Branded by Fire

Before I begin, I adored this book, but something seemed to niggle at the back of my mind whilst I read it and it gained 5 stars because of my adoration of the characters and the secondary characters, not the overall ‘plot’ as such. Mercy is a dominant female and she defines female independence and intelligence. She is a sentinel and that makes her not your cute ‘kitty cat’. You are certainly kept on your toes with her mood swings and kick ass nature, but throughout it all she becomes a character you can’t help but fall in love with. At the heart of her character outside her crusty exterior is a woman who has a heart just as much as every other women. Riley we haven’t seen much of until now. We know him as Brenna’s overprotective brother and he’s certainly making his stance in the novel. It’s hard to forget his imposing character and he made me want to drool. This book does not know the meaning to slow build up, everything is fast, hard and a struggle for dominance, but it works and it doesn’t take away from the nature of the story. I’m partial to believing this is because it’s the first changeling-changeling pair we’ve met together. It was an interesting story because these two weren’t from the same pack, so the cross pack dilemma is raised as well as the truth about female sentinels. Secondary characters are something some authors fail to really achieve in the sense that they develop their own personalities and quirks. Singh is a master! She incorporates every tale we’ve seen previously, and teases us with the prospect of new pairings. This particularly story looked more into the Alpha pairing and Amara and Ashaya. These really made the book well-rounded because a constant presence in Riley and Mercy’s relationship I fear would have made the book dry out. The plot is your hot man + hot woman = sex and a happy ever after. In that we get: ■A denial ■A family initiation ■Lots of hot sex ■The couple on the verge of losing one and other ■Dilemma averted by the end In between we get road blocks and curve balls that you don’t expect and they are introduced largely by the secondary characters, but it seems to fall into the A + B = C slot for me in terms of plot. I did in large enjoy the story, I just felt like the plot was becoming overused. If Singh intends to spice up the series and keep it going, then I hope we don’t continue along the similar lines of a relationship forming and when it cements the lovers end in peril. It’s one of those problems with the paranormal world that everything seems to become the ‘same’. However despite my feeling of familiarity with the plot, I adored the book! I would recommend it to fans of Singh, fans of wild animal romances and paranormal romance lovers!

Riley and Mercy are so much alike their mating seems impossible. Both dominant, they've made a point of goading each other for years now but, much to both their dismay, it's become obvious there is more to their goading than friendly rivalry.Add in the fact one is wolf changeling and the other feline and you've got an oil and water mix that's seems impossible to come together.While they attempt to work through their highly charged emotions for each other, someone- or a group of someones- are trying to make their mark on the world by committing murders that look to be psy in nature- murders that would put the races at war far quicker than anyone wants. But everything is not all it seems and when packmates are kidnapped, Riley and Mercy must set aside their mating dance to bring an end to the chaos that's boiling just below the surface.Couple things-First: The Cover. Is it me or does that couple look like they're sixteen years old? ugh. That's is such a turnoff for an adult novel. Save it for YA's mmmkay?Second: It took me FOREVER to get through this book, considering how I inhaled the previous entries in Singh's psy/changling series. The plot was not interesting enough to get me past how much I disliked the characters- well disliked Mercy anyway.Third: The Heroine. Mercy stomped around through most of the book talking about how "alpha" she was- only she just came off like a little angry girl trying to prove she's tougher than she really is. VERY annoying. I didn't get to like this book til the end when she finally accepted Riley, unfortunately it was almost over by then.Needless to say this one was a major disappointment.2.5 out of 5 from me. Not a DNF- but close to it.

The DarkRiver Sentinel Mercy, seeing all those that she looks up to and admires, involved with their mates, leaves her in need for one as well, even though its frustrating to no end on how happy everyone around her seems to be, but Mercy feeling a bit lost, until Riley Kincaid, starts to work with her to find a young researcher that has been kindapped. But as they get closer, the heat between Riley and Mercy becomes near explosive, with both dominant, they wonder how this could ever work between them, because if the mating heat comes, Mercy knows that she could never submit to Riley, which could destroy her in the end. Branded By Fire is defnitely one of the most heated of the Psy Changeling Series, of course they are all filled with romance and passion, however this story is a bit different than the others. Both characters are part of two different packs, and they are both dominants, and one or both will have to become submissive for their mating. As with all this series that Nalini Singh has created, I found it hard to put down, and kept flipping the pages as fast I could read them, taken into a world of adventure, intrigue, and wild passion that will smoke up the room with heat. I definitely enjoyed this wild ride that Singh has taken this reader on, ensnaring me on this endearing story of how love can be found in least expectation scenarios, filled with surprises and mysteries along the way. Definitely another one that I have fallen in love with in this author!!

Branded by Fire is the sixth full-length novel in Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series. It features DarkRiver sentinel Mercy paired with SnowDancer lieutenant Riley. These two are both dominants in their packs, with Riley being the right-hand man of SnowDancer alpha Hawke, while Mercy is an invaluable and trusted soldier to her own alpha, Lucas. They’ve worked together as liaisons between their packs and generally tend to rub each other the wrong way. However, their relationship in this book gets off to a steamy start with them giving in to their animal lust in Chapter 1, but they think it’s only a one-night stand to scratch their itch after both going through a dry spell. As dominants, they don’t know if there can ever be anything more between them, because they both chafe at the idea of submitting to the other. Also with one of them being a wolf and the other being a leopard, their inner beasts are innately wary of one another, and they don’t know if their human sides can overcome that. But it doesn’t stop them from getting horizontal over and over again, while discovering that their feelings may run a lot deeper than they anticipated. While they try to figure things out, a political maelstrom is brewing. The Human Alliance ramps up their efforts to exert control in a world where they feel increasingly left behind, a plot to assassinate the entire Psy Council is uncovered, and several Psy seemingly go crazy, committing high profile acts of public violence. It was a very eventful book that provided a great deal of intrigue as the greater Psy-Changeling story arc continues to develop, while definitely not skimping on the love, romance, and steamy goodness between our main couple.Riley and his siblings lost their parents at a young age, and although the pack cared for all of them afterward, he’s felt solely responsible for his younger sister and brother ever since. He grew up into a strong, dominant warrior for whom pack is everything. As Senior Lieutenant, Riley is the second-highest ranking member of the SnowDancer wolf pack, reporting directly to alpha Hawke. He’s earned the nickname, The Wall, because of both his strength and his stoicism. He has a reputation for never losing his cool and can sometimes be hard to read. Because of his strong sense of responsibility to both family and pack, he still bears some emotional scars and guilt from when his sister, Brenna, was kidnapped and mind-raped by a brutal Psy serial killer way back in Slave to Sensation, the first book of the series, even though she’s since fully recovered. When he has nightmares from it and seeks out Mercy’s comfort, it was a sweet moment of vulnerability for him. During his work as pack liaison, Mercy has driven him a little crazy, but there’s an undeniable physical attraction between them. After their first steamy night together, Riley doesn’t think he can get enough of Mercy, but it’s a difficult road to finding a balance in their relationship and getting to a place where their animal sides can trust one another completely. Riley screws up a few times along the way, but despite being a dominant, he isn’t unreasonable, nor too stubborn to learn from his mistakes. He’s good at finding compromises, even to the point of being willing to leave his own pack if necessary in order to be with Mercy. He’s also a deliciously generous lover.Mercy comes from a good family and she loves them to pieces even though they sometimes meddle in her personal life. Her brothers tend to be bossy, while her grandmother, who is alpha of her Brazilian pack, thinks it’s high time for Mercy to get mated, and since her prospects in DarkRiver are slim to none, she sends a couple of her most attractive pack members to woo her granddaughter. Of course, this only serves to annoy Mercy and inflame jealousy in Riley. Mercy may not be interested in the Brazilian hotties, but with all her other fellow DarkRiver sentinels already mated, she’s starting to feel rather left out. She wants someone to share her life with, but fears that as a dominant, she might not be able to find someone who can respect her independence while also being strong enough to handle being with her. After eight months of celibacy, she’s also craving affection. For Changelings, physical touch and intimacy are like air and water to them, so when Riley shows interest, she can’t resist. Then he rocks her world, bringing her back for more. Soon Mercy finds that she’s drawn to Riley in more than a sexual way, but at the same time, she has doubts that two people who butt heads so often could make a good match. I usually tend to relate better to sweeter, more submissive type heroines, so alpha heroines can often be dicey for me. Knowing how dominant Mercy could be from her appearances in the previous books, I wasn’t sure how well I would like her, but I’m happy to say that she ended up being pretty relatable. She does get her back up a few times, which in other similar heroines, I’ve found to be rather annoying and bitchy. But with Mercy, it was more a case of her letting Riley know where her boundaries are, so she didn’t really push my buttons. She can also be reasonable enough to find middle ground and has a more loving, giving side as well, wanting to take care of Riley in the same way he takes care of her.Branded by Fire boasts a plethora of supporting characters, many of whom have their own stories in the series. Lucas and Sascha (Slave to Sensation) play prominent roles with some interesting new developments in their lives. Hawke (Kiss of Snow) has an important role as well, while the tension between him and Sienna, his eventual heroine, increases, leading to a somewhat surprising change for her, too. All of the other DarkRiver sentinels, Nate (“Beat of Temptation” from Wild Invitation), Vaughn (Visions of Heat), Clay (Mine to Possess), and Dorian (Hostage to Pleasure), as well as SnowDancer lieutenants Indigo (Play of Passion) and Judd (Caressed by Ice) all look after their packs and help with investigating the kidnapping of a Lynx Changeling under DarkRiver protection. Riley’s brother Drew who becomes Indigo’s mate and his sister, Brenna, who is Judd’s mate, both support and tease their older sibling. We’re introduced to Mercy’s oldest brother, Bastien, who becomes the hero of the novella, Secrets at Midnight. Pack healers, Tamsyn, who is Nate’s mate, and Lara (“Texture of Intimacy” from Wild Invitation) help out during a couple of medical emergencies, while Tammy also gives Mercy advice. We’re introduced to Bowen, a human, who becomes the hero of Ocean Light. Kaleb (Heart of Obsidian) continues to be the enigmatic Psy Councilor who is equal parts deadly and cunning. I can’t wait to uncover all of his secrets. Then last, but not least, Psy Arrow Vasic (Shield of Winter) is briefly seen.Overall, Branded by Fire was another excellent book in this series that I very much enjoyed. Mercy and Riley may not have been officially engaged in the mating dance until late in the story, but they take part in a dance of sorts throughout the entire book that was fun to read. With two dominant characters like they are, it could have been really frustrating reading for me, but each of them gradually gives a little in order to find the perfect middle ground that will make it possible for them to become mates. They may push each other’s buttons from time to time, but they never annoyed me or made me feel like they were constantly at each other’s throats, which was a major plus. The intrigue that progressed the overall series story arc was nicely woven into the background, although I have to admit that there was so much happening on so many different fronts that it did get a bit confusing at times. I figured out most of it by the end, but there were one or two small things that weren’t entirely clear to me, which is why I dropped the half-star. Otherwise, this was a great story that kept me engaged and has left me eager to pick up the next book soon.

This book's romance has two top changelings one from the leopards and the other from the wolves fall for each other. The wolf has a hard time with the relationship since she is a dominate and she doesn't want to submit to her leopard lover. Lots of frustration in the relationship so they can have hotter makeup sex. The Psy are dealing with someone controlling them and having them kill humans and changelings. Not too much new is pushed on that end of the plot except for a gesture that Sascha's mother sends her a book that should help her use her empathy.

3.5 stars

Branded by Fire was OK. I really liked Mercy and Riley. I thought they made a great couple, even though it was hard for them to relent at times. I felt there was way too much going on in the story and it seemed to really bog things down. Not the best in the series, but a decent read nonetheless.