Singh, Nalini - Caressed by Ice
Brenna Kincaid was tortured by a Psy serial killer, and though she's healed much faster than expected, she's still got scars. Judd Lauren is an ex-Arrow Psy, a super-secret soldier who used to kill and etc., supposedly to the benefit of the Psy race.
Though the back cover says they're drawn together when a series of murders start happening because Brenna thinks she could be doing it, the book is really more about Judd learning to how partially break Silence and about his angsty past. The mystery of whether or not Brenna's psychic encounters with the Psy serial killer have made her capable of murder is solved fairly quickly, and I was sad that she soon stopped being the focus of the book. I shouldn't be surprised that most of the emotional growth goes with the Psy character, but I was still disappointed.
Also, because the two main characters are already unconnected to the PsyNet, much of the larger, series-specific plot really has nothing to do with either of them. That's too bad, as that was the main draw for me. Judd does have a little to do with the major plans of the Psy Council, but much of it isn't essential to the romance plot, and that weakens the book.
Singh also falls into the trap of constantly telling me things that I don't believe, from people being surprised at a completely unsurprising piece of information to everyone telling Brenna's she's strong. Yes, her past indicates that she is, but I would have liked some proof outside of hearsay. There's also too much of the "Once again, he was amazed by her strength and courage" thing when Brenna reacts to something in a way that I think is fairly normal.
I probably won't continue with the Psy-Changeling series after this; the prose is just too clunky and the characterization isn't good enough to catch my interest.
Though the back cover says they're drawn together when a series of murders start happening because Brenna thinks she could be doing it, the book is really more about Judd learning to how partially break Silence and about his angsty past. The mystery of whether or not Brenna's psychic encounters with the Psy serial killer have made her capable of murder is solved fairly quickly, and I was sad that she soon stopped being the focus of the book. I shouldn't be surprised that most of the emotional growth goes with the Psy character, but I was still disappointed.
Also, because the two main characters are already unconnected to the PsyNet, much of the larger, series-specific plot really has nothing to do with either of them. That's too bad, as that was the main draw for me. Judd does have a little to do with the major plans of the Psy Council, but much of it isn't essential to the romance plot, and that weakens the book.
Singh also falls into the trap of constantly telling me things that I don't believe, from people being surprised at a completely unsurprising piece of information to everyone telling Brenna's she's strong. Yes, her past indicates that she is, but I would have liked some proof outside of hearsay. There's also too much of the "Once again, he was amazed by her strength and courage" thing when Brenna reacts to something in a way that I think is fairly normal.
I probably won't continue with the Psy-Changeling series after this; the prose is just too clunky and the characterization isn't good enough to catch my interest.