Review: Wild Embrace

WILD EMBRACE
Psy-Changeling 15.5
Nalini Singh
Paranormal Romance
400 pages
Berkley
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
The “alpha author of paranormal romance”* presents a stunningly sensual collection of four all-new Psy-Changeling novellas, in which taboos are broken, boundaries are crossed, and instincts prove irresistible...

Echo of Silence
In a deep-sea station, Tazia Nerif has found her life’s work as an engineer, keeping things running smoothly. But she wants nothing more than to break down the barrier of silence between her and her telekinetic Psy station commander...

Dorian
A changeling who can never shift lives a life of quiet frustration—until he learns how to let his leopard come out and play...

Partners in Persuasion
Still raw from being burned by a dominant female, wolf changeling Felix will never again risk being a plaything. But for dominant leopard Dezi, he’s the most fascinating man she’s ever met. She just has to convince this gun-shy wolf that he can trust the dangerous cat who wants to take a slow, sexy bite out of him…

Flirtation of Fate
Seven years ago, Kenji broke Garnet’s heart. Now the wolf packmates have to investigate the shocking murder of one of their own. And the more Kenji sees of the woman Garnet has become, the deeper he begins to fall once more. But even his primal instincts are no match for the dark secret he carries...

MY THOUGHTS
Wild Embrace is an outstanding collection of four Psy-Changeling stories, perfect for those who have wanted to try this series but have been intimidated by the number of books, as well as a treat for longtime fans. These novellas highlight the romantic chemistry at which Ms. Singh so excels, three out of the four focusing on new couples (though some familiar names) and the emotional challenges they have to overcome in order to be together. 

Echo of Silence
A standout start to this collection, Echo of Silence brings us an incredibly tense relationship setup due both to the emotionless nature of the Psy as well as the fact that Stefan is Tazia's boss. Tazia's desire smacks solidly into the seemingly ice-cold wall that is Stefan time and again, and it's impossible not to turn the pages at unprecedented speed just to see how and when she'll finally break through. The happily ever after is a tiny bit rushed but to be expected in a novella-length romance, and certainly not something that detracts from the overall success of these two as a pair.

Dorian
Our time with Dorian is brief given his story in full has already been published in this series (#5), but it's pure fun to get to revisit him and see slices of life from when he was younger, while also sharing in the moments when he's finally able to shift after a lifetime of being trapped solely in human form.

Partners in Persuasion
Felix and Dezi's story is utterly delightful in that it's a slightly different romantic setup from what we typically get in this series, with Felix being submissive to Dezi's dominant. Normally it's the Changeling men who are all alpha in their own way (though their women are always strong and go toe to toe with them perfectly), but it's Dezi who has to be careful to watch that she doesn't inadvertently use her dominance to influence Felix in a way he wouldn't naturally choose for himself. Felix is in no way weak however, his submissive nature simply part of the biological and psychological makeup of wolves within a pack hierarchy, and he more than shows his mettle when necessary.

Flirtation of Fate
This is the longest of the novellas, giving us a murder mystery to solve as the romance unfolds. There's an extra layer of tension between Kenji and Garnet given their rocky romantic history, but those like myself who love a second chance romance will smile the whole way through as these two butt heads (in a delicious foreplay kind of way) at every turn.

Rating: 4.5/5

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This book was sent to me by the publisher  free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.