Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changeling #1) by Nalini Singh

 

Summary:

THE HOT NEW NAME IN PARANORMAL ROMANCE.

Nalini Singh dives 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 coexistence, 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...

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 334 pages (Mass Market Paperback)

Source: Toronto Public Library

Available Formats: Print/E-book/Audio

Publication Date: September 5th 2006 by Berkley Sensation

I've been a fan of Nalini Singh's since I first came across her Guild Hunter series back in 2011 and I've been wanting to try her Psy-Changeling series for just as long, and last week I finally bit the bullet and borrowed the e-book from my library.

And you know what? I loved it. I did, I really, really did. I was totally surprised by the fact that I loved it because of the sci-fi and paranormal blend which I thought was pretty unique compared to the other romances I usually read.

The book focuses on two people. First there's Sascha, a Psy. Someone who has had the emotion supressed in them, they have individual personalities, and powers but no emotion. Except something went wrong with Sascha and she does feel things, and that could get her killed if the wrong people found out. Then there's Lucas, the alpha of the DarkRiver pack of Leopard shifters, he's all emotion and can tell that there's something different about Sascha but it takes time to figure out just what that difference is.

I loved both characters, sometimes I struggle with alpha heroes but when it comes to Nalini Singh, I love them. She creates them in such a way that I can't help but adore them, even if they can be major pricks she always gives them redeeming qualities, and Lucas's most redeeming quality is his loyalty to those around them, plus he's a shifter. How could I not like him? I didn't always agree with him but I liked him a lot through out the whole book.

As for Sascha, I was really surprised to like her since I've read a romance like this before where I hated the heroine I loved Sasha. Unlike the other Psy we encounter in the book she's all emotion, even though she had to keep it under wraps around her kind, I enjoyed seeing her embrace her differences and use them for good.

As a couple, I loved this pairing of characters. Yes, Lucas is all macho but Sasha is able to smooth out his rougher edges and they went together so well both in and out of the bedroom. Singh has always been able to create a strong storyline that is both equally character and plot driven in her other series that I've read so it was nice to see that her ability to create scorching chemistry in one of her earlier novels was great.

The plot of the novel was a strong one. Both Lucas and Sasha are trying to find the Psy who is abducting and butchering other shifters, leopards as well as wolves and it becomes a game of cat and mouse, with both sides of the coin having much to lose if it comes to light that there's a rogue Psy in the world. At first I was very unsure about the whole Psy thing because of the sci-fi nature of them and race but in the end I enjoyed it and thought it was really refreshing. Yes, I have some questions about the Psy and the Changelings but I suspect many of those questions if not all will be answered in the subsequent novels in the series.

Overall, this turned out to be one of my favourite reads of this year. Nalini Singh is one of my favourite authors so I'm glad that I finally gave her first series a try, though I am kicking myself for not starting it sooner. The plot was complex and the romance between the characters was able to build up before it bubbled over. I liked the angst and the way that she set up this first book in her series and I'm dying to read the second one.

I would recommend this to fans of Nalini Singh who haven't yet started her Psy-Changeling series for fears that it won't have strong characters like those in her Guild Hunter series. If you love shifter romances but want one with a twist where there isn't a case of insta-love and want something refreshing in the genre I highly recommend picking this one up and if you long your heroines with a strong personality grab it as soon as you can

I read this book for the following reading challenges:

 

2013 150+ Reading Challenge

2013 Paranormal Reading Challenge

 

Loved it!
★★★★★

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