Hostage To Pleasure by Nalini Singh Narrator: Angela Dawe
Length: 12 hrs 25 mins
Series: Psy-Changeling #5
Published by Berkley on September 2, 2008
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 330
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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...
I’ve had a soft spot for Dorian ever since book one. He was hurting so bad and Sascha was there to help him. She couldn’t take away all of his hate and anger, but he learned to trust her and have a cute kind of relationship with her. It was tough though.
I was so happy with the sudden, surprise connection that Dorian makes with Ashaya’s son. Despite the child being Psy, he was still a child. Dorian felt that bond and I was so glad he had something like that for himself.
Ashaya is amazingly strong. She has been tasked with a really dangerous job, but has been hiding her true self for a long time. She first shows up when she helps Clay and Talin rescue the kids from the testing center. She pulls it off without giving away her secret, but she knows time is counting down on her. She is going to need DarkRiver. What is the amazing part is she is able to keep this calm, Psy appearance despite her son being held. At first that makes her look bad to the cats and Dorian, but gradually her facade falls away. It is not family line that is keeping her from in line, it is her love for her son. Something she shouldn’t have. Then not only does she have her son rescued, but she gets away and then blasts the world with what the Psy were really working on.
I was totally thrown off the revelations of Ashaya’s family. It was fascinating how the whole dynamic worked. There were so many little surprises it really kept you guessing.
It felt like Ashaya and all her plans guided the story. Dorian is present and fighting his attraction like crazy, but Ashaya was like a rock. She was much more like a Changeling. Strong, determined and loyal.
I thought I knew how this was going to end. I was sure Ashaya was going to be the answer Dorian was looking for. I got to the Epilogue and it hadn’t happened. I was furious. We do get a happy ending though, so I was satisfied.
About Nalini Singh
I've been writing as long as I can remember and all of my stories always held a thread of romance (even when I was writing about a prince who could shoot lasers out of his eyes). I love creating unique characters, love giving them happy endings and I even love the voices in my head. There's no other job I would rather be doing. In September 2002, when I got the call that Silhouette Desire wanted to buy my first book, Desert Warrior, it was a dream come true. I hope to continue living the dream until I keel over of old age on my keyboard.
I was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand. I also spent three years living and working in Japan, during which time I took the chance to travel around Asia. I’m back in New Zealand now, but I’m always plotting new trips. If you’d like to see some of my travel snapshots, have a look at the Travel Diary page (updated every month).
So far, I've worked as a lawyer, a librarian, a candy factory general hand, a bank temp and an English teacher and not necessarily in that order. Some might call that inconsistency but I call it grist for the writer's mill.
About Nalini Singh
I’ve been writing as long as I can remember and all of my stories always held a thread of romance (even when I was writing about a prince who could shoot lasers out of his eyes). I love creating unique characters, love giving them happy endings and I even love the voices in my head. There’s no other job I would rather be doing. In September 2002, when I got the call that Silhouette Desire wanted to buy my first book, Desert Warrior, it was a dream come true. I hope to continue living the dream until I keel over of old age on my keyboard.
I was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand. I also spent three years living and working in Japan, during which time I took the chance to travel around Asia. I’m back in New Zealand now, but I’m always plotting new trips. If you’d like to see some of my travel snapshots, have a look at the Travel Diary page (updated every month).
So far, I’ve worked as a lawyer, a librarian, a candy factory general hand, a bank temp and an English teacher and not necessarily in that order. Some might call that inconsistency but I call it grist for the writer’s mill.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2015 Audiobook Challenge
