Sandy M’s review of Hostage to Pleasure (Psy-Changelings, Book 5) by Nalini Singh
Futuristic Paranormal Romance released by Berkley 2 Sep 08

From the beginning of this series, Dorian has been my favorite character, so this is the book I’ve anticipated the most.  After waiting so long — I always wanted it to be next after each previous book was released! — I feared that I had let my imagination spin so out of control about his storyline that I could very well be disappointed once I read it.  Thank god Ms. Singh has more imagination that most of us daydreamers will ever be able to touch.

Although I felt for Dorian, of course, for the emotional upheaval of losing his sister in such a horrible and monstrous way, it’s always been his latency, his inability to shift, that has drawn me to him.  Due to his inability, he’s always strived to be the best at whatever he does and he’s definitely a lethal predator with his feral instincts, martial arts, and sniper cool.

In this book we see the clawing and biting of his leopard wanting to shift, to claim its mate, and we see the pain that causes him, along with the guilt that has hit him when he realizes his attraction to Ashaya Aleine, an M-Psy who has defected from her people but refuses to break Silence.  Since he has vowed to destroy the Psy who allowed his sister to be murdered, it’s difficult for Dorian to reconcile his feelings for Ashaya.

Even though in the beginning he tries to deny his growing feelings for Ashaya, we see the gradual lessening of his antagonism and his acceptance of her in his life.  It’s fascinating to watch him tear down her defenses one by one and so very slowly and charmingly with the devastating combination of man and cat.

Ashaya comes into the picture with a lot of secrets and just as much pain in her life as Dorian.  The twists in this book keep jumping out at you at every turn. She’s determined to bring the Council and their schemes down while keeping herself and her son safe, a son who has already bonded with Dorian.  I really enjoyed how Ashaya’s trust in Dorian grows every time he accepts one of her secrets and still stands by her.  Of course, he plays with her just as much as he protects her and gets irritated with her when her secrets do come out.  She delights in the sensation of touch, the sensation of family, which is everything to Dorian.

There are plenty of tense moments to keep you engrossed to the exclusion of anything and everything else.  The honesty and integrity these characters give to one another is simply a joy to read.  No lying, no mis-communication but still plenty of conflict to keep it all interesting.

We also get to enjoy previous characters along the way.  The interaction among them all does give a sense of community and family, whether it’s in fun, in anger, or in helpfulness and gratitude.  The acceptance of each new mate into that family and their own net mind is a pleasure to read.  and, of course, there’s also the recurring Psy characters, and as interesting as they are, I want to scream at every evil act they concoct.  I have such fun in the way Ms. Singh describes Dorian’s feline characteristics, how his leopard purrs or growls, his sleekness and gracefulness, and especially his playfulness.

My only disappointment, which I’m hoping will be taken of in the next book, Branded by Fire, out in July 2009, is the Pack’s reaction to Dorian’s miracle.  But the fact he got his miracle is really enough for me.

Grade: A+

Read Gwen’s, Devon’s, and Lime’s reviews.  Read all sorts of information by following the Psy-Changeling series tag.

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.

Other books in the series: