So what have you been reading?

 

The latest in the Psy-Changeling books actually has very little of the Changelings in it. The main focus is on two Psy, one from the Mercant family and a CEO previously never mentioned. The PsyNet is still collapsing but when Canto Mercant thinks he may have found a way to strengthen the Anchors Psy that keep the net from collapsing.   There is the usual awakening of emotions in the Psy main characters since Silence has broken and the two of them discover that they have a shared past.  As usual the Architect is trying to bring down the net in order to build a powerbase for themselves to rule over all three races. The book is everything a reader has come to expect from the author and I enjoyed it.  This may not be the best place to start the series but as usual there is enough background information given during the book that the reader will not be lost.  

 

 

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss

This take place after Biffy becomes Alpha of the London Pack. Professor Lyall has finally returned from overseas and steps back into the Beta roll in the pack. This is a romance, so some people may not be as interested in it even though it is very much part of the larger universe of the Parasol Protectorate even if timewise it happens during the Custard Protocol books. I actually liked the other parts of the story a bit more than the romance since I think I need to reread Timeless for when Biffy was first turned.

Holding back review until closer to the publication date. I will say go and reread the first book so you are ready to dive into this one. It was a lot of fun.


Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss

With this collection you get to see four separate couples come together. The Dorian story is the one that I liked the best going over the first time he was able to shift. The last story was a rekindling of a romance with a locked room murder to solve. The problem for me was I swear I had read the murder setup up somewhere before and it seemed so obvious who the killer was from the beginning. The first story is set in BlackSea’s domain but we really don’t get to learn anything about them since it is a love story between the Psy and a human. And the third story covers a romance that isn’t seen in the packs that often a dominate female with a submissive male.  That one was interesting since it covered more the whys of how the pack structure works with dominate and submissive members and used the wolf vs cat to explain it without infodumping the reader.

Overall it was a nice collection and it was fun but I think I might have enjoyed it a bit more if it hadn’t come out so close to the previous book.  Now I’m just left drumming my fingers waiting for a mainline novel to push the story arc of the series. The short romances are nice but they are not what I like the most about the series.


Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

As with each book in the series, this one covers one of the supporting cast on his quest to find his mate along with getting the mission done he has been assigned.  Naasir doesn’t fall into the normal category of Hunter, Angel or vampire. He has vampire tendencies but comes across more beastlike in a story universe that doesn’t have were creatures.  He is assigned to escort a scholar Angel to find the hidden resting place of a sleeping Ancient Angel before Lijuan finds him and has him killed.  In the end true love overcomes all obstacles to a HEA ending for this couple.  I know these books stick to a formula but the author has written a very interesting universe and keeps the overall story arc moving along even as people keep falling in love.

I've read several of Ms Saintcrow's books and this one was a new series to me. Theo runs a magic shop with several other women and they have a small coven together. Theo cares about everyone she meets and tries to help them. Drunks and addicts are not turned away and she uses her magic to help and heal them even if it wears her out. Dante and another watcher have come to town on information that Theo is slated for execution by the Crusade.  The watchers are part of a larger witch group called Circle Lightfall that tries to protect non affiliated witches from the Crusade and other dark things that want to feast on their magic by killing them. There are the usual conflicts of not trusting each other since they first met and the slow doling out of info while battling the bad guys. Theo and her friends come up with a solution that doesn’t make them dependant on the Watchers and I liked that they didn’t just believe everything they were being told.
This had more of a novella feeling to the story but I don’t know the exact word count.  I know I would read more of these due to the interesting world building in the story.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

This one is all Psy book, Kaleb finally finds what he has been looking for the last several books. Turns out it was someone who he cared about in secret and was taken away from him as a young man. Most of the book is Sahara trying to recover from being tortured for years by another councilor to use her powers to control other Psy. The other half of the book is Pure Psy attacking different cities and then Kaleb and the Arrows coming to help. As the attacks continue the Changelings are also helping in the rescue efforts showing the world a united working front against the Pure Psy. By the end of the book the group seems to be broken and a hopefully a new future for all the Psy can start. I’m curious how the next book will go  in the future of the Psy race.

The romance in this one has been a long time in coming with the fans. Hawke is the leader of the wolves and Sienna is one of the Psy that came to SnowDancer seeking sanctuary. The biggest mystery in the series is just what is Sienna’s power and why does she need to keep it under wraps. She was Councilor Ming’s pet weapon he was developing and he would like her back if he knew she was alive. Most of the story in this book has Hawke finally agreeing to court Sienna even though he knows he will not have a mating bond with her since the wolf he was developing a bond with died when they were kids. The Psy part of the story has Henry leading the Pure Psy against the changelings in order to destabilize the area and then go after the two Councilors in the area. Once again true love triumphs and the evil Psy are defeated. So good movement in the overall story line and finally some closure for one of the main characters love life makes for an entertaining read.

The main couple in this one is Max a human cop that was introduced in a previous book as being an honest cop with a natural shield that the Psy couldn't manipulate. The love interest is a Justice Psy, she spends her time going into the minds of criminals and pulling out their memories of crimes and transmitting them to law enforcement. Because of the work Justice Psy don’t have a long shelf life and they are not used for anything but the worst cases. Sophia is at the end of her usefulness and is picked to work a case for Nikita to investigate several suspicious deaths on her staff.  Since Sophia’s Silence training is pretty much broken she wears gloves so she can’t read anyone she accidentally  touches but with Max’s natural shield, she can touch him and a romance starts to bloom between them.  They solve the murders and this book is much more focused on the Psy part of things than on the changelings it was nice not to see the mating bond be the thing that drives the love match.

This book's romance has two top changelings one from the leopards and the other from the wolves fall for each other.  The wolf has a hard time with the relationship since she is a dominate and she doesn't want to submit to her leopard lover. Lots of frustration in the relationship so they can have hotter makeup sex. The Psy are dealing with someone controlling them and having them kill humans and changelings. Not too much new is pushed on that end of the plot except for a gesture that Sascha's mother sends her a book that should help her use her empathy.