Review: Bonds of Justice by Nalini Singh

Title: Bonds of Justice*
Author: Nalini Singh
Series:  Psy/Changeling series #8
Genre: Paranormal romance
Publisher: Berkley
Format:  paperback & e-book
Date/Year:  July 2010
Reviewed by: Andrea

*This book was borrowed from the reviewers local library for her own reading enjoyment)

Summary from the publisher:

Max Shannon is a good cop, one of the best in New York Enforcement. Born with a natural shield that protects him against Psy mental invasions, he knows he has little chance of advancement within the Psy-dominated power structure. The last case he expects to be assigned is that of a murderer targeting a Psy Councilor’s closest advisors. And the last woman he expects to compel him in the most sensual of ways is a Psy on the verge of a catastrophic mental fracture…

Sophia Russo is a Justice-Psy, cursed with the ability to retrieve memories from men and women so twisted even veteran cops keep their distance. Appointed as Max’s liaison with the Psy, she finds herself fascinated by this human, her frozen heart threatening to thaw with forbidden emotion. But, her mind filled with other people’s nightmares, other people’s evil, she’s standing on the border between sanity and a silken darkness that urges her to take justice into her own hands, to become judge, jury…and executioner…

My Musings:

I was getting bored with this series by book number 6, Branded by Fire.  I read book 7, Blaze of Memory, and it was great!  I decided to keep going with the series.  I wasn't sure if Singh could keep my interest for another book.  I gave Bonds of Justice a shot and it was just as good as Blaze of Memory.

In the past I had issues with the Psy-Council, Pure Psy, changeling and human factions all doing their own separate tings yet somehow being slightly connected.  It always felt forced and never worked in my mind.  All of those things came together for me with Blaze of Memory and it got even more relevant in Bonds of Justice.   All the side stories finally work together and add to the overall story (imagine me doing a little happy dance here).

Max Shannon is everything I love in a man.  He's sexy, he's smart, he doesn't take any sh*t, he stands up for good and he has a tortured past.  I wouldn't say he is a broken man, but he's definitely damaged.  The same can be said for Sophia Russo.  Sophia is the first J-Psy the series has explored and it's very different from the other designations of Psy.  Basically, being a J-Psy means an early death sentence.  They reach their "use by date" early in life.  Sophia is fast approaching the end of her usefulness when Nakita Duncan commissions Max and Sophia to investigate the suspicious deaths in her organization. 

Max and Sophia are drawn to each other the minute they meet.  They both realize they have finally met the one person who can understand their past and the effect it's had on the person they are today.  Both are reserved and have done an amazing job of secluding themselves emotionally.  I really enjoyed watching them open up and learn to trust. 

I loved the background story in this book almost as much as the romance.  I actually found myself intrigued by Nakita Duncan and Kaleb Krychek, which was a first.  They started to show hints of a personality and secrets they've been hiding all along.  

I'm loving this series again and so glad I kept going.  This series is fast becoming one of my favorites.

Ratings:

Overall:  5 stars
Sensuality level:  2

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Other Reviews:

• Dear Author (A)
• The Book Smugglers (7 out of 10)
• Lurv a la Mode (4.5)

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