Nalini Singh
ISBN #: 978-0-425-23779-3
Publisher Name: The Berkley Publishing Group/Berkeley Sensation
Date Released: November 2010
Page Count: 321
Price: $7.99
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Shape Shifter
Book Format: Print

BACK COVER BLURB:

Passion and reason collide with explosive force in the newest installment of Nalini Singh’s “mesmerizing”* Psy/Changeling series. As a conflict with Pure Psy looms on the horizon, two powerful wolves fight a far more intimate war of their own…

In his position as tracker for the SnowDancer pack, it’s up to Drew Kincaid to rein in rogue changelings who have lost control of their animal halves—even if it means killing those who have 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.

Lieutenant Indigo Riviere doesn’t easily allow skin privileges, especially of the sensual kind—and the last person she expects to find herself craving is the most wickedly playful male in the den. Everything she knows tells her to pull back before the flames burn them both to ash…but she hasn’t counted on Drew’s will.

Now, two of SnowDancer’s most stubborn wolves find themselves playing a hot, sexy game even as lethal danger stalks the very place they call home…

COVER SNARK:

I like this cover. It's sexy and I also like the fact that the model for Drew looks a little younger than the woman if you look closer.

FIRST LINES:

Indigo wiped the rain off her face, clearing it for a split second, if that. The torrential down power continued with relentless fury, slamming ice-cold bullets against her skin and turning the night-dark of the forest impenetrable.

LYNETTE'S TWO CENTS:

I'm finally caught up with the Psy/Changling series and I'm sorry, if I start throwing around strange terms like SnowDancer, DarkRiver, etc. – LOL, if you haven't read the series.

A quick overview on the Psy/Changling series for those who haven't read the series . . .. In the near future, an alternative Earth is populated by several beings, humans, changelings (humans who can turn into animal forms), and the Psy. The Psy are psychic beings who live in a very, very insular society and because of their very psychic gifts are the dominate beings and live without emotions. Yada, yada, yada. It is very hard to define this series. I've read Nalini Singh before. I've read her Archangel series and while I think Raphael is a complete prick and don't understand the rabid fan girls who drool over him, what I love about Ms. Singh is her amazing, unique ability to create a world where you absolutely believe in her world and that yeah, it's plausible for all this stuff to happen. Ms. Singh took J.K. Rowlings class on world building and came out with her PhD. Her world building skills in the Psy/Changling series are one of my favorites and I actually enjoy this series over her Archangel one, mainly because I don't have the desire to bash these characters upside the head with a baseball bat like I do in her Archangel series.

Anyhoo, yes I know I'm supposed to be writing a review. I'm getting there . . ..

PLAY OF PASSION is the 9th book in the Psy/Changling series and features Indigo (a female dominate Lieutenant in the SnowDancer wolf pack) and Andrew (a male tracker in the pack). What I loved about PLAY OF PASSION is that for the first time we are shown inside the SnowDancer pack. While we've seen it throughout the series, this is the first time that the reader really gets to see inside the inner working of the SnowDancer pack instead of the DarkRiver (the leopards). That dynamic pulled me into the book from the start and like 99.9% of the readers had me dying for the wait to be over for Hawke (the SnowDancer Alpha's) book.

What I also enjoyed about PLAY OF PASSION is the dynamics of the relationship between Indigo and Andrew. Indigo is in charge. She is the more dominant in the relationship. That Ms. Singh was able to show this effectively while not making Andrew a little wuss gave her high points in my favor. I also liked the fact that Andrew is still growing in his abilities and would love to see in the future how he develops as a character as he grows into his dominant nature.

While I enjoyed PLAY OF PASSION overall, there are one or two aspects that gave me pause.

The first is that took me a moment to warm up to Indigo as a character. I didn't appreciate at times how she treated Andrew. She was little too wishy-washy for me in her feelings for Andrew. While her motives behind this were well stated, I had a hard time buying into it. For me, it was like well, so-so had a bad experience, so that means it is set and stone and I'm going to have a bad experience just because this one person screwed up. I had a come the f on moment, and snap out if it before you start annoying me. However, once I started warming up to her, I liked her.

I've also had a problem with the plotting of PLAY OF PASSION. What I have always loved (and why I loved this series over let's say her Archangel one) is that despite how intricate the world building is in the Psy/Changling world, each book was focused on the hero/heroine relationship. By this I mean, that even though in previous books they're might have been several subplots they all effected the hero and heroine of the novel. In PLAY OF PASSION it seemed to me that the subplots did not affect Drew and Indigo. I didn't like that. While this subplot deviation wasn't as distracting and annoying like some authors (cough, cough J.R. Ward), I was hoping that it wasn't a sign as things to come.

Despite my quibbles, I really enjoyed PLAY OF PASSION and I'm eagerly waiting for the next release like all the other rabid fan girls.

If you haven't tried Nalini Singh's Psy/Changling series, you must, just so you can take a look at her phenomenal world building abilities.

WHERE PURCHASED:
Borrowed from my local library.

Rating: