Tag: Paranormal

Review: Primal Mirror by Nalini Singh

Posted June 16, 2025 by Wena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Primal Mirror by Nalini Singh

Series: Psy-Changelings #22, Psy-Changeling Trinity #7
Main Leads: Remy Denier, Auden Scott
Setting: United States, Tennessee, Sunset Falls
Tags: Changeling Hero, Psy Heroine, Past Trauma, Abuse, Set in the Future
Genres: Romance, Paranormal
Published On: July 23, 2024
Publisher: Berkley
Format: e-Book
Source: Purchased
Pages: 400
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh takes us into a family dark with shadowy secrets, as the world of the Psy hangs on the edge of a final catastrophic collapse…

Daughter of two ruthless high-gradient telepaths, Auden Scott is not the child her Psy parents wanted or expected, even before her brain injury. Her thoughts are scattered, her memories fuzzy—or just terrifyingly blank. The only thing she knows for certain is that she must protect her unborn baby…a baby she has no recollection of conceiving and who draws an abnormal intensity of notice from her dead mother’s closest associates.

Leopard alpha Remi Denier is a man driven by the primal instinct to protect. Protect his pack, protect his allies… and protect the mysterious woman who has become a most unlikely neighbor. With eerie eyes that see too much and a scent that alters in ways disturbing and impossible, Auden Scott is the enemy…but nothing about this strange Psy is what it seems, Remi’s feline heart as fascinated by her as the human half of his soul.

Then Auden asks Remi to help her shatter the wall of secrets that is the Scott bloodline. What they unearth will reveal a nightmare beyond imagination. This time, the battle is to the death…

This is the eighth book in the Psy-Changeling Trinity’s series and I have so much love for this book. I enjoyed the heck out of Resonance Surge but I adored this book more.

Auden and Remi were great characters and seeing them fall in love with each other was a lot of fun. Their chemistry together was off the charts and even though it took them a long time to actually get together, I enjoyed seeing them just being together. Seeing Auden come and trust Remi and Remi giving in to the need to protect Auden even if he didn’t exactly know why he felt so strongly about protecting and being around her.

I’m a Changeling girl so seeing Remi with his pack had me all swoony. It’s hard to pick which member of his pack that I like the most because I adored all of them, even the little cute cubs that we see from time to time. The strength of the love that Remi has for everyone in his pack was just too sweet. In previous books, you hear about Remi and his pack and the fragile nature of his still pretty new pack but to see it up front and center was all the more great. The wealth of love that Remi has for his pack is returned to him from every member of his pack and it just had me in my feels at every turn because awwww…

Auden’s story and her struggles with trying to remember everything that was done to her hurt my heart. She had been through so much and seeing her try to tackle the plans that her parents left for her, made especially hard cause she didn’t even know what those plans were. All she knew was that she needed to stop letting herself be drugged so that she can protect the baby that she carried. As time passed, she knew that she wouldn’t have been able to fight this fight alone so aligning herself with Remi was a good move for her because the changelings are nothing if not protective and loyal as shit. When they finally stop circling each other and just let themselves love each other made me so happy.

One of my favorite things in this book was seeing so many familiar faces. In most of the previous books, we do get to see little snippets of characters from the previous book but I noticed so many more in this one. From Aden and the Arrows to Lucas and hearing about Hawke and seeing Kaleb and Silver and just…EVERYBODY was a fun ride for me. I adore this series so much and I miss a lot of the older characters so I eat up every mention that we get. We got a lot in this one and I loved it so much.

I definitely recommend this book if you’re in the mood for smart storytelling with compelling characters and some paranormal magic thrown in. Nalini Singh is such a great writer and she created a world that I absolutely adore and this latest addition was such a winner for me.

Psy-Changelings Series

Psy-Changeling Trinity Series

4.5 out of 5

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Review: Resonance Surge by Nalini Singh

Posted June 13, 2025 by Wena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Resonance Surge by Nalini Singh

Series: Psy-Changelings #22, Psy-Changeling Trinity #7
Main Leads: Yakov Stepyrev, Theodora Marshall
Setting: Russia, Moscow
Tags: Changeling Hero, Psy Heroine, Past Trauma, Abuse, Set in Future
Genres: Romance, Paranormal
Published On: July 18, 2023
Publisher: Berkley
Format: e-Book
Source: Purchased
Pages: 384
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Where are the broken? That is the propulsive question that unleashes a world of secrets in New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh’s Resonance Surge . . .

StoneWater bears Pavel and Yakov Stepyrev have been a unit since birth, but now Pavel’s life is veering in a new direction, his heart held in the hands of Arwen Mercant, a Psy empath—and the only man who has ever brought Pavel to his knees.

This is it. A point of irrevocable change. For Pavel . . . for Arwen . . . for Yakov . . . and for another pair of twins whose bond has a far darker history.

A low-Gradient Psy, Theodora Marshall is considered worthless by everyone but her violently powerful twin, Pax. She is the sole person he trusts in their venomous family to investigate a hidden and terrible part of their family history—an unregistered rehabilitation Center established by their grandfather.

Places of unimaginable pain designed to psychically wipe minds, leaving the victims shells of their former selves, the Centers are an ugly vestige of the Psy race’s Silent past. But this Center was worse. Far, far worse. And now Theo must uncover the awful truth—in the company of a scowling bear named Yakov, who isn’t about to take a Marshall at face value . . . especially a Marshall who has turned his dreams into chilling nightmares.

Because Yakov is the great-grandson of a foreseer . . . and he has seen Theo die in an unstoppable surge of blood. Night after night after night . . .

This is the seventh book in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series and even during my years long reading slump, this series is one of the only series that I am still reading. Being back in this world is such a comfort to me that I don’t think I’ll ever quit it. I go long months between reading these books but every time I pick up a book, it’s like no time has passed. I also love that every time I pick up a book, I see familiar faces and are introduced to characters that I want to see more of. Nalini Singh is just that author for me and she wrote another winner with this one.

Yakov and Theo were a couple that worked really well together. Them getting together made sense and the thing with Theo being Yakov’s literal dream girl, the girl that he’s been dreaming about since he was a kid made their dynamic even more interesting to me. I loved how Theo was immediately comfortable with Yakov and how she felt safe with him but even more, I loved how Yakov wanted to protect her, even before they really knew each other. Their story was super heavy but it didn’t feel bogged down and I like that while so much is going on storywise, Singh didn’t let the romance between Yakov and Theo suffer.

I also really liked that Singh writes stories for everyone. Like everyone in this world is not cookie-cutter perfect but they’re still worthy of that redemption arc. I love that guys that did shitty things in the past can come back and we’re able to see the chain of events that led to them doing the shitty thing. I also love that in this story, Theo and Pax’s grandfather is absolutely not a good guy but that didn’t mean that they were tied to the bad things that their grandfather did. I loved seeing them work to make things right, even when those around them do not trust them to do the right things. Hell, even when they themselves don’t trust themselves to do the right thing. I loved seeing them be okay with not being accepted and working to prove their intentions anyway. I think that’s why I’m so interested in getting Pax’s story. His story can’t be an easy one to write, considering everything that he’s dealing with right now but please…I need his story.

In this book, I really enjoyed getting to know Theo and Yakov but I also really liked getting to know Yakov’s family and seeing Theo get in good with them too. I loved the dynamic between Theo and Pax, both as kids but also as adults. Their bond was sweet and their intense faith in each other made me love them all the more. There was so much bad in their lives and so much time spent apart but none of that touched the goodness between them and I just really liked that.

There’s a lot of good in this book, the overall story being told about the Psy Net falling any day now (even though it’s been falling for like the entire length of both this series and the Psy-Changelings series), seeing everyone come together to try to fix things, seeing the love blossom between Theo and Yakov but also the love that’s more cemented in Yakov’s brother and his partner. Seeing Theo deal with the broken memories of her past and trying to save Yakov and his loved ones from the weaknesses in herself that makes her a danger to others and seeing Yakov just flat out refuse to let her deal with everything alone, it all just made the reading adventure all the more great. If you’re a fan of this series then I definitely recommend this book. It’s a great addition to the series but also just a damn good read on its own.

Psy-Changelings Series

Psy-Changeling Trinity Series

4 out of 5

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Review: Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews

Posted June 12, 2025 by Wena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews

Series: Hidden Legacy #5
Also in this Series: Burn for Me, White Hot, Wildfire, Diamond Fire, Sapphire Flames
Main Leads: Catalina Baylor, Alessandro Sagredo
Setting: United States, Texas, Houston
Tropes: Murder Mystery, Childhood Trauma, Second Chance Romance
Genres: Romance, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
Published On: August 25, 2020
Publisher: Avon
Format: e-Book
Source: Purchased
Pages: 392
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

As Prime magic users, Catalina Baylor and her sisters have extraordinary powers—powers their ruthless grandmother would love to control. Catalina can earn her family some protection working as deputy to the Warden of Texas, overseeing breaches of magic law in the state, but that has risks as well. When House Baylor is under attack and monsters haunt her every step, Catalina is forced to rely on handsome, dangerous Alessandro Sagredo, the Prime who crushed her heart.

The nightmare that Alessandro has fought since childhood has come roaring back to life, but now Catalina is under threat. Not even his lifelong quest for revenge will stop him from keeping her safe, even if every battle could be his last. Because Catalina won’t rest until she stops the use of the illicit, power-granting serum that’s tearing their world apart.

This book starts about six months after the last book, Sapphire Flames, ends. Catalina is busy. She’s running the family business, taking care of Deputy Warden business, and nursing a broken heart from Alessandro leaving. She’s bad, she’s sad, and just a little bit mad. When Felix Morton is murdered, Catalina is assigned to the case. This new case has also brought Alessandro back in town because Felix’s father hired him to kill whoever killed his son. That means that Catalina and Alessandro are back together again and Catalina is not even a little bit happy about that fact.

Seeing these two back in action was a lot of fun even though Alessandro being back in town and his complete turnaround made me make this face…

He wins me over of course but I still had an attitude in the beginning. There’s a lot going on in this story and I won’t lie, seeing Catalina and Alessandro piece things together while Catalina is trying to hold Alessandro at arms length and Alessandro wanting to protect Catalina even though he knows that he completely messed up and trying to protect and love her anyway had me all eager to see their love story come together. In terms of time, this book takes place over the course of a few days so if I stop to think about it, the make up between Alessandro and Catalina happened too quick but let’s not think too closely about that. I still enjoyed this book a lot.

I like that Catalina is a different heroine than Nevada is. I even like the differences between Mad Rogan and Alessandro and even though I like Nevada and Rogan more, I really enjoy reading about Catalina and Alessandro. Their teamwork is a lot of fun and I love how smart the two of them are. They’re fiercely loyal to their loved ones and have their own set of charms that are compelling as hell. I love that Catalina is smart as a whip and has a soft touch to her style.

The case of Felix Morton’s murder gets Catalina and Alessandro entangled in some shit and seeing it open threads and expose some truths made for an interesting ride. The Andrews writing duo is second to none in writing compelling stories with colorful characters that really bring the story together. I loved seeing the Baylors and everyone else and I’m mighty curious about who Arabella will end up with. Andrews does a great job of stringing the character along, keeping them invested in what was going on and that was definitely the case with this book. I love this series so much and am so happy that I can still enjoy it and have things to look forward to. This is a definite recommend.

Hidden Legacy Series

4.5 out of 5

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Review: Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh

Posted May 5, 2025 by Wena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh

Reviewer: Wena
Series: Psy-Changelings #1
Main Leads: Lucas Hunter, Sascha Duncan
Setting: United States, California, San Francisco
Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Tags: Pack Alpha, Opposites Attract, Shapeshifter Romance
Published On: September 5, 2006
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Format: e-Book
Source: Purchased
Pages: 334
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Dive into a world torn apart by a powerful race with phenomenal powers of the mind—and none of the heart . . .

In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of “rehabilitation”—the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was . . .

Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a Changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain. After centuries of uneasy co-existence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several Changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that this ice-cold Psy is very capable of passion—and that the animal in him is fascinated by her.

Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities—or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation . . .

It’s AANHPI Month in the States so we’re going to try to feature as many AANHPI authors as we can this month because representation matters! I thought that this was the perfect opportunity to introduce the girls (well, Chloe and Jenna since Brenna only reads contemporaries right now) to Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changelings Series. Nalini Singh is one of my favoritest authors and she writes incredible paranormal romances that hit all of my happy buttons.

Slave to Sensation is the first book in her Psy-Changelings Series and it is a book that is near and dear to me because this book was my introduction to this world and to…Judd Lauren. To Kaleb Krychek. To Hawke Snow. To Aden Kai. And to so many more characters that I love the heck out of. This is one of the few ongoing series that I’m still reading and the adventure starts here.

Lucas Hunter and Sascha Duncan were compelling characters that were interesting on their own but they were magic together. Their romance was steamy as hell and Lucas was sexy as hell. The way that he had me blushing like a school girl and jealous of Sascha should be studied because I’m not a school girl nor am I one to blush but for Lucas? Yes. I blush for Lucas. I really loved Lucas but I also really liked Sascha. Her struggles with hiding her emotions that were getting closer and closer to simmering right over the top with every interaction with Lucas had me hooked. I really liked learning about the different aspects of this world. The Psy’s, the Changelings, and though we don’t get very much interactions from the humans, I enjoyed learning that they were there and they shared the world with all of these gifted people and that we might get to read their stories as well.

Now if you’re new to this world, there will be some confusion as you’re learning the world and the characters but I promise, it gets better and Nalini Singh’s writing is worth pushing through. This book is a fantastic read and you’ll meet and fall in love with so many people and you’ll come to care so much about Lucas and Sascha and the set up for the rest of the books is done well, done in a way that will make you curious and want to continue on. Nalini Singh does a really good job of stringing storylines together and giving readers something to come back to.

Lucas and Sascha’s story was pretty fantastic and I definitely recommend this series to anyone looking for an interesting world to fall in to. There’s much to love in this book and Lucas and Sascha are only a small part. It’s been a lot of fun getting to know these characters and fall in love with the world as a whole so yeah, read this series!

4.5 out of 5

Psy-Changelings Series

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