Tally McKade is dead. At least that is what Clay Bennett has been led to believe.  Told years ago that she died while he was incarcerated for a crime he committed to keep her safe, Clay has spent the subsequent years without her.  But he never forgot her. Now, just when he has found his niche with the DarkRiver leopard changeling pack as a sentinel, Clay is close to discovering that all he believes is a lie.  With Tally’s delicate scent guiding him, Clay comes face to face with the woman that the girl he used to know and love has become.

Talin McKade had social services tell Clay Bennett she was dead for a reason.  She had been a mere child, unable to deal with the repercussions and aftermath of that horrifying time of her life. Never intending to let Clay know that she was alive, Talin has become a counselor that helps the same sort of child that she herself used to be. But, something is different with the children under her care.  They are all prodigies and they seem to be disappearing at an alarming rate. With no one to turn to but Clay, Talin will risk everything to keep even one child from experiencing the horrific childhood that she herself experienced.

Mine to Possess is the anxiously anticipated fifth book in Nalini Singh’s wildly popular Psy/Changeling series. Clay Bennett fought long and hard to find his place within the DarkRiver pack and his loyalty to his fellow pack mates and Talin was noteworthy indeed.  For years he regretted the actions that tore his world apart.  In one act of violence Clay protected the girl he was bonded with, but in doing so, he lost her forever. This loyalty to Talin was heartwarming and achingly beautiful.

Sadly, Clay’s loyalty to Talin was not enough to soothe my romance loving soul.  I wanted heat. I wanted passion. I wanted more than just Talin and Clay touching hands. This story was heavy in science fiction, which is fine – but it was much too light in the romance department. I wanted more between the two main characters. There was no heat, no sizzle, no pop.

While I loved the premise of Mine to Possess, it just didn’t live up to the previous Changeling books.  I found this upsetting because out of all the books in this wonderful series, Clay’s story was the one I anticipated the most.  In addition, side stories and too many point of view changes added their own confusion.