I got Caressed by Ice! Even better, I read Caressed by Ice!!! and guess what?!? I should be receiving my second copy of Caressed by Ice soon! LOL, yeah ^^; I pre-ordered Caressed by Ice, but couldn't wait to get my hands on it, so I rushed to the bookstore as soon as one of them had it.
Caressed by Ice by Nalini Singh
published by Berkley Sensation in September 2007
As an Arrow, an elite soldier in the Psy Council ranks, Judd Lauren was forced to do terrible things in the name of his people. Now a defector, his dark abilities have made him the most deadly of assassins—cold, pitiless, unfeeling. Until he meets Brenna.
Brenna Shane Kincaid was an innocent before she was abducted—and had her mind violated—by a serial killer. Her sense of evil runs so deep, she fears she could become a killer herself. Then the first dead body is found, victim of a familiar madness. Judd is her only hope, yet her sensual changeling side rebels against the inhuman chill of his personality, even as desire explodes between them. Shocking and raw, their passion is a danger that threatens not only their hearts, but their very lives.
Genre: paranormal romance, psychics and shapeshifters
Series: Psy/changelings series, Book #3
Why did I get this book? If you don't know the answer, you haven't been around blogland for the past year. This series is really good! That's the reason!
My impressions? This book was good! I completely loved it! After Visions of Heat, which was a bit disappointing, I wasn't sure what to expect. Was this series continues to tank or... Well I'll never doubt again and I can't wait for the next book!!! All in all, Ms Singh did an awesome job... I really liked the hero, Jude, as well as the story :D What I like is that Ms Singh doesn't overdo it like some other authors. She also doesn't prepare the readers for her next book, plugging her next hero/heroine/couple and giving them the spotlight. What I find awesome as well is that the main storyline, the war btw Psy and changelings, is also advancing throughout the books.
The Hero, the Heroine and the Romance: We met the heroine for the first time in Slave to Sensation: Brenna Shane Kincaid. She's a wolf who was kidnapped and then tortured by Enrique Santano, a Psy Councilor. She has healed, but obviously, something in her or actually, in her mind has changed... and it's not just the trauma. Seriously, Brenna left me a bit indifferent. She wasn't annoying or TSTL or anything, it's just... I don't know... I was too invested in Judd to really care about her :P Also, I thought that she was Hawke's little sister, but I was wrong :P
Judd was an awesome hero though :P Although Psy are not supposed to feel emotions, Judd is really his own person. For some reason, I've been given the impressions that Psy actually can,t think, that they are puppets which is not the case at all. However, Judd is really his own person and he although he doesn't admit it, he can "feel." I also really admire his loyalty for his family. That is something I really enjoyed... It was also interesting to see the Psy prospective from the opposite gender, since so far, the only Psy we've been with are Sascha and Faith, both women. Also, because of his status, an Arrow soldier, I think that Judd knew more about the real truths of the Psy world than Sascha and Faith... Obviously, he was less naive and knew what he had to do to get out of the Silence's clutches.
I enjoyed the romance. I really did. I thought there was a great balance between the romance and the action. I also liked the progression... it didn't happen too fast and they didn't jump in bed immediately either. I'm sure that many will enjoyt his book and the romance :P
Secondary characters: They were a lot of secondary characters, but none that really had its own storyline. In this book, we get to know more about the Snow Dancer pack. I liked seeing more of Hawke and the Lauren family. One intriguing character right now, for me, is Indigo :D We also get to see the Dark River cats as well as Sascha and Faith. However, as I said, none of the secondary characters stole the spotlight from Judd and Brenna and I really appreciated that :D
The Story: The story was really interesting and I enjoyed it :D We know from the previous book, that there is some kind of rebellion going on or at least, in the process of being organized. So we are introduced to the Ghost, a rogue Psy but also, revolutionary. Judd is helping him with his attacks and their main goal is to destroy Protocol I which is the next step to Silence. It all sounds complicated, but when you read the book, it's really the logical next step. In addition, you still have the Psy and changelings fighting and all I have to say is that the changelings are lucky to have a Psy on their side :D The fighting between the Psy and changelings is really interesting and I can't wait to see what the next move is going to be.
What I liked: Judd, the plot, the romance. I enjoyed the interaction of Judd with the pack as well as with his family. I'm also curious about Kaleb... and I'm wondering who is the Ghost!!!
What I didn't like: Frankly, nothing. The only thing perhaps is that I would have liked more interaction btw Judd and his family. I'm really curious about the Lauren family...
Grade: A-. I think that everyone should read this book LOL :P and I really can't wait for the next book. Sigh, have to wait till February...
Some speculation... Does anyone think like me that Hawke's heroine is Sienna Lauren? The only problem I see is their age difference... Hawke is 32 y.o. and Sienna is 17 y.o. So 15 years... it's not that huge, but still considerable. I really would like these two to be a couple, but I guess that if they were really mates, Hawke would have already recognized Sienna. I'm thinking that the other option is Kit and Sienna instead. Much closer in age and seriously, I think only an alpha can handle Sienna, LOL :P
Previous reviews:
Slave to Sensation
Visions of Heat
