Obviously I have a review site specifically for reviewing books, but tonight I thought I would do something a little different. Tonight, I'm reviewing Branded by Fire over here. :) Enjoy!
Here's the honest truth...when I first started reading Nalini, I was really & truly not sure what I was getting into. I picked up Slave to Sensation about a year after it was published. Why I waited so long I will never know, because that book completely & totally transported me to another place. A place where humans, Psy, and changelings live side-by-side and have to deal with each other.
Reading about her Changelings is the biggest thrill for me. Something about humans who are also animals and how they deal with their dual natures just fascinates the living daylights out of me. I love how her males are dominant Alphas w/o going into obnoxious, masochistic cretins who make their heroines lives miserable. Instead, they're super tough, powerful men who treat their women with respect, love, and a great deal of passion.
Hands down my favorite book of this series is Caressed by Ice. There's something amazingly powerful about watching the damaged (but not broken) Brenna breaking through the wall of ice that surrounds Judd and watching the two of them fall in love is one of those amazing moments that I wish I could freeze in time.
Branded by Fire is an extremely close second. I've read every single book in this series and there hasn't been a major misstep yet (though Mine to Possess is my least favorite...I cannot stand Talin). The world building is so tightly constructed that you just know there will be an ultimate end game. I can't wait to see what happens next.
But what about Branded by Fire makes it my 2nd favorite of the series? It's 100% the chemistry between Mercy and Riley. Watching them scorch each other's clothes off as their attraction kicks in is a kick in the pants. Knowing that they're two different changeling species and how that will effect/affect them is pretty intense.
In this installment, it's their story, but the stories of others are also very much present. Sascha & Lucas have a lot to do with this story as does Hawke and the rest of the wolves. There's the Human Alliance and some twists there that were downright shocking. Sweet moments of love, passion, compassion, family, humor, etc. But also some downright dark and twisted moments that just about took my breath away.
Usually Nalini builds up the tension between the hero & heroine of each book until their passion explodes near the end. Not so with this book. The passion explodes from the very beginning and never really cools off. What I love the most about this book is that there was potential for one of my least favorite romance cliches to hit, but it didn't happen like I expected. Instead of being stupid and not talking to each other, they sucked it up and acted like grown-ups.
The sex is intense, but so is the fun and excitement they have with each other. Watching Riley, Mr. Staid and Buttoned-Up loosen up and play with Mercy is just yummy. Watching him interact with her family had some truly funny moments popping up here and there.
I know a lot of people wondered why Dev's story is next (esp. since he makes absolutely NO appearance in Branded by Fire), but as always, there's a very interesting snippet that'll make your head explode. If the heroine is who I think she is...all I can say is whoa!
And I know, there's not a lot of description going on here, but truly if I did that, I'd be giving a ton away. Let me just say that if you've read all the books in the series so far, you'll be blown away by all that she reveals (and doesn't). Do we know who the Ghost is? No, but we're getting closer. Is Kaleb good or bad? I know Katiebabs hopes he's good and so do I, but he's a tough nut to crack.
Is everything as it seems? Good question and one I hope she slowly, but surely reveals throughout the next few books. And she introduces us to a potential that I HOPE makes a bigger impact throughout the rest of the series. Because this potential? AWESOME!
Overall Rating: A-
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