Everything I Wanted To Happen Happened! Review of Heart of Obsidian- Books Of My Heart Read Along!

The year and this read-along is rapidly coming to a close. I was very excited to read this book. Since the moment Kaleb Krychek entering the series, I've been hoping he'd get a book. And this is his book!  It was so well done, I'd give this six stars if I could. I don't even know how the next couple of books will top this one! Maybe they won't and that will be OK, but I think Nalini Singh has some additional tricks up her sleeve...looking at you Tatiana and Ming...

I loved this!  The perfect reveal! 

It's happening!  They are learning that they have to work together to avoid disaster!  I love this! 

Well, that's all I can really say about the book, I don't want to spoil anything.  I'm so glad I decided to join Books of My Heart's read-along this year! This series has been so enjoyable!  I loved this book so much I'm already a third of the way into the next book, which is building on book 12 in a great way. Again I can't say much, I don't want to spoil! 

I hope you are having a very nice Monday.  Fall is right around the corner!! 

 

Psy-Changeling Play of Passion - #COYER #BooksOfMyHeart #ReadAlong

I'm so glad we are reading this series for the 2021 read-along!  This series just does not disappoint!  We are now well into the second third of this series so we know the rhythm of these books.  Sometimes the couple gets together right off the bat and then they get in their own way and sometimes outside forces keep them apart.  Mostly they don't believe that they can have the love they need, want, and crave; and isn't that how we all feel at some point? 

As I say in probably every review for a book in this series, I am in awe of Nalini's Singh world building, she must be incredibly organized to have put this all together, so many plot & character plates spinning in the air at one time! 

This book features Andrew who is Riley's brother from Branded by Fire  and Indigo who we have heard about here and there. They are both important members of the Snow Dancer wolf pack. I find the couples who are lead by a dominant female the most enjoyable to read. I know that the Psy women find their voices and that is great, but I do love the changeling women who aren't afraid to be who they are and say what they need. 

4 stars for Play of Passion 

I am really excited for the next book which is featuring Hawke, the Snow Dancer's Alpha! 

 

Latest Book in our #COYER #readalong!

I'm excited to talk about the latest book in our Psy-Changeling Read-Along Series! This time I had a physical book which means it's a little harder to highlight my favorite lines because I don't like to write in my books. On the plus side, it's easier to read a physical book while I'm lounging in a pool float. 

From the moment Max was introduced in Talin/Clay's book I have been hoping he would get his own book, and here it is!  I was excited to read this book and learn more about the human police detective Max.  We also meet our first J designation, Sophia.  J-Psy are able to literally look into the minds of criminals and see their memories.  Not surprisingly J-Psy burn out very fast, even though they are Psy, even the Silence protocol can keep them from breaking down after years of being inside the minds of the most heinous of criminals. 

It makes perfect sense that Sophia and Max would become a couple as only they can really understand what they have lived through as part of the flawed justice system in this world. This book is written as a police procedural and I enjoyed that change up in the storytelling for this growing series. 

As in previous books, Nalini Singh share more knowledge about the Psy-Changeling-Human world. This reasoning for why the Psy keep humans around was on page 87: 

"Humans, often came up with ideas and concepts that were staggering unique"  

That of course, makes complete sense since the Psy under silence live without and need or want of creativity. 

 I enjoyed crime solving parts of this book probably more than the romance. I was very glad that Max was able to find love and as always I enjoy scenes with past couples in the current instalments.

4 stars for Bonds of Justice!

Happy Friday! #Readalong Review! And Some Summer Talk!

 Well as Mother Nature is wont to do, last week we had temperatures in the mid-80s and sunshine galore.  This weekend, the official start of the summer season, the skies are a uniform cloudy grey and the temperature is 46!!! 46!!! literally, 40 degrees Fahrenheit colder than this time last week. 

It's really harshing my budding pool lifestyle. 

My little pool which my daughter makes fun of because it's only 33 inches deep, but hey, it's easy for me to maintain and big enough to swim a little and float a lot!  Alas, this 3-day weekend it is going to stay covered, as temps won't even hit 70. 

When it was summer weather, I spend a few afternoons floating in my pool and reading Blaze of Memory by Nalini Singh.  This is the 7th book in the PsyChangeling series that we are reading this year.  You can find out more about the read-along and join us here. 

As I have said before, I treating enjoy Nalini Singh's ability to keep raising the stakes in these paranormal romances. Once again, I had my doubts as the book was nearing the climax that Dev Santos and Katya Haas would find their HEA.  During this book, I found that I didn't care as much or root for this couple like I had in the previous book which was the love story between  Mercy and Riley.  For me, I think this was because Mercy was a strong, passionate woman who wasn't a virgin like the Psy, and because she was an equal match to Riley. Yes, Katya, survived and made it to Dev, but she is very fragile and since she has amnesia is one-dimensional. 

In Blaze of Memory, Nalini Singh takes us back to the beginning of Silence and tells the story of one family's exodus to become part of the fallen. This is done through letters a mother writes to her son. I liked this method of storytelling.  Additionally, we learn more about how Judd's special set of skills can work for the good.

I would have liked to have a better understanding of what Dev's affinity with metal meant and how it developed as he grew up. I wanted more of his backstory. 

Next up is the story of the human cop Max Shannon, I have been hoping he would get his own book from the first time he walked on the scene!  

Have a great weekend even if the weather stinks! It's a great excuse to kick back and enjoy a good book! 

The Installment in the #PsyChangeling #Readalong #COYER Challenge Book 6! And Grocery Store Monopoly Talk

 Just when you think you think a book is going to be full of pining and delayed gratification Nalini Singh comes out of the gate hot!  Sexy time right from the get-go.  I love this series because of stuff like this.  Nalini keeps the readers guessing and that keeps this reader, reading! 

Branded by Fire tells the story of Mercy from the Dark River pack and Riley from the Snow Dancer Pack. She's a leopard and he's a wolf.  Can a cat and a dog find happiness together? Let's find out!  In this story, we have two main characters that are antagonists to each other but also have wild chemistry.  Frienimies to lovers is a solid descriptor, but none of the I hate you, I love you. Their relationship is more nuanced and because they are at the top of the pack hierarchy, they have to consider how becoming mated would affect both of their packs. I know they will get there, just a matter of how fun getting there will be for me the reader!

I loved the banter! 

Nalini Singh shares more about the lives of the couples we have already met, as the packs face a new challenge when the Human Alliance emerges as a terrorist group. There are also developments in the growth of Sienna Lauren, a character that readers know will be more and more pivotal as this story continues.  Lastly, is Nalini rehabilitating Ashaya's sister Amara?  Will Amara be fit to be around the pack in the future? 

Solid advice from E-Psy Sasha to Mercy! 

4 stars to the Branded by Fire, It was fun to read Mercy and Riley's point of view and see their romance play out! 

While I've been trying to read this week, I'm also in the midst of trying to win fabulous prizes from my grocery store's monopoly game. Thanks to a friend that passed on a ton of tickets to me, I'm up to my eyeballs in chances to win major prizes!  All I need to do now that all of the tickets are opened is to scan them in my app.  So far I have won over 36 individual bottles of water, five loaves of french bread, and three bottles of ranch dressing. Wish me luck, maybe I'll win $25,000! Who knows! If I do, I'll let you know!

On the Cusp of Springtime, Book 4 of the #PsyChangeling #ReadAlong Mine To Possess!

 You know how sometimes you look at a word and you are certain you must be spelling it wrong?  That's how I feel about 'possess'  for Pete's sake, it has 4 s's!  I am sure I have spelled in wrong many times over the years.  This is one time that I'm not going to complain about autocorrect.  Especially as I write this review.  

Mine to Possess is the fourth book in Nalini Singh's PsyChangeling series. You can join our read-along here     We aren't just reading the books, we have virtual book discussions and you can enter giveaways as well!

This book features Clay who is a wear-panther and Tally who is a human. This is the first book in the series that has a notable human character. 

Clay like some of the other members of Dark River is very close to his animal instincts and what I found unique about this story was that Clay is not just portrayed as a guy with an edge. Clay is in a very dark place and he is close to losing his humanity and becoming an animal full-time.   It took me a while to get drawn into this book because there is some graphic violence and horrifying treatment of children--which sadly happens all over the world, nevertheless it was hard to read. Tally was abused by a monster of a foster parent and Clay's mother was unstable. 

I enjoyed their journey to connect to each other as adults and the slow building of trust between them. One of the themes in this series is how the lies we tell ourselves cut us off from the love and family we deserve. 

This book has very little Snow Dancer content so, all cats no wolves. But we do have a few scenes with Judd who is a favorite character of mine.  The quote above is something he says in the book. 

The Psy-Net and The Psy-Council are becoming more unraveled with each book and I am here for that!  I was really excited to read the final pages of Mine to Possess and see that one of the side characters I thought will play a pivotal role moving forward is now in place! 

May I be one of the first to wish you a Happy Spring!  It's here!  Soon enough there will be flowers blooming and trees blossoming! 

Here is a picture from last March, this is a regular deer, not a changeling deer.