Review: Visions of Heat

Reviewed by Jen
 

I can't say I enjoyed this second installment in the Psy-Changeling series quite as much as I liked the first.  "What changed?" you may ask. Well, not very much. And therein lies the problem. In many ways, it felt a lot like I was reading the same book all over again.

The premise: Sascha Faith is a powerful cardinal of the Psy race.  Their people are bred to eschew emotion, to achieve a calm equilibrium and focus on the power of their minds.  Only, our heroine's powers are not quite right.  She fears that if she can't get a grip on her backfiring talents, the Psy Council will figure her out and mark her for "rehabilitation."

Lucas Vaughn is a powerful changeling... a shapeshifter with a heartbreaking past. He has survived his adversity, but the heartaches involved have never truly gone away.  He is shocked when he finds himself drawn to a Psy.  But the attraction between them can't be denied.  In the meantime, a serial killer is targeting his next victim and only Sascha Faith can stop him. Using her powers, she puts herself at risk, navigating the Psy-Net and dealing with the treacherous council, in order to save the next victim and avenge those who have come before her.

Ahem.  Sound familiar?

The details were different.  Vaughn is a jaguar instead of a leopard and he is a sentinel as opposed to the Alpha of the pack.  Faith isn't an E(mpath)-Psy like Sascha, but an F-Psy that can foresee the future.  And instead of a business deal drawing our couple together, Faith meets Vaughn when she seeks out Sascha to find answers about her faulty powers.  Oh yeah, and Faith is even more sensitive to touch and feelings than Sascha was.  And there endeth the differences.

I still liked it.  Maybe I would have liked it a lot if I hadn't just read its book-twin the day before.  I can only hope that the series opens up and spreads its wings a little in future installments. I have faith. All of my book-buddies love this series and I wouldn't have gotten so many recommendations if it gets stale and stays that way.  Therefore, I'm gonna give book three a try and hope for the best.

Rating: B- (*ducks head*)

Click to purchase: Amazon

Visions of Heat

by Nalini Singh

Release Date: March 6, 2007

Publisher: Berkley Sensation