Canto Mercant has spent years looking for the girl that saved his life by killing a teacher when they were both put in a “special” school as youngsters. For those that have not followed the Psy/changling story line you need to know that the psy, in most cases think they are the perfect race in all ways. Canto, unfortunately, wound up with his father and did not meet his expectations and was therefore determined to be “defective” and was put in a special school. This is where he and the young girl came into contact with each other but were separated after the killing. Canto is then taken to his mother’s family and raise in a loving home and becomes an important part of the Mercant Family.
Finally, after many long searches, Canto discovers that the young girl that saved him is actually Payal Rao, who was raised so differently from him in that her family are a bunch of psychopaths, for want of a better term. They come together because of both being Anchors in the Psy Network and are an important part of that. Payal is not as she seems. But is it a good thing, or will Canto be disappointed in the woman she has become? Only way to find out how these two come together and if they are meant to be is to read Last Guard by Nalin Singh. You won’t regret it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC for an honest opinion.

Canto Mercant and Payal Rao meet when they are young children in a boarding school that their parents sent them to because they are defective Psy. When Payal kills a teacher who is going to kill Canto, they are separated.

Canto is taken to his mother's family where he is loved and supported and where he becomes a surveillance expert and a valuable member of the Mercant family. Payal Rao is taken back to her family where she has to deal with a psychopath for an older brother and a father who thinks betrayal is a perfectly acceptable way of life. Payal learns to hide her broken pieces and some have compared her to a robot.

Canto has spent years looking for the girl who saved his life. It isn't until he forms an association of anchors that the two of them are reunited. The anchors are an almost forgotten designation of Psy but a very important one since they are the ones who hold the PsyNet together. They are almost in crisis mode because of the attacks on the PsyNet and because their designation doesn't manifest when they are infants and many with the designation are disposed of by the Psy because they come with physical or mental problems. Canto is paralyzed and in a powered chair and Payal has brain tumors that can only be controlled with a drug her father doles out to her as a way of keeping her under control.

Reuniting gives them an opportunity to fall in love but it isn't easy for either of them. Payal especially has learned that trust is a weakness that will surely be exploited. Canto can love but he has major fears about losing control.

This was an excellent story with a lot of emotional impact as we watch two damaged people fall in love and grow stronger for it. The story also advances the plot thread that runs through this series: preserving the PsyNet against a hidden enemy.

Fans of the series will be glad to meet Canto and Payal and will also be glad to see some characters from earlier books in the series. I love that Canto is so easy with the bears who are a great group of changelings.

I enjoyed this new addition to the series.

In the Psy-Changeling series, we have seen that under Silence, the Psy was a race so focused on attaining their new ideal of perfection and breeding out flaws, that they orchestrated their own demise. For the last several books we have seen the Psy, the Changings and the Human Alliance working together to try and stitch together the broken Psynet because without the mental feedback from the Psynet, the Psy will all die instantly.

In the aptly titled Last Guard Nalini brings us back to one important group that made an appearance earlier in the series but no one really remembered their importance to the structure of the Psynet: the anchors, and that it is the anchors whose job it is to anchor the substructure of the Net. Many, many books ago, one terrorist faction was focusing on finding and killing anchors, who mostly keep themselves secluded. When the terrorists found them, they were able to kill thousands of Psy as killing the anchor thereby destroying entire sections of the Net before another anchor could stabilize that section.

Both the readers and the new Psy Coalition have put the importance of anchors into the back of their minds and have all but forgotten how important they are until now. The Coalition has been focused on healing the rot in the Net never realizing that the substructure is dangerously close to collapse. This is simply because Anchor children do not "initialize" right away and they appeared to be duds with other lower grade talents. Silent parents seeking perfect and powerful Psy children were unhappy with their duds and sometimes those duds had unfortunate "accidents." Since these children were never allowed to grow up and fill their roles as anchors, the numbers of anchors holding together the Net are few and it appears that the remaining few are all suffering severe health problems, including tumors, because of all the pollutants in the decaying web.  We have also learned that a percentage of anchors have a tendency to be psychotic, such as former Psy Council member Santano Enrique.   Is that also caused by the decaying Net flowing through them?

Canto Merchant and Payal Rao met as children at an institution they were both placed into due to their unfortunate lack of gradient in their abilities, known only as 3K and 7J, they formed a bond in blood protecting each other from their jailors but they lost each other after their battle to stay alive.  Canto is bringing together as many anchors as he can to create their own focus group and demand a seat on behalf of the anchors at the ruling Coalition's table and to be part of the decisions needed to save the Net.   Canto is wheelchair-bound after tumors took the use of his legs, something that would have gotten him killed if he wasn't a Merchant, as Ena, the matriarch of the Merchant Clan, fiercely protects her family regardless of imperfections.   Canto wants Payal Rao, the head of the Rao Conglomerate to be the face of the anchors for both the public and the Coalition. Payal is reluctant to trust Canto until she realizes that he is the boy she only knew as 7J and someone she can trust with all her secrets.  It doesn't take long for that trust to form an even deeper bond between them. But Payal has to be very careful, she might be the outward Leader of the Rao Conglomerate but her father holds her leash in the form of a drug Payal needs to keep the tumors in her head from expanding. If her father knew that Payal's interest in the anchors was anything other than a chance to sit at the big table, he would demand she return home and focus on the family business.

I love seeing what an author does with imperfect heroes, and especially in the world of the Psy where perfection is required. Canto may be in a wheelchair but that doesn't stop him from being a powerful member of the Merchant family and rumored to be the reason the Merchants dig up so many hidden secrets.  I also love that since Canto's house is located on the edge of the woods near the StoneWater Clan's Denhome, we get to spend part of the story with the bears.  I love those bears!

Last Guard was an interesting new twist in the same problem we have been working on for the last several stories, and who couldn't love Canto and Payal, two damaged souls who yearned to find that one person who meant so much to them.  They finally found each other again and their bond is so much stronger than their silence..

I am never going to tire of this series. Nalini Singh has a way of telling unique and heart-warming romance stories that make you want to revisit them again and again.
She so effortlessly writes diverse characters, capturing their cultures and weaving them into her books. I wish there were more authors out willing and determined to paint their worlds in color and show readers just how vibrant the world outside themselves can be.
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We meet Canto and Payal, two psy hub anchors who share a traumatic past that leaves scars on them both in entirely different ways. They share a unique bond forged from that trauma and their shared strength is what helps bring them together in a bid to save the net and their people before the damage in the net can no longer be undone.
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On top of trying to save the net, Payal struggles with the scars of her past that in her case, reside mostly on the inside, hidden away from the outside world. She has a manipulative and unloving father who has deemed her defective. A sociopathic brother who has no issue making attempts on her life to further his objectives, and a traumatic childhood thats makes her cling to structure and order making it difficult to let herself love.
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With Cato, we have a man who was discarded and abused as a child who wears the marks of that abuse in a physical way but his capacity to love make him the best type of hero. I loved Cato the moment he stepped onto the page.
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Last Guard delivers everything I could ask for
*An authentic & diverse cast
*A disabled hero
*A second chance romance
*High stakes and a race against the clock
*Real life relationship challenges
*Family Dynamics
*Heat
*an HEA that will you leave you satisfied
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Last Guard will grip your heart all the way to the last page and trust me when I say you're going to love every second of it.

Last Guard, the latest Psy-Changeling Trinity novel, was another perfect read.

Canto and Payal, anchors in the PsyNet, met as children who were sent away when they were deemed flawed. They protected each other from the torturous punishments they were subjected to; Canto was saved by his grandmother, but no one saved Payal.

Payal has learned to shut-down all emotions in order to survive living under constant threat from her father and psychotic brother, but everything changes when she is reunited with Canto.

Canto has never forgotten 3K and is determined to teach his Payal to feel and watching these two slowly let go and discover "skin privileges" was delightful and swoon-worthy. All this will they fight to keep the PsyNet from imploding.

Last Guard also featured some of my favorite people from this series, including: sweet and nosy bears, Silver and Valentin, Kaleb and Sahara, Sophia Russo, and my forever favorites, Arwen and Pasha.

Whenever I am in a reading slump and I feel like my latest romance read is simply not clicking, I know that Nalini Singh will save me. Ms. Singh has a gift for romance like few others and even with a series as extensive as the Psy-Changeling/Psy-Changeling Trinity, she continues to impress and create a world unlike any other.

Side note: I really hope Nalini Singh gives Arwen and Pasha their own story, novella, short story, something. They are beyond adorable and I love them.

This book was soooo good. I could not put it down good.

Canto Mercant and Payal Rao are two powerful hub anchors for the failing PsyNet. Payal is known as the cold robotic CEO of her family's holdings but is kept on a short leash by her power hungry father and psychopathic brother. Canto is the information head of the Mercant family and is bound to a wheelchair, considered less by his own race because of physical imperfections. When Canto discovers plans for the PsyNet by the Psy ruling coalition, he knows the Anchors must be involved for the Psy race to survive. Together the two most powerful anchors might be able to help the PsyNet, if they can find their way forward from the broken children when they met the first time.

When I found out that this book focused on 2 psy I was a tiny tiny bit disappointed. Not going to lie, I adore me the changelings. Also I keep hoping for more revelations about BlackSea (because I am just freakin curious). And Anchors are not that exciting because all they do is anchor the PsyNet. This book might be not as interesting.

*headdesk*

Because HELLO the PysNet is dying and of course the Anchors would figure out how to save it. Duh! I am an idiot.

Canto and Payal are amazing. Both suffered trauma during their childhoods. Canto got out. Payal did not. This made their coming together again after decades apart, interesting and fraught with emotion. I really loved watching Canto interact with his family and seeing a Psy who has never been silent that is an adult.

There is more depth on the PsyNet on how the anchors work. There is also more of look at Psy history and why erasing the past has consequences.

This book just made me really happy.

As anyone who knows me, I'll read anything by Nalini Singh and her Psy-Changelings, Trinity Accord books are among my favorites. As always, the world building is nail biting, but I really like the 2 Psy getting together and figuring things out in their new and constantly changing world. Every book tells an important part of the whole, but the characters and love story are always central.

Nalini Singh continues to take her Psy-Changling readers in a different direction in LAST GUARD, book 5 of the <i>Psy-Changling Trinity</i> series. This is a long-running series by Singh overall, with The <i>Psy-Changling</i> series beginning in 2006 and comprising 20 books plus numerous novellas and a ton of short stories from her newsletters. This subseries <i>Psy-Changling Trinity</i> spinoff started in 2017 with Silver Silence, and we’re now in the post-Silence era for the Psy, where they are no longer told they are not allowed to have emotions or connections. The Trinity series deals with the Psy struggling to figure out how to live in a world that is no longer rigidly dominated by psychopathic rulers who enforced Silence by brutal reconditioning.

Now, there is a new gentler ruling consortium for the Psy who are struggling to prevent the catastrophic breakdown of The PsyNet that provides a psychic neural framework keeping every single Psy on the planet alive. Anchors are a secret designation of Psy whose task it is to stabilize the Substrate of the PsyNet, but tragically, they have been systematically killed as children due to their “defects”, and the few Anchor adults remaining can barely keep the ‘Net functional. The broad-ranging worldbuilding that Singh continues to do here in her work is fascinating. It’s so intricate and novel, and I find it highly engaging. You’d think the world would be fully fleshed out so far into the series, but Singh does a great job of keeping it fresh and alive.

Canto Mercant is a cardinal telepath and Anchor. I adore Canto’s big heart and his absolute loyalty to those he loves. Canto approaches fellow Anchor Payal Rao to become the public face of the Anchors. Much to his surprise, Payal turns out to be the woman for whom he has been searching for decades- he and Payal were imprisoned together as children and formed a bond. It’s awesome to see Payal and Canto try to navigate their changing world and burgeoning emotions together. They must unite, along with their fellow anchors, to prevent the destruction of their entire race.

Singh brings in a more diverse cast for LAST GUARD, which I really appreciate. Payal is Indian, Canto is disabled, and there are LGBTQ characters. This brings a richer sense of completeness or inclusion to the worldbuilding, so hooray for that! Despite both main characters being Psy (and so virgins), there is plenty of heat in this slow burn paranormal romance. Singh keeps her world innovative and delightful, and LAST GUARD does not disappoint.

To try and unravel and then rebuild this world seems daunting but Singh answers the challenge in her latest thrilling novel. It was gripping and I can’t wait to discover The Architect.

The Psy-Changeling series is one of my favorites. I love the consistent world-building and the varied characters. In this story we meet Payal and Canto, 2 people who forged a connection through fire when they were children. I loved watching them meet again many years later and immediately recognize each other. Finding their way in a relationship among all that is happening in their world is fascinating. Another great chapter in this saga.

Nalini Singh has created a world of sci-fi romance that I always long to return to and. the 5th book in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series managed to keep the anticipation going. Payal and Canto both bare the scars of silence and childhood trauma. They have a past that immediately connects them and although this approach to a couple has been seen before in previous entries in this series, it's still a joy to watch them learn to love each other. The backdrop of this book focuses on the remenants of silence, a shadowy puppet master, and a race to find the solution to the crumbling PsyNet. Plenty of favorites from earlier books make an appearance and we learn more about the mysterious Anchors, but it's the bond between Payal and Canto that really makes this entry stand out.

Absolutely loved this book! Singh stays true to her writing in both giving us a world abundantly rich and characters that are fantastically real. Her gift with detail makes the reader believe they can reach out and touch the Psy-Net. This is a must read for all Singh fans.

Decide changeling series change my life. It was the first book series that I heard about by the time it was on button and where I went back and read books 1- through 10 in absolute utter amazement. The world building is unparalleled, unmatched and unbelievable. This novel and particular is so beautiful in the story between the main characters even as I recall it in my mind brings tears to my eyes. I Will never be able to adequately express how absolutely beautifully written these characters are in the level of care and respect Nalini affords them. Bravo!

Again this series is just fantastic and this book does not disappoint. The two Psy main characters met as children and did not know their real names; they were torn apart and left both physically and mentally damaged. Years later they meet and as powerful anchors come together to help save the Net. I could not stop reading this book & I cannot wait to read the next installment. The author continues to expand this world and brings in exciting characters and situations that all tie together.

On a side note, it certainly did not hurt that the bears were in this book. Cannot get enough of the bears.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Melinda: Going into this book right away we know we’re getting a ton of new aspects in the Psy-Changing world because we’ve not only rarely seen much of the Mercant family, we’ve never seen the Rao family before. We’ve also never seen the Anchor designation in any strong way like this and then on top of all of that, we know going into the book that Canto is disabled, which is something we haven’t seen in the Psy race before. So just a ton of new aspects to get into.

Melanie: Hi, I’d just like to take this moment to introduce myself. I’m Melanie, the president and founder of the Canto Mercant Fan Club. We enjoy being fed as a sign of love, really love unexpectedly being called “baby” by people who shouldn’t even have that word in their vocabulary, and have a deep appreciation of biceps.

Melinda: Okay fine, I will allow you to be the president if I can be the VP of it and then the president of Payal Rao’s Fan Club! I don’t know how, after so many books in this series, Nalini managed to bring us two completely new characters. But she did. Payal and Canto are unique in this series.

Melanie: At first, I was a little hesitant because I don’t even recall meeting these characters in prior books – I think we just got mentions of them at most. But seriously, these two packed a major punch, both individually and as a pair. And yes, Melinda, you can be president of the Payal Rao Fan club so long as I get to be a VP. And trust Nalini (seriously, just ALWAYS trust Nalini) to weave these two characters and their journey with characters we’ve seen a time or two before. That’s the true genius of this series, how Nalini always manages to interweave these characters in such an organic way, making the reader feel as though this amazing world she’s created is both large and yet, also intimate.

Melinda: I just want readers to be aware that although this whole series can be dark, this particular book is much darker in tone, right from the first few chapters. Payal watches her brother be murdered, on-page, at the age of 6, and that sets the tone for what we will get throughout the book. It’s heavy, but it feels both necessary and balanced throughout with the humor of the bears (the bears!!) and Canto’s slightly less dark nature.

Melanie: In fact, in a lot of ways, Canto feels more like a changeling than a Psy. He admits he broke Silence years ago, partly due to the circumstances of his childhood and also, due to his Anchor designation. When he and Payal meet in the present day, he immediately feels a bond between them that is very reminiscent of the books in this series that have featured changeling heroes. Payal, however, feels more like the prototypical Psy despite the fall of Silence. She’s got major control issues due to her own past childhood trauma but also, is afraid that giving in to her feelings for Canto will have catastrophic results.

Melinda: I would agree with that completely. Going into book 5 of Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling Trinity series I was concerned for the first time in a long time because I knew there were main characters with mental health and physical disabilities. With a favorite author there can be a fear that these topics will be mishandled, but I wasn’t let down at all. Canto is physically disabled and Payal is neurodivergent, which is definitely something I didn’t ever expect to see in the Psy world.

Melanie: The way Nalini approached both Payal’s mental health issues as well as Canto’s physical disability was done with such sensitivity and nuance and being familiar with Nalini’s writing, I shouldn’t really be surprised but she really did take the time to get this right. And I also loved that despite the Psy being historically known for banishing those who present as anything less than flawless, neither Payal nor the entire Mercant clan ever saw Canto as anything less because of his disability.

Melinda: Beyond these character details that were so great to see developed we also get to see both the Mercant and Rao families and I love seeing any aspect of this world developed more. I, of course, want more of the Mercant family now and hope that in the future we see some of the new characters that made my antennae ding.

Melanie: And the bears! Oh, how adorable and fun are those bears! And watching Canto interact with the bears and especially the cubs basically resulted in a string of heart-eyed emojis from me. It was a great way to showcase how far from silent Canto had already gone and yet, highlight all of the things that still made him a Psy. I also loved meeting more of the Mercants and loved learning more about the A designation. We met a lot of new Psy characters in this book due to the introduction of this new designation and I’d love to have more books that feature some of these characters. It’s amazing how, in a series that now spans 15 years if you count the very first Psy-Changeling book, Nalini has managed to keep the series fresh and interesting and fun even while keeping the world-building constant.

Melinda: As always, Nalini does multiple things here – she weaves a complex thread that ties the Trinity series together and ties that into this particular book’s suspenseful plot that kept me on my toes the whole time. And then she packages all of that in this beautiful and meaningful romance, which is why we keep coming back. I think this book has the potential to split some fans but I know which side both of us are on!

Last Guard is the 5th book in the Psy-Changeling Trinity Series and it follows the story of Canto and Payal. Overall, I thought this book was an ok read. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either. Last Guard hits the ground running and never looks back. This book had a lot going on and didn’t hold back. From an intriguing plot line to characters you can’t help but root for, this reader couldn’t help but fly through this story.

Canto and Payal are really intriguing characters. I enjoyed getting to know them and their story. I really liked the two of them together and looked forward to seeing how their story would play out. I will say because this book is heavily plot-driven, the romance isn’t as much of a star as I’d like it to be. Yes, the romance was there and I enjoyed Canto and Payal together, but I was left feeling disappointed because I didn’t connect with them as much as I was hoping for and wasn’t left with the feels and emotions I had anticipated.

My other issue or concern with the Last Guard was the amount of information being thrown at the reader. OMG was there a lot going on in this book! Now, don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a plot-driven book, but sometimes when there is so much going on, it makes it hard to keep up with/keep track of and it becomes overwhelming.

While a really interesting read, the Last Guard is one of those books that will be a hit for some and a miss for others. I really wanted to love this book, but in the end, this book was just an ok read for this reader. Even though this story wasn’t a 100% hit for me, I’m still glad to have given it a try.

I had no idea what I was getting into with designation A but damn did this blow me away. There were some heart wrenching parts ulbut I also laughed out loud several times. Payal and Canto were a new take on one of my favorite tropes sunny and grumpy. They are both grumpy AF haha. I can't wait to see where thw trinity arc goes next, and SO enjoyed watching Payal and Canto find each other.

Fans of the series will enjoy it but I don’t think it really stands out nor would I recommend it for people just starting the series.

This was the first time I did not love a Nalini Singh romance book. I would almost call this one paranormal and not paranormal romance. There was a lot of Psy net talk, a lot of problems to solve, and not enough romance at all.

That being said the main characters had wonderful background stories and a really magical connection. I just wish that the book had more romance between them and the Psy net issues were dealt with a tad faster. This series has been going on for a long time, there was no need to spend so much time explaining every last detail.

ARC generously provided by Netgalley

4.5 Stars rounded to 5

Rep: Indian female character (woot woot), hero with a disability, lgbtq side characters (double woot woot)
Bonus: Virgin characters (They're both Psy. What did you expect?)

I absolutely loved this book. We finally FINALLLY get the book of the secretive and recluse Anchors.
And it did not disappoint.

From Page 1, I was hooked. We have been dealing with the destruction and trying to protect the Psy net for as long as I can remember. With each book, we get closer, with more clarity in the roles of all the different designations of Psy getting introduced. And this book was no different. We meet the anchors and I loved them all.

Payal Rao and Canto Merchant had a dynamic start. Both are damaged characters, but both have grown up in very different backgrounds. And their upbringing has shaped their present. It has made Canto a fierce, loyal, grumpy Mercant, and Payal, a mistrusting, ruthless CEO only caring about few selected people in her life.

But when these two collide, it was absolute fireworks. I would associate these words/emotions with their relationship: loyalty, trust, love and soulmates. I adored how Canto was with Payal, and once Payal opens up, OH MY GOD. She is like a female Kaleb. And that's saying something.

The story flowed smoothly. I could not stop reading it. The entire book, I finished it in a weekend. The entire overarching plot was so intriguing. The personal conflicts made me fuming mad for our characters and I wished death upon a few evil characters. This book, on one hand, felt like a fast paced story, but on the other hand, it seemed that some explanations took a while to get there. Nevertheless, I was completely engaged in the story.

Special love: BEARS. We need more BEAR love. I thought no shifter could beat the leopards but Nalini Singh has done it. I officially love the Bears the MOST. They are the warmest, the funniest and the craziest shifters I've read. Also, our favorite Councillor Kaleb is in SPADES in this one.

HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.
I wonder who the next book will be about..!!