Hostage to Pleasure

Psy-Changeling Series, Book 5

By: Nalini Singh

Narrated by: Angela Dawe

Length: 12 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Separated from her son and forced to create a neural implant that will mean the effective enslavement of her psychically gifted race, Ashaya Aleine is the perfect Psy: cool, calm, emotionless... at least on the surface. Inside, she’s fighting a desperate battle to save her son and escape the vicious cold of the PsyNet. Yet when escape comes, it leads not to safety but to the lethal danger of a sniper’s embrace.

DarkRiver sniper Dorian Christensen lost his sister to a Psy killer. Though he lacks the changeling ability to shift into animal form, his leopard lives within. And that leopard’s rage at the brutal loss is a clawing darkness that hungers for vengeance. Falling for a Psy has never been on Dorian’s agenda. But charged with protecting Ashaya and her son, he discovers that passion has a way of changing the rules.

Mind over matter: listen to more in the Psy-Changeling series.

©2008 Nalini Singh (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"One of the greatest pleasures of these books is their ability to deliver both an intensely personal love story as well as a riveting societal drama. Singh is on the fast track to becoming a genre giant!" ( Romantic Times)

Love the Series, Love the Listen

If you could sum up Hostage to Pleasure in three words, what would they be?

Brings the story to life. Great for listening pleasure.

What did you like best about this story?

the characters are brought to life with this audiobook.

What does Angela Dawe bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

expressions of the characters, and annunciation of words

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes

A psy who has hidden her feelings since she was 14

I live the different aspects of psy that is being brought to light and how much each is willing to give in order to save those they care about even when they weren't supposed to have feelings at all.
As I stated before the narrator needs a bit of work differentiating between some of the voices. But I liked the story anyway. I just had to pay close attention to any name being said so that I could figure out who was talking.

Obsessed

Would you consider the audio edition of Hostage to Pleasure to be better than the print version?

yes, the story comes to life as the reader tells it

Who was your favorite character and why?

Dorian, I could picture this tall, great-looking man batteling his fears and hurting from his limitations

Have you listened to any of Angela Dawe’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Love Unsensored

Any additional comments?

I am obsessed with these book, it was by far the better. Having a child introduced in the book made it even better..it was about love, devotion and family

Best new series on Audible!

Dorian and Ashaya were a perfect match in every way! If you're looking for a great paranormal romance series, look no further! This series has the perfect balance of a created paranormal world with the right amount romance (and steamy scenes).

Talk about action-packed

Incredible world-building. So many new things revealed in this book. Plenty of new characters introduced and previous storylines revisited yet Dorian and Ashaya are firmly ensconced in the center. The build-up to future clashes between Psy, changeling, and human groups is exciting. Can’t wait for the next book in the series.

Performance is great. Distinct voices for each character. I especially loved Keenan’s.

Hostage to Pleasure

Well I wasn’t expecting that!!!

Dorian is a character I loved right away; I loved how smooth he was. Though he couldn’t change into his leopard he never showed how much that had to have bothered him. He seemed to just accept it and who wouldn’t fall for a guy like that.

When we meet Ashaya you’re really not sure of her. She helped the kids, yes and she had enough feelings to want her son to get out. But she is a Psy and you just don’t really know them or trust them.

Her need to protect is so strong that is what drew me to like her. And then when Dorian couldn’t and wouldn’t let anyone else guard her. Well that was it for me, I knew then that they were meant to be and even if that meant the worst I felt like these two could make anything work. Especially when we get that first scene of Ashaya with her son.. Omg my heart melted into butter.

The bond Dorian, Ashaya, and her son have is so sweet. If I wasn’t sunken hook line and sinker before that would have cinched it for me.

Oh, that ending.. my heart will never recover, such joy.

Again the narration once you’re used to it you’re used to it and I can’t imagine anyone else narrating this series.

Hostage to Pleasure Psy-Changeling Series Book 5.

It has been a great and interesting reading this book. This couple has many issues that they came together to talked about each and seeing from their different view point. They worked together and their bond started to grow from their very first contract working to bring down the council member. She also made herself a target from different groups who though they can kidnap her. Use her to take control of the power structure to control the other races. Their jouney was not an easy one but as they struggle with it they were able to find a common ground which were loss of her sister and the defected mind of her own sister. They did work together with a single mind to bring their family to safety. He was able to regain the his leopard and both were again able to shift.

Love the story, meh on the hero

I loved Dorian in the other stories, but he was a jerk for much of this story. Ashaya didn't take all of it, but some of the stuff she did left me fuming. ***spoilers He dry humps her and uses the heel of his hand to bring her to orgasm like that's some amazing thing? Maybe he needs to borrow Jude's manuals. He literally tells her how shitty being with her makes him feel, and we're supposed to be like cool. they're mates. Hopefully Nalini Singh will flesh out this couple again in the future. While Ashaya is a strong female lead, the sex scenes for this couple were rushed and lacking in comparison to literally every other book in both psy changeling and trinity series and I would like some actual redemptive arc for Dorian. By the end I still kinda thought he was a bit of an a-hole and they are barely together in later books

Wow

I kinda of disliked Dorian attitude toward his mate. As a centennial, I expected he would recognize signs of a his mate. The changelings tend to be wrapped up in a constant battle of testosterone. It damn near kills the romance in the stories. I like the series and I hope for more in-depth words to color the scenes.

I like the family aspect of their story, but I wonder about the darkness they let in. Dealing with the psy is never cut and dry. The twin has the making of a psychotic killer and has shown the propensity to act on those thoughts. Waiting for a bomb to blow is insane.

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant

I’m falling in love more and more with the world that the author built and just can’t believe someone’s mind works so intricately to flesh out all the little bits and pieces of this masterpiece of a series! Loved, loved LOVED every bit of this book and all the found family goodness! I just want so many side characters to get books so badly! Reading on to see what happens. Don’t wanna check ahead to spoil the fun lol. Definitely give this series a read. You won’t regret it!