Reviewed by Berls on
I think there were 3 things that really made this book stand out as a favorite for me.
1 - undoubtedly, Ashaya Aleine is the number 1 reason I liked this book. She's a Psy-mother, something we haven't gotten this close to yet. It perhaps pulled me a little bit more because I have a toddler right now and so her protective feelings and tenderness towards her child (4 years old, if I remember correctly) was very familiar to me. There were some unexpected developments in that area which I think speak to the sensitivity that Nalini Singh brings to issues (so naturally, I sometimes wonder if it's unintentional). I think it's partly that she's a mother and partly her nature, but Ashaya is fiercely determined. I really enjoyed her character.
2 - In some part because of Ashaya's determined nature, a lot of things happen in Hostage to Pleasure to further the plot. I feel like we're learning more and more about the various powers on the Psy Council and about the Psy Net. And Humans are coming into the story as a potential power player after all, in unexpected ways (at least for me). And this created quite a bit of solid action/tension. As more of an Urban Fantasy than Paranormal Romance reader, I enjoy this so much more than the romance. Hostage to Pleasure started out the most exciting I've seen yet - really launching off from the semi-cliff the last book left us on - and there were a lot more tense moments to match that pace throughout.
3 - We really saw a lot more of previous couples, even getting to have some of their POVs for a section of the book. I always enjoy revisiting couples we knew previously - in this case, we got a decent amount of Sascha and Lucas along with some others.
I do have a couple minor criticisms. First of all - Dorian. I was eager for his book. We met him back in book 1 and we've seen glimpses throughout the other books as he heals emotionally from what happened to his sister. We also know he is unable to shift - he's latent (never been able to shift). I had such high hopes for his book - I was eagerly anticipating it. I think that Ashaya and her problems eclipse him though. I'm not saying that I want less of her, but I was underwhelmed by the way his long-term issues were handled. I guess some of it is that her issues, exacerbate his and solving her problems ends up becoming the priority. We do get his darkness and there is some truly great moments with his connection to her son. And I did enjoy their romance though - complete with their trust issues and his struggle to overcome his hatred for the Psy. So it's minor, I just wanted MORE.
His shifting - along with another issue I won't name because it's a slight spoiler - felt like the big issues of the book (because I don't get too hung up on the relationship issues, they aren't my worry). And - my 2nd criticism - they were wrapped up entirely too easily, in my opinion. I worried and contemplated them the whole book and... well I don't want to spoil, but while I like the end result well enough, I'm not satisfied with how we got there.
Third, and this is really minor, but I think there's a mistake in a time reference. In the last book I could have sworn we found out we had moved forward 2 years, but Sascha in this book, says she and Lucas have been mated for a year and a half. Seriously minor and maybe I'm even wrong (correct me if I am, seriously). REGARDLESS, I wish we had a clearer sense of time passing throughout the series; that would alleviate clinging to those tiny moments that tell you where we are in time and possibly misunderstanding/confusing.
The way this book wrapped up, I still have tons of questions that I can't wait to have answered in the next few books. I plan to continue listening because I adore Angela Dawe and I particularly enjoyed her voice for Ashaya's 4 year old son in this book. She's a fantastic narrator and I've yet to be disappointed by her performance.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 7 April, 2021: Finished reading
- 7 April, 2021: Reviewed