Review: Visions of Heat

Review: Visions of HeatVisions of Heat (Psy-Changeling, #2) by Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling #2
Published by Berkley Intermix on March 1, 2007
Genres: Paranormal
Pages: 356
Goodreads
five-stars

Fabulous Entry in the Psy-Changeling Series

The story of a woman isolated from the world and the man who draws her to discover more about herself than she could imagine. Singh’s Psy-Changeling series is a paranormal romance series where the Psy are a race that has eliminated emotion from their people. They coexist with humans and changelings (half human, half animal).

THE STORY: Faith NightStar is an F-Psy. She foresees the future for the business interests of her family and the Psy. She has been isolated since she was three years old. Something has changed and she foresees a murder. Faith begins to have questions. In her investigations, she runs into Vaughn D’Angelo, a jaguar changeling who is a sentinel with the DarkRiver leopards. Faith and Vaughn are drawn together again and again. They end up hunting another Psy murderer who seems to be threatening Faith in her mind.

OPINION: VISIONS OF HEAT is a compelling book. The combination of the cold, emotionless Psy and the sensual, emotional Changelings make a great deal of tension. This disparity in how the characters see the world make this a true different worlds story. I loved the character of Faith. For a woman who has been isolated her entire life, she is not weak. She grows and stretches throughout the story and I appreciated that. I also really liked that Vaughn knows that she is a strong woman even when Faith doesn’t. One of my favorite scenes is where Faith is fighting the evil that surrounds her and sees that Vaughn has watched over her but not interfered. When she asks why, he says that he knew that she could handle it. Although admittedly dominating and possessive, Vaughn is empowering in surprising ways. The plot of the story develops the overarching story of the series, but is also self-contained and doesn’t require that a reader be familiar with prior book in the series. Finally, I love the very sensual, lush way that Singh writes in this book without being purple prose. It reflects the life of the changelings and I really appreciate how she changes in tone depending on what part of the world is being discussed.

WORTH MENTIONING: Fans of SLAVE TO SENSATION will be happy to know that Sascha and Lucas play important roles in this book.

FINAL DECISION: I have been very impressed with this series. The writing, characters and plot have been excellent and I recommend it.

CONNECTED BOOKS: VISIONS OF HEAT is the second book in the Psy-Changeling series. I reader does not have to read the first book in the series, although the story will be better appreciated with the background of that book.

STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

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five-stars

Review: Slave to Sensation

Review: Slave to SensationSlave to Sensation (Psy-Changeling, #1) by Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling #1
Published by Berkley Sensation on September 5th 2006
Genres: Paranormal
Pages: 352
Goodreads
five-stars

Fabulous, Unique, Emotional Paranormal Romance

The story of a world where the Psy, a cold emotionless race, rules over humans and Changelings (a type of animal shapeshifter). What happens when a Psy and a Changeling fall in love.

THE STORY: Sascha Duncan is a 26 year old Cardinal Psy. The Psy were conditioned to remove emotion from their makeup. Sascha has a secret. She is falling apart because she feels emotion. She has been hiding that fact for years and fears that she is losing control and will be sent to rehabilitation where defective Psy are essentially erased. As part of her job, she begins working with Lucas Hunter, a leopard changeling. Lucas and his pack are searching for a Psy serial killer (who isn’t supposed to exist because of the Psy conditioning). Lucas believes that he can use Sascha to discover the killer. Something about Sascha, however, attracts Lucas and he is determined to find out everything about her.

OPINION: I loved this book. I really felt the fears of Sascha as she discovers her true self and I loved how she claims her own identity by the end of the book. Lucas is sexy and playful and Singh’s depiction of him just makes a reader want to reach out and pet him. I was impressed with the world building that Singh does. She depicts the world without droning on and on about the details. She world serves the story. I was instantly enthralled by the story and wanted to know the outcome not only of the romance but also the plot itself. Although Sascha is at a difficult part in her life, she is strong and determined and immensely likeable. I admire strong heroines who are also likeable. The romance was sexy and sweet. There was absolutely nothing about this book that I didn’t like.

WORTH MENTIONING: There are two prequel novellas to this book. They can be read before or after this book.

FINAL DECISION: SLAVE TO SENSATION was a surprise to me. Singh has created a unique world with great characters. I was instantly sucked into the story and couldn’t stop turning the pages. The story has emotional depth and I believed in the characters and their world. I highly recommend this book and can’t wait to read more.

CONNECTED BOOKS: SLAVE TO SENSATION is book one of the Psy-Changeling series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

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five-stars

Review: Whisper of Sin

Review: Whisper of SinWhisper of Sin (Psy-Changeling, #0.6) by Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling #0.6
Published by Jove on February 25th 2014
Genres: Paranormal
Pages: 88
Goodreads
four-stars

Novella Prequel to Psy-Changeling Series

THE STORY: Ria Wembly is attacked. She is saved by leopard shapeshifters known as changlings. Emmett is a leopard changeling and he immediately knows that Ria is important to him. He is determined to find out who is trying to hurt Ria and to eliminate that threat. Emmett is possessive and dominating and Ria lives with a family that has tried to control her for too long. Can she deal with Emmett?

OPINION: I liked this novella. Singh has created an interesting world and set of characters and I look forward to reading the actual novels in the series. The story between Ria and Emmett is fast and intense. I really enjoyed the glimpses into her family who are a unique bunch. I recommend this novella whether or not you have read the other books in the series.

WORTH MENTIONING: I read this book before any of the major novels in the series. While I suspect that there are lots of cameos by characters that appear in the series, I did not feel that I had missed anything. I understood what was happening in the story.

FINAL DECISION: I enjoyed this story and can’t wait to read the full length novels in the series.

CONNECTED BOOKS: This novella is 0.6 of the Psy-Changeling series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

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four-stars

Review: Wild Invitation

Review: Wild InvitationWild Invitation (Psy-Changeling, #0.5, 4.5, 9.5, 10.5) by Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling #0.5, , ,
Published by Berkley Sensation on March 5th 2013
Genres: Paranormal
Pages: 339
Goodreads
four-half-stars

Great Set of Four Psy-Changeling Novellas

WILD INVITATION consists of four novellas about the Psy-Changeling world. The first two stories are about secondary characters in the DarkRiver leopard pack and the second two stories are about secondary characters in the SnowDancer wolf pack. Overall rating: 4.25 stars.

BEAT OF TEMPTATION: This novella is a prequel to the Psy-Changeling series. It is the story of the DarkRiver leopard healer Tamsyn and Nathan Ryder, a sentinel. Although Tamsyn and Nathan are destined to be mates, Nathan refuses to approach Tamsyn because he wants her to have a chance to explore and consider life before settling down. Tamsyn is angry at Nathan because she wants him now and doesn’t appreciate him deciding what is right for her. A prequel to the series, the events of this novella occur before SLAVE TO SENSATION. I liked the romance between Tamsyn and Nathan. I read this novella before any other book in the series and understood exactly what was happening. Rating: 4.25 stars.

STROKE OF ENTICEMENT: This novella is the story of Annie Kildaire, a human and Zach Quinn, a leopard changeling. Annie is a schoolteacher for changeling cubs. The drama in the story is around Annie’s fears of having a long term relationship with Zach because she fears that he will tire of her and abandon her. I liked this story although it was the least memorable of the collection for me. Rating: 4 stars.

DECLARATION OF COURTSHIP: This novella is the story of a dominant SnowDancer wolf lieutenant Cooper and the sweet submissive wolf Grace who catches his interest. The couple’s courtship was mentioned in PLAY OF PASSION and this novella gives their story. Cooper is determined to court Grace but she worries that her submissive nature will ruin any relationship they may have. I really liked this story because the relationship is different from the others in the main novels of the series and gives a different view of what dominant and submissive is in the changeling world. I smiled at this story because Cooper does the hard sell in courting Grace with tons of gifts and sexy, naughty notes. A sweet addition to the series. Rating: 4.25 stars.

TEXTURE OF INTIMACY: This novella continues the romance between Lara, the SnowDancer healer and Walker Lauren, Psy defector. Their romance was detailed as a secondary romance in KISS OF SNOW. This novella begins after the events in KISS OF SNOW. Here Lara and Walker are mated but are learning to live together and build a life. Sweet and beautiful and more a love letter to the entire series, I enjoyed this story as a coda to KISS OF SNOW. It gives readers a chance to focus on Lara and Walker and to demonstrate that they have an honest happily ever after. This story was my favorite because I was already invested in Lara and Walker’s story and was happy that they got extra time. Rating: 4.5.

four-half-stars