Review: Archangel's Eternity by Nalini Singh

 

Archangel's Eternity (Guild Hunter #18) by Nalini Singh

Publication Date: May 5th 2026 by Berkley

Pages: 448

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Archangel’s Eternity was a beautiful, heartfelt finale to a series I’ve loved for years. From the moment Elena the Guild Hunter met Archangel Raphael, their sparks, clashes, and undeniable chemistry set the tone for an epic romance, and this last book honors every step of their journey.

 

Across the series they’ve battled monsters, faced devastating losses, and navigated the treacherous politics of the Cadre. Here, though, they step into the most meaningful chapter of their lives. The external drama is lighter, a few archangel conflicts and the fragile mental state of another, but the emotional depth is rich. Much of the story centers on Elena and Raphael embracing change, surrounded by the people who’ve become their family.

 

I especially loved how Elena’s memories of those she’s lost remain fresh. Her grief and love coexist, and she finds a way to let those memories shine in this new beginning.

 

I was genuinely sad to see this series end, but Nalini Singh closes it with such grace and warmth that I finished the final page with a full heart and a huge smile.

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

Elena and Raphael return for the hauntingly poignant conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh’s genre-defining Guild Hunter series.

A thousand years.

It’s been a millennium since Elena’s fateful first meeting with Archangel Raphael. She has survived war and loss, experienced beauty and cruelty. But no matter what, she has always held on to her mortal heart, as she and Raphael have held on to each other. Passionate and vibrant, they’ve built a life that has stood the test of time, growing ever stronger with each turn of the sun.

But change is coming—of a magnitude they could have never imagined—and it will forever alter the trajectory of their existence.

Even as they grapple with the cataclysmic shift in their personal lives, the Cadre of Ten, which has maintained a hard-won peace for centuries, begins to simmer with dangerous fault lines. The specter of madness looms in one archangel, the promise of war burns between two others, and in darkness far from mortal and immortal eyes stirs an ancient, slumbering power.

Suddenly, the future is terrifyingly uncertain . . . at the very moment that Elena and her archangel need to protect a treasure infinitely more precious than eternity.

 

Review: Such a Perfect Family by Nalini Singh

 

Such a Perfect Family by Nalini Singh

Publication Date: January 27th 2027 by Berkley 

Pages: 384

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Tavish and Diya Prasad fall hard and fast, eloping in Las Vegas before he follows her home to New Zealand to start their new life together. But their honeymoon bliss shatters when a fire destroys the Prasad family home and leaves Diya in critical condition. Almost immediately, Tavish becomes the prime suspect, especially once police uncover his unsettling connection to three women who died under suspicious circumstances. Is he a devoted husband caught in a terrible coincidence, or is there something far darker in his past?

 

I adore Nalini Singh’s Psy‑Changeling series, and her standalone thrillers have been just as compelling for me. Such a Perfect Family is an engrossing mystery, though I found the flashbacks to Diya’s past a bit drawn out, slowing the momentum. I was far more captivated by the threads involving the three women linked to Tavish and the question of whether he was responsible. I genuinely couldn’t predict the truth behind the present‑day crimes, but Singh pulls everything together in a satisfying way by the end.

3.5 Stars

Book Description:

A man with a deadly past marries into the perfect, respectable family in this riveting thriller from New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh . . .

A woman buried.
A woman broken.
A woman crashed.
A woman burned.
And the man who knew them all.

Love at first sight, a whirlwind Vegas wedding, a fairy-tale romance.
For seventy-nine days, Tavish Advani has been the happiest man in the world—until his new life turns to ash, his wealthy in-laws’ house going up in a fiery explosion. His badly injured wife lies in a coma, her family all but annihilated.

Tavish thought he left the sins of his Los Angeles life behind, but it’s not so easy to leave behind an investigation into the deaths of several high-profile women—all of whom he professed to love. Tragedy and death follow him no matter where he goes . . . but this time, he knows he’s innocent.

Desperately trying to clear his name as the authorities zero in, he begins his own investigation into the fire—and learns that his wife’s picture-perfect family may have been nothing but a meticulously constructed mirage. The truth is much darker than anything Tavish could’ve imagined . . .

Review: Atonement Sky by Nalini Singh

 

Atonement Sky (Psy-Changeling Trinity #9) by Nalini Singh

Publication Date: July 15th 2025 by Berkley

Pages: 400

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Libro.fm | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Justice Psy Eleri Dias knows she doesn’t have much time left with her mental shields collapsing, so she travels to Raintree, Arizona to following a serial killer’s trail and to make amends with the only man she’s ever loved a falcon-shifter, Adam Garrett. There’s a lot of hurt between Eleri and Adam, since his parents were killed and Eleri was caught between a dangerous situation and justice.

 

They work together as they hunt for a killer and are forced to confront the past.

 

Nalini’s Singh’s writing is captivating and beautiful, playful and sensual! I loved how Eleri was gathered into Adam’s clan, giving her family, love and protection. However, there’s a lot of intensity in Atonement Sky. Eleri and her Justice Psy “family” are at the brink of complete mental overload with no solution in sight. I always trust we’ll come to a happy ending by the end, though!

 

The Psy-Changeling series is original and addictive! It’s a blend of sci-fi and fantasy and Nalini Singh’s creative mind never fails to impress. It’s a long running series but I think you could read Atonement Sky without reading the previous books and enjoy it, but I’d recommend reading Silver Silence first, book one of the Trinity books, a sort of “season two” in the long-running series. There’s enough background there to understand the series more fully.

5 Stars

Book Description:

The hunt for a stealthy predator takes a damaged J-Psy to the heart of falcon territory in this new Psy-Changeling Trinity novel from New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh...

Justice-Psy Eleri Dias knows the end is near for her, her mind one step away from fatal psychic exposure. In the short time that remains, she is determined to atone for an act of omission that has haunted her for a long, cruel decade. But that decision not only means facing a powerful changeling wing leader, but also putting herself in the path of a serial killer.

Falcon wing leader Adam Garrett is fiercely protective of his family and his clan. After losing his parents as a teenager in a shocking act of malice, Adam has no forgiveness in him for the J-Psy who betrayed him, betrayed them, at the most painful moment of his life. But the evil that stalks his territory will allow him no respite, forcing him once more into contact with the J he has never been able to forget.

Everything that could've been between Eleri and Adam was lost years ago, a shimmering promise crushed. As they work to uncover a monster, the moment of reckoning looms ever closer. Soon, there may be no more time left for either atonement...or love...

Review: Primal Mirror by Nalini Singh

 

Primal Mirror (Psy-Changeling Trinity #8) by Nalini Singh

Publication Date: July 23rd 2024 by Berkley

Pages: 400

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Libro.fm | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Auden Scott is the daughter of the ruthless Psy-Counselor pair: Henry and Shoshanna Scott. Her mind was fractured in an experiment approved by her mother that went wrong. Auden has recovered for the most part, now fully aware/awake, and pregnant, without her consent or memory! She and her baby are constantly monitored by the advisors left over by her mother, a prisoner in her own home.  When touring the properties she inherited from her parents, Auden discovers land adjacent to the Rain Fire Pack where she encounters the Alpha, Remi and there’s an immediate connection.

 

Remi is fascinated by Auden Scott, the clearly damaged Psy, so when she takes up residence close by and alone, he can’t help but check on her. What he discovers about her circumstances is chilling. Auden needs his help. Remi’s determined to keep her and her child safe.

 

I was outraged for Auden by the treatment she had by the ones who were supposed to love and protect her! I wondered at what was going on and I had my suspicions. Auden’s mother was truly awful! I was so happy she found the Remi and sanctuary with the Rain Fire Pack, because she and her baby needed protection from those psychos!

 

Primal Mirror is book 8 in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series, “season two” in the Psy-Changeling series. It’s best read in order. Or at least from the first Trinity book. Each book is a standalone romance, but there’s an ongoing story arc that came to a critical point in this installment. The Psy race are desperately trying to repair/salvage the Psy-Net from imminent collapse. There was movement on that front and other revelations that wouldn’t make sense if you read this as a standalone. I loved the cooperation from all races: Human, Psy, and Changeling banding together to help the Psy.

I completely recommend this series for fans of fast-paced, chemistry filled shifter/sci-fi romances! I would start from the very beginning, the original series and keep going. The audios, read by Angela Dawe, are fantastic!

4 Stars

Book Description:

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh takes us into a family dark with shadowy secrets, as the world of the Psy hangs on the edge of a final catastrophic collapse…

Daughter of two ruthless high-gradient telepaths, Auden Scott is not the child her Psy parents wanted or expected, even before her brain injury. Her thoughts are scattered, her memories fuzzy—or just terrifyingly blank. The only thing she knows for certain is that she must protect her unborn baby…a baby she has no recollection of conceiving and who draws an abnormal intensity of notice from her dead mother’s closest associates.

Leopard alpha Remi Denier is a man driven by the primal instinct to protect. Protect his pack, protect his allies… and protect the mysterious woman who has become a most unlikely neighbor. With eerie eyes that see too much and a scent that alters in ways disturbing and impossible, Auden Scott is the enemy…but nothing about this strange Psy is what it seems, Remi’s feline heart as fascinated by her as the human half of his soul.

Then Auden asks Remi to help her shatter the wall of secrets that is the Scott bloodline. What they unearth will reveal a nightmare beyond imagination. This time, the battle is to the death…

About the Author

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh is passionate about writing. Though she’s traveled as far afield as the deserts of China, the temples of Japan, and the frozen landscapes of Antarctica, it is the journey of the imagination that fascinates her most. She’s beyond delighted to be able to follow her dream as a writer.

She is the author of the Psy-Changeling novels, including Primal Mirror, Resonance Surge, and Storm Echo. She is also the author of the Guild Hunter series, including Archangel’s Lineage, Archangel’s Resurrection, and Archangel’s Light, and three stand-alone thrillers, A Madness of Sunshine, Quiet in Her Bones, and There Should Have Been Eight.

Connect with Nalini Singh:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Review: Archangel's Lineage by Nalini Singh

 

Archangel's Lineage (Guild Hunter #16) by Nalini Singh

Publication Date: April 23rd 2024 by Berkley

Pages: 378

Source: Publisher & Purchased Audiobook

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Archangel’s Lineage takes place ten years after the war with Lijuan that nearly ended the world. They’ve been living in relative peace for the last twelve months, so the Cadre decide to throw a post-war ball at the Refuge. Before the celebrations can commence a violent earthquake strikes, injuring and killing many and severely damaging the Refuge.

Natural disasters are happening around the globe with increasing frequency and intensity, and the Refuge’s camouflage is fading with no knowledge of how to repair it. The Cadre band together to find out how to stop all this before the world is destroyed.

Meanwhile, Elena’s father, Jeffrey has a heart attack and is unresponsive. Elena is terrified he’ll die before they mend all the past hurts between them. My heart ached for Elena. Jeffery’s situation brought home the reality of her immortality, living on long after her mortal family is gone. I really enjoyed seeing Elena grow closer to her extended family. It was cathartic and healing!

This is book sixteen in the Guild Hunter series. That sounds a bit intimidating, but several books can be read as standalones, IMO, because they focus on other couples besides Raphael and Elena, and only touch a little on the continuing story ARC.

The Raphael/Elena books should be read in order. The history of their romance is not to be missed! There are eight, including this installment. I have a more detailed review explaining their history HERE. It’s a little spoilery, but not anymore than you’d get from reading the book descriptions.  I binge read the Raphael/Elena books in a month, back in 2018, and have been reading every new installment since.

The Guild Hunter series is addictive and exciting! One I wholeheartedly recommend!  The audios narrated by Justine Eyre are fantastic!

4 Stars

Book Description:

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh’s dangerous and beautiful world of archangels, vampires, and mortals has never faced a threat this cataclysmic…

Raphael and Elena are experiencing their first ever year of true peace. No war. No horrors of archangelic power. No nightmares given flesh. Until…the earth beneath the Refuge begins to tremble, endangering not only angelkind’s precious and fragile young, but the very place that has held their most innocent safe for eons.

Amid the chaos, Elena’s father suffers a violent heart attack that threatens to extinguish their last chance to heal the bonds between them and make sense of the ruins of their agonizing shared history.

Even as Elena battles grief, Raphael is torn from her side by the sudden disappearance of an archangel. But worse yet is to come. An Ancestor, an angel unlike any other, stirs from his Sleep to warn the Cadre of a darkness so terrible that it causes empires to fall and civilizations to vanish.

This time, even the Cadre itself may not be able to stop a ticking clock that is counting down at frightening speed…

Connect with Nalini Singh:

Website | Facebook | X | Instagram | Goodreads

Review: There Should've Been Eight by Nalini Singh

 

There Should Have Been Eight by Nalini Singh

Publication Date: November 21st 2023 by Berkley 

Pages: 384

Source: Publisher & purchased audiobook

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Luna and her friends are reuniting at a remote estate, getting together after years apart, but one of them isn’t part of the group. Bea Shepherd, Darcie’s younger sister, died eight years earlier and it still doesn’t make any sense to Luna. Bea was a bright star in the group, with her magnetic personality, everyone loved her. Luna can’t forgive the way Darcie handled her death, brushing it and the details under the rug.

Luna has struggled with the loss, but now has an added reason to finally get answers about Bea’s death. She’s going blind and wants to be able to look her friends in the face, see their reactions to her questions. She wants the truth, even if her questions stir up anger and bitterness.

Their meet-up turns dangerous as a winter storm cuts them off from civilization, trapping them at the estate while things start going wrong. Tensions grow while they struggle to survive long enough to escape.

Oh, this was a twisty, atmospheric mystery! It took a little to get into it, getting to know the characters and history, but as soon as strange things started happening, I was hooked! The characters stuck together at a gothic-like, creepy estate upped the tension! There were a couple of surprises as all is revealed! I’m still thinking about the story!

4 Stars

Book Description:

In this chilling thriller from New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh, a remote estate in New Zealand’s Southern Alps hosts a reunion no one will ever forget.

Seven friends.

One last weekend.

A mansion half in ruins.

No room for lies.

Someone is going to confess.

Because there should have been eight. . . .

They met when they were teenagers. Now they’re adults, and time has been kind to some and unkind to others—none more so than to Bea, the one they lost nine long years ago.

They’ve gathered to reminisce at Bea’s family’s estate, a once-glorious mansion straight out of a gothic novel. Best friends, old flames, secret enemies, and new lovers are all under one roof. But when the weather turns and they’re snowed in at the edge of eternity, there’s nowhere left to hide from their shared history.

As the walls close in, the pretense of normality gives way to long-buried grief, bitterness, and rage. Underneath it all, there’s the nagging feeling that Bea’s shocking death wasn’t what it was claimed to be. And before the weekend is through, the truth will be unleashed—no matter the cost. . . .

Connect with Nalini Singh:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Review: Resonance Surge by Nalini Singh

 

Resonance Surge (Psy-Changeling Trinity #7) by Nalini Singh

Publication Date: July18th 2023 by Berkley

Pages: 432

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Theodora “Theo” Marshall has been raised to believe she’s worthless as a 2.7 Telekinetic Psy. The only reason her evil grandfather, Councilor Marshall Hyde didn’t have her murdered is because her death would’ve affected her twin, Pax, a gradient 9. Theo and Pax have stuck together over the years despite their grandfather’s efforts to split them up. Thankfully, her grandfather is dead and now Pax is the head of the Marshall house.

When Pax notices that a supposedly decommissioned “rehabilitation” center is still drawing money he sends Theo, the only family he trusts, to investigate. Being that it’s in the StoneWater Pack territory, she’s assigned a bear escort, Yakov Stepyrev.

Yakov has had dreams of his mate since the age of sixteen, but only lately has those dreams turned into nightmares with the woman drenched in blood, dying. Little does he know that he’s about to come face to face with her when he’s assigned to escort Theo.

My heart ached at the abuse that Theodora suffered at the hands of her grandfather, a truly evil man! It seems to me in Silence the Psy race committed the worst atrocities. The rehabilitation centers were free to lock up “defective” Psy, those who couldn’t go Silent by suppressing emotion, and do a mental wipe, or worse. Investigating the center loosens traumatic memories for Theo, and Yakov can’t hold his protective instincts back. Just in time too, because there’s danger stalking Theo.

Resonance Surge was mostly Yakov and Theodora’s romance, but we also get the culmination of Pavel, Yakov’s twin brother, and Arwen Merchant’s romance. They’ve been dancing around each other in several of the past books, so it’s been a long time coming! The bears are my favorite changelings: big, boisterous and loving and I just had to laugh at their antics! The way they care for their young cubs just melted my heart!  Yakov and Pavel are labeled “Mischief Bear Number One and Mischief Bear Number Two” by their grandmother, and it was fitting! The joy, playfulness and love from the Bears was exactly what Theo’s soul needed to heal after her nightmare childhood!

While things wrap up with Theo, Yakov, Pavel and Arwen, the ongoing story arc of the Psy Net crumbling, Scarab Syndrome and the evil trying to destabilize the cooperation between Humans, Psy, and Changelings continues. I’m not sure how it’ll all be solved. Pax, Theo’s twin, also has a threat brewing and I wonder if he’ll be the focus of the next installment. This is a series that’s best read in order.. At the very least I’d start from the beginning of the Trinity novels.

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

Where are the broken? A propulsive question that unleashes a world of secrets in New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh’s Resonance Surge . . .

StoneWater bears Pavel and Yakov Stepyrev have been a unit since birth, but now Pavel’s life is veering in a new direction, his heart held in the hands of Arwen Mercant, a Psy empath—and the only man who has ever brought Pavel to his knees.

This is it. A point of irrevocable change. For Pavel . . . for Arwen . . . for Yakov . . . and for another pair of twins whose bond has a far darker history.

A low-gradient Psy, Theodora Marshall is considered worthless by everyone but her violently powerful twin, Pax. She is the sole person he trusts in their venomous family to investigate a hidden and terrible part of their family history—an unregistered rehabilitation center established by their grandfather.

Places of unimaginable pain designed to psychically wipe minds, leaving the victims shells of their former selves, the Centers are an ugly vestige of the Psy race’s Silent past. But this Center was worse. Far, far worse. And now Theo must uncover the awful truth—in the company of a scowling bear named Yakov who isn’t about to take a Marshall at face value . . . especially a Marshall who has turned his dreams into chilling nightmares.

Because Yakov is the great-grandson of a foreseer . . . and he has seen Theo die in an unstoppable surge of blood. Night after night after night . . .

Review: Archangel's Resurrection by Nalini Singh

 

Archangel's Resurrection (Guild Hunter #15) by Nalini Singh

Publication Date: October 25th 2022 by Berkley

Pages: 400

Source: Publisher & Purchased Audiobook

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Alexander and Zanaya, both archangel’s ruling over different territories have had a tumultuous, epic, on-and-off love affair over the centuries. However, the recent battle with the evil Archangel Lijuan, has had lasting repercussions for Alexander and Zanaya. This time coming together they’re ready to sort things out or part forever.

Archangel’s Resurrection gave us the history of both Alexander and Zanaya, which I was grateful for since I didn’t really know much about either, except peripherally as side characters in the Raphael/Elena books. Each had an interesting, engrossing history and it gave me understanding as to why these two would love so passionately and then ultimately end up parting over and over through the years. I was rooting for these two because it was clear they were meant to be together! I know this sounds angsty, but it really wasn’t.

There’s a lot going on besides the romance. The Guild Hunter series is a fascinating world where a Cadre of ten Archangel’s rule designated territories across the Earth. Lesser angels, vampires, and humans all under their authority. Power, political intrigue, immortals and mortals clashing, good vs. evil; all factors that make these books a riveting read, but it’s the personal relationships that make these stories come to life.

Archangel’s Resurrection is book fifteen in the Guild Hunter series and that does sound intimidating to a new-to-the-series reader, but it’s centered on side characters and those books, IMO, can be read as stand-alones for the most part. Alexander and Zanaya’s story was fleshed out well here, one I thoroughly enjoyed!

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

For thousands of years, the passion between Alexander, Archangel of Persia, and Zanaya, Queen of the Nile, burned furious and bright, seemingly without end. But to be an archangel is to be bound to power violent and demanding. Driven by its primal energy, Alexander and Zanaya fought as fiercely as they loved. Locked in an endless cycle of devotion and heartbreak, it is only Zanaya’s decision to Sleep that ends their love story.

Eons later, it is the Cascade of Death that wakens them both. The passion between them a flame that yet burns, Alexander and Zanaya stand together in one last battle against the ultimate darkness. But even a warrior archangel cannot win every war. Alexander’s scream shatters the world as Zanaya falls, broken and silent…only to rise again in a miracle that may be a devastating curse. For is it truly the Queen of the Nile who has been resurrected?

Only one thing is clear: this is the last beat of their passionate, angry dance. The final song for Alexander and his Zani…

Blog Tour Review: Storm Echo by Nalini Singh

 

Storm Echo (Psy-Changeling Trinity #6) by Nalini Singh

Publication Date: August 9th 2022 by Berkley

Pages: 384

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Ivan Mercant never counted on falling in love, Silence never allowed for such a thing and then there is his leashed ability. But that was before meeting Lei, the vibrant, colorful woman, playful and full of love. However, just as he’s about to embrace this unexpected path, Lei disappears. It seems that’s a good thing because Ivan’s ability is harder and harder to control, and his only solution is to cage himself permanently.

Lei is on a mission since her pack was obliterated and it takes her straight to the heart of the Dark River Leopard’s territory. However, while there her inner animal sees Ivan and everything changes.

Ivan is part of the close-knit Merchant family, famed for being ruthless, protective and perfectly Silent. That was until Silence fell and now most know they are fiercely loyal with family being everything to them. Grandmother Ena Merchant is protective of all she claims as family so Ivan’s got another thing coming if he thinks he can just shut himself down forever.

Storm Echo was so so good! I’ve been loving the Psy-Trinity spinoff, but this has to be one of my favorites of the series. Love the Merchant family! This supposedly “Silent” clan is anything but! With hearts so big and full of love for each other and all the people they’ve been acquiring into the family through romance and extended connections. Loved getting mentions of the Bears and cameos of Kaleb, Lucas, Sasha, Tamsyn, and Nate! I was so excited with how it all turned out and what it could mean for the future of the Psy-Net!

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

Silence has fallen. The Psy are free to feel emotion. Free to love. But Silence was never a prison for Ivan Mercant. The biggest threat to his future lies dormant in his brain—a psychic monster that wants only to feed. And now, the brutal leash he’s kept on that monster is slipping. He prepared for this day, for the end of Ivan Mercant . . . but that was before he met Lei.

As primal as she is human, this wild changeling brings color into his life, laughter to his soul. Then the dream shatters in a rain of blood, in silent bodies in the snow. Lei is gone. Vanished without a trace . . . until he meets strangely familiar eyes across a busy San Francisco street.

Soleil Bijoux Garcia is a healer who has lost everything. She exists in a world of desolate aloneness . . . till the day she finds herself face-to-face with a lethal stranger. The animal who is her other half knows this man, but her memories are tattered fragments. Sorrow and a need for vengeance are all that drive her. Her mission? To kill the alpha of the DarkRiver leopard pack.

But fate has other plans. Soon, a deadly soldier who believes himself a monster and a broken healer might be all that stand between life and death for the entire Psy race.

About the author:

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh is passionate about writing. Though she’s traveled as far afield as the deserts of China, the temples of Japan, and the frozen landscapes of Antarctica, it is the journey of the imagination that fascinates her most. Singh is the author of the Guild Hunter series, Psy-Changeling novels, and stand-alone thrillers. Learn more online at nalinisingh.com. 

My Favorite Non-Review Books: October 2021

 As a blogger sometimes writing reviews can feel like a chore so it seems I rarely write reviews for non-review books anymore. I feel bad about that, because it's not that I didn't enjoy them less than the books I review here, just that I don't have the time or energy to write a review for each and every book I read. I thought it would be nice to list my favorite non-review books each month to bring more attention to them.

Here are my October 2021 stand outs:

5 Star all the way! Definite Schitt's Creek, (a series I totally love) vibe here!

Tied with Kiss of Snow for favorite in the series.

Kaleb and Sahara's story exceeded my expectations! Don't want to spoil anything, but finally! Can't wait to see how everything plays out after that stunning conclusion! I'm already listening to the next one and loving it!

Atmospheric and spooky! Perfect Fall read! 

Riaz and Adria were great, but I think I was more captivated by all that's happening with the ongoing story arc with the Psy and Silence and all the players. 

Review: Archangel's Light by Nalini Singh

 

Archangel's Light (Guild Hunter #14) by Nalini Singh

Publication Date: October 26th 2021 by Berkley Books

Pages: 400

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads 

My Thoughts:

Aodhan and Illium have been the closest of friends for centuries.  Since they were little angels, toddling around they formed an immediate attachement and were inseparable, but recovering from a dark time in Aodhan’s life threatens their bonds. Illium has resigned himself to accept the changes in their relationship. Aodhan seems like he’s pulled away emotionally, and maybe now even physically as Aodhan is offered the position of second to Archangel Suyin as she rebuilds the lands of her people in China. There’s a lot of work to do with all the evil and destruction Lijuan’s rule left, so Raphael sends Illium to help.

At the start of this story there’s a tension and distance between the Illium and Aodhan. It was palpable and I could feel the heartache between them, but I was hopeful that with Illium being sent to help with the efforts in China, it would force them to face their problems and sort things out. To call these two best friends would definitely understate the intensity of their relationship. The story flipped back and forth between the history of their friendship and the present and I was so happy to get glimpses into the past that showed so many important moments together. Some of the stories were so moving showing not only Illium and Aodhan’s connection and past, but their bonds with Raphael and the other members of his Seven.

Illium and Aodhan’s relationship and past were absorbing, but that wasn’t the sole focus of the plot. Archangel Suyin is trying to establish her stronghold and it quickly becomes apparent Lijuan’s space will not do. Too many bad memories, too much possible evil lurking and so they decide to relocate. All this takes work and preparation seeing as the lands are dangerous to travel with still laden in places with Lijuan’s deadly fog and who knows what else. They discover a human settlement empty, like all the inhabitants just vanished without taking anything with them, so Illium and Aodhan must stay and solve the puzzle while Suyin’s people get on their way.  I was happy to be rid of Lijuan, but she’s like a bad rash that lingers! I wonder what’ll happen with the newest discovery.

Fans have been waiting a long time for Illium and Aodhan’s story, and while it’s an epic love and delivered, IMO, it’s not what you’d probably expect from a typical M/M romance. There is a passionate magnetism between them, and anyone looking on probably could’ve figured it out, but I it took a while to register with them. To understand exactly why there were such heart wrenching emotions between them. It was moving and powerful and I thought well done!

4 Stars

Book Description:

Nalini Singh returns to the world of the Guild Hunters for the most highly anticipated novel of the beloved series—a love story so epic it’s been half a millennia in the making…

Illium and Aodhan. Aodhan and Illium. For centuries they’ve been inseparable: the best of friends, closer than brothers, companions of the heart. But that was before—before darkness befell Aodhan and shattered him, body, mind, and soul. Now, at long last, Aodhan is healing, but his new-found strength and independence may come at a devastating cost—his relationship with Illium.

As they serve side by side in China, a territory yet marked by the evil of its former archangel, the secret it holds nightmarish beyond imagining, things come to an explosive decision point. Illium and Aodhan must either walk away from the relationship that has defined them—or step forward into a future that promises a bond infinitely precious in the life of an immortal…but that demands a terrifying vulnerability from two badly bruised hearts.

Review: Last Guard by Nalini Singh

 

Last Guard (Psy-Changeling Trinity #5) by Nalini Singh

Publication Date: July 20th 2021 by Berkley Books

Pages: 384

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

The PsyNet is sick, and the Ruling Coalition are aware, but they’ve never really considered a crucial part of its foundation: The Anchors. These Anchors are a big part of what’s been keeping it stable, but they’re all stretched to capacity. Canto Mercant, an Anchor, realizes their error and seeks out another powerful Anchor, Payal Rao, to form a coalition with other Anchors to find a solution. Canto doesn’t realize Payal is the girl from his broken past. A girl he’s spent years searching for. They cared for each other in a dire situation, and the bond created from the experience is deep. Now meeting again as adults there is an undeniable magnetic pull between them, an instant attraction.

Loved all the bits with the bears! Canto was basically claimed as a member of those misbehaving, lovable bears. And the Mercants, so fiercely loyal!  Ena Mercant, the powerful matriarch, supposedly Silent, had a big savage heart ready to fight tooth and nail for anyone in their circle!

Last Guard grabbed and held my attention from the first page! I enjoyed the romance between Canto and Payal, but all the side conflicts: the Anchor issues with the PsyNet, the struggle to keep it from collapsing and Payal’s ruthless family and her constant need to be on guard kept me on the edge of my seat! I had to read on to see what would happen! Absolutely loved this installment, and while Canto and Payal’s story came to a satisfying conclusion, the survival of the PsyNet still remains in question, so I can’t wait for the next story!

5 Stars

Book Description:

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh returns to a world devastated by change in her award-winning Psy-Changeling Trinity series, where two people defined by their aloneness hold the fate of the Psy in their hands…

Termed merciless by some, and a robotic sociopath by others, Payal Rao is the perfect Psy: cardinal telekinetic, CEO of a major conglomerate, beautiful—and emotionless.

For Canto Mercant, family and loyalty are everything. A cardinal telepath deemed "imperfect" by his race due to a spinal injury, Canto cares for the opinions of very few—and ruthlessly protects those he claims as his own. Head of intel of the influential Mercant family, he prefers to remain a shadow in the Net, unknown and unseen. But Canto is also an Anchor, part of a secretive designation whose task it is to stabilize the PsyNet. Now that critical psychic network is dying, threatening to collapse and kill the entire Psy race with it.

To save those he loves, Canto needs the help of a woman bound to him by a dark past neither has been able to forget. A woman who is the most powerful Anchor of them all: Payal Rao. Neither is ready for the violent inferno about to ignite in the PsyNet…or the passionate madness that threatens to destroy them both.

Review: Archangel's Sun by Nalini Singh

 

Archangel's Sun (Guild Hunter #13) by Nalini Singh

Publication Date: November 24th 2020 by Berkley

Pages: 368

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★½ 

Links:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible| Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Archangel’s Prophecy steps away from Raphael and Elena as the center and instead focuses on Titus, and Lady Sharine, aka The Hummingbird.

Titus, Archangel of the African Territory, is knee deep in dealing with the havoc created by Lijuan and Charisemnon in their attempt at world domination, and to aid in this Raphael sends The Hummingbird to help. At first Titus is put out because he doesn’t see how The Hummingbird will be any great help. Sure, she’s a renowned artist, her works a thing of beauty, but she’s rumored to be a fragile, fractured being.  Titus doesn’t have time to pamper and dance around a woman when his land and people’s survival is at stake.

Ha! I had a feeling Titus was about to get schooled and it was going to be fun!

Lady Sharine was a broken creature for many years, but she’s come a long way. She’s even helped restore order and peace to Lumia, becoming their beloved angelic leader. When Raphael asked her to go to Archangel’s Titus’ aid, she’s eager to help, knowing all the territories desperately need all the help they can get. Yes, she’s spent a lot of her life being occupied by creating beauty, but underneath she’s a capable and powerful woman ready to help her angel-kind recover.

It was inspirational to witness Lady Sharine transform into this strong, powerful angel! Much to Titus shock, she’s no shallow woman, expected to be waited on and coddled. She proves a valuable asset to Titus and his efforts. They compliment each other beautifully. Where he’s often brash and like a bull in china shop with the ones inherited from Charisemnon’s territory, she helps smooth the way between him and his acquired people. A surprisingly, she’s a warrior!

Of course, my favorite part is the romance, and this was a slow burn.  First with Titus and Sharine getting to known each other, having their misconceptions cleared away leading to respect and admiration, and then the spark of attraction.  I loved seeing Titus fall helplessly for this woman, because the attraction is not only based on the superficial, but the knowing of someone deep down. He’s ignited by passion and want every time they’re together! The same for Sharine, but knowing Titus’ past with women she sort of resigns herself to loving and losing, eventual hurt inevitable.

So much to love about this story! The thrilling fights, the mystery of Charisemnon’s deadly creation, Titus and Sharine’s romance, but I also loved seeing the familial support, and their fun exchanges! Titus with his deadly sisters, and Sharine with her son Illium, and her sort of surrogate sons Aodhan and Raphael.

Archangel’s Sun is book thirteen in the series, and I don’t think this would work well as a standalone, because Titus and Sharine are dealing with the aftermath of the previous two books. I will say that you could go back and read the Raphael/Elena books (there are seven) and then this one and get the full effect.  Last year I binged on the Raphael/Elena books, getting through seven of the books in less than three weeks by listening to the audios, which are fantastically performed by Justine Eyre. There are seven Elena/Raphael books, each one having a source of conflict introduced that’s wrapped up by the end, but there’s the continuing story arc of the Archangel’s Prophecy weaved through. The other books in the series are like Archangel’s Sun where it focuses on the story and romance of side characters, like here with Titus and Sharine.

*If you want a more in-depth explanation of the series I explain it a little better in my review of Archangel’s Prophecy HERE. Some of it is a little spoilery, but not more than you’d get reading the book descriptions. 

4.5 Stars

Book description:

A horrifying secret rises in the aftermath of an archangelic war in New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh’s deadly and beautiful Guild Hunter world...

The Archangel of Death and the Archangel of Disease may be gone but their legacy of evil lives on—especially in Africa, where the shambling, rotting creatures called the reborn have gained a glimmer of vicious intelligence.

It is up to Titus, archangel of this vast continent, to stop the reborn from spreading across the world. Titus can’t do it alone, but of the surviving powerful angels and archangels, large numbers are wounded, while the rest are fighting a surge of murderous vampires.

There is no one left…but the Hummingbird. Old, powerful, her mind long a broken kaleidoscope. Now, she must stand at Titus’s side against a tide of death upon a discovery more chilling than any other. For the Archangel of Disease has left them one last terrible gift…