Tracy’s review of Play of Passion (Psy/Changeling series book 9) by Nalini Singh.
In his position as Tracker for the SnowDancer pack, Drew Kincaid must rein in rogue changelings who’ve lost control of their animal halves- even if it means killing those who’ve gone too far. But nothing in his life has prepared him for the battle he must now wage-to win the heart of a woman who makes his body ignite…and who threatens to enslave his wolf.
Indigo Riviere is a dominant wolf shifter in the SnowDancer pack. In fact she’s the dominant female in the pack. What she looks for in a man is someone who is as high in pack rank as she is. She can’t have a mate who is less dominant than she is – having witnessed that kind of relationship with her aunt and her partner. Seeing the worst side of that relationship…she’s not willing to risk it. So when Drew, who set his sights on Indigo many moons ago, decides to finally make his move, Indigo puts up all the shields she has to resist him. But Drew has more than a few tricks up his sleeve and is willing to use them to get what he wants.
Drew Kincaid is the SnowDancer pack tracker. Because of his place in the pack as the tracker, which subsequently makes him the pack executioner, he really has a strange place in the hierarchy. But Drew wouldn’t have it any other way. He likes who he is and what he does and he’s not willing to change for Indy – but he may be able to bend a little for her sake. When he pulls out all the stops and pours on the charm to get his woman it’s a sight to behold.
Nalini Singh is simply amazing. She’s built this incredible world with the the changelings and the Psy and the intricacies of each species are amazing. After reading one of the books in this series I swear that all of these people actually exist! The way she delves into the nuances of their lives as well as their relationships astounds me every time. She’s definitely been one of my favorite authors for a while now and she seals that deal with every book she writes.
With Drew and Indigo’s relationship she really brought out the strengths and weaknesses of the couple. She had them playing off of each other so well and never did I doubt for a moment that the issues that Indy had with Drew were far-fetched or implausible. Their arguments, as well as their play times, were incredibly realistic and just a joy to read.
The story also touches on the bigger issues outside of Drew and Indy’s relationship, as well as the pack in general. The Psy council is splintering and those who are adamant that Psy “Silence” be continued are willing to do whatever it takes for their plans to come to fruition. This portion of the book, though smaller, had a running thread throughout. I love how the “darker” issues are woven into the story but the romance is truly at the forefront of this novel.
I can’t recommend this book enough. I’ve loved all of the books in the series (ok, except that one way back when) and can’t wait to read more. This is one of the series that I just don’t want to end because it continues getting better and better.
Rating: 5 out of 5
This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place.
The series:
I think I got up to about book 4 or 5 when I made the leap to m/m. I really enjoyed them though. I should find a summary version and find out what happened. LOL Although I think I was more interested in the whole political intrigue than the romances at the end.
So I’m curious which one you didn’t care for. Throwing that little teaser out there just leaves questions, questions and more questions. LOL
Tam – The political intrigue is alive and kicking in all of the books. You can’t have those psy around without them making trouble for the humans and the changelings.
Although book 3 – Caressed by Ice was a good addition to the series and written just as well as the others it just didn’t work for me. Something about Judd didn’t hit me right which is weird since I’ve really liked him in subsequent books. I think I’m in the minority on this one because for A LOT of people CbI is their favorite book. *shrug* different strokes I guess. 🙂
Great review!
One little thing that I really loved about Drew and Indigo was the lack of mention/concern over the mating dance until the end. Nalini is the only paranormal author who can write about beings that mate for life without making me roll my eyes; she’s done a wonderful job with that aspect of her stories, but, for me, Play of Passion was a very noticeable and lovely change from her other changeling books in that respect. I loved that they were both in it for the long haul, without any angst about the lack of mating dance, and when the mating dance did kick in it was just a wonderful bonus.
Lovely review Tracy! I am looking forward to reading this.
@Las – oh, that does sound different 🙂 I look forward to seeing how it unfolds!
Drew was an absolutely delicious hero…oh so playful and sweet, but tough enough to do his job well. I liked Indy a lot, but while I understand her concern re: the dominant issue, I would have preferred if she’d have let go of it a little earlier in the story. Drew was just too perfect for her to resist for so long.
One of things I like most about the series is that whenever we see previous characters in the current story, they’re there for a purpose, and their characters are consistent with what we learned about them in their own books.
BTW, FWIW, I’m a huge Judd fan. I think he embodies the ideal…he’s strong both physically and mentally *sigh*