life after medical “treatment” that violated her mind and sought to stifle her abilities, Ivy should have run from the black-clad Arrow with eyes of winter frost. But Ivy Jane has never done what she should. Now, she'll fight for her people, and for this Arrow who stands as her living shield, yet believes he is beyond redemption. But as the world turns to screaming crimson, even Ivy’s fierce will may not be enough to save Vasic from the cold darkness…

Title: Shield of Winter (Psy-Changeling # 13)
Author: Nalini Singh
Date of publication: 3 June 2014
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Shapeshifters

Author's links: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads


My rating: 4 Stars

For if the Psy race is to survive, the empaths must wake…

Having rebuilt her life after medical “treatment” that violated her mind and sought to stifle her abilities, Ivy should have run from the black-clad Arrow with eyes of winter frost. But Ivy Jane has never done what she should. Now, she'll fight for her people, and for this Arrow who stands as her living shield, yet believes he is beyond redemption. But as the world turns to screaming crimson, even Ivy’s fierce will may not be enough to save Vasic from the cold darkness…

Review

The Psy-Changeling is by far the best PNR series that I've read. I love everything about it - the complex world building, the hot and tender love stories, the humour, the action, the political intrigues, all this is presented in a captivating, sensual writing style of Ms Singh.

The previous book, Heart of Obisian, brought a sort of closure, Silence has fallen and the Psy Council no longer exits but in the new world the Psy race is faced with a dangerous infection spreading on the Net which could mean the end of their race.

This installment of the series focuses on the struggles of the Psy to save themselves from total madness and violence and the unlikely saviors - the Arrows and the Empaths. We got to see more and more of the Arrows in the previous two books and finally, here the hero is one of the most intriguing and damaged Arrows himself, Vasic. Taking the task to guard the empaths brings him to the door step of Ivy - who proves to be his own salvation.

The attraction between them is instant but their romance is slow and their discover sensual pleasure, joy and ultimately lvoe, step by step. Ivy reminded a lot of Sascha, since both are empaths, they have a lot in common - they are both vibrant, full of live, emotions, opposite of the Arrows and Vasic, in particular. He is nothing like Lucas, unfamiliar with love, tenderness, care but with a deep protective instinct. His transformation from total numbness, from deperate to hopeful to joyful was a pleasure to read. 

They discovered touch and pleasure together, using manuals and the sex talk Vasic had with Judd is one of the highlights of the book for me. Like a true soldier - he thought thing s through, studied them in-depth - he applied logic and practice and repetion to love and feelings, since this ws was the only way he knew how to function.

I really lvoed the romance in this book but I was not very happy with some plot developments. I liked seeing some of the couples from the previous books but I expected Sascha and Lucas to be much more involved in this story. I didn't care much about Kaleb and Sahara and since their story was already covered in the previous book, I felt their scenes here didn't add anything new to the story. There is also an episode with Hawke and Sienna discussing the situation with Ming but I felt it was out of place since the Ming issue was not resolved in this book.

I enjoyed the parallel secondary romance between Jaya and Abbott and would have loved it to have been further developed. I also very much liked Aden and his presence in this book as Vasic's best friend, together with Zie Zen who added yet another dimension to Vasic and his past. 

I was not particularly happy with how much attention was devoted to the problems with Vasic's gauntlet and it being presented as yet another obstacle before him and Ivy. I feel more focus should have been given to finding a way to cure the infection in the Net since it posed the main conflict in the story and yet it was far too simply and quickly resolved. 

The ending was all kinds of heartwarming and sweet and I loved it. Despite some issues I had with the plot, I still enjoyed Vasic and Ivy's romance a lot and I think the fans of the series will love this book as well. 

Purchase links: 

Ibook / Kindle / Kobo / Nook / Penguin

DarkRiver sniper Dorian Christensen 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...

I loved this installment in the series. We are still with the DarkRiver cats and once again the romance is between a male cat (Dorian, a sentinel, a latent changeling and a brother of one of the victims of Santino) and a Psy female (Dr. Ashaya Aliene, M-Psy, who had broken Silence and is on the run)

The conflict in this story was pretty intense for both sides. Dorian may have the carefree surfer's good looks but on the inside he had his daemons to fight. The loss of his sister to a Psy-sociopath, brought him to the brink of madness. Initially, he resented his attraction to Ashaya, felt guilty about it. Add to this his connection and urge to protect her son, and things get close to boiling point. 

Ashaya had her own secrets to protect - she had defected the Psy world but this had placed both her son and her twin sister in danger. And like for most Psy in the series so far, the attraction she felt for Dorian was a completely new and unfamiliar thing which she needed to analyze and understand. 

I loved the plotline with Ashaya's twin, Amara. It was an interesting presentation of the struggle between good and evil, light and darkness and finding the gray in between. I think this conflict was resolved in the best way possible.

This story has thrown the characters in some rather complex relationships. There are no easy answers and tough decisions must be made. Despite these heavy undertones, there was also humour and lightness in the story. The interactions between the packmates could be quite funny and playful. The children Ms Singh has created in this series are also very entertaining - Keenan was rather exceptional and Noor and Jon, togther with Tammy's twins add so much colour to the story. 

Ms Singh continues building the suspense plot of the series. Here we meet new players - the Human Alliance and I guess we'll be seeing more of it in the coming books. The world of Psy, changelings and humans is already in turmoil and it looks like things are bound to escalate in the future. 

Purchase links: Amazon / B&N/ Kobo / iTunes

This week's teaser is from Kiss of Snow (Psy-Changeling #10) by Nalini Singh. I'm voraciously reading this PNR series and I'm really loving it. All the books are 4 or 5 star reads for me. 

Trust, Hawke thought, came in many forms. A baby in his arms. A surge of deadly flame licking over his people. A leopard guarding the gate. "Go."

Kiss of Snow (Psy-Changeling #10) 

Nalini Singh

Synopsis

Since the moment of her defection from the PsyNet and into the SnowDancer wolf pack, Sienna Lauren has had one weakness. Hawke. Alpha and dangerous, he compels her to madness.

Hawke is used to walking alone, having lost the woman who would’ve been his mate long ago. But Sienna fascinates the primal heart of him, even as he tells himself she is far too young to handle the wild fury of the wolf.

Then Sienna changes the rules and suddenly, there is no more distance, only the most intimate of battles between two people who were never meant to meet. Yet as they strip away each other’s secrets in a storm of raw emotion, they must also ready themselves for a far more vicious fight…

A deadly enemy is out to destroy SnowDancer, striking at everything they hold dear, but it is Sienna’s darkest secret that may yet savage the pack that is her home…and the alpha who is its heartbeat…

Clay Bennett is a powerful DarkRiver sentinel, but he grew up in the slums with his human mother, never knowing his changeling father. As a young boy without the bonds of Pack, he tried to stifle his animal nature. He failed...and committed the most extreme act of violence, killing a man and losing his best friend, Talin, in the bloody aftermath. Everything good in him died the day he was told that she, too, was dead.

Talin McKade barely survived a childhood drenched in bloodshed and terror. Now a new nightmare is stalking her life--the street children she works to protect are disappearing and turning up dead. Determined to keep them safe, she unlocks the darkest secret in her heart and returns to ask the help of the strongest man she knows...

Clay lost Talin once. He will not let her go again, his hunger to possess her, a clawing need born of the leopard within. As they race to save the innocent, Clay and Talin must face the violent truths of their past...or lose everything that ever mattered.

This is the fourth book in the series and for the first time the romance is between a changeling male cat and a human female.

I loved the crime/thriller aspect, but not so much the romance. It is a very intense romance sinse the characters have a painful back story and knew each other since they were kids. It's a kind of second chance love story. Clay and Tallin need to overcome a lot of guilt and resentment and distrust coming from their past and what they have done to each other.

I was not a big fan of Tallin at the beginning, I could accept her choices initially, but just like Clay I needed time to warm up to her (for him it was more of re-open his heart) but she was perfect for him and that's made like her more towards the end. I liked how loyal and dedicated she was to her children, she loved them with a fierceness similar to that of the changelings to their cubs.

Ms Singh creates some of the most fun and adorable children I've read in romance, and here Jon and Noor were no exception, though he is a bit older, a juvenile and there is an element of seriousness beyond his years to him, still he was a great kid.

As usual in this series, the main characters were complex, dealing with many issues. They both deal with a terrible violence in their childhood, how it changed them, marking them, making them who they are now, Clay's struggle to keep his humanity and Tallin's efforts to accept his violent side were presented in a captivating way.

Ms Singh continues the elaborate world building in this series, we see more of the Human race and a whole new player was introduced, the Forgotten  - descendants of a mixed race between psy and humans.

I thoroughly enjoy this series and I appreciate the talent of Ms Singh to create a unique story for each couple. There are similarities, of course, yet every couple stands of its own. Even though Clay and Talin didn't turn out to be one of my favourites, still their story has its merits and contributes to the overall plot of the series.

Title: Shield of Winter (Psy-Changeling #13)

Author: Nalini Singh

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Release date: 3 June 2014

Synopsis

Assassin. Soldier. Arrow. That is who Vasic is, who he will always be. His soul drenched in blood, his conscience heavy with the weight of all he’s done, he exists in the shadows, far from the hope his people can almost touch—if only they do not first drown in the murderous insanity of a lethal contagion. To stop the wave of death, Vasic must complete the simplest and most difficult mission of his life. 

For if the Psy race is to survive, the empaths must wake…

Having rebuilt her life after medical “treatment” that violated her mind and sought to stifle her abilities, Ivy should have run from the black-clad Arrow with eyes of winter frost. But Ivy Jane has never done what she should. Now, she'll fight for her people, and for this Arrow who stands as her living shield, yet believes he is beyond redemption. But as the world turns to screaming crimson, even Ivy’s fierce will may not be enough to save Vasic from the cold darkness…

I'm currently reading this series and I absolutely love them. I'm at book 8 and I still a few more to go before this latest installment in the series but I can't wait for Vasic's story!

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Shapeshifters

Author's links:
Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Purchase links: Amazon / B&N / Ibooks /Kobo

My rating: 5 Stars

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Here are the rules:

I'm currently reading the Psy-Changeling series by Nalini Singh, trying to catch up with the action before the release of book 12, Shield of Winter on June 3. This paranormal romance series is quickly becoming one of my favourites. I am on book 5, Hostage to Pleasure, now and here is my teaser from it:

...With him, she spoke only the truth. But, as she had learned in the twenty-six years of her life, truth was a tool. It should never simply be said. No, it had to be bent, twisted, colored, until it became a weapon.

Synopsis

Separated from her son and forced to create a neural implant that will mean the effective enslavement of her psychically gifted race, Ashaya Aleine is the perfect Psy--cool, calm, 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 Christensen 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...

I liked this book even more than the first one in the series. Faith and Vaughn were great characters on their own and they were perfect together. 

Ms Singh continues to build the world of the Psy and the Changelings. The Changeling men are just yummy, though it's to be expected since they have all the positive features of their animals - strength and agility, heightened sexuality. They love to touch, to pet and to cuddle and at the same time they are loyal, possessive and protective of Pack and their mate.  How can a girl not love them :)

I also love the idea of the mating - forever type of love, no cheating, no breaking of the bond, mutual love and respect. In terms of romance, it's as perfect as it can get. All this is couple of scorching hot sexual chemistry.

Vaughn was all animal changeling and more since he is jaguar in the Pack of panthers. He is a bit of an outsider and that makes him just extra special. His animal is stronger than in most of the other changelings and his connection with a Psy like Faith who literally can't stand to be touched was really intriguing. 

This said, it's the Psy that are unique and they make this shapeshifters series really amazing. Ms Singh creates a multifaceted Psy world and she keep adding details to it with every new book in the series. The Psy we have met so far are all different and I find them really interesting - from the members of the Psy Council to Sascha and Faith, even Faith's father - they are all very well developed as characters and have their own strong presence in the series. The different combination of abilities every Psy possesses make them unique and intriguing characters. 

I absolutely loved Vaughn but Faith was more even more amazing. She changed so much in this book, her journey form someone who can't bear to be touch to being mated to a highly sensual jaguar was truly remarkable. 

Their romance was great - slow-building, even tender (as much as Vaughn can be gentle) and at the same time passionate and all-encompassing. It was the focus of the story but it also worked well with  mystery/suspense plot. 

I strongly recommend this series to all lovers of paranormal romance. I can't wait to continue with the next book in the series, Caressed by Ice, where we move to the other changeling pack - the wolfs of ShadowDance.

My review of Slave to Sensation

Title: Whisper of Sin (Psy-Changeling # 0.6)

Author: Nalini Singh

Date of publication: 25 Feb 2014

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Shapeshifters, Novella

Author's links: 

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

My rating: 4 Stars

Synopsis

San Francisco is under threat from a violent gang…a gang that has no idea who they’re challenging. The DarkRiver pack of leopard changelings has already claimed the city as their territory, and they will fight with wild fury to protect its residents. Emmett, a lethally trained leopard soldier, isn’t about to let outsiders muscle in on his home ground—especially when they target a human named Ria.

Emmett has one word for the smart stranger with her curvy body and tough spirit: mine.

Possessive, dominant, unyielding in his demands and desires, Emmett is unlike anyone Ria has ever before met. But while the sexy leopard changeling makes her body ignite, his kisses molten and his touch addicting, she’s no pushover and she has a few demands of her own. This leopard has met his match…

I loved this little novella on Ria (Lucas' human assistant) and Emmett (a leopard changeling). I've only read the first two novels in the Psy-Changeling series so far and I was greatly impressed. 

The focus in this book is on the humans (Ria and her family) and we get to see just glimpses of the changeling world (Emmett's parents, Lucas, Dorian, Nate and Tamsyn all make an appearance). I do miss the Psy in this novella, since I find their race fascinating and they are only briefly mentioned as part of the general world building. 

Both Ria and Emmett are wonderful characters. She seems fragile on the outside, but in reality she has a quiet strength that holds her family together. Emmett is the typical strong, possessive, protective changeling, yet he respects Ria's strength and loves her for it. Their relationship develops really fast but since it's a paranormal romance I don't mind the instalust/love. 

Chronologically, this book comes before book 1, Slave to Sensation (my review), so it's a suitable read even for readers who still haven't started this series. As for the fans of the series, I'm sure they will love Ria and Emmett's story. It has all the brilliance of Ms Singh's writing - well-developed characters, intriguing plot and detailed world building.

Synopsis

I will be continuing with this series, trying to read a book or two of them a month. I've already finished the next one, Visions of Heat, which I loved even more, and I'll be posting my mini review soon.

In the meantime, Ms Singh just released a novella in this series, Whisper of Sin, which features Lucas' human assistant Ria and the leopard soldier Emmett. 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Here are the rules:

• Grab your current read 

• Open to a random page 

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 

• Be careful not the include spoilers! 

• Share the title & author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers. 

I have modified them slightly for my Teasers. It will not be two sentences from a random page but two, usually more, sentences from the pages I have read so far that have struck me as most interesting, original or that I just happen to like a lot.

This weeks teaser is from Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh. This is an oldish title (2006) and it's the first in her Psy-Changleling series. I finished the book yesterday and I really enjoyed it. It was my first shapeshifters book and I find the part-human, part-animal characters extremely attractive. I am currently reading the next book in the series, Visions of Heat and since book 12 came out last year, I have a lot of reading ahead of me.

I have chosen a longer teaser this time but it didn't feel right to cut it to just two sentences, so I have kept all the 5 sentences since they tell so much about both main characters and also are indicative of the beautiful writing style of Ms Singh:

"Sascha had somehow become firmly lodged inside of him, a vibrant presence in the heart of hearts where only a mate could go. Now her light, too, was flickering in a storm he couldn't block, danger he couldn't even see. His helplessness devastated him. He was furious at fate for giving him a mate he couldn't keep safe. Perhaps that was why he'd been willfully blind to a truth the panther had known form the start - he hadn't wanted to suffer as he'd done once before, hadn't wanted to bleed his heart's blood."

Slave to Sensation - Nalini Singh