Customer Reviews

Hostage to Pleasure (Psy-Changelings, Book 5)

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hostage To Pleasure starts right where Mine To Possess left off. The DarkRiver clan has paid off it's debt to Ashaya Aleine and have kidnapped her son and hidden him away in their Pack. With her son safe, Ashaya also manages to escape the Council's sphere but her contact had to abandon her in lynx territory. Surrounded by the vicious animals, DarkRiver sniper Dorian Christensen comes to her rescue, drawn to the smell of her blood and the unmistakable scent of her exotic femininity. The scent that has been haunting him for the last two months. The last time Dorian had seen Ashaya had been through the scope of his sniper rifle and seeing her again brings back all the hate and rage he has towards her kind, as well as a fierce need to claim her as his own. Dorian needs to come to terms with his conflicting emotions because she needs his protection now more than ever. She has information that could bring down the Psy Council and she's not going to hesitate to use it. Ashaya hopes by bringing her story public, it will make her and her son untouchable in the eyes of the Council. Unfortunately she has another enemy that is a much bigger threat to her safety, someone who has been slipping in and out of her mind since childhood and knows her every secret. Ashaya's twin senses her emerging feelings for the DarkRiver sentinel and refuses to share her. Ashaya has been dealing with the burden of her twin sister's sociopathic tendencies since the age of seventeen and it's this responsibility that keeps her from falling for Dorian's seductive lure and the promise of a full life with him. Dorian however is not going to deny his feelings for her and neither is his cat. He uses every sensual weapon he has and slowly wears down her battered defenses. She has been living a lie for so long and wants nothing more than to accept him, but can the two of them survive both her twin sister and the Council that is hunting them?

Dorian Christensen has a lot of bottled up anger inside him, due to his inability to go full leopard and the brutal murder of his sister. He can't stop blaming himself. If he could go full leopard, maybe he could have been a little bit faster in saving his precious baby sister. His rage at first holds him back from seeing Ashaya as his mate, the female who his latent cat has recognized as it's own. His moods shift dangerously from lust to anger and back again as he tries to come to terms with himself and the fact that Ashaya is protecting a Psy very much like the killer who destroyed his sister. Dorian is deliciously dominant with Ashaya who doesn't let him boss her around. She quickly learns that she needs to stand up to his cat if he is to respect her and listen to her. Ashaya is heartbreaking to read about in that she's a woman stuck between her need as a mother to protect her son and as an older sister trying to protect her younger sister. She doesn't flinch from what needs to be done and tries to execute everything as precisely as possible.

This is the fifth book in Nalini Singh's Pst/Changeling world and it was excellent. It has a slightly darker feel to it than earlier books and there's a definite tension running throughout that you can practically taste. She is steadily building a coming war between the Psy and the Changelings and she is also bringing the human world into the fight. After eons of being in third place, the humans are about to make their move, which is only muddying the waters and adding to the conflicts. Silence is breaking at a much faster rate within the Psy race, creating a power vacuum that could turn into anyone's game. While reading Hostage To Pleasure you can actually see the Psy/Changeling world developing under Nalini Singh's skill as an author and her seamless world building just gets better and better. This series is one of my favorites and I can't wait to read the next one!

I have waited for Dorian's story and I think this is one of the best in the series. This is a very sensual series and this book is no different. Dorian is a sniper and the only one of the Dark River Pack who can't shift to cat. He has been like this from birth and has never let it stop him from becoming one of the sentinals of the Pack.

Ashaya Aliene is an M-Psy, one of the smartest. She helped the pack recover two young children in the last novel. At that time she told them she might need help at some future time and now that time has come. She needs them to kidnap her son who is being used as a hostage to her good behavior.

This is a deeply sensual read, with a wonderful fully fleshed out world. The demarkation between good and evil has been clearly marked, but now we find shades of gray. Maybe there are some good Psy. Just as there are some evil shapeshifters. We also learn there are other players in the game. I found the story engrossing and captivating. The relationships between all the characters are growing and all will learn that they come from the same root stock.

Good book do not miss it.

I've heard so many amazing things about Nalini Singh's books that I worried they might not live up to all that hype. I shouldn't have worried. Hostage to Pleasure is an absolutely fantastic book. It has a ton of action, plot, twists and turns---far more than most romance novels. There are plenty of fascinating characters, and while I would have enjoyed them even more if I were familiar with the preceding books in the series, this one stands alone surprisingly well. If anything, the designation of this book as a romance rather than an adventure or a paranormal or near-future SF is mostly an arbitrary marketing thing, since it functions just as well on all of those levels.

The world-building is stunning---of particular fascination to me are the Psy in this book. They undertook something they call Silence (a forced suppression of emotion) in order to curtail the danger from emerging aggressive and unstable psychic abilities. Unfortunately this has backfired---those best able to be emotionless are the dangerous sociopaths. Over time these people have gone on to rise in the ranks and take over. As a result, Psy society is becoming dangerously unstable in new and different ways.

Ms. Singh has found a beautifully plot-based manner in which to keep her two would-be lovers apart. Dorian's presence threatens Ashaya's carefully-cultivated Silence, which for her is more than just a protection against her government's scrutiny. It's also a protection against an even greater threat that stalks her and her son in particular. Meanwhile, Ashaya threatens Dorian's sanity---his hatred and loathing for the sociopath-dominated Psy society is so great that the very idea of desiring one of them is nearly enough to send him off the all-too-close deep end. Giving in to their feelings for each other is very literally dangerous for both them and those they care about.

Action, danger, intrigue, a fascinating world to play around in---this book has it all. (Adult material warning: there's a mild amount of explicit sex as well.)

Hostage to Pleasure is all about one of her most beloved characters, Dorian Christensen. He is DarkRiver's best sniper, a changeling leopard who has one fault, he can't shift into his leopard form. Even though he can't change like his pack members can, Dorian is strong enough, more so than some of those who can shift at a moment's notice. Dorian has some inner turmoil, mainly because his sister, Kylie was viscously murdered by a Psy serial killer. Dorian did get his revenge by gutting the Psy and watching him die. But it wasn't enough, and Dorian blames himself over his sister's death. He is entering into a dark place that he may not come back from and everyone who cares for him is worried. For the moment, Dorian wants to do the right thing and that is because of a four year old Psy child called Keenan. Dorian rescues Keenan because his mother, Ashaya Aleine was able to save some children who were being used in experiments by Psy scientists (this is all explained in Mine to Possess). Ashaya aided in the fight alongside the changelings and because of that she called in her IOU in order for them to save her son. Now that Keenan is free and able to break through his bonds of Silence. Ashaya will break free also, which in her mind means death.

Ashaya is a very interesting Psy because she does feel emotion and pretends to embrace the Silence that is forced upon the Psy when they become teenagers. Ashaya must keep all emotions at bay, not because of what she is, but because of her twin sister, Amara who becomes more enraged and twisted whenever Ashaya feels deep emotion. Amara has no moral compass. She doesn't know the difference between right and wrong, she is an empty soul and it is up to Ashaya to keep her under control. If that isn't enough responsibility, Ashaya has the final answer for bringing the Psy Silence to the rest of humanity.

Dorian's inner leopard wants Ashaya badly. So much so, he wants to bite her and claim her as his mate. But Dorian is at odds with his beast because his human side can't stand the fact that Ashaya is a Psy, the same type of being that killed his precious sister. Dorian saves Ashaya and as they come to terms with one another, Dorian comes to the conclusion that there is more than meets the eye with this cold scientist. She doesn't hold back her emotions because of what she was made into, but rather it is to protect the ones she loves, which is her son, her amoral, unfeeling sister and eventually Dorian. Dorian wants Ashaya to let go and finally feel because she deserves it and owes it to Keenan. But again, Ashaya is all about sacrificing herself and she does this so everyone can be safe from the one person she connects with, and that is Amara. Amara is a ticking time bomb and if Ashaya can't control her sister, the outbreak of the Silence will be the least of their problems.

Hostage to Pleasure is a major turning point in this series. The Psy culture we were first introduced in Slave to Sensation is breaking down. They are no longer the all powerful beings of the world. There was one such speech Amara gives Dorian that caught me eye:

"It's the great irony of our race. Psy cling so hard to Silence because at the bottom of it all, they're terrified, afraid that if they let go, the monsters inside their heads will start crawling out, reducing them to the level of you animals once again."

And because of this fear and the eventual breakdown of the Psy, there will be an even more powerful enemy on the horizon where both Psy and Changeling may have to work together to stop them before they go too far. Former enemies will have to stand side by side together in the oncoming war that may change the world much like the Psy did when they founded Silence.

Dorian and Ashaya's relationship is on equal footing with the other couples in Nalini's past novels. These are two characters who suffer through their own personal hells. Dorian is on the cusp of becoming a renegade, a killer, because he can't get over his sister's death. Ashaya is a martyr because of her love for her family and of Dorian who wants to be a part of that. Their love is steamy and emotional; everything you would expect.

Nalini also gives us a small hint of things to come such as Hawke's possible mate. Something also caught my eye about Kaleb. Maybe because I am a big fan of the mysterious Psy, Kaleb, I may be looking too much into one small scene in this book, but it did make me happy because I believe Kaleb has someone out there for him.

What more can I say about Hostage to Pleasure that hasn't already been said before? The proof is in the writing along with the wonderful characters that you find yourself talking about months, even years after you finish reading. Hostage to Pleasure has met all my expectations and Nalini has a fan and supporter of her books for life.

Katiebabs
Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changelings, Book 1)
Visions of Heat (Psy-Changelings, Book 2)
Caressed By Ice (Psy-Changelings, Book 3)
Mine to Possess (Psy-Changelings, Book 4)

Nalini Singh certainly writes these books at a good pace. This is the fifth in the series, following 'Slave to Sensation' (September 2006), 'Visions Of Heat' (March 2007), 'Caressed By Ice' (September 07) and 'Mine To Possess' (February 2008), so she's managing to churn out two per year. I suppose this is on a par with many other authors but, having finished 'Hostage to Pleasure', I wonder if this author with her original ideas is perhaps a slight victim of her success.

'Hostage to Pleasure' was a good read. We had a varied cast of characters as always (shapeshifters including leopards, wolves and even rats), the Psy (Mr Spock-like beings who communicate telepathically) and occasional references to humans. We have characters who have their own bad memories, demons, difficulties, fears and a central love story which shows two people growing together and learning to gain strength from each other. Unfortunately for this reader at least the story felt a bit tired. Somehow I never quite felt I connected with Dorian Christensen, latent leopard shapeshifter and member of Lucas's pack, or with Ashaya Aleine, Psy scientist whose conditioning is not only fracturing but who may have never been properly conditioned anyway. It doesn't seem like a great deal actually happens in this story and for those who haven't read the previous books the cast of characters is fairly large and might get confusing. I was less than convinced by Ashaya's sister Amara and the ways in which the two interacted (and I also found the similarity of the names confusing at times).

Nalini Singh's worldbuilding continues in this novel with more about the council and another group, Pure Psy, which didn't always feel particularly connected to this story. I like the author's Psy/Changeling world but I found this book rather forgettable and nowhere near as good as 'Caressed by Ice'. It's a good read, worth the four stars, but not as good as some of the others.

'Hostage to Pleasure' continues where 'Mine to Possess' left off. As the perfect Psy with perfect Silence(Conditioning that rid the Psy of all emotion)designated M-Psy(medical), Ashaya Aleine, has the rare gift of seeing into the human body at the DNA level. This makes her a prime asset to the Psy Council and the implementation of Protocol I. We learned about Protocol I in series book three 'Caressed by Ice' and it's goal essentially is to make all Psy into a hive mind, destroying all individual uniqueness and personality. And like a bee hive, there must be a leader and the fight over this ultimate power is a deadly one. A fight in which Ashaya is unwillingly a part of. In order to ensure Ashaya's cooperation, the Council is holding her son, Keenan, hostage but Ashaya has put into motion a plan that will save her son and hopefully herself. In exchange for helping DarkRiver save two human children from her underground lab, DarkRiver will kidnap her son from the Psy Council.

From the moment of his birth, Dorian Christensen's life was marked for tragedy. As a changeling leopard, the animal side of Dorian's soul is integral to the human side. Sadly, Dorian was born a latent leopard. In other words, he is unable to shift and take his leopard form. This inability is not only severely damaging to his soul but also causes him excruciating physical pain as well. Dorian's leopard is completely unaware of the fact that man cannot shift into beast. When the leopard demands release it doesn't hesitate to claw and push beneath Dorian's human exterior. The pain of scraping claws underneath the skin of his fingers is brutal and fills him with intense agony.

Interestingly enough, the latency makes Dorian closer to his leopard than anyone else is to their own. Because his beast is constantly scraping and clawing beneath his skin, Dorian's reactions are generally more leopard than human. This also makes him on the extreme side of alpha. Ironically, Dorian is also the public Representative for DarkRiver. His surfer-boy good looks, outrageous charm, and innocent appearance make him the perfect leopard for the job.

Dorian's latency has not held him back however. In fact, he is one of the most dangerous leopards in DarkRiver. He moves as silently and stealthily as any other leopard but his claws are in the shape of a sniper rifle.
The latency became a driving force in Dorian at an early age, pushing him to be the best at everything and anything and eventually he attained the role of a sentinel, the highest pack rank below alpha in DarkRiver.

Another tragedy has also befallen Dorian. His baby sister was tortured and murdered by sociopath Psy. Dorian has sworn vengeance against the Psy race and will stop at nothing to destroy the Council - the Psy governing body, and the Psy way of life, Silence. Riding on the emotional waves of rage, hate, and guilt, Dorian has become colder than ever by slipping into his sniper mentality more and more. At one time pack helped in deadening his pain, but with the death of his sister, Dorian is one step away from picking up his sniper rifle and turning rogue.

Dorian's rage serves to be a real conflict for him and Ashaya's early relationship with guilt overcoming him for falling in love with a Psy whose way of life killed his beloved sister. Ashaya's continuation of upholding Silence, even though she is free of the Council, enrages Dorian even more. But in reality Ashaya broke Silence a long time ago and has essentially become an excellent actress yet her reasons for upholding Silence proves to nearly be Dorian's undoing.

What brings Dorian back from his killing rage is Ashaya's distinctive maternal behavior towards her son Keenan. Truth is Keenan and Ashaya have shared an exclusive parent/child bond which was cut when Keenan was thrust into the Web of Stars and out of the Psy Net. Ashaya wants nothing more than to save her baby but she feels that the only way to this is by remaining Silent and staying away from him so that the Council will feel that he is no longer important. Dorian is frustrated with her avoidance when she clearly loves her child despite what she has proclaimed to him verbally.

Although I started to feel that the Psy/Changeling pairing was becoming redundant, Ashaya's broken Silence before meeting Dorian made things interesting and unique. Whereas in previous series books, changelings were trying to break the Silence within their mates, Ashaya is trying to pretend Silence when emotions are something that she can feel.

The Psy/Changling war has also progressed with the Changelings winning. There was definitely more development with the human end of things in which they could play a major role in the outcome. The rebellion is definitely getting interesting and I look forward to seeing where is will lead.

And the epilogue was beautiful. What Nalini Singh did for Dorian was well deserved and I believe in the end he was truly happy. No longer did he feel guilt and though he still believes that the Council should be brought down to dust, it is no longer the driving force within him, Ashaya is.

Can someone explain how a series as good as this with psychics, werewolves and sci-fi excitement carries porn worthy cheese covers like "Hostage to Pleasure"?

4.5/5.0

Whenever rating a book, one must take into consideration the genre and what the author is trying to accomplish. For example if it's light, humorous romance, how well did the author succeed in making us laugh while telling a good and believable story? In the genre of futuristic, paranormal romance, Nalini Singh comes as close to perfection in accomplishing her goals as any author I have read and this book is the perfect example. The story is intelligent, the world complex yet the characters very real and believable. The species each stay true to the nature given them while allowing for tremendous growth and plot twists. Singh also makes the romance emotionally rich as well as, deeply sensual. It is a totally, can't put down experience that is also intellectually satisfying.

* The 4.5 is for the cover alone, although, after reading, I realize the "Hostage" part probably relates to Dorian's cat being held hostage to his genetic discrepancy rather than to "pleasure" - quite a double entendre..

OMG! The ending has me crying! This book was awesome! I always loved Dorian in the other books. There was always something deeper, more compelling about his story than the other changelings. I'm so glad his story was told. Ashaya her son, the connection with the psy and how it plays out in this one was excellent. It was slow going for me in the beginning of reading this one, but it was so worth it. An excellent chapter in this series. I highly recommend this one!

I've had the pleasure of being able to read the Psy/Changeling series straight from book 1 through book 6. I rate the entire series 5 stars. Sure I like some of the books better than others but the overall result in reading this series has been books I could not put down!! The author has kept me enthralled with all of her characters and the world she has built and now I can't wait for the 7th book.

I was disappointed in Mine To Possess because I found the character of Tally somewhat irritating, but Hostage To Pleasure gives us a strong female heroine in Ashaya to match the charming, tortured character of Dorian. The subplots were wonderfully written and unlike others who felt that the Mercy/Dorian friendship was not fleshed out enough I thought the brief glimpse into their relationship left us wanting more and expecting to see more in the next installment. Slave To Sensation is still my favorite book in the series but this one is a close second. From the excerpt on Nalini Singh's website Mercy's story (Branded By Fire) promises to be HOT as well.