Sandy M’s review of Mine to Possess (Psy-Changelings, Book 4) by Nalini Singh
Paranormal Romance published 5 Feb 08 by Berkley Sensation

Between Nalini Singh’s leopards and J.R. Ward’s vampires, I don’t think my dreams will ever be tame again. I love alpha-to-the-core men and these characters from these two authors fit the bill perfectly. These stories are why I sit for hours on end and devour books.

Clay is no exception in this latest installment from Singh. The least social of the DarkRiver cats, he has carried around a lot of blame and a broken heart for so long, losing his best friend because he couldn’t control his beast when he tried to protect her from a horrible event as a child. He lost her a second time when she died in a car wreck. Or so he thought.

Talin loved Clay as a child, he was always there for her, but she was scarred so deeply when she witnessed his leopard kill a man, even though it was an act meant to protect her. Not being able to handle his demanding nature, she chose to put an end to their friendship once and for all, at least only in Clay’s mind. Tally then has to face her past when children under her care are disappearing and dying. Seeing Clay again is harder than she’d ever imagined.

It’s even harder on Clay, however, because Talin has been dead to him for so many years. He helps her, though, no questions asked, in her search for the missing kids. Along the way they each have to come to grips with their history and their future, if Tally can overcome her fear of Clay and if he can forgive her for her life-altering lie.

What I like most about these alphas is not only their protectiveness, their hardness, but also their sensitive side that always come through in dealing with their mates. I really enjoyed the cat characterization and mannerisms Singh gave Clay in this book, much more, it seems to me, than any of the others so far. The deep examination into the Psy world pre-Silence this time around was quite fascinating too. This series has become an all-time favorite. The writing is as fresh as ever. I still care about what happens to these characters. I’m curious how it’s all going to play out.

Read Alicia’s review. She likes the kitty cats too.

Grade: A+

From the back cover:

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.