Psy-Human Thriller

“We fit, you and I . . . two broken pieces making a whole.”

THE STORY: Detective Max Shannon is assigned to work with Sophia Russo, a J-Psy on some suspicious deaths surrounding one of the Psy Councilors. Max is human but has an unusual natural mental shield. Sophia is a Justice Psy who finds in people’s minds evidence of crimes. Years of touching the worst of the world means that Sophia is falling apart. Her mental shields are breaking down and she knows that soon she will be sent to Rehabilitation where she will be mentally destroyed. Before she falls apart, Sophia realizes that she wants to investigate her attraction to Max. The two are soon involved in one another and investigating plots that threaten the stability of the entire world.

OPINION: I liked this book because it was most concerned with moving the overarching story forward. The book is more of a suspense thriller than the typical Psy-Changeling book. There are three basic stories: the romance, the story of a murderer that Max and Sophia were investigating and the question of who is killing the Councilor’s trusted advisors. Max and Sophia had an interesting relationship. They both come from broken families where they were abandoned by their parents. That similarity allows the two to get close to one another where their instinct is to stay apart. Singh does such an amazing job with the Psy-Changeling novels because they are interesting political dramas and deeply emotional book about love and emotion and what makes us human.

WORTH MENTIONING: The overarching story of the series is clearly reaching a critical point. Readers of the series will be interested to see reveals regarding the murky motives of various recurring characters.

FINAL DECISION: While not one of my favorite books of the series, this book is different because it is more of a thriller. The books spins out more of the overarching story and I especially like the shades of grey of characters that seemed completely evil in the past.

CONNECTED BOOKS: BONDS OF JUSTICE is the eighth book in the Psy-Changeling series. The romantic story is one that is self-contained and can be read by a new reader. The book, however, also makes big moves in the overarching storyline of the series that might be confusing for a new reader.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

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Amazing Emotional Journey

“Nothing is stronger than the will of the human heart.”

THE STORY: Dev Santos who heads the Shine Foundation which protects the descendants of the Psy who chose not to submit to Silence a century ago finds a woman unconscious and tortured. She has no memory of who she is but Dev suspects that she might be a Trojan horse sent to bring him and Shine down. Katya Haas was mentally destroyed by one of the Psy Council members. Her mind was reprogrammed to murder and Katya fears that Dev is correct and that he is the target. Desperately trying to regain her sanity and her identity, Katya is also attracted to the man that she may have been sent to destroy.

OPINION: I loved this book. It was deeply emotional and concentrated intensely on Katya and Dev. It was an intensely beautiful story of two people who cannot trust and yet end up falling in love. The story of what Katya’s purpose was remained a taut and interesting storyline. I fell in love with these characters. Katya is so broken in the beginning of the story that I rejoiced as she struggled to take control of her own life. The story is so well written that even as I knew that there must be a happy ending somewhere, I was completely absorbed into the story such that I could not imagine how the story could end up on a positive note. Such an intense book that never faltered.

WORTH MENTIONING: The journey that this book takes is amazing. I ended up crying for about 50 pages because it was so emotional.

FINAL DECISION: I loved this book. It is one of those books I love despite and because it ripped my heart out.

CONNECTED BOOKS: BLAZE OF MEMORY is the seventh book in the Psy-Changeling series. This book can be read independent of the others in the series although Singh is no longer repeating the basic information about the world she has created so a new reader may not understand the relationships and rules involved.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.

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Strong Hero and Heroine

“Do you want to claw at me, kitty-cat?”

THE STORY: BRANDED BY FIRE brings the alliance between the DarkRiver leopards and the SnowDancer wolves to a critical point. The two changeling groups have been increasing their alliance as the novels have gone by. In BRANDED BY FIRE, Mercy Smith, a leopard sentinel and Riley Kincaid, a wolf lieutenant finally give in to the attraction that has been burning between them for a while. Their relationship has many complications. First, there is the natural problems of a wolf and a cat being in a relationship. Second, there are the potential conflicts in loyalties with the two packs. Third, both Mercy and Riley are dominant changelings and Mercy especially worries how they can manage a relationship between them.

OPINION: I loved this book because it was at its heart really about how a strong independent woman builds a relationship with a strong, independent man. While the story is dressed up in paranormal trappings, the heart of the story is universal. Because of the nature of the story, this book felt more personal and intimate than some of the others in the series that interact more with the overarching story of the series. I loved the sexy, witty dialogue between Mercy and Riley. The two are smart and clever and I loved how they fight and love one another.

WORTH MENTIONING: For fans of the series, there are some beautiful scenes in this book between Sascha and Lucas. For those scenes alone, I would have read this book.

FINAL DECISION: I really enjoyed this book because it deals with the changelings and the relationship between the two packs. I also really enjoyed how Singh dealt with a strong woman character and let her have a relationship where she was not only an equal partner, but a strong soldier as well.

CONNECTED BOOKS: BRANDED BY FIRE is the sixth novel in the Psy-Changeling series. The more I read of these books, the more I believe that a reader must start with the first novel in order to appreciate the breadth of the world and story that Singh has created.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.

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Complex Paranormal Romance

“If he was going to be held hostage to this unwanted compulsion, then she was damn well coming along for the ride.”

THE STORY: Dorian Christensen is a leopard changeling who cannot shift into his leopard form. A sniper and sentinel for the DarkRiver leopards, he is tormented by the murder of his sister by one of the cold Psy. When he meets Ashaya Aleine he is attracted and feels guilty about it. Ashaya is Psy and has been working for the Council to create technology to create a hive mind. When she manages to defect, the question is what are her motives.

OPINION: I really like the continuing Psy story and I was happy that Dorian gets his happy ending here. I thought the story was complex and Singh doesn’t shy away from the complexities of good and evil and endings that are not perfect. The motivations of characters are murky and it is especially interesting that readers are left to guess at who can be trusted. I liked Dorian and his story was particularly compelling. The relationship between Dorian and Ashaya was interesting but I felt less connection between them than with prior characters. My liking of the story was more intellectual than emotional. Both Dorian and Ashaya reveal more information about the changelings and Psy. I did like their story, but I did not feel the emotional kick with this story that I had with the others in this series.

WORTH MENTIONING: Fans of the series will get cameos from the prior couples who have important roles in this story.

FINAL DECISION: The story between Dorian and Ashaya is complex and interesting. Singh finds new ways to keep her series interesting. I liked this book although it was not as good as the previous books in the series.

CONNECTED BOOKS: HOSTAGE TO PLEASURE is the fifth Psy-Changeling book in the series. The story is independent of the other books in the series, however, there is an overarching story that is threaded through all the novels and a reader who has not read the previous books in the series may miss this overarching story.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

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Emotional Journey Through Pain to Love

The story of two people who have loved one another most of their lives and yet have tremendous pain to overcome to find love together.

THE STORY: Clay Bennett is a leopard changeling who was raised as human by his mother. Clay is often viewed as cold and detached for a changeling. He has missed his childhood friend, Tally, for twenty years. As children, they had a special bond that was shattered when Clay killed Tally’s abusive foster father. Talin McKade spent the best days of her life with Clay as a child. When he killed to protect her, Talin ran from Clay going as far as having him told that she was dead. Twenty years later, she has come to Clay to ask for his help. Street children are disappearing and ending up dead. Talin is determined to find the remaining kidnapped children but needs Clay’s help. The anger and pain between Clay and Tally threaten to destroy any connection between them and yet the beauty of their memories brings them together.

OPINION: This book is deeply emotional and painful. Tally’s abuse at the hands of her foster father had an incredibly negative influence on her life. MINE TO POSSESS slowly reveals the different ways in which she has had to live with the effects including her rejection of Clay and her deliberate separation from other people. Singh does not flinch from Tally’s pain filled life including her sexual promiscuity. I believe Tally to be incredibly strong to have survived and rebuilt her life. Her reunion with Clay allows her to not just survive but to find happiness and joy. Clay has his own demons to deal with. His childhood also scarred him. His mother wanted to deny his leopard and as a result, Clay is at risk of going rogue and losing himself to the leopard part of himself. The DarkRiver leopards have made Clay one of them even when he would like to be apart. He has missed Tally and when she reappears in his life, he is understandably angry at her deception. It is difficult to read how abrupt and cutting he is with her, but he is also striking out in pain at her denial of their connection. The acceptance and understanding that builds between the characters throughout the novel is deeply moving. Singh has created an amazing world, characters and series and I can’t stop turning pages.

WORTH MENTIONING: I’m a big fan of Singh’s incorporating characters from previous books into the story. This is not a series where a couple is paired off and never seen again. She has a large cast of characters that make appearances big and small throughout each of the books.

FINAL DECISION: The romance between Clay and Tally is so complicated and layered. I love the pain and the beauty of their love. While not my favorite characters of the series, I think the book overall is my favorite because of the deeply emotional nature of the story.

CONNECTED BOOKS: MINE TO POSSESS is the fourth book in the Psy-Changeling series. It can be read independent of the other books, but readers should be aware that there is an overarching story that connects all the books and is being slowly revealed as the series progresses.

STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

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Incredibly Angst Filled Story Where the Hero and Heroine Heal Each Other

Singh has created an incredibly detailed world involving the Psy who have excised emotion from their people and their society who rule the world of humans and changelings (animal/human shapeshifters).

THE STORY: Judd Lauren is a former Psy assassin who now lives with is family with the SnowDancer changeling wolves. He is cold and has no intention of breaking Silence to admit emotion to his life because he knows that it will turn him into an indiscriminate killer. He is working with other Psy to destabilize the governing system of the Psy. Brenna Kincaid was tortured and almost killed by a Psy serial killer. Her mind was broken and raped by the Psy and Brenna is still discovering what the effects are. The changeling wolf has been changed by her experiences and she fears what she is becoming. When she dreams of a murder that happens and she feels joy in the killing, Brenna fears that she will also become a killer like the Psy who tortured her. Neither is looking for a relationship and yet Judd and Brenna and constantly drawn to one another.

OPINION: I really enjoyed this book. Both Brenna and Judd are damaged people. While others insist that they cannot help one another, their mutual pain brings them together and gives them an understanding of what the other is dealing with. This is one of those books where the pain and emotions of the characters are put on display in such an intimate fashion that the reader goes on the emotional rollercoaster that the characters are on. The book is intense and difficult to read at points. Singh, however, shows her characters in the darkness but does not leave the reader there. The beauty of CARESSED BY ICE is the light and joy brought to the characters through their relationship. I love books that rips open emotions and then bring the characters into the beauty of love. Brenna, especially, is incredibly strong and her ability to overcome and fall in love with Judd is amazing. I especially liked in this book the alternating point of view between Brenna and Judd. Singh does a fantastic job of changing her tone to suit each character and the emotional journey of Judd was compelling as well.

WORTH MENTIONING: Fans of the virgin hero will find an interesting variation here.

FINAL DECISION: I think this is a fabulous book. It is incredibly moving and emotional and I highly recommend it.

CONNECTED BOOKS: CARESSED BY ICE is the third book in the Psy-Changeling series. The book can be read independent of others in the series although the world building that is done depends upon the overarching story being developed throughout the novel. A reader can start here, but I recommend starting at the beginning to appreciate the overarching story.

STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

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