Branded by Fire

Though DarkRiver sentinel Mercy is feeling the pressure to mate, she savagely resists when Riley Kincaid, a lieutenant from the SnowDancer pack, tries to possess her. The problem is not simply that he pushes her buttons; the problem is that he's a wolf, she's a cat, and they're both used to being on top.
But when a brilliant changeling researcher is kidnapped from DarkRiver territory, Mercy and Riley must work together to track the young man - before his shadowy captors decide he's no longer useful. Along the way, the two dominants may find that submitting to one another uncovers not just a deadly conspiracy, but a passion so raw that it'll leave them both branded by fire...

Branded by Fire is the sixth book in Nalini Singh’s Psy/Changling series. This book is the one I’ve been anticipating reading since it’s Mercy and Riley’s book. I never expected these two to end up together, and I don’t think these two characters expected it either. 

Storyline/My Thoughts :

Both Mercy and Riley have been standout characters to me since they were introduced in previous books in the series. Both have different reasons why they stand out to me. Mercy is a DarkRiver sentinel, and she’s all about taking her job seriously. She’s one kick-butt heroine who can handle herself, especially since she’s a DarkRiver sentinel. At times though, her character drove me crazy with going back and forth with Riley and why they couldn’t be anything serious. She was worried that since she was a leopard and he was a wolf, it wouldn’t work to be mates. She needed to find a leopard mate and her grandmother even sends her a couple from her pack to win her over. Although, Mercy doesn’t want anything to do with them.
Let me not forget Riley; I fell for him because he has overcome a lot in his life. He lost his parents, and he almost lost his little sister to a Psy. He doesn’t lose sight of what he is supposed to do in the pack, but he does fall hard for Mercy. At first, they are a fling, but then it becomes more, and Riley is determined to prove he wants more with Mercy. He gets put in his place several times, though, in this book that Mercy can handle herself. He can’t change Mercy and how independent she is, and she’s also very dominant.
Be prepared for some very steamy scenes between Riley and Mercy from beginning to end. These two could not stay away from each other, and both packs started realizing it, even if Mercy and Riley tried to hide it at times.
There were drama and action-packed scenes in this book that involved the Psy and the Alliance. Why are the Psy council members being targeted individually, and why are Changelings dealing with unexpected issues too.
Overall, this book receives 4.5 stars, and I can’t wait to read the next book.
There was a big moment in this book that I was so happy about, but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. It happens to deal with one of my favorite couples in the series so far that I’ve read, and I hope more moments like this happen in the series.

Standalone or Part of Series: It’s part of the Psy/Changeling series, and I recommend reading in order.

Steaminess: Steamy.

Trope: Fated Mates; Opposite’s Attract

Would I recommend this book? Yes. I recommend this book/series to Paranormal Romance readers. I can’t brag enough about how addicting Nalini Singh’s books are since I started reading them. I wish I would’ve read them sooner. I love the world she creates in her books and the characters.

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About Nalini Singh

I've been writing as long as I can remember and all of my stories always held a thread of romance (even when I was writing about a prince who could shoot lasers out of his eyes). I love creating unique characters, love giving them happy endings and I even love the voices in my head. There's no other job I would rather be doing. In September 2002, when I got the call that Silhouette Desire wanted to buy my first book, Desert Warrior, it was a dream come true. I hope to continue living the dream until I keel over of old age on my keyboard.

I was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand. I also spent three years living and working in Japan, during which time I took the chance to travel around Asia. I’m back in New Zealand now, but I’m always plotting new trips. If you’d like to see some of my travel snapshots, have a look at the Travel Diary page (updated every month).

So far, I've worked as a lawyer, a librarian, a candy factory general hand, a bank temp and an English teacher and not necessarily in that order. Some might call that inconsistency but I call it grist for the writer's mill.

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FranJessca

Owner/Reviewer at A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog

I guess I should type a bio here. I'm FranJessca, or Fran for short. I'm the owner/reviewer behind A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog. I've been reading and reviewing books on my blog since leaving the Navy in 2011, and I will keep doing it as long as possible. My favorite genres will always be Romance & Fantasy, and I read every subgenre underneath those two genres. (Sorry, not a fan of nonfiction, so don't try to convince me to read it.)
My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)

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