Gwen’s review of Hostage to Pleasure (Psy-Changelings, Book 5) by Nalini Singh
Futuristic paranormal romance released by Berkley 2 Sep 08

I’m convinced that Nalini Singh is a visitor from another world and is recounting a history to us, not speculative fiction. Her stories are so REAL and the characters completely believable. I think this was the best Psy-Changeling book I’ve read yet.

Dorian, DarkRiver sentinel and sniper, encounters Ashaya in the last book of the series, Mine to Possess. They have an unusual reaction to each other in that meeting – one that perplexes both of them. In HtP, we get a very satisfying resolution to that encounter.

Our hero and heroine in HtP are very real characters. I think I “connected” more with Dorian than I have any of Singh’s other heroes. I liked his approach to his world. Because Dorian cannot shift into his beast (he’s a “latent”), he overcompensates by being the best at everything else. I really respect this philosophy and enjoyed reading it. And this is one of the very appealing things about all of Singh’s characters – none of them are “perfect”. Sure they’re pretty, sure they’re super-human, but none are perfect. I love that.

The emotional development in this story was perfectly paced. I never had the “oh will you get on with it already” moment. The hero and heroine are attracted to each other and act on it like adults. I loved the moment when Dorian finally admitted it was something more than simple attraction. I loved Ashaya’s angst at falling in love with Dorian. Ashaya had lived a lie so long about Silence, that it was wonderful to see her finally be able to let go and feel. And her love for her son was so wonderful.

The story arcs were all very satisfying and we’re never left wondering “how the hell did that happen”. And we have a new group of villains to love to hate – humans.

I suppose I should simply admit to myself that I am now, if I wasn’t before, an unabashed Nalini Singh Fangirl. Her books are full of hot sex, wonderful emotion, terrific characters, and really interesting plots. Plus she seems to be an all-around nice person. If you’re a paranormal fan or just a Singh fan, you do not want to miss this book.

We get to read a standalone Psy-Changeling novella in the upcoming The Magical Christmas Cat anthology (Oct 2008), “Stroke of Enticement”. It will be a terrific opportunity for those of you who aren’t sure if you want to start this series to get your feet wet. (And can you say “Squuuueeeeeee!!” at this author line up in this anthology?? Lora Leigh, Erin McCarthy, Nalini Singh, Linda Winstead Jones!) And Mercy’s book will be coming soon – I hope sometime early 2009, but no date has been posted.

So now go get Hostage to Pleasure! You won’t be disappointed!

Grade: A

Summary (fair warning: includes spoiler for Mine to Possess):

With her darkly seductive Psy/Changeling world, Nalini Singh has created “a sensual, dangerous adventure not to be missed” (New York Times bestselling author Lora Leigh). Now, as the deadly Psy Council tightens its grip, a rebel Psy scientist finds herself at the mercy of a changeling who has sworn vengeance against her kind…

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…

Read an excerpt (scroll down).

Other books in the series: