Pre-order: Cursed by Evangeline Anderson

Counting down the days till the arrival of the Kindle Voyage...

Until then, Cursed, book thirteen of the Brides of the Kindred series from the ever talented Evangeline Anderson is up for pre-order on Amazon.com with a release date of October 31st.

Cursed
Evangeline Anderson
Brides of the Kindred, book thirteen

Commander Stavros Rii of the Kindred is a Sin Eater–thick black lines cover his back and neck causing him to feel the pain of others. It is a curse that threatens to shorten his life and makes him unable to bond with a female—not that he’s ever found one he wants to bond with. Until he meets Charlie.

Charlie Sayers is an agent with the Earth Protection Bureau—and anti Kindred agency dedicated to ridding the world of the big aliens. Charlie joined the EPB out of a sense of patriotism but she has her own reasons to hate the Kindred.

But she has bigger problems than the Kindred at the moment—the Enhanced Ones have come to Earth and they’re planning to take over the planet, enslave the inhabitants and strip them of all emotion. Charlie can’t have that so she agrees to go undercover with Stavros to find the Heart of Love—an artifact which can destroy their mutual enemy forever.

On their dangerous and difficult mission, Charlie learns that going undercover with your worst enemy can rapidly turn him into your best friend…or your lover. Can she hold on to her beliefs and stay true to herself, or will she lose her heart to Stavros? And even if she gives in to desire, will Stav be able to bond her to him?

Or are they Cursed to be apart forever?

Play of Passion (Psy-Changeling #9)

He just wanted.

Available at Amazon.com

Play of Passion
Nalini Singh
Psy-Changeling, book nine
ebook, 352 pages
Published May 2011 by Gollancz
First published September 29th 2010
ISBN 9780575100114

In his position as tracker for the SnowDancer pack, it’s up to Drew Kincaid to rein in rogue changelings who have lost control of their animal halves—even if it means killing those who have gone too far. But nothing in his life has prepared him for the battle he must now wage to win the heart of a woman who makes his body ignite…and who threatens to enslave his wolf.

Lieutenant Indigo Riviere doesn’t easily allow skin privileges, especially of the sensual kind—and the last person she expects to find herself craving is the most wickedly playful male in the den. Everything she knows tells her to pull back before the flames burn them both to ash…but she hasn’t counted on Drew’s will.

Now, two of SnowDancer’s most stubborn wolves find themselves playing a hot, sexy game even as lethal danger stalks the very place they call home.

I was about thirty percent into Blaze of Memory when I became aware that it was doing nothing for me. As I was loathe have another Dorian experience, I chose to put book seven away, skip over book eight entirely (not a fan of Max), and dove back into the SnowDancer wolf pack. This time around, it's Andrew's story. The middle brother of Riley and Brenna Kincaid. And once again, it's the romance of two Changelings who've known eachother for years. But this time, they're from the same pack.

I may have cursed Mercy's stubborn bitchiness, but Indigo... that woman really, really, reallyreallyreally needed to get over herself. Oh dear Andrew, Riley never had it so bad. Whatever Andrew did he had to apologize for. A dominant in his own right, that poor guy had to bend so damn much for Indigo simply because her older, grumpier self couldn't handle it. Grab up the leash because this poor guy is too whipped to be a wolf. He's a freakin' lap dog. And the whole pack can see it.

3 out of 5 stars.

Previously in the series:

Branded by Fire (Psy-Changeling #6)

"Now"

-he thrust against her, letting her feel the heavy, dark heat that she could have-

"what's my fucking name?"

Available at Amazon.com

Branded by Fire
Nalini Singh
Psy-Changeling, book six
ebook, 346 pages
Published April 1st 2011 by Gollancz
First published July 7th 2009
ISBN 9780575100053

Though DarkRiver sentinel Mercy is feeling the pressure to mate, she savagely resists when Riley Kincaid, a lieutenant from the SnowDancer pack, tries to possess her. The problem is not simply that he pushes her buttons; the problem is that he’s a wolf, she’s a cat, and they’re both used to being on top.

But when a brilliant changeling researcher is kidnapped from DarkRiver territory, Mercy and Riley must work together to track the young man—before his shadowy captors decide he’s no longer useful. Along the way, the two dominants may find that submitting to one another uncovers not just a deadly conspiracy, but a passion so raw that it’ll leave them both branded by fire.

Mercy is the most dominant female of the DarkRiver leopards. Unfortunately, for her, all the other dominant males are happily mated and Miss Kitty doesn't like weak. But neither can she accept a more dominant male controlling her. And yet.. the mating urge is riding Mercy to the state of madness. Enter Riley Kincaid. SnowDancer lieutenant and eldest brother to Brenna (mate to Judd), Riley is a wolf in total control of his emotions with the aim of finding a nice, submissive mate to share his life within the pack. Riley is nothing that Mercy wants, and Mercy just might be more than Riley can handle.

One word: Yummmmmy! This sequel had, by far, the most erotic elements of the series. The most action. The most suspense.

As much as I disliked Dorian in Hostage to Pleasure, I loved Riley and Mercy in this. Kitty needed to be chased. Wolf needed a worthy hunt. And they couldn't have been more perfect for one another. My one complaint? Mercy's a bit of a selfish bitch. From their very first intimate encounter, Riley knows he'd be proud to wear Mercy's marks on his skin. Although he falls short at times, he fights like hell to reign in his dominance and need to protect in order to keep her with him. Their biggest concern, though, is the mating bond's potential impact on the bonds they share to their packs. There lies a possibility of one of their pack bonds being severed once the mating bond is solidified. And Mercy goes mad crazy about it. She outright refuses to leave her pack for his. While Riley, albeit with regret, tries to find some way to ensure that his would be the pack bond that breaks. Thankfully, the matter settles itself to each party's satisfaction.

When the mate bond finally does lock in place, it's not during sex. Big shocker there for me. Of course, they always did do things weird. Sex outside. Cuddle and sleep in bed. Finding out Riley had already built a home for himself and future mate five years ago was pure heart melting goodness.

Riding background to the love story carries a series of mass killings ending in suicides by brain controlled perpetrators. Bombs everywhere. And the members of the Psy Council are being targeted for murder. Updates to the series, because it does indeed progress with every book, included Sascha's pregnancy, and Sienna, having now moved from SnowDancer to DarkRiver to avoid Hawke's unsettling presence, is making fast friends with the newly adult-ranked Kit, a future alpha in his own right. Oh yes. One does smell trouble.

4 out of 5 stars.

Previously in the series:

Hostage to Pleasure (Psy-Changeling #5)

Available at Amazon.com

Hostage to Pleasure
Nalini Singh
Psy-Changeling, book five
Paperback, 330 pages
Published March 1st 2011 by Gollancz
First published September 1st 2008
ISBN 9780575100039

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.

I began this series by being seduced by Vasic's story which will be told in book thirteen. It's in this installment, however, that he makes his first appearance. As far as this story goes... well.. I was just over half way when I realized something. I don't like Dorian. I didn't like how he acted. I didn't like how he reacted. I didn't like his words, and I didn't care for his thoughts. Ahaya was no better, so yes, this is a bias rating.

2 out of 5 stars.

Previously in the series: