Branded by Fire (Psy-Changeling, #6) by Nalini Singh Series: Psy-Changeling #6
Published by Berkley on July 7th 2009
Genres: Paranormal
Pages: 372
Goodreads
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.