Here it is, my best read books in 2011.  Some of these still stand out in my mind and were easy to decide on, and others I really had to think about. Out of so many books, it was hard to decide, so I picked the ones which are worthy of the keeper shelf.

5. Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch – Not the type of book I usually read, though I always say I will read more of. I love both Kitty and Jeff. It’s one of those stories where you really need to suspend belief and just go along for the ride. It’s a fun break away from the real world and I loved that about it.

4. Bloodlust by Michelle Rowen -  One of the reasons this is one of my favorites is because it’s the last book and it just ends so well. I’m not left with any burning questions, I know I won’t have to wait through 5…10…15 more books to get answers. I am happy with it, and I like the fact that there could be more, but there doesn’t have to be. Declan is still one of my favorite characters.

3. Defiant by Kris Kennedy -  It has almost everything I could ask for in a historical, which I am picky about since it’s not my favorite genre.  I was hooked after the first sentence and that is a must for me. If more historicals had heroines like Eva, I would be reading them more.

2. Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison – I am so glad this didn’t sit on my TBR for any longer then it did. This book broke a really bad reading slump and Thea Harrison is now one of my favorite paranormal authors. Dragos is just awesome, and I wish there were more dragon books like this out there.

1. Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh – One word…Hawke. Do I really need to say more? Just thinking about this book makes me feel warm and fuzzy. I can’t imagine this being topped any time soon, or at least until the next one…but maybe not then either.

It wasn’t hard at all to pick my worst books. I didn’t give many bad ratings last year, which is a good thing. These are the ones I wish I could go back and forget I ever read them.

5. Ascension by Caris Roane -  This book is just one giant eye roll. I had to stop myself from throwing it against the wall many times. I think of it as everything I never want to read in a paranormal.

4. Secrets to Seducing a Scot by Michelle Marcos – The problem here is I was bored. There was nothing exciting and the romance was lacking.

3. Finding Forgiveness by Dana Marie Bell – I disliked one of the main characters and I couldn’t get past it. There was nothing about him that said ‘hero’ to me. I was rooting for the other guy to leave him.

2. Ashes of Midnight by Lara Adrian – Great series, terrible book. I skimmed it just so I could move onto the next one. I disliked the characters and found them boring.

1. A Thread of Deepest Black by Finn Marlowe – I think this is the only book that got an F from me last year. I didn’t like a single thing about it.

This is the second year in a row I’ve not been able to decide which of two terrific books should be my No. 1. So I have a tie once again. Last year it was two fantasies that made the top spot. This year one of those authors has maintained her position, but she’s now sharing it with an historical author who never lets me down in story or character. And who rounds out the rest of my list? Think I can surprise you? Hmmmmm. Maybe not totally, but I think a few of my picks just might!

10. A Forever Kind of Love by Shiloh Walker – emotion is going to be the word of the day for this list. Combined with an alpha hero and a romance to die for, an author has a life-long fan in me if she can pull that off. Shiloh Walker is definitely one of those authors. This book is chockful of emotion, pulling on your heartstrings so much you’re sure they’ll definitely break. Just what I’ve come to expect from her.

9. Saddled and Spurred/Wrangled and Tangled & Chasin’ Eight/Cowboy Casanova by Lorelei James – I’m not sure how she does it, releasing these four books, plus others, in one year, but I’m sure glad Ms. James does. I couldn’t leave any of these books off the list over another, they’re all so good. My favorite, I think, is W&T – I love Renner and Tierney, they’re such fun. Her cowboys from both of her current series will keep you hot and bothered long after you’ve finished reading them!

8. Hidden Embers by Tessa Adams – sigh. Dragons. I love’em. And this edition of Tessa Adams’ Dragon’s Heat series is right on target for me with the emotion the hero goes through and all those alpha dragons breathing fire everywhere. The aerial fight scenes are as intense as the lovemaking, and with a mysterious disease that could end their clan, this is one all-consuming read. And how can you not lust over that cover, for heaven’s sake?

7. Touch of Crimson by Sylvia Day – I so enjoy an author who can write in more than one genre, and Sylvia Day is a master. I love her paranormals every bit as much as I love her historicals. This new series featuring angels is spectacular. ToC is the perfect opening, and I can’t wait for more, especially since next up is a werewolf hero. Shifters do it for me every time.

6. Pride and Pleasure by Sylvia Day – this is the first time an author has made my list in two different genres. Doesn’t surprise me it’s Ms. Day. Both hero and heroine in this book are fascinating characters, something this author excels at like no other. I can’t imagine anyone reading this list hasn’t read Sylvia Day before, but if so, you have to pick up one of her books like yesterday. Seriously.

5. Breaking Point by Pamela Clare – another author who writes alpha heroes and gives them the perfect heroine for our reading pleasure. And who can insert emotion that breaks your heart and then shows you action until you’re ready to collapse with exhaustion. You get everything in a Pamela Clare book. The hero in this story goes through hell, but his heroine, of course, helps pull him through.

4. Hidden Away by Maya Banks – If you’ve read my reviews of Ms. Banks’ KGI series books, you know I love these Kelly boys. They go through hell to find love, but that makes it all the more sweet and pleasurable in the end. It’s also the family aspect of these stories that I love. You mess with one Kelly, you mess with them all. The brothers tease and fight like boys do, but they back each other up no matter what. Heroes, every one of them.

3. The Many Sins of Lord Cameron by Jennifer Ashley – more brothers that have burrowed into my heart. This book is my second favorite so far, right behind The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie. We find out what drives Cam, how his past has shaped him. And what a past it is. I also like the father-son aspect of this book. I was hoping that would be a good part of it when we met Daniel in earlier stories, and Ms. Ashley gave me that hope in spades, and then some.

2. Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh – there’s not a thing about Ms. Singh’s Psy-Changeling series that I don’t like. I like/love certain books over others, especially the ones that made me cry – but every one of them calls to and satisfies the paranormal/shifter fan in me. Hawke and Sienna live up to the expectations in my mind, I loved every single word.

1. Waking Up with the Duke by Lorraine Heath – all three books in this trilogy are wonderful, but this one, this one was the most emotional of all, and that’s saying something after the very talented Ms. Heath turned a not-so-nice character into a hero you couldn’t help but love on the very first page of his book. The untenable situation in WUwtD, the characters who live it, and the love they share is what puts this book in the No. 1 position for me.

1. Haunting Desire and Haunting Embrace by Erin Quinn – this series has been, well, haunting to read. Ms. Quinn has given this reader a whole new lo ok at Ireland and paranormal stories the like of which I’ve never read before. So beautifully written.

The series has ended with Haunting Embrace, so if you’re looking for something different, these books will hit the spot perfectly.

I always give a few honorable mentions, because it’s such a difficult time whittling down the list of all the great books I’ve read in a year’s time. So I want to share those with you too. Here they are in no particular order:

Second Chance at the Sugar Shack/Any Given Christmas by Candis Terry – what fun these books are! I’m glad I discovered Ms. Terry. She’s a joy to read. Great sense of humor and a mama ghost. You can’t go wrong!

A Light at Winter’s End by Julia London – I’m so glad this book was written. I was very upset at the ending of Summer of Two Wishes. The heroine picked the wrong man, as far as I’m concerned. And when he walked off into the sunset, so to speak, with no other information about where he went, what he did, how he coped, well, I wasn’t happy at all. Here we find out. And now I’m happy. (You should read SoTW first!)

The King’s Mistress by Sandy Blair – it’s nice to have a new book by Sandy Blair on the shelves. And she’s done one heck of a job weaving her hero and heroine into Scottish history to give readers a wonderful romance. No one does it better.

Making Waves by Tawna Fenske – I enjoy an author who can make me laugh out loud. There aren’t many out there who can. Tawna Fenske is a new voice on the scene, and she knows how to write humor. Her characters and storylines are just plain old fun! I still chuckle thinking about that black thong…

What I Did for a Duke by Julie Anne Long – this was my first Julie Anne Long book and I can certainly say I’m hooked. I really enjoyed these characters and just had fun with them. I look forward to reading a lot more of her books in the future. With all of the historicals on my list this year, this one didn’t miss the cut by much at all. So very close!

Well, now we go from my Best of the Year to my Worst of the Year reads. I’m teased by some of the reviewers here at the Pond that I like everything I read. Well, that’s not technically true, because there are those books that sometimes don’t do it even for me. So I have a few. One doesn’t surprise me, one does, and the others just surprised me as I read them. And the biggest surprise is they’re all Scottish historicals, which I love to read. Now you know really how painful these were for me!

~ Must Love Kilts by Allie Mackay – I always try to give an author a second chance when one of their books doesn’t work for me. I believe I’ve given Ms. MacKay a third and fourth chance. I doubt there will be another chance in the offing any time soon. So this one didn’t surprise me at all. And that’s really too bad, because I wouldn’t mind getting a look at the covers on her books. Those I love. You can see my review here, if you’d like.

~ In Bed with a Highlander by Maya Banks – needless to say, this one surprised the ever livin’ hell out of me, as much as I love Ms. Banks’ romantic suspense novels. Honestly, I’m still flabbergasted at my reaction to this book. I expected to love it, every last word. But something went horribly wrong for me. I didn’t grade it super low just because of who the author is – at least the characters worked for me – but I just couldn’t get past other things. I feel another tear coming on. My review is here.

~ Captured by the Highlander/Claimed by the Highlander by Julianne MacLean – I’ve not read Ms. MacLean before these books, and I now know I shouldn’t have started here. I have a lot of her books in the TBR mountain, so it definitely surprised me during reading that these books just don’t work for me on any level, except maybe her characters. Despite their sounding like modern-day people and the books being nearly mirror images of each other, I do like the heroes and heroines. It’s everything else that needs work. I have yet to try the third book, and I don’t know how soon, if at all, that’s going to happen. My reviews can be read here and here.

So how do your 2011 reads stack up to my list? Any you agree with? How about vehemently disagree with?

It’s that time of year, faithful reader – and let me pause to say how much I appreciate you…even if no one else reads my silliness, I take comfort in the fact that the two of us do – time to list my favorite reads of 2011. These are books I read and that were published in 2011, to clarify. My list ended up looking a little different this year – I had a four-way tie for favorite. Without further ado:

My Top Ten for 2011

1. What I Did for a Duke – There was so much buzz about this that I had to pick it up, even though I was behind in the series. I am so glad I did! I can’t even explain why it was SO good. But it was my favorite historical romance of the year.

1. Kiss of Snow – This was the story fans of the Psy/Changling series have been waiting for Hawke and Sienna’s story since they first met and I was very happy with their book. My favorite paranormal book of the year.

1. Yours to Keep – I love the Kowalskis! Read this book and you will never look at Post-its the same way again. My favorite contemporary romance of the year.

1. Dragon Bound – The first book of the best series I’ve read lately. I might have liked Serpent’s Kiss a bit more but this book established the world and set up everything that follows. Since I already listed a favorite paranormal book, this is my favorite fantasy book of the year.

5. Serpent’s Kiss – Rune! Rune Rune Rune!! An excellent hero and an excellent book. Between Dragon Bound and this one, it was hard to decide which book I liked better and I thought Rune and Carling were a more even match than Dragos and Pia so I enjoyed reading about their relationship a bit more. Still, Dragon Bound was the first and a funner read (yeah, yeah…I used the word “funner”. So?!)

6. ShadowFever – Whether it ended the way you wanted or not, it was epic. EPIC!

7. Heart of Steel – Such a fun, swashbuckling read! So entertaining! Pirates! Zombies! Airships! If you haven’t read any of the Iron Seas books, you make me sad.

8. Winning the Wallflower – Even though this is a novella, I enjoyed it so much! More than the full-length book book that spun out of it, even.

9. To Love a Thief – If you like My Fair Lady-ish storylines, check this book out.

10. Silk is for Seduction – It was hard to round out my top ten but how could I go wrong with Loretta Chase?

11. A Lot Like Love – Honorary mention for this one. When I looked back at my list to find books I would recommend to anyone, this one popped out.

A bonus – biggest disappointment (no, I still haven’t let it go): Breaking the Rules. I know, I’m bitter…it’s my own fault for having high hopes.

So, there you go, my faves for last year. I already have read some good ones for this year – you’ll hear about those soon enough – and hear rumors of more coming soon. Yay!

What were some of your favorites of 2011? Do you agree with mine or are you sitting there shaking your head at your computer?

Sandy M’s review of Kiss of Snow (Psy-Changeling Series, Book Book 10) by Nalini Singh
Paranormal Romance published by Berkley 31 May 11

Hope y’all haven’t had your fill of reviews about Hawke and Sienna! This is one series I aim to never get behind on, so one more review for you. Needless to say, I love everything about this book, from the lengths Hawke goes to to protect his pack to the ever-growing sizzle between him and Sienna to getting caught up with past characters.

I won’t go through a synopsis-type review, since that’s been done. I’ll just go through some of the highlights that I especially like, because we’d be here forever if I went though all that I just like!

Of course, the main bit of this book is the romance. Hawke is still resisting the pull of Sienna – she’s too young, he can’t give her what she deserves because he lost his one and only mate years ago. The wolf in him, however, doesn’t care. Take, ravish, love. Elemental, Hawke, you should listen to your inner animal. Sienna, though young, does want Hawke, won’t give him much leeway when they butt heads but does follow orders as she’s been trained and for the good of the pack. When Hawke finally does give in, it’s Sienna who’s not quite ready to take their relationship all the way, both physical – considering her X-designation – and emotional issues getting in the way. And Hawke’s restraint to give her time is monumental, especially when the alphaness and the wolf in him want it now. I like Hawke’s tenderness with Sienna when they’re surrounded by such violence at the hands of the Psy.

And those Psy are coming at SnowDancer full force. I know in one of my last reviews on this series, I said something about how the council is changing, moving away from one another, so we had to know that big changes are coming. That still goes forward in this book on a larger scale. Nikita, Anthony, and Kaleb are against the machinations of the other councilors and are helping the changelings as much as possible to prevent war between the factions. For each Psy attack on the wolf pack, SnowDancer fights back to let all know they are underestimating and dealing with an enemy protecting their own. Hawke refuses to allow his pack to be decimated as they were years before, coming back from the brink of near extinction. Each scene dealing with the Psy is intense, and it makes you wonder why the Psy show up again and again. Their logic in this area is almost arrogant, which, we all know, isn’t in them.

Another long-awaited event is the birth of Lucas’ and Sascha’s baby, and I love every minute of it, from the moment her water breaks to the Sentinels wanting to hold the newborn to Lucas’ amazement and love for his child to Sascha’s understanding to what extent a mother would do anything for her child, creating a new understanding concerning her own mother. Makes me wonder what huge plans Ms. Singh has for Nikita in the future. All very enlightening moments. I have to admit, as much as I love the wolves of SnowDancer, it’s the cats of DarkRiver who have my heart. Maybe because I’m a cat person anyway. I love the scene when Sienna goes to talk to Sascha about her situation with Hawke and Lucas is perched in a tree high above them, swishing his tail about, chuffing now and again at their conversation. One terrific scene. The way both cat and wolf idiosyncrasies are used when these characters are in human form are absolutely wonderful. Ms. Singh has the market covered there.

Then there’s Sienna’s Cardinal X designation and all that entails, her years and efforts to control the conflagration that she knows is coming and can’t do anything about, though Judd is still looking for answers. Which brings in a new twist in the form of a cryonic Alice Eldridge, who researched X-designations years before, and everyone has their hopes up that the answer lies with her. When the war with the Psy heats up, I was spellbound at the crescendo of Sienna’s abilities. And I feel for her when it’s all over with, the fear she couldn’t contain when she thinks all is lost.

I like that we still see all of the past heroes and heroines from previous books, even if it’s just a scene or two. There also a side romance between Walker Lauren and Lara, the pack’s healer, who is also terrific in those scenes where she takes care of the wounded after conflicts with the Psy.  Walker is just as scared and tortured as Judd was for his book, so beginning a relationship with Lara is not something he feels he can do, despite how much Lara wants that and let’s him know she’s interested. Though his realizations come slowly, I’m happy Walker pays attention in all the right places.

This is a very short, random, and ragtag list, of course, of what that goes on in this book; these are just a few of my favorites. I did feel the frustration at the scene changes when Hawke and Sienna are together, but for me it’s a good frustration, no different than when that type of thing happens in any other romance book, prolonging the sensual coming together of the characters. It just made my anticipation higher for the next time, wondering how it will eventually come to pass. And when it does happen, all that frustrated anticipation is worth it.

I’m now in that happy holding pattern until the next book, anxiously waiting and wondering what’s coming up, knowing that Ms. Singh will give me everything she’s got and I’ll love every second of it.

Grade: A+

Read other reviews and information on this series here.

Summary:

Since the moment of her defection from the PsyNet and into the SnowDancer wolf pack, Sienna Lauren has had one weakness. Hawke. Alpha and dangerous, he compels her to madness.

Hawke is used to walking alone, having lost the woman who would’ve been his mate long ago. But Sienna fascinates the primal heart of him, even as he tells himself she is far too young to handle the wild fury of the wolf.

Then Sienna changes the rules and suddenly, there is no more distance, only the most intimate of battles between two people who were never meant to meet. Yet as they strip away each other’s secrets in a storm of raw emotion, they must also ready themselves for a far more vicious fight…

A deadly enemy is out to destroy SnowDancer, striking at everything they hold dear, but it is Sienna’s darkest secret that may yet savage the pack that is her home…and the alpha who is its heartbeat…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

C2’s review of Kiss of Snow (Psy/Changeling Series, Book 10) by Nalini Singh
Paranormal Romance published by Berkley 31 May 11

Faithful reader, you know how sometimes in long series there’s that one couple you want to get together – the one that so obviously must be together and you wait and wait…and then, when they finally do get their story, it’s a let-down?  That SO did not happen here!  Yay!!

Hawke is the alpha of the SnowDancer wolves.  He has been in charge since he was a teenager and the traumatic circumstances that put him there have shaped his personality.  He is intense and focused and his wolf is very near the surface at all times.  Hawke’s wolf recognized his mate when he was a child, however she died very young.  Since wolves only mate once, Hawke grew up with the knowledge that there would always be a piece of his heart missing.

From the moment they met, Sienna Lauren has disturbed Hawke on every level.  She is too young and not only isn’t she Pack, she is Psy.  The Psy were responsible for the death of Hawke’s father and the horrible events that led him to becoming alpha.  Still, there is something about her that draws him, even though he knows he will never share the mate-bond with anyone – and the connection isn’t one-sided.  Recently, Hawke’s wolf has decided that Sienna is an adult and fair prey.  And Hawke is having a hard time convincing his wolf and himself that isn’t a good idea.

Sienna and her family came to live with the SnowDancer wolves after they defected from the PsyNet.  As far as most Psy know, they are all dead. Sienna, especially, knows she must stay hidden.  She is an X Psy – a mysterious and deadly Psy designation.  She was taken from her family at a very young age and trained as an assassin/spy.

Ever since Sienna has been with SnowDancer, she has been drawn to Hawke but she senses the distance he tries to maintain between them.  Still, he has allowed her to train with the other novice soldiers – as long as she doesn’t use her Psy abilities against anyone in the Pack.  Since she isn’t a wolf, she is less aware of his Alpha-ness and is more defiant than the other young soldiers – and neither man nor wolf appreciate that.

Lately, Sienna Psy abilities have been less stable.  Theory says X Psy are less stable to start with – most die young.  Whether this is because of the dangerous nature of the X designation, the dangerous situations they often are placed in or just because that much power burns quick and fast is still part of the mystery surrounding the X.  Hawke and her uncle, Judd (have you read Judd’s book? because you should), are both concerned about whether Sienna will be able to maintain her control over her abilities or if those abilities will get away from her and cause untold damage.  But when a Psy plot is uncovered that endangers all of SnowDancer and DarkRiver, every soldier is needed and Sienna’s special abilities could prove invaluable in the fight.

Oh faithful reader, I don’t want to delve too much deeper into the plot. You just need to read the book and savor it.  With each new addition to the series, the Psy/Changling world gets richer and deeper and more complex.  We catch up with lots of old friends and get hints of new characters (I am very intrigued by the falcons) and also get glimpses of a time before the PsyNet became the vast, frightening entity it is. And watching Hawke and Sienna dance around each other – unable to stay away while knowing things will probably go horribly wrong – is delicious and sweet and smart and hot.

“She tried to prepare herself for the next kiss…but of course, there was no way to prepare for Hawke.”  Kiss of Snow, page 360

Does this book stand alone?  It probably could but, really, you should read the whole series – all the cool kids are doing it.  Don’t you want to be one of the cool kids?  Is it worth the hardcover price? I say yes! What are you waiting for?  Go read and enjoy!

Grade: A+

Summary:

Since the moment of her defection from the PsyNet and into the SnowDancer wolf pack, Sienna Lauren has had one weakness. Hawke. Alpha and dangerous, he compels her to madness.
Hawke is used to walking alone, having lost the woman who would’ve been his mate long ago. But Sienna fascinates the primal heart of him, even as he tells himself she is far too young to handle the wild fury of the wolf.
Then Sienna changes the rules and suddenly, there is no more distance, only the most intimate of battles between two people who were never meant to meet. Yet as they strip away each other’s secrets in a storm of raw emotion, they must also ready themselves for a far more vicious fight…
A deadly enemy is out to destroy SnowDancer, striking at everything they hold dear, but it is Sienna’s darkest secret that may yet savage the pack that is her home…and the alpha who is its heartbeat…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series:

Gwen’s review of Archangel’s Consort (Guild Hunters, Book 3) by Nalini Singh
Urban Fantasy released by Berkley 25 Jan 11

Let me just start by saying that Nalini Singh is a goddess. I adore her writing and am always entertained by her books.  Her heroes are hot, tender, and yummy. Her heroines women I can see myself befriending. However, whomever designed this cover knows NOTHING about the heroine Singh created in Elena – she’d never care about wearing this much make-up.  Just sayin’…  But I’m here to talk about the inside of the book, so let’s carry on, shall we?

I’m a huge fan of this series. LOVE the otherworldly-ness of Raphael. Love that he loves and can’t imagine his existence without Elena. Their relationship gets bigger and better with each book.

Elena’s safe place with Raphael is helping her slowly heal from the brutal loss of her sisters and her mother’s suicide.  Elena is even beginning to feel more about, and acknowledge those feelings, her severely dysfunctional relationship with her bastard of a father (and can I just say that I wish Raphael would just end that useless dad already?).  Her character development is by turns joyful, cathartic, and utterly devastating. I cried a few times for her.

I’m not entirely sure what the overall series’ story arc is building to, but it’s going somewhere – you can feel an underlying thread of some impending “big bad”. The characters’ abilities are developing and evolving for some greater purpose.

This entry deals with old enemies and a new threat. It is this part of the plot is a little slow moving in Archangel’s Consort.  It seemed to take forever for things to happen, and yet there’s lots of action. A conundrum for me that I couldn’t identify fully.

The Archangel world is full of profoundly interesting characters – possible heroes, heroines, wonderfully evil villains, and funny sidekicks. I wouldn’t mind seeing a whole host of 0ther characters getting their own books.  Fill out this world so that we can see it from more than just Raphael and Elena’s point of view.

This series is for anyone looking for an “alternate Earth” story full of supremely powerful beings and their enemies. The romance is there but we get lots of deeper character development that is often missing from more traditional romances.  If you’re new to the world, I think you’ll enjoy this entry, but I’d read the previous books to get the full impact of all Singh’s imaginative prose.

If you’re a fan of these books already, I get the feeling that this book is setting up some future actions, so don’t miss it.

Grade: A

Read more reviews for this series by following its tag here.

Summary:

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux and her lover, the lethally beautiful archangel Raphael, have returned home to New York only to face an uncompromising new evil…

A vampire has attacked a girls’ school—the assault one of sheer, vicious madness—and it is only the first act. Rampant bloodlust takes vampire after vampire, threatening to make the streets run with blood. Then Raphael himself begins to show signs of an uncontrolled rage, as inexplicable storms darken the city skyline and the earth itself shudders.

The omens are suddenly terrifyingly clear.

An ancient and malevolent immortal is rising. The violent winds whisper her name: Caliane. She has returned to reclaim her son, Raphael. Only one thing stands in her way: Elena, the consort who must be destroyed…

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series:

When anyone asks me what I am waiting for, there is really only one book that I immediately think of. I am pretty blinded to anything else, so I had to look at what’s coming out. These are what I found, which I mostly knew about, but they just got shoved into the back of my mind.

Lover Unleashed by J. R. Ward

I don’t think anyone else could write a world like this and get away with it.

The Darkest Secret and Dark Taste of Rapture by Gena Showalter

I love her books. I can’t say I’ve ever read one I didn’t like. She is an auto buy for me, no matter what the book is.

The Vampire Voss by Colleen Gleason

I’m really looking forward to all her books that are coming out this year.  I love her Gardella Chronicles books, so I am excited for this one.

Ghost Story by Jim Butcher

Every April, it’s not spring that I am looking forward to, it’s Harry Dresden! My favorite Urban Fantasy man will be back again and I so cannot wait. This is my 2nd most wanted book this year.

Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh

This is the book I have been waiting years and years for! Hawke is just….well, words cannot describe how badly I want this book right now. I don’t think I have ever been so anxious for a book that wasn’t Harry Potter.

Naked City anthology

Jim Butcher and Patricia Briggs, it doesn’t get much better than them in urban fantasy.

Hidden Away by Maya Banks

I think this is my favorite contemporary series. Maya Banks knows how to write amazing emotional love stories.

I am going to stop here, there are so many books coming out this year, this list could be pages long.

I always have such a hard time pulling out the books I really like from a previous year. Yes, there’s too many, but it’s also difficult because sometimes you can’t choose because you can’t compare books in different genres. Though I read mostly historical and paranormal, I also enjoy contemps and romantic suspense a lot. Thus, I poured over my entire 2010 review list, chose those that I really loved, and then the difficulty began in whittling it down. My biggest hurdle is books from a series, if an author released more than one book in the year. Sometimes one of many stood out. Sometimes I couldn’t choose one over the other and sometimes I could. In that case, I’ve cheated and listed all the books I loved in that series.     It’s my list and I can do what I want!

So here they are:

10.  The Taming of the Wolf by Lydia Dare

While I’ve so far enjoyed all of the books in this series, it’s the hero, Dashiel, who stole my heart and has ended up my favorite of the series. Lydia Dare has stayed true to her characters and given readers solid, consistent, and intriguing stories. See my TTotW review here.

9.   Lessons From a Scarlet Lady by Emma Wildes

As I said in in my review of this book, it’s a breath of fresh air. Emma Wildes writes a terrific couple who I loved to read about. They kept my interest the entire book, and I wanted more of them when I was done reading. I’m a new fan for sure.

8.   Broken by Shiloh Walker

It would be surprising to me if a Shiloh Walker book didn’t make my Top 10. She’s become a favorite very quickly and she’s never once disappointed me. Though I also enjoyed Fragile, it was Quinn who caught my interest and I anxiously awaited his story. I love a broken, tortured hero and Quinn fit the bill to a T. Read about him here.

7. The Fire Lord’s Lover by Kathryne Kennedy

I became a huge fan of Kathryne Kennedy from the first book of her Relics of Merlin series and was really disappointed when I found she’s not been able to write more it at this point in time. But with her imagination, I shouldn’t have worried at all. Ms. Kennedy has given us another series that is simply awesome. The Fire Lord’s Lover is a perfect start and I can’t wait for more. My review is here.

6.  Raising Kane by Lorelei James – Shoulda Been a Cowboy, Cowgirls Don’t Cry & Slow Ride short story

I can never get enough of Lorelei James. Her stories are real, as are her characters. She doesn’t pretty up a book if tragedy is called for, and in doing so she tugs so hard on your heartstrings it ain’t funny. Her cowboys walk the walk and talk the talk. Her love scenes range from intense and raw to fun and lighthearted. You get everything in a Lorelei James book. Every book she released in 2010 is a Top 10, but Raising Kane is my fave. See my RK review here.

5.   Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman by Lorraine Heath

Lorraine Heath has been a favorite of mine since I read her Texas trilogy and nothing changed when I read her first Regency. She’s simply and truly wonderful. I loved this entire London’s Greatest Lovers trilogy, but it’s Stephen’s story that I really remember. I had my doubts about him, as I said in my review, but he turned out to be one of those heroes you’ll never, ever forget.

4.   Moon Craving by Lucy Monroe

You know those books you wait for? And wait for? Forever, it seems? Moon Craving is one of those for me. I fell in love with Lucy Monroe’s werewolves in her first book, Moon Awakening, in her Children of the Moon series, and I wanted more. But it took a few years for that next one. The wait was worth it, however. Another terrific story for Monroe and paranormal fans. Read my review here.

3.   The Darkest Hour by Maya Banks – No Place to Run

I have so fallen in love with the Kelly Family in Maya Banks’ KGI series. Especially those Kelly boys. They’re alpha and yummy and they still obey their parents. And they fall hard when they find their heroines. So, hell, what’s not to love?? Read about those Kelly boys here.

2.   Bonds of Justice by Nalini Singh – Play of Passion & Blaze of Memory

Nalini Singh is one of those authors who you’re going to love no matter what she puts on the page. I can’t imagine anyone arguing with that, if they’ve read any of her books. Bonds of Justice takes the No. 1 spot – by a very narrow margin over Play of Passion – for me of her books in 2010 because I sobbed reading this book. I very, very rarely cry when reading. It takes something so very special for me shed a tear while reading, but when it happens, I remember it. So due to my full-out sobbing near the end of BoJ, I’ll never forget Max and Sophia. Read my review about them here.

Now for my No 1. pick, I couldn’t decide between these two books, so they’re co-winners. They win not only for the story, the worlds the authors have created, but also for the beautiful, lyrical, haunting writing these authors possess. It takes an awesome author to be able to keep momentum and creativity and imagination in a series going, to make the next book better than the last. Both of these authors have those things down pat. I never have to hope the next book will disappoint me because it won’t be as good as the first or the one just prior. I know the next book will be even better.

1.  Haunting Warrior by Erin Quinn & Crown of Crystal Flame by C.L. Wilson

Erin Quinn’s Haunting series is just that, haunting. In storyline. In characters. In writing. Absolutely stunning all the way around. I am breathlessly waiting for the next installment this April. I will have myself locked in my room until that book is finished.

C.L. Wilson’s Tairen Soul series was a treat and a treasure to read. This last installment brought everything together for an absolutely stunning ending that left readers gasping. The way this woman strings words together is just amazing. I’m sad this series is now complete, but readers of the series know that their favorite characters will be featured in future books. That’s worth waiting for.

Notice I used “absolutely stunning” for each of these authors. Wasn’t a mistake. Completely intentional. Cuz it just is.

Because I had a huge list picked out before I cut it down to my Top 10, I do want to give mention to those that just barely missed the cut.  So here are my Honorable Mentions in no particular order :

Drink of Me & Stealing Kathryn by Jacquelyn Frank – An imagination that is just awesome!

Shadows at Midnight by Elizabeth Jennings – I know Ash didn’t care for this one, but it’s on my keeper shelf!

Taming the Highland Bride & The Hellion and the Highlander by Lynsay Sands – I love Lynsay Sands! I need to start reading her vamps…

Legend of the White Wolf, Seduced by the Wolf & Wolf Fever by Terry Spear – Yuuuuuuuuuuumy werewolves!

A Highlander’s Homecoming by Melissa Mayhue – Time travel. Scottish Highlanders. One of the best at both!

Marked & Entwined by Elisabeth Naughton – Zodiac warriors to die for! Also try her Stolen series.

Naked Edge by Pamela Clare – Hawt love scenes! Oh, and a great mystery and thrilling suspense too!

A Kiss to Kill by Nina Bruhns – Oh my! I want more, more, more!

Infamous by Suzanne Brockmann – I love her romances within a romance. And I love this cowboy!

The Chief by Monica McCarty – I love this concept of Highlander Special Ops! Fun, intense, and so romantic!

Shadow Bound by Erin Kellison – Debut author done good. Terrific and dark!

Shut Up & Kiss Me by Christie Craig – Only humorous book on my list. There’s a reason for that. She’s one of the very best!

Destined to Last by Alyssa Johnson – Beautifully written with such engaging characters. Can’t wait to see what she does next!

The Treasure Keeper by Shana Abe – Dragons! ‘Nuff said.

And even I have a few books that didn’t make the grade for me in 2010. Mikey really doesn’t like everything!

4.   Mad, Bad and Blonde by Cathie Linz

Waaaaaaaaaay too much snipping and sniping and insulting going on between the hero and heroine for me. It went on and on. And on. And on. And on. And that’s too bad because the first part of the book is good. Right up until the heroine went blonde. See my review here.

3.    Time Storm by Samanta Winston

Sigh. Even the time travel didn’t help this book. We only get to know the characters through their fucking. Pirates and danger and all that goes with it was okay, as was the time travel, but it just wasn’t put together to keep my interest. I remember being glad it’s a short story. My review can be read here.

2.   Tomorrow is Another Day novella by Sandra Hill in the Ladies Prefer Rogues anthology

Even the play on Gone with the Wind didn’t save this novella. The characters didn’t work for me either all because of their attitudes. At least the time travel element worked. Guess I should be grateful for that. My review is here.

1.   Passionate Pleasures by Bertrice Small

This book is just a mess all the way around. The characters are likable but that’s about it. It felt like Ms. Small just tried too hard to write erotic romance. I think her niche is historicals and she should stick with that. You can read my review here.

Are you tired of top ten lists, faithful reader? I hope not because here’s mine.

10. Rules of an Engagement by Suzanne Enoch – what could be better than sailing the South Pacific, encountering natives, fascinating wildlife and pirates? If your ship’s captain is smoking hot, of course. Read my review HERE.

9. Pleasures of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole – an very good entry into a consistently excellent series.

8. Lessons in French by Laura Kinsale – soooo nice to see Ms. Kinsale back and full of humor.

7. Slow Heat by Jill Shalvis – I love Ms. Shalvis’ baseball series and hope for more books soon. Please? Pretty please??

6. Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas – the end of the Hathaway series. I’ve always had a soft spot for Beatrix and was very pleased with her book. Also, I’m a sucker for books with letter writing.

5. Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon – the first story in her Chronicles of Nick series. I’m not usually a YA reader but I was intrigued enough by hints of this one to pick it up. So good! And she seems to be correcting/re-booting some errors in the main DH series, maybe. We shall see.

4. Play of Passion by Nalini Singh – one of my favorites of the series and certainly my favorite of recent entries. Plus we get to see bits of Hawke and Sienna. Yay!

3. Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey – are you looking for an excellent straight-up contemporary? Look no further! And the sequel is very good, too.

2. Here There Be Monsters by Meljean Brook – so it’s a novella. And I was skeptical, even after seeing the raves. Why would I put a novella I was unsure about picking up on my “Best of” list? Because it’s awesome! It gives us our first glimpse into Ms. Brook’s Iron Seas series which leads me to…

NUMBER 1!! The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook – I don’t have words for how excellent this book is. It defies description – at least, a description that properly conveys it’s awesomeness. All I can say is READ IT.

Now for some books I’m looking forward to in 2011 (in release order, as things stand now):

Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips – yes, I know several people have already read this one but I haven’t. My copy is pre-ordered though. Why? It’s Teddy’s book! It seems like I’ve been waiting for his story forever.

ShadowFever by Karen Marie Moning – why this one? Barrons! And the wait is almost over. Yay!

A Lot Like Love by Julie James – I have enjoyed all of Ms. James’ books so far and expect this one to continue that trend.

Breaking the Rules by Suzanne Brockmann – do you need to ask why? One word: Izzy Izzy Izzy! (What? It’s one word…three times.)

Any Man of Mine by Rachel Gibson (beware the Flash!) – her last few books have been hit-or-miss for me so I’m hoping this one will be a hit. Sorry for the lack of cover. Our friends over at the Book Binge have it posted, though.

There are many more, of course, but those are the ones that are coming up soonish.

Agree? Disagree? What are you looking forward to?

So it seems I read more good books than bad in 2010, which is pretty great. These are the ones I loved most of all and that I now want to go read right this minute.

10. When Blood Calls by J. K. Beck – This book has one of my favorite heroes. I absolutely love Luke and I can see myself re-reading this again for him alone.  There is lots of great potential with this series, so I might be willing to overlook the second book. More on that one later, though. See my review here.

9. Bitter Night by Diana Pharaoh Francis – It’s hard to find an urban fantasy that stands out. I read so many books that if I don’t write down my thoughts I quickly forget what I love or hate about it. Bitter Night has stayed in my head and the next book, which just came out, is in my needs to be read soon pile.

You can read my review here.

8. The Darkest Hour by Maya Banks – Maya Banks has become a favorite author of mine when it comes to romantic suspense. Even though these don’t feel very much like romantic suspense to me, it has everything I usually want out of the genre. My emotions get involved and I’m hooked. I love the Kelly family and I hope I get to spend a lot more time with them in future books. My review is here.

7. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare – This book and series for me is like Twilight all over again. The staying up late, anxiety over what could happen next, wanting the couple to overcome their seemingly insurmountable problems and be together. For some reason young adult books turn me into the stereotypical romance reader. I become a teenage girl again and these books are like crack to me. I’m sure there are flaws in this book, but I get sucked in and I can’t see beyond the page I’m reading.  Also, I would pick Jace over Edward any day.

6. Enemy Within by Marcella Burnard – I don’t read sci fi romance nearly as often as I’d like to. It seems to be a genre that I forget how much I like it until I’m reading another book. I probably wouldn’t have thought to read this book unless it’s been sent to me to review. It really would have been a shame if I had missed this book. It’s fun and exciting, everything I could want from the genre.

5.  Mocking Jay by Suzanne Collins – This is a hard book to read, a hard series to read, but it belongs on my best of ever list. My review of it says it all, and I’d rather not get into the emotions of it all again. There are some books I just have a hard time moving on from once the final page is done, and this is one of them. I just hope the movie based on this series can live up to the book.

4. Kiss an Angel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips – I wish I could read this book again for the first time. I’m not a huge contemporary fan, I’m picky with them and I think it’s because paranormal is my first love. After reading about vampires, demons, and angels, real life books just seem a bit dull. Not at all the case with Kiss an Angel. This is the only contemporary book that is on my keeper shelf, which itself is not very big, I don’t tend to keep many books. I’m very tempted to go start this book again, just from typing this.

3. Silver Bourne by Patricia Briggs – This is one of my favorite series that I can honestly say I have enjoyed every book. Briggs knows how to write a story and keep it fresh. Mercy and Adam are on the top of my favorite characters list. If you haven’t read this series, then you are missing out.

2. Archangel’s Kiss by Nalini Singh- Of course I couldn’t make this list without having a book by Ms. Singh on it. She can’t really do any wrong to me, and I can add any of her books here. I love Elena and Raphael and the rest of the characters in this world. It’s angels and vampires, a must read for anyone.

1. Changes by Jim Butcher – I can’t think of anyone who tops Harry in the urban fantasy world. I can’t even express how much I love Harry, this world, and Jim Butcher. This is the 12th book in the series so I can’t really say anything without giving everything away. If you aren’t reading it, you should be.

And now…the bad. There aren’t as many, which was good for me.

5. Evermore by Alyson Noel- I don’t think this book would be so well liked if it wasn’t the ‘in’ thing right now. It doesn’t stand up to the really good paranormal young adult books. It’s boring and underwhelming.

4. Tempted by a Warrior by Amanda Scott – The characters are uninteresting and the plot is predictable. I couldn’t stand the heroine and I ended up skimming the book. Not sure I plan to bother reading any more by Amanda Scott.

3. Finding the Lost by Shannon K. Butcher – This book is just bad. It’s a series that I can’t seem to stop reading, even though I don’t like it very much. I do have to say the latest book in this series is a bit better, but not a great read by any means. Finding the Lost is my least favorite and I still don’t really care what happens to Andra and Paul. In fact, in the latest book, I hate Andra even more. She isn’t the type of person I could ever like, and because of her, I couldn’t find anything to like about Paul. See my review here.

2. When Pleasure Rules by J. K. Beck – What makes this so bad is not even the fact that it’s a bad story, but that I enjoyed the first book so much. I don’t understand how one book can be one of the better ones I’ve read and the next is almost the worst. I still don’t know if I will read the third book, I don’t want to waste time on what could be another bad book. I hate that what I thought would be a great new series has turned out to be such a dud. You can read my review here.

1. Shadows at Midnight by Elizabeth Jennings – My review pretty much says it all. I kind of wish I never had to read this. If I was one to throw books, it would have been this one.

]]> http://goodbadandunread.com/2011/01/10/ash-reviews-the-good-and-the-bad-of-2010/feed/ 1 http://goodbadandunread.com/2010/11/01/review-play-of-passion-by-nalini-singh/ http://goodbadandunread.com/2010/11/01/review-play-of-passion-by-nalini-singh/#comments Mon, 01 Nov 2010 06:00:22 +0000 Sandy M http://goodbadandunread.com/?p=11991

Sandy M’s review of Play of Passion (Psy-Changeling Series, Book 9) by Nalini Singh
Paranormal Romance published by Berkley 2 Nov 10

What more can be said about Nalini Singh and her awesome series that hasn’t already been said? I’m sure every superlative possible has been used to describe her Psy-Changeling world and its characters. She gets better and better with each book while words run dry for us to let readers know they should pick up these books and get started. But we still try. Because every word she writes is worth it.

While I love this series as a whole, have enjoyed the previous books with a Changeling hero and a Psy heroine, or vice versa, I’m finding these Changeling-Changeling books are becoming my favorite. I have such fun when these characters revel in their animal sides. I get hot and bothered when they snip and snap and bite in their love play. I gasp when things go wrong, cheer when they triumph, cry when they hurt. Drew and Indigo pulled me in from the beginning. I even had my doubts here and there if they’d come together.But I have no fear whenever Changelings are involved.

Drew has always wanted Indigo and now he’s ready to make his move to make her his, no matter what, especially against her attitude toward younger, dominant males. Indy is a lieutenant of their pack, a very strong dominant female. She’s seen firsthand how a relationship with a less dominant male doesn’t work and doesn’t want any part of one. Drew is determined, however, to show her how good it can be between them. His charm is legendary and he uses it ruthlessly. And it backfires on him. Indigo is a different type of woman and, thus, he has to change tactics.

In the meantime, the pack has to guard against a new threat from the Psy. They’re putting piece after piece of intel together to try to figure out what the enemy is up to. It’s interesting the direction Ms. Singh is taking the Psy. There’s signs of cracking in the nonemotional race and some definite dissension among the higher ranks. The Council is close to taking out their own members while the mysterious “Ghost” is ready to claim them all. War is on the horizon.

For those waiting for Hawke’s book, we get some nice scenes with Sienna. This relationship is very intriguing and it’s going to be interesting to see what Ms. Singh finally gives us when Hawke decides to take what he wants.

I also like how Ms. Singh works in previous characters who we’ve come to love. Dorian, Dev, Max and Sophia, and others all pitch in to help SnowDancer in their defense against this current Psy threat.

But it’s Drew and Indigo’s intensity in each other and their playfulness that kept me up till all hours of the night and morning reading. The scene where they run and cavort as wolves is one of the best in the book, and I wanted more of that. Little by little Indigo’s doubts and fears subside and she begins to take joy in Drew. They’re both dominant, both fight for control, both snip, snap, and bite, and both fight for their pack with everything they’ve got.

I read this book too fast. I should have made it last. But what a damn good time I had.

Grade: A+

Summary:

Passion and reason collide with explosive force in the newest installment of Nalini Singh’s “mesmerizing”* Psy/Changeling series. As a conflict with Pure Psy looms on the horizon, two powerful wolves fight a far more intimate war of their own…

In his position as tracker for the SnowDancer pack, it’s up to Drew Kincaid to rein in rogue changelings who have lost control of their animal halves—even if it means killing those who have gone too far. But nothing in his life has prepared him for the battle he must now wage to win the heart of a woman who makes his body ignite…and who threatens to enslave his wolf.

Lieutenant Indigo Riviere doesn’t easily allow skin privileges, especially of the sensual kind—and the last person she expects to find herself craving is the most wickedly playful male in the den. Everything she knows tells her to pull back before the flames burn them both to ash…but she hasn’t counted on Drew’s will.

Now, two of SnowDancer’s most stubborn wolves find themselves playing a hot, sexy game even as lethal danger stalks the very place they call home…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

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:

Sandy M’s review of Blaze of Memory (Psy/Changeling Series, Book 7) by Nalini Singh
Paranormal Romance published by Berkley 3 Nov 09

Nalini Singh’s Psy/Changeling series has become one of my all-time favorites. With this latest installment, I’ve learned it doesn’t matter who she makes her hero and heroine, I’m going to love it. I thought I would be disappointed that a changeling wasn’t in the spotlight this time around. I couldn’t have been more wrong. In fact, Blaze of Memory has now become my favorite of the series — all because she made me cry.

And I mean cry. Sobbing. I didn’t just tear or mist up. I flat out cried as I read those wonderful, heart-wrenching scenes at the end of the book. But I guess I should talk about the beginning and middle of the story first.

Dev is the director of the Shine Foundation that takes care of those Psy who chose not to undergo silence when first introduced. He keeps his people safe and out of today’s Psy’s hands the best he can. He’s become hardened, about to lose himself to the job and his gift until he meets Katya, who he’s suspicious of in the beginning. But the more he learns about her and her current plight, the more his feelings come to the surface.

She’s a Psy and she’s been tampered with by one of her own. Her mind has been so interwoven into itself she doesn’t remember anything about her or her life when she regains consciousness after her ordeal. Dev refuses to let her out of his sight, wanting to keep her near for Shine and ultimately for himself. Together they begin to unravel the mystery of Katya and how to keep her alive when they do find the answer.

Throughout all of this we get vintage Singh when it comes to the love scenes, the danger, the mystery, and, of course, the changelings and the Psy. Dev and Katya are terrific together. They grow from suspicious of each other to respect to love for one another. The sex is tender and hot. The mystery is unique and dangerous. And I enjoyed seeing all of my old friends from previous books, finding out how they’re doing.

But it’s the end of the book, near the end of Katya’s life, that makes this book so special. Dev has finally come to face the fact he needs Katya in his life, he loves her, against all odds. And now he’s going to lose her, there’s nothing he can do about it either. He’s helpless. And the way Singh writes those scenes doesn’t just pull at your heart, it tugs and tugs until there’s no more to tug on. I’ve cried here and there over a few books in the 35 plus years I’ve been reading romance, but I’ve never, never cried like did with these scenes.

Ms. Singh has it all as an author. She’s right up there with the best of them, and I anticipate every book with her name on it. If you haven’t started this series yet, you are definitely missing some terrific reads. I highly recommend this book and this series to anyone and everyone.

Grade: A+

Read Gwen’s and LynneC’s review.

Summary:

Dev Santos discovers her unconscious and battered, with no memory of who she is. All she knows is that she’s dangerous. Charged with protecting his people’s most vulnerable secrets, Dev is duty-bound to eliminate all threats. It’s a task he’s never hesitated to complete…until he finds himself drawn to a woman who might yet prove the enemy’s most insidious weapon.

Stripped of her memories by a shadowy oppressor, and programmed to carry out cold-blooded murder, Katya Haas is fighting desperately for her sanity itself. Her only hope is Dev. But how can she expect to gain the trust of a man who could very well be her next target? For in this game, one must die…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Gwen’s review of Archangel’s Kiss (Guild Hunters, Book 2) by Nalini Singh
Paranormal/fantasy romance released by Berkley 2 Feb 10

This is the second book in the Guild Hunters saga and the third story.  (Singh released a standalone novella in the Must Love Hellhounds anthology.) This entry deals with Elena’s new condition, her relationship with the archangel, Raphael, and the politics of his (now her) world.  It’s a ripsnorting story that is passionate and action-packed, and a helluva good tale.

There are spoilers in this review, so if you haven’t read the first book and care about that sort of thing, you don’t want to read further.

If you read the first book, you know that to save Elena’s life Raphael Made her an angel near the end.  In Kiss, Elena begins learning what that means – how to fly, what can still kill her, how to fit into her new society, and what her role is as Raphael’s mate.  This is all pretty fascinating stuff and, like Singh’s Psy-Changeling novels, is an incredibly well thought out world.  You are actually living it with the characters.  Singh is second to none in her complex and believable world building.

Kiss has a very nice pace to it.  You’re never left yawning, wondering when something was going to happen.  We’re given a mystery, some romance and passion, friendships, and loads of very cool action.  We’re carried along the story like a kayaker down a Class 5 rapids.

I just adore Singh’s characters.  Her heroines are terrific – strong, smart, and vulnerable.  I never have an eye-rolling “OMG she’s too stupid to live” moment.   Elena is all woman and all warrior.  She’s still a Guild Hunter at heart and it shows – I love the descriptions of the clothes and weapons she wears in Beijing.

Singh’s heroes are in a class of their own – masculine, alpha, and tender to their loved ones.  they’re always men I sigh over.  In this book, Raphael is enough “other” to be a fascinating character.  I think the first book showcased his personality better than this entry, but we get excellent insight into Elena in Kiss.

The villains in Kiss are suitably villain-like.  There is also some ambiguity in some of the evil.  In Singh’s world, as an angel ages, they develop more powers and the abilities they have become stronger.  Since some of the angel’s are thousands of years old, this leads to interesting ethical questions – how much power is too much, what can be done with power without morality, and how do you control amoral beings so powerful they can destroy whole cities or even planets?  All of this comes up in this book and we’re led to the conclusion that relationships like what is between Elena and Raphael are one of the very few things that can help such powerful beings retain some of their humanity – which is normally a good thing.

If you’re a fan of Singh, or simply of “angel books” you do not want to miss this one.   If you’re not sure about whether you’ll like this series, don’t start with this one.  The first book, Angel’s Blood, will take you by surprise and bring you to love the series as much as I do.  This book just takes the story to the next level.

I can’t wait for the next entry.

Grade: A

Read other reviews and information on this series here.

Summary:

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux wakes from a year-long coma to find herself changed—an angel with wings the colors of midnight and dawn—but her fragile body needs time to heal before she can take flight. Her lover, the stunningly dangerous archangel Raphael, is used to being in control—even when it comes to the woman he considers his own. But Elena has never done well with authority…

They’ve barely begun to understand each other when Raphael receives an invitation to a ball from the archangel Lijuan. To refuse would be a sign of fatal weakness, so Raphael must ready Elena for the flight to Beijing—and to the nightmare that awaits them there. Ancient and without conscience, Lijuan holds a power that lies with the dead. And she has organized the most perfect and most vicious of welcomes for Elena…

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in this series:

Lynne Connolly’s review of Blaze of Memory by Nalini Singh
Futuristic paranormal romance released by Berkley 3 Nov 09

The cover? Weird. Dev is Asian, with a fair bit of Indian in him, and he’s a director, not a cop, but the cover seems to show a George Michael type with a weapon in a blazing street. I know the scene it’s supposed to represent, it just seems more suspense than paranormal to me.

Dev Santos is the director of the Shine Foundation, which deals with the descendants of the Psy called the Forgotten. A woman is brought to him, one who has been tortured and has a terrible implant in her psychic memory, one they can’t access and they can’t remove. She refuses to respond to her name of Ekaterina, so Dev gives her the name Katya.

He takes her in to his home and looks after her. Katya has been badly treated, starved and tortured, and so mentally battered I don’t think she would have bounced back as quickly as she did.

The story is interwoven with two other narratives. One is hundred year old letters from a woman living at the cusp of the introduction of Silence. I would have loved these written as a story in themselves, but interspersed into this story, I found it took away some of the intensity of the main narrative.

The other is accounts from somewhere called the Sunshine station. At first, I connected this with the Shine Foundation, but it’s soon clear that they are separate, although I found it a bit confusing at first. I also didn’t understand Dev’s gift and how it factored into the story until quite late on.

The romance developed a bit unevenly, with some pauses to get on with the complex external plot, and at first I thought there were probably a couple of scenes too many, with a few repetitions of how and why.

Singh’s style is great, adult, with no gimmicky aspects, which is one of the reasons I enjoy her books so much. Her characters are adult too, not overgrown teens and they reason their way through the story. Perhaps a little too much at times, but I’m not complaining.

The end of the story contains a device that will be familiar to fans of the Psy/changeling series. Everything seems lost. I know, from writing “Sunfire,” how much fun these scenes are to write, but when I got to that part (desperately trying to avoid spoilers here!) I thought “I’ve read this before.” But I was happy to read it again, and see how these people coped with the dilemma.

I loved Dev, but I felt the romance was a tiny bit lacking. I’m not even sure why, because it’s all there – the sex, the growing intimacy, tenderness and care, but I did feel disassociated from the characters occasionally, not as involved as I wanted to be.

Still, I love this series and I’m eagerly awaiting the next one.

GRADE: B

Read other reviews of this series by clicking on its tag here.

Summary:

Nalini Singh returns to the Psy/Changeling world and its “breathtaking blend of passion, adventure, and the paranormal”* as a woman without a past becomes the pawn of a man who controls her future…

Dev Santos discovers her unconscious and battered, with no memory of who she is. All she knows is that she’s dangerous. Charged with protecting his people’s most vulnerable secrets, Dev is duty-bound to eliminate all threats. It’s a task he’s never hesitated to complete…until he finds himself drawn to a woman who might yet prove the enemy’s most insidious weapon.

Stripped of her memories by a shadowy oppressor, and programmed to carry out cold-blooded murder, Katya Haas is fighting desperately for her sanity itself. Her only hope is Dev. But how can she expect to gain the trust of a man who could very well be her next target? For in this game, one must die…

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series:

		The Cannibal Princess
A Gift For Kit

Gwen’s review of Blaze of Memory (Psy-Changeling Series, Book 7) by Nalini Singh
Futuristic paranormal romance released by Berkley 3 Nov 09

At this point, I’ll sound like a broken record I’ve said this so much.  Nevertheless, I’ll say it again.  Singh is one of the best storytellers out there today, and the best paranormal romance author.  Her stories are set in an interesting, complete world, have luscious heroes and heroines, good plot lines, full and logical story arcs, excellent villains, and really dreamy romances. 

Blaze is no exception to these rules.  We get a full, rich romance with lots of great details and a really fun story.

Singh tells us a story about the head of the Shine Foundation, Dev, and a psy named Katya.  They meet under unusual circumstances.  Katya initially suffers from complete amnesia. (I know, I know, it’s a familiar tune, but it works here.  Honest.)

Over the course of the book, Dev and Katya, with other psy and changelings, solve the mystery of Katya and her condition.  They fall in love, have some awesome sex, and thwart a seriously nasty plot set in action by the villains.

I won’t give away any other details except to say that if you’re following this series, you definitely want to read this book.  If you’re new to the series, you might be a little at sea with Blaze - by this book, there’s so much backstory that you might miss quite a lot jumping in here.

Blaze is a romping good time with a new group of characters in this rich, interesting series.

Grade: A

Read other reviews of this series by clicking on its tag here.

Summary:

Nalini Singh returns to the Psy/Changeling world and its “breathtaking blend of passion, adventure, and the paranormal”* as a woman without a past becomes the pawn of a man who controls her future…

Dev Santos discovers her unconscious and battered, with no memory of who she is. All she knows is that she’s dangerous. Charged with protecting his people’s most vulnerable secrets, Dev is duty-bound to eliminate all threats. It’s a task he’s never hesitated to complete…until he finds himself drawn to a woman who might yet prove the enemy’s most insidious weapon.

Stripped of her memories by a shadowy oppressor, and programmed to carry out cold-blooded murder, Katya Haas is fighting desperately for her sanity itself. Her only hope is Dev. But how can she expect to gain the trust of a man who could very well be her next target? For in this game, one must die…

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series:

		The Cannibal Princess
A Gift For Kit

Sandy M’s review of Must Love Hellhounds by Andrews, Brook, Harris, and Singh
Contemporary Paranormal Romance published by Berkley Trade 1 Sep 09

I don’t read anthologies very often, but once in a while they’re a nice change of pace. I figured I’d love this one because after reading Lori Devoti’s hellhounds series, I fell in love with these evil but lovable dogs. I have to say that I was more disappointed than happy with the majority of the novellas in this anthology. I’ve only read one out of the four authors, Nalini Singh, and she is the standout of the group. The other three don’t even come close to her stellar story.

Magic Mourns by Ilona Andrews

I do have the Magic series in my TBR pile, just waiting for me to get to it. The first part of this story didn’t do much to make me want to move the series higher in the pile, but that changed with the second half. Raphael, a werehyena, is full of charm but is as lethal as any other paranormal creature when pushed. He’s been in love with Andrea for quite a while, though she doesn’t know it. They grew up together, he’s like a brother to her, or so he thinks. Andrea’s just trying to get along in the world while keeping her inner self a secret. She doesn’t want to lose the life she’s mapped out so far just because of a little cross breeding in her background.

Trying to locate Raphael’s stepfather’s shade/soul when it’s stolen after his death, they start their investigation and eventually come upon a house guarded by a huge, very ugly and evil hellhound who takes his guard-dog duties seriously. The action during their journey is hair-raising, especially when battling with said hellhound. They come across a variety of different paranormal creatures that helps their trek along and keeps the story interesting. And their eventual tryst is quite steamy, and Raphael’s confession to Andrea is a highlight of the whole thing.

Grade: B-

Summary:

Kate is on medical leave and Andrea is sitting in her office. Everything is going well, until a giant hell dog escapes the Underworld and Raphael, the smoking-hot and very persistent werehyena, asks Andrea to help him track down…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Blind Spot by Meljean Brook

This is my second favorite story of the anthology. Ms. Brook gives a reader something different and that makes reading it so much more fun. What I found most interesting and different is the fact that Geoffrey is blind due to an ancient curse that has tainted his family blood — but he can see through other people’s eyes. I perked up even more when that little tidbit came along. Maggie works for Geoff’s uncle, a very old and dangerous vampire, and has been sent to help rescue Geoff’s sister who has been taken hostage for some unknown reason. With her is Sir Pup, a fun-loving but also dangerous hellhound. He plays guide dog and guard dog with equal aplomb.

I really enjoy Ms. Brook’s writing, her characters are perfect, and she gives a story that moves at just the right pace and with twists and turns where you least expect them. I will be moving this series to the top of the TBR pile.

Grade: B+

Summary:

The job was simple: find her boss’s niece, bring her home safely, and hand out a whole lot of pain to whoever had abducted her. But Maggie hadn’t counted on her boss’s nephew, the hellhound who loved to make her life difficult, or her own past rearing its complicated and ugly head.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

The Britlingens Go to Hell by Charlaine Harris

This novella is the disappointment of the bunch. Simply, I was bored the entire way. The idea of the Britlingen Collective is interesting, but this story just didn’t live up to the potential. Two of the Collective’s warriors, Clovache and Batanya, are chosen to  head to hell with a client who needs something found there. So all we get is the danger they go through as they journey through the halls of hell toward their end goal, all of which is not that interesting; a client who is not upfront with them, thus leaving them in more danger; slugs leaving slime on the ground; and at this point I don’t even remember the hellhound involved. And only a slight hint at romance.

Not a very good introduction for a reader who has a good majority of Ms. Harris’ books in the TBR mountain.

Grade: D-

Summary:

A pair of warriors, Clovache and Batanya, take on the task of safeguarding a thief, not realizing they’d be going to Hell in pursuit of Lucifer’s favorite toy and along the way, encounter some very interesting travelers.

No excerpt found.

Other books in this series:

Angels’ Judgment by Nalini Singh

I have yet to read the first book in this series, Angel’s Blood, but after reading this novella I’m now salivating to get to it.  That doesn’t surprise me one bit. I should have known I’d love this story just because it’s Nalini Singh.

Sara is being considered to take over as Guild Director who reports to the Cadre of Ten, archangels who rule the world. She enjoys her current job as a vampire hunter, returning rogues to their masters. But she knows Simon, the current director, is weary after so many years and wishes to retire. She’s on one last mission before she has to make her decision.

Hunting down the villain killing vampires is that mission, and Simon sends Deacon, The Slayer, along to help but also to protect Sara if need be, because he knows the archangels will test her. As they work together, an attraction between them grows, and with Deacon’s secretiveness and sexiness, I can certainly see why. Their fling, which Sara believes is all they can have – how can she date such a dangerous and secretive man once she becomes director? – is hot and steamy and the best parts of the story. I didn’t care about the hellhound – which is owned by one of the suspects in the killings – I just wanted more of these two together.

Now that I have some of the background of the series down, it’s time to start Angel’s Blood. And I know I will like it just as much.

Grade: A+

Summary:

Vampire trackers Sara and Deacon must discover who is murdering vampires; one suspect owns a hellhound…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Overall Grade: B

Gwen’s review of Branded by Fire (Psy-Changeling Series, Book 6) by Nalini Singh
Sci-fi/UF/Paranormal romance released by Berkley 7 Jul 09

Nalini Singh just busts up all my neat little genre categories.  Her books are undoubtedly science fiction, unquestionably urban fantasy, solidly paranormal, and very firmly romances.  Hot, hawt romances.  She also mixes in healthy servings of romantic suspense, mystery, and sometimes a little bit of horror.  I love her books and just roll with the genre morphing, knowing that no matter what they are, I’ll enjoy myself. 

Branded by Fire is no exception to this rule – we get a little bit of everything, and them some, and it all mixes well to make a tasty cake of a book.

Our hero and heroine are introduced earlier in the series.  Mercy (heroine) is a Leopard shifter and sentinel (read, warrior/pack protector) and Riley (hero) is a Wolf shifter and lieutenant (also warrior/protector of his pack).  Mixing them is a bit like mixing fertilizer and diesel fuel – strong enough on their own to do their job and explosive together.  Of course Singh has to make them fall in love/lust and complicate everyone’s lives.  I mean, we ARE talking romance here, right?

I won’t spend too much time reviewing the plot in this review – if you’ve read any of Singh’s Psy-Changeling novels, you know that the world is complex and the bad guys are remorseless and legion.  There’s a little bit of bad in every faction involved, also some good, and some “positionally evil” as well (evil depending on where you stand on issues).  This makes for interesting plot twists and very exciting reading.  Singh does a terrific job pacing the revelations and plot movement, so you’re never left with a dull moment.

In Branded, the romance between the hero and heroine is steaming hot and sweet.   Mercy and Riley are undeniably attracted to each other, but because they’re both alpha and different animals, they’re left with a “hopeless love” kind of thing.  Neither one of them knows what to do with their emotions at the beginning, but they figure it out by the end.  Mercy is a bit slower to accept the relationship, but Riley’s steadfastness  – even when he’s a bonehead trying to control Mercy – makes up for her doubt.

This book is a fast-paced good read.  You get to hear about the couples from the earlier books – the characters playing logical roles in Branded without being simple reunions or sequel bait. The romance is sweet and sad a few times because of the alphaness of both main characters and because of the different species.  Nevertheless, there’s an HEA that is very interesting.  It makes me wonder if there will be more inter-pack couples in future books.  I wonder what a kid who can shift into either a wolf or a leopard would be like…  8).

In this book we’re introduced to a new Changeling faction – the Hawks.  We’re also reminded of The Forgotten – the Psy who didn’t follow Silence from the first, who have been hunted by the Psy who did follow Silence, and who have since melted into society by intermarrying with other races.  This will prove key in the next book in the series, Blaze of Memory (excerpt here), coming November this year.

As always, I highly recommend Singh’s series and this book to anyone looking for some genre olio and a hot summer read.  While it could standalone, I believe you’ll get much more from it if you have read at least one or two of the earlier books.

Grade: A

Read more reviews of, and information on, this series by following its tag here.

Summary:
.
Though DarkRiver sentinel Mercy is feeling the pressure to mate, she savagely resists when Riley Kincaid, a lieutenant from the SnowDancer pack, tries to possess her. The problem is not simply that he pushes her buttons; the problem is that he’s a wolf, she’s a cat, and they’re both used to being on top.
.
But when a brilliant changeling researcher is kidnapped from DarkRiver territory, Mercy and Riley must work together to track the young man-before his shadowy captors decide he’s no longer useful. Along the way, the two dominants may find that submitting to one another uncovers not just a deadly conspiracy, but a passion so raw that it’ll leave them both branded by fire…
.
Read an excerpt here (scroll down).

Other books in the series:

		The Cannibal Princess
A Gift For Kit

Sandy M’s review of Branded by Fire (Psy-Changeling Series, Book 6) by Nalini Singh
Paranormal Romance published by Berkley 7 Jul 09

Damn, I love this series. I fell in love with the DarkRiver cats and SnowDancer wolves from the beginning, devouring each book as they’ve come along, and with this sixth book in the series, not a thing has changed; I’ve only become more enamored and enthralled the more I read. In fact, BbF has now become my favorite of them all.

This is the first book in the series that showcases a changeling/changeling romance, and I have to say Ms. Nalini definitely spices it up beween Riley, the SnowDancer wolf lieutenant, and Mercy, the DarkRiver leopard sentinel. We’ve gotten to know these two throughout the previous books, so by this time not only are we ready for them to be together, but they are too. And from the first chapter when they finally share total skin-to-skin privileges and then some, the pages burn up with passion, lust, anger, tenderness, sensitivity, claws, teeth and all when these two interact in and out of the bedroom.

Oh, yeah, there’s an underlying story in this book. Lemme think. Right. The Psy. They’re the ones being targeted this time by a group of humans who are determined not to be left out of the power struggle on the planet. Mind control and kidnapping, among other things, is their MO, which pulls the two changeling factions closer together in their alliance, as well as bringing Riley and Mercy, hissing, spitting, clawing, and loving, closer together.

Riley. Sigh. He’s now up there with Dorian as a favorite. He’s always in control, responsible, and deadly when it comes to protecting those he loves. We see a new side to him when it comes to Mercy and what he’s beginning to feel for her. Everything he’s always wanted in a mate is thrown out the window when he can’t get that cat out of his system. The scenes between them with growling and snipping and snapping and biting and digging in of the claws are some hot, hot, hot scenes. Branded by Fire is almost an understatement for this book.

Mercy is the one to hold out the longest when it comes to a relationship with Riley. She knows he is one of those dominant males that will demand her submission and there’s no way on earth she will ever submit. She also doesn’t need his protection; she can take care of herself, sentinel that she is. But when they each cause the other pain, the scenes when they go to each other to apologize are tender and moving, showing us the exact opposite of those intense, fiery scenes.

There’s also the issue of which of them will undergo the break with their pack once their mating is complete, and Mercy is afraid it will be her since Riley is the more dominant, and that’s something she knows she just won’t survive. That’s another draw of these books for me, the family, the pack, how they’d die for one another if it came down to that.

In between all of this, of course, Riley and Mercy and their packs are trying to figure out what the hell is going on with Psy dying, changelings being kidnapped, and all kinds of other things. But for me, this book is about the romance. The mystery this time around is totally secondary. I hope Ms. Singh has more changeling/changeling romances in mind for future books. All that biting and clawing is simply addictive.

Grade: A+

Summary:

Though DarkRiver sentinel Mercy is feeling the pressure to mate, she savagely resists when Riley Kincaid, a lieutenant from the SnowDancer pack, tries to possess her. The problem is not simply that he pushes her buttons; the problem is that he’s a wolf, she’s a cat, and they’re both used to being on top.

But when a brilliant changeling researcher is kidnapped from DarkRiver territory, Mercy and Riley must work together to track the young man—before his shadowy captors decide he’s no longer useful. Along the way, the two dominants may find that submitting to one another uncovers not just a deadly conspiracy, but a passion so raw that it’ll leave them both branded by fire…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Shannon C.’s review of Caressed By Ice (Psy-Changeling Series, Book 3) by Nalini Singh
Paranormal romance released by Berkley 4 Sep 07

I know my reaction to Angels’ Blood, Ms. Singh’s latest novel, was fairly meh, but I still adore her Psy/Changeling series. Recently, my friend Bree got onto a Nalini Singh kick, and so I picked up the third of Ms. Singh’s Psy/Changeling books to read along with her. Read on to see what I thought of it.

For those of you who, like me, haven’t caught up with these books, this is the story of Jud, a psy who has dropped out of the Psy-Net with the rest of his family and now lives in a Changeling wolf pack. He is drawn to Brenna, a wolf changeling who was viciously attacked in the first book. Psys are supposed to be cold and emotionless, and none more so than Jud, whose telekinetic powers could be deadly if not tightly controlled. Brenna threatens to break Jud’s control at every turn, and to add to their confusion, someone is threatening Brenna, and there’s more Psy intrigue going on.

I confess this was the one book in the series I wasn’t looking forward to reading. I really like the strength of Ms. Singh’s heroines, and I was afraid Brenna would be too weak and clingy for me. Thankfully, she wasn’t. She’s been through a lot, but even she admits that she hates feeling like she’s wrapped in cotton wool. I really liked watching her grow into her own strength. And this is definitely one of those perfect romances, where the hero and heroine both have to grow together before they could be happy. Jud has to accept his own strength and his feelings for Brenna at the same time that Brenna has to work through what’s been done to her. Watching them grow together was a delight. And, of course, the two of them have smoking chemistry.

There’s more intrigue with the Psy Council, who quietly run things in the background. I find scenes with them fascinating, but am glad they don’t overpower the story. There are hints of future plotting in this book, and I’m really glad the fourth book in this series features a human heroine, since we haven’t seen much of that so far.

This one wasn’t my favorite in the series, but I did enjoy it while I was reading it, and I know that this series can be counted on for a perfect comfort read which will provide a captivating and thoroughly enjoyable story.

Grade: B+

See Gwen’s and Sandy M’s reviews. And read more reviews on this series by following its tag.

Summary:
.
Explore new heights of sensuality in this return to the world of the Psy—where two people who know evil intimately must unlock the good within their icy hearts…
.
As an Arrow, an elite soldier in the Psy Council ranks, Judd Lauren was forced to do terrible things in the name of his people. Now a defector, his dark abilities have made him the most deadly of assassins—cold, pitiless, unfeeling. Until he meets Brenna…
.
Brenna Shane Kincaid was an innocent before she was abducted—and had her mind violated—by a serial killer. Her sense of evil runs so deep, she fears she could become a killer herself. Then the first dead body is found, victim of a familiar madness. Judd is her only hope, yet her sensual changeling side rebels against the inhuman chill of his personality, even as desire explodes between them. Shocking and raw, their passion is a danger that threatens not only their hearts, but their very lives…
.
Read two excerpts here (scroll down).

Other books in the series:

This just in…

Nalini Singh has a lot of terrific news to share with fans. So listen up!

~ First her Psy/Changeling series. Nalini has just signed a contract to write four more books in the series!

~ Slave to Sensation, the first book in the series, is now out in ebook in several different formats.

~ There is a new short story, A Conversation, which takes place some time after Mine to Possess, that is now available on Nalini’s site.

~ Also added in the most recent site update is a blurb for Blaze of Memory, Book 7 in the series, due out in November.

~ There will also be a novella about Ria, Lucas’ administrative assistant, sometime in 2010.

~ And don’t forget, Branded by Fire, Mercy’s story, is due out July 1!

~ Now for Nalini’s new Guild Hunter series. She’s also just been contracted to write two more books in this series.

~ Archangel’s Kiss is the new title for the second book in the series, which should be out sometime early 2010.

Consider yourself flashed.

Shannon C.’s review of Angels’ Blood (Guild Hunters, Book 1) by Nalini Singh
Paranormal romance/urban fantasy released by Berkley 3 Mar 09

Nalini Singh is easily one of the best writers writing romance these days. She manages to create vivid and compelling worlds, as well as love stories with enough sexual tension and smoldering sensuality to require ice buckets while reading. So I’ve only read two of her Psy-Changeling books, but I was curious about her new series, and eagerly read it as soon as I got the ARC. Sadly, this book was a victim of too much hype. 

Elena is a Guild Hunter who works with angels to track down rogue vampires. The angels are the only ones who can create vampires, and the process is undertaken with the understanding that a new vampire will be in service to his creator for a century because they’re a menace to society otherwise. Anyway, Elena’s really good at her job, which brings her to the attention of Raphael, the archangel of New York City, who has an offer she can’t refuse. This time it’s not a rogue vampire she must track, but a rogue archangel. She can’t turn down the job, and she knows her chances of surviving it are slim.

Overall, I liked this book and would keep reading the series. Elena was a strong character, which is good because most of the book is told from her POV. She’s had a difficult life, a life that’s not going to get much easier after she meets Raphael. Raphael was fascinating, too, though it took me a bit longer to warm up to him. I’m used to arrogant heroes. I’m not so much used to ones who feel completely alien. But after a while he did grow on me, and I found the romance to be quite satisfying.

The plot is interesting, but I felt it took a bit too long to get going. Only toward the end of the book, when Elena was able to do her job did it take off. Prior to that, there were a lot of seriously draggy sections which slowed me down considerably.

This book got so much hype before it came out from the blogosphere that I was expecting it to be brilliant. The fact that the plot took a while to get moving and that it took me a while to warm up to Raphael disappointed me. I really wanted to love this book, and had expected that I would, but I didn’t.

Still, if you like Singh and you like darker settings, this is a strong book. I just wish I’d loved it more.

Grade: B

Summmary:
.
Nalini Singh introduces readers to a world of beauty and bloodlust, where angels hold sway over vampires.
.
Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux is hired by the dangerously beautiful Archangel Raphael. But this time, it’s not a wayward vamp she has to track. It’s an archangel gone bad.
.
The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other—and pull her to the razor’s edge of passion. Even if the hunt doesn’t destroy her, succumbing to Raphael’s seductive touch just may. For when archangels play, mortals break.
.
Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series:

and Book 2, “Angels’ Judgment” in Must Love Hellhounds anthology, Sep 2009

Sandy M’s review of Caressed by Ice (Psy-Changelings Series, Book 3) by Nalini Singh
Paranormal Romance published by Berkley 4 Sep 07

Don’t ask me how I somehow missed reading this book back when it was released. It’s the only one of the series I haven’t read, and, as much as I love the series, it baffles me too how this one slipped by me. But I finally remedied that, and I’ve vowed not to let such a thing ever happen again with one of the Psy-Changelings books.

While this book is not my favorite of the series, it’s still a pleasure reading Ms. Singh’s writing.  She could probably write a book about the dictionary and it would be worth reading. For some reason, though, Judd as a hero didn’t quite grab me as other heroes, Lucas or Dorian, for example, but he is an interesting character and I enjoyed watching his logic erode when he eventually is unable to resist Brenna’s love. The process he goes through near the end when he finally relents and decides to take the risk of freeing himself of Silence is so very intriguing, learning how the Psy had conditioned his mind and the depth of that conditioning is simply amazing.

Both he and Brenna are mega tortured souls; his due to Silence and the lengths his superiors went to in making him the perfect killing machine and Brenna’s due to her attack by a madman who physically and mentally tortured before her rescue. She ended up with many residual fears, but the most fascinating to me was the loss of her shifting ability. All readers of this series know of Dorian’s latency which prohibits him from shifting, so it was only logical Brenna seek him out to ask questions and learn whatever possible from him.

Another intriguing concept for this couple was the fact that though they love one another, there isn’t the mating bond as with most mated pairs, and I liked the twist Ms. Singh comes up with for that. Of course, these are just a couple of things that stand out, but the book is full of fascinating happenings and this review would go on for pages just to cite them all.

I was glad to see the DarkRiver cats were included as much as possible here, though the story centered on the SnowDancer wolves. I did enjoy getting to know more of the wolves better, especially Riley and Drew, Brenna’s brothers. Which reminds me of the life-saving procedure Judd performed at one point on Drew.  My heavens, what a scene. It amazes me what this author comes up with in each succeeding book. I think of the characters left, I’m looking forward to Hawke’s book, especially after what was revealed about him in a scene with Brenna.

This series gets better with every book, as evidenced by Hostage to Pleasure, the book right after this one. Ms. Singh has one fascinating mind and I, for one, am so glad she’s chosen to write romances and share her talent and imagination with us.

Grade: A-

Read Gwen’s review here.

Summary:
Explore new heights of sensuality in this return to the world of the Psy—where two people who know evil intimately must unlock the good within their icy hearts…

As an Arrow, an elite soldier in the Psy Council ranks, Judd Lauren was forced to do terrible things in the name of his people. Now a defector, his dark abilities have made him the most deadly of assassins—cold, pitiless, unfeeling. Until he meets Brenna…

Brenna Shane Kincaid was an innocent before she was abducted—and had her mind violated—by a serial killer. Her sense of evil runs so deep, she fears she could become a killer herself. Then the first dead body is found, victim of a familiar madness. Judd is her only hope, yet her sensual changeling side rebels against the inhuman chill of his personality, even as desire explodes between them. Shocking and raw, their passion is a danger that threatens not only their hearts, but their very lives…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

No, that’s not a typo. I’m unique. And the rogue duckie – so instead of making my own “Best of 2008″ list… I’m going for the new year. These are the 10 books I’m most looking forward to in 2009. (You’ll notice some books don’t even have cover art yet.) 

N.B. I’d like to issue the caveat that… this is only based on books/lists that I could find. I’d also like to note that… just because I’m excited about it, doesn’t mean its a guarantee I’ll like it. (Color me picky.)

I also haven’t been reading romances that long, and it seems my tastes/author choices differ from a number of people. But that’s ok, because this is my list and I’m sticking to it.

In no particular order…

	1. What I Did For Love by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (Contemporary romance, Wm.Morrow, 27 Jan 09).  Case in point – I’m not 100% sure how I feel about Ms. Phillips’s last few novels. But I bought them – in hardcover. The premise for What I Did For Love sounds interesting, but hasn’t gripped me. (Then again – I wouldn’t have thought I’d *love* Nobody’s Baby But Mine, based on the plot summary.) So we shall see. But still. It’s Susan Elizabeth Phillips – and she’s one of my favorite authors.
	2. Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas (Contemporary romance, St. Martin’s, 31 Mar 09). She’s one of my favorite authors – and… don’t kill me, but Seduce Me at Sunrise and Blue-Eyed Devil were good reads, but not AMAZING. I’m already more excited about Smooth Talking Stranger based on the blurbs. Ms. Kleypas is also one of the few authors that can make me enjoy first person point of view. (Cuz FPPV and I? We are not friends.) But the Travis’s! And… even though it’s a secret baby book, which makes me chuckle, I WANTS it.
	3. Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole (Contemporary paranormal romance, Pocket, nodate Jan 09). I discovered Ms. Cole relatively early in 2008, not too long before I started reviewing, and I think she has the one series I’ve reviewed in total (thus far). And, the hero, Rydstrom, has horns. Horns! I never thought I’d be into horns, but… Ms. Cole has won me over. I love her kick ass heroines who *actually* kick butt -and they’re super hot to boot. And the heroes. Yum. This is a great paranormal world. Fun, scary, violent, full of lore- but one that doesn’t take itself too seriously. My kind of books.
	4. Naked Edge by Pamela Clare (Contemporary romantic suspense, Berkley, 3 Nov 09). I heard about Ms. Clare, and first read Extreme Exposure, which is probably one of my favorite books. Extreme Exposure is extremely well written, great plot, and the hero is one of my favorite types. A good politician. More rare than… well something you’d think is outrageous but I’m sure is in a number of paranormals. Thus, Extreme Exposure (and the subsequent books by Ms. Clare I’ve read, have prompted me to put Naked Edge on my list). I have been waiting for this new I-Team book – and… I don’t know. The heroine Kat is Native American. I think that’s pretty nifty. (Major understatement.)
	5. Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh (Paranormal romance, Berkley, 7 Jul 09). I discovered Ms. Singh early on in ’08, and read all her Psy/Changeling books – in proper Psy/Changeling chronological order, even – serendipitously. Ms. Singh’s book world is intense, and amazing. It’s so well developed you believe it’s real. Scary. (But oh so cool!) Thus, this book edged out Angels’ Blood. (That and the blurb talks about lots of violence and I’m kinda squeamish about teh violences.) AND more importantly, when I read the excerpt for this book my reaction was pretty much “SQUEE SQUEE SQUEE!”
	6. True Love and Other Disasters by Rachel Gibson (Contemporary romance, Avon, 28 Apr 09). Yes, another one of my favorite authors. And a book back to/dealing with Hockey. I read See Jane Score  – and I was hooked. I was even willing to get into hockey. (SEP‘s Chicago Stars, along with college, were what got me into football. And if you click around in my posts, you’ll see I can be a football nut. Especially College.) Although… I will say I DO NOT like all the Flash stuff on Ms. Gibson’s web page. Yay for her designer and all – but it takes forever and I can’t get to the information I want. Does not like! The book, however… *happy sigh*
	7. Deeper by Megan Hart (Contemporary erotic romance, Spice, nodate Jul 09). I love the title. I love the cover. I really like Megan Hart’s writing. There’s something about it. Like crack. It also often depresses the hell out of me – which I hate – but I love her books. They’re so raw, yet well written. And this book blurb. *shivers* I’m going to smack myself if the ending isn’t relatively happy. (I know not to expect bubblegum yay.)
	8. What Happens in London by Julia Quinn (Historical romance, Avon, 30 Jun 09). Yet another author that goes on my “best of” lists – and… while others didn’t like it as much, I adored The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever, and I hope to like the sequel just as much. (Especially if, you know, it is its own book.) So joy for another book more like The Secret Diaries!
	9. Written On Your Skin by Meredith Duran (Historical romance, Pocket, 28 Jul 09). This one looks more interesting than Bound by Your Touch – although I’m a little skeptical about some of the settings. Though I expect if anyone can win me over to parts written in Hong Kong, it is Ms. Duran. I hope not to be disappointed. This book also makes the list because had I done an ’08 list, Ms. Duran would have made it with her debut novel Duke of Shadows.
	10. Hard and Fast by Erin McCarthy (Contemporary romance, Berkley Trade, 5 May 09). First, it’s Ms. McCarthy. Second, it’s Ms. McCarthy writing a contemporary novel. Third, the heroine’s name is Imogen. I really like a number of Imogen Heap’s songs – so I have a major positive association with her. And – Ms. McCarthy may even win me over to NASCAR. At least in fiction. I read the excerpt, and I am in love. I love it. I want this book. I don’t even want to see when this book comes out (May 09) – because I don’t want to wait.

—

Honorable Mentions/if I squint just right are included/still within the number 10…

	10a. Tasting Fear by Shannon McKenna (Contemporary erotic romance, Brava, 28 Jul 09). Okay, so I have to admit, I know nothing about this book. I think it’s Kevin McCloud’s book – and how exciting will it be for a McCloud book to actually star a McCloud? (See? I can good naturedly mock my favorite authors/self.) I also know that Ms. McKenna is one of my favorite authors, and she is one of the few authors I will venture into adventure/suspense for. (And once I buy Ultimate Weapon, Ms. McKenna might have the sole and honorable distinction of being the only author whose entire back list is in my possession and my property…)
	10b. Relentless by Lauren Dane (Sci-fi romance, Berkley Trade, 5 ay 09). I don’t read scifi/fantasy or futuristic novels. I haven’t read scifi/fantasy since middle school. I’ve never particularly enjoyed futuristic novels. BUT! But! I read Undercover, and I loved it. I can see why Undercover took Ms. Dane to the bestseller’s list – and if you haven’t read it – you should. I enjoyed Undercover so much I had to pace myself, and used it as a way to treat myself. And Ms. Dane’s writing (in my humble opinion) only gets better.
	10c. This Duchess of Mine (Historical romance, Avon, 26 May 09) and…10d. A Duke of Her Own by Eloisa James (Historical romance, Avon, 30 Jun 09). I, being the lowly peon I am, do not know what these books are about (other than This Duchess of Mine is Jemma’s book). I have been waiting for Villier’s book, so hopefully he’s healed at some point in the near future. And you know, I love Ms. James’s books. I read Duchess in Love and fell in love. There’s been no turning back since.

—

11. The book I don’t know about by the new author (whoknows, someone, date TBD). I know a lot of people will say that’s a cop out, so that’s why I listed 10 books, then have this one. I mean, I’m sure there are books I don’t know about – and/or what about that one newbie author that writes an amazing book?

The End. Seriously.

Out of all the books coming out in 09 (that I know about – and I found some lists of hundred of books.) These – *these* I want. I will do much to get my hands on these books. What did Scarlet O’Hara say? “Lie, cheat, kill or steal” right? Well… take out the third… and you’ve pretty much got me

I liked C2′s idea of a Best of 2008 list.  Then Liv got into the action, so thought I’d give it a try too.  (Of course, mine are the best of the bunch.)  I was never one to keep track of my reads, and 2008 was the first time I’ve done that; therefore, this list, though difficult to choose just a few in the long run, was easy for me since I didn’t have to rely on a twelve-month memory.

So here’s my Best of 2008, in no particular order.

Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas
Contemporary Romance Audiobook released by Brilliance Audio 25 Mar 08

Actually, I drooled over Hardy Cates while listening to him with the audiobook of Blue-Eyed Devil. My first foray (including Sugar Daddy) into Kleypas books and I loved every darned minute of it!

Weddings Can Be Murder by Christie Craig
Contemporary Romance released by Love Spell 27 May 08

I never thought I would fall in love with a hero who’s a sympathy puker.  Don’t wrinkle your nose!  Read the book, it’s hilarious! Christie Craig is making a huge name for herself and her wonderful humor.
Double Enchantment by Kathryne Kennedy
Historical Paranormal Romance released by Love Spell 26 Aug 08

A breath of fresh air with a new take on the English social castes.  Fun, intriguing, and very romantic. And loads of magic along with shapeshifting, both of which give readers a different look at old favorites.

Superb and Sexy by Jill Shalvis
Contemporary Romance released by Brava 1 Jun 08

Really, you can interchange any one of the three Sexy books in here. Just love those Sky High Men! Ms. Shalvis has a way with humor, romance, mystery, and fun.

Killer Charms by Marianne Stillings
Contemporary Romance released by Avon 26 Aug 08

I enjoyed all three books about the Darling family, but it’s the hero of this one that gave it top honors for me in 2008. I’ll definitely be reading more of Ms. Stillings.

King of Sword and Sky (Tairen Soul, Book 3) by C.L. Wilson
Paranormal Fantasy Romance released by Leisure Books 30 Sep 08

With just one more book to go, this series is now my favorite of all time. Ms. Wilson has created a world that is just absolutely fantastic and she’s giving us a love story like no other.

Hostage to Pleasure by Nalini Singh
Release by Berkley 2 Sep 08

I’ve loved every book in this series.  They’re all incredible.  But Dorian has always been my favorite from the very first book and I’d anticipated his story for so long.  Ms. Singh did not disappoint!

Scandalous by Night by Barbara Pierce
Historical Romance released by St. Martin’s Paperbacks 29 Jul 08

Barbara Pierce has become an all-time favorite historical author for me.  This book she gave readers a darker side of her writing and Everod is her best hero yet.

With Every Breath by Lynn Kurland
Time Travel Romance released by Jove 27 May 08

Beautiful writing, sweeping Scottish vistas, love and romance that crosses time boundaries, and characters you’ll love forever. What’s not to love?

The Missing by Shiloh Walker
Contemporary Paranormal Romance released by Berkley Trade 4 Nov 08

As I said in my review of this book, Ms. Walker has outdone herself with this one.  Absolutely mesmerizing.  If you haven’t read it, you should.  You’re missing out, big time.

Honorable mentions:

Ask Adam by Jess Dee
Contemporary Romance released by Samhain 29 Jul 08

Ms. Dee is a first-time author for me and I enjoyed her writing and storytelling immensely.  I have a feeling she’s really going to go places!

The Hot Line by Cathryn Fox
Contemporary Romance released by NAL 4 Mar 08

Another first-time author for me. Had to love the idea of the Hot Line, firefighters just waiting to help a lady out. And those boys know what they’re doing!

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

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:

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

I really like Nalini Singh’s books. A blanket statement that holds a lot – but I discovered her in February 2008 while reading the anthology An Enchanted Season. Absolutely loved her novella Beast of Temptation – and then read Slave to Sensation and nearly all of her backlist. (Yes, including the Harlequin Desires, which are quite good.) Ms. Singh’s Psy/Changeling series is quite popular, and I have to say that this is one of my favorites.

Ashaya Aleine makes for an excellent heroine. It’s also nice that she’s not your typical Psy. She’s smart, and I must add that I love she has a hard science degree. (Heroines can be brilliant and amazing too!) Ashaya is special for a number of reasons – not just because she’s an M-Psy (medical) with basically little to no other psychic powers. She’s “broken” – has a twin, a son, courage, and yet is selfish. She’s human which makes it better since Psy are supposed to be emotionless. I knew she’d be special once I read Mine to Possess – and I ended up liking Ashaya a lot more than expected.

Dorian Christensen is a hero I knew I’d love. He’s latent – so even though he’s a changeling, he’s never assumed leopard form. Add that to the tragedy he’s experienced, and you’ve got a wounded hero you’re conditioned to feel sympathy and admiration for. However, rather than letting that get him down, Dorian is fierce and you have to admire him for that. He’s almost more feral than a truly wild animal, which is part of his strange appeal. Dorian absolutely hates the Psy, so is completely conflicted when his inner self recognizes Ashaya as his mate. This makes for delicious tension and angst.

While the plot got a bit tangled at points, it was very nice to see characters that have becomes something like old friends. I do wish there had been more of a focus on some of the “older” characters. What was also enjoyable was reading about the developing relationship between Dorian and Ashaya. While “silence” didn’t work for her, in a way her emotions are even more repressed than a normal Psy’s. Then there’s the fact that people are out to get them, children involved, and the entire world crashing down around them. It’s quite suspenseful. (Although I admit to wanting it to be done so I know how it all ends!)

I’m wondering where this series is headed. I enjoy each book (some more than others) though the story line has become rather convoluted. It’s a bit difficult to keep characters and events straight if you haven’t read the books in a while. Still, Hostage to Pleasure was very enjoyable, and I’m so glad that I read it. I

f you’re a fan of Ms. Singh’s writing, or looking for a different type of paranormal read, I can definitely recommend this book. In fact, I’m eagerly awaiting her next books – Angel’s Blood and especially Branded by Fire.

Grade: A-

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 here.

Other books in this series:

Gwen’s review of The Magical Christmas Cat by Lora Leigh, Erin McCarthy, Nalini Singh, and Linda Winstead Jones
Contemporary paranormal romance anthology release by Berkley Sensation 7 Oct 08

This collection of stories are all centered on the holiday period and all have a few things in common – love, passion, and cats. They’re all quite nice stories, a couple are downright great. Read on to see how they fared…

Stroke of Enticement by Nalini Singh (87 pages)

This is a very good Psy-Changeling story that centers around the heroine, a school teacher named Annie Kildaire, and the hero, a DarkRiver soldier named Zach Quinn. It’s very much their love story and has none of the typical Psy-Changling “suspense” elements that we normally see from Singh. Just a pure love story and I loved it. The cat in this story is the hero.

Because we’re centered on the relationship, we get a couple of very well developed characters in the H/H. Especially the heroine and while the hero is still very yummy, perhaps more time could have been spent on him, but it wouldn’t have been a short-story if that had happened. And, can I say, OH MY about this hero. I wanted to lick him all over.

The conflict in this story came from family – particularly the heroine’s. Annie had been injured horrifically when she was a kid and still suffers some side effects from it – both physical and emotional. This causes some interesting scenes between Annie, her family, and the DarkRiver soldier she brings to dinner. It’s very “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” and is very fun to read.

This was just a terrific Psy-Changeling story and worth the price of the book all on its own.

Grade: A

Summary:

My [Singh's] contribution to this anthology features Zach, a DarkRiver soldier you’ll love, and Annie, a human woman who finds herself tangling with this irresistible cat.

Read an excerpt.

Christmas Bree by Erin McCarthy (76 pages)

This was an enjoyable story, if a bit forgettable. I felt a little like I was reading a really racy Cosmo story. Lighter, more chick-lit-type stories aren’t my thing, though. So keep that in mind as you read this review.

The heroine, Bree, has dreams about the hero, Ian, and doesn’t realize it until she meets him on her doorstep. Bree’s cat, Akasha, keeps showing up in the hero’s car, under their feet, in the hallway, and always with a bit of mistletoe in her mouth. There’s so much build-up as a result of the year of dreams the hero and heroine have of each other they fall to boinking on the floor almost as soon as they meet each other. Twice.

The heroine is a pretty stereotypical almost-goth chick who calls herself a “witch” and the hero is a pretty stereotypical poor kid from the wrong side of the tracks who makes good as a big-city lawyer. Not a lot stood out for me in the story, but, remember, these kinds of stories aren’t my thing. I liked it and promptly forgot it.

Grade: C

Summary (mine – not the book’s):

Self-professed witch, Bree Murphy, is unconventional and likes it that way. She taught her little sister to read tarot and she reads palms and futures for a living – all in the rambling old Victorian house she inherited from her grandmother. Ian Carrington is a big city lawyer to the millionaires. He brokers deals for the high society when they don’t want to get their hands dirty. One of his clients wants Bree’s house and wants it bad. Problem is, Ian wants Bree too. How is he going to balance his client’s wants with his own? Will they end up happy or will hearts be broken?

No excerpt available when the review was written.

Sweet Dreams by Linda Winstead Jones (76 pages)

This was the darkest of the four stories. The cat in this case is actually the villain – a demon trapped in the statuette of a cat. The heroine, Ruby, is a local baker who doesn’t realize that her soul will bring about the release of the demon, who will then lay waste to mankind. Her neighbor, Zane, a local professor who also happens to be a member of a group of warriors dedicated to the extermination of this demon (of course), discovers that Ruby is the next/last victim and goes about trying to keep it all from happening.

I didn’t like the hero much until about mid-way thru the story. The action elements were good and the villains were interesting. It was a fun paranormal story, but the romance felt a bit forced. Interesting, but, in the end, forgettable.

Grade: C+

Summary (mine – not the book’s):

Ruby Kincaid, the town’s best baker, doesn’t realize she’s about to be the culmination of a spell that has been brewing for centuries. But her hunky neighbor, Zane Benedict, does. A parapsychology professor at the local univerisity, Zane knows about Ruby’s destiny and is determined to do everything in his power to stop the spell and keep an unspeakable evil from being unleashed on the earth – including killing Ruby if he has to… But he doesn’t want to…

No excerpt available.

Christmas Heat by Lora Leigh (117 pages)

This was a lovely Breeds story and I think it’s obvious who the cat is in this entry. Noble, our hero, is a Jaguar Breed and has been in love with Haley, one of the librarians at the Sanctuary Library, for a while. He doesn’t realize it, but Haley is in love with him, as well. The story follows the predictable “heat” path – irresistible lust and some seriously hot, and I mean HAWT, sensuality with really steamy, raw sex, eventually ending in a life commitment and love. The path there is littered with dead bodies, an explosion or two, family holidays, and some major bad guys.

There’s good action and tension throughout the whole story. There was one scene that I didn’t like where one of the villains catch the H/H mid-boink. I could have done without that mental image and it’s the only thing that keeps the grade from an A. Nevertheless, there’s good character development even if the villain(s) felt like a bit of an afterthought. I loved when the heroine’s family shows up and bowls the hero over – he had never experienced anything like her, her family, or their celebration of the season. It was charming.

This was a very good Christmas love story… Breeds style.

Grade: B+

Summary (mine – not the book’s):

Noble Chavin, Jaguar Breed, and Sanctuary librarian Haley McQuire find love and heat under the Christmas tree.

Read an excerpt.

This was a charming and very readable collection of four Christmas stories all themed around cats. I highly recommend it to any fans of the four authors, or someone looking for some quick paranormal hits to while away an afternoon.

Overall Grade: B

Book Summary:

Put a little meow in their stockings this year with these all-new tales of Christmas and felines-from beloved bestselling authors!

New York Times bestselling author Lora Leigh and top-selling authors Nalini Singh, Erin McCarthy, and Linda Winstead Jones have a special gift for readers this year: never-before published holiday stories featuring passionate romance, paranormal adventure, and a distinctly alluring feline touch. With four new stories-including one featuring Lora Leigh’s genetically altered Feline Breeds-this is a collection packed with more surprises than Christmas morning, and more chills than the snowiest winter night…

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: