Ocean Light by Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling #17 / Psy-Changeling Trinity #2
Rating: ★★★★☆
New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh dives beneath the surface of her Psy-Changeling world into a story of passionate devotion and selfless love…
Security specialist Bowen Knight has come back from the dead. But there’s a ticking time bomb in his head: a chip implanted to block telepathic interference that could fail at any moment–taking his brain along with it. With no time to waste, he should be back on land helping the Human Alliance. Instead, he’s at the bottom of the ocean, consumed with an enigmatic changeling…
Kaia Luna may have traded in science for being a chef, but she won’t hide the facts of Bo’s condition from him or herself. She’s suffered too much loss in her life to fall prey to the dangerous charm of a human who is a dead man walking. And she carries a devastating secret Bo could never imagine…
But when Kaia is taken by those who mean her deadly harm, all bets are off. Bo will do anything to get her back–even if it means striking a devil’s bargain and giving up his mind to the enemy…
Nalini Singh is one of my go-to authors. I trust her to consistently take me on a journey that I adore. Ocean Light is no exception. This book has a more introspective and character-driven approach. Despite the ticking time-bomb in Bowen’s head, and the incredibly present mystery to be solved.
I quite enjoyed this pace and having the time to get to know them both. Bo, despite being a somewhat regular character in the story, has never really been someone that I was too intrigued with. I should probably stop being surprised by enjoying Nalini’s human hero/ines nearly as much as her Psy and Changeling hero/ines. But Bo did surprise me. He was sweet, and almost boyishly charming. He was completely devoted, and unrelentingly supportive. I loved watching him pursue Kaia.
Speaking of Kaia – she’s an amazing character. I love her playfulness and the way she doesn’t step back from hard realizations. The fact that she can re-examine her beliefs and understandings, easily, when confronted with new information made me adore her. The way she understood Bowen, and cared about him, was everything he deserved.
Together they were easily my favorite part of the book. The mystery left me a little wanting, mostly because it was so much background for a good portion of the book. I was on the edge of my seat when the action picked up. Especially when my favorite character made an appearance near the end.
The only thing that brings my rating down from a solid five-stars is the coincidences here. Kaia has severe anxiety in certain situations, and because of certain specific experiences. It seemed like things just kept happening to exacerbate that anxiety. I began to wonder if it was plausible that so much could happen to her so quickly. Minor, honestly, but I did notice it.
This book definitely makes me want to re-read all the previous books in the series – all 16 of them (plus shorts and novellas). I was reading late into the night, on a work-night, and I was obviously entranced. As always, I can’t wait to see where Nalini takes us next.
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