California and Nebraska - 2080

It’s been over a century since the Psy Council instituted Silence, the program intended to eliminate all emotions in the Psy, thus ridding them of the unfortunate tendency a few had to become serial killers. But up until Silence was born, Psy had mated with humans and changelings, as well as other Psy. Those Psy weren't big fans of the program, so what happened to all of them and their mixed blood children? Most concur that the rebels were Silenced, permanently. But were they?

Talin McKade works for the Shine Foundation helping troubled youths better their lives. Now children across the country, including three of Talin’s “own,” have been taken. Two of those kids have already been found dead. If there’s any hope for Jon, Talin’s third charge, she must approach the strongest man she knows, Clay Bennett. Just one problem, Clay believes, as Talin wanted him to, that she’s dead.

Clay, a leopard changeling, is a sentinel in the DarkRiver pack. When he sees Talin, alive and well, he’s stunned to find that it feels as if she’d never left his side, but then he senses her fear of him and learns that she participated in the lie that made him believe her dead.

Clay is as protective and dangerous as they come, but will he use those traits to help the woman who betrayed his love?

I must admit that each time I read one of Nalini Singh’s books, I’m convinced that the couple at the heart of the story is my favorite. MINE TO POSSESS continues that trend, because once again, this couple is my favorite, at least until the next book. ;-) Talin’s compassion and determination to overcome her painful childhood have prepared her to be a guardian any child would be lucky to have on his or her side. Unfortunately, she hasn’t really overcome the past, and with her particular talent for remembering literally everything she’s ever experienced or read, her nightmares are particularly vivid. Clay once killed for Talin, protecting her from a true monster. Clay is violent, there’s no doubt about that, but underneath his volatile exterior is a man damaged by those he loved most. His mother wasn’t a changeling, and it hurt her to see that part of Clay, so he suppressed his natural instincts and shoved his leopard deep inside. If it weren’t for DarkRiver, Clay would have gone rogue long ago. And now that Talin is back, that possibility remains, for even as he rejoices in her presence, her constant denials of their deep connection threaten to drive him over the brink. Is there any hope for Talin and Clay to claim happiness? You’ll have to read the book for yourself to find out.

If you’ve been a fan of the series for long, I’m sure you’ll recognize many of the secondary characters; if you haven’t, let me introduce a few to you. Lucas Hunter is the alpha of DarkRiver, as well as Sascha, Duncan’s mate (Sascha is a powerful Psy empath). Vaughn D’Angelo is a sentinel for DarkRiver, and he, too, is mated to a Psy, Faith (she can predict the future). Then there’s Dorian, another DarkRiver sentinel; he’s a very handsome man with enough anger inside to fuel a volcano. And of course, there are the members of the Psy Council, Nikita Duncan (Sascha’s mother, trust me, it’s not a close relationship) Ming LeBon, and Kaleb Krychek are just a few of the dangerous and determined members. Ashaya Aleine is a researcher for the Psy Council. She’s working on their next diabolical method to control the Psy race, Protocol I. The program would replace the current conditioning program with implants installed in infants, creating a “hive mind” and eliminating the threat of dropouts from the PsyNet.

If you’ve been looking for a book that will entice and entrance, look no further. The very talented Nalini Singh has yet again proven that her books are gems, true treasures that are intriguing, multi-faceted creations that just get better and better. Check out www.nalinisingh.com for a complete listing. Don’t miss MINE TO POSSESS!

Lori Ann