Calling Cards

Lydia and Tay recap Hostage to Pleasure, book 5 of Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series. The Psy Council is stupid, Dorian is frequently shirtless, and high stakes shenanigans ensue. This one is a LOT less dark, and it has some of our favorite characters!

We’ll be back in 2 weeks with part 2, our deeper analysis into this book.

Psy-Changeling Playlist:

Tay:

• Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Lorde
• I Want to Break Free, Queen
• I’m Still Standing- Elton John
• Dangerous Woman, Ariana Grande 
• Got It Bad for Ya, Danielle Parente and Matthew Masurka
• Givin Em What They Love, Janelle Monae ft. Prince

Lydia:

• Can’t Get You Out of My Head, Kylie Minogue
• Broken, Lifehouse
• She, Elvis Costello 
• King of my Heart, Taylor Swift 
• Kiss, Prince
• Kiss Me, Sixpence None the Richer

https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/psy-changeling/pl.u-r2yBAexTPRd661 

What’re we reading? 

Tay:

• Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell 
• All the Feels by Olivia Dade 
• Bombshell by Sarah MacLean
• His Inherited Princess by Empi Baryeh

Lydia: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Thanks for listening! 

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Lydia and Tay discuss Mine to Possess, book 4 of Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series. Featuring morality in sci-fi and romance (with the usual shout outs to Captain America and Anakin Skywalker), plus vampires and zombies (you're welcome). Please let us know what you think of Clay and Tally! 

We’ll be back in 2 weeks, recapping Hostage to Pleasure.

Reading recs:

• Second chance love
  • Winterblaze, Kristen Callihan (Darkest London #3), historical paranormal
  • Jackdaw, KJ Charles, queer historical paranormal (best read after the Magpie trilogy)
  • Recipe for Persuasion, Sonali Dev, contemporary
  • Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward, paranormal
• Friends to lovers
  • Romancing Mister Bridgerton, Julia Quinn, historical
  • Safe Harbor (Drake Sisters #5), Christine Feehan, paranormal
• Protecting children
  • Oracle's Moon, Thea Harrison, paranormal
  • Dark Legend, Christine Feehan, paranormal

Vampire recs:

On Immunity: An Inoculation, Eula Bliss (non-fiction)

Twilight, Vampire Diaries, True Blood

What We Do in the Shadows (TV & movie)

The Historian, Elizabeth Kostova

Underworld (movie)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)

Moonlight (TV, 1 season)

Zombies:

Warm Bodies, Isaac Marion

iZombie (TV series, based on the graphic novel)

Jeaniene Frost’s books

Thanks for listening! 

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Twitter: @CardsCalling 

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Lydia and Tay recap book 4 of Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series, Mine to Possess. Oof, we are really down on this one. 

*CW for child abuse. The whole plot and character backstory is child abuse. We won’t go into a ton of details, but it’s gonna be there for the whole episode, so be aware. Also, slut shaming and rampant misogyny.*

We’re back in 2 weeks with part 2, our deeper analysis into Mine to Possess.

Psy-Changeling Playlist:

Lydia:

• Bad Romance- Lady Gaga
• Bleeding Love- Leona Lewis
• Back to Black- Amy Winehouse
• Take Me to Church- Hozier

Tay:

• Cranes in the Sky- Solange
• Right Back Where We Started From- Maxine Nightengale
• Now I’m All Messed Up- Tegan and Sara
• long story short- Taylor Swift

https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/psy-changeling/pl.u-r2yBAexTPRd661 

What’re we reading? 

Tay:

• Helen Hoang, The Heart Principle
• Jesse Q. Sutanto, Dial A for Aunties
• Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz, “Arcane Society” series
• Jordan L. Hawk, Infernal Affairs
• Austin Chant, Peter Darling

Lydia: 

• Angeline Boulley, The Firekeeper’s Daughter 

Thanks for listening! 

Instagram and Facebook: @callingcardspod

Twitter: @CardsCalling 

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Help us spread the word about us- please rate, review, and tell a friend!

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Lydia and Tay talk about our love of sci-fi metaphors, and the main themes of Caressed by Ice, the third book in Nalini Singh’s paranormal romance series, Psy-Changeling. Romance novels ask some of the big questions, folks, amid all the bonkers plots and sexy times, so we talk about light and darkness, loss of innocence, identity, choice, family, and more… plus, mating bonds and “Princess Bride” (hey, we’re still us).

We’ll be back in 2 weeks with book 4, Mine to Possess.

Reading Recs:

Forbidden romance: 

Discovery of Witches (fantasy)

Every Cassandra Clare series (YA fantasy, contemporary & historical)

When He Was Wicked, Julia Quinn (historical)

Princess Bride (the movie!)

Fated mates:

Thea Harrison, Dragon Bound (paranormal!)

Trauma recovery:

Patricia Briggs, Alpha & Omega (paranormal!)

Badass dude, hacker chick (AKA Olicity):

Juno Rushdan, Nothing to Fear (contemporary)

Thanks for listening! 

Instagram and Facebook: @callingcardspod

Twitter: @CardsCalling 

Website: https://www.callingcards.wixsite.com/callingcardspod

Email us at [email protected]. 

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Lydia and Tay finish recapping book three of Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series, Caressed by Ice. It’s still pretty dark stuff, but we’ve got you covered with pop culture references, from Scooby Doo to High School Musical (and of course, Arrow!).

CW: details of Brenna’s abduction and assault (from book 1); child abuse 

**We’re back in TWO weeks with part 2, to discuss themes of Caressed by Ice.  (Life got in the way again...)

Playlist:

• Lydia
  • Style, Taylor Swift 
  • mad woman, Taylor Swift 
  • Everything Has Changed, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheehan 
  • (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, Carole King
• Tay
  • What’s Up?, 4 Non Blondes 
  • Amor Prohibido, Selena 
  • Hungry Eyes, Eric Carmen

https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/psy-changeling/pl.u-r2yBAexTPRd661  

Thanks for listening! 

Instagram and Facebook: @callingcardspod

Twitter: @CardsCalling 

Website: https://www.callingcards.wixsite.com/callingcardspod

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Lydia and Tay recap the first 20 chapters of the third book in Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series, Caressed by Ice, because we get... really... in depth. We agree that Judd and Brenna are TOTALLY Oliver and Felicity from Arrow. 

CW: details of Brenna’s abduction and assault (from book 1); child abuse 

We’re back next week with the rest of this recap.

What we’re reading:

Tay:

Nalini Singh, Last Guard (latest Psy-Changeling Trinity novel)

Sonali Dev, Incense and Sensibility (modern Austen adaptation)

Lucy Parker, Battle Royal (enemies to lovers baking show)

Thea Harrison’s Elder Races series: Dragon Bound, Serpent’s Kiss (paranormal)

Lydia:

Nalini Singh, Last Guard

Patricia Briggs, River Marked (Mercy Thompson #6) (urban fantasy)

Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper’s Daughter (Native American author and characters, Midwest setting)

Thanks for listening! 

Instagram and Facebook: @callingcardspod

Twitter: @CardsCalling 

Website: https://www.callingcards.wixsite.com/callingcardspod

Email us at [email protected]. 

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Lydia and Tay discuss ableism and whether Vaughn uses his cave mirrors like Brendan Fraser’s character in The Mummy. In this discussion of book 2 of Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series, Visions of Heat, we decide that Faith is Rapunzel, Vaughn is Flynn Ryder, and the Psy-Council is terrible. 

We’re back on September 7 with part 1 of Caressed by Ice. 

Reading recs (grain of salt edition… lots of grr arg Alpha Male types!):

Lydia’s:

Jeanine Frost, Halfway to the Grave, book 1 of the Night Huntress series (two worlds, choose one, Alpha male, Sexy redhead)

J.R. Ward, Lover Eternal, book 2 of Black Dagger Brotherhood (two worlds, Alpha Male, Virgin Lover)

Christine Feehan, Dark Gold, book 3 of the Dark series

Tay’s:

Sharon Sala, When You Call My Name (Old school romance, psychic connection, suspense/light paranormal)

Maya Banks, Whispers in the Dark (KGI #4) & Echoes at Dawn (KGI #5) (Alpha dudes, psychic chicks, suspense/moderate paranormal)

Morgan Rogers, Honey Girl (contemporary, explores heroine’s mental health, f/f)

Thanks for listening! 

Instagram and Facebook: @callingcardspod

Twitter: @CardsCalling 

Website: https://www.callingcards.wixsite.com/callingcardspod

Email us at [email protected]. 

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Lydia and Tay recap book 2 of Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series, Visions of Heat. Man buns, fated mates, high stakes, Council treachery and erotic mind readings abound.

We’re back in 2 weeks with part 2, our deeper analysis into Visions of Heat.

Playlist:

• She’s Always a Woman, Billy Joel
• Remember When It Rained (Live), Josh Groban ft. Judith Hill 
• Stronger, Brittany Spears 
• When You Say Nothing at All, Allison Krauss
• I’m a Believer, The Monkees version
• My Girl, Otis Redding version
• Dreams, Fleetwood Mac
• (Something Inside) So Strong, Labi Siffre

https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/psy-changeling/pl.u-r2yBAexTPRd661 

What we’re reading:

Lydia:

Patricia Briggs, Bone Crossed

Nalini Singh, Last Guard

Tay:

Sonali Dev, Incense and Sensibility

Christina Lauren, The Soulmate Equation

Kresley Cole, Immortals After Dark series

Cat Sebastian, The Queer Principles of Kit Webb

Thanks for listening! 

Instagram and Facebook: @callingcardspod

Twitter: @CardsCalling 

Website: https://www.callingcards.wixsite.com/callingcardspod

Email us at [email protected]. 

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Help us spread the word about this pod- please rate, review, and tell a friend! 

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Lydia and Tay get deep, dark, & dangerous with our analysis of themes in Nalini Singh's Slave to Sensation, book one of the Psy-Changeling paranormal romance series. We talk dreams, Silence, skin privileges, Pirates of the Caribbean and more!

We’ll be back in 2 weeks with  book 2, Visions of Heat

Reading recs:

Patricia Briggs, Mercy Thompson series & Alpha & Omega series (urban fantasy; werewolves)

Emma Barry, Party Lines (2015) (contemporary political romance)

“BrainDead” (2016) (political satire sci-fi comedy-drama tv show)

Talia Hibbert, Act Your Age, Eve Brown (2021) (contemporary romance)

Thanks for listening! 

Instagram and Facebook: @callingcardspod

Twitter: @CardsCalling 

Website: https://www.callingcards.wixsite.com/callingcardspod

Email us at [email protected]. 

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Help us spread the word about this pod- please rate, review, and tell a friend!

Instagram and Facebook: @callingcardspod

Twitter: @CardsCalling

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Two enemies- one secret badass and one overt badass- meet and fall in love while catching a serial killer! Slave to Sensation, the first book in Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series is packed full of psychic powers, leopards, magic sexy dreams, and lots of swoon-worthy emotional scenes, plus Lydia and Tay discuss tropes, the Titanic, and a playlist we made just for you. We’ll be back in two weeks with part 2.

Playlist: 

To Love Somebody, Nina Simone

Look What I Found, Lady Gaga

Never Gonna Give You Up, Rick Astley

You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away, The Beatles

Invisible Chains, Lauren Jauregui

The Underdog, Spoon

Disparate Youth, Santigold

Wherever is Your Heart, Brandi Carlile

This Must Be the Place, Sure Sure

Dream a Little Dream of Me, Doris Day

Dream Lover, Bobby Darin

Dreams, The Cranberries

Spotify (soon) & Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/psy-changeling/pl.u-r2yBAexTPRd661 

What we’re reading:

Lydia:

Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Silver Flames

Patricia Briggs, Blood Bound

Jennifer L. Armintrout, From Blood and Ash series

(Check out Sonali Dev’s latest, Incense and Sensibility!)

Tay:

Casey McQuiston, One Last Stop

Patricia Briggs, Mercy Thompson and Alpha & Omega series

Juno Rushdan, The Final Hour series, Nothing to Fear

Mentioned:

Shrek

Lilo + Stitch

Star Wars

Titanic; Bowen Yang Iceberg sketch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP5bu9hLH9E 

Court of Thorns & Roses

Arrow (Oliver & Felicity)

Thanks for listening! 

Instagram and Facebook: @callingcardspod

Twitter: @CardsCalling 

Website: https://www.callingcards.wixsite.com/callingcardspod

Email us at [email protected]. 

Theme music by PASTACAT @pastacatmusic on Instagram.

Help us spread the word about this pod- please rate, review, and tell a friend!

Instagram and Facebook: @callingcardspod

Twitter: @CardsCalling

Website: https://www.callingcards.wixsite.com/callingcardspod

Email us at [email protected].

Theme music by PASTACAT @pastacatmusic on Instagram.