Format: E-book
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Psy-Changeling, #6
Publisher: Berkley
Hero: Riley Aedan Kincaid
Heroine: Mélisande Smith
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: July 7, 2009
Started On: August 3, 2013
Finished On: August 4, 2013

I’m slowly but certainly making my way through the breathtaking Psy/Changeling series that is all kinds of wonderful that I don’t think I have the sort of words required to adequately describe what each of these stories have meant to me.

The sixth book brings to the table by far the hottest book in the series which might have something to do with the fact that both characters are equally strong and dominant in their respective packs.

Riley Aedan Kincaid (Riley) is the most senior lieutenant of the SnowDancer wolf changeling pack. “The Wall” as his Alpha calls him; Riley is strong, steadfast and oh so patient that he gives off the vibe that nothing pierces through that stoic armor of his.

Mélisande Smith or Mercy is a powerful female sentinel in the DarkRiver leopard pack. Mercy is the dominant sort; female sentinels being that much harder to find a mate for because of the irrevocable fight for dominance that takes place.

Mercy might be slowly going insane with the desire that unfurls in her belly to be possessed by Riley, a Wolf of all people and though her leopard might growl at the thought, it also cannot help but purr in utter boneless satisfaction when Riley is done with her.

Though it irks Mercy like nothing else to think of herself going down the road of utter domesticity which is definitely not her, that alone tells Mercy that Riley is not the man for her apart from so many other tidbits of importance when a leopard and wolf might mate for life. However, even that doesn’t seem to stop both of them from seeking each other out and burning the sheets up every time they get together. And though both of them are of the mind that their getting together is temporary, emotional intimacy starts to breed and the walls of protection each has built around themselves start to crumble.

When one of their own is kidnapped that kickstarts a chain of events that seems to escalate in violence and the need to kill, both Riley and Mercy have their hands full trying to outsmart whoever it is that is targeting too many places at once, lending the phrase ‘danger closing in on them’ a whole new meaning. Amidst fighting the mating bond that beckons and continues to grow stronger day by day, Mercy and Riley must find a middle ground within which they can be with each other or forever lose a vital piece of themselves if otherwise.

As I said earlier, Branded by Fire is the hottest book yet in the series. Riley and Mercy start their dance right from the beginning of the story, their entwined past since the Alliance between SnowDancer and DarkRiver lending credibility to the connection that exists between them. Riley is so hot, well, I don’t know which of the heroes has NOT been hot, but man, Riley gives the term losing control a whole new load of deliciousness.

Mercy is the equally endearing, and I just loved how she reveals that tender side of hers when it comes to Riley. It is a testament to Nalini Singh’s talent to be able to write such a dominant female character that doesn’t get into a pissing contest with her mate over every little thing.

Branded by Fire delves quite deeply into the relationship between the sexier than sin Alpha of SnowDancer Hawke and Sienna who drives him crazy enough to commit murder. As usual, the Psy and its Councillors with their own agendas lurks in the background, giving the series the edge that has made it one of its kind.

Recommended for fans of the series and fans of paranormal romances. If you aren’t reading Nalini Singh, you are doing yourself a grave injustice as a reader!

Final Verdict: Scorching hot installment in the series; Nalini Singh continues to prove why she is is a force to be reckoned with!

Favorite Quotes

“Now,” she ordered as they broke apart, her body close to vibrating with ever-tightening need.
“No.” He slid down her body and suddenly her dress pants and panties were gone. She felt the kiss of claws against the insides of her thighs and knew it had been on purpose. No pain, not even a real touch. Just a hint.
Just enough to remind her cat that he could take her.

She moved with him, kissing him back, running her hands over his body and nipping at him just because. He kept her pinned to the earth as he took her, as if he knew just how damn much she needed a good, hard ride. When she orgasmed, it was with a sharp cry, a lush clenching around the thick heat of him, and a burst of starlight behind her eyes.

He pulled her down to sheathe him. She could’ve resisted. She didn’t.
Instead, she moved above him in a sinuous curve of fire and gold, her beauty bathed in sunshine. The fire fractured minutes later. And Riley’s wolf could do nothing but watch her as pleasure gripped him tight, then broke him wide open.

She began to slide one hand down his body. He caught it, brought it back up to his shoulders. Pulling his head up, she pointed to her lips. It wasn’t a hard order to follow. And her kiss . . . oh, but her kiss. All heat and lush, seductive pleasure. It was a promise, that kiss, a promise of a slow ride to oblivion.

“So, staid Riley Kincaid has a kinky secret.” She moved on his fingers, relishing the building tightness in her body, the sheer pleasure on his face. “Do you have a whip?”
“With you, it might come in handy.” His fingers slid inside her.
And she came.
Just like that.

She came on his tongue the first time, hot and wild. And when he shifted her limp form back down his body, coaxing her into sitting up enough to take him inside, she was a scalding silken glove, one made for him alone. He didn’t last long.
The last thing he remembered was his cat licking over the mark she’d made.

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