Nalini Singh Best Books
Vanya Lamunyon
THE STORY: Raphael and Elena are finally experiencing a year of true peace, free from the horrors of war and archangelic power. However, their tranquility is shattered when the earth beneath the Refuge begins to tremble, endangering the fragile young of angelkind and the sanctuary that has kept them safe for eons.
This series has plenty of Changeling-Psy pairings, but it is the individuals that make each one unique. I loved Thea and Yakov. Yakov is a strong bear, but also an incredibly caring bear. His connection with Thea is deep, which is important because of her history. The Psy-Changeling series always messages that people are complex and complicated. No characters are easy stereotypes.
The romance here is sexy, but also just feels like a warm hug. Thea needs warmth and caring, and that is what Yakov provides. Definitely strong, but incredibly decent and a man that one just wants to cuddle up with.
CONNECTED BOOKS: RESONANCE SURGE is the seventh book in the Psy-Changeling Trilogy series. The book is also the twenty-second in the Psy-Changeling series. This book should be read as a part of the series. While I recommend starting from the beginning, a reader can start with the first book in the Psy-Changeling Trilogy series.
I loved this book because it felt perfect for these two characters. The problem they have is prioritizing their relationship. It has taken them thousands of years to realize that, and I appreciated that seeing the relationship of other couples from the series shows them the way.
Alexander has been a little pompous in the series, but here we get to see him as a young angel and how he fell in love and became who he is in the timeline of the series. Zanaya is hot-headed, a warrior, and so perfect for Alexander. I really enjoyed how these two extremely powerful archangels navigated their relationship.
THE STORY: Ivan Mercant has kept himself separate from his dangerous family and everyone else because he knows that his brain contains a monster that threatens others. But then he meets a changeling named Lei that changes him. But as quickly as she comes into his life, she is gone. Ivan searches unsuccessfully for her until he sees her in San Francisco. Soleil Bijoux Garcia is a healer who is alone. While on her quest to kill the DarkRiver alpha, she sees a stranger who seems familiar to her.
OPINION: I began reading this book intending to read it slowly over several days. Instead, I read it cover to cover in one rush. Singh gave new twists on the characters of the Psy assassin and the Changeling healer. I thought that the drama of their separation would be the center of the book, but instead, there is great gentleness between these two, and the real drama ends up being external factors.
I knew I would love this book once I realized that we had returned to DarkRiver. As much as I have enjoyed the expanding Psy-Changeling work, I admit that DarkRiver is a joy to see again. Appearances and updates on beloved characters increased my enjoyment of this book. The Psy-Changeling series always works best when it is grounded in the community of all the characters we have already met. Singh does community so well, and none of these appearances seem gratuitous, but each of these characters has a part to play in the world drama.
CONNECTED BOOKS: STORM ECHO is the sixth book in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series. The romance is self-contained, but the overarching story goes throughout the Trinity series. Do yourself a favor and just start at the beginning of Trinity. This book is also book 21 in the Psy-Changeling series if you want to start at the real beginning.
FINAL DECISION: Absolutely lovely story. Lacks high drama but instead is about two people navigating a new relationship with one another. I adored Daniel and Catie and am amazed that Singh was able to develop a completely different type of relationship in the Esera family. Highly recommend.
OPINION: I loved this book which somewhat surprised me because I had expected more plot in the story. Instead, this is really a character book with two people who thought they knew one another really well discovering love for one another.
Daniel is simply adorable. He is so caring of Catie that I am not surprised that she falls for him. He understands her limits and her independence and yet is supportive. His problems felt realistic and something that the youngest child in a family of overachievers has to confront. Singh walks a careful line between making Daniel strong and yet at the same time making him vulnerable and uncertain. I loved him and was not surprised that Catie could not resist him.
I finished this book feeling very satisfied and with complete faith that these two are perfect for one another. I simply was amazed that Singh was able to navigate this story without the normal drama one might expect from a contemporary romance.
CONNECTED BOOKS: KISS HARD is the fourth book in the Hard Play series. The romance here is self-contained and thus it can be read as a standalone. The series, however, deals with the Bishop family and thus other characters and couples from the series make appearances here.
CONNECTED BOOKS: LAST GUARD is the fifth book in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series. The Trinity series is a direct spin-off of the Psy-Changeling series and thus this book can also be considered the twentieth book in that series. The romance here is self-contained, but the overarching plot is a continuation of the story in the Trinity series and is much better when read at least as part of the Trinity series.
FINAL DECISION: This was definitely not a pairing that I expected, but it worked so well. Titus is sweeter than I expected with him playing the long-suffering brother of four sisters. Sharine is a woman who is finding herself with a vengeance, reconciling her past, and showing the strength that she lacked in the past. Loved these two and enjoyed being reoriented to the aftermath of the archangelic war.
THE STORY: In the aftermath of the archangelic war from the last book, the new version of the reborn continues to threaten the continent of Africa. Titus is a powerful archangel, but he cannot stop the scourge alone. Instead of the warrior help he thinks he needs, he is sent the Hummingbird, an unworldly angel known as a great artist. Sharine has only begun to find herself after emerging from her broken mental state. The two must join forces to prevent the reborn from overtaking the world.
Titus is an archangel who has enjoyed life and then is quickly devastated by an angel he did not expect. Titus is amazingly loyal and strong, but there is an incredible sweetness to his relationship with Sharine. These two have strength and I enjoyed their interaction.
The aftermath of the war is not a pleasant place, but this book has more hope and comfort than I expected. Indeed, while there are still bad secrets, this book feels much lighter after all the death and destruction in the prior two books.
NOTE: I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley which was used to prepare this review. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.
FINAL DECISION: A fast-paced, action packed entry in the series. I was amazed by the end to realize that only a few days had passed. Loved the alpha heroine queen and her devoted knight. The only negative is that is hard getting to know another changeling group. Hopefully, we will have all the main characters of the Trinity series soon so that every book is not a new group.
CONNECTED BOOKS: ALPHA NIGHT is the fourth book in the Psy-Changeling Trinity Series. It is also the nineteenth book in the Psy-Changeling series. A reader could pick up the series at the start of the Trinity series. While the story here is mostly self-contained and the romance is completely self-contained, there is so much world-building and background that a newcomer to the series might spend a lot of time trying to catch up.
FINAL DECISION: Oh, I loved this one. Jake is sweet and adorable and such a good man trying to raise his daughter until Jules comes and knocks his well ordered life for a loop. These are adults dealing with things in a mature and reasoned fashion and I loved their story.
OPINION: This book is a joy to read primarily because these are adults who deal with their relationship in an adult way. Less unnecessary drama and more smart people who talk things out make this book a wonderful read.
Jake is a really decent man. Raising his daughter alone after the death of her mother, she is clearly the center of his life. Definite gooey heart stuff seeing this strong man completely wrapped around the little finger of his girl. What is particularly good in is that the kids feel like real people and not convenient plot points. As a parent, I also really felt for Jake who has conflicting emotions regarding this daughter that he loves greatly and yet wants her protected and yet independent.
Juliet is a woman who is smart and clever and has made mistakes. She owns her mistakes which felt mature and realistic. I appreciated having a heroine that was imperfect and dealt with her past with humor and aplomb.
I just love the serious guy with the naughty girl, but even better, these characters are complex and are ultimately they have more in common than at first it seems. This is a lovely story with intricacy of character. There is angst and some drama, but such likable people.
CONNECTED BOOKS: This whole series is a spin-off from ROCK HARD in the Rock Kiss series. This book, however, is especially connected as it has the wedding of Gabriel and Charlotte (the couple in ROCK HARD). This book can certainly be read as a standalone as the romance is completely self-contained.
NOTE: I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own. I purchased a paperback copy of this book after its release.
It's my pleasure today to interview Nalini Singh about her latest Psy-Changeling novel, Shards of Hope. Some of my favorite characters in this long-running series are members of the Arrow Squad, starting with Judd in Caressed by Ice, and continuing with Vasic in Shield of Winter. I've been eagerly awaiting the story of Aden, the rebel Arrows' leader, and this book certainly doesn't disappoint.
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