Customer Reviews

Mine to Possess (Psy-Changelings, Book 4)

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

"Slave to Sensation", book one, set the romance world on fire with a unique, new element in a genre rife with emotions - a race with the potential for cool, icy, emotionless precision, the Psy. Their counterparts are the animalistic and earthier Changelings, packs and herds of men and women that take on the forms of wolves, leopards, deer and much more than we could imagine. Now Singh brings mere humans into the fold. Are they just the worker bees of her futuristic society, or do they hold the key to so much more?

Clay Bennet is barely holding on. He's dangerously close to going rogue, even within the confines a loving and healthy pack - the San Francisco DarkRiver leopards. Too tangled in a tragic past, it eats at him still. The slaying of a depraved monster may have seen the streets rid of one more evil, but it cost Clay his freedom and the person he cared more about than anything. When he finds out she's dead, well, Clay no longer had a reason to be good himself.

Talin McKade vowed to stay away from the man who used to be her best friend. An act of violence, born of violence, triggered her flight and fear didn't allow her close...till violence once again brought her full circle to the one person she always wanted to count on. It's her job to see that children like she had been have a chance at a better life. And when her kids start dying, she takes a wild card from the past, hoping Clay will help her solve the mystery. Little did she know, once marked by a leopard, there's no going back.

What was interesting about Clay and Talin's relationship is how seamlessly it's integrated into the storyline in this installment. Actually, Singh does this extremely well in each book, the marriage of the love story with the overall plot, but the way it was done in "Mine to Possess" was just flawless! The events unfolding weren't just happening to and around the main characters, they were happening because of them and vice versa. Take one of them away from the other and suddenly neither will make sense. Everything happening in these books is happening for a reason and there's not an ounce of fat in the mix. "Mine to Possess" is perhaps the most integral book of the series to date. Not only does it reach all the way back to "Slave to Sensation" (book one) and reinforce what we found out there, but it seems to be a major turning point in the Changling struggles against the more insidious Psy Council. So, it is heavy on info, but you'll find no dumping of it here. I believe we're getting what we do because it's vital, necessary and the right time in the series. Beware, there is some rather shocking violence in this one as we continue to discover just how ruthless and cold the Psy are (though it's not portrayed as graphically as, say, a horror piece), but Clay and Talin's relationship, to me, never got dragged under because of it, but actually shone brighter because the dilemmas actually made them come together, closer than they'd ever been before. It helped them, sometimes forced them, to come to terms and I just don't think that anything happening less plot-wise would have enabled that transformation in their conflict better, but hindered it instead or made it seem unbelievable. I loved the way they came together and how they came to terms with their interwoven past. Hands down, this is my favorite book of the series to date, as well as my favorite couple. The next book is titled "Hostage to Pleasure" about DarkRiver sentinal Dorian.

As children Clay and Talin find one another in a time when they hunger for some warmth and compassion in their lives. Both have family that traumatizes them on an emotional level and forges a bond between them that can never truly be broken. But the fierce protectiveness of Clay roars in fury when he senses the pain of his Tally inflicted on her by her adoptive father and when the fury at last subsides he is soaked in blood looking at the face of Tally whom is in shock of what Clay did.

Now, about 20 years later, Talin needs Clay again in the search of kids who've gone missing, not just any kids, her kids. She is now a Shine Guardian who protects and guides kids from the street in to a normal life and when a few under her care end up dead pain lacerates through her and she will not rest until their murders are solved. With another teenager whom is still missing Talin hopes to prevent his death and she will need Clay as a DarkRiver Sentinel to aid her in her quest.

As they both meet for the first time old pain, old feelings and old memories drift to the surface and the bond forged between their hearts so long ago slowly flickers to life. Still Clay can't ignore the cat inside him nor can Talin ignore the violence she witnessed so long ago or the lifespan she has left. Together they start a journey to seek the truth and rescue a teenager whose life still holds so much promise. And when Clay introduces Talin to the DarkRiver pack in order to protect her they hold a chance in their hands to become true mates.

But when one knows so much of darkness can one dare to touch the light?

I'm awestruck by the raw intensity of this novel and I almost feel the urge to flash a warning signal that before starting in a Psy-Changeling novel of Nalini Singh you better have food, drinks and a comfortable place to snuggle yourself in because you aren't going anywhere before reading Mine To Possess from first till last chapter. For me Nalini Singh takes the shapeshifter theme to a whole new level and draws me effortlessly into another world of the Psy-Changeling. Though I haven't read the previous novels I know where I'm heading off to!

Clay and Talin are childhood friends and that time is beautifully captured by the author in memories of feelings, events and actions they have as adults. The unraveling of all those feelings and of their actions they've taking after a certain moment in their life sometimes had the impact of a sledge hammer, that is how intense I felt them, felt with them as both children and adults. Trying to find their way back to that unique, trusting and loving bond that can make you survive almost anything. Clay and Talin are a dynamic love couple whom sizzle with a passionate nature and came alive through the impeccable writing skill Nalini Singh possesses.

The DarkRiver pack leaped of the pages with its colorful characters and I just fell in love with the animalistic characterization of the Changelings. Clay is part human, part leopard changeling, the coexistence and sometimes struggle between those two sides in him is so life like told it gave his emotions all the more impact and authenticity making him all the more real to me. With this I could also empathize with, and understand Talin with her emotions and reactions to certain events even better. I felt that all the elements in this story flawlessly fits together in to a riveting romance story and for me, with that, it unexpectedly turned out to be such a gripping reading experience that it leaves me satisfied and closing the book with a fulfilled sigh.

I think that you will even appreciate Mine To Possess more, if this is possible, when you've read the previous three novels in this Psy/Changeling series, reoccurring characters do show up and the plot does show signs that it finds its origin in another novel, I experienced this almost solely with the Psy world and its plans with the Implant Protocol. I also was on the edge of my seat plot wise, slowly Nalini Singh revealed it all and had some cutting edge moments making my heart skip a beat in relief. The Psy with their world and plans makes me root for every victory on them, because what would the world be without emotions, without passion or love, without all the good and bad things to feel, to learn from it and grow. The author created a very believable race with the Psy as she adds layers to their plans and ended this novel with a certain revelation I appreciated and was intrigued by its possibilities.

What a wild ride Mine To Possess turned out to be and I reveled in it until I closed the book with contentment and knowing I have another series to add to my bookshelves as Nalini Singh became an instant favorite author of mine.

Reviewed by Leontine
Courtesy of Realms on our Bookshelves

This is the fourth in Nalini Singh's series of books about the world of the Psy, Changelings and Humans. The first two books "Slave to Sensation" and "Visions of Heat" featured Psy women who escaped from the world of Mr Spock-like emotionless after finding their mates amongst the Changelings big cats. The third book, "Caressed by Ice", took Werewolf Brenna as the heroine and Psy assassin Judd as the hero. This fourth book is the first that introduces a human as one of the main subjects - Talin McKay. Tally is a social worker whose troubled childhood still haunts her - as did her only real friend in her youth, Clay. Clay is a Leopard Changeling and when he killed Tally's abusive foster father and went to prison for the crime Tally disappeared from his life, requesting that he be told she had died in a car accident.

However when some of the children Tally oversees go missing and then are found dead she realises that she needs assistance to get to the bottom of the disappearances and her former friend Clay, now an important person in the DarkRiver Pack, can help. The Clay she knew as a young boy has changed into a wild and dangerous man of whom she is initially afraid. When Clay brings Tally back to his pack and she starts to interact with the others they work together to find out what's happened to the young people and it's a race against time to rescue young Jon before he is killed. But can Clay and Tally get past the issues of mistrust and abandonment of the previous twenty years in order to find their friendship again - and perhaps more?

The characters in the previous books all appear in this one, along with a couple of new characters who will probably feature in future books. Once again Nalini Singh has written a tightly-plotted and enjoyable book with her alternative world with the Psy/Changeling/Human triumvirate taking on a new twist. As with the previous three books much of the romance between hero and heroine is based on physical touch, 'skin privileges', and although Tally isn't Psy she is a damaged young woman because of her past. I wonder what the author would do if one of her characters didn't mind touch as that's such a part of her writing style! She wrote the character of Clay very well as a part-animal, part human and a frightening but also loyal and reliable man. Tally wasn't always as easy to get a handle on and the underlying thread of her illness was dealt with in a rather easy way. Still, like the other books in the series, this was a worthwhile read and I look forward to the next book.

I love this series of books by Nalini Singh. This one is wonderful and I can hardly wait for the next one. I particularly like the warmth and substance she brings to her characters. These are not cardboard people but fully fleshed out individuals who have deep loves and haunting fears. Clay has been one of the darker characters and now we know why.

Clay is a sentinal for the Dark River cats, he has made a place for himself because of his loyalty and honor and trustworthyness. Protectiveness is hardwired into his system. He joined the clan after he was released from juvie. He has been a trusted member for 16 yrs.

Talin was 3 when she first met Clay and he was only 9. They lived in a project and he was her protector. Ultimately he killed her foster father who had been molesting her. Due to the fact that the foster father had murdered several other children, Clay was only sent to juvie until he reached 18. At which time he was told Talin was dead.

Now Talin needs Clay to help find one of the children she mentors for the Shine Project. Several children have disappeared and been found murdered. Talin comes to Clay in desperation, she has no one she trusts, she was very damaged by all the things that happened and is unable to trust anyone.

Needless to say Clay is stunned to find her alive and even more angry to find he was lied to about her death. He must fight the anger if he is to save the kids who are threatened by this elusive danger. He and Talin must fight through the deciets, secrets and misunderstandings if they are to have any chance to find the love they once knew as children. The love that may now change to a more passionate type.

I loved the book. Do not miss it and be sure to find her other novels about the Changlings, Human, and Psy. Good Reading.

A lifetime ago, Changeling Clay Bennett lost his freedom, as well as the only girl he loved. Although both were children at the time, his leopard knew his mate when it saw her. But a cruel twist of fate tore them apart, and when Clay was finally freed, he learned that young Talin had died years earlier.

Now a DarkRiver Sentinel, he has made a home with the powerful pack in San Francisco, but his beast walks a fine line between sanity and insanity, threatening the loss of his humanity. When Talin McKade turns up not only alive, but in need of his aid, he finds his salvation. Her presence stirs emotions he thought long forsaken to him and the leopard in him demands to take its mate.

But Talin has been damaged, scarred by the tragedies in her past and their shared history. Clay must tread carefully if he is to convince his mate that they belong together.

Through it all, Talin and Clay work together to save the children that have gone missing, only to have their bodies turn up later, gruesomely battered. The truth behind the murders is even more diabolical than they could imagine.

With the very first book in her Psy-Changeling series, Nalini Singh made this reviewer an instant fan! With seemingly effortless world building, she crafted a fascinating universe that is part science fiction, part paranormal, and part suspense - three genres that happen to be among my favorites. Yet through each book, she has kept the romance first and foremost, with stories that never fail to capture the hearts of the reader even as the hero and heroine are finding love with one another.

Mine to Possess exemplifies this perfectly. With Clay Bennett and Talin McKade, Ms. Singh delivers a couple with a long and tormented history. Although separated years earlier, their love for each other never wavered, and each of them do whatever they believe necessary to protect the other at all costs.

From the very beginning, the author engenders empathy for both of the main characters, as well as a feeling of familiarity. Of course, we have met Clay previously in the earlier books, even if we didn't get to know him intimately. Talin, however, is a stranger to us when the story begins, but she somehow never really feels like one. Indeed, from page one, I wanted to know this woman, discover where she had come from, what she was doing there, and most importantly - why she was watching Clay.

When we really get to know Talin, we find a woman who is courageous and caring, despite her troubled past and a bleak future. She'll do anything for the people she cares about, even at her own expense - much to Clay's dismay and utter frustration.

Of course, Clay shares the very qualities that so worry him in Talin. Being a hero, it is only natural that he prefers to be the one who takes all the risks while the woman he loves is safe and sound at home. Even still, Clay respects the woman that Talin has grown into and it isn't long before he realizes he loves here even more now than he did when they were children.

As fans have come to expect with Singh's Psy-Changeling saga, there is a very intriguing suspense woven throughout Mine to Possess, and our intrepid couple will stop at nothing to solve it before it is too late. Easier said than done. Although their immediate mission is, of course, successful in the end, the ongoing story arc continues as the Psy threat to humanity and Changelings alike grows even more.

Anyone who enjoys a well-written paranormal romance will love not only Mine to Possess, but the entire Psy-Changeling series. Bear in mind that with the continuing storylines that span the books, they are best read in series order, with the exception of the novella Beat of Temptation published in the anthology An Enchanted Season. That story is a prequel and can easily be read out of order. If you are new to the series, be sure to buy all of them at once. Once you get started, you won't want to stop reading this series until you've reached the last one!

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

Connected Stories:
An Enchanted Season

The 5th book in the Psy/Changeling series by Nalini Singh (I'm including her short story) has finally reached my sunny shores. I have to be honest and say that going into this book I was very nervous. In all of the previous novels we have only heard about Clay, the main character, in asides. He has always been referred to as angry, and I guess I never really thought I'd like his story. So when I had the opportunity to read an ARC of the novel Mine to possess I was worried this might be my first bad review for Nalini.

Clay, a mature predatory Leopard Changeling belonging to the Dark River pack, is holding onto a deep anger that is starting to threaten his life. He once lost a woman that meant everything to him and then lost his freedom. Talin is a woman who has never finished dealing with her heart wrenching and dangerous childhood. The only constant at the time was her best friend and protector now known as Dark River's sentinel Clay.

After a parting of almost 2 decades they meet again. But Tally hasn't found Clay to attempt a reunion. She's there for help and has finally decided that the only person who can help her is the only friend she has ever had. He's strong and dangerous in his own right Tally knows that Clay will do all he can to help...if she can convince him. But once she starts to get to know Clay again she begins to realise that not falling for him is going to be the hardest part.

Like Nalini's other novels she develops an emotional and engaging story that I found hard to put down. I did feel that though there was definite climax to the story, there wasn't a lot of emotional climax. This doesn't mean that the novel doesn't keep you emotionally involved, it will, and it strikes lots of sparks, but it doesn't have the same emotional punch that some of the others have. On the other hand Nalini is one of the only authors that can make me cry like a girl and then again when I think about it later, so I think my bar on emotional involvement from Nalini is WAY too high.

The story allows for readers to revisit favourite characters again through the strong pack ties that the changelings hold to each other. Unlike many other novels, Nalini does this so that the other parts of the story in no way outweigh the main characters development. This novel also develops some new characters who I hope we'll have the opportunity to see more of. We also see more of the council and the Psy net. We also finally get to witness the goings on in the human world and just quietly, they aren't quite as helpless as I thought.

This book is a wonderful read. It makes me want the next one already. Nalini has woven a story that just makes the world she has created more developed and interesting without feeling strained or heavy on the information.

Nalini Singh has shot to the very tippy-top of my author auto-buy list with her latest novel, Mine to Possess.

Clay Bennett, a leopard changeling and a DarkRiver Sentinel, has intrigued me ever since he was introduced to us in Slave to Sensation. His exotic looks of coco skin and dark hair provided a perfect backdrop to showcase his intensely green eyes. While his dark exterior conveyed his mood and monosyllable speech told the world to back off; something just grabbed me from that very fist moment and never let go.

Clay's pain, we learn, is rooted in his self proclaimed failure to save his childhood friend, Talin McCade, from the horrible torture inflicted upon her by her stepfather. These glimpses into the past are laden with darkness yet the light of the friendship that Clay and Talin shared during their childhood was beautiful. It made you root from them, for their love, even when the future, so tainted by the blood of the past, made that love seem impossible.

Talin McCade, seemingly back from the dead, needs Clay's help to find her missing children that are disappearing off the streets. A Guardian of the Shine Foundation, Talin is a social worker for orphaned children. Her love and possessiveness of these children remind me of Changeling Pack, and their fierce protectiveness of their own. This trait immediately bonded me to Talin. This same possessiveness is projected on Clay from the start. God help any other woman who looks in his direction with anything more than civility. Although she is terrified of Clay she sucks up her pride and asks for his help. Clay can no more say no to Talin than he could stop the rain. Although he is furious over her secrets he still intends to help Talin and ultimately make her his in every changeling way.

I particularly loved all the scenes and dialogue devoted to Clay and Talin. Since Silence was not an issue here, Clay could immediately become possessive. From the very first page, we are alone with them together and silently offering encouragement while they battle to rise above the blood of the past and love each other without pain or punishment. The heat between the two was tangible and the love scenes were hot and emotionally intense.

The entire novel is peppered with cameos from our other beloved mated couples. Judd seems to have thawed out more while Faith is still learning to understand her emotions. Her protectiveness of Clay was really sincere and an interesting catalyst in regards to Talin understanding the depths of her feelings. Sascha's development was the most intriguing. She has really become `human' and out of all the changelings and Phy additions to the DarkRiver and SnowDancer packs, Talin, a human, related to her the most. We also got to see a lot of Dorian which sets up his story, Hostage to Pleasure, in the fall of 2008.

This addition to Ms. Singh's Phy/Changeling series was superb. The depth and clarity she brought the characters was truly awe inspiring. Mine to Possess now resides peacefully on my Keeper Shelf beside the first three novels in the series. I'll be waiting impatiently for her next.

This is the fourth book in Nalini Singh's Psy-Changling series. If you have enjoyed the others (Slave to Sensation, Visions of Heat, and Caresses by Ice) this one is a must read.

This is the story of DarkRiver loner sentinel Clay Bennett and his long lost love, Talin McKade.

Clay has been struggling with his dark side and is slowly slipping into the rage of his beast, becoming closer and closer to becoming a rogue, a changling who has lost his humanity. All of DarkRiver is concerned with Clay's withdrawal and slide into darkness. Hope enters Clay's life with the reappearance of Talin McKade, the best friend and the love of his life that he thought had died twenty years ago. Can he forgive her deception and take another chance at love? Or will his pain and rage push her away.

Talin, who is struggling with overcoming her fears from a childhood drenched in blood and pain, has come seeking help to track down the street kids that she has been working to protect and the killer that has been attacking them. Clay was the strongest man she had ever known and had been her one true moment of happiness in a childhood filled with pain, but fear and anger has replaced the trust and friendship that had once been between them. Can she overcome her fears and can she learn to trust Clay with her heart, soul and body?

This book was fantastic and a "keeper". A real pager turner that could not be put down. This story was both a riveting tale of true love and a suspenseful tale of tracking down the lost children and hunting down a killer before he can strike again. We meet new and exciting characters and see new facets of the characters we have already come to know and love. This story adds to the already lush and intriguing world of the Psy-Changlings with more history and for the first time we see how humans fit and interact within the Psy-Changling world.

The Psy- Changeling Series:

Slave to Sensation

Visions of Heat

Caressed by Ice

Mine to Possess

Hostage to Pleasure (Dorian's story, due for release in Sept. 2008)


Usually, I devour Nalini Singh's Psy- Changeling books. I was disappointed with this one. I found it very easy to put down, and never felt a great pull to read more and find out what happened next. The greatest dilemma between the main couple was far too easy to figure out early on, so it never built any real concern in me. Basically, the story just floated along without ever reaching any of the exciting peaks that we expect from Nalini Singh. It took me about a week to finish... that was a shock.

That being said, the ideas that the story is based upon are terrific. The characters are as vivid as always. Love scenes steamy, although you don't get to them until page 216. All of the major characters are included from previous books. Some new characters are introduced that definitely built my desire to continue reading this series. Despite my disappointment, I can't wait to read Dorian's story.



Clay and Talin were best friends as children. Growing up together in a low income apartment building, Clay made it his personal job to protect his little "Tally". At hearing her cry of distress, Clay burst into her foster- father's apartment to find the man molesting her. In blind rage, Clay tore the man to shreds. When the authorities took Clay away, he was sent to juvenile prison for several years. When he finally finished his time, Clay's first thought was for Tally. When he called the foster agency to ask for her location, Clay was told that she had died in a car accident. With his soul destroyed, Clay almost went rabid. It was then that the DarkRiver pack found and adopted him.

Two decades later:

Talin needs help fighting a beast who is abducting children from the youth help organization she works for. She only knows of one man who may be strong enough to fight the beast. Unfortunately, she believes he may be a beast himself. After watching Clay tear her foster- father to shreds as a child, she asked the foster agency to tell Clay she was dead. Knowing what he was capable of, she feared his temper could one day turn on her as well. Now, with children at risk, Talin knows that stopping the kidnapper is more important than her own safety.

Clay is torn apart all over again. Not only has his Tally been alive all these years, she has purposely let him believe she died, nearly destroying him with grief. Regardless, now that he has found her, he will never let her go. Something in his blood knows that Tally belongs to him. He'll do whatever it takes to erase her fear of his leopard half. He'll also help to save the children who are being stolen. The entire DarkRiver pack cherishes kids of all races. They will gladly take part in ending the threat.

Over the following weeks, the mystery begins to unfold. Learning that the kidnapper is now after Tally, Clay plans to deliver his death personally. He prays that Tally will not fear his predator nature again. She is his mate. Changelings mate only once, for life. If she dies, he will gladly follow.

Talin has choices to make. She loves Clay, but must overcome her fears. She not only fears his beast, she fears abandonment. Although she knows Clay didn't choose to leave as a child, her own inner child blames him for abandoning her. Worse, she believes that she has a degenerative brain disease. Soon, she will die. If she allows a mating to happen with Clay, it will mean the end of his life too. With so many odds against them, Tally feels the future is hopeless. Clay refuses to believe there is no cure for her disease. Leaning on his strength and hope, Talin decides to be grateful for the only true happiness she has ever known.



With all of that happening, how could I have been bored? The pace of the story dragged. The mystery of her disease was easily figured out. The children were saved so quickly that Clay barely broke a sweat.

Another thing that truly bothered me from start to finish was Talin's resentment of Clay. I can understand her being afraid after seeing the destruction he was capable of when enraged. That would be a lot for a child to deal with. But the fact that she held his imprisonment against him made me dislike her. He killed for her, went to prison for her, and never regretted a minute because it was worth it to him to know that she would never be touched by foster- father again. As a little girl, her immaturity may make her feel like he abandoned her. But at 28 she should have long outgrown that way of thinking. Also, the fact that she continued to let him grieve her for so many years was cruel. When reading a novel, if I don't like one of the main characters I find it hard to love the story.



If you'd like to read the whole series, which is terrific despite my disappointment in this book, here are the links of the books to date:

Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changelings, Book 1)

Visions of Heat (Psy-Changelings, Book 2)

Caressed By Ice (Psy-Changelings, Book 3)

("Mine to Possess" is book 4)



If you enjoy Paranormal Changeling romance novels, I highly suggest the "Immortals After Dark" series:

A Hunger Like No Other (The Immortals After Dark Series, Book 1) One of my personal all- time favorite romance novels!

No Rest for the Wicked (The Immortals After Dark, Book 2)

Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night (The Immortals After Dark, Book 3)

Not That Innocent (Anthology that includes a new IAD story!)

Dark Needs at Night's Edge (The Immortals After Dark Series, Book 4)

Dark Desires After Dusk (The Immortals After Dark, Book 5)

"Mine to Possess" wasn't what I was expecting from Clay's story; but I absolutely fell in love with the depth and play between Tally and Clay.

Singh made the characters seem real, with real problems and dilemmas, but on a touchable level. I felt like I was reading about friends I knew, rather than made-up characters; which is a comfort I don't often find in fiction.

The banter between Clay and Tally is endearing and captivating; and while the Psy development is kept rustling in the background (getting more dangerous and intriguing by the second)-- I love the focus on the relationship and friendship between two childhood soulmates. We don't often see the friendship in the background of love stories; and it was refreshing to find in this one.

Another plus for Singh is how she is able to incorporate past characters into her new book without diminishing why we fell in love with them or focusing too much attention on them. The quirkiness and endearment between the changelings and their mates and each other adds so much to the story; and it's nice to see the characters I love so much not disappearing into the background but growing as the stories move on.

This book was definitely a great, easy read, with likable characters; and an author that makes you feel like you know the characters personally, enabling you to feel their distress and laughter firsthand. A great new addition to the Psy-Changelings Series.