Title: Mine to Possess
Author: Nalini Singh
Page Count: 352 pages
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Copy for review was from my personal library
50 words or less: Talin ran from Clay after narrowly escaping a horrible fate and subsequent violence. Now she's back and she needs Clay's help- kids are going missing from the Shine Foundation. Will Clay be able to move beyond the past? How about Talin?
After so many plot elements got wrapped up in Caressed By Ice, I was interested to find out what would happen next in the series and where the story and characters would go from here. This is probably the point in the series where you can't really just jump right in and be able to figure out what happened in previous books; I'm a big fan of reading a series in order but it's more necessary in some cases than others. This is definitely a series that's more fun to read in order.
The hero and heroine in this story have a History with a capital H. They grew up in foster care together and had the kind of sweet relationship that kids tend to have. That all changed when Talin realized that being a changeling meant that Clay had some attitudes and behaviors that were pretty foreign to her, and ran for it. The true details of that situation come out as the story goes on and both characters have to learn to deal with their own prejudices, which can be difficult to read sometimes.
Added to the mix is the introduction of the mysterious Shine Foundation, the surface purpose of which is to give disadvantaged kids a chance to shine. Turns out the kids have a lot more in common than just graduating from the school of hard knocks, and Talin, being a graduate of the program, is involved with the workings of the foundation without knowing its true purpose. Her devotion to the kids in her care is what brings her back to Clay, and ultimately is what starts healing the broken relationship between them.
The stories in this series keep getting more intricate, but one of my favorite things about this series, besides the really excellent dynamics between the couples, is the fact that the reactions of the characters to events in the story seem genuine. Talin and Clay have both made mistakes in the past, and the people who are important to them (particularly people in the Pack) are hesitant to welcome their new relationship. They're coming from a place of love and not wanting anyone to get hurt, but the fact stands that not everyone thinks the relationship is a good idea at first, which, given their history, is a pretty natural response.
This book gets a Scandalous Books designation for thematic content again. Talin's experience in foster care is brutal; there aren't a ton of details but the dire situation is clearly depicted. Again, nothing more intense than what comes up in your average prime time cop show but still, some people are not okay with that and I understand that.
The happily ever after in this story is a good one, because it affects more than just the primary couple. I was on vacation when I finished this book and I was really glad I'd brought the next book with me so I could find out what happens next.
Overall Grade: A-
5 comments:
this is the book i'm least anticipating because i've heard so many mixed reviews about it and mostly about how talin wasn't that great of a heroine and not deserving of clay.
@Michelle This is a tough one- I think a lot of my issues came from the fact that it's hard to reconcile Talin's reactions to past events (even though in my opinion they were pretty logical given the circumstances) with Clay's pretty obvious feelings for her. That said, she was pretty traumatized- it's hard to imagine a relationship with these two going well until everyone had dealt with their emotional baggage.
Hmm...I haven't read this or anything buy Nalini Singh at all, yet. Thanks for the review.
This one looks steamy. She is a new author to me. Thanks for the review.
This was one of my favorites in the series. I actually loved (and I know that sounds really weird) all of the baggage and the things they had to deal with individually and as a couple - it helped me get to know the characters as themselves before they fell into bed and it was 'happily ever after mates for eternity.' That said, I've loved all of the Nalini Singh books I've read, so I wasn't going to be disappointed with this one anyway. But it ended up as a top pick.
Nice review!
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