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Friday 24 June 2011

Review: Hostage to Pleasure by Nalini Singh


Hostage to Pleasure (Psy-Changeling #5)
by Nalini Singh
Paranormal Romance


Hostage to Pleasure is the fifth book in the Psy-Changeling series and Dorian has been one of our favourite DarkRiver sentinels from the very start! Dorian is intense yet charming with just a pinch of angst, the perfect ingredients for a hot alpha hero.

Dorian is latent, which means he can’t shift and although many see it as a disadvantage, it doesn’t let that hinder his determination and protectiveness over Pack. Any disadvantage he may have he compensates for with his mad sharp shooting abilities and his even sharper mind. He is so charming in Mine to Possess so we were expecting the same in this book; however we see a darker side of Dorian. He was very angry and tense for most of his book. The reason is understandable since his lost his baby sister, Kylie to one of the Psy. But we couldn’t help wishing he would use some of his dazzling charm a little more on Ashaya Aleine.

Ashaya, she was in the previous book as the scientist who helped the rescue for Jon and Noor to prevent them from being experimented on by a psychopath. But now she wants to collect her IOU from the DarkRiver pack when she asks them to save her son Keenan. Ashaya was different from the other Psy in this series so far in the fact that she had already broken Silence when we met her, but still uses it as a shield to protect herself from the Council. We liked this about this book, we already have three books in the series about different Psy learning to crack Silence but Nalini Singh has found a new way of presenting a Psy character to keep it original and fresh. Another reason for liking Ashaya was Keenan, they connection between them was lovely and she had some great motherly moments with her son, Keenan! They were so sweet! Keenan saying he wanted to marry Noor was adorable!

The romance between the two, although not as hot as some (I personally think that so far Visions of Heat has been the most erotic book) Ashaya and Dorian still had plenty of chemistry and I loved seeing the push and pull between them, neither of them ever dreamed they would want to be mated to each other. Dorian because she is a Psy and he’s still enraged at the Psy for his little sister’s death, and Ashaya because she has many secrets she thought she would never have to reveal.

This book also carries on the Psy-Changeling cold war, and it has now escalated slightly as the Psy face more civil unrest and a new element, the Human Alliance is introduced. This series is not only great fo r the romance but for the plot as well, we all want to know if Silence will ever to be lifted and the consequences if it is.

Mercy’s book is next! This will be the first Changeling on Changeline romance and we cannot wait to read it! Is it bad to say that we’re happy that the main characters are not Psy? The DarkRiver and SnowDancer packs are much more interesting!

We also just wanted to say that we love how Singh incorporates interracial couplings in her books! She is one of the authors who doesn’t see race as a boundary and uses it enhance her books is an amazing way! Nalini Singh, you have officially become one of Under the Covers favourite authors!

Favourite Quotes

Psy
...to love is to be flawed. And the Psy do not allow the flawed to live.
Ashaya
A kiss is a melding of mouths. I've considered every aspect of this form of affection since the last perplexing dream but I still don't see the point of it.
Dorian

"You're prone to mood swings."
Mood swings? He stopped halfway down the steps "Women have mood swings. Not men." It was a growl.




3 comments:

_yay_ said...

Great review! For some reason I was hesitating to read this series, even though I love Singh's Guild Hunter books. Reading this review convinced me to put the Psy-Changeling books on my tr list. Random thought: I always want to know whether a book that's part of a series can be read as a stand-alone or not. In this case I'm guessing - better start with #1.

Francesca said...

Thanks! This series is amazing, you have to make time to read it. And it's definitely better to start with # 1!

Kendra said...

I was mildly tempted to give up on the series while reading this one. After Clay made me angry in the last one, Dorian and Ashaya made me extra angry here. Dorian had been my favorite character from book one. And while his anger is understandable, he borders on abuse towards Ashaya. Some of his thoughts and contemplations on what to do against her made me think he was nowhere near ready for a mate. Boy was in need of some serious therapy. As for Ashaya, the fact that she did nothing to defend herself against him bothered me immensely. And whereas they ended up becoming an adorable couple, the road there was not enjoyable. I did adore the Amara and Ashaya dynamic though.