September & October 2022

I know I say this, but November definitely crept up on me. After a wildly successful reading month in August I fell into a reading drought. I just honestly did not feel like reading at all, hence no post last month and the fact that I’m posting about September and October together. Sorry about that, but reading is like that for me. When I was posting more regularly I always used to try and have enough posts to give myself 3 to 4 weeks wriggle room in case I just did not feel like reading. I know from when I was younger that forcing myself to read when I don’t want to just means that the slump lasts longer. I hope you had a more successful time reading in September and October than I did.

The front of the Falmouth Bookseller.

Whilst I might not have got any reading done in September, I did visit a couple of bookshops whilst I was down in Cornwall. If you’re visiting Falmouth or St Ives you should stop off at the bookstore there (if you make it to Truro, the Waterstones there is good too). They’re both relatively small stores, but they can contain some real gems – I’m not sure about the St Ives Bookseller, but the Falmouth Bookseller also does some author events.

The St Ives Bookseller

I’m a huge fan of Bernadette Banner on YouTube. She’s made some fantastic garments and her videos are always entertaining. I’ve had a quick flip through her book, and honestly I don’t think this is one book I will read in a single sitting. What I have seen looks really helpful and super informative.

Books I got this month.

Honestly, October saw more of the same on the reading front at least to begin with. I was starting to think it would be three months without me reading and decreasing the size of my tbr. Mid October saw me getting my boosters for the flu and Covid – honestly, although I had it pretty mildly I do not want to get it again. The likelihood of me getting any reading in this month was getting smaller, but then October 30th came and I was hit with the desire to read.

In September and October I managed to read 1 book and clear 0 from my tbr pile. Honestly this feels like a failure. It’s not. I know that reading for me comes in waves. I know I read a LOT of books back in August. But yeah. It’s especially disheartening seeing so many people on booktube and bookinsta reading dozens of books a month. I have to remind myself that I don’t want this to be a chore. I want it to be fun to share my thoughts and feelings with you about the books I read. Here’s hoping November will be better.

The only book I read this month.

In October I read Storm Echo by Nalini Singh which is the sixth book in her Psy-Changeling Trinity series. If you’ve enjoyed this series (and the previous one) then you will love this one too. I enjoyed seeing more of the Mercant family, with this book focusing on Ivan. I really enjoyed his relationship with his grandmother. Soleil was very mysterious and I enjoyed learning more about her. In a lot of ways for me the romance wasn’t the most interesting part of the book though it was well done. It was interesting finally seeing a bit more of how some of the Psys dealt with Silence, that it wasn’t quite as neat as it had seemed in the earlier books which has been hinted at but I think this is the first book where we actually see anything. There are definitely a few secrets revealed in this book. The ending has me curious about the next book. Sorry that’s a bit of a tease, but I don’t want to spoil anyone.

Thank you for sticking with me so far, I hope to see you next month.

B.

Reviewlets: The Alpha's Home by Dessa Lux & Wolf Rain by Nalini Singh

The Alpha’s Home by Dessa Lux

The Alpha’s Home by Dessa Lux ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)

So continuing The Protection of the Pack series I picked up a copy of the fifth instalment. This book focuses on Mike, and also introduces Grant and Jack. Grant and Jack are not in a good position when they meet Mike, so this book is a little slower than the previous books in the series but it is just as steamy. I liked that this book showed the less than perfect side of werewolves within this verse. I mean we get a bit of an idea from how Sam is treated in the first book, but this book really drives home the fact that Rusty, Sam, Mike, Nick and Brody are one of the more progressive packs. So if coercive control is a trigger for you, then I would approach this book with caution. That being said, I think the situation is handled well and consent is shown to be important. This book is good addition to The Protection of the Pack ‘verse, and I hope to see more in this series.

Wolf Rain by Nalini Singh (UK edition)

Wolf Rain by Nalini Singh ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)

In the third part of the Psy-Changeling Trinity Novel series we get to explore more of the world and meet some new faces. This book introduces us to Memory, a psy who was kidnapped as a child and abused, and Alexei a wolf changeling who discovers her cage. I really enjoyed the way Singh wrote the relationship between Memory and Alexei. As always, although the main focus is on Memory and Alexei, there is a lot going on within the Psy-Changeling world. This book shows some of the growth within the PsyNet and what that means both good and bad. A few familiar faces pop in, which I also enjoyed. I think that this is a great addition to the series, and I’m looking forward to the fourth book which will be out later this year.

Review: Ocean Light by Nalini Singh

Ocean Light by Nalini Singh

Title: Ocean Light (A Psy-Changeling Trinity Novel, 2)
Author: Nalini Singh
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Gollancz (14th June 2018)
Blurb:

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh dives beneath the surface of her Psy-Changeling world into a story of passionate devotion and selfless love . . .

Security specialist Bowen Knight has come back from the dead. But there’s a ticking time bomb in his head: a chip implanted to block telepathic interference that could fail at any moment – taking his brain along with it. With no time to waste, he should be back on land helping the Human Alliance. Instead, he’s at the bottom of the ocean, consumed with an enigmatic changeling . . .

Kaia Luna may have traded in science for being a chef, but she won’t hide the facts of Bo’s condition from him or herself. She’s suffered too much loss in her life to fall prey to the dangerous charm of a human who is a dead man walking. And she carries a devastating secret that Bo could never imagine . . .

But when Kaia is taken by those who mean her deadly harm, all bets are off. Bo will do anything to get her back – even if it means striking a devil’s bargain and giving up his mind to the enemy.

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ (5 stars)
Review:

OCEAN LIGHT is the second book in Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling Trinity series; a continuation of her brilliant Psy-Changeling series. At just over four hundred pages, it is slightly smaller than the first book in the series. OCEAN LIGHT tells the story of Kaia Luna, a woman who chose to leave a scientific career and become a chef, and Bowen Knight, a security specialist in the Human Alliance who fans of the series may be familiar with. Their paths cross whilst Bowden is recovering from his brush with death hidden at the bottom of the ocean, and even with all that is against them sparks soon fly.

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Review: Silver Silence by Nalini Singh

Photo of UK edition cover of Silver Silence by Nalini Singh

Silver Silence by Nalini Singh (UK edition)

Title: Silver Silence (A Psy-Changeling Trinity Novel, 1)
Author: Nalini Singh
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Gollancz (15th June 2017)
Blurb:

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh returns to her extraordinary Psy-Changeling world with a story of wild passion and darkes betrayal . . .

Control. Precision. Family. These are the principles that drive Silver Mercant. At a time when the fledgling Trinity Accord seeks to unite a divided world, with Silver playing a crucial role as director of a worldwide emergency response network, wildnress and chaos are the last things she needs in her life. But that’s exactly what Valentin Nikolaev, alpha of the StoneWater bears, brings with him.

Valentin has never met a more fascinating woman. Though Silver is ruled by Silence – her mind clear of all emotion – Valentin senses a whisper of fire around her. That’s what keeps him climbing apartment buildings to be ear her. But when a shadow assassin almost succeeds in poisoning Silver, the stakes become deadly serious . . . and Silver finds herself in the heart of a powerful bear clan.

Her would-be assassin has no idea what their poison has unleashed . . .

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)
Review:

SILVER SILENCE is the first book in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series, a spin-off from the fantastic Psy-Changeling series by Nalini Singh. The Trinity Accord is still in its fledgling stages, with everyone waiting to see if it will succeed or fail. Silver Mercant plays a crucial role in the success of the Trinity Accord as the director of a world wide emergency response network. With that responsibility on her shoulders, Silver does not want any more chaos and wildness in her life. That is exactly what Valentin Nikolaev brings with him, and it may turn out that it is just what Silver needs to forge forward.

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Review: Allegiance of Honour by Nalini Singh

Allegiance of Honour by Nalini Singh (UK edition)

Title: Allegiance of Honour (A Psy-Changeling Novel, 15)
Author: Nalini Singh
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Gollancz (16th June 2016)
Blurb:

The Psy-Changeling world has undergone a staggering transformation and now stands at a crossroads. The Trinity Accord promises a new era of cooperation between disperate races and groups. It is a beacon of hope held together by many hands: old enemies. New allies. Wary loners.

But a century of distrust and suspicion can’t be so easily forgotten and threatens to shatter Trinity from within at any moment. As rival members vie for dominance, chaos and evil gather in the shadows and a kidnapped woman’s cry for help washes up in San Francisco, while the Consortium turns its murderous gaze towards a child who is the embodiment of change, of love, of piercing hope: a child who is both Psy . . . and changeling.

To find the lost, protect the vulnerable and save Trinity no one can stand alone. This is a time of loyalty across divisions, of bonds woven into the heart and the woul, of heroes known and unknown standing back to back and holding the line. But is an allegiance of honour even possible wiht traitors lurking in their midst?

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)
Review:

ALLEGIANCE OF HONOUR by Nalini Singh is the fifteenth book in her brilliant Psy-Changeling series. This book marks the start of a new series arc, and as such the story focuses on some familiar characters within the Psy-Changeling universe. During the first series arc a lot changed in the Psy-Changeling world, and the Trinity Accord holds a lot of promise for the future – that is, if it survives. Psys, Changelings and Humans need to band together if the new peace is to last, but there are factions that want the world to return to how it was before Silence fell.

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Review: Shards of Hope by Nalini Singh

Shards of Hope by Nalini Singh (UK edition)

Title: Shards of Hope (A Psy-Changeling Novel, 14)
Author: Nalini Singh
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Gollancz (4th June 2015)
Blurb:

The smoldering heat, epic romance, and awesome action of Nalini Singh’s New York Times bestselling series continues as two Arrows find themselves caught in a chilling conspiracy that spans all three races . . .

Awakening wounded in a darkened cell, their psychic abilities blocked, Aden and Zaira know they must escape. But when the lethal soldiers break free from their mysterious prison, they find themselves in a harsh, inhospitable landscape far from civilization. Their only hope for survival is to make it to the hidden home of a predatory changeling pack that doesn’t welcome outsiders.

And they must survive. A shadowy enemy has put a target on the back of the Arrow squad, an enemy that cannot be permitted to succeed in its deadly campaign. Aden will cross any line to keep his people safe for this new future, where even an assassin might have hope of a life beyond blood and death and pain. Zaira has no such hope. She knows she’s too damaged to return from the abyss. Her driving goal is to protect Aden, protect the only person who has ever come back for her no matter what.

This time, even Aden’s passionate determination may not be enough – because the emotionless chill of Silence existed for a reason. For the violent, and the insane, and the irreparably broken . . . like Zaira.

Rating: *** (3 stars)
Review:

SHARDS OF HOPE is the fourteenth addition to the Psy-Changeling novel series by Nalini Singh. This time Singh tells the story of Aden – the head of the Arrow squad – and Zaira, a fellow Arrow. They start the story having been kidnapped by a mysterious organisation, and must escape from the remote facility. Zaira will not let Aden die, because she believes he will be important for the future of the Arrow squad in a post-Silence world.

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Review: Shield of Winter by Nalini Singh

Uk cover of Shield of Winter

Shield of Winter by Nalini Singh

Title: Shield of Winter (A Psy-Changeling Novel, 13)
Author: Nalini Singh
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Gollancz (5th June 2014)
Blurb:

‘The alpha author of paranormal romance’ (Booklist) draws us back into her extraordinary Psy-Changeling world, a world torn between violence and peace, passion and ice . . .

Assassin. Soldier. Arrow. That is who Vasic is, who he will always be. His soul drenched in blood, his conscience heavy with the weight of all he’s done, he exists in the shadows, far from the hope his people can almost touch – if only they do not first drown in the murderous insanity of a lethal contagion. To stop the wave of death, Vasic must complete the simplest and most difficult mission of his life:

If the Psy race is to survive, the empaths must wake . . .

Having rebuilt her life after medical ‘treatment’ that violated her mind and sought to stifle her abilities, Ivy should have run from the black-clad Arrow with eyes of winter frost. But Ivy Jane has never done what she should. Now, she’ll fight for her people, and for this Arrow who stands as her living shield, yet believes he is beyond redemption.

But as the world turns to a screaming crimson, even Ivy’s fierce will may not be enough to save Vasic from the cold darkness . . .

Rating: ***** (5 Stars)
Review:

SHIELD OF WINTER is the thirteenth addition to Nalini Singh’s brilliant PSY-CHANGELING series. I would not advise reading this review unless you have read the series because although I am going to try to keep it spoiler free, there is the possibility that I might accidentally reveal something. This time we follow the story of Vasic and Ivy. Being an Arrow means that Vasic has blood on his hands, and he has lost all hope for the possible future that his fellow Arrows hope for. Ivy meanwhile has had to rebuild herself after her mind was violated during medical ‘treatment’. The appearance of Vasic offers Ivy the chance not only to help her race, but to protect herself.

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Review: Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh

Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh

Title: Heart of Obsidian (A Psy-Changeling Novel, #12)
Author: Nalini Singh
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Gollancz (6th June 2013)
Blurb:

STEP INTO NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NALINI SINGH’S EXPLOSIVE AND SHOCKINGLY  PASSIONATE PSY-CHANGELING WORLD . . .

A dangerous, volatile rebel, hands stained blood red.

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.

They 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.

Rating: ***** (5 stars)
Review:

HEART OF OBSIDIAN is the twelfth book in Nalini Singh’s brilliant and exciting A PSY-CHANGELING NOVEL series. It is a game changer of a book, with the Psy-Changeling world hanging on a knife-edge. If you’ve kept up with the series so far, then you’ll know how volatile the world is. All that’s needed is a single spark to launch a firestorm. We’ve been on tenterhooks for the previous eleven novels, wondering when and if that is going to happen. As the blurb says, ‘The day of reckoning is here.’

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Review: Tangle of Need by Nalini Singh

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE PSY-CHANGELING SERIES AS TANGLE OF NEED IS THE ELEVENTH BOOK IN THAT SERIES.

Tangle of Need by Nalini Singh

Title: Tangle of Need (A Psy-Changeling Novel, 11)
Author: Nalini Singh
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Gollancz (7th June 2012)
Source: Local Library
Blurb:

Adria, a 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 towards 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 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 ame a decision that might just break them both.

Rating: *** (3 stars)
Review:

Tangle of Need is the eleventh book in the Psy-Changeling series by Nalini Singh (I cannot believe that there are eleven books, it doesn’t feel that many).  It tells the story of Adria and Riaz who are both part of the wolf pack SnowDancer. Neither have had an easy time, and have returned to the centre of the SnowDancer pack to try and move on. Singh helpfully provides a list of characters and their designations at the beginning of the book so that if you’ve forgotten at a glance you will know who the character is connected to.

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Review: Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh

A Psy-Changeling Novel 10

Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh, UK edition cover

Title: Kiss of Snow (A Psy-Changeling Novel)
Author:  Nalini Singh
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Publisher:Gollancz Fiction (11th August 2011)
Blurb:

SINCE THE MOMENT OF HER DEFECTION FROM THE PSYNET AND INTO THE SNOWDANCER WOLF PACK, SIENNA LAUREN HAS HAD ONE WEAKNESS. HAWKE. A DANGEROUS ALPHA, THE RESPONSE HE DRAWS FROM HER COULD ALMOST COMPEL HER TO MADNESS.

Hawke is used to walking alone, having lost the woman who would’ve been his mate. But Sienna fascinates the primal heart of him, even as he tells himself she is far too young to handle the wild fury of the wolf.

Then Sienna changes the rules and, suddenly, there is no more distance, only the most intimate of battles between two people who were never meant to meet. Yet as they strip away each other’s secrets in a storm of raw emotion, they must also ready themselves for a far more vicious fight.

A deadly enemy is out to destroy the SnowDancer pack, striking at everything they hold dear, but it is Sienna’s darkest secret that may yet savage the pack that is her home . . . and the alpha who is its heartbeat . . .

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

Kiss of Snow is the tenth book in Nalini Singh’s brilliant A Psy-Changeling Novel series, so by this point I know pretty much what to expect. However, although the book follows the same formula as previous books in the series, it was still a brilliant and entertaining read.

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