Book 1), Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changelings

I've been a fan of Nalini Singh's since I first came across her Guild Hunter series back in 2011 and I've been wanting to try her Psy-Changeling series for just as long, and last week I finally bit the bullet and borrowed the e-book from my library.

And you know what? I loved it. I did, I really, really did. I was totally surprised by the fact that I loved it because of the sci-fi and paranormal blend which I thought was pretty unique compared to the other romances I usually read.

The book focuses on two people. First there's Sascha, a Psy. Someone who has had the emotion supressed in them, they have individual personalities, and powers but no emotion. Except something went wrong with Sascha and she does feel things, and that could get her killed if the wrong people found out. Then there's Lucas, the alpha of the DarkRiver pack of Leopard shifters, he's all emotion and can tell that there's something different about Sascha but it takes time to figure out just what that difference is.

I loved both characters, sometimes I struggle with alpha heroes but when it comes to Nalini Singh, I love them. She creates them in such a way that I can't help but adore them, even if they can be major pricks she always gives them redeeming qualities, and Lucas's most redeeming quality is his loyalty to those around them, plus he's a shifter. How could I not like him? I didn't always agree with him but I liked him a lot through out the whole book.

As for Sascha, I was really surprised to like her since I've read a romance like this before where I hated the heroine I loved Sasha. Unlike the other Psy we encounter in the book she's all emotion, even though she had to keep it under wraps around her kind, I enjoyed seeing her embrace her differences and use them for good.

As a couple, I loved this pairing of characters. Yes, Lucas is all macho but Sasha is able to smooth out his rougher edges and they went together so well both in and out of the bedroom. Singh has always been able to create a strong storyline that is both equally character and plot driven in her other series that I've read so it was nice to see that her ability to create scorching chemistry in one of her earlier novels was great.

The plot of the novel was a strong one. Both Lucas and Sasha are trying to find the Psy who is abducting and butchering other shifters, leopards as well as wolves and it becomes a game of cat and mouse, with both sides of the coin having much to lose if it comes to light that there's a rogue Psy in the world. At first I was very unsure about the whole Psy thing because of the sci-fi nature of them and race but in the end I enjoyed it and thought it was really refreshing. Yes, I have some questions about the Psy and the Changelings but I suspect many of those questions if not all will be answered in the subsequent novels in the series.

Overall, this turned out to be one of my favourite reads of this year. Nalini Singh is one of my favourite authors so I'm glad that I finally gave her first series a try, though I am kicking myself for not starting it sooner. The plot was complex and the romance between the characters was able to build up before it bubbled over. I liked the angst and the way that she set up this first book in her series and I'm dying to read the second one.

I would recommend this to fans of Nalini Singh who haven't yet started her Psy-Changeling series for fears that it won't have strong characters like those in her Guild Hunter series. If you love shifter romances but want one with a twist where there isn't a case of insta-love and want something refreshing in the genre I highly recommend picking this one up and if you long your heroines with a strong personality grab it as soon as you can

I understand the need to world built but honestly I felt disconnected with Sasha's cold, non feeling Psy world. Where I was very connected to the Changelings world as I am more touchy, feely, emotional type of person and it feed my addiction to paranormal reading. Once the story didn't deal so much with Sasha's world then I really got into it. Later her world made sense and I understood that the 1st chapter was necessary just as it was.

Ms Singh tells a powerful story of what happens when all emotion is removed and people exist as a web of shared energy thoughts with unique psychic gifts. While on the exact opposite end of the spectrum you have Changelings that have the ability to shapeshift as well as all their emotions and feelings exposed in everyday life as we do today.

Her unique writing weaves into storylines that keep you on your toes. I personally read the book straight through I was so mesmerized by what was happening and needing to know whether or not Sasha would survive.

To me it is obvious that this book was to be used for a whole series of very interesting books to come. I am so hooked I already downloaded up to book 5

The book was really interesting and I enjoyed everything about it—except the romantic relationship. It was so cliche and unhealthy. I can overlook a lot for a good book, but it constantly grated on me. He’s controlling, ignores boundaries, and generally has no respect for her. That’s a recipe for abuse, not love. It’s a shame because I liked everything else, but will not be reading the rest of the series.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi

*Beware of Spoilers*

In the world of the emotionless Psy, Sascha Duncan has always felt broken. As she feels things the other Psy don't; things she isn't supposed to feel and she craves the sensations she's not supposed to want such as touch and love. And, all of Sascha's cravings get ratcheted up even higher when she enters into a business agreement with DarkRiver's pack alpha, Lucas, and she has to work closely with the panther changeling on a daily basis. If the other Psy ever discover her flaw, it will mean rehabilitation, a wiping of her mind that will leave her pretty much brainless; a fate worse than death.

Being around Lucas and the other changelings opens Sascha up to a world of feelings and love that she never imagined, showing her exactly what her people have been missing out on. She knows that her mental shields are breaking and that the Psy will soon discover her defect, ending her life as she knows it. But if she's going to go out, she wants to go out doing something noble by setting herself up as bait to find the Psy serial killer that has been killing the changeling women and the person who currently has one of SnowDancer's wolf changelings to stop them once and for all before a war between Changelings and Psy is put into motion. Putting her plan into action will mean certain death for Sascha, but it's a price she is willing to pay as she is doomed to die anyway once her flaw is discovered.

The only problem is that Lucas has started the mating process with Sascha and his protective panther side won't allow her to endanger her life in such a way. But the only other option would slowly kill them both and Sascha refuses to take Lucas down with her. With a Psy as equally stubborn as her changeling mate it will be a battle of wills to see who will win out and just whose life is at stake.

This was another awesome read from Nalini Singh, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors! I felt this particular story started out slow as I was being reunited with the Psy species, as it's been awhile since I read the prequel to the series, Beat of Temptation. But once the romance between Lucas and Sascha started to heat up, I couldn't put this book down and I was even wishing the story was a bit longer!

I loved the growing relationship between Lucas and Sascha. You knew from the beginning of the story that he would mate with her, whether either of them wanted it or not. You knew that she would be faced with death from her own species at the end and it would be up to Lucas to save her. But nothing about their story seemed predictable, not even the parts you expected, and I truly enjoyed the ride.

It was interesting getting a feel for the two species; Psy and Changeling, and seeing just how different the two are. Cold and ruthless vs warm, protective, and loving. It was also nice seeing the sacrifices these characters are willing to take for the ones they love.

Being someone that did read the prequel, I also enjoyed seeing Tasmyn and Nate again. They didn't bring a lot to this particular story, but Tasmyn and Sascha did become quick friends. If you can't get your hands on the prequel, no worries, you can skip it and not miss anything vital to the story. It's just Tasmyn and Nate's back-story. But it is pretty good and a nice treat for those that have the opportunity to read it!

"You know I'll never say no, and Nate's so dedicated, I think he loves our alpha more than me."

"I resent that," Nate grumbled. "I might love football more than you, but definitely not Lucas's ugly mug."

I found Slave to Sensation riveting and can't wait to read more of this unique series! Nalini Singh should definitely be on your must read list!

This review and more at openbooksociety dot com

The Good: I postponed reading this book for years. The cover screamed cheap romance and the title made it seem like it was selling the raunchy aspect over plot of any kind. Needless to say, I went into this book with a very closed mind and expected a large amount of eye rolling during my read through. I found myself pleasantly surprised. Yes, this is paranormal romance. Yes, there are sexy times. I usually enjoy both, by the way. But nothing here was cheap and easy and the book was chock full of exciting story elements. The psychic race was done uniquely, creating a whole unexpected set of obstacles.

The Bad: The world building slowed the pace significantly, but it had to be done. Sascha was internally repetitive at times, making me want to slap her silly for harping on her "brokenness."

I'm new to this author. This is the first time I read her book. The writing style was easy to read. The storyline was really new and not quite like other books I've read. I enjoyed it most of the time but around the third part of the book I started to lose my interest. I can't put my finger on it, but I just felt like I didn't enjoy it anymore. I haven't decided whether I'd read the next book. I might give it another chance.

I'm a big fan of Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series so it was about time I finally got around to starting the Psy-Changeling books! I have to say I was impressed and I think this has the potential to become my favourite out of the two series. I loved the world that Nalini has created, you have two very different races who have pretty much the opposite outlooks and are struggling to live alongside each other. The Psy have incredible psychic abilities, from mind reading all the way through to telekinetic powers (although I'm sure there are even more types that we are yet to discover). As a race they have been trained not to feel any kind of emotions, they are supposed to be ruled purely by logic and anyone who shows the slightest hint of emotional behaviour will have their personality brutally wiped out at a rehabilitation centre. The Changelings on the other hand are ruled by their feelings, they work hard and play harder and nothing is more important to them than the bonds between pack and family - the Psy don't even develop close relationships with their parents or siblings.

Our main characters for this instalment are Psy Sasha and Changeling Lucas. Sasha has always known how different she is from the other Psy and learnt from a young age to keep her feelings closely hidden - even from her mother who would never understand her behaviour. As the daughter of an important Council member Sasha knows more than most just how dangerous it would be if anyone found out just how different she is and she knows that not even her mother would protect her if she is discovered. Lucas is the alpha of the DarkRiver Leopard pack and he is working to track down the Psy who has been brutally murdering Changeling women. The latest victim was a member of his pack and he will do whatever it takes to make them pay, even if that does mean working with Sasha and trying to use her to get the information he needs.

I absolutely adored this book, I loved the world building, I'm fascinated by the Psys (although I wouldn't want to be one!) and I always enjoy reading about different kinds of shapeshifters. Above all I loved the relationship between Sasha and Lucas, Nalini Singh takes the time to develop their relationship slowly and I enjoyed every minute of it. The way Lucas cares for his pack is heart warming but it was so good to see the way he began to care for Sasha and how determined he was to protect her and keep her safe from harm. Sasha had never been allowed to freely express herself so she finds it hard to even understand all the emotions that Lucas brings out in her, she instinctively knows how to love but she is so used to locking all her feelings away that she finds it hard to express herself. Lucas never pushes her beyond what she is prepared to give though, he understands how hard it is for her and he teaches her how to care for him and his packmates. One of my favourite things about the couple was the banter between them and when you have conversations like the one below it is very hard not to laugh out loud:

"I could turn your mind to mush if I wanted"
"But then who'd lick you to orgasm?"

Slave to Sensation was a fantastic start to the Psy-Changeling series and one that has left me very excited to find out more. We have been introduced to a great range of side characters so I'm happy that each book focuses on a different couple but I'm also interested to see how the ongoing storyline of the political relationship between the Psy and Changeling races will play out. If Nalini Singh wasn't already on my list of favourite authors this would have earned her a place there so if you haven't read any of her books before then you really should do as soon as possible!

NUMBER OF HEARTS: 4
REVIEW:
This was my second read/listen to this book. But I decided that I really wanted to tackle Nalini’s Psy-Changeling series. This first book was really good. Lots of world building, history and foundation that needs to be laid for us to understand this world. But the story between Lucas & Sascha really heats up the pages. Anyone that can have those types of dreams is okay in my book :)
I really loved Lucas’ character. As Alpha of his pack he has to be strong. But Lucas was strong even before he was alpha. Although he was a little broken too. I hope that we get to see glimpses of these two in future books.
I loved Sascha, even if at times I wanted to shake the Psy out of her. But if she was not Psy and struggling with her emotions the story would not be as good.

The narrator Angela Dawe did a really good job with the reading of this book. This was my first book I have listened to narrated by Angela. My only complaint was that the splicing between chapters was way too fast. But I do plan on listening to the second book in this series on audible too.

Disclaimer:
This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

*I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for an honest opinion*

This book was great as far as romances go! I'm a sucker for paranormal romances. This book had a really good plot- woman attempts to suppress emotions to avoid being killed or turned into a vegetable by her people (the psy) all while helping the changelings track down a serial killer. Oh, and she's in love with the alpha of the changelings, so that's fun. I thought the book was a bit slow at times, and sometimes Lucas annoyed me. But overall it was a good read.

I listened to this as an audiobook, narrated by Anglea Dawe, so my review is based on that version.

This book is a very interesting and complex version of opposites that attract each other. On one hand we have a Psy woman named Sascha who has been trained to have no emotional responses (think Vulcan) and on the other hand you have a man who is a leopard changeling (think shape shifter) ruled by instinct and emotions. Both have their own hidden agendas but have to work together.

Our changeling, Lucas, needs to use our Psy woman, Sascha, to help them find a psy murderer and will go to any lengths necessary to get her to help, even (oh gasp) seducing the cold fish. Sascha needs to prove she is a capable business partner in the Psy world and will do everything she can, including working with this changeling who is spouting off with sexual innuendos at every turn, to prove she is adept.

This was a great story and I enjoyed it very much. The author did a great job of drawing out our characters so you could almost feel their responses to each other. Even though this was the first book in the series, I didn't feel bogged down with the world building and character setup. This story flowed very nicely from beginning to end and you were not left with a giant cliffhanger leading to the next book. Even without a cliffhanger, I am very interested in where we go in the next book in the series.

The Narration Review
This audiobook was narrated by Angela Dawe. Although I thought she did a good job on the voices, I felt like she was rushing through the book. There were no pauses for sensations or feelings, just reading on through. I don't feel that it took away from the story, but would have preferred a more relaxed read.

Sascha Duncan is a member of a race known for their emotional detachment, cold precision and deadly sharp minds. Only Sascha isn't like other Psy. She feels powerful emotion and she grows worried she may soon not be able to repress the building surge. A business meeting with changeling Lucas Hunter, the alpha of the DarkRiver leopards, lures her even closer to the edge of certain discovery. As she is assigned as the Psy contact for the ensuing project Lucas's company takes on, she soon begins to fear grave repercussions from her people.

Lucas feels something different about Sascha--she's not like other Psy. It doesn't take long for the dominant male to begin asserting his blatant interest in her in traditionally pack ways. Could her mysterious differences be the key his and a rival pack's have been looking for? A serial killer has targeted changeling women, and the packs believe the killer to be Psy. As a Psy with connections amongst her race, Sascha will become the only saving grace in a race against time to stop two opposing groups on the brink of war. Her and Lucas's efforts will bring them to some shocking realizations as well as some heated and sensually stimulating encounters.

The first impression of this romance was that it combined an awesome feel of not only paranormal elements, but sci-fi as well. Lucas's pack dynamics will ring somewhat similar to other paranormal romances, while having their own unique qualities at the same time, most notably their love for one another and family dynamics. The chilling addition of the Psy brings to mind a more futuristic sense with their sparse and utilitarian lifestyles. There are some very interesting twists to the plot that makes good use of the pacing throughout the book, making for a very hard to put down read. Sascha is a heroine readers may sympathize with in her plight to become fully herself, while Lucas is so wonderfully sexy in his concern for her welfare. Look for the sequel, Visions of Heat (March 6, 2007) about Psy member Faith NightStar and changeling Vaugn D'Angelo

I almost quit reading when it appeared this book was about a psi who had all her feelings stifled - but didn't. It seems it didn't work for her and in her dreams she is making love to a changling alpha. It looked it it was going to be the typical - oh I never knew love could be so good when a deeper plot was introduced. Then things began to look up. Someone was snatching and killing changeling women, and it appears our heroine has decided to help them with her special talents. Still lots of love, but much more.

Love it so much! One of the best PNR books I've read. The story is cute as well as hot! ❤️ This is the first changeling type of love story I've read, but I found the way Nalini Singh describes her characters, especially the changeling is cute and endearing. Makes me want to brush my hand on their furs or cubs and pups. She also hit it on the POV thing. Even if she did it using alternating third pov, the story still feels smooth and intimate. Must read for PNR readers.

This was my first book by Nalini Singh, but it will not be my last. It has great characters, an exciting story line/plot, and plenty of romance and character interaction.
Sascha Duncan is a Psy, a group of people that have pushed their feelings and emotions to the back of their minds to the point that they do not experience them any longer. Sascha believes that she is flawed because s is becoming unable to conceal her feelings and fears that she is going insane. If she reveals her emotions to her own kind she will be to sentenced to the horror of "rehabilitation" - which is the complete psychic erasure of everything she is.
Lucas Hunter is a changeling, part human and part panther. The changelings embrace the very sensations the Psy disdain. These two different races have coexisted for centuries but are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killed his packmate, and h believes that Sascha is his entry into their protected society. He soon discovers that Sascha is very capable of emotion and even passion. The animal in him is excited by her and falling in love.
I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who loves romantic SciFi.

Having read and loved and tired of plenty of paranormal series, I was extremely excited for this one, albeit with a bit of apprehension. I thought I'd seen mostly everything w/ the amount of paranormal romances I've read, but this series is a great surprise!!

The Psy is a race with mental powers. Their brains are connected to the PsyNet, like the internet for the mind. About 100 years ago, the Council started the program Silence, which conditions Psy not to feel emotions. This was to reduce insanity and killers in the Psy population, but this also created an ultimate race w/o emotion, a race who lives on logic.

Sascha Duncan is a rare cardinal Psy who should be enormously powerful, but she isn't, not to mention unlike the rest of her kind, she feels emotions and has hidden her flaw for all of her life, being afraid to be sent into rehabilitation where her mind will be wiped out. Everything goes downhill when she meets Lucas Hunter, a leopard changeling, who tempts her beyond anything and makes her hunger for things she can never have.

Lucas Hunter is the alpha of DarkRiver, a Pack of leopard changelings. Changeling (shapeshifter) is a race that thrives on emotions and touch, everything that the Psy finds abhorrent. Lucas is trying to infiltrate PsyNet through Sascha in order to find a Psy serial killer that has been murdering changeling women in the last few years. Little did he expect his reaction to the emotionless Psy.

I was thoroughly engrossed in this book from the beginning. Sascha, with her need to belong somewhere, with her belief that she is broken, makes a heartbreaking character. Lucas is the ultimate alpha male who is sensual to the core. He is the perfect mate for Sascha, the perfect anchor for a woman who needs to find her place in the world. Ms. Singh has created a wonderful world for these characters and has put much thought into the history and cultural dynamics of the races, such as PsyNet and the changeling Packs.

I guess the only thing was that the plot was kind of predictable, as in who the serial killer was. Although Ms. Singh tried to throw us off, I pretty much guessed the killer the first time he appeared. But that's fine, it's a romance novel, not a thriller or anything. The pacing was great, so was the romance and characters, which are the most important parts. Now I know I'm not going to read anything else until I finish this series!!

4.5-5 stars for this paranormal romance that has a heaping dose of adventure/mystery on the side.

Set in the 2070s in San Francisco, "Slave to Sensation" is a little far-out/sci-fi (which is not my normal genre), but not so much so that it is distracting or hard to follow. I took a long time to decide to read this series - in part, I'll confess, because the font on the cover looks like something from my third grade "create a book" project (sorry, it's true!). After hearing so many rave reviews, though, I decided to give it a go, and I'm so glad that I did.

Nalini Singh weaves together a finely knit world that captivated me pretty much from the start. Lucas, the hero changeling, is wonderful - strong, possessive and totally alpha but vulnerable in his own way when it comes to the heroine, Sascha, a Psy to whom he doesn't quite understand his attraction. Their romance is a joy to follow, and the teamwork, protectiveness, and sacrifice they show in unraveling the mystery is a gratifying portent for their future together. The love scenes are well-written - not clinically graphic, but emotionally charged.

Enough people have summarized the plot to make it redundant to go into that part of the story. However, I'll just say that, if you are hesitant about starting the series because of (1) the semi-cheesy title and/or cover art and/or (2) you're not sure about a paranormal series that is set in a futuristic world, then please don't let those things hold you back from diving into a world (series) that is engrossing and has my favorite element - a HEA at the end of each book.

I'll be reading the next of the series, and I'm delighted to know that I have 9+ books to catch up on!

Read the Rock Star Series author just published. Loved it. Decided to try this series, although not normally my cup of tea.

Really enjoyable. I wasn't overwhelmed with made up cultures, made up words, silly laws that some authors in the genre tend to think is a great recipe for a good book

This book is about a pack. About family, really. If you look at it simply it's about a woman who belongs to an unfeeling race. When she digs deep into who she is, and who she loves, the story becomes a family that works to survive against foes - who's main goal is to suppress. Good read. Some sexual encounters between the main characters, well written.

No threesomes. No BDSM. Feel I have to include those disclaimers as many authors are going that route lately. ?.

My Review:
Honestly, I think that I am one of the last people out there to read this series and you all have been right. OMG, this book was so good!!! Such an incredible world with a complex society, but it never became confusing or too much into the detail, especially considering this was a first book in the series.

Psy are a segment of society that are very cerebral. They have learned to shut off all emotion since 1979. They work together on a brain trust called the PsyNet where they can connect through their telepathic pathways which are all interconnected. Each Psy is on the PsyNet and cannot survive without it. Any sign of breakdown of their cerebral core through emotion results in a full brain wash which is basically a labotomy...it leaves them as a vegetable. Sascha has been experiencing emotion her entire life which she has learned to hide and disguise so that no one has any clue that she is on the verge of a complete emotional and nervous breakdown.

Changelings are shapeshifters. Unlike the Psy, they are completely emotional and hands-on. Where the Psy NEVER have physical contact, the Changelings rely on physical contact within their communities for survival. Lucas is the Alpha for the DarkRiver Pack who are leopard shifters. He is trying to find an "in" to the Psy Council because there is a serial killer who the Psy Council are protecting that is killing the Changeling females. Lucas immediately senses that something is different with Sascha, but it takes a while for him to realize just how different she really is.

There is great suspense, romance, and world-building in this book. I am really amazed by the creativity and depth to the world. It's just amazing and so well-written. Both Sascha & Lucas are amazing characters. It was so easy to connect with them and get caught up in their story. I made the mistake of picking up this book when I had other things that I needed to be working on. Needless to say, nothing else got done UNTIL I finished this book. And it's not just Lucas & Sascha that are fabulous characters, this book is FULL of amazing characters. I know that there are 10 of these books in this series so far, and the key right now is to read anything else besides the other 9 books that I want to dig right into. Yep, a fabulous start to this series!

This was a lot better than I expected it to be, but I didn't love it. On the plus side, the world and mythology were pretty cool and I liked Sasha and Tammy. On the minus side, the story was very predictable and Lucas fell too much into the "hyper controlling alpha that is a jerk to his gf" trope and I hate that. I'll check out the reviews for book 2 and might add it to my "to read" list if they're good, just because I thought the world was interesting enough and often series of this type are weaker in book 1 and improve.

Received from Goodreads in exchange for review.

This is one of several attempts into the paranormal romance category and so far it's the best I've read. The concept of Psy or psychics stripped of their emotions to create the ultimate race and the overly feeling Changelings who cling to their animal instincts and physical power coexisting but not trusting of one another builds a great backdrop for a Romeo and Juliet scenario.

Sascha Duncan is scared. As a Cardinal Psy, she thinks she's broken because she's not supposed to have emotions and desires, but she does. She lives in fear every day that she'll be exposed and does everything she can to conceal her flaws including to her mother who is powerful and on the Psy council. When Sascha is partnered with Lucas Hunter, a Leopard Changeling, on a building project, she slowly gives in to her attraction, knowing that she doesn't have much time left anyway. If she's discovered, her mind will be stripped and she'd rather kill herself before that happens. When Lucas meets Sascha, he knows she's not like the rest. Sascha can't help but react to him and he picks up on feelings and her energy. He plans on using her physic connections to track down a serial killer. The changelings know the killer is a Psy but only the Psy's are part of a network to find other Psy's. As they spend time together, their mutual attraction grows and before Lucas knows what hit him, he realizes he's bonding with Sascha. Changelings essentially mate for life and don't necessarily have a choice with whom or what. This bond is what holds these two together and makes it a very sweet romance. The only problem is that Sascha cannot escape from her Psy network, to do so is instant death since they feed off of one another's energy to survive. If she tries to break those links, she'll die, and if she stays she'll be discovered and ... die.

With that happy outlook, Sascha feels she has nothing to lose and risks her life to help the changelings catch a killer. Through it all, Sascha and Hunter are sensual, protective and desperate for one another. They're trying to find the killer before the outcome becomes all out war between the two factions. During her investigation, Sascha discovers she's not actually broken but that she is a type of Psy who's foundation is based on emotion, something the Psys tried to eradicate and will continue to eradicate. Lucas is desperate to protect his mate and calls on pack and forges new bonds in an attempt to keep her safe, risking his life in the process.

This is a touching and great love story and I really enjoyed the cast of supporting characters. It could have been a five but as a powerful Cardinal Psy, I was disappointed in what Sascha's powers were. I was hoping she'd discover something a little more kick ass to take down the killer. It was akin to finding out Harry Potter's greatest magic is love. It also set the foundation of how bad the Psys really are and I keep thinking most of the follow up stories will be about helpless Psys trying to defect over to the changelings. Regardless a solid and entertaining read.

In 2079 the preeminent race, the Psy, rule the worlds of business and science with steel fists and cold hearts after a hundred years of Silence, a programming that strips their emotions and leaves them coldly clinical in their psychic gifts. They share the planet with humans and changelings, a race of shape shifters known for their animal aggressions and keen senses. Both are seen as less than the Psy, inferior in both mental strength and intellect. But as in all "superior" races, there is much that is hidden, more that is subject to interpretation, and so much that has been stolen from the individual Psy as they have subjugated their passions for an illusion with a very high price tag.

Cardinal Psy Sasha Duncan has hidden her flaws and imperfections from those who would sentence her to rehabilitation if it became known that she feels emotions. The daughter of one of the Council, the ruling body of Psy, she has had to be vigilant in shielding herself. Any weakness would spell her doom. When her mother puts her in charge of a new Psy-changleling business venture, Sasha comes face to face with a male whose very essence calls to the swarming emotions in her soul. Torn between two worlds, unable to leave her race without risking her life, her feelings for Lucas Hunter, alpha of the DarkRiver pack of leopard shifters in the area, threaten to overwhelm her yet tantalize her as she never dreamed.

When Lucas tells her of a Psy killer stalking the young women of the changeling packs, Sasha is horrified and disbelieving. The purpose of Silence was to strip such murderous emotions as rage, jealousy, and envy from her race. The truth, though, is even darker than Lucas knows. Sasha soon realizes that the very thing that was supposed to elevate her race above heinous crimes has instead created, harbored, and facilitated an insidious psychopathy and sociopathy. And now Sasha is left with no choice but to sacrifice herself to save her mate Lucas and catch a murderer before time runs out on his latest victim...and on her own fractured mind.

Nalini Singh has proven herself as one of the most creative and original writers of paranormal romance with both her Psy-Changelings series and her Guild Hunter series. Set apart and defined by strong, three dimensional characters, intricate, layered plots, and rich, thorough world building, Singh's books stand out and shine in a heavily glutted market.

This futuristic world of Psy and changelings is scary for its rational believability, with the mentally powerful Psy and the emotionally vibrant changelings. The scope and breadth of the PsyNet was a little hard to wrap my mind around as it was explained, but Sasha's motivations and concerns were visceral and sympathetic as her emotions started to rebel against unthinkable restrictions, and it was all too easy to understand the inherent dangers of Silence and the Council. Singh did a fantastic job slowly drawing Sasha away from the familiar and towards the seductive unknown represented by the leopard alpha Lucas Hunter.

Lucas was the quintessential alpha, challenging Sasha at every turn, even as his primal heat and wildly passionate emotions drew her like a moth to the flame. They were fantastic together as the romantic leads, and the secondary and ancillary characters of both the leopards and wolves added depth and dimension to both their romantic evolution and the subplot of the murder.

Admittedly, there was a lot of attention given to the world building and mythos of the series, and of course necessary development of the threads surrounding the changeling deaths, so there were aspects of the romance between Sasha and Lucas that I felt was a little rushed, but overall, this was a passionate and thoroughly satisfying book on that level.

I have to admit, futuristic novels aren't my favorite, and I did have some problems completely understanding the myriad of concepts surrounding both the PsyNet and the cultural mores of the changelings. It was a little difficult for me to really wrap my mind around all of it as it was laid out in this particular book. I have complete faith in Singh, though, and have no doubt that this unique world will continue to flesh out and come into clearer focus for me the longer I stick around. And trust me, I absolutely intend to stick around in this completely original and thought-provoking, emotional and romantic, and exquisitely well written series.

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Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.

Sascha Dunca is a broken Psy, but she can never let anyone know it. The Psy have been conditioned not to feel any emotions, and have varying levels of psychic powers. They see themselves as higher beings on the evolutionary chain then the Changelings (shape shifters) and the humans. If the Psy every discovered Sascha's weekness they would rehabilitate her, which is a fate worse then death. Nikita Duncan is Sascha's mother, a member of the Psy Council, and the head of the Duncan family. Nikita and Sascha are about to ink a business deal with Lucas Hunter, wereleopard and alpha of the DarkRiver Clan. Lucas has own agenda. He wants gather information on the Psy community and hunt down the Psy that has been kidnapping and murdering Changeling women. Can Sascha and Lucas see past their differences long enough to solve these murders and possibly form a friendship?

In a literary climate overwhelmed with vampires novels, Nalini Singh's Psy-Changeling Series is a breath of fresh air! While I felt that the world-building in the beginning of this book felt a bit heavy, it was necessary to set up this extraordinary world. Believe me, it well worth pushing through the first couple chapters.

I love the complex and sexy character that is Lucas Hunter. At a very young age, he had to step-up into an alpha role, due to a per tragedy. He was smart enough to listen to the elders of his pack to help him do what is best for his clan. Not only is he strong physically, but he has a sensitive side. He believed in Sascha, even when she didn't believe in herself. He helped her become who she was always meant to be.

The deeper that Sascha becomes involved with Lucas and the rest of the DarkRiver Clan, the more in-touch she becomes with her emotions and feelings. She has built up so many walls so that she can still pass as a normal Psy, that it was hard for her to see what she truly was. As a listener, it broke my heart to see Sascha spiral out of control. Even though she thinks she's about to lose herself, she gives everything that she has left to help recover the missing Changeling.

This is my first audiobook narrated by Angela Dawe, and I was amazed by what I heard. Her ability to capture every character, from the cold Psy to the emotion-filled Changelings, was incredible! Her pacing and voice techniques were terrific.

I was completely captivated by Nalini Singh's Psy-Chagelings world. She built layers upon layers of amazing primary and secondary characters. I cannot wait to see how they develop throughout the rest of this series. For those readers who also haven't had a chance to check out her Guild Hunter Series, take this opportunity to dive into another well thought out paranormal-romance series.

I had a bit of a hard time trying to figure out what to rate this one. Did I enjoy it? Yes, for the most part.

To like:
Lucas - Grrrrooooooooowwwwwwl. Nuff said.
Sascha - the development in her character.
The pack - pack dynamics are a big part of why I love werewolf/shifter novels and this one didn't disappoint.
The concept - it was certainly fresh and original when compared to anything I've read before.

What bugged me:
The concept - just as I really liked the concept, there were also times when it left me a little confused as to how it all worked and what was actually happening, but that could have been more to do with my lack of grasp than the descriptions because the concept was pretty complicated. This wasn't bad enough for me to stop reading, however, and I still enjoyed the read in spite of this.
The pace - for the first 90% of the novel, the pacing was mostly okay, then just when the author should have been wrapping everything up nice and fast, the pace seemed to plummet, which kinda put a damper on what should have been an awesome ending.

That's pretty much it. I'll probably still read on to book 2 as soon as I have time.

Reviewed at Another Look Book Reviews

Fantabulous! I have finally broken my Nalini Singh proverbial cherry. Am I the only book blogger that had never read this spectacular Psy-Changeling series? As such I am not too sure what more I could possibly add to a book review for Slave to Sensation that hasn't already been said. So instead of a normal review, let me just lay it all out on the table.

When I read the blurb and heard the buzz, I was sure that this Phy this was going to be complicated and hard to follow. However, due to the incredibly gifted Nalini Singh, she pulled off an interesting Phy culture with such amazing flawless detail that I had no problem understanding their interwoven psychic mind control type of culture. The Phy society is hard to humanly comprehend without rage, love, jealously and well, emotions in general. It makes me ponder the intelligence and depth of creativity of Nalini Singh.

The Changeling society offers a perfect counterbalance from the Phy. Affectionate, protective, loyal and loves deeply.

The conflict was so fresh and new. It was amazing to read the journey of Lucas being patient as Sascha became more and more self-aware of her emotions and abilities. The entire plot was so well thought out and constructed that I was drawn to each and every page.

Lucas and Sascha's intimate moments were introduced at the perfect pace starting with the dream sequences. I especially loved the one dream sequence where she went to him wearing pyjamas with braids in her hair and he just held her. Proving that holding and hugging is just as sensual. It was touching because Sascha was hurting inside and seeking comfort from Lucas. As their romance bloomed to the actual physical touching, the anticipation and lovemaking was as hot as I've ever read yet quite beautiful.

The ending was incredibly suspenseful and once again my eyes were constantly glued to the pages. Ok so you get how much I loved Slave to Sensation right? It was as close to being the most perfect paranormal book I have ever read. I cannot wait for book 2, Visions of Heat.

I have to say I was expecting a super fantastic read. This is a series that seems to be a favorite of many of my friends but I'm afraid it didn't quite live up to the amazing read I had built up in my head. It wasn't bad, not by any means, but it didn't leave behind any lingering emotions or sense of awe. I'll read more of them, I am intrigued but I wasn't blown away by any of it.

I'm not going to rehash the plot because so many have done it so well and I'm lazy. I'm just going to jump in with my random thoughts, issues and complaints.

The narrator did a decent enough job, I think she got Sascha's monotone down pat but I have to admit the entire reading was a wee bit too emotion-less and sleepy inducing. Even sexy Lucas was all quiet and breathy. He was a sexy panther-creature but I couldn't sense the purrs nor the growls and had to rewind on numerous occasions because I didn't catch what "he" was saying. I can get what the narrator was doing but it just didn't do it for me.

The world-building was well done and relatively interesting without being too over-powering BUT the love story just didn't have enough "awww" moments to hook me and I felt a little detached from the whole thing. I know, I know, I'm too picky. The shared sensual dreams and Sascha's introduction to the world of "sensation", sex, food, etc. was fun to read and I enjoyed watching the bonds shared by the changelings and loved the shoe nibbling cubs wish there was more of that stuff.

In the end, there was too much psy-techy talk, suspense and too many characters for me. I like more intimate character studies I guess and the balance in this type of PNR novel is a difficult one. It's a solidly written, good book but it didn't have that something special to knock me over the edge into 5 start territory and if I'm being completely honest, I found myself bored through too much of it. I never felt moved by any emotion (maybe I'm just dead inside!). I actually listened to this twice to be sure it wasn't my mood or that I'd missed something special the first time around but alas I still felt the same way on the second reading.

Slave to Sensation is my first Nalini Singh experience and I just might be hooked. Slave is a mixture of genres, in my opinion. There is the paranormal romance feel with a but of scifi elements. I found the mixture a pure pleasure to read.

Changelings or what is mostly referred to as shifters are seen as mere mindless animals by the Psy. Psy are a race who were once human but now live connected via their minds and possess varied talents. Honestly, I'm not sure if that's the best way to explain the Psy. Just imagine human flesh vessels that function purely on logic and due to a program called Silence they are unable to feel emotions. Nalini took two different races who are complete opposites and explores both ends.

The romance between Sascha and Lucas is unexpected but not unwelcomed, at least not by me. lol! Sascha is not like all Psy. For some reason she has maintained the ability to feel emotions despite Silence. However, her handicap lies in the belief that she is flawed, damaged and no good. Lucas's instincts tells him that Sascha is anything but defected. As they both battle one another on the changeling and Psy front there is another battle brewing and that's something more personal.

Slave to Sensation is September's Book Bloggers Anonymous's read and I'm always impressed at what treasures I discover. I've had this series on my shelf for a while now but I needed the BBA kick to get me reading them. All in all, any pnr adult reader will find a fantastic read here. the only downfall I can see is the ending is a but anti-climatic. Once the big mystery is discovered the consequences are glossed over. I would have liked to have read that first hand.

This story presents a complex but not complicated paranormal inhabited by strong personalities. The plot is fairly simple. Lucas Hunter, the alpha of the DarkRiver leopard pack, is searching for a Psy serial killer who is kidnapping, torturing and killing changeling women. In order to find out more about the mysterious Psy, he offers his business services as a consultant and agent for a construction project run by the Duncan family. This puts him in direct contact with Sascha Duncan, a cardinal Psy.

The Psy are a species who have been trained from birth to not feel emotion. The Silence was a program to stamp out emotion in order to rid itself of violence. But some Psy do feel and Sascha Duncan is one of them. The problem is that Sascha understands that to feel is weak and that the Psy do not allow for weakness within its group. The weak are culled from the herd and basically institutionalized.

The setup creates instant conflict. Sascha a Psy who must feel no emotion is thrown together with Lucas, a changeling whose entire existence is built upon feeling. Lucas feels every emotional range, from hate and vengeance, to caring and love. Importantly, however, is that the conflict in this story is external and does not rely on the Big Mis or hateful actions by the protagonists to drive the story forward.

As Sascha realizes that she is losing control over her ability to eliminate emotions, the worst thing that can happen to her no longer becomes having emotion but living without it. As Sascha becomes more important to Lucas, the worst thing changes for him as well. While there is not significant intricate layering in the story, the subject matter is provocative. The story impels us toward the maxim that feelings, no matter how gritty and painful, are more worthwhile that living without. There are extremely romantic moments and sentiments expressed by both characters.

The sexual tension is thick and the consumation scenes are intense. This book has it all: the paranormal aspect, the alpha hero, the strong heroine, the hot sexy romance, and external conflict. There was a plausible and believable ending which, if a little schmaltzy, suited me just fine. In fact, I could have even endured a few more epilogue pages to show Lucas and Sascha enjoying themselves together.

It's a book that fulfilled all my emotional needs as a romance reader, closing with a satisfactory HEA ending but still left me anxious for more. The setup for future books was excellent and not at all intrusive. I feel that this is the beginning of a great series. A for the book.

Wow. Why have I not heard of Nalini Singh before? The cover of Slave to Sensation assures me she's a bestselling author. Somebody's been falling down on the job.

This is a science fiction romance, which accounts for some of my excitement. There are plenty of fantasy romances, but not so many science fiction ones. And the premise is not uncommon in science fiction books: a race of futuristic humans have suppressed emotions in an attempt to eliminate violence, but it goes awry.

But there's more to it than that, and it's all in the way it's written.

Sascha Duncan is a Psy--one of the race with psychic abilities that control this future world. In fact, she's a Cardinal Psy, meaning she has the potential for great power, but she's living far beneath her potential because she's "broken." All Psy have been trained since birth to suppress their emotions, but Sascha's been feeling emotions, and fears that her mind is on the verge of collapse. She's desperate to hide it as long as she can, because the alternative is a "rehabilitiation" that would wipe her mind, leaving no trace of her self.

Lucas Hunter is a Changeling, and leader of the DarkRiver pack of were-leopards. He's working with Sascha on a joint Psy-Changeling construction project, but has a hidden motive: finding a serial killer, a Psy who's been preying on young Changeling women.

Their story is emotionally intense. Sascha's thoughts and reactions are very realistic, as she's feeling emotions more and more, and trying to interpret them and what they mean. Both of them have things they have to hide from each other, and Sascha in addition has to hide her newfound emotional state from the other Psy, particularly from her mother.

The mystery is well done, as are the paths Sascha and Lucas take to unravel it. In the process, they both find out things about themselves and their pasts, and the politics of their world. Which is another reason I liked this story so much: the intrigue.

The future world of Slave to Sensation is a complete one, with a history and complex societies. I can see several directions open to the series, so I hope it goes on a long time.

My only, very minor niggle is the cover and title. My first impression, at a glance, was that it was a BDSM erotic romance. It's not. I wouldn't have minded if it were, but I do fear that some readers will be disappointed, and some readers who'd have liked the sf-romance blend might miss it. Of course, most people probably do read the back of the book before buying, so maybe it's not a problem.

I'll definitely be looking for Nalini Singh's backlist, and watching for her future books.

So.

I read a lot of paranormal romance.

It's my thing. It's what I do. I devour the genre, and read anything and everything I can get my hands on. (Thank you, kindle! You mask embarrassing covers so I can read smut at work! All hail, ereader.)

I've given you all that bit of background so that when I tell you that I have stumbled across this book many times, and each time poo-pooed it, you understand how rare it is I turn my nose up at anything. WERE-Jaguars? Pfft. Emotionless Psy-bots? Whatevs. Sounds silly. Sounds like they're reaching for an original plot. Sounds laaaame.

Oh, children. I was very, very wrong.

This is one of the best paranormal romance books I have read in a very, very long time. Sascha is a strong and likeable lead. Very frequently, authors confuse "strong women" with "shrewish, needlessly wenchy women." That's one of my biggest pet peeves because it takes a character that should be an affirmation to women and turns her into a destructive stereotype. Nalini Singh sidestepped that problem and instead gave us a fabulous and relatable female lead.

Sascha is a psy who has been crippled by "Silence," a program instituted in 1979 to suppress and remove emotion from all psy. She knows that she's different and has spent her entire life building up her psychic walls so that no one discovers that in her heart, she feels. Her struggle to come to terms with who she is, what she is, and who she wants to be is written with a dab hand by Ms. Singh. Although Sascha is vulnerable, she's never whiny. I found myself rooting for her from start to finish.

Lucas is a very good foil for her. He was S-M-E-X-Y. He was a yummy, dominant male (truly alpha), without being a neanderthal. Personally, I found him a bit less interesting than Sascha, but I suppose it's only natural that, as a female, I would identify most with the female lead.

The story is full of tension and mystery. Although, in my estimation, most of the book was focused around the relationship between Lucas and Sascha, Ms. Singh didn't wimp out with the action at all. There's a psy kidnapping and murdering changeling women. The protags need to find him and stop him in order to prevent an all-out war between changelings and the psy. Complex and nuanced, this story arc kept me just as riveted as the romance did.

Without hesitation, I've given this book five out of five stars. Moreover, I've already purchased the next two books. I only hope that the author can maintain this quality throughout the rest of the series!

Go! Read!

My first Nalini Singh book about her Psy/Changelings was just a fabulous treat. I loved everything about it. She created an incredibly complex world and she did it with such a simplistic, natural grace that the constant stream of information about the Psy/Changeling world wasn't forced. She allowed it to flow to me naturally, so I barely registered I was getting a ton of exposition.
The characters Lucas, the Alpha of DarkRiver, and Sascha, a Cardinal Psy was really hot. They portray their mating dance right from the beginning, two beings reduced to their most basic desires, circling each other as if searching for an opening.
It helps that I love changelings or any kind of weres. There's something about the animalistic side of a man coming out that gets me all hot and bothered, and when Lucas actually manifests into his animal...*shivers* HOT! Nalini describes the Changelings as a warm, hierarchical pack of men and women and the Psy as a society of 'perfect' beings who have surpressed all emotions supposedly for the greater good, so they can control their abilities better. Which makes them into cold, robotic men and women without the emotion to sense right from wrong, good and evil. Our Sascha however, with the help of the panther Alpha, Lucas Hunter escapes what is known as Silence and tries to start anew with the DarkRiver pack.
There wasn't a single character I didn't like. There wasn't any annoying personality quirks, no stupid plot contrivances by Sascha to prove she was independent and didn't need Lucas, no tree swinging male alpha traits that Lucas had to employ. This proves you can make a good book without relying on any TSTL moments designed to move the plot along. Thank God.
I love the descriptive words Nalini uses for the leopards of DarkRiver. They are catlike, sensual, they purr and rub and give love bites. I loved reading how the characters would curl up in each others laps and entwine in each other's arms. She really never lets you forget that Lucas and the other changelings are not men, but dangerous, predatory cats.
This was a great book and a great first book into Nalini Singh's fabulous Psy/Changeling series.

Naini Singh has created a marvelous new series with flawless combination of paranormal romance and sci-fi. The description of the two races - changelings and PsyNet are marvelously developed, in the amazingly gripping world that Nalini Singh has crafted and that draws you in from the get go! The narration is flawless, suspense in the story keeps you at the edge of your seat and the scenes between H/H are steamy and hot!

The Psy is a race of calculated emotional detachment, Cold Empaths with lethal businesslike accuracy. Psys have been conditioned to have no emotional attachment or experience any feeling - for any Psy found "flawed" has their link terminated from PsyNet remaining alive but pretty much dead.

Sasha Duncan is a Cardinal Psy - her mother a member of the powerful Psy Council. All her life she has lived in fear, as she has grown to believe that she is flawed and is always stemming feelings and shielding them from other Psy minds or she will be reconditioned.

Lucan Hunter is a member of the DarkRiver leopards - cats. He decides to bid for a Real Estate residential project that would be the first transaction in history between the Psy and Changelings. Not only is he doing it for the profit - being shrewd in business - but a serial killer has been targeting changeling young women and he believes that the killer is a Psy. More reason for him to try and infiltrate their midst.

In turn, Sasha is asked to supervise the project and study the changelings - as the Psy have little knowledge of that race.

When Lucas meets Sasha - he is drawn to her. She may be a Cardinal Psy - but there is something different about her. Soon his predatory animalistic alpha nature stakes his territory and Sasha and him are slowly drawn together.

After the killer takes another victim - a young woman from the wolf pack SnowDancers, rival changelings have to join forces in a race against time to save Brenna's life. Sasha is drawn into the fray - and both wolfs and cats have to rely in the powers of this unusual Psy if Brenna is to be found alive.

With SLAVE TO SENSATION - you will be touched by so many aspects of this marvelous book. The awesome closeness and bonding of the individual packs. Their sense of family coupled with their innate ability to demonstrate feeling and show affection, love and above all loyalty to one another.

The development of Sasha's and Lucas' relationship is a beauty to watch - simmering sensuality as Sasha slowly becomes "herself" and allows the feelings she has held back for so long run free with Lucas. Readers will fall in love with Lucas. He is all predatory alpha male, sexy and his caring for Sasha's well being and safety is touching and heartfelt.

I can't praise enough this new writer and this fantastically innovative and superbly crafted new series! I will devour the next book VISIONS OF HEAT - which has been on sale since March of '07.

Unfortunately because of my work schedule I don't get to read at the expediential rate I would like to, so it takes me longer to finish a book and always a day late getting into series!!!

This is a new writer for me and she is outstanding. There is nothing I like better than discovering a new writer and then finding she has a series so I can read on. You will definitely want to read on after you finish SLAVE TO SENSATION.

This is the year 2079. Sascha Duncan is Psy, a race of people who live totally in their super-intelligent minds and have conditioned themselves from birth to feel no emotion. Anyone who is defective has their mind wiped in a dreaded "rehabilitation." Needless to say after that they have no personality and are assigned to the lowest level jobs in the community. Sascha is terrified this is what is in store for her because her mind is deteriorating. Her every moment is fraught with terror lest she slip up and show emotion.

She is assigned to oversee a project with the changeling Lucas Hunter. Changelings are both human and animal and we have wolves, leopards, deer, rats, swans and all manner of other changelings in this series. Lucas is a black panther and the alpha of his clan. Sascha soon comes to realize that the range and beauty of emotion she sees displayed in the changelings is not something to be feared and maybe her own emotion is more a gift than a blessing.

But they have more problems than just what is happening to her mind. Someone Psy is attacking and killing changeling women. The race with no emotion seems to be producing savage killers and they have seven days to stop the newest one.

Ms. Singh has built a very interesting world and she moves her story through it at a brisk pace. I loved the characters and can't wait to read their stories too. Sascha and Lucas' romance is satisfying with just enough sparks to let Lucas know he may be alpha but his woman isn't any going to be any submissive little woman with no backbone. She growls right back and gives him a run for his money. Don't miss it.

Slave to Sensation is one of my favourite - if not THE favourite - book in my shelf. I absolutely love this book and I guess I've read it 9 times already. I never grow tired of it!
I picked up Singhs' series after reading that Jeaniene Frost is really fond of her work. If you think Frosts' work is amazing...then you should read THIS series. The Night Huntress series made me breathless, but Singh makes my heart skip a beat every time I just think about her wonderful characters and the unique world she created.

Sascha Duncan is a Psy, born into a race that forbids emotion, but she is flawed. She has to face the fact that she actually feels emotions and that those are not only dangerous for her, but may change her life forever.

Lucas Hunter is a changeling and very much capable of feeling and loving. When he meets Sascha he is intrigued and repelled at the same time, but soon he realises that there is more to this Psy than her outer,cold appearance. Will he be willing to sacrifice everything for this woman, even his own pack?

Lucas and Sascha are the first couple which I loved in every situation. Lucas is a dream of a man and Sascha is the fitting woman. I've never felt so connected to a heroine before and I loved Sascha from the very beginning, which is quite rare for me. She is such a truly good person that you have no other chance but to love her, truly love her.

Even though their relationship is a central point in this novel, I found it really refreshing that the plot itself is in no way an empty shell, but intriguing, taking up a huge part. Sascha and Lucas have to find the merciless Psy-Killer that seems to have taken a liking to changeling women. In the end Sascha has to decide on which side she stands and has to make the ultimate sacrifice: either give up the man she loves, giving in to insanity and thus rehabilitation or embracing the strong feelings that are threatening to destroy her.

The Yearning Mermaid says: "This is a must-read for every paranormal romance fan out there! There is no way around Singh's work!" - See more at: http://yearningmermaid.blogspot.de/#sthash.K3kc7RdK.dpuf

"Slave to Sensation" was a paranormal romance book between two different species. I like the concept of the Psy, although I found the character flawed. I know the author was trying to create the character to be completely flawed (that's what the whole story is about), but some things just didn't add up. Sascha (the Psy) had grown up her whole life as a Psy, yet she easily reverted to human emotions when it was convenient. I think the author should have expanded more on her confused feelings.
I like the chemistry between her and the other main character, Lucas. I felt that the story line fell smoothly, as did the romance. You could appreciate the slow build-up of their relationship and their feelings toward one another. At times, though, I felt Lucas wasn't tough enough for the role he played as an Alpha among his people.
Great parts in this book were the world Singh had created about the Psy.....wow, what a world. It is a very unique concept, one I hadn't read before. The author had me pulled into that world with her detailed descriptions......I could almost picture myself being there.
Overall, I am going to read the second book of this series. I like how the author "flows" her storylines. She has a strong beginning, a good plot, and a climatic ending - all that make up a great book.

Sascha Duncan is a cardinal Psy, one of the strongest members of a race of beings whose identity revolves around the fact that they feel no emotion. As a cardinal, Sascha should have powers stronger than most other Psy, but unfortunately hers never developed. Even worse, Sascha isn't like other Psy. She feels. If anyone finds out about her secret, Sascha will be sent for "rehabilitation," a place from which flawed Psy never return.

When her mother makes Sascha the point person on a project with changelings, a race of half-human/half-animals, Sascha knows it will be difficult to hide her flaw. The alpha of the leopard pack she's working with, Lucas Hunter, seems to know her secret. When Sascha is with him, her emotions increase and she finds it difficult to hide behind the wall of stoicism she's so good at creating. When Lucas asks her to help him find a Psy serial killer who is killing off changeling women, Sascha has to decide if she would rather be Psy or surrender to the emotion that threatens to break her.

Slave to Sensation is the first in Nalini Singh's Psy-Changeling series and I have to say I can't wait to read more of them. This book was full of passion, suspense, and romance, without any of them suffering for another. Sascha was an endearing heroine who I came to sympathize with. It must be difficult to have to choose between the life you were raised with and the happiness you never thought you'd achieve. Likewise, Lucas was my favorite type of hero. Arrogant, protective, and all male. As alpha of his pack, he's used to protecting what's his and when Sascha joined that list, the sparks almost flew off the page.

So far, what I gather is that the Psy-Changeling series is a cross between romantic suspense and paranormal romance. And Nalini Singh is an author who can pull off both. If you like Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark series and Lora Leigh's Breed series, you'll enjoy these books and vice versa.

Sascha is a Psy, a human with no emotions, no feelings, just a shell. In this world, the Psy are above all others, they are the leaders and they believe they are perfect. With no feelings, no anger or hate, no lust or emotion, they believe they have the perfect world. When Sascha is asked to take charge of a deal between the Psy and the Changlings, (shapeshifters), she believes that this will help her status as a Psy. Sascha is a Cardinal, a Psy with the potential for great gifts, but her gifts have not developed yet. When she meets Lucas, the alpha for the Dark River Pack, she begins to feel different. Sascha is not supposed to feel at all, but now she is. This book is awesome and different. I love the world that Nalini has created. It has a sci-fi/paranormal feel to it. So different than anything I've read. The characters have so much depth that you could write stand alone stories on each of them. Both the main characters, Sascha and Lucas are such head strong characters that you feel empowered by them. This is the first book in the series which I will continue to read.

Take me now. This book had been recommended to me for years now and for some reason I was hesitant to give it a go. My goodness I am punishing myself for not picking this amazing authors work up sooner. There is a delicate touch and beauty in her writing. And the book itself, wow. I love the characters of Sascha Duncan who is a Psy (I am not telling you much, only that it has a lot to do on the physic level and she has yet to discover what her ability truly is; but you must read this series!!!)
And Lucas Hunter, a chaneling who can turn into panther at his will, no don’t choose Sascha choose me. Just kidding, but this will have all the hairs on your skin crawling with intimacy and taunting games they play. The other characters are awesome and you can see in future books that they will all have a large role to play in the war that you know will soon become. But for now enjoy the ride of pleasure that is so beautifully written, you will be hungry for the next book.

Over a century ago back in 1969, the Psy Council introduced the Silence to condition through rigorous training the young to avoid rage, but within a decade the reality was to prevent all emotions including love. By 2079, Psy were so in control of their feelings, everything they did was calculated and pragmatic; nothing could make them passionately react to anything as they are totally void of emotion.

Her mother names Psy Sascha Duncan as the liaison on a business deal with Changeling Lucas Hunter, the ruling alpha leader of the DarkRiver leopard pack. As the passionate Lucas and the ice Sascha work together, both hide something from the other. Lucas seeks entry into the closed society of the elitist Psy Council in search of the individual who killed his partner; Sasha conceals even from her mother that she has deep feelings and always has had them. As they work together on the project, they fall in love, which if any of her kind, especially her mother, learns how she feels, Sasha will die.

The key to this superb science fiction romance is readers will believe that the Singh universe is a plausible ecosystem in which Weres and Psys, and other interesting species co-exist. The story line focuses on hidden agendas as Lucas investigates the murder while Sasha investigates her taboo feelings that threaten to explode especially since she wants the Leopard man. Lucas starts off planning to use his liaison as an expendable pawn, but soon finds his dual nature both desiring the Psy as his mate. Readers will enjoy Nalini Singh's excellent futuristic thriller and demand more tales from this fascinating realm.

Harriet Klausner

Slave to Sensation is based on a really interesting world, but I just didn't heavily connect with the story. I was really excited to begin, because this is a series that's been recommended to me for years. I honestly felt like so much info was dumped too quickly, leaving me trying to absorb details about the background, conflicts, multiple races of characters, and what was to come. I do tend to struggle with many first-in-the-series PNR/UF, so maybe it's just me. Looking at the many 4-5 star reviews, that is entirely possible.

I haven't given up on Psy-Changeling series, but I'm also wondering if Singh's Guild Hunter series would be a better fit.

I love this book! It is well crafted and has so many elements in it that made me want to keep reading and rereading.

Here are my Top 10 Reasons You Should Read This Book Immediately:
1. You have never WANTED the characters to go to sleep as much as you will want these characters to take a nap.
2. There is espionage. Who doesn’t like a little spying here and there?
3. Panthers, jaguars, and wolf shifters! Oh my!
4. Singh does an amazing job describing the sensory overload Sascha experiences. She makes it believable that Sascha is experiencing food, touch, and desire for the first time.
5. Skin privileges…
6. This line: “He might be alpha but she was a cardinal.” That’s right Sascha’s no push over!
7. Telekinetic ass kicking.
8. A wounded, strikingly handsome, strong, sexy alpha panther.
9. Sascha really transforms from the beginning of the book to the end. I wanted more of her story when the book was over.
10. The tender moment between Brenna and Sascha: “I was born to heal you.”

I liked the world creation and character definitions. But the method of storytelling didn't work for me. Too much drama was in the head instead of normal dialogue and action. There were too many mental ponderings and inaccurate assumptions. Some of this would be ok, but there was too much of it. It dominated the story. I needed to see more physical activity. Examples follow.

1. A Is thinking: We need to do B, but if C happens, then I'll have to do D, and then I'll worry about E, but F has special powers and I don't know if my shields will hold. (mental ifs and thens.)

2. Lucas tells Sasha he likes her smell. Later Sasha tells herself she must leave him because: he is using her, he's exploiting her, he thinks she stinks. (He just told her he liked her smell.)

3. A is planning to die because she believes that is the only way to do something. So the reader is worried. A doesn't tell anyone, or consider other possibilities, or ask questions. Then B does something. Now A is surprised to learn she won't die after all. She didn't know B could do that.

4. Someone tells the changelings who the killer is. The next scene has the changelings report back that they killed the killer and did such and such with his body. That should have been shown. I wanted to see how the changelings arrived, what they said, watch the fight, see the killer suffer, save the victim, talk to the victim. None of that was shown. It was just a couple sentences afterwards. A let down.

THE SERIES:
This is book #1. There are many books in the series. I read book #3 five years ago and gave it 2 stars. I wanted to give the series another chance with this book, but I guess it's not for me.

AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
The narrator Angela Dawe was very good.

DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 9 hrs and 39 mins. Swearing language: I don't recall any. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 4. Setting: about 2099 northern California. Book copyright: 2006. Genre: paranormal romance.

Steamy scenes? Check. Hot Alpha Male? Check? Strong female protagonist? Check plus. Slave to Sensation is everything I ever wanted in a paranormal romance novel and didn’t know I needed. Normally I can get a bit lost in paranormal thrillers with all the world building, new magical powers to learn about, and the new lingo. This book creates an amazing new world of Psy/changelings in an effortless and elegant style. At the same time, the romance scenes in this book are hot! What I loved most was the author’s ability to create three dimensional characters, and to keep my interest along the way. Her character’s aren’t perfect, and this makes them realistic and relatable. And boy, did I want to relate to Lucas Hunter! Overall, this book was an amazing start to what I am sure will be a knock out series. It was entertaining, and engaging. I wanted to read the love scenes, and know more about the plot line. There are also a lot of side characters that I cannot wait to get to know better in her next books! Keep them coming!

**3.5 stars**

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit let down by this series. I have a serious thing for paranormal books featuring shifters and this book has such high ratings... I figured I'd be buying to whole series before you could snap your fingers. Alas, that wasn't exactly the case.

On one level, this book was a very enjoyable read. I loved Lucas Hunter and the shifter community created in the story. I also sort of liked Sasha Duncan and the way she was broken down and seduced by Lucas. However, I just couldn't bring myself to really care about the characters. I wasn't frantically turning the pages of my book (a paperback for once!), and I don't think I'll continue with the series. I'm not sure what didn't work for me. I think maybe I like a little more humor in my book, some more banter between the MCs. something to make it more engaging. ::Sigh:: I'll stick to the Kate Daniel's world for my shifter fix for now.

The major irritant in this book is the fact that the reader is expected to be
dumb, and not notice the inconsistencies. Psy people are drug addicts? That makes no sense.
The first time murder is mentioned you spot the identity of the criminal in 5 seconds. Predictable, predictable, predictable. Even in dreams, the female lead is able to go past second base because she ¨memorized¨ a list of sexual positions? Gullible I am not, nor am I brainless just because I like paranormal romance. Nor is my vocabulary so limited that I can read the same concepts over and over and not notice the...well, repetition. Next, the reader is asked to believe that in a few days someone with zero physical experience turns into an uncontrolled slave to their desire? Can you say slut?
Having said that, the three stars are for Ms Singh's ability to weave a story that flows and her charming skill in drawing in the reader to wish to read on in hopes that the emotional web ( no superficial 1D characters here ) will be untangled at the end.

An amazing start for a paranormal series.
For the lovers of the kind, you will find new elements that do not exist in other similar series.
For those that have not tried paranormal before, your expectations will be high from then on for other authors of the same genre.
Nalini's writing style is unique, as she builds a new world from scratch, without leaving gaps in her descriptions or questions.
She writes a complete story, with emotions, lack of emotions (read it and you'll see where I'm going with it), adventure, heartbreak and touch.
It actually makes you crave what you read and try to apply it in real life.
Yeah... not possible, but it is lifechanging in your everyday life and makes you think harded than any other paranormal novel I've ever read!

It feels like I'm late to the game with this one, since almost everybody I know has already given this author a go. But I finally pulled this book off my TBR pile to see what the big deal was, and promptly fell in love.

This shouldn't have worked for me. I like paranormal romance, but shapeshifters and anything with mates leaves me profoundly skeptical. Toss in the fact that Singh is a headhopper - switches POV without scene breaks - and I should've tossed the book after the first couple chapters. It's a credit to her storytelling talent that I didn't. I got sucked into the story with absolutely no fail, and couldn't put the book down once I'd started. I love Sascha's "brokenness," and her struggle against it while at the same time trying to figure out what exactly is going on with her. Lucas, too, is an alpha hero to the nth degree. As pack leader, he is strong, loyal, and passionate, and the way he goes after Sascha took my breath away.

The mystery of the serial killer is secondary to the romance, and not really all that surprising when the truth is ultimately revealed. But for anyone who loves their alpha heroes paired with deceptively flawed yet strong heroines, this one's a keeper. I'd rather give 4 1/2 stars instead of 5 because of the perspective thing, but in this case, I'm willing to round up.

Sascha and Lucas' relationship is intense and playful. The true beauty is the depth of their feelings..its a marvelous read following their journey from the beginning. Singh has created a deeply layered cast of characters and has built a fascinating world with the Psy-Changeling series. There's always something new I discover with each read; a character quirk, side plot, or an unnoticed feeling..this is a series full of magic I always enjoy coming back to..over, and over, and over again!

I rarely give a 5 but this one captivated and engaged me all throughout. My first Nalini book and I am hooked. What a world and characters she has created! I cried several times. I can't wait to immerse myself in this web of stars that has the power to turn my world inside and out. So happy I found this series. After reading 600 books this year which are all romance ones (Addicted much), this author is one of the best storytellers out there!

Loved this book. I really love it when I pick a book I have had forever and wonder why I didn’t read it sooner. Honestly I really appreciate character and story development. Most newer books are action action action with no development. Can’t wait to read the next one.

I was hesitant to read this book. Too many of these types of books/series just disappoint me. I've tried many of the mainstream, well-liked series and they just didn't do it for me. However, I read Angels' Blood and liked it so I thought I'd give this series a try. Happily, I was surprised that I liked it quite a bit. Usually, I prefer the h/h to have a bit more time before they decide that they are passionately in love and to jump each other's bones. This preference is not often found in these types of books. While I still felt that h/h got together a mite too fast, Singh somehow made it seem okay. Also, she built the basis of their relationship on more than just lust. Although, don't get me wrong, the love scenes had the right amount of heat w/out being too graphic or clinical.

I did find some of the world building stuff a bit confusing and there were times when it felt like there too much info dumping. This seemed especially true in the beginning parts of the book. However, the second half of the book picked up speed before it finished off with a great finale. The very last bit of the book felt a bit cheesy to me but that's okay. There wasn't enough cheese to clog my arteries, just enough to make me feel a slight bit of "ugh". Still, I'm looking forward to reading the next book.

Sascha is Psy, a group of unfeeling beings that survive by a mental link to each other. As Sascha has grown older she has realized she is not quite like the other Psy, for some reason she feels emotions, but she has learned to hide them well...or else face the punishment of the Psy community. When she is assigned to work with Lucas on a building project she finds all of her hard earned control may have been for nothing.
Lucas is a changeling, a race of beings that can transform into animals, in his case a panther. As the alpha of his pack its his responsibility to find the being responsible for the murder of several changeling women in his area. When they realize the killer is a Psy Lucas is determined to do whatever is necessary with Sascha to uncover the psychopath.

***This book was well written with a great plot. The author has a huge imagination to create a world like this and to keep it consistant. Lucas and Sascha really steam up the pages, Lucas is a perfect match for Sascha...bringing her out of her cold world and into a world with warmth and passion. I recommend this book and will be checking out the next in this series.

This was my first Nalini Singh novel and it won't be my last. "Slave to Sensation" is a very unique look at a different type of world, inhabited by various creatures. Some human, some changeling, some "Psy".

Nalini does an excellent job of creating this new 'world' and combining each of these new lifeforms into complex situations of love and romance. Lucas Hunter is a changeling. Sascha Duncan is Psy. What happens between them is pure magic.

Fun, sexy, unique - this book draws you and doesn't want to let you go!

I chose to read this book as a change to the typical fantasy type series that I normally like to read. Glad I chose it but a little amused that now I have another series to add to my want to read selections.

I was trying to get away from the whole long drawn out series that I have been reading lately but was so attracted to the whole premise that I now want to know more about it. I've been reading the whole vampire, werewolf, fairy, demon hunters type series for so long, a series on leopards and paranormal humans seems kind of interesting.

Definitely going to read more in this series - eventually.

I really don't know what took me so long to start this series as I love Nalini's other work, too many in my TBR pile I guess. I loved it, it's right up there with my faves in the paranormal world. Thanks to another fave author for posting it on her facebook page, made me bump it up and read it. I highly recommend this book and now I have to go hunting for more in this series. I loved that this book included Paranormal and Sci fi and was so different to other stories out there. I'm glad I've rediscovered this great author and look forward to more tales from this futuristic world.

Nalini Singh is an author who has come highly recommended. I've had two of her books on my wish list - this one and her ANGELS' BLOOD. I decided to go with SLAVE TO SENSATION first, because book six will be out July of '09. I need to catch up!

Singh brings to life a different species call the Psy. Each has a unique gift, but one thing they all share is their lack of emotions. For them, emotions are considered a defect. If discovered with this defect, the Psy will end up in a rehabilitation center. Sascha Duncan is one of those broken beings. She's been able to keep it hidden until now when she meets Lucas Hunter is DarkRiver's alpha changeling.

There is a serial killer who is killing changeling women and Lucas plans to infiltrate the Psy's organization using a joint business adventure as a cover. He plans to use Sascha as a way in. What neither of them planned on was falling in love.

This book definitely lives up to all the hype! It's a must-read for paranormal romance fans.

In the world created by Nalini Singh in Slave to Sensation, there are three different groups - human, changeling, and psy - although this book is mostly focused on the relationship between the latter two. Changelings are human and animal and can change between the two forms. Psy are humans who have evolved intellectually to get rid of all emotion and have attained certain mental abilities like telekinesis, telepathy, etc. The book reminded in some small ways of the movie Equilibrium (a place where emotions are not allowed because of the chaos it causes) and the Divergent series by Veronica Roth (due to the differing traits of the different factions- Changelings resembling the emotional/warrior traits of the dauntless, Psy resembling the smart and calculating Erudite). (Both of which are favorites of mine.)

This book follows a Psy woman who is struggling with keeping herself hidden from the other Psy because she is "broken" and is experiencing emotions. She is required to oversee a business deal with a changeling who needs her for her position within the Psy world to get vengeance. She struggles to maintain her emotionless facade while he continually pushes her further from her origins. I am not going to ruin the plot for those who decide to read, but an event happens that causes even more distrust among the Psy and changelings and the main character is stuck in the middle of it all.

I really enjoyed the book and that it focused a lot of attention on the characters and their background and wasn't just a romance novel. In my opinion it was well-balanced in prose, plot, character development, and romance.

SLAVE TO SENSATION is a book that I've been asked to review for years. Literally years. It's the first book in an insanely popular series: when you check paranormal romance lists, the Psy-Changeling series is almost always somewhere close to the top.

I'll admit that the concept is fascinating. There are two classes of paranormal races in the book. The changelings are shape-shifters, who can change from human to animal and back (with some intermediate forms) with varying ease depending on their individual abilities. The Psy on the other hand, are psychics who pride themselves on being emotionally stoic and purely logical. They used to be more human-like, but in the mid-20th century decided to embark on a severe emotional conditioning process called the Silence that was meant to psychically beat out any sort of emotion like passion or fear or anger. If a Psy can't be conditioned, they're deemed flawed and either rehabilitated (emotionally broken) or destroyed.

Our heroine, Sascha, is one of those unconditioned Psy. She's spent her entire life trying to hide it, which is difficult because her mother is one of the key players in their ruling Council. Our hero, Lucas, is a changeling who is trying to find out who is torturing, dismembering, and killing local changelings. Intel has led the packs to believe it is a Psy, and he figures his best chance of obtaining more information is brokering a business deal with the Psy Council. Sascha is chosen by her mother to be in charge of this deal, and as soon as Lucas meets her he immediately realizes that something is off; she doesn't seem to be purely unemotional and - surprise - he's powerfully attracted to her.

I'm a sucker for paranormal romances where the various paranormal factions are at war. That was part of what made L.J. Smith's Night World series so much fun for me (honestly, I'm surprised they made Vampire Diaries into the TV show - they should have turned Night World into a teen-geared version of True Blood or Buffy). With the murders, there were so many possibilities to play up the tension between changeling and Psy. I mean, the forbidden romance trope has so much UST possibilities!

Unfortunately, SLAVE TO SENSATION fell short for me. Most of the focus is on the romance, which normally wouldn't bother me except the world-building in this book had so much potential, it felt like Singh had come up with this great idea and then tossed it aside. The concept of the Psy Net! It's brilliance! Show me more of these authoritarian Psy acting cold and brutal. Show me the changelings using their pack dominance to screw with the Psy and flaunt the rules.

Considering that the two groups are supposed to hate each other, everyone welcomes Sascha with open arms. Seriously - the women fuss over her, the children immediately like her, the other men think she's hot. Lucas even has "dream sex that's actually real sex" with her several times before they actually do the real thing, which is a trope that I really can't stand. The Psy were mostly shunted to the background, and the tense moment at the end was over far too quickly. Plus, Sascha was given these special snowflake abilities that let her have the perfect happy ending with minimal fuss.

I have some of the other Psy-Changeling, so I'll give those a try before deciding whether or not to give the rest of this series a hard pass, but this beginning book did not come even close to my expectations.

1.5 out of 5 stars.

I enjoyed this book because, despite featuring werewolves and other shapeshifters, it was unlike any other shapeshifter book I have read. In `Slave To Sensation' Nalini Singh describes a world where there are three classes of people - the humans, the shapeshifters and the Psy. The Psy are those with psychic talents who, 100 years previously, made a pact to detach themselves from all emotions in order to become more perfect people. The Psy consider themselves above the humans and shapeshifters and keep themselves mostly separate from the others - it's like a sub-group of people like Mr Spock. Their culture is one of lack of emotion, no touch, no fear or pain and no crime.

Or is it? Sascha Duncan is a Cardinal Psy, theoretically one of the most powerful of the Psy group and visibly marked by her special eyes. Everyone can see that she is a Cardinal and yet she doesn't seem to have the requisite huge psychic power. She can feel that her life is coming apart, her barriers to emotion are crumbling and she knows that when her mother Nikita or anyone else on the Psy Council realise this they will give her, in effect, a lobotomy. She's desperately trying to hide her Psy problems from them for as long as possible.

Lucas Hunter is a shapeshifter Panther who finds himself in a business relationship with Sascha and her mother. He has an ulterior motive for the business link - he is trying to investigate a serial killer of shapeshifter women who is definitely one of the Psy; perhaps Sascha is his chance to learn more about the Psy and to find the killer through her.

However, pretty soon their close contact with each other starts to erode the barriers between them and their mutual suspicions. It seems that they must work together, and with the local werewolf clan, to try to find out who the killer is - but Sascha knows that it will cause her death and Lucas begins to think that's too big a sacrifice.

This book was a really good read - the gradual thawing of Sascha's Mr Spock personality was very touchingly written. Lucas is, of course, an Alpha male and fulfils all the required alpha male stereotypes in this genre of book but he also comes across as caring and intelligent. The hunt for the serial killer, although not an overwhelming part of the story (and the villain not particularly surprising), is well plotted. The descriptions of Sascha's travels in the Psy world are interesting and well thought through.

The final pages of the book are a preview to a new book, `Visions Of Heat' to be released in 2007 which evidently follows on from `Slave To Sensation' - and it's a book that I'll be buying.

~ 5 Stars! ~

I read "Burning Up" which has several short story's from many authors. Nalini Singh "Whisper of Sin (Psy-Changeling, #0.6)" caught my eye in Burning Up. I enjoyed what I read and had to read the series, so I picked up book one and have been hooked every since.

Loved It! "Slave to Sensation" drew me in and never let go. I could not put the book down. I liked how the author introduced us to the world she created and really enjoyed the characters. I can't wait to read on in this series. I also enjoyed how throughout the book is. We learn more and more about the different races (Psy's & Changeling's). It was a great read!

This was an incredibly wonderful book. I'd already heard some buzz going about it, and some people mentioned enjoying it, but I hadn't really expected it to be so great.

So, how great is it? Let me just tell you: I spent this past weekend at a spa, and I actually stayed in my room for an extra hour after lunch in order to finish the book. So it was great enough to make me give up an extra hour of being pampered in the spa in order to finish it. That good! I give it 5 stars.

STS is set in an alternate universe, in which Earth is populated by three different species of men and women. There's the humans, there's the changelings (shape-shifters who can change into a certain animal) and there's the Psy. I'm not 100% sure of how exactly the Psy differed from humans and changelings originally (maybe because of their psychic abilities?), but their difference as the book starts is very clear. They don't feel. At all. I'll let the author explain it herself. From her website:

"In an effort to reduce the overwhelming incidence of insanity and serial killing in the Psy population, the Psy Council decided, in the year 1969, to instigate a rigorous program called Silence. The aim of Silence was to condition young Psy from birth. The aim of the conditioning was to teach them not to feel rage.

However, the Council soon discovered that it was impossible to isolate that one emotion. In 1979, after a ten year debate over the millions of minds in the PsyNet, it was decided to change the aim of Silence. Its new mission was to condition young Psy to feel nothing. Not rage, not jealousy, not envy, not happiness and certainly not love."

As the book starts, it's 100 years after Silence started aiming to suppress all emotion, and the different species coexist pretty peacefully. But that's in danger of changing, because there has been a spate of killings of changeling women that the other changelings have discovered were committed by a Psy.

The last woman taken was from the DarkRiver leopard pack, and its alpha, Lucas Hunter, has barely managed to stop an outright war between Psy and changelings from erupting. He's managed to keep the other packs in control by promising he'd discover the culprit and then they could punish him. In order to do this, Lucas needs an opening into the very closed Psy society, and to do that, he has initiated a business deal with the Duncans, a very influential family among the Psy.

Sascha Duncan, who's assigned by her powerful, Psy Council-member mother to oversee the deal, is a woman with a huge secret. Unlike the rest of the Psy, she feels. She always has, and she's spent all her life hiding it and building defenses so the other Psy won't notice. Lately, though, she's been feeling more and more out of control. She suspects it's a matter of time before someone realizes what's wrong with her, and she fears she'll be sentenced to a fate she considers worse than death: rehabilitation, a kind of mind-wipe.

When Sascha meets Lucas, things become even worse. She is so powerfully attracted to him, that she feels herself going out of control even faster. As for Lucas, his attraction for Sascha is just as strong, and he's just as conflicted about it as she is. How can he be feeling such warm feelings for one of those cold Psy, someone who might even know the identity of the murderer and be covering up for him? Surely that feeling that there might be quite a lot behind the icy façade might be just that, a feeling, even if his leopard insists its instincts are right about that...

That's all I'm going to say about the plot. Suffice it to say Sascha and Lucas' initial adversarial relationship soon becomes one of the most convincing and beautiful romances I've read lately. It's got it all, both sexual tension so thick and hot it will curl your toes (and the pay-off! Those love scenes, oh, my!), and a lot of feeling behind it.

You know how, in books where the hero and heroine start out as antagonists, often you don't really understand how they get from that point to falling in love? Well, that's very definitely not the case here. The change in the relationship between Lucas and Sascha is very gradual and natural, especially the change in Lucas' attitude. There was always a certain tenderness and protectiveness in his feelings about Sascha, but at first it was tempered by mistrust. That mistrust slowly lifts in a way that feels perfectly believable, and only the good feelings are left.

And Sascha! It was a beautiful thing to watch her slowly become more and more comfortable with all the different and powerful things she's feeling, and to gradually open to Lucas and the rest of the Pack. I just loved the development of her relationship with the other changelings, those scenes were just as affecting as the scenes with Lucas.

The universe in which the story is set is fascinating and complex, but Singh makes it easy to understand and to follow. She gives us exactly the right amount of information, neither so much that it bogs down the story, nor so little that the world-building feels half-baked. It's just enough, even though it includes some tantalizing hints about stuff I would have loved to know much more about. I think the reason it worked so well is in that you got the feeling that the author had thought about all this stuff, that if we're not being told about something, it's because it'll either be more developed in the future or because they're not relevant and would only clutter the story.

The next book is set in the same universe, and I really have to commend the author because at no time did any scene feel like sequel baiting. She did introduce quite a few interesting and well-drawn secondary charactes, any of which I would be very interested in reading about in a future book, but none of them were parading around, waving placards reading "future hero here". Authors, take note. That's the way it should be done!

The only negative I could find in STS is that the ending felt a bit anticlimactic. After the big final scene there's a longish bit that, though really needed to close certain things and give us a HEA, felt a bit too slow.

But this is just a very tiny niggle. On the whole, STS was pretty much perfect!

_Slave to sensation_ it's a great beginning for one of the most promising series I read lately. It's very different from the typical PRN book, which is very welcome, at least for me (lately many paranormals are too similar).

The story takes place in the year 2079, in the Earth, where three different species coexist: humans, Psy (beings with psychic power, "trained" to not feel emotion) and changelings (shape-shifters).

It's a great book, not only because of the original and well planned world Ms. Singh created, but also because of the characters. The boys are your typical alpha males, sexy and to-die-for, but the women aren't there simply for decoration: they are strong and important to the story.

Lucas is the alpha of the DarkRiver leopard pack. He has suffered a lot, but he isn't your typical hero overly tortured or bitter by his past. He is strong and arrogant, and possessive (all the males of this series are) but he also has a caring side, and a need for love.

Regarding Sasha, she is a fascinating character. She's a powerful Psy, with a "different" power that makes her think she's weak and defective. It's really interesting to see her development: how she starts to accept her new feelings and emotions, begins to interact with others, it's torn between her loyalties when she discovers her "perfect" Psy world isn't so, et cetera.

Their love story is very touching, and hot too!
The world building is very well done, and the general plot is very interesting. There also great secondary characters, both Psy and changelings (I suppose in future instalments humans will appear). I specially liked Dorian and Hawke, both changelings.

To sum up, it's a very good book, and refreshing for those who want to read a book different from the typical PRN.

I wasn't really sure what to expect, I hadn't read a lot of details in reviews and such. That is one mighty interesting world build here.

The sections about the PsyNet and where we spend time in her head basically, inside the Net were incredible. It was all so vividly described that I could imagine it in my own head.
What a unique kind of story. I am not really a huge fan of shifter stories, but this is so much more than that.

And as usual, I can't find the words to properly do a review. Oh how I envy others that can convey the things I want to. :)

What a ride this book was. Next one in series is going on the list.

** read October 2012

In the year 2075, the world is divided. Project SILENCE, was created in 1969 with the intent to control emotions of a human. By 2075, the Psy were like computerized robots. They feel no emotions...no rage, no violence, no love, no happiness. Their ultimate goal is to bring everyone into the Psy world which is projected as being the most peaceful race in exsistance.

Psy Sacsha Duncan knows she's different. She's known since childhood that she's flawed as a psy. She has worked very hard to keep her emotions masked and behave as a true psy would. When her work puts her in contact with Changeling Lucas Hunter, who is half leopard, half human, he brings emotions out in her that could threaten her very life.

Lucas Hunter made a business deal with the Psy for a reason. Someone is kidnapping and torturing Changeling women and his pack is convinced it's Psy. Needing to find his way into the Psy world, Lucas makes a deal with the hated Psy, but is unprepared for his attraction to Sacsha. Soon all he can think about is Sacsha and her safety. Confused as how he can be attracted to an emotionless Psy, Lucas soon realizes that there is more to his Psy than meets the eye.

Nalini Singh brings this world to life in Slave to Sensation. In what could be a confusing and complicated story with the different races is in fact very simply told. It's easy to understand the difference between the Psy and Changelings and makes Lucas and Sacsha's story that much more intense. Lucas is very "alpha" and Sacsha is so used to hiding her emotions that you're bound to see some fireworks.

Don't miss this book!

Slave to Sensation is an alternative history paranormal, set in the year 2079 on an Earth populated by three races: the Psy - emotionless and cold, the shapeshifting Changelings who rely on their animal instincts, and humans.

From the moment that Lucas Hunter (Changeling) and Sascha Duncan (Psy) meet there is a chemistry between them that fairly leaps off the page. This causes conflict as Lucas is a creature of instinct and sensation, whilst Sascha must maintain a facade of logic and efficiency at all costs.

Although it is the love story between Lucas and Sascha that is the driving force behind the narrative. The reason this book works so well is because you can immerse yourself in the world that Nalini Singh has created. The dynamics of both pack (Changeling) and Psy life are well-explained and the book is populated with interesting characters that give the story an added depth. And at the same time leave you wanting to know more about them. :)

One of the things I like is that it's made clear that both species are equally capable of brutality. Psy who don't conform to the acceptable standards of the Silence live with the constant threat of rehabilitation (mind-wiping) at the Center. Whilst the Changelings live under a territorial law that can erupt into violence. However, the reader does come down on the side of the Changeling way of life with its emphasis on family and pack.

There are one or two slips, but when the standard of storytelling is this high, they are easily forgiven. This is one of the best paranormals I've read and I would rank it with J.R.Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood as one of my favourite series.

Also available
Visions of Heat (Book 2)
Caressed by Ice (Book 3)

Many times I'll pick up a much talked about, much hyped book and I'll think it was good but not be blown away. Slave To Sensation is a book worth every word of praise I've heard.

Singh has created a paranormal universe that is fresh and interesting, with wonderful attention to detail and worldbuilding. I love the culture she created with her changelings and the Psy. The society she's given us is rich with information you care about and that shores up the story as a whole.

Her characters are three dimensional and interesting. I loved the chemistry between Lucas and Sascha and I loved the internal journey each one took to accept the other.

The storyline has multiple layers but isn't hard to follow or confusing but still clever and with some interesting twists. I can't wait to devour Visions of Heat (should arrive tomorrow)

So... I've heard a lot of good things about this series and since I'm already a big fan of this author's Guild Hunter series, I knew there would come a time to read this series. BUT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WHY DID NOBODY TELL ME IT WAS THIS FREAKING GOOD SOONER!!! It's what I've been waiting my whole life for! And now I've finally found it! Thank you, Nalini! THANK YOU!!!

Annnnd on to the next book it is!!!

A "cold" psy woman with night sky eyes/dark dark eyes /twilight eyes /ebony eyes/ midnight eyes/ evening star eyes/ night star eyes/ velvet black eyes instantly overcomes a lifetime of conditioning and falls in love with a cat alpha. There is a pretense that these two people are trying to solve a serial killer mystery before a member of the pack is killed but they mostly seem to spend the whole book mooning over each other (which is just as well, as it's pretty obvious whodunnit right from the start).

I decided to give this one a try because I like Singh's archangel series (or at least some of it) but this book was downright tedious and seemed to exhibit all the author's worst traits (cliched writing being a huge one). I'm really surprised by all the high ratings here.

While the whole psy-net concept had the potential to make it interesting, the actual story turned out to be pure PNR in the sense that the characters were all 1D with their relationship developing at lightening speed, and then there's the world building; it made no sense (the whole "psy-net" was a joke here!). At the very least, you'll need to shut your brain completely off if you wanna enjoy this one...

Still, if you find the premise of this book intriguing also check out Catherine Asaro's Primary Inversion: A Novel in the Saga of the Skolian Empire. IMO, she did it WAY better.

Imagine a world in which all inhabitants are either shape shifters (known as changelings) or Psy. Psy have varying powers and are interconnected through the PsyNet but the Silence has bred all emotions out of them. However, there is one Psy who is different....

Sascha Duncan has always hidden her inner core as she knows she is a broken Psy and would be sent for rehabilitation if this were discovered. Treated as a cardinal due to her mother's high position on the Council, Sascha is placed in charge of a joint business venture between the Psy and the DarkRiver leopards- the first joint venture between the Psy and changelings.

Lucas Hunter is DarkRiver's Alpha and he has a secret agenda. A Psy serial killer is stalking changeling women and one of his pack lost his sister to this vicious killer. Lucas' plan is to infiltrate the PsyNet through Sascha to obtain the killer's identity but he never expects to find a Psy who feels emotions. War is about to break out between changeling and Psy as the changelings believe the Psy are protecting a killer. Sascha and Lucas will have to learn to work together quickly as one of the SnowDancer's women has been kidnapped by the psychopathic Psy and her time is running out.

Nalini Singh is a relative newcomer to the romance scene but her stunning paranormal, SLAVE TO SENSATION, is sure to garner her many new fans! The plotline is intriguing and provides a very refreshing approach to both the psychic and shape shifter themes. Keep a box of Kleenex handy, however, as you will be moved to tears as this story packs a very powerful punch!

SLAVE TO SENSATION is a superb story demonstrating the power of love and physical touch. The Psy have made every effort to create a world of logical and emotionless beings similar to Star Trek's Spock. Instead, beings with no moral conscience are being formed as exemplified by the serial killer preying on the changeling women. Love and physical touch can be very soothing and healing and Ms. Singh provides an exemplary story demonstrating this vividly to the reader.

Nalini Singh breathes life into her characters and even secondary characters, such as Tamsyn, have an unexpected depth to them. This story, although complete in and of itself, is wide open for sequels as the reader will want to know more about the fabulous cast of characters created by Ms. Singh. One can only hope that a sequel is in the works as SLAVE TO SENSATION is easily one of the best books published this year in the paranormal genre.

SLAVE TO SENSATION is highly recommended and this reviewer cannot rave enough about how wonderful this book truly is. Sascha is one of the strongest, most endearing characters to come along in quite awhile and her acceptance of herself and her relationship with Lucas provides the reader with numerous gut-wrenching and heart-warming moments. If you read only one book this year, SLAVE TO SENSATION quite simply must be that book!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

This is not just another shapeshifter story. While it has the requisite elements, leopards, wolves, jaguars (Changlings) it also has Psy elements. Humans that are ruled completely by logic. They are non-violent they feel no emotion, not love, hate, envy at least so they say. Picture Spock from Star Trek, but these human minds are literally connected and fed by a web on a psyche level. Without this psychic web they would not be able to live. The heroine, Sascha is a Psy, who thinks she's severely flawed because she's not quite as free of emotion as the rest of her people. She's spent a lifetime hiding this fact from everyone, because she knows if any of her people find out it would mean her death.

Yet a serial killer is killing Changeling women and the Changelings believe it's a Psy. Sascha meets Lucas, a changeling and the Alpha of his leopard pack. His initial plan is to use her to gain access to the PsyNet, but immediately senses there is more to Sascha than meets the eye. He just needs to convinces her that it's okay to feel, it doesn't mean you're flawed. It's how you know you're alive.

This is a beautiful love story. I enjoyed the development of the characters and the storyline. There are alot of interesting supporting characters that Ms Singh clearly sets up for other stories, and I can't wait.

One of my favourite series (have read this several times and have hard copies). Can feelings be enough to join two totally different people/species together. Enjoy the twists and turns. If you enjoy Dark Fantasy you will fall in love with this series. Must read. Similar to Day and Ward.

There are three types of people living in this world humans, changelings, and Psy. Psy are powerful beings able to communicate via PsyNet, these beings are incapable of emotions.

Sascha Duncan is different, she has one flaw she can feel, and she must keep it to herself. This is going to be a difficult tightrope to walk as she has been designated to work with changelings in order to keep the peace between the two groups.

A killer has been preying on changelings and is suspected by the leader of the changelings that the killer is a Psy. Lucas, the leader of this pack plans to try and infiltrate the Psy hoping to find this murderer. To his surprise the Psy working in collaboration with him is a full feeling woman not the hardened being he has come to expect. A new victim has been caught and for her to survive, Lucas and Sascha must race against time and a danger that threatens to cause a war between the Psy and the Lucas's Pack.

In a breakout novel for Ms. Nalini Singh she comes out with raw power, making readers and reviewers sit up and take notice. While this world takes a minute to get adjusted to, once you are in it is hard to escape. The visioning associated with this novel is one of utter brilliance. Not quite sure where she was given her ideas but hopefully the muse working inside her head keeps talking and she keeps writing. Is this a series in the making? One can only hope.

Lucas makes for one very enticing Alpha male, full of strength and wisdom. What more could a woman want, particularly one such as Sascha. His vigor for life inspires her to look at the Psy world with fresh eyes. And that is just what she needs to remain strong as Sascha's whole outlook on the world is about to be tested. The undeniable chemistry between Luke and Sascha makes this one steamy read, and not to be tossed aside. Nalini Singh is certain to be a force in the paranormal genre with Slave to Sensation.

Reviewed by Joyce

Copyright © 2006 CK2S Kwips and Kritiques. All rights reserved.

I'm not going to rehash the plot, that has been done here several times -- and sometimes with too much detail.

I am a huge Kresley Cole fan and when I noticed how much a large Lot of Nalini Singh books sold for on eBay -- I was curious.

I downloaded this first book in her Psy/Changeling series and I feel it was a good way to spend a weekend.

While Singh does not employ any of the humor of Cole, she did weave an interesting story with paranormal elements. Her creation of the Psy race is different though I found it pretty similar to the Vulcans in Star Trek. (Just no pointy ears.) So the contrast between a woman raised to show no emotion contrasted with a shapeshifting panther who is all emotion was fairly interesting.

Singh also found a couple of interesting ways to twist the plot to make things a little more believable. The mystery plot was half the reason the book pulled me in, too.

The author DID manage to completely surprise me once with a plot twist toward the end of the book that offered potential salvation for the Psy, however the villain was absolutely no surprise. That is probably what kept me from giving the book five stars.

I enjoyed the book and consider the read a weekend well spent. Whether I will go on to read Singh's entire series depends on the next book or two. I do miss the humor that shows up with Kresley Cole and some other paranormal writers. Something needs to break up the "You're my true mate -- we must be together" atmosphere once and awhile.

This novel was very original and quite unique. I really enjoyed this book, most people think perfection is being able to move beyond emotions but emotions are what are able to make beings grow, achieve, and change otherwise you are stagnant. Sascha is the most unique character I have encountered in a long while, in that she will be perceived as flawed by her kind if she reveals she has emotions. I thoroughly enjoyed the exploration of her character and her development.

Lucas is one solid Alpha male character, he shows the best traits of being alpha while still maintaining enough of the bad boy qualities to remain really yummy. I love that he teaches Sascha the value of physical touch.

Nalini Singh is in a league all her own with her eloquent prose. I look forward to reading more from her, I'm Psyched ;D.

I have read Sherrilyn Kenyon and Lora Leigh.....I was looking for sci/fi changling etc characters an try her first book of Psy-Changelings series....I have love the story line and it has it all for me....strong women that are unsure sexually about themselves and men that are alphas but are understanding in the reactions and plenty of adventure for the characters....2nd book is starting out well and I am going to try to read all 9 or this series and start her next series, The Guilt hunter series....if anyone likes these types of reads you will not be disappointed. If anyone has any other authors that write similar to these authors please let me know!!!

I am an addict of all the Psy/Changeling books but this has to be my favorite. I go back and either reread it or listen on Audible about once every six months or so. Not to be missed if you love great paranormal romance. This book introduced me to Nalini Singh and I will always be grateful for that as well.

I was very pleasantly surprised that I liked this new genre of fantasy books. It could get pretty complicated to understand 2 different races, their powers, their characteristics...but this author did an absolutely fantastic job incorporating the explanations into the story and slowly letting more of their personalities unfold.

I loved the writing, it's fast paced and smart. The main characters were also very loveable. Sascha, the heroine, is not helpless, but has her own powers. I love the changeling animals, the males are very sexy.
Having the love scenes come up as dreams shared was quite creative. The entire plot and storyline was very creative and well done. I am reading the other books of this series! Wonderful to find another author to read.

Wow! As a very new reader to the paranormal genre (thanks the the Black Dagger Brotherhood series!) this book was very different to the stuff I normally read.

The world in which Singh introduces us is very complicated, intense, and unique. The battlefield is the mind, and this talented author takes you there. This world includes humans, changelings (individuals that can change between human and animal form), and Psy's (those with psychic abilities). Psy's have undergone Silencing which has programmed them to "feel nothing", but the heroine feels much...especially for the alpha male Lucas.

This was a good book. I would recommend it. The only thing I have to say is to take your time reading it. It is very complicated in that it is introducing you to a new world using new names, phrases, and ideas. I feel like I need to read it again to understand the intricacies of it. The romance is really good and Lucas really loves Sascha with a huge amount of intensity. It really is touching. I look forward to Hawke's book. I hope he gets one!

Very different and imaginative. I'm very impressed with the clever and unique ideas. I don't think I have ever read anything like this before. The author was able to create a whole new being that are human, but not human? I don't know how to explain it. The point is she was able to take this creation and make a great story with it. The characters were believable and in depth. I can't wait to read the next book.

I didn't expect myself to like this book since I'm not a paranormal romance fans but I enjoyed it.

The book started out abruptly with no proper explanation of what is a Psy and what is a changeling. It basically left me hanging out there wondering what the hell of a book am I reading. The Prologue could have done a better job at explaining them instead of just the Silence Code.

It took me quite a while before I get into the book. After 40% of reading, I finally got into the story and it doesn't bore me as much as the beginning.

The ending is nice and I felt joy for Sascha and Lucas. I really love the changelings.

After reading all the reviews, I ordered this book and was greatly surprised by how wonderful it was. This is a great new series involving the Psy, changelings, and humans. The Psy are taught at an early age to deny their emotions. They do not express anger, fear, happiness or love. Sascha is a Psy and very emotionally challenged. She fears she is beginning to unravel and will have to be sent eventually to the Center. If a Psy is sent to the Center they are given the equivalent of a lobtomy. Lucas is the Alpha leader of the DarkRiver changeling clan (he is a panther shapeshifter) and he detects a difference in Sascha. This story was enthralling to read and the love story progressed throughout the book. I was anxious to see how the author would evolve a woman, such as Sascha, who is emotionally distant and bring her into a world of the leopard's who love to touch and express emotion and make it work. But work it does. A wonderful book to read. A beautiful story.

This book is incredible. The world building is slow and doesnt fill pages with boring details while leaving out the main characters. While you learn a lot about supporting characters and become interested in their stories the book remains focused on the hero and heroine. While the hero is strong and definitely Alpha, it was an interesting take on the typecasted role given that he was more comfortable and open with his feelings than was the heroine. The heroine was also shown to be incredibly strong by the end of the book and a perfect mate and woman in her own right. At the end of the book you are excited to read the next, learn more about the psy/changlings, and read this one all over again!

Ok, I have to say this is the first "steamy" book I've read. I had no idea when a friend suggested it and imagine my surprise when I searched all over the bookstore to finally had to ask someone where it was. The helpful clerk walked me over to the Romance section and pulled the book from the shelf. She handed it to me and quickly walked away. I looked down and felt my face burn... Now that I've moved past mortification and quickly into enjoyment I can't wait for book 2! Oh, did I mention I finished the book in a day and a half? Today I marched right back to that same books store, strode over to the Romance section snagged books 2 and 3 off the shelf and held my head high as the same clerk checked me out. The writing is good, and the story is even better. I'm really looking forward to this series.

I had very high hopes for this book and in some ways it let me down. I really don't feel like it was as suspenseful or as romantic as it should have been.

Synopsis:

Sascha is one of the Psy, a race of people without emotions. She is incredibly strong and smart, but she finds herself beginning to slip into madness as she realizes she can feel. Lucas is the alpha of the leopard-changeling pack, and he's working with Sascha on a project to build safe homes for his people. He is also in the midst of a murder investigation with strong suspicion toward the Psy. He recognizes Sascha as different, and soon becomes overwhelmed by the desire to claim her as his own.

The Good Parts:

The romance that happened to be present was nice. The development in the relationship was very well paced.

Lucas is a complex and interesting character. Sexy, smart, and edgy. The author does a good job of letting her readers into his head and heart.

The changelings are a fascinating group, I almost wished the book were just about them. The world building there is flawless. The pack structure, social dynamics, and close relationships are enthralling.

The Problems:

I felt bombarded with confused, unintelligible information about the Psy. There background, history, purpose, the entire PsyNet thing--it didn't make much sense and it was too boring to try to figure out. The chapters that venture into the PsyNet felt like SciFi B Movie material. As a result, a lot of the book was seriously dull. Worse, all the mumbo-jumbo cut into the otherwise beautiful romance.

I feel this particular book would appeal more to science fiction or fantasy fans then it would romance fans.

Rarely, RARELY do I give a book the full 5 star rating. But this..... wow!!! Great read, strong characters and a beautiful yet terrifyingly bizarre future world are just the start of why I enjoyed this book! I love a strong female lead, and Sascha was outstandingly strong.

I hesitated to read this series for so long, because I was concerned it would be to much sci-fi for my personal tastes. Wish I hadn't waited now!! I cant wait to read more in this series!

I initially picked up this book because there was a quote on the cover from Christine Feehan, saying how much she loved the story & that it was a "must read" for her fans. Well she was right & I was definitely not disappointed, this book is worth more than 5 stars. First the writing, which is just unbelievably good pulls you in - then the story grabs you in it's teeth and doesn't let you go till the end.

I read a lot of paranormal romance and was delighted with how different and fresh this story line was. The Psy & Changeling world is engrossing without being so complicated that it takes away from the story. Also the way Sascha & Lucas' relationship is allowed to slowly grow until you're on the edge of your seat waiting for them to mate is thrilling - because "HELLO" what woman wouldn't want a Lucas, LOL!

I could definitely see a series coming out of this & if I'm right I'll be first in line to buy it.

Imagine being part of a race that has developed beyond feelings. It has been totally erase. And if you somehow retain such things you are consider flawed.

Where you are connected with others by a mental link resembling the Internet as we know it now but in your mind. And is so intertwine that to try to "disconnect" could mean your death or rehabilitation. And rehabilitation is nothing short of a lobotomy.

That is the world that Sascha Duncan was born into she is "Psy". And Sascaha is flawed she feels and everyday she must fight this "breakdown" or she may face being "rehabilitated".

Changelings and Humans have coexisted with the Psy, but it's an fragile existence. Which is about to become even more uncomfortable. If what they suspect is true, that the killer preying on changeling women is a Psy, that the Psy Counsel is covering up these murders, but quit possibly is also a Counsel member.

Lucas Hunter is a changeling and the Alpha leader of Leopard pack DarkRiver. He is determined to expose this killer, and cover up. When he see a chance at getting more information as he and Sascha are brought together to work on a housing project.

The more Lucas and Sascha work together, Sascha is finding herself becoming involved in the changeling world of touch and emotion. And she soon realizes that she can no longer go on pretending indifference, even if it means her death.

Lucas is also finding out the Sascha is not like other Psy and as he begins to break Sascha defenses he is finding it harder and harder to just see her as way into the Psy's close knit society. He also wants to be the one to show her what other pleasure's she's missed out of. And that he wants to protect her as if she is part of his pack.

As Lucas and Sascha race to find a serial killer before a war breaks out between Psy and Changeling. They may be running out of time themselves.

When this novel starts out, I thought it was the author telling us about the characters and story, but it was actually the character narrating parts. I can't get over how dry it was. Anyway, it was a lot of telling us things when I couldn't figure out what was interesting. It's like an author telling us the story because they're afraid we won't get it or something. It was strange. I persisted on though.

As I kept reading, it felt like everything was coming at a great distance. The hero's name is Lucas Hunter and he's a werewolf leader. Just so cliché having his last name be Hunter. And this book feels like I'm reading everything from a great distance.

Stuff like this: Sitting so close to the contained fury that was Lucas Hunter, she wondered at the blindness of her brethren. "If we deal with you, we'll expect the same level of reliability that we'd get if we went with a Psy construction and design firm."

It is so so so distant.

Then the book head hops. These sentences are separated by one paragraph: Sascha knew that that couldn't be all of it. Lucas looked across at the icy perfection of Sascha Duncan and wished he knew what it was about her that was bugging the hell out of him.

So we're in both of their heads? I'd like to know where the action is. There is too much telling, he tells us his beast is snarling and pacing the cage in his mind, but we don't SEE that. They are negotiating a contract orally, and the hero just happens to have copies of the contract then and there? The one they've just agreed on after negotiations? How did he know how it would turn out--he's not a Psy.

I'm sorry but this just dragged on and was a DNF for me. It was the distant storytelling that I couldn't continue on with. When I have to be told all the emotions instead of watching them play out, it gets hard to read.

I thought it was an interesting take on the genre of paranormal erotica novels. I wasn't sure at first what a psy was since physically Sashca didn't change into anything. But I went wiith it and I found the book entertaining and I cared about the characters. One criticism is that the author went into a little too much detail of the PsyNet. I think in an effort to help the readers visualize what it was, I was lost by what seemed like futuristic jargon.

Overall I liked this book and I am looking forward to the rest of them.

I like the story and the writing was engaging, so much that I also felt like I got to know them. A strong alpha personality makes for some day dream worthy moments. This one is worth your time. Happy reading.

I'm usually reading a lot of paranormal romance books, you know the standard Vamps and Were's romance. I really like this book because you can only read so many Vampire romance novels and you just start getting bored. So I was really glad when i picked this book up on my Kindle and found out it wasn't a vampire romance book. It's a fresh idea I really liked the story. She's the master of Sexual tension! enough erotica to keep me happy but not overly disgusted like when i read LKH books. I started the 2nd book today! and I'm super glad that the previous characters still play a big role in the book!

This was a great introduction into the Psy-Changelings world for me. I had been a little burnt out on the other vampire/werewolf series and was recommended this one for a change. I knew nothing of this world but the author did a great job of introducing me to it. The story flowed nicely and I didn't feel too bogged down with details. I loved Lucus, his pack, his dedication/loyalty and love for Sascha. Sascha was also a very likable character and I'm glad she was strong but yet vulnerable. I will definetly be continuing on in this series.

This isn't your grandmother's paranormal...and I mean that in the best way. It's got a great story, unique characters, and a sexy-sweet chemistry between the hero and heroine. About time someone came up with some new twists. Though it has a shape-shifter element to it, the main core of the book is built around Pyschic powers. The world built in the book feels almost real...there are different races of humans: The Psy, Changelings (shifters), and Humans...each with it's own hierarchy. Within the three there are even (gasp!) different races and hints of interracial mixes...I love this! There's even a little politics thrown in, but it works well with the story and is completely logical. I am hoping to see more of this world. Sequel please!

So this has been on my TBR list for awhile now and I've had quite a few people tell me that I need to read the series. I'm glad I finally started it, I love the concept of the Psy, other than the emotionless part, and I love shifters so this is right up my alley. Great writing that just pulls you in and doesn't let go.

Wow, this book was fulfilling on so many levels. Telepathic beings and Changelings make for an interesting contrast in this society. Add power, greed & lust to the mix and you've got a bonafide page turner! Singh's fluid writing allows the reader to step into the mind of a complex Psy, who outwardly shows no sign of emotion while inwardly struggles with true, precise feelings. The consequences of such lead to a fantastic, erm, ride with the yummy Leopard Alpha and suspenseful mystery to the end. I'm eager to continue this enticing series!

I really enjoyed This first installment of Nalini Singh's new paranormal series. The first 50 pages started a little slow for me but once I understood the drift of the Psy Net, it drew me in. I had a hard time putting the book down since I was eager to know what was going to happen next. Although this series has a little Sci-fi characteristics, readers who love paranormal romance should try this series since it is also about changelings. The hero, Lucus Hunter is a both human and animal and meets all the charateristics of a yummy alpha hero. He reminds a little of Lori Leighs changling heroes but better. Definately not a series to miss for paranormal romance readers.

If you are looking for a book that you can fall into without retaining the structure of the environment, this is not the book for you. The basis of this book is a complex world, one component of which is the Psy. The realm in which they live is so complicated that the reader was forced to remember the premise of this world. Secondly, it was a stressful read because the main characteristics was under the threat of mental rape lest her "flaw" be discovered. These two factors did not allow the reader to relax and enjoy the book.

Book Description:
In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of "rehabilitation" - the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was...

Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain. After centuries of uneasy coexistence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that this ice-cold Psy is very capable of passion - and that the animal in him is fascinated by her. Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities - or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation...

My Thoughts:
This story is Aldous Huxley's Brave New World meets The Matrix, shifter style. I remain neutral in my opinions about this book. The concept of the perfect utopian society has appeared in literature throughout the generations. The subject has many different facets as evidenced by the tenor of this book. I found the book to be too laborious and intense to be considered an enjoyable for me.

Now with that said, I didn't hate the story but it was most definitely not one of my favorites and will be most likely relegated to my never to read again pile. Nalini Singh is an amazing author with a very unique style of writing; unfortunately her style of writing does not really appeal to me. I enjoyed the first book in her Guild Hunter series but the rest of the series left me feeling somewhat blah...similar to my feelings on this book.

The book was very psy-term heavy (E-Psy, M-Psy, Tk-Psy, Psy-Net...and so on). It took me up to chapter seven to establish a bit of a comfort reading rhythm with the material. I typically enjoy sci-fi as a genre but this was a mixture of sci-fi, paranormal romance, and urban fantasy. There was just too much going on and the amalgamation of genres felt too contrived.

On a positive note, Lucas and Sascha were amazing characters. They were multidimensional and also intense but very likable. Sascha's journey from hive mind to free thinker was well crafted. Both characters initially dealt with preconceived notions about each other's race but embarked on a journey of love, discovery, and acceptance...of themselves and each other.

So, although this book was not my cup of tea, it was well written had an unique and interesting twist on a very old concept.

Even though this series is recommended a lot, I put off reading it for a REALLY long time. Mainly because I assumed it would be like the 'Breeds' series in that there would be an overload of sex scenes that completely drown out the plot. This was really not the case. We are able to enjoy the book as both a romance AND a paranormal/thriller/mystery.

I loved Sascha's character. How even though she is really strong and independent she can still admit she's afraid or unsure. And I absolutely adored Lucas! He is the perfect alpha-hero. Singh does a really good job of setting out the world of the characters and introducing us to a range of secondery characters.

I would recommend this book to paranormal romance fans and I'm excited to read the rest of this series.

Not in the mood to post a really long review, but let me just say this book is all kinds of awesome. I'm not a huge fan of Paranormal Romance, but if they were all like this, I'd be totally hooked. The story-line and Psy/Changeling worldbuilding is richly imagined. The main characters, Lucas and Sascha, are likeable, have real chemistry, and are backed up by a cast of equally-appealing secondary characters (who will star in future novels). And can I just add how THRILLED I am to discover that there are quite a number of others in this series already published. Woot! I can't wait to pick up the next.

* * * 3/4

In Six Words :
why did I wait so long?

Why did I read this? And am I glad I did?
This series has been on my TBR list for years. I've had the first book in the series on my Kindle basically since I got it. Why did I wait so long to read this?! Was this book perfect? No. But it was a great start to a very promising series. The shifting of POVs between h/H worked perfectly to introduce us to this new world Nalini Singh has created. The beginning was little more repetitive that I personally like, however, that faded out as the book went on. I ended up staying up until 3am in order to finish this one.

I'll definitely be continuing the series!

[...]

This book hooked me from the beginning and didn't let go until the last page...where I was left hungering for more! The alpha male is to die for...the heroine will touch your heart and will linger on well after you finish the story...it is a book filled with wonderful characters...great story...hot sensuality...and heart touching warmth...you will root for these people..you will find yourself wondering "what if"...and then..you will find yourself wanting to let everyone know what a wonderful author Ms. Singh is! Kudos to Nalini Singh!!!

This book is everything I wish all paranormal romances could be. I sympathized with the characters and cared about their problems. There were a couple of times I cried. At one point her descriptions had me seriously wondering if there was a way to get leopard cubs of my own.

I'd recommend this book to anyone. It's a little on the darker side so it might not be the perfect story for a a light read on the beach that some romances are, but that's exactly what I liked about this novel. I will be buying the rest of this series and anything else that has her name on the cover while I'm at it.

I'm picky about my romances and a small row of disappointing books turned me away from reading for a while.
I have previously read (or tried to) Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh and found it too cold and cruel. But this was wonderful! I loved the world she created, the characters, the warmth and playfulness of the relationships, the hot scenes and.. I might have skipped something.
While not being the best read this summer, or an absolute 5 star for me, it was very enjoyable.

This is one of the best books that I have read in a while. Some of the previous reviewers talk about the plot in detail so I wont repeat that. This is a well written and smart book that grabs you from page one and holds you until the end. I read it in one sitting. Great story, great charachters, great chemistry... all the ingredients for a great romance. It gives you fanatsy without making you feel like you have to suspend your intelligence. If you like authors like Sherrylin Kenyon, Christine Feehan, JR Ward and Marjorie Liu, you will love Nalini Singh. I can hardly wait for the next installment in this series.

So I just finished this book today. I was pleasantly surprised. I really did enjoy this book. The reason i was surprised- and I just have to get this mini rant out there- is because of the cover and the title!! It looks like a bargain book at a grocery store with a random dude with muscles on the front- with a cheesy title that makes it sound like it is going to be crap writing.
I never would have picked up this book at a book store if I saw it on the shelf. This is why romance books get such a bad rep! Ms. Singh may not have power over the visual presentation/marketing of her books- but she should know that the romance publishers seriously undermine her writing with the way the books look.(The cover for this book is the least of the evils- the other covers in the series progressively get worse) Covers shouldn't be that important- but they really are- if a person hasn't read a specific author, a lot of the time it's the cover (and title) that attracts the eye in a huge book store. Do you think a male reader would go anywhere near a register with this book with the way the cover looks? No way! Wouldn't you laugh your butt off if a guy you knew was reading a book called "slave to sensation"?? and that's sad because while i know the target audience is women, I think This book could be really liked by male readers. If packaged and titled the way it should be- it could and would be taken more seriously. The writing definitely has the Blade Runner/ Phillip K. Dick-esque edge to it. I just think it would reach a larger audience if it wasn't packaged like chip n' dale style erotica (not sexy), because it really is good writing. The only reason i bought it was because it was recommended so highly in the reviews and I am glad I did. Okay rant over. Sorry it wasn't really mini. Oh well.

As far as the story and the book itself- It was a little vague as far as setting up the world for you in the beginning- it needed more explanation on how humans, changelings and Psy split into groups in the first place? I suppose Nalini just wanted you to think that in this world, it was always how it was. I really enjoyed the world she creates on the page- no matter how it came to be. I really liked the dialogue with Sacha and Lucas. It was sensual and while she overuses the word darling-(which bugs me i don't know why)- the heat was definitely sizzling. My favorite scenes were the ones in the book explaining about the psy-net itself and the shields/firewalls that Sascha creates. The complexity is beautiful and mind boggling to read. The dream scenes were also pretty hott. The structure of the world really spoke to my sci-fi fascination with the future- and the way we will interact and change as human beings-(or non human beings in this book's case) I always like an underdog heroine- someone who was born different-thought to be flawed- but in reality was just more special than most. The only part that bothered me was that Singh didn't go into the identity of Sascha's father- which I thought was odd. I was waiting for Sascha to say something about her father- after she stole her family's history from the net. But zippo. I was dissapointed- I thought for sure Sascha was going to find out something interesting about her father that further would explain her emotional capacity and power as an empath. But that was the only real negative- i think she could add more light moments- but other than that it was a really good first book. I was glad i took a chance on the hope that it wasn't bad writing and trusted the fan's reviews, because it was good! I will keep reading the series- and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.( and I will probably like it too- even if I have to rip off the dang cover :)

Slave to Sensation is the first book in the Psy-Changelings series written by Nalini Singh. This book was published a little over a year ago but I found out about it recently when I read several reviews stating how amazing this book is. This book is really amazing. I read it in six hours and could not put it down. I came to a point while reading it that I did not want the book to end.

This book is a paranormal romance which tells the story of Lucas Hunter, a Changeling and leader of his pack, and Sascha Duncan a Cardinal Psy. The two meet at a meeting were Nikita Duncan, Sascha's mother is also present. The meeting was set up so that they would discuss a construction project the Psy and Changelings wanted to work on together. Lucas and Sascha immediately feel attracted to each other but nothing is as easy as it seems.

Psy are supposed to be cold, without feelings, but Sascha has feelings, feelings she has been hiding for all of her life because Psy who have feelings would be taken to rehabilitation and turned into the living death and Sascha did not want that to happen to her. So, on the outside she looked like any other Psy, cold as ice, but on the inside she was full of feelings which threatened to explode when she met Lucas.

Lucas had a reason why he made the construction deal with the Psy, he wanted to enter their inner circle. A serial killer had been killing changeling women and the last one was from Lucas's pack, the DarkRiver pack. On the place of the last murder the Changelings traced a scent that led them to believe that the killer was Psy but when Lucas met Sascha he felt attracted to her but he also wanted to use her to find out the man behind these murders. He didn't trust her but he couldn't help being attracted to her, he knew Sascha was different from all the other Psy.

Nalini Singh has become one of my favorite authors. Lucas's and Sascha's romance is written beautifully and is very believable. It's not like in many other books were the hero and heroine fall madly in love with each other immediately. Lucas and Sascha take time to fall in love because even though they are attracted to each other from the first time they meet there are some issues that could not be overlooked which are Lucas learning to trust Sascha and Sascha letting go and succumb to her feelings for Lucas but during this time the sexual tension between them could be cut with a knife.

This book is a great read, the best I've read so far this year.

This book was a little slow in the beginning. But after the first 7 or 8 chapters it really picked up and I couldn't put it down. A few things were a little hard to follow for example when Sascha enters PsyNet, it can get a little confusing. But I loved the relationship between Lucas and Sascha. I liked that the author slowly built the relationship and the trust between the two characters, and that there was sex but not so much sex it over powered the plot. Overall I thought it was a really good book and recommend giving it a try, especially if you like paranormal or even science fiction, you will enjoy this.

I absolutely loved this book, a quick read about were creatures and a very different type of psych people - the don't classify themselves as human. There's all kinds of drama - family and cross species, and suspense as they work to track down a serial killer. I will be reading more of Nalini's books.

I agree with the other people who have reviewed this book - this is one of the best I have read in a long time and I read A LOT of books. The characters are completely three dimensional in a three dimensional world. Kudos to Ms. Singh for making this world seem completely real. I felt that the book had a good balance between the main characters and secondary characters - you were shown the depth of the secondary characters without detracting from the main characters. The flow of the book was such that it made it an easy read without being completely fluff. The themes of the book are quite intriguing and put a spin on issues that we are dealing with today and put forth issues that may arise in our future. I found myself easily contemplating certain issues while reading instead of getting bogged down or constantly slapped in the face with them. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I hope that this becomes a multi-book series. The little glimpse at the end of the next book just whetted my appetite. Please Ms. Singh, I would like some more!!

I think I'm seeing why this series is so widely popular. The futuristic setting is interesting, the idea of the Psy and changelings society is very intriguing and the relationships are yummy, especially the changelings! The story was a little slow, plodding along through all the world set-up. While explaining it all, Singh tended to reiterate many of the ideas much more than needed (if Sascha breaks free of the Psy network she will die -we know!!) but overall this is a great first book in a series!

This book is a great start to the series. It is one of my favorite books and I have re-read it over 5 times. Her books take you into a new interesting world with strong characters and passion. I loved this book. Some books are stronger than others. Book 3 and 10 are some of the best. The angel series is also another hit and truly original. Thank you Nalini for your wonderful work.

Enough reviewers have posted about the plot, so I won't repeat that. I read a wide variety of romance novels, from historical to paranormal. On the paranormal end I am fans of J.R. Ward (though not initially due to the odd linguistics for hundred year old vampires -- but the books have grown increasingly better and the last was fantastic), Sherrilyn Kenyon (I was a huge fan of the Dark Hunter series until recently; the last two books have been disappointing); Christine Feehan (I was a big Carpathian fan until the stories in recent years -- I'm getting tired of essentially the same male/female characters, dialogue, etc.); and Marjorie Liu. I finished Ms. Singh's Slave to Sensation last night and I am eager for more! The characters were believable, the chemistry was great, and the world Ms. Singh introduced is intriguing. I am reminded of the excitement I felt with I first discovered Kenyon, Feehan, et al. -- I just hope the author continues to give us creative plots, intriguing and multi-dimentional characters, etc. I cannot wait to see more of this new world.

Lucas and Sascha's story is an amazing adventure that will have you laughing and crying while cheering them on all the way! I finished this book in one sitting because it was hard to leave their story unfinished. Of course I had to find out what happened. And 5 minutes after I finished their story I jumped online to order the second book in the series. This author has made my "Watch" list! Alpha males, psychic females and romance...all the makings of a good story.

I picked up this book without reading the synopsis in the back just because of the author. She is just 'THAT' good. There is an honesty about her characters and emotions that lets you go deeper and not just skim the surface. She doesnt beat around the bush but gets to the heart of the matter and you are involved in the story from the very first line until the end. You hate for the book to end because the stories and personalities are just that binding. Nalini Singh will NEVER disappoint you in delivering a drama that makes you want to crawl into the story and become the character yourself and when you come out, she makes you want more from your own life. Looking forward to ANYTHING she writes. I will be the first in line to purchase, site unseen. I dont need to know what the book is about, all I need to know is that she wrote it and I will be guaranteed one of the best reads of my life. Thanks Nalini for a most entertaining 2 days. It would have been hours but I had to sleep and go to work but your writing is so profound that I didnt want to do either. The anticipiation of the next page keeps your turning at all hours of the day and night.

I was so engrossed in this book I was sneaking into the bathroom at work to read little bits of it. I haven't come across an author this good in a really long time, or a world I love so much. I ususally shy away from futuristic type stuff, but I was totally sold on this story from the first page. Excellant writing, great characters, and a lot of attention paid to making Lucas, the male lead, as catlike as possible.

EXCELLANT. I recommend this to ANYONE. I would never trade this one in.

Unusual depth and world building in this paranormal romance. I had true sympathy for the heroine, whose mental health was in danger if she ever showed emotion. I also enjoyed the descriptions of an alternate Earth where a segment of the population actively looked after its health and beauty. I liked the careful balance between the three very different segments of the population. So, a lot of pluses for this story, including a great central romance and potential future romances. I look forward to more from this author.

I read this whole series a while back and was very impressed. Nalini Singh has created a fascinating and beleivable world with the three breeds - Psy, Changelings and Humans.
A few things with the Psy didn't gel for me eg. the fact that they have no emotions and yet are competitive (which I would have thought had an emotional component) but overall I really enjoyed this alternate world.

This book is a great starter of an outstanding series.
Singh's characters and plot have a dephts that is hardly found in romance and I REALLY like romance. :)
This book made me smile (about the scenes with the "unfeeling" Psy and the changling cubs), cry (when Sasha thought she was rejected by Lucas) and left me hot and bothered by the sizzling hot love scenes.
10 stars for my new favourite paranormal series.
Can't wait for September when Dorian's story comes out. (Nalini Singh does the best scenes with children.)

Such an intricate world, so cleverly plotted. I absoloutly loved this book. The idea of the Changlings and PSI races and the creating of Silence. Finally a paranormal without the tiresome vampires. Also, no whiny should I use my powers or not crap. The hero and heroines act with dignity and honor. This is not a book to borrow, you will not want to give it back.

This book didn't hold my attention because it was the same as too many before it. It was another instant "lust at first sight", where from the first chapter we know who the romance is going to be between and now we just have to sit around and twiddle our thumbs and wait for one or both of them to get over whatever reason they shouldn't be together. I'm tired of it. I want something different. I have only found a couple of authors that don't do that and those by far are my most favorite books.

I liked the concept of this story with the Psy being emotionless beings, it reminds me of a couple movies that I have seen and liked, and I like books about shape shifters (like the Kate Daniels series)But I lost interest in the very first chapter when I realized it was just another of very very long list of books I've read that are all the same. I'm just tired of sifting through mediocre books to get to good ones. This one qualifies as mediocre to me. Some might love it, but it's just not for me.

I am literally addicted to this series! The world Nalini Singh created is so interesting and original it has me up till the early hours of the morning trying to finish the book rather than get any sleep. The characters are intriguing and intense and immediately likable. I could not put this book down!

I really enjoyed this book. Sascha the Psy was a very strong and likable heroine. Lucas the changeling alpha was a yummy, sexy, to die for hero , he was worth the price of the book alone. The chemistry and the interactions between the 2 were hot. I loved the fact that Lucas was constantly touching Sascha. I loved how touch plays such an integral part in changeling life and society. I really felt for Dorian, I hope he gets his HEA eventually. The world building was very interesting. The mystery was wrapped up very nicely. And I look forward to seeing more of Lucas and Sascha the rest of the Dark River pack and also Hawke and the rest of the Snow Dancer wolf pack.

The blurb on the front says that this book will appeal to fans of Christine Feehan and it likely will. It is an enoyable new world without the sometimes-painful grammar of Feehan's books.

There is a strong mystery plot to go with the romance and the paranormal aspects have a different twist.

In addition to Feehan, I would recommend this book to fans of Laurell K. Hamilton, Kelley Armstrong, and Kim Harrison.

I had never heard of this author so i was a little weary, but when I picked this book up I never let it down.

What a great surprise.. the characters are loveable and the hero is "yummy".

I highly recommend this book and can't wait to read her other book.

If your a christine feehan fan, go for it.

you wont be sorry!!!

Nalini is one of my favourite authors and her psy/changeling series does not disappoint. The characters, storyline, plot and setting are so believeable they will suck you in from the start. Sensational read!

Really enjoyed the book overall. It started a little typical of the genre and the antagonist was conquered a little too quickly but overall the book was funny and the futuristic touches were interesting rather than cliche. I'm reading the next book in the series now.

I've read this book twice over the past few years and it still make a great jump off to a great series. It's one of my favorites, along with Visions of Heat, Caressed By Ice, Kiss of Snow and Heart of Obsidian. Love Lucas and Sascha.

After reading the fantastic reviews on this book, I must say I wasn't all that ecstatic about it. There were several grammatical errors throughout. And there were times where two people would be in the middle of a conversation and there would be paragraphs of someone's thoughts in between dialogue and when it was over, I couldn't really remember what the conversation was about so I had to glance back up to see what that person had said (not to mention sometimes I couldn't even figure out who was saying it!). And there were a lot of repetitious adjectives repeated over and over again (How many times do we need to hear "night-sky eyes"?!). I understand this was the author's first book so those kinds of things can slide a little, but it just got frustrating.

As for the story, it was okay. I like the fact that the author thought of a new world of paranormal romance (instead of the familiar vampire/werewolf stories). It was a unique idea (although the story of the Psy was a little reminiscent of Brave New World). But I didn't find myself excited and eager to read the next chapter to see what happens. As for the love scenes, they seemed a little rushed and some were a little unbelievable (Sascha was raised Psy... I know she was different but would she have really been that sexually aggressive?). I'm a huge Kresley Cole fan so maybe the transition from her books to this one just didn't work for me, but I wasn't too impressed with this book.

Read them out of order, and liked #2 better, although this one was good. Perhaps because the author spent a little more time setting the alternate history setting, but this one dragged a little more than Vision of Heat. Still finished it in a weekend, but not one sitting like VoH. Just wasn't as engaged with either of the 2 leads and the emotions didn't feel as raw and real.

Normally I read urban fantasy, not romance. But this series was given to me by a friend and I was pleasantly surprised. Nalini Singh has a real gift for world building. The emphasis here is still on the romance, but the world she creates is as rich as most I've read in UF. Really fun and intriguing read! I loved it!

Sorry, I wasn't blown away by this book. Others truly enjoyed it, I felt it was so-so. I think I wanted more details and explanations, once the heroine was finally able to share that she had emotions...I didn't see that angle explored. I was a little bored at the end...the psy-net, it was a little too much work for me to keep my interest. I won't continue with the series. Just my opinion.

I picked this book up in a second hand book store on impulse as I was waiting to pay for a couple of others. What a wonderful surprise! I went immediately to the store and found that the next in this particular series will not be published until March 2007. What a downer. I wanted more immediately.

From this point on, I will buy books in this series new in order to encourage the publisher to print more by this author. She is a great talent. I hope Ms. Signh writes quickly as I really enjoy the new world created in the series. Ms. Singh introduced many characters that I would like to see with their own story.

I read the first Psy-Changeling book and just found it ok. I read the Guild Hunter books and loved loved loved them. So I was hoping for the same passion and intrigue in this but found neither. I decided to try the 2nd book but find it to be a duplication of Slave to Sensation. A Psy about to "crack." The wounded Changeling. The mysterious evil force destroying others. I wanted something new. Didn't find it with this.

I wasn't sure what I'd think after picking this up on recommendation, but these books are very entertaining with a good blend of fun characters, world-building, and romance. I have the audible version and would recommend it to people who like audio books - the performance is quite good.

I loved this book! Nalini Singh has created a wonderful universe of psychics, shape shifters & humans. I highly recommend it for anyone who is looking for something different. Great heroes! I also loved the second book in the series, Vision of Heat. And I can't wait for the next one!

A new world has been created and I am absolutely hooked! I love how powerful NS build her character. Definately can't wait to read the next installment. Nalini Singh will definately have a shelf of her own in my library, hopefully she will fill it up with more wonderful stories.

Yes, the title and cover are a bit lowbrow, but get yourself a kindle and no one will know the difference! ;)

Lots of tension, the psy are interesting, her wolves are good and best of all she cranks out a book every six months. there is a lull around book five or so and then it picks up at the end. I am desperate for the next one!

Main characters (as well as the secondary characters) have depth, are believable and very likable. Interesting world, and the Psy and PsyNet are nice and creepy. Definitely a keeper! One of the best paranormals of 2006 and I look forward to reading the rest of the series!

This author tells a fabulous story. The characters and the world she has created aren't that hard to follow, she actually keeps it quite simple compared to some Sci Fi books I've read. Yes she repeats the background in Book 2 Visions, but so do top authors JD Robb, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Christine Feehan and they've written how many in their series? She's great, I hope she keeps this series running for a long time. It makes a nice change from vampires.

The mark of a good paranomal author is that world created by them completely grips and engages you...Nalini Singh suceeds superlatively in doing this.

For anybody who has read JR ward or Sherrilyn kenyon and liked thier writing,I would wholeheartedly reccomend this book.

I just decided to try this new series and found Volume 1 to start with. It's a very odd/strange/weird premise. Yet I really did like it. I'm going to try reading Vol. 2 and determine is this will become one of my new favorite authors.

Nalini Singh has created a genuinely original world and on top of that has interwoven an engrossing story with characters like Lucas and Sascha that I really came to care about. And it's hot. Now for book two!

This story line is the best I have read for some time, both books to date will be keepers. There was lots of plot, great characters and heaps of room for the series to continue. How great it is to find another author I can add to my "wish-list"!!

Just the books one and two in the Psy-changeling books are available in kindle for Latin America.After you starting reading this series you discover that you can't buy the 3,4,5,6,and 7 boooks. So why the first two books are available?Do you think that I 'm going to buy it in paper ? Why this kind of discrimination? My money is just good enough for 1 and 2?
Pay atention before you buy a Kindle in Latin America the kindle store don't have the same books for every contry...

I loved Slave to Sensation. Very good paranormal romance! It's so unique and created such an interesting universe with the Psy and Changelings! I recommend this book to anyone who loves paranormal romance.

This book had glimpses of a promising concept. But it was ruined by a story that didn't make any sense, some really offensive sexism, and far too many cliches.

Possessive, dominant, impossibly good looking male with a ripped physique and a tragic past - check

Stunningly beautiful, emotionally vulnerable, VIRGINAL female who desperately needs sex and protection - check.

Plot device that ensures they can only be with each other - check.

A hero who can "get it up" as often as needed because he's not human - check.

The set-up for Sascha Duncan works well as a platform for sexual tension. But beyond that, it doesn't seem to make much sense. It is simply not possible she could turn from a lifetime schooled in non-emotion to the opposite within weeks. Psychologically, she would have imploded.

This circles back to how lack of emotion is one of the major defining concepts of the book. The Psy are said to feel nothing. But if a person feels nothing, why would they even exist? How can you exist if you do not have a desire to do so? The whole concept collapses when you think about it. Wouldn't that be obvious to anyone, especially people focused on logic?

The bulk of the storyline rests on the fact the Psy have been lying when they say they are non-violent. Yet there is a constant awareness by everyone in the novel of all the violent things the Psy do; from Sascha's knowledge of the "vile" things she has seen on the PsyNet, to the lethal talents the members of the Council all possess. I don't understand how there can even be a pretense of non-violence when it seems to be open knowledge that violence is there.

Likewise, the changelings are portrayed as being the better species. Yet they are horribly violent and vicious, even among themselves. The kill themselves over territorial disputes. They tear people apart and mail off body parts as warnings. It's kind of hard to follow why one is better than the other, or how exactly Lucas Hunter is any different than Nikita Duncan.

Fanciful names like SnowDancer and Web of Stars do the book no favors. Also, the author very clearly explains the origin of the names Sascha and Nikita, yet fails to explain why male names would have been chosen. Does she know these are male names?

I also saw a problem with how "psychpath" and "sociopath" are used in the book. The author throws the 2 terms around pretty liberally. But they do not mean the same thing. And they are not characterized by lack of emotion. A psychopath has a lack of empathy and a sociopath disregards the rights of other people. Our villain in the book is supposed to feel nothing. Yet the writing clearly portrays him as feeling things like desire, curiosity, etc. If he felt nothing, then he would "want" nothing, and would have no compulsion to do anything.

There is also the concept of the mating dance. It's a psychic bond that apparently links mates together, can only happen once and can never ever be broken. I really think a romance should be written about two people falling in love without a bad plot device.

Naturally, one of the overarching themes in the novel is the nature of the animal personality in changelings. Unfortunately, it's used to justify pretty blatant sexism in the the male characters, including the use of physical force. But it also does not make sense. Leopards are felines, so their mating ritual is brief and violent, not possessive or devoted at all. They are also solitary and nocturnal, so the social structure of a pack doesn't really make sense. The author even makes a comment that one of the characters is closer to his animal roots because he prefers to be alone, so she must be aware of these facts.

Did I mention the sexism? It's really hard to take. I wouldn't want any teenagers reading this book. The way the male characters treat the female characters sends a terrible message. He actually threatens to knock her unconscious at one point to force her to do what he wants.

I'll give the author points for some originality, erotic intensity, and world building. The sexual tension between the two leads sizzles and the first two thirds of the novel is does do some world building. But the grammar is not very good and the plotting and the characterizations need lots of work. The books is basically swallowed up by all the things that don't make sense in the plot.

I actually feel kind of generous giving it this high of a rating. I might regret it later because there are so many problems with the book. But I guess, in the end, it's a romance novel, and at the end of the day, it's all about getting the characters into bed with each other. So if you just want standard fluff in a different wrapper, it does that pretty well. I you like authors like Sherilyn Kenyon, Keri Arthur, and J.D. Ward, you will probably want to check this out.

*I went back and reread this book recently and I dropped my rating. I can't believe I was so generous the first time around.

This preposterous book is being read every single night on Sirius XM.

It is bloated, self-indulgent, and downright silly.

I can only wonder at the paeans of praise heaped upon it by most the store reviewers.