Shannon C.‘s review of Visions of Heat (Psy-Changelings, Book 2) by Nalini Singh
Paranormal science fiction romance released by Berkley Sensation 6 Mar 07

I don’t know what it is with me and certain series out there. I start a series of books, adore the first book, and then invariably find something else shiny to read. That’s what happened with the Psy-Changeling books. I loved the first one, and meant to pick up the rest of the series, but life intervened. Then I decided that I wanted something I could guarantee would be a good read, because I was under the weather, and Nalini Singh popped into my head. I feel like I’m the last blogger ever to embrace these books, and for that I should be ashamed, because they really are that good. 

This installment of the Psy/Changeling series features Faith Nightstar, a specially-designated F-Psy. She has the gift of foresight, and her predictions are almost never wrong. She is kept in isolation, monitored remotely. But she is beginning to feel darkness creeping upon her, and the tenuous control she has over her mind is threatening to fracture. She seeks advice and answers from Sascha Duncan, the only Psy she can think of who isn’t going to snitch on her to the Psy Council. But in the process of finding Sascha, she meets Vaughn, a jaguar Changeling whose animal is rather closer to the surface than most Changelings, and the two of them find themselves embroiled in a plot including murder, scheming, and romance.

I found it pretty darn impossible to put this book down. I’m usually the kind of reader who stretches her reading out over a couple of days. Not so this book, which I finished in a matter of hours. Ms. Singh writes the kind of alpha men who work really well for me, and she writes heroines who mesh well with them. I never felt that Vaughn’s personality seriously overpowered Faith’s, and I absolutely adore the sensual, touchy-feely Changelings. As I said on my twitter at the time, I want one of these guys for my own.

Faith herself wasn’t as compelling a heroine as Sascha from Slave to Sensation. There was a sense of fragility about her that distanced her a little from me. I don’t think I’m likely to remember her quite as well as I remember Sascha. That being said, the romance here works beautifully, and Ms. Singh sells me on a fated mates storyline, which is quite difficult.

I liked seeing some of the secondary characters, particularly the members of the Dark River Changeling pack. I further enjoyed the Psy Council, and I absolutely loved the small twist at the end involving Faith’s father. They all weave seamlessly into the plot, and I didn’t get the sense of “OMG look at me, I am a sequel-bait” from any of them. That being said, I would have liked to see a bit more of the Changelings in particular, as the quiet scenes with Nate and Tammy and their cubs were among my favorites in the first book. But I suppose their absence was necessary, since neither Faith nor Vaughn are particularly communal people.

I liked Slave to Sensation slightly better than I liked Visions of Heat. But given the fact that VoH was impossible to put down, it still gets an A, and I hope that the rest of my 2009 reads are just as stellar.

Grade: A-

Read more about the Psy-Changelings series by clicking on its tag.

Summary:
Hailed as a major new talent in paranormal romance, Nalini Singh takes us deeper into the world of the Psy and the changelings in her latest extraordinary novel, where a gifted woman sees passion in her future-a passion that is absolutely forbidden by her kind… Used to cold silence, Faith NightStar is suddenly being tormented by dark visions of blood and murder. A bad sign for anyone, but worse for Faith, an F-Psy with the highly sought after ability to predict the future. Then the visions show her something even more dangerous-aching need…exquisite pleasure. But so powerful is her sight, so fragile the state of her mind, that the very emotions she yearns to embrace could be the end of her. Changeling Vaughn D’Angelo can take either man or jaguar form, but it is his animal side that is overwhelmingly drawn to Faith. The jaguar’s instinct is to claim this woman it finds so utterly fascinating and the man has no argument. But while Vaughn craves sensation and hungers to pleasure Faith in every way, desire is a danger that could snap the last threads of her sanity. And there are Psy who need Faith’s sight for their own purposes. They must keep her silenced-and keep her from Vaughn…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series:

Branded by Fire, Book 6 – coming 7 Jul 09