Sandy M’s review of Bonds of Justice (Psy/Changeling Series, Book Eight) by Nalini Singh
Paranormal Romance published by Berkley 6 Jul 10

Oh. My. God. How can this series keep getting better and better?? It seems impossible, but Nalini Singh has the golden touch. An imagination that won’t quit. A writing style that punches you in the gut, wrings your heart out till there’s nothing left, and leaves you nearly as satisfied as you can get. I did say nearly there.

When I realized that her books were changing focus from the Changelings being heroes/heroines, I thought the series would slip some. *snort* Teaches me to try to think ahead. Blaze of Memory and Bonds of Justice are just as good, just as emotional, just as sexy, just as everything as the first books in the series that featured our cats. Of course, still having those sexy, sensual animals appearing throughout these books helps.

What I like most about this new focus is the emotion. It’s much more visceral than the earlier books. I remember sobbing as I read the last quarter of BoM. I didn’t go quite that far this time with BoJ, but there were moments that my stomach dropped, I gasped, and I thought, “Oh, no.” Ms. Singh is becoming a master at pulling those emotions out of readers.

And, further, what I like about that emotional issue is it’s been our heroes who have had to deal with loss and helplessness. To me it’s pure genius the way she’s taken her Psy world and its intricacies a step further to utilize them in such a way to endanger the heroines’ lives, rendering the heroes helpless and willing to do anything to save their loves. Talk about a kick in the gut.

Sophia is a Justice-Psy, one who can enter criminals’ minds to retrieve their crimes and information to help solve them. Her current case is a serial killer who is playing games in giving up the whereabouts of his victims’ final resting places, thus not giving families closure. Over the years Sophia has done her job, all of those memories and nightmares she’s lived through and with will eventually be her destruction, her Psy mind splintering to nothing.

Max is the relentless detective who finally got his man and now is standing aside while this J-Psy tries to bring his case to an end. He’s not the normal human when it comes to the Psy and their mind delving. Max has a natural shield that keeps them out of his head. So when he and Sophia are thrown together to discover who’s trying to kill a Council member, Sophia finds the quietness in Max a blessing. She also finds the man himself very hard to resist.

What I also like in Ms. Singh’s handling of these heroines is the innocence she’s given them when it comes to not only humans, but more when it comes to men and the relationship with them. They’re strong, intelligent women, but that hint of innocence pops up at the most interesting times that result in a smile or a chuckle from me. It’s fascinating to watch them grow in their sensuality. Brilliant.

There’s the usual fascinating Psy Net and all that goes with it. The usual subterfuge among the Council. But this time we have the unusual continuation of Nikita Duncan and her so-called feelings for her daughter, Sascha. And, of course, we get our necessary dosage of the Dark River leopards, which I hope never, ever ends. Though we’re now getting different featured leads, it’s those cats that help make each book what it is.

Just can’t do without those cats.

Grade: A+

Summary:

Max Shannon is a good cop, one of the best in New York Enforcement. Born with a natural shield that protects him against Psy mental invasions, he knows he has little chance of advancement within the Psy-dominated power structure. The last case he expects to be assigned is that of a murderer targeting a Psy Councilor’s closest advisors. And the last woman he expects to compel him in the most sensual of ways is a Psy on the verge of a catastrophic mental fracture…

Sophia Russo is a Justice-Psy, cursed with the ability to retrieve memories from men and women so twisted even veteran cops keep their distance. Appointed as Max’s liaison with the Psy, she finds herself fascinated by this human, her frozen heart threatening to thaw with forbidden emotion. But, her mind filled with other people’s nightmares, other people’s evil, she’s standing on the border between sanity and a silken darkness that urges her to take justice into her own hands, to become judge, jury…and executioner…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series: