I received this book for free from my own shelves in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: my own shelves
Mine to Possess
by
Nalini Singh
paranormal romance in a Kindle edition that was published by Berkley on February 5, 2008 and has 353 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Must Love Hellhounds, Kiss of Snow, An Enchanted Season, Archangel's Blade, Angels of Darkness, Lord of the Abyss, Desert Warrior, Angels' Flight, Tangle of Need, Play of Passion, Archangel's Storm, Wild Invitation, Heart of Obsidian, Archangel's Legion, "Hide and Seek", "Making Dinner", Shield of Winter, "A Conversation", "Home", Angels' Pawn, "New Year's Kisses", Night Shift, "Weapons Training", "Zoë's Workshop", "Wild Night", Archangel's Shadows, Archangel’s Enigma, Shards of Hope, “Fairy Balloons”, “An Unexpected Guest”, Allegiance of Honor, "The Song of the Wolf", Silver Silence, Archangel’s Heart, Archangel’s Viper, Ocean Light, "Elena's School of Horror", Cherish Hard, "Ain’t No Party Like A Bear Party", Archangel's Prophecy, "One Night At The Refuge", "Secret Things", Rebel Hard, Rock Hard, Wolf Rain, "Clean and Dirty", "Wolf School", "Naya’s Most Important Visitors", "Grocery Shopping", "The Cannibal Princess", "A Gift for Kit", "Movie Night", "Kaleb and Sahara’s Meeting with Sascha and Lucas", "Housewarming at the Orchard", "Christmas in the Kitchen", "Stalking Hawke", "Romancing Drew", "Sunday Morning", "Rowan", "Baubles & Ben", Wild Embrace, Love Hard, Rock Addiction, "Music Awards", Rock Courtship, "Rock Courtship Memo"s, Rock Redemption, "Sunshine", Rock Wedding, "With This Memo", "That Lip Ring…", A Madness of Sunshine, "Beary Tiny Ghosts", Alpha Night, "A Wedding Breakfast", "Poker Night", "Knives and Sheaths", "Seedlings", "Star Kissed", "A Walk on the Cliffs", "Wild Cat Blues", Slave to Sensation, Caressed by Ice, Visions of Heat, Kiss Hard, Angels' Blood, Archangel's Kiss, Archangel's War, Archangel's Sun, Archangel's Light, Archangel's Resurrection, Last Guard, “A Perfect Moment”, "Music in the Rain", Storm Echo, Resonance Surge, "Mate", “New Year’s Eve”, Archangel's Lineage, Visions of Heat, Hostage to Pleasure, Branded by Fire, Blaze of Memory
Fourth in the homey Psy-Changeling paranormal romance series and revolving around three races: the Psy who have phenomenal psychic powers and no heart, the Changelings who support and love their own, and the humans. The couple focus is on Clay Bennett who reconnects with Talin McKade.
If you’re interested, there is a chronological listing of the Psy-Changeling books on my website.
Mine to Possess was nominated in 2009 for the RITA Award for Paranormal Romance and the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Adult Novel.
My Take
Mine to Possess introduces us to yet another group: the Forgotten. It seems there’s hope yet!
Singh uses a third person global subjective point-of-view with perspectives primarily through Talin’s and Clay’s eyes.
The Psy have evolved all right. They’re terrible! The way they use their gifts to abuse everyone, although Singh does include a background of how Silence has helped the Psy. The good and bad of Silence.
Yet Singh has been preparing us for the Forgotten and their particular Web. There is a world of difference between the PsyNet and that of the Forgotten and the Psy who sought refuge with the changelings.
It certainly shows the dangers of cutting off anyone who’s not like them! How much more colorful, interesting, and welcoming the world is when everyone is welcome. On a side note, Singh’s world also shows that there is good and evil in every group.
There is another huge contrast between the Psy and changelings, for the Psy are constantly on guard against each other while the changelings are so supportive of each other and carefully welcoming of those outsiders brought in by pack.
The positives include equality where women are as good as men. Yay!
It’s Talin’s history that showcases human evil and prejudice while Clay’s, entwined with Tally’s early life, portrays the conflicts and traits of changelings. It’s two great character arcs.
I must say that Tally makes me a bit nuts. Yes, she had a horrific experience in her early childhood and is totally justified — Singh is amazing in her portrayal of Tally’s experiences that resulted from the abuse, in her conflict over Clay, and her eventual realizations. Tally still drove me crazy.
Poor Clay is so confused and angry. He’s still attracted to Tally but repulsed by her account of her past as well as her reactions to him — and Singh does do a great job of slowly evolving their relationship.
The incident that sets off Tally seeking Clay out brings about the Forgotten’s slow introduction, although neither of them is aware of the group. It’s a case of kidnap and murder of children and neither Tally nor Clay nor the changelings will accept this.
I do love the sound of Tamsyn’s home. Okay, besides the cute antics of her twin cubs, Roman and Julian, it’s a cozy, welcoming place where many of the leopards gather.
Despite all this drama, Singh brings humor in through changeling relationships.
Yet more introductions include anchors in the Psy world as well as a more public return to E-Psy.
The Story
Talin McKade is under a death sentence.
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.
The Characters
Talin “Tally” McKade is a human woman suffering from a hideous childhood. One that influenced her into becoming a social worker for Shine.
The taciturn Clay Bennett is a leopard changeling with his own hideous childhood. He’s now a high-ranking sentinel in the DarkRiver pack as well as the construction manager for DarkRiver. Isla had been Clay’s broken human mother.
DarkRiver is . . .
. . . a dominant leopard pack in San Francisco with Lucas Hunter as its Alpha. Sascha Duncan, a Cardinal E-Psy, is Lucas’ mate (Slave to Sensation, 1); her entry into the pack created the Web of Stars. Other sentinels include Dorian, the “Boy Genius” who is a latent driven to succeed — architect, sniper, pilot; Vaughn, a jaguar changeling who’s mated to Faith NightStar, another Cardinal Psy, a foreteller (Visions of Heat, 2); and, Mercy. Rina is a soldier. Juveniles include Cory, Jason, Kit, and Nico. Tamsyn is the pack healer and mated to Nate, Lucas’ oldest sentinel. Joe owns the bar.
SnowDancer is . . .
. . . a dominant wolf pack, also in San Francisco, allied with DarkRiver. Hawke is its Alpha. His lieutenants include Judd Lauren, a Psy who is a former Arrow and who’s mated to Brenna (Caressed by Ice, 3). The Laurens are a Psy family who defected and were accepted into SnowDancer, forming the LaurenNet.
The Psy are . . .
. . . a race of psychics, each with their own gifts which are graded on a scale of power with 10 being the ultimate, the rank, Cardinal. Emotion has been trained out of them. They are ruled by the Council which consists of Nikita Duncan, based in San Francisco with a gift for mental viruses; Ming LeBon, who has a gift for mental combat; Marshall Hyde, who is the most senior of them; Henry and Shoshanna Scott, who portray a married couple to humanize the Council for the rest of the world; Tatiana Rika-Smythe; and, Kaleb Krychek, the newest and most powerful councilor. Santano Enrique had been a councilor until Slave to Sensation, 1.
Anthony Kyriakus, the head of the powerful PsyClan NightStar, is also Faith’s father. Gia Khan has been considered for a position as a councilor. Ashaya Aleine is a top-grade scientist in charge of Protocol 1 through the Council holding her son, Keenan, hostage. Larsen Brandell is her lab assistant conducting his own experiments.
Max is a human Enforcer with natural shields against the Psy. Some of the Psy victims include Jonquil Duchslaya and Noor Hassan.
Shine is . . .
. . . a charitable foundation seeking to help shattered children. Its current director is Devraj Santos. Their agents are referred to as Guardians of whom Talin is one. Rangi will be taking over from Talin.
The Forgotten were . . .
. . . a group of Psy with their human and changeling mates and offspring, who broke away, disagreeing with the concept of Silence. They created their own PsyNet, the ShadowNet. It’s this mixture of races, and the years since the implementation of Silence in 1973, that has created unexpected bonuses and negatives. Dr Herriford.
Silence was a necessary protocol for the Psy, to keep their sanity, but it devolved. The PsyNet is a star-filled “universe” necessary for its biofeedback to ensure a Psy’s life. This Net is split into two: the NetMind and the DarkMind, representing the good and bad of the Psy. The Ghost is a saboteur, intent on taking down the Council.
Orrin Henderson was the worst kind of foster father, right along with his wife. I think the ShadowWalkers had been the pack that murdered Lucas’ parents.
The Cover and Title
The cover is dramatically colorful with its twilit background of black trees against a deep turquoise sky and the flames rising up from the bottom of the cover. Between the two is the muscled chest of Clay with a pattern of leopard spots on his skin, wearing black jeans in a three-quarter profile as he walks quickly, looking over his shoulder. Across his chest is the author’s name in white with an info blurb (in white) to the left of his right arm. The title is angled below his waist in a black-outlined red. At the bottom right is a testimonial in white.
The title is Clay’s attitude toward Talin, for she is Mine to Possess.
