Reviewer: Rowena Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh
Series: Psy/Changeling #6
Also in this series: Mine to Possess, Hostage to Pleasure, The Magical Christmas Cat , Kiss of Snow, Tangle of Need, Slave to Sensation , Wild Invitation, Heart of Obsidian, Shield of Winter, Shield of Winter, Visions of Heat, Mine to Possess, Caressed By Ice, Branded by Fire, Blaze of Memory, Mine to Possess, Hostage to Pleasure, Hostage to Pleasure, Shards of Hope, Shards of Hope, Heart of Obsidian, Caressed By Ice, Blaze of Memory, Play of Passion, Allegiance of Honor, Kiss of Snow, Tangle of Need, Shield of Winter, Shards of Hope, Allegiance of Honor, Allegiance of Honor, Wild Embrace, Wild Embrace, Wild Embrace, Silver Silence, Silver Silence, Tangle of Need, Ocean Light, Ocean Light , Caressed By Ice, Wolf Rain
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: July 7, 2009
Pages: 345
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Series Rating:
When a brilliant changeling researcher is kidnapped, DarkRiver sentinel Mercy, a cat, and SnowDancer lieutenant Riley, a wolf, must work together to track the young man-before his shadowy captors decide he's no longer useful. Along the way, the two dominants may find that submitting to one another uncovers not just a deadly conspiracy, but a passion so raw that it'll leave them both branded by fire.
Branded by Fire is the sixth book in the Psy/Changeling series by Nalini Singh and it follows SnowDancer Lieutenant Riley Kincaid and DarkRiver Sentinel Mercy Smith as they figure out that complicated mating journey between two different animals and packs.
Every since his younger sister was kidnapped and tortured by an evil Psy, Riley hasn’t been the same. He’s a lot meaner and a lot harder than he was before Brenna was taken. He’s happy that his sister is alive and well but he holds a lot of guilt for not being there to protect Brenna. He’s a loner by choice for now but Mercy Smith has always gotten under his skin and he’s done fighting the attraction. He wants her and her being a leopard be damned. He always figured that when he finally settled down and went looking for a mate, his mate would be the domesticated type. The kind to stay home and keep his home in order and bake cookies and what not. He wasn’t looking for Mercy. He wasn’t expecting Mercy to be anything but a temporary bed partner.
Mercy is one of the strongest sentinels in the DarkRiver pack and being a dominant female isn’t exactly helping her find a mate of her own. Everyone in her pack are pairing up and settling down but not her. She’s left behind but when Riley comes around and starts sniffing around her, she’s taken aback at the strength of her attraction to him. She doesn’t think that things could possible work between them since she’s a leopard and he’s a wolf. Aside from that, they both hold high callings in their packs and that is just one big complication that neither of them wants to deal with but when their attraction to each other turns into something more, it’s something that needs to be dealt with and Mercy is not ready for it.
I was dreading getting into this book because I didn’t want one of those headstrong heroines who is so stubborn and bitchy about a man coming in to help her. I also didn’t want to read about an alpha male who thought he knew what was best for the little woman but I shouldn’t have doubted Nalini Singh because she handled the issues between Riley and Mercy in a way that made me excited for more. I loved seeing both Riley and Mercy struggle with trying to make their relationship work. I loved that they got things wrong over and over again until finally, they got it right. It wasn’t a walk in the park for either of them and every issue that they had was worked through and solutions were found and I really dug it. I loved the family meeting Riley for the first time. I loved the amount of love that Mercy’s family had for her and I loved seeing Brenna and Drew again. I’m seriously looking forward to Drew’s book. His flirty personality gets me every time and I’m so ready for him.
As with every other book in this series, this book packs a bunch. There’s a lot going on outside of the romance between Riley and Mercy and I really enjoyed it all. I loved trying to figure out who the hell was behind all of the murders and I loved getting little pieces of other stories from the previous books that aren’t done yet. I loved trying to figure out where everything fits. This is one giant puzzle that is coming together and soon, everything is going to blow up and I’m so here for that. Nalini Singh is doing a great job with this series and I couldn’t be more excited for the rest of the books as I am right now.
I loved the romance between Riley and Mercy. I loved seeing all of the other characters that I have come to love and I’m looking forward to more Sienna and Hawke. Actually, I’m looking forward to more of everything. I highly recommend this book and this series. I’m late to the party with this book and if you haven’t started this series…why the heck not? Change that, your life won’t ever be the same. This is a great series.
Grade: 4.5 out of 5
Reading Order
Visions of Heat
Caressed by Ice
Mine to Possess
Hostage to Pleasure
Branded by Fire
Blaze of Memory
Bonds of Justice
Play of Passion
Kiss of Snow
Tangle of Need
Heart of Obsidian
Shield of Winter
Shards of Hope
Allegiance of Honor
I loved this book! I’m so glad you’re finally reading the series.