Review: Hostage to Pleasure

Reviewed by Jen
 

Poor Dorian. He's been through so much.  The powerful changeling sentinel has never been able to shift. He carries a leopard within him, but a genetic abnormality keeps him from letting his cat come out.  Even worse, his sister was killed a couple of years ago by a sadistic Psy serial killer. It was an emotional wound that nearly destroyed him and still plagues him to this day. It's also made him hate the Psy and see them as the enemy.

Of course, that means his mate would be Psy! Ashaya is the brilliant Psy geneticist who has been forced to work on a terrible implant project by the Council.  She struck a deal with the changelings in the last book and now the Dark River pack is coming through on its end... to get her little boy out of the Council's clutches.  Once they do, Ashaya fakes her own death to break free and reunite with her child.

The council wants her back, but even more so, her twisted twin sister does too. Ashaya takes refuge with Dark River and finds herself twisted up with sentinel who saved her child and haunts her dreams.

I liked this one ok, but not as much as the last two.  Dorian is really close to the edge and, at times, difficult to like.  He's not a bad guy or anything, but I just didn't have a strong emotional connection to him... or the romance.  I wanted them to get together, but my heart wasn't in it the way it was for Clay and Tally ... nor was I dying for the sex the way I was for Judd and Brenna.   Maybe it's because neither Dorian nor Ashaya wanted to want the other.  Both fought the mating pull tooth and nail. And even once it was inevitable, it made Dorian feel angry and guilty... while Ashaya continued to fight against feeling anything. As for Ashaya, I didn't feel much of anything towards her at all. She's smart. She loves her kid. She feels responsible for her sister. And.... ?? And that's it. I got nothing else.  She doesn't have much in the way of personality.

The resolution was satisfying, though pretty predictable.  I did like the continuing overall storyline with the Psy council and human revolutionaries.   I am interested in what's happening with Henry and Kaleb... and very intrigued by Vasic.  I would like more of him, please!

Rating: B-

Click to purchase: Amazon

Hostage to Pleasure

by Nalini Singh

Release Date: September 2, 2008

Publisher: Berkley Sensation