Sandy M’s review of Tangle of Need (Psy/Changeling Series, Book 11) by Nalini Singh
Paranormal Romance published by Berkley 4 Dec 12

I finally put everything else aside and read this book. There are a few series out there that I refuse to get too far behind on. There are a couple I have done that with and I’m quite unhappy about it. But I have to have a Changeling fix, it’s just one of those things.

Since I have no doubt that everyone in romanceland has read Tangle of Need, I won’t go through what happens throughout these pages. I’ll stick with what I like, what grabs me, and the why of it all. More than likely, you’ll agree with some of this and maybe some of you won’t. That’s okay. Nalini Singh is one of the best when it comes to paranormal stories and the absolute best at creating shifters. Unparalleled, in my opinion.

Aside from the world of the Psy and the Changelings she’s created, the shifting is my favorite thing in these books. I’d love more of it if Ms. Singh could make it happen. Along that same line, I love how the Changelings are always portrayed with their human and animal sides as one. No matter what they do, their inner beast is not far behind, always scratching to get loose when their mate is around, playful when life is good, ferocious when their pack is threatened. Their cat or wolf eyes change when desire hits, their claws break through the skin when anger or the need to protect consumes them . They acknowledge that animal side of themselves at all times, and that keeps the reader right in the middle of their lives.

There’s the PsyNet, Silence and its degradation, and the Psy who refuse to let go and spiral into emotional chaos again. And there are those who have a bit of emotion, though it’s kept under wraps as much as possible. Also the intriguing Arrows. Men who have been conditioned to unemotionally kill at the drop of a hat, but men who seem to have escaped that fate and are working for the good. All of this is so fascinatingly connected, plenty of mystery still surrounding it. It will be interesting to see what Ms. Singh has in mind for it all, when everything finally comes to an end.

Of course, there’s Riaz and Adria, the hero and heroine of this book. I wasn’t sure I’d like reading about characters we’d met only briefly in other stories. But that’s the beauty of Ms. Singh’s talent. Right off the bat you feel for Riaz for the loss of his mate, having to live knowing he can’t have her, that he’ll never share the love and life mates enjoy. And Adria, finally getting out of an awful relationship, having been with a wolf who couldn’t live with her dominance.  Both situations that seem impossible, but then all it takes is an infinitesimal change to alter the course of a life and everything becomes clear and real. I love these two characters, the battle they must wage to be together, to fall in love.

And lastly, Hawke and Sienna. I’m glad they’re still prominent in these stories, which they would be, being the alphas of SnowDancer. I also like the alliance the wolves now have with the DarkRiver cats, keeping them in the forefront as much as possible even in these wolf stories. It’s enjoyable the way Ms. Singh brings all of her characters into each book so we can catch up, see the loyalty and love that permeates these two factions. It will be interesting to see what happens with new Changelings coming into play, will they eventually get their own books? Something to wait for.

Grade: A+

Read C2’s review here and Veena’s review here.

Summary:

Adria, wolf changeling and resilient soldier, has made a break with the past—one as unpredictable in love as it was in war. Now comes a new territory, and a devastating new complication: Riaz, a SnowDancer lieutenant already sworn to a desperate woman who belongs to another.

For Riaz, the primal attraction he feels for Adria is a staggering betrayal. For Adria, his dangerous lone-wolf appeal is beyond sexual. It consumes her. It terrifies her. It threatens to undermine everything she has built of her new life. But fighting their wild compulsion toward one another proves a losing battle.

Their coming together is an inferno…and a melding of two wounded souls who promise each other no commitment, no ties, no bonds. Only pleasure. Too late, they realize that they have more to lose than they ever imagined. Drawn into a cataclysmic Psy war that may alter the fate of the world itself, they must make a decision that might just break them both.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series: