Devon’s review of Hostage to Pleasure (Psy-Changelings Series, Book 5) by Nalini Singh
Paranormal Romance released by Berkley 2 Sep 08
I am a latecomer to the world of the Psy-Changelings. At first I wasn’t sure this series would be for me, but the ginormous amount of glowing reviews by bloggers I respect, soon changed my mind. The first book I finally got around to reading was Mine to Possess, and I was hooked. This is a truly fascinating world, populated by fascinating characters. Hostage to Pleasure develops a storyline introduced in the previous book, and readers of this series will definitely not be disappointed.
The most interesting aspect of this world are the Psy. With their highly developed mental powers and lack of emotion, they are alien to me and almost creepy. Take Ashaya Aleine, the heroine of this book. She played a pivotal role in Mine to Possess, but it was very difficult to tell her motivations. We learn a lot more about Ashaya here, and it’s a very interesting backstory. The way the Psy function, with their net mind and all, is a bit difficult to understand, but fascinating.
She’s an unusual character and Dorian makes a great foil for her. The Changelings are the opposite of the Psy, rooted in gut instinct. He is tormented by his attraction to Ashaya, seeing it as a betrayal of his sister’s memory. They both have a lot of baggage to work past, including a very interesting villain (of sorts) who dogs Ashaya’s every move. The whole Psy lack of emotion thing is of course a major stumbling block, and their developing relationship is made all the more passionate by the things they have to get past.
But this was a book where I was almost more interested in the overall plot arc than the romance. Silence, the Psy protocol which indoctrinates the race into an emotionless state, is starting to crumble. The governing Psy council members are scrambling to keep their people under control and conflicting with each other over how to do so. I’m so curious to see how it all unfolds, in particular, what’s up with the new councilor Kaleb Krychek.
Hostage to Pleasure had a good romance, interesting characters and compelling plot. Although I believe you can read this without having read the others, it’s best to just start at the beginning, because you’ll want to go back and catch up anyway. I know I’m working on it. Characters from previous books make appearances, and they are actually playing an active role in the development of the story. I look forward to seeing what happens next.
Grade: B
The Summary:
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 here.
The other books in the series:
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