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heabooknerd's review against another edition
5.0
Another amazing addition to this series by Nalini Singh, though I might be a bit biased as this is my favorite series. I loved the intricate balance of human vs animal in the changelings and this is one of the best descriptions/unity of two halves that I have ever come across in my paranormal romance reading.
I’ve really liked Drew in the previous books so I was excited to have his story. He’s that perfect blend of cocky and charming without being annoying; you know that all his charm comes with the best of intentions and that he really cares for his pack. He’s always a sounding board for pack or a place of comfort if they needed it and I loved his courtship of the tough Indigo and how he was so sneaky and determined to have her.
Indigo was a great character as well, though I liked Drew a bit more. I admired Indigo’s tough demeanor and her protective instincts toward her pack but sometimes she was too tough. Indigo is pretty stubborn and unbending, but I understand why Singh portrayed her as she was. Singh has always done a phenomenal job of blending the human and animal sides of her changeling characters and in this case, Indy is a fiercely dominant female wolf. I still liked her and once she learned to start bending she’s so sweet with Drew. I would have liked Indigo to lighten up just a little bit. She’s so hard on Drew and she pounces on any little dominance mistake he makes. Drew knows he has to make some compromises and learn to adjust for Indy but I felt like Indy wasn’t as open to doing the same for Drew.
I’ve really liked Drew in the previous books so I was excited to have his story. He’s that perfect blend of cocky and charming without being annoying; you know that all his charm comes with the best of intentions and that he really cares for his pack. He’s always a sounding board for pack or a place of comfort if they needed it and I loved his courtship of the tough Indigo and how he was so sneaky and determined to have her.
Indigo was a great character as well, though I liked Drew a bit more. I admired Indigo’s tough demeanor and her protective instincts toward her pack but sometimes she was too tough. Indigo is pretty stubborn and unbending, but I understand why Singh portrayed her as she was. Singh has always done a phenomenal job of blending the human and animal sides of her changeling characters and in this case, Indy is a fiercely dominant female wolf. I still liked her and once she learned to start bending she’s so sweet with Drew. I would have liked Indigo to lighten up just a little bit. She’s so hard on Drew and she pounces on any little dominance mistake he makes. Drew knows he has to make some compromises and learn to adjust for Indy but I felt like Indy wasn’t as open to doing the same for Drew.
kathydavie's review against another edition
4.0
Ninth in the Psy-Changeling paranormal romance series based in the Sierra Nevadas near San Francisco. The couple focus is on Drew and Indigo.
My Take
Whew! An interesting view into the relationship of two dominant people who are ruled by their inner wolves.
I do love this series! Singh has created a home and cast of characters that make you want to move in. It's not a group in which you can hide. All the better as this is a family that supports the individual as well as the whole. They lavish love, understanding, and they'll kick your ass when you need it. It's a good example of socialism with everyone taken care of and everyone pitching in. Each person performing the task that makes them happiest and fulfills their potential. I do love the teasing that goes on between everyone. It's a practical way to inform the reader of character backgrounds, helps with the homeyness of the story, and avoids the dreaded "info dump" (yeah!).
I see Play of Passion as more of a bridge novel in the overall series. Singh is building up the tension for whatever it is the Scotts have planned for destroying the wolves, the cats, and San Francisco. And she's done it beautifully! This one is a re-read as I didn't note down that I had read it and now I'll just have to re-read Kiss of Snow since, dang it, Singh, I want to re-experience Hawke and Sienna's romance! Nor do I remember exactly how they fought off the Scotts' final attack!!
I love how Singh points up Drew's humanity with the incident with young Joshua. It just shows how very caring the whole pack is. All the little things that Drew does to show Indigo how well he pays attention are so amazingly romantic. Sigh. Definitely a cheeky boy! Hmmmm, those kisses, the cheesecake, the give and take.
The Story
As far as Andrew Liam Kincaid is concerned, it's mate or leave time for him. He's been in love with Indigo Riviere for what seems his entire life and he is determined to capture her heart.
In between seduction and apologies, the pack must fight off Psy incursions---covert and overt—while ensuring the health and safety of the others.
The Characters
Drew is the pack's tracker. His job is to find a wolf who has gone rogue and either bring him /her back to their senses or exercise mercy. Not someone others can cozy up to and, as a wolf, Drew needs the touch, feel, and acceptance of pack. Riley is his brother and one of Hawke's lieutenants; he's mated to Mercy Smith, a DarkRiver cat. They're in South America meeting her grandparents. Brenna is their little sister and she's mated to Judd.
Indigo Riviere has shut herself off. The two relationships closest to her, the ones that have influenced her beliefs, are too contrary and their examples will prevent her accepting someone she sees as less dominant than herself and, as a lieutenant in the SnowDancer pack, Indigo is very much a dominant wolf. Her parents are Abel (soldier) and Tarah; Evie is her sister.
The rest of the Snow Dancer wolves
Hawke is the SnowDancer alpha. Strong, yet insightful. Ben is a very sympathetic little pup---he keeps bringing "guards" to Drew. Other SnowDancer lieutenants include Judd Lauren who is an escaped Psy and a former Arrow. Now he's mated to Brenna Kincaid; he's also Sienna, Toby, and Marlee's uncle and Walker's brother. Matthias has the wrong end of the stick. Riaz is one of Indigo's former lovers. He's just returned from his mission in Italy. (His story is coming up in Tangle of Need). The rest are Cooper, Kenjui, Tomás, Jem, and Alexei.
Walker Lauren is also an escaped Psy. He's Marlee's father and Sienna and Toby's uncle. Sienna Lauren is a very young Psy to whom Hawke has been very attracted, but their relationship in this story is very stiff. Quite different from earlier stories. Lara is the pack healer.
DarkRiver cats
Lucas Hunter is the DarkRiver alpha and mated to the pregnant Sascha Duncan, an escaped Psy and a cardinal empath. Mercy Kincaid is one of his sentinels even though she's mated to a wolf, Riley.
Teijan is the Rat alpha in San Francisco. Adam is the alpha for the WindHaven falcons; Jacques will be their liaison to SnowDancer with Drew the SD equivalent.
Psy
Anthony Kryiakus is one of the Psy Councilors and Faith's father. Nikita Duncan is Sascha's mother and another of the Psy Councilors. Both have allied themselves more with the SnowDancer and DarkRiver packs than their own Psy. Ghost is a Psy rebel. Part of me is dying to know who he is while a tiny bit of me thinks he might be Krychek. Max Shannon is a human and he's Nikita Duncan's chief of security. He's married to Sophia Russo, a J-Psy.
Henry Scott and his "wife" Shoshanna are Psy Councilors and they firmly believe in Silence and head up the Pure Psy terrorist group.
We met Devraj Santos in Blaze of Memory. He's one of the Forgotten Psy. Father Xavier Perez is a human priest caught up in the Psy rebellion with Judd and Ghost.
The Cover and Title
The background of the cover is purples and greens with a waterfall in the background...an appropriate metaphor considering how often water plays a part in the courtship between Drew and Indigo. What really captures your attention is Drew and Indy embracing. I dunno, Singh talks about how big Drew's hands are...Indigo's aren't that much smaller.
The title brings together what Drew and Indigo have---his playfulness and their desires. Together, they are a Play of Passion.
My Take
Whew! An interesting view into the relationship of two dominant people who are ruled by their inner wolves.
I do love this series! Singh has created a home and cast of characters that make you want to move in. It's not a group in which you can hide. All the better as this is a family that supports the individual as well as the whole. They lavish love, understanding, and they'll kick your ass when you need it. It's a good example of socialism with everyone taken care of and everyone pitching in. Each person performing the task that makes them happiest and fulfills their potential. I do love the teasing that goes on between everyone. It's a practical way to inform the reader of character backgrounds, helps with the homeyness of the story, and avoids the dreaded "info dump" (yeah!).
I see Play of Passion as more of a bridge novel in the overall series. Singh is building up the tension for whatever it is the Scotts have planned for destroying the wolves, the cats, and San Francisco. And she's done it beautifully! This one is a re-read as I didn't note down that I had read it and now I'll just have to re-read Kiss of Snow since, dang it, Singh, I want to re-experience Hawke and Sienna's romance! Nor do I remember exactly how they fought off the Scotts' final attack!!
I love how Singh points up Drew's humanity with the incident with young Joshua. It just shows how very caring the whole pack is. All the little things that Drew does to show Indigo how well he pays attention are so amazingly romantic. Sigh. Definitely a cheeky boy! Hmmmm, those kisses, the cheesecake, the give and take.
The Story
As far as Andrew Liam Kincaid is concerned, it's mate or leave time for him. He's been in love with Indigo Riviere for what seems his entire life and he is determined to capture her heart.
In between seduction and apologies, the pack must fight off Psy incursions---covert and overt—while ensuring the health and safety of the others.
The Characters
Drew is the pack's tracker. His job is to find a wolf who has gone rogue and either bring him /her back to their senses or exercise mercy. Not someone others can cozy up to and, as a wolf, Drew needs the touch, feel, and acceptance of pack. Riley is his brother and one of Hawke's lieutenants; he's mated to Mercy Smith, a DarkRiver cat. They're in South America meeting her grandparents. Brenna is their little sister and she's mated to Judd.
Indigo Riviere has shut herself off. The two relationships closest to her, the ones that have influenced her beliefs, are too contrary and their examples will prevent her accepting someone she sees as less dominant than herself and, as a lieutenant in the SnowDancer pack, Indigo is very much a dominant wolf. Her parents are Abel (soldier) and Tarah; Evie is her sister.
The rest of the Snow Dancer wolves
Hawke is the SnowDancer alpha. Strong, yet insightful. Ben is a very sympathetic little pup---he keeps bringing "guards" to Drew. Other SnowDancer lieutenants include Judd Lauren who is an escaped Psy and a former Arrow. Now he's mated to Brenna Kincaid; he's also Sienna, Toby, and Marlee's uncle and Walker's brother. Matthias has the wrong end of the stick. Riaz is one of Indigo's former lovers. He's just returned from his mission in Italy. (His story is coming up in Tangle of Need). The rest are Cooper, Kenjui, Tomás, Jem, and Alexei.
Walker Lauren is also an escaped Psy. He's Marlee's father and Sienna and Toby's uncle. Sienna Lauren is a very young Psy to whom Hawke has been very attracted, but their relationship in this story is very stiff. Quite different from earlier stories. Lara is the pack healer.
DarkRiver cats
Lucas Hunter is the DarkRiver alpha and mated to the pregnant Sascha Duncan, an escaped Psy and a cardinal empath. Mercy Kincaid is one of his sentinels even though she's mated to a wolf, Riley.
Teijan is the Rat alpha in San Francisco. Adam is the alpha for the WindHaven falcons; Jacques will be their liaison to SnowDancer with Drew the SD equivalent.
Psy
Anthony Kryiakus is one of the Psy Councilors and Faith's father. Nikita Duncan is Sascha's mother and another of the Psy Councilors. Both have allied themselves more with the SnowDancer and DarkRiver packs than their own Psy. Ghost is a Psy rebel. Part of me is dying to know who he is while a tiny bit of me thinks he might be Krychek. Max Shannon is a human and he's Nikita Duncan's chief of security. He's married to Sophia Russo, a J-Psy.
Henry Scott and his "wife" Shoshanna are Psy Councilors and they firmly believe in Silence and head up the Pure Psy terrorist group.
We met Devraj Santos in Blaze of Memory. He's one of the Forgotten Psy. Father Xavier Perez is a human priest caught up in the Psy rebellion with Judd and Ghost.
The Cover and Title
The background of the cover is purples and greens with a waterfall in the background...an appropriate metaphor considering how often water plays a part in the courtship between Drew and Indigo. What really captures your attention is Drew and Indy embracing. I dunno, Singh talks about how big Drew's hands are...Indigo's aren't that much smaller.
The title brings together what Drew and Indigo have---his playfulness and their desires. Together, they are a Play of Passion.
jfhobbit's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
whimsicalmeerkat's review against another edition
3.0
Update: I really enjoyed the last third or so. Before that I got tired of all the dominance talk
Original: Not bad, but I don't know that I would call it good either.
Original: Not bad, but I don't know that I would call it good either.
livsliterarynook's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
zaza_bdp's review against another edition
4.0
C'est avec bonheur que j'ai retrouvé les Changelings dans ce tome 9. Les Snowdancer sont vraiment très attachants, plus joueurs sans doute que leurs alliés léopards, drôles, sexy en diable, le genre de bande qu'on aimerait avoir dans son entourage.
Je craignais un peu de retrouver un copier/coller du tome 6, puisqu'on a encore deux Changelings dominants en couple vedette, mais finalement ça n'a pas été le cas. Certes on retrouve les ingrédients et les ressorts dramatiques habituels, mais ça passe très bien !
J'ai bien aimé la place accordée à Drew au sein de la meute : sa place dans la hiérarchie n'est pas aussi marquée que celle d'Indigo, et on découvre peu à peu l'importance de sa place au sein de la meute, son rôle déterminant et ses qualités. Il tient parfaitement tête à Indigo, il est sexy, protecteur, drôle et très déterminé. Quand il s'agit de se faire pardonner, il a de la suite dans les idées ... :titter:
Et puis il y a Hawke et Sienna .... qui ont fait griller mes neurones à chacune de leur apparition, surtout la dernière. ♥♥
L'arc narratif est moins présent que dans d'autres tomes, on voit moins les Psis, on croise les Darkriver à quelques reprises, et les dernières pages rebattent les cartes, remettent les choses en ordre avant le chaos qui sera sans aucun doute l'objet des prochains tomes.
Je craignais un peu de retrouver un copier/coller du tome 6, puisqu'on a encore deux Changelings dominants en couple vedette, mais finalement ça n'a pas été le cas. Certes on retrouve les ingrédients et les ressorts dramatiques habituels, mais ça passe très bien !
J'ai bien aimé la place accordée à Drew au sein de la meute : sa place dans la hiérarchie n'est pas aussi marquée que celle d'Indigo, et on découvre peu à peu l'importance de sa place au sein de la meute, son rôle déterminant et ses qualités. Il tient parfaitement tête à Indigo, il est sexy, protecteur, drôle et très déterminé. Quand il s'agit de se faire pardonner, il a de la suite dans les idées ... :titter:
Et puis il y a Hawke et Sienna .... qui ont fait griller mes neurones à chacune de leur apparition, surtout la dernière. ♥♥
L'arc narratif est moins présent que dans d'autres tomes, on voit moins les Psis, on croise les Darkriver à quelques reprises, et les dernières pages rebattent les cartes, remettent les choses en ordre avant le chaos qui sera sans aucun doute l'objet des prochains tomes.
whatkireads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I don't hate Indigo and Drew as a pairing as much as I did, but I still feel kinda meh about Indigo. Drew as well, a little. The attraction he had to her was from since he was young so starting it off guns blazing and just only offering that little information wasn't great of a start to me. That being said, I love the sneaky affectionate ways he does to trip up Indigo like the little presents, man's is smooth as heck.
bloodymegara's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0