Branded by Fire

By: Nalini Singh

Narrated by: Angela Dawe

Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

When a brilliant young researcher is kidnapped, DarkRiver sentinel Mercy, a cat, and SnowDancer lieutenant Riley, a wolf, must work together to track the young man - before his shadowy captors decide he's no longer useful. Along the way, the two dominants may find that submitting to one another uncovers not just a deadly conspiracy, but a passion so raw that it'll leave them both branded by fire.

Mind over matter: listen to more in the Psy-Changeling series.

©2009 Nalini Singh (P)2011 Tantor

Critic Reviews

"One of the greatest pleasures of these books is their ability to deliver both an intensely personal love story as well as a riveting societal drama. Singh is on the fast track to becoming a genre giant!" ( Romantic Times)

Here kitty kitty.

I gotta say it's hard to top Judd and Brenna but this book almost does it. You have to wonder with the leopards and the wolves playing nice, if any of them will hook up? I absolutely LOVE this coupling. Alpha Male and an Alpha Female fighting for who is more dominant? Yum!

Riley is Hawk's second, and you will know him from Book 3. Mercy is one of Lucas's Lieutenants and is in the midst of realizing there aren't many men higher ranked than her in her pack. To make matters worse, her Alpha grandmother sends her two of her own alpha-types to flirt and see if anything comes of it. That one night where she scratched an itch with Riley simply wasn't enough, though.

Most of Singh's books are formulaic but this one starts off with a fun romp in the woods and the addiction it creates. Oh the angst. The snarling. It's all so good. 5 stars.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

GREAT addition to the series!!

In the 6th Psy/Changeling book, we move right along with the pairing of the the Sentinel Mercy from the Dark River cats, and the Lieutenant Riley from the Snowdancer wolves. They're the liasons between the two packs ~ and have to be able to work together. Which, yeah, they've been doing ~ with some sniping and clawing...and now a little kiss and no tell.






When Mercy has an itch that it just seems like no one but that wolf can scratch, she can't control the urge...but it's a one time thing, right? Or a fling? Because a cat and wolf? Just not gonna happen on anything but the short term. And being as they're both high ranking members of their respective packs, this 'thing' can lead no where...right? But Mercy had thought she'd go her whole life and never find anyone who could actually equal, let alone dominate her cat. She'd thought she'd therefore go mateless...but Riley? Yeah, that wolf could meet her one on one.






Riley has always thought the woman for him would be a woman he could depend on to stay safe and sound at home while he was out protecting the pack and his Alpha...never did he want a woman like Mercy.






And while Mercy and Riley are fighting the natural (or unatural ) urges between their cats and wolves, the Psy and Human Alliance are creating havoc all around them, threatening their city as a whole, and they youths in their pack. And the Psy Council are plotting in the background...






I ADORE this series ~ but I want to caution you, this is really not a stand alone series. The romances in each book ARE stand alone, but the Psy/Changeling story is a long one, and the threads run through each book. It's such an engrossing tale, it's a fine line for Nalini Singh to keep the back story from taking over the relationship in each book ~ I think she does an amazing job, but sometimes I find myself wanting more of the story about the Council than I do about the hero/heroine, lol. Yes, she's THAT good! This is an amazin series, with characters you can't decide from one book to the next if you love them or hate them, trust them or want to strangle them...And whose side are they on, anyway?






Mercy and Riley were amazingly strong characters ~ I loved how they played off one another, and had to learn to deal with the fact that they were BOTH dominant. Awesome book ~






The Narration ~ I'm a fan of Angela Dawe. When I first started listening to Nalini Singh on Audio, I wasn't sure about Angla Dawe ~ but she really does do the series justice...I won't say it's fabulous, but it's pretty great, and for the Psy she's fab. And you have to take that she's doing male and female, and she does an excellent job of distinguishing between them, and letting us know exactly who we're hearing each time. Important for me ~ I've bought more audio books just because Angela Dawe narrated them, so I'm pretty impressed!!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

This series just keeps getting better...

This book is just as wonderful as the previous 5. Intense romance and action... So worth the credit!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Girl power

Would you listen to Branded by Fire again? Why?

I would. Mercy is one of my favorite females in the series. I was hoping that there would be a story with her as the female lead. She shows that even a strong woman can find love and not be afraid to grab it and hold on to it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Branded by Fire?

When the matting bond snapped into place moments before there was suppose to be a bomb blowing up a building. I enjoyed how Riley described it has them being better than being drunk.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Riley realized that Mercy was his mate. And it just sat there stunned for a long time. It caught him off guard just like it did to Mercy.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Mercy went to the SnowDancer den and was told that Riley had a big heart and she should be careful. Because he didn't expect anyone to do anything special for him while he would do anything for those he loves.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Loved it!

I love this book (and series)! Mercy is as strong and independent as Riley, which causes fireworks to ignite both in and out of the bedroom. I really hope Audible adds Book 7, 8 & 9 soon so we can have the complete series!!!!!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

A Favorite! Have Mercy on Riley...purrrfect.

This is one of my favorites in the Psy-Changeling Series. Mercy, the head-strong leopard Sentinel, is the perfect mate for Riley, the steady, quick-thinking, Snowdancer Lieutenant. Although it takes the entire book for the bond to form, the journey is never boring. If you like the series, you will love this book!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Finally a cat and dog love story

Would you listen to Branded by Fire again? Why?

If/ when I decide to re-listen, it will be to the entire series. (I'm the type to power-listen first to find out what happens, then go back and re-listen for the enjoyment factor.) This whole series is so much fun - I'm actually looking forward to starting from the beginning when it's all done.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Branded by Fire?

I liked that this story was between a wolf and a leopard. It added a new twist, but also meant this book had some extra steam since it involved the physical needs of 2 changelings. More hotness? Why yes, please!

Did Angela Dawe do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Meh. It's hard to tell characters apart sometimes, even between the throaty women and the raspy men, but she doesn't make me cringe, so yeah. Asi asi, gracias.

Any additional comments?

This series continues to pay off. I paid for this book ($20 with audible member discount) and feel like I got my money's worth. Here we go book 7!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

It keeps getting better and better

This is book 6 and the series is still amazing! So far Mercy and Riley's story is my favorite! After so many books I thought the series would get old. Thankfully that's not the case here. The story remains fresh and interesting. As always, the Psy-Changeling series is very sexy and this is by far the best!

Can't wait for the next book! Always a great listen and worth a credit.

11 of 16 people found this review helpful

Branded by Fire

I love these books! Cant wait for the next one to come out in 2012!

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Branded by Fire

I saw this pair coming from a mile away and I loved it!! Mercy seems soo growly, and claws but you can feel her want for something more. But she can’t surrender who she is and the “right” one for her needs to understand this about her.

So the attraction to the wolf really is something she fights not only is he the wrong kind of changeling but he is just as strong-willed as she is. So she knows he will challenge her cat but will it be too much? That is really the issue.

Riley thinks he knows what he wants but what he didn’t count on was that the wolf would connect with the cat like it does. And it worried him because he knows Mercy isn’t submissive at all and he always thought of himself with someone who was.

The struggle they go through and the attraction they fight and give in to make this book explosive.

I loved it and the narration was like the rest of them awesome now that I am invested and used to it.