A rebel Psy scientist finds herself at the mercy of a changeling who has sworn vengeance against her kind in this thrilling romance in Nalini Singh’s New York Times bestselling series.Separated from her son and forced to create a neural implant that will mean the effective enslavement of her psychically gifted race, Ashaya Aleine is the perfect Psy—cool, calm, emotionless…at least on the … emotionless…at least on the surface. Inside, she’s fighting a desperate battle to save her son and escape the vicious cold of the PsyNet. Yet when escape comes, it leads not to safety, but to the lethal danger of a sniper’s embrace.
DarkRiver sniper Dorian Christensen lost his sister to a Psy killer. Though he lacks the changeling ability to shift into animal form, his leopard lives within. And that leopard’s rage at the brutal loss is a clawing darkness that hungers for vengeance. Falling for a Psy has never been on Dorian’s agenda. But charged with protecting Ashaya and her son, he discovers that passion has a way of changing the rules…
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Hostage to Pleasure is the fifth full-length novel to Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series. I was excited and nervous to read Dorian’s book, especially after reading the previous book. Although, I knew Nalini Singh wasn’t going to disappoint since her stories and characters are addicting.
Storyline/My Thoughts: I’m going to try to make this review short and sweet since I read this book a while ago and never got a chance to review it until now.
Dorian has become a favorite character of mine since he was introduced. He’s gone through so much that I couldn’t wait for him to get a HEA. He deserves it. However, I was worried after realizing who he would end up with since he still can’t trust a Psy. It took him a while to trust the ones who are now in his pack. He has a reason not to trust Psy since one killed his sister. Now, Dorian will protect the Psy in his pack with his life. One thing to know is that Dorian can’t shift, but that doesn’t stop him from being protective of his pack members. It also helps that he has all these skills to help with his pack, which I loved about him.
What about the female protagonist who wins over Dorian? (It takes a while, though, to win him over. I wouldn’t label these fated mates but enemies to lovers.) Ashaya Aleine is an M-Psy who was introduced in the previous book. She helped save children from the Psy since she didn’t like what her kind was doing to them. She has her own child to worry about, and she has the changelings to save her son. Now, the Psy has it out for Ashaya. The biggest threat is her twin sister, Amara. I really didn’t like Amara, and I sometimes didn’t like Ashaya. Amara was very possessive to her twin sister, and Ashaya was kind of protective of her sister. It drove me crazy.
Don’t get me wrong; I loved how Nalini had a female protagonist with a twin sister in the book. I hardly read books that involved twins in them. I wish more books had twins and even triplets, etc. However, this time, one twin was intimidating, especially after finding out why Ashaya has to protect her son from her twin sister.
My favorite parts in this book involved Ashaya’s son, Keenan. The sweet moments between him and his mother made the book for me. I also love how the other changelings took him in and protected him.
I loved the world-building and characters in this world that Nalini created, and I can’t wait to continue reading this series, so I can finally catch up on it. Overall, this book receives four stars. It may not have five stars, but I still enjoyed it.
Standalone or Part of Series: It’s part of a series and I highly recommend reading in order.
Steaminess: Some Steam.
HEA: Yes.
Would I recommend this book? Yes. I’ve recommended every book I’ve read from Nalini Singh. Since I found her Guild Hunter series, she’s become a favorite author, and now I’m enjoying the Psy/Changeling series. I highly recommend this series to Paranormal Romance readers.
2nd read: 2021
1st read: a few years ago
I’m doing a reread of this wonderful, paranormal series. I read this book when it was first published so it’s quite a few years ago and from what I remembered of it, this story wasn’t one of my favourites. But now after rereading it, I must say that I enjoyed it very much. That is the wonder of rereading books, sometimes you like the book more (or less) then the first time you read it.
We met Psy Ashaya in the previous book, she was the scientist who saved the human children Jon and Noor from a dangerous situation. There she acted like the perfect Psy, silence cold, without emotions. I was very curious how she and Dorian would become a couple. Because even after all this time Dorian still blamed the Psy for his younger sister’s dead and he still wanted vengeance, especially against the Psy council. And as a scientist, Ashaya worked for the council on a special project.
The writer did a wonderful job of slowly building the relationship between Ashaya and Dorian. With each chapter we learned more of Ashaya’s thoughts, emotions and secrets. And with each chapter you could feel Dorian and his animal falling more and more for her. Both characters carried a deep pain in their heart and so both were struggling with their emotions and their conscience, so in its own way it was also an emotional read. Ashaya and Dorian were strong characters, very protective of the people that they loved.
And Dorian may be latent (he can’t shift into his cat form) but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t dangerous too. He’s a sentinel and just as dangerous as the other sentinels.
Ashaya’s son Keenan was so sweet and acted to mature at times. It was wonderful to see how he changed from a silent Psy child to a more playful child during the story.
The writer wrote another great story.
Dorian and Ashaya!
Scientist Ashaya Aleine was the Council’s expert on trying to make a chip that would give them a hive mentality but their only their only control on Ashaya is keeping her son under their thumb. But meeting DarkRiver Sentinel Dorian Christensen when she helped Noor and Jon escaped during Mine to Possess changed everything.
The sparks that fly between a Psy under Silence and a latent leopard that hates the Psy because on of theirs killed his sister is huge but getting them to admit that is huge.
Buy the series because you will have many stories about many different couples and pairings so enjoy!
Ashaya Aleine portrays herself as the perfect psy. But inside she is fighting a desperate battle to save her son and free herself from the PsyNet. What she doesn’t expect is to find safety in an angry sniper’s embrace.
Finally Dorian’s book! Dorian is a latent shifter, meaning he can’t shift, but that doesn’t stop him from being one of the top lieutenants for the DarkRiver pack. He is a deadly sniper, an architect, and a computer nerd. He hasn’t let his lack of shifting hold him back, if anything it pushed him to be the best at everything else. Dorian is struggling with his anger at the psy for the death of his sister. He hates them all and when he finds himself attracted to Ashaya he doesn’t know how to handle it. He makes a lot of mistakes with Ashaya in the beginning but he does eventually get it right.
I really liked Ashaya. She is different from the other Psy because she has already broken Silence but still uses it to hide from the council. This was a nice change of pace for the psy in this series because we have already had three books with Psy breaking Silence. I am very interested in seeing how the rest of the Psy it he series will deal with Silence. Also I do like that the Psy have vall different kinds of abilities. Ashaya’s ability with DNA was quite fascinating.
The relationship between Ashaya and Dorian was heated and intense. They are enemies and it takes a long time, especially for Dorian, to get over those prejudices. I quite enjoyed their push and pull between them. This book also continues the war with the Psy. We see more unrest in the PsyNet and are introduced to a new potential enemy, the Human Alliance. I am looking forward to the next book and seeing what will happen next.
The world is very different in this future timeline. There are three races: Psy, changelings, and humans. The Psy use their x-men-esque powers to control the world. Changelings are shape shifters. And as we all know, humans are resilient lol. Ashaya Aleine is a perfect Psy doctor who’s research was endangering children. The Council is using her son as a hostage, but it doesn’t stop her from working with the changlings to save the innocent. Dorian can’t shift into his leopard, but he is plenty dangerous. His grudge against the Psy for killing is sister and his duty to protect the doc and her son are at war. But love makes everything complicated! Happy Reading!
Nalini Singh is an excellent writer. She creates believable worlds and writes really good stories. I always carve time out of my schedule to sit down and immerse myself in her writings.
The heroine has had to live her life making tough choices, choosing between bad andworse. She is one of the psy, a race that has dedicated themselves to living without emotions; she is a scientist, and she is forced by her government to work on a neural implant that will turn her race into slaves. They hold her child as hostage. And she must get help to free her son and herself, plus the enslaved children in the facility where she works.
Read this series in order to best appreciate the story.
I’ve learned that I really like it when a hero misjudges the heroine. I relished the idea of when he would find out he had been wrong about her. Not sure why or what that says about me.
I loved it even more when the heroine refused to defend herself. It made it that when he realized the truth, it was so much sweeter. Thankfully he never mistreated her. He wasn’t kind but he didn’t do anything that I couldn’t get past as a reader.
Things with the Psy Council seems to be escalating. I can’t wait for them to fall but then I know the series will be over when that happens. I’m not ready for this series to be over. Off to the next book…
I so loved Dorian’s book ,he is just plain awesome , this book rules 🙂
Dorian is so intriguing,everything about him is awesome,i loved the fact that even tho he can’t shift he doesn’t let that stop him from being a total bad ass , he’s so funny and boy does he have charm or what,i loved how his story came into place ,i thought it was great that he was finally able to let himself be happy ,after his sister’s death i wasn’t sure that would ever happen but he totally fell for Ashaya even tho he didn’t want to at first ,it was also great to see him bond with Keanna and now thinks of the kid as his own ,they make a great family ,i loved their book 🙂
Kick ass series hands down ,this series is a must read for anyone who loves Shifters & Psychically gifted people then this the book for you .
I’m working my way through Ms Singh’s fabulous Psy/Changling series. It’s like nothing I’ve ever read before. Hostage to Pleasure is another enjoyable edition. If you haven’t already read this series, you’re missing out!
This is a re-read for me as I’m an avid fan of all this author’s works. I’ve read all the books in this series, Psy-Changeling, and am anticipating her new novel about these wonderful people to be released on June 14th, Allegiance of Honor. In my re-read I fell in love with Dorian, Ashaya Keenan all over again. There were quite a few fond memories that just brought on all the feels and knowing what’s going to happen next made it more wonderful to me. Ms. Singh’s Psy-Changeling series gives us a different world to believe in. A world where changelings, humans, and the Silence of Psy are all together. It was exhilarating to find an author with this type of vivid magination that you felt was real. Again an enjoyable re-read. Loved it!!!
Hostage to Pleasure’ is book 5 in Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling Series.
OH-MY-GOD!!! I loved, loved, LOVED this book. The chemistry between Dorian/Blondie/Boy Genius and Ashaya, wow. This book will have you screaming at these two to get over the insecurities and trust issues they have, then it will have you loving with them, then crying when the bond is finally excepted, then finally cheering when the transformation happens. I can not praise this book enough. I would have to say that this book would have to be equally my favourite along side ‘Slave to Sensation’ sorry but I Love Lucas and Sascha too much to forget them… The heartache and turmoil over younger sisters that Dorian and Ashaya share has you jumping with joy and wanting more when these two are finally able to be happy….
Dorian Christensen is a Sentinel for the DarkRiver Leopard Pack. Dorian has never been able to shift to cat form, being latent all his life. Dorian is a ticking time bomb with a short fuse waiting to go. He has not been able to get over the hatred he has to the Psy after he looses his sister Kylie in the most horrific way possible. But when he looked down the barrel of his sniper to this ice cold Psy, that he can’t seem to get out of his head, things seem to change for him and he’s not sure what to make of it. Especially when he sees her with her son and realises it’s all a show.
Ashaya Aleine is a M-Psy, one the the top scientists for the Psy council. When Ashaya asked a sniper to get her son and protect him from the Psy she never thought that she would fall for him
Another awesome novel by Nalini Singh. Amazingly well written and complex, but compelling characters and steamy romance ensnared me from the start. Plus Dorian was a hot, tortured hero. Have to love it!
This book is HOT!!
Hostage to Pleasure was an enjoyable read but there is just something about this series that I can’t put my finger on. Something that is missing that is keeping this series from being a amazing unforgettable read for me. Maybe it’s the way the Psy are all pretty much the same flat and sometimes boring persons, or maybe it’s that the whole way the mating works isn’t 100% clear. Normally with mate books there is some kind of sign that tells them they are mates. In this series they all seem to float around not figure it out til close to the end of the book. I don’t know but there is just something a bit off for me. Still I am enjoying this series.
great book, wonderful series that is a must read
On of my favourite author. I hav ed read this series.
I have not read one of her books that wasn’t great. She has never disappointed.
So glad to find a book in the Nalini Singh psy-changling series that I hadn’t read. Be orepared to read into the night!
I love all of Nalini Singh’s books and I particularly love this series.