Tag Archives: Nalini Singh

Last Guard (Nalini Singh)

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Last Guard is the fifth novel of the Psy-Changeling Trinity Series (or the 20th novel of the Psy-Changeling Series) by Nalini Singh.
Finished on: 1.8.2021
[Here are my reviews of the other books in the Psy-Changeling series.]

Content Note: child abuse, (critical treatment of) ableism

Plot:
As part of the Mercant family, Canto is well-connected and has always been protected by them – meaning that despite the fact that he doesn’t conform to Psy ideas of perfection as he’s a wheelchair user, he could still rise in the family ranks and is now in the unique positions to bring together a Psy designation that has been mostly forgotten: the anchors like him. One of those anchors is Payal Rao, tough CEO of the Rao family conglomerate and Canto know that he needs her cooperation to make his plan of an anchor union work. What he didn’t expect when they finally meet in person, was that he actually knows Payal from when they were children – and their old connection immediately comes back to life again.

Last Guard gives us quite a few new perspectives in a world that has been firmly established – not an easy thing to pull off without feeling shoehorned in, but Singh manages it. And I liked Payal and Canto, making the book a full success for me.

[Let me just take a quick moment to say that I can’t believe that I read 20 books in this series, not counting the short story collections, within well over a decade and I am still having fun with the series as a whole.]

The book cover showing an Indian palace with palm trees, overlayed with a woman standing, overlayed yet again with a man's face, all in pink and black.
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Cherish Hard (Nalini Singh)

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Cherish Hard is the first novel in the Hard Play series by Nalini Singh.
Finished on: 11.4.2021
[Here’s my review of Rock Hard that is the last of this series, but also second of her Rock Kiss series.]

Plot:
Ísa dreams of having the kind of stable family she never had growing up. But for that she first needs to find a partner who is just as ready to settle down as she is. The hot gardener working at her school, Sailor, does not fit that bill. Running his own business with ambitious plans for his future and a few years younger than her, he is certainly not the kind of guy she is looking for. And yet, Ísa can’t keep her eyes off him. When fate, or rather Ísa’s CEO mother, forces them to work together, it’s the possibility for Sailor to convince Ísa that he is in it for the long haul – because he is head over heels for her.

Cherish Hard is a fun read, but not one of Singh’s best novels, I’d say. I liked both Ísa and Sailor, but I wasn’t as invested in their story as I would have liked – or even expected to be.

The book cover showing a shirtless man with a shovel in his hand.
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Rock Wedding (Nalini Singh)

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Rock Wedding is the fourth (and final) novel in the Rock Kiss series by Nalini Singh.
Finished on: 25.7.2020
[Here are my reviews of the rest of the series.]

Content Note: miscarriages, fat hate

Plot:
Sarah barely got over her divorce from Abe, after a short but intense relationship that involved too much pain and Abe doing drugs. Then Sarah slid into the next bad relationship and only just got out of that. It is time for Sarah to get on safe ground again. But Abe, by now sober and full of regrets, finds that there is an opening for a second chance for them. And Sarah barely dares to hope that this might actually be the case, but hope she still does. But can they leave their tumultous and destructive past behind?

Rock Wedding is the grand finale of the Rock Kiss series and as the title suggests, it is filled with weddings left and right. Now, I’m not so much in to weddings myself and I was also not that much into Abe and Sarah’s story. In the end, Rock Wedding left me a little too cold.

The book cover showing a Black man playing the piano. The shot is in black and white.
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Alpha Night (Nalini Singh)

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Alpha Night is the fourth novel of the Psy-Changeling Trinity Series (or the 19th novel of the Psy-Changeling Series) by Nalini Singh.
Finished on: 20.6.2020
[Here are my reviews of the other books in the Psy-Changeling series.]

Content Note: ableism/saneism

Plot:
With the first ever Empath convention happening, and knowing that Empaths are integral for the survival of the Psy, tensions are high and the Arrows are running security. One of them is Ethan who runs into alpha wolf Selenka who fears the repercussions of the convention on her city. Selenka and Ethan are both more than surprised by the instant bond between them. They literally mate at first sight – a myth that isn’t supposed to be actually real. Now they need to figure out what to do with that even as Ethan fears his abilities slipping, and the politics around them demand full attention.

Alpha Night was another good and quick read, but it is probably not among my favorites in the series – I took issue with the way they dealt with Ethan’s mental health.

The book cover showing the face of a man with amber eyes in front of a night sky full of stars.
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Rock Redemption (Nalini Singh)

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Rock Redemption is the third novel in the Rock Kiss series by Nalini Singh.
Finished on: 1.6.2020
[Here are my reviews of the rest of the series.]

Content Note: child abuse/pedophilia, stalking (not in the main couple)

Plot:
Actress Kit and guitar player Noah used to be really close and there was definitely sexual tension brewing between them. But before anything more could happen, Kit walked in on Noah sleeping with one of the band’s groupies – and they both knew he wanted her to find him like this. Any trust between them was destroyed and Kit’s heart thoroughly broken. Then one night, she receives a call from Noah and he is not in a good place at all. Despite her own worries – she has a stalker – she picks Noah up from a sketchy motel super drunk and this close to doing hard drugs. Looking at all the pieces of their relationship so far, Kit and Noah decide to try to rebuild their friendship, hard as it may be to navigate all the hurt.

Rock Redemption is the usual quick, engaging read I have come to expect from Singh, though it follows the normal structure of her stories a little less than usual. I had no problem with that, but I did struggle a little with Noah and his pain.

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Rock Hard (Nalini Singh)

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Rock Hard is the second novel in the Rock Kiss series by Nalini Singh, though it also ties in with her Hard Play series.
Finished on: 26.3.2020
[Here’s my review of the rest of the series.]

Content Note: abusive relationship, stalking (not in the main couple)

Plot:
Charlie works as a record keeper in a company and just got a new boss, former professional football player and known corporate hard-ass Gabriel Bishop. Their first meeting isn’t very great when he suprises her at the office when she thinks she is alone, her shock and subsequent mortification further increasing her already strong shyness. But Gabriel soon realizes that Charlie is an exceptional worker and promotes her to his personal assistant. As they work together more and more, Gabriel knows that he is falling for Charlie. But Charlie has demons haunting her from the past that may keep her from going for romance.

Charlie and Gabriel’s story is hinted at in Rock Addiction and was the main reason I wanted to continue with this series. And hot damn, it absolutely fulfilled my hopes in being a wonderful read with intriguing characters. I blazed through it.

The book cover showing a guy in a suit, tie undone, shirt open, holding an American football.
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Rock Courtship (Nalini Singh)

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Rock Courtship is a novella set between the first and second novel in the Rock Kiss series by Nalini Singh.
Finished on: 15.3.2020
[Here’s my review of the first novel in the series.]

Plot:
David, drummer of the band Schoolboy Choir, has been in love with their publicist Thea since about forever. His first attempt to ask her out, though, was a catastrophe: she blocked him off so cooly, he barely recovered. When Thea’s half-sister Molly advises him to write her a memo, he decides it’s worth a chance. And his memo does have a great effect on Thea – the question is, can she look past their professional relationship as well as her recent bad break-up to take the plunge with him?

Rock Courtship is a sweet, quick read. In fact, it could have been a little longer – I think it suffered a little from the fact that it was only a novella. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it.

The book cover showing the back of a guy in a shirt, holding drum sticks.
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Wolf Rain (Nalini Singh)

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Wolf Rain is the third novel of the Psy-Changeling Trinity Series (or the 18th novel of the Psy-Changeling Series) by Nalini Singh.
Finished on: 22.8.2019
[Here are my reviews of the other books in the Psy-Changeling series.]

Plot:
E-Psy Memory was kidnapped and imprisoned for many years, but she has been finally freed – by Alexei, one of SnowDancer’s wolves. But the danger for Memory is far from over as her captor really wants her – and her abilities – back. Alexei is not about to let this happen, though, especially since Memory quickly obliterates all the barriers he has built between himself and the rest of the pack. Alas, there is a reason for those barriers that isn’t as quickly broken.

Wolf Rain brings us back to familiar places and faces while expanding Singh’s already quite extensive world. It will definitely satisfy fans of the series – as it did me.

The book cover showing the face of blond man in front of a a rainy night sky.
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Rock Addiction (Nalini Singh)

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Rock Addiction is the first novel in the Rock Kiss series by Nalini Singh.
Finished on: 15.12.2018

Plot:
Molly has always played it safe in her life, following the rules, careful not to attract undue attention. But when she meets rockstar Zachary Fox at an event, sparks fly and Molly allows herself one night without her usual restraint. After that night, Fox is not read to give her up. Instead he suggests that they take a month for their fling. In that time, he hopes to win her over entirely, while Molly still dreads the media spotlight that will necessarily fall upon her by his side.

I have been reading Singh’s Psy-Changeling series for a while now (and still love it), but her Guild Hunter series wasn’t my cup of tea. So, when she announced a new series that centers a rock band, I didn’t jump at it because rock bands also aren’t necessarily my thing (well, to listen to, absolutely, but to fantasize about, not so much). But then there was a day where this novel was free, so I thought, it’s the ideal opportunity to see if I didn’t love it after all. And what can I say? I guess I have another series of Singh’s that I’m going to follow now.

The book cover showing a shirtless guy with a tattoed arm and a microphone in his hand.
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Ocean Light (Nalini Singh)

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Ocean Light is the second novel of the Psy-Changeling Trinity Series (or the 17th novel of the Psy-Changeling Series) by Nalini Singh.
Finished on: 3.8.2018
[Here are my reviews of the other books in the Psy-Changeling series.]

Plot:
Much of the world believes Bowen Knight to be dead. But he has been hidden with the BlackSea changelings where he is recuperating. At least as much as one can recuperate with a degrading chip in one’s brain that is pretty sure to kill you. Kaia Luna is also hiding in the BlackSea compound, but for her own reasons. She now works as a chef for the changelings and has a good life. She really doesn’t need a dying human to make her life more complicated. Or does she?

This far into the series I probably can’t say much about it that I haven’t said before. Ocean Light in any case delivers what the previous novels promised and delivered as well. The dynamic and structure hardly change, but since that’s what I read these novels for, I’m not complaining about it. In fact, I enjoy it.

The book cover in a golden color scheme, showing the silhouettes of a man and a woman, a lot of water and a bit of Venice.
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