Massive Read-a-thon

So without meaning to I began a read-a-thon of the Psy-Changeling series from Nalini Singh (seriously if you haven't tried these books you are missing out). Since I want to finish or at least catch up to this series I thought to myself huh let's read as many as I can, hence the read-a-thon.


I started where any good reader with OCD would start at the beginning

Title: Slave to Sensation
Series #er: 1
Page #ers: 352
Published Date: 2006

Summary:
In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of "rehabilitation" - the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was...

Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain. After centuries of uneasy coexistence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that this ice-cold Psy is very capable of passion - and that the animal in him is fascinated by her. Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities - or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation...

First Read: 2007
2nd Read: 2009
3rd Read: 2015

Thoughts:
This one is still one of my top 5 of the series. I love it because it is the book that hooks you into this world. We learn the differences between the Psy and Changeling races. It introduces us to the Dark River clan and what their structure and lives are like. We meet the "major" players that at some time or another will have their own story lines even thought it doesn't feel as a "Let me introduce this character b/c they are next to get their story in my series" introductions. We also get to see what an alpha male is like and why he is like that.
The world is believable and is created in such a way that you want to know more about these cats and freaking wolves that work together to protect their own. Add to the mix the mystery of the Psy race and the reasoning behind the Silence protocol. The mystery that deals with both races is interesting making the reader curious as to who is killing females and why? We know that he killer is not a changeling and that leaves the readers questioning the psy protocol and issues with their system. Learning about the net and what that is and also learning about the one psy who isn't fitting in was very curious to me.
I enjoyed this book enough to re-read it for the 3rd time and still enjoyed diving back into this world and series.

Next up:

Title: Visions of Heat
Series #er: 2
Page #er: 332
Published Date: 2007

Summary:
Used to cold silence, Faith NightStar is suddenly being tormented by dark visions of blood and murder. A bad sign for anyone, but worse for Faith, an F-Psy with the highly sought after ability to predict the future. Then the visions show her something even more dangerous - aching need...exquisite pleasure. But so powerful is her sight, so fragile the state of her mind, that the very emotions she yearns to embrace could be the end of her.

Changeling Vaughn D'Angelo can take the form of either man or jaguar, but it is his animal side that is overwhelmingly drawn to Faith. The jaguar's instinct is to claim this woman it finds so utterly fascinating and the man has no argument. But while Vaughn craves sensation and hungers to pleasure Faith in every way, desire is a danger that could snap the last threads of her sanity. And there are Psy who need Faith's sight for their own purposes. They must keep her silenced - and keep her from Vaughn.

First Read: 2008
2nd Read: 2009
3rd Read: 2015

Thoughts
I have no shame I have to say that I really, really, really enjoy Vaughn he is just too much and yet finds the right mate in Faith. And I have to admit I love Faith this is not usually the case. Now that I've said all that this one was also interesting. Not only do we have another psy that is breaking protocol we have one that is a powerful foreseer which introduced us to yet more levels in the psy community. The other interesting part of this book was the introduction to the Council of the psy and how they work behind the scenes. It was a great 2nd book which is not normally the case. Not only did we learn more about one of my favorite cats we also learned a great deal about the psy community and what they are attempting to accomplish. This was a good book b/c it didn't have a great mystery to solve or a complex sub-plot. In fact the whole point of the story was connecting Vaughn with Faith and what that would entail. I did like the ending with Faith's father and what that would look like and will in the future books on this world. Again clearly one of my favorites soly based on the fact I read it for the third time in this read-a-thon. 

Then I moved on to

Title: Caressed by Ice
Series #er: 3
Page #er: 352
Published Date: 2007

Summary:
As an Arrow, an elite soldier in the Psy Council ranks, Judd Lauren was forced to do terrible things in the name of his people. Now he is a defector, and his dark abilities have made him the most deadly of assassins - cold, pitiless, unfeeling. Until he meets Brenna...

Brenna Shane Kincaid was an innocent before she was abducted - and had her mind violated - by a serial killer. Her sense of evil runs so deep, she fears she could become a killer herself. Then the first dead body is found, victim of a familiar madness. Judd is her only hope, yet her sensual changeling side rebels against the inhuman chill of his personality, even as desire explodes between them. Shocking and raw, their passion is a danger that threatens not only their hearts, but their very lives...

First Read: 2009
2nd Read: 2015

Thoughts
Okay so I thought I loved me some Vaughn and I do but boy howdy do I love me some Judd. What a great character. Sometimes an author starts off with a character that is tough, hard, mean, and a killer. Then warps them into a soft sensitive guy that is changed by their woman. Judd is not that man. He knows what he is and what he is capable of and doesn't really change much throughout the book. He goes from a hired gun of the psy council to a man who kills to protect and to change the world. But he is still a killer and still a man that has a hard time breaking silence. 
Brenna was introduced in the first book as the only female to survive the horrible killings of changeling women and as a survivor has been changed herself. She has to discover how to live with the memories of th attack and how to deal with the emotional fall out of it all. 
This book was just fantastic. Brenna was written like a true survivor one that isn't instantly healed and ready to jump in the hey with her man. She fights demons of her attack and fears mixed with worries about what the monster did to her. Judd is the man that she needs because he doesn't baby her or treat her as if she will break. He respects her and tries to help her anyway he can. It was great watching this man of ice melt with Brenna and start to want to feel and heal her. It was also great to watch the healing take place in Brenna due to her own strength as well as the strength and confidence she gained from Judd. 
This story wraps up all the loose ends from book 1 and shows us the psy network is planning something big and something very very scary. It let's us the readers know where the author is going to take this story and gives us an idea of where we are heading. I enjoyed this one b/c it was a male psy that broke silence and it introduces us to the arrow community a deadly assassination squad the council made. It shows us how brutal the council is and what they might be up to as well as the limits they are willing to go to make it happen. This book also let's us dive deeper into the wolf community of the Snow Dancers. We get to see Hawke (their alpha) and a look at his group of leaders and inner circle. I honestly can't wait til we meet his mate and I have a feeling I know who it is. It was nice to be out of the cats minds for awhile and enter into the wolf mind. Although similar they definitely approach things differently in living arrangements and culture which is refreshing. 

Just finished up: 

Title: Mine to Possess
Series #er: 4
Page #er: 328
Published Date: 2008

Summary:
Clay Bennett is a powerful DarkRiver sentinel, but he grew up in the slums with his human mother, never knowing his changeling father. As a young boy without the bonds of Pack, he tried to stifle his animal nature. He failed...and committed the most extreme act of violence, killing a man and losing his best friend, Talin, in the bloody aftermath. Everything good in him died the day he was told that she, too, was dead.

Talin McKade barely survived a childhood drenched in bloodshed and terror. Now a new nightmare is stalking her life--the street children she works to protect are disappearing and turning up dead. Determined to keep them safe, she unlocks the darkest secret in her heart and returns to ask the help of the strongest man she knows...

Clay lost Talin once. He will not let her go again, his hunger to possess her, a clawing need born of the leopard within. As they race to save the innocent, Clay and Talin must face the violent truths of their past...or lose everything that ever mattered. 

First Read: 2009
2nd Read: 2015

Thoughts:
Clay was an interesting story line. I have to say of the 4 he was the least interesting one for me. Mainly I think b/c we always knew who his mate was (Talin) he talked about her little but Ms. Singh mentioned her names enough that it wasn't a real mystery. It was cool to see how a cat/changeling would survive in a world where he couldn't change and what would happen to someone who hurt his pack. The back story was good and interesting, but I have to admit Talin drove me insane with her trauma thing I get it but for Pete's sake you were being molested by a man who killed tons of children and when your good friend killed the man who hurt you, you became so scared of him that you faked your own death and let him rot in jail. Sorry I don't buy nor like it. The reconciling of the whole back story was sweet and the mystery around the kids being kidnapped was interesting enough to keep this story moving forward. It also helped prepare me for whose story will be next and I can't wait to dive in. 

Starting up on this one CURRENTLY READING

Title: Hostage to Pleasure
Series #er: 5
Page #er: 330
Published Date: 2008

Summary: 
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 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... 

CURRENTLY READING

There are many many more in this world for me to catch up on next on the list is and these are the ones I never read but continued to buy hoping that one day I would get to them. Very excited to see where this series is going. 
Branded by Fire
Blaze of Memory
Bonds of Justice
Play of Passion
Kiss of Snow
Tangle of Need
Heart of Obsidian
Shield of Winter (need to purchase)
Shards of Hope (released 2015)

Have you read this series? Do you like it? How far along are you? And lastly have you ever re-read the series like I am? What are your thoughts on a read-a-thons?