Review: Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh

WARNING: Contains mild spoilers ( the name of the hero and the heroine) 


The Particulars:  Paranormal Romance, Berkley, available as e-book and in Print

The Source:  The bookstore

The Grade: B

The blurb:

Step into New York Times bestseller Nalini Singh’s explosive and shockingly passionate Psy-Changeling world…

A dangerous, volatile rebel, hands stained bloodred.
A woman whose very existence has been erased.
A love story so dark, it may shatter the world itself.
A deadly price that must be paid.
The day of reckoning is here.

From “the alpha author of paranormal romance” (Booklist) comes the most highly anticipated novel of her career—one that blurs the line between madness and genius, between subjugation and liberation, between the living and the dead

The Review:

I snapped up a copy when my local bookstore by mistake started selling this book too early.  (I got a bit lucky, since they had computer issues, so they couldn’t see that the book had a hard street date :) ) This  is an excellent addition to the Psy Changeling series.

The world of the Psy is crumbling in this book, and there were a lot at stake.The plot was fast paced, with  a deft mix of action and romance.   I couldn’t stop reading, as the book builds toward the final confrontation with Pure Psy.  There were times were I hated Pure Psy for the decisions they made, and the lines they crossed.  

Interwoven in this is the romance subplot.  It was exquisite.  From how Kaleb guided Sahara back out of her shell, to how Sahara started to rebuild her life.  What I liked was how Kaleb opened up with Sahara. And the things he revealed was heart wrenching.   I liked Sahara. She had a spine, which made me cheer for her. I also appreciated that she made her own path during the book. And her gift made me shiver, yet it made sense in a way. I loved how Kaleb and Sahara grounded each other, and created something that was whole from two flawed halves.

Maybe it was because I had been looking forward to this book for so long, but I had some trouble sink in to the story.  Because of that I had trouble connecting with Kaleb and Sahara. It is possibly that it partly stems from  my uncertainty if  they were too scarred to truly love at times. But when they got their HEA it felt right, and they had earned it..

 

Ten Days of Yule Review:Lady Louisa's Christmas Knight by Grace Burrowes

The Particulars: Historical Romance, Sourcebooks, available in print and as e-book

The Source: Discover a new love

The Grade: C+

The Blurb:

No one would ever guess that Lady Louisa, the most reserved of the Duke of Moreland's daughters, had published a book of racy poems under a pseydonym on a dare. Before she can buy and destroy all of the copies, a dastardly fortune hunter seeks to compromise her reputation by revealing her secret identity at a holiday ball.

Before she can be publicly ruined, close family friend Sir Joseph Carrington saves the day by offering to marry Louisa. As he recites poetry to her, waltzes with her by starlight, and showers her with lovely kisses, they both begin to discover that their match may be the best Christmas gift either has ever received..

The Review:

Grace Burrowes are one of my favorite authors, so when this was one of the picks at Discover a New Love I snapped it up.

This was a sweet romance. Both Joseph and Louisa felt very believable, and down to earth.

Both of them felt slightly out of place at the balls and the soarees that the rest of the Ton felt at home with. The descriptions of felt believable, from the way some males prefered the billiard room, to the polite chatter that could hide so many things. As the story went on, their romance developed. It was a slow romance, but I enjoyed it. They showed their feelings in a thousand different ways.

Both of them had secrets, and I enjoyed as the secrets were gradually revealed, as both of them seperately, started to get an inkling of that something was wrong. It was touching, when their relationship reached the point that they trusted each other to reveal their secrets.

The biggest part I had with this book was that it lacked... tension. Oh, the sexual tension was there, but considering the blackmail threat, I missed the feeling of a suspense regarding to who it was, and what would happen.

Review: Sanctuary Lost by Moira Rogers

The Particulars: Paranormal Romance
The Source: Purchased at AllRomance
The Grade: B
The Blurb:

If there’s one thing that Brynn Adler hates, it’s feeling helpless and vulnerable in unfamiliar territory. Three weeks ago, life tossed her into just such a world. A world of werewolves she never knew existed—until she found out her sister was one of them.

The pack seems determined to hurry her back to the normal world of humans. But after everything she’s witnessed, she’s not sure she wants to go—especially if it means leaving not only her sister behind, but the one man who makes her forget her life is falling apart.

Now all she has to do is convince him to agree to a plan to force the pack to let her stay.

Joe Mitchell has been battling his protective instincts since he rescued Brynn from her kidnapper. Getting involved with her is a bad idea for a lot of reasons. She’s on shaky emotional ground, and a supernatural war is no place for a human woman. He’s not about to let her make a hasty decision, one that will only bring her pain and regret.

Now all he has to do is let her go.

The Review:

This is the second book in the series, and it isn’t stand alone. I don’t believe there are many spoilers to book one in it, but to understand the background, it is best to have read book one.

I enjoyed the insight this book gave me when it comes to the Hierachy of a Werewolf pack. I loved how everyone (except Gavin) are dominant to some wolves, and submissive to others.I also enjoyed the insight in werewolf politics it gave me.    

This is a heart wrenching book.  My heart ached for Brynn, as she struggled to pick up her life and adjust to the changes in her life.I liked how Joe was there and supported her, even though he didn’t always agree with her descions.  But he did his best to ensure she could defend herself.   

Brynn might be submissive, but I love the fact that she is strong. She knows what she wants. I also loved that she had to fight for it, both with her sister and the Alphas of Red Rock Pass.

The plot was action packed, and filled with unexpected twists.  I loved how Ms Rogers took Brynn’s wishes and turned them upside down.While Joe acted as Brynn’s Guide,  I also liked that in the end it was Brynn that reached a balance with her wolf.

As all this happens, other events builds up to a confrontation with Alan Matthews.
While nothing with this book was bad, it took awhile before it fully hooked me :).

Review: Cry Sanctuary by Moira Rogers

The Particulars: Paranormal Romance, Samhain, available in print and as e-book

The Source: Purchased at Kobo

The Grade: B+

The Blurb:

Keith Winston is tired of fighting. The war between werewolves and wizards rages on in Europe, but he’s come home to Red Rock, Montana in hopes of finding a bit of peace. Instead he finds more strife as he struggles against the pack’s dictates that he resume his place as the alpha’s right-hand man.

When he rescues a new wolf on the run, he knows his instant attraction to her could cause trouble. What he doesn’t expect is to find himself embroiled in another battle that goes against all his instincts—and his heart.

Abigail Adler learned about the existence of werewolves only when she became one. With her life threatened by a corrupt alpha, she flees to the only sanctuary she knows: Red Rock. While she’s grateful for the pack’s protection, she chafes under its unbreakable rules of conduct—except when it comes to submitting to the passion Keith stirs in her.

Then her tormentor kidnaps her sister in an attempt to lure her out of hiding. To save her, Abby and Keith must be willing to do the very thing that could get them all killed—break all of the rules.

The Review:

This is the first book in Moira Rogers excellent Red Rock Pass series, which is one of my favorite series.

The world is intriguing, and filled with fractions. I loved how the tension between werewolves that follows the old ways and werewolves that doesn't affected the plot. I could feel an echo of how fast our society has changed, and not necessarily for the better. What I also liked was how she hinted at the existence of other factions. I cannot wait to see how that will affect future books, both in this series and the Green Pine series. ( And future, unwritten series.)

But what I liked most was how Moira Rogers has spent time thinking about the details. I loved the tradition of Guide and Initiation, and how it was encouraged to take time before taking the plunge. At least in the Sanctuary pack, in non- Sanctuary pack I felt it was more on the whim of the Alpha.

The book crackles with tension. Both between Keith and Abby, but also tension between the Red Rock Pack and the Helena Pack.I enjoyed reading about Keith and Abby's relationship. It would have been so easy for Keith to take the plunge, and become both Abby's boyfriend and Guide. Instead, he is adamant that Abby makes an active choice about who she wants as Guide. Both Abby and Keith had their past, and I loved how it came back to haunt them. Both the Romance and the Action built on each other, and both stemmed from the characters protective instinct.  That combination led to a book I couldn't put down.  

This book was fast paced, but sometimes it felt like things happened too fast. It is a sign of Moira Rogers skill that it never became confusing.

Review: Mine to Possess by Nalini Singh

The Particulars: Paranormal Romance, Berkley, available in print and as e-book.

The Source: Purchased at Kobo

The Grade: B

The blurb:

Clay Bennett is a powerful DarkRiver sentinel, but he grew up in the slums with his human mother, never knowing his changeling father. As a young boy without the bonds of Pack, he tried to stifle his animal nature. He failed...and committed the most extreme act of violence, killing a man and losing his best friend, Talin, in the bloody aftermath. Everything good in him died the day he was told that she, too, was dead.
Talin McKade barely survived a childhood drenched in bloodshed and terror. Now a new nightmare is stalking her life--the street children she works to protect are disappearing and turning up dead. Determined to keep them safe, she unlocks the darkest secret in her heart and returns to ask the help of the strongest man she knows...
Clay lost Talin once. He will not let her go again, his hunger to possess her, a clawing need born of the leopard within. As they race to save the innocent, Clay and Talin must face the violent truths of their past...or lose everything that ever mattered.

The Review:

This book hooked me from the start. I couldn't stop reading it. I had to find out what happend.

It crackled with tension from the start. I loved the fact that both Clay and Talin had scars from their childhood. I could almost touch Talin's hesitation over how Clay would react to seeing her again.

A lot of the tension in this book came from their past, and the struggle to move past it. But, that is not all that is going on.Amidst all this, they are running against the clock to find Talin's missing charges.

I could almost touch Talin's worry. Worry over her health, worry over if they would find the children.

I loved how Nalini Singh revealed yet another layer of the world in this book, revealing just how debated the Silence had been when it was introduced 100 years earlier.

So, What I didn't like. I didn't like the POV's from Ashaya and Jon. Yes, I know that they were necessary, and that they set up for the next book, but I was so focused on Talin's and Clay's story that it just annoyed me.

Review: Visions of Heat by Nalini Singh

The particulars: Paranormal Romance, Berkley, available as print and e-book

The Source: Purchased at Kobo

The Grade: B

The Blurb:

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...

The Review:

What I like most about Nalini Singh's Psy-Changeling series isn't the romance. No, it is the world. ( Ok, I might be exagerating a bit). The world she has created is detailed, and varied. There is the cold emotionless Psy that governs the world. The territorial changelings, that craves touch. And humans of course. Together they create a world that is stratified with Psy on top and the changelings and humans beneath., At least if you ask the Psy. Tossed into the world is memorable characters. 

This book is no different.  The picture that she painted of Faith's life before she met Vaughn gave me goosebumps.   My heart went out to Faith when she fretted about wheter or not she would go insane.

As a changeling, Vaughn is Faith's total opposite. He craves touch, he is violent.

That said, I loved the way he patiently coaxed Faith out of her shell, and helped her grow into the woman she should have been.

So to the weak spots.

It might be because of me, but the sexual tension I felt... flickered. Most of the time it was hidden in the tension to reach the end. I also didn't like how she treated the mating bond. It felt as if she realised that they needed to be mates, and added the discovery.

Also, the book felt... unbalanced.  I felt that the only one that changed in the book was Faith. Vaughn was the same person at the end of the book as he was at the beginning.  

Book recommendation: Tangle of Need by Nalini Singh

Adria, wolf changeling and resilient soldier, has made a break with the past. Now comes a new territory, and a devastating new complication: Riaz, a SnowDancer lieutenant already sworn to someone else. For Riaz, the primal attraction he feels for Adria is a staggering betrayal. For Adria, his dangerous lone-wolf appeal is beyond sexual. It consumes her. It terrifies her. It threatens to undermine everything she has built of her new life. But fighting their wild compulsion toward one another proves a losing battle. Their coming together is an inferno ...and a melding of two wounded souls who promise each other no commitment, no ties, no bonds. Only pleasure. Too late, they realise that they have more to lose than they ever imagined. Drawn into a cataclysmic Psy war that may alter the fate of the world itself, they must make a decision that might just break them both.


Note: The cover is for the UK edition, since I think the cover for the US edition is... ugly.  ( To put it mildly.) The book is out in the US in late May, and in the UK in June.

You can pre-order it from Amazon, BN and Book depository. ( UK edition)

Review: Men of Bronze by Scott Oden:

The Particulars:  Historical Fiction, Medallion Press, available as e-book and in print. 

The Source: Purchased at Omnilit

The Grade: A

  The blurb:

 It is 526 B.C. and the empire of the Pharaohs is dying, crushed by the weight of its own antiquity. Decay riddles its cities, infects its aristocracy, and weakens its armies. While across the expanse of Sinai, like jackals drawn to carrion, the forces of the King of Persia watch and wait. Leading the fight to preserve the soul of Egypt is Hasdrabal Barca, Pharaohs countless wounds, it is her spirit that heals and changes him. Once a fearsome demigod of war, Hasdrabal Barca becomes human again. A man now motivated as much by love as anger. Nevertheless honor and duty have bound Barca to the fate of Egypt. A final conflict remains, a reckoning set to unfold in the dusty hills east of Pelusium. There, over the dead of two nations, Hasdrabal Barca will face the same choice as the heroes of old: Death and eternal fame or obscurity and long life.

The Review: 

I bought this book in 2010, I think. I started reading it but abandoned it. I always intended to get back to it, one day. It took awhile, though. What spurred me was the fact that I decided to rebuy it in epub, to replace the pdf copy I bought in 2010. And I am glad I did. 

  One word can describe this book: Epic. At times, it felt almost like I was reading fantasy novel, with minium of magic.    This isn't fantasy, but  Historical fiction.  This isn't my favorite genre, since it often involves bloody, gorefilled battles.. ( I know, I have probably read the wrong books). But this book were different. Oh, there were battles in it.  What made me love this were the  vivid settings, and the human characters.   

The settings made me feel as if I were walking through Memphis, standing on the ship on the way to Gaza, feeling the wind tussling my hair.  My heart ached everytime Barca lost one of his friends. The ache tenfolded when I realised the source of The Beast.   At the start of the book  he was  almost a murdering machine. He live for battle.  Yet through the book, he change. He starts to feel compassion.  That change stems from Jauharah and her patience. 

Jauharah... I wept for her. For her loss, for the pain she had suffered, and for the choices she had to make. 

And Callianestes... I admired him for daring to what was right.  Heck, I admired all the characters for their honor and courage. 

The combination of the characters and the setting created a riveting tale, that I just couldn't put down.  But, as I read it, I was reminded that history goes in circles, and that no civilisation last forever.

What I didn't like.  I'll admit it. I wish there was a happy ending, since is Hasdrabal Barca and Jauharah had earned it.  Yet, that would make it a romance, which this isn't. 

Still, I'll definitely read more by Scott Oden in the future.

Review: Archangel's Blade by Nalini Singh

Archangel's Blade by Nalini Singh

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Trying to discover the identity of a murder victim brings together the vampire Dmitri and a hunter for the Guild, Honor. And as the gruesome murders continue, a lethal sensuality explodes between them.

When I heard that the next GuildHunter book would be about Dmitri, I was a bit curious how Ms Singh would manage to redeem him. I must say, she succeeded splendily. This is a complex, violent tale about venegance. It was interesting to see the world through Dmitri and Honor. The two main treads in this tale, is what happened to Holly, and Dmitri's past. As Dmitri and Honor start to search for the ones that planned Holly's aduction, they reveal the dirt sides of the society. Paralell to this, Dmitri is working on another case, on that leads straight to his past.
I was a bit surprised that I wasn't bothered more by the violence, but it feels right. Dmitri is ruthless, and it would have been odd if he hadn't acted like he did. Or maybe it is that I expect the GuildHunter novels to be violent.
Or maybe it is that there is so much more in the book that counter it, the friendship between Honor, Ashwini and Vivek. The way Honor treats Holly. The glimpses into Dmitri's past.

Honestly, this review only scrapes the surface of the book. To really appreaciate it, you need to read the book.






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Archangel's Consort by Nalini Singh

Archangel's Consort by Nalini Singh

My rating: 5 of 5 stars




The Particulars: Urban Fantasy, Penguin, available in massmarket and e-book



Why it was in my TBR pile? Because I love this series

The review:

The blurb:

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…
My impressions:

This is the third book in the Guild Hunter series. So far, each book in the series have been better than the one before. With the Archangel’s Consort, Nalini Singh have created a heart-stabbing story that crackles with tension. The tension is a multifaceted thread that goes through the novel. Each word, each scene helps ramps it up until I almost wanted to put down the book, because it is too much. Yet at the same time, I didn’t. I wanted to know what happens next.

My heart wept when Elena struggled with balancing her new life and her old. I rejoiced when she claimed a part of Raphael’s manor. Both the good things and the bad things helped to make this a story about love. Not just the love Raphael and Elena feel for each other, but most of all the love a child feels for a parent, no matter how many times they had been hurt.





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