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Rock Addiction, by Nalini Singh

As a participant in the release tour, I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Nalini Singh’s new contemporary romance, Rock Addiction, the first in a five-title series called Rock Kiss, that she’s self publishing. As most of you know, part of the deal, when participating in an author’s release tour, is to write and publish a review of the book in a timely manner. Please note that neither the author nor TRSOR Promotions, who organized all the blogger events related to the release, have asked for anything but a review, period.

However, and in the interest of full disclosure, I am a fan of Ms Singh’s Psy/Changeling series. I am not a fan of her Guild Hunter series, and up to now I have only read one of her previously released category contemporary titles, Desert Warrior–and I confess that I wasn’t terribly impressed with it.

With that in mind, this is my (quite long) review:

Rock Addiction, by Nalini Singh

A few years ago, Sarah of the ever Smart Bitches and Jane of the wonderful Dear Author created a campaign to Save the Contemporary! Why, you may ask. Well, because for a while there it seemed that single title contemporary romance had disappeared off the face of the earth. We had–and still have–plenty of contemporary category length romances, but they are problematic in their own way, as they must conform to stringent requirements specific to their publishing line. And most single title, full length contemporaries for a good long while seemed to be required to include a thread of suspense–there was a stalker, an unsolved murder, a conspiracy, a ghost, vengeance…you name it. It seemed that there could be no romance without external conflict.

(Feel free to tell me my reading is limited and list all your recommendations for good, straight up contemporary romances in the comments.)

And so, imagine my utter delight in reading a contemporary romance about two adults, with nary an external conflict or contrived plot point! Yes, reader heaven indeed.

Mind you, there is conflict, and these two people have plenty of baggage, but they deal with it, both their own and each other’s, by talking–whodathunkit, right?–and by valuing and respecting the other’s feelings as much as their own.

Here’s the blurb provided by the author:
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And just to ice the cake of awesome...

we have yet another Rafflecopter giveaway to celebrate the release of Rock Addiction.

(I do apologize but I am unable to make the widget work for me. However, just follow the link above and you’ll be able to enter and get a chance to win a $100 gift card. Sweet, yes?)

Also, in case you didn’t know, you can get your very own copy from amazon by following this handy, dandy little link.

There, don’t say we don’t make it easy for you 😉

Nalini Singh's Rock Addiction cover reveal!

Nalini Singh announced a couple of weeks ago that she has written a contemporary romance which will be released on September 9th.

This is cool news. Even cooler? It’s part of a short–five installments–series centered about a successful rock band.

The news made me happy, so I’m taking part in the massive cover reveal:

Rock Addiction cover

What do you think? Isn’t it a great cover? I really like the lip ring and the belt and the hint of chest hair 😀

And check out the blurb:

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Azteclady reviews, Nalini Singh's Bonds of Justice

A couple of years ago I started reviewing every book in Ms Singh’s Psy/Changeling series, in order of publication. What with one thing and another, the last such review I posted was of Blaze of Memory1 Now that I’m awaiting the imminent release of the latest book, A Tangle of Need, I embarked on a re-read of the whole series. (Yes, I know I’m a bit obsessive, thanks.) Since I’m reading them, why not review them? And here we are.

Bonds of Justice, by Nalini Singh

Sensuality rating: Steamy.

The eight installment in Ms Singh’s successful Psy/Changeling series, this is the first one where a changeling—or even a human member of a changeling pack—isn’t a protagonist. With this novel, Ms Singh shifts the focus to humans in a very different manner than she did with the secondary plot in Branded by Fire.

But first a disclaimer: if you haven’t read any of these novels, you will probably be lost. Not only are a number of characters from as far back as Slave to Sensation mentioned, several have key (if minor, page count-wise) rôles in this novel. Beyond that, there is an overarching plot thread noted in a number of passages (some of them one paragraph chapters) that will make a new-to-the-series reader go, “Huh?” repeatedly. So, if I were you, I would just start at the beginning.

With that out of the way, here is the back cover blurb: (more…)

Reader beware: In compliance with FTC guidelines, please be aware that I was given a digital ARC of this novel by Ms Singh for the purpose of writing a review. In the end, I bought my own, dead-tree copy of the novel anyway.

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Blaze of Memory, by Nalini SinghBlaze of Memory

Part of Ms Singh’s very successful Psy/Changeling romance series, Blaze of Memory picks up the trail of two characters introduced in the fourth and fifth novels in the series (Mine to Possess and Hostage to Pleasure, respectively): Devraj Santos, apparently human and director of the Shine Foundation, and Ekaterina Haas, psy and erstwhile assistant of Ashaya Aleine in her research for the Council.

While this novel could be read as a stand alone title, I definitely would recommend reading at least the two mentioned. Not only are there a number of secondary characters whose presence in this story will make more sense to a reader familiar with the series, but the relationships between the different human groups are also rather complex at this point in the main story arc. Beyond those two reasons, the intricacies of the psy vs changeling and/or human physiologies will probably be easier to digest to people who already know Ms Singh’s psy/changeling universe.

Here’s the back cover blurb: (more…)

Angel’s Blood, by Nalini Singhangels-blood

I have read and enjoyed Ms Singh’s Psy/Changeling novels (listed below, with links to my reviews) very much indeed, because of her careful world building and characterization, as well as her writing voice. I was, however, a tad leery about her moving into urban fantasy—even knowing that she’ll continue writing Psy/Changeling novels—mostly because there was sooooo much buzz about Angel’s Blood. As Christine so aptly said, sometimes there is so much positive buzz about a book or a series, that I hesitate to actually read it, for fear of having build it up so much in my mind that the reality can’t possibly live up to the expectations.

I am quite happy to be proven wrong 😀

First novel in Ms Singh’s Guild Hunter series, Angel’s Blood introduces a wonderfully complicated world where vampires are made by angels, archangels rule, and gods don’t exist.

Or do they? (more…)

Hostage to Pleasure, by Nalini Singh

The most recent addition to the Psy/Changeling series, Hostage to Pleasure once again centers on one of the sentinels of the DarkRiver pack, while furthering the overarching story arc of the series through the introduction of his mate, a high ranking M-Psy whose path had once before crossed that of the leopards during the events narrated in Mine to Possess, the previous novel.

Ms Singh’s command of the world she has created is excellent. Without incurring any inconsistencies, each book reveals deeper layers in the relationships between the different groups of humans in this parallel future, the shifting of power, and the immutability of human nature. Once again, while this novel can indeed be enjoyed on its own merits, I heartily recommend beginning with Slave to Sensation, and reading the series in order, because there are a number of short passages which are more meaningful when knowing some events narrated in earlier books.

The back cover blurb:

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…

(more…)

Mine To Possess, by Nalini Singh

The fourth installment in the Psy/Changeling series, this story centers again on one of the sentinels of the DarkRiver pack, Clay, and brings back a ghost from his past—Talin, the human girl who once upon a time gave him unconditional love and trust.

This novel can be enjoyed on its own merits, as it has a self-contained plot and the world building holds its internal consistency in an excellent manner, but I definitely recommend starting this series at the beginning. There are just too many background threads set up in the overall story arc of the series for a reader to catch all the nuances and references if starting with this book.

Here’s the back cover blurb:

Clay Bennett is a powerful Dark River 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 lost 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 stalks her—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 and hungers to possess her with a clawing need born of the leopard within. As they race to save the innocent, Clay and Talin must face the violent truths in their past… or lose everything that ever mattered.

The blurb is overly melodramatic in tone, if any one asks me (and whoever wrote it, really should have asked a reader—seriously) so I’ll try to rephrase it briefly: (more…)

Caressed by Ice, by Nalini Singh

Caressed by Ice is the third installment in the Psy/Changeling series. While I certainly recommend reading the first two books before starting this one, it is still early enough in the series, and Ms Singh gives enough background detail in this novel, that a reader shouldn’t get too lost starting here.

Here’s the back cover blurb:

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 he is a defector, and his dark abilities have made him the most deadly of assassins—cold, pitiless, unfeeling. Until he meets Brenna…

Brenna Shane Kinkaid 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…

The blurb… meh.

But oh, the many lovely things about this novel!

The main conflict in Caressed by Ice stems both from events that happened in Slave to Sensation—such as Brenna’s abduction and torture at the hands of a high ranking Psy—and from the historical linking of Psy abilities to violence and madness. The first killer is dead, so who killed Brenna’s packmate, and why is she having dream/visions of violence? And why is Judd convinced that Brenna is still in danger, even though there doesn’t seem to be any logical reason for it? (more…)

Visons of Heat by Nalini Singh

Second in the Psy/Changeling series, Visions of Heat is just as good as Slave to Sensation, the first installment—proving that sequels can succeed; it’s all in the execution. One of the great things about Ms Singh’s world building is that, while it grows and gets more complex as the series progresses, so far each book can be read on its own (unless you are anal retentive like moi, in which case you start at the beginning, period).

Without further ado, lets move on to this review.

Here’s the back cover 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 the form of either man or jaguar, 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.

In the first novel, we are introduced to the three subspecies of humans that inhabit Ms Singh’s Psy/Changeling universe, as well as to a few groups within them. We have met some of the leopards of the Dark River Pack and some of the wolves of the Snow Dancer pack. We have met the Psy Council and some Psy individuals with different psychic abilities as well as different personalities. (more…)

AztecLady Does Nalini Singh's, Slave to Sensation...

Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh

I was a rather late comer to the wonder that is Ms Singh’s Psy/Changeling universe. By the time I jumped on the wagon, I had three most excellent books to read and a fourth just around the corner. Ah, the joys of discovering a great author with a long backlist!

Now, I’m in the throes of waiting (with no patience whatsoever) for the fifth installment, and have decided that if I am suffering, there’s no reason for those few people out there who haven’t read this series not to suffer with me. See how generous I am, spreading the addiction?

Without further ado, here’s the back cover blurb:

In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of “rehabilitation”—the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was…

Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain. After centuries of uneasy coexistence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that his ice-cold Psy is very capable of passion—and that the animal in him is fascinated by her. Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities—or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation…

Granted, this blurb is not horrible, but, frankly, neither does it properly reflect the coolness that is this book.

The world building in this series is simply topnotch. After a barebones page and a half prologue, Ms Singh doesn’t overwhelm the readers with long sessions of info dumping or back story, relying instead on the characters’ actions and thoughts to unveil the cultural and political background of this alternative future.

Yes, this is a romance of the paranormal variety, but it is also a complex and well told story with an overarching conflict that involves humanity as a whole rather than only these two people. (more…)

This isn’t a review, but I thought I’d mention how much I loved Nalini Singh’s Mine To Possess.
 I loved both central characters, Talin, the human heroine, and Clay, one of the DarkRiver sentinels.

Clay was one of those heroes, who would literally kill for his heroine, and I have to admit that I find that mighty attractive in my romance male lead. And the love scenes? Oh they were just beautiful, the pure emotion that came from Talin and Clay’s eventual joining left me fairly breathless. Just how love scenes should be written as far as I’m concerned.

Here’s the blurb from Singh’s website:

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.

Doesn’t that just grab you by the short and curlies? Anyway, if you haven’t read it, what the hell are you waiting for? Go and buy it NOW!

I have to mention how much I’m also looking forward to Dorian’s book, because by the looks of things, Singh will be going Inter-racial baby! Can I get a woot woot?!!

I liked the Ashaya scenes in Mine To Possess, and Dorian’s adorable anyway, so as long as Singh doesn’t veer too much from their original characters, once they get their own book, Hostage To Pleasure will probably be another keeper for me.

Here’s the blurb for HTP on the website:

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…

Oooh, is it September yet, or what?

By the way, can I just say, she has the best author website ever. Lots of info, and lots of little treats for her readers. If only every author website was as comprehensive, and reader-friendly.