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Sep262011
BOOK REVIEW: ‘Visions of Heat’ by Nalini Singh
by Carolyn • Posted in 3.5 Star Reviews, Authors Q-T, Book Reviews, Nalini Singh, Paranormal Romance, Reviews by Carolyn
Title: Visions of Heat (Psy-Changeling #2)
Author: Nalini Singh
Publisher: Gollancz (UK) | Berkley Sensation (US)
Publication Date: April 2010 (UK) | March 2007 (US)
Paperback: 332pages
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Source: My own copy
Reviewed by Carolyn
RATING: 7/10
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 either man or jaguar form, 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… (Goodreads)
REVIEW:
“Visions of Heat” is the second book in Nalini Singh’s ‘Psy-Changeling‘ series. I loved the first book ‘Slave to Sensation‘ and although I very much enjoyed this instalment I found I didn’t like the heroine, Faith, as much as Sacha from the previous book. Faith seems a bit too weak, although she does try to be strong, and a little too cold. However, the hero, Vaughn, is deliciously dark and brooding.
Faith NightStar is an F-Psy who can forsee the future. She is a rare designation in the world of Psy and, due to her perfect predictions in the world of business, worth a fortune.
But her life is turned upside down when another Psy pushes into her mind to reveal the horror of her sisters murder and possible future murders. She’s also feeling strong emotions and thinks she is going insane. So she decides to seek out Sascha and hopes she will be able to give her some answers and maybe even help.
Faith decides to leave the confines of her home, which is more like a prison, and enters the Changelings territory in search of Sacha, where she is confronted with a jaguar…Vaughn. Faith is very wary of this big cat but Vaughn feels something is different about her and so decides to play…
The budding romance between Faith and Vaughn is slow as Faith believes she will go insane if he touches her too much, but Vaughn keeps pushing her boundaries and of course succeeds. When they finally get together it’s very steamy!
The format of this story is very similar to ‘Slave to Sensation‘ so it was difficult for me not to compare. There’s a cold Psy who thinks she’s going insane and a killer who’s on a murderous rampage. However, despite the similarities I still really enjoyed “Visions of Heat” and, as with all of Singh’s novels, it was a real pleasure to read.
As well as the romance and mystery of the murders, Singh gives us a thrilling and complex world which honestly blows my mind. I love this unique world of Psy, Changeling and human. The way Singh describes the Psy-Changeling world is incredibly detailed and original. I’m fascinated with the NetMind, which moves on to something quite different and exciting at the end of this instalment and I’m so intrigued with how it will develop.
Many of the characters from ‘Slave to Sensation‘ are present in some way or another, which is great as it allows me to get to know each of them a little bit more. I’m really looking forward to learning more about them as they all have different personalities and traits and to reading each of their own personal stories in future books.
VERDICT:
Another great read from a fabulous author. Nalini Singh is without doubt my favourite paranormal romance author at the moment. So far everything I’ve read has been top notch, from the rich, lush writing to fantastic characterisation to vivid world building. An absolute must read!
You can find out more about the author here:
Books in Series Order:
2. Visions of Heat
3. Caressed by Ice
4. Mine to Possess
5. Hostage to Pleasure
6. Branded by Fire
7. Blaze of Memory
8. Bonds of Justice
9. Play of Passion
10. Kiss of Snow
This book counts towards the following BCC Reading Challenges:
Book #57 100+ Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2011
Book #8 Summer Romance Reading Challenge 2011
Book #57 100+ Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2011
Book #8 Summer Romance Reading Challenge 2011
3 Comments
Great review. I've been enjoying these, too (I'm currently reading book 4, and have book 5 on my shelf).
I love the Psy-Changeling world, but there's a definite feeling of deja vu between these books–essentially crazies whose blood-lust needs to be quenched–and I'm not sure how much further Singh can stretch the series without things feeling a bit strained.
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Oh i adore this series!! I think i enjoy it more than Singh's 'Guild Hunter' series. The Changling's in each book are wonderful and i love the premise of the Psy, she paints a vivid world for sure!
Im still a few books away from reading Hawke's story, eek. can't wait! he's intrigued me through the whole series.
Great review hun!
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Stephanie – Thanks! So far I'm loving everything Nalini Singh has written, but yes, I can imagine after a few more books I'll see even more that there's a definite formula – but I love her writing style so I hope it won't bother me too much
Sparklybearsy – I've loved everything I've read by Nalini Singh so far, but I still think that the first two books in the Guild Hunter series are my favourite. Maybe this will change as I read more in the Psy-Changeling series…
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