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A review by allingoodtime
Wild Invitation: A Psy-Changeling Collection by Nalini Singh
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
BEAT OF TEMPTATION
Now that I’ve discovered how much I love the Psy-Changeling series, I want to read everything I can that has to do with this series. Nalini Singh published a book, Wild Invitation, that has four novellas from the Psy-Changeling world. This is the first, which takes place years before the first book. It tells the mating story of one of my favorite couples, Tamsyn and Nathan.
While this story started a bit slow for me, once the explainers were out of the way (which honestly wasn’t that long) and it got to how Nathan and Tamsyn got together it pulled me in. There is so much yearning in this story and my heart bled for Tamsyn. The mating bond made itself known while Tamsyn was only 15 and Nathan had done the right thing and kept his distance. The story picks up when Tamsyn is an adult, yet Nathan is still not claiming his mate. He wants to be sure she can spread her wings and see the world if she wants. The problem is he doesn’t believe her when she says she’s content and ready to move their relationship forward.
Oddly enough I feel this angsty part of her life helped to shape the strong woman Tamsyn is now. She learned to stand up for herself and what she believed to be right. And it taught Nathan to trust his mate. That being said, I feel like this is better read after the first full-length book in the series, Slave to Sensation. 4 stars
STROKE OF ENTICEMENT
I adore this short story. It was another Psy-Changeling story included in the book Wild Invitation. Not all authors can write a great novella, but so far this author is 2 for 2 with me.
Zach, a soldier with the DarkRiver pack, meets schoolteacher Annie when picking his nephew up from school. Annie isn’t exactly shy, but she’s a bit of an introvert. Zach’s confidence and blatant flirting throw her off at first as Annie feels she’s always seen as not living up to other’s expectations. But Zach is drawn to Annie and cannot wait to learn more about her.
This story is very sweet. Zach knows body language and is very observant so he not only seems to intuit Annie’s needs, but he also understands her reticence once he meets her parents and spends more time with her. He’s patient and kind but never lets her doubt how much he wants her. Annie finally has someone who believes in her as much as she believes in herself. 4.5 stars
DECLARATION OF COURTSHIP
I’m not great with names so we may have met Cooper before, and I know Grace has popped up in previous books. This was interesting to me because the two of them aren’t living in the main SnowDancer pack. Cooper is a lieutenant in the pack; he is a dominant who is in charge of a den of wolves south of the main tribe dwelling. Because he is in charge, he kept his feelings for Grace under wraps when she was new to the den to give her time to acclimate and form other friendships. Grace is a submissive and Cooper wanted to be very careful about not taking advantage of his place in the pack.
I loved learning more about what it means to be a submissive shifter in this world. Grace may be a submissive but she’s not meek. In many ways, Grace has a type of power the dominant wolves cannot tap into themselves. The care Cooper took in not throwing his power around was appreciated by me, and the way Grace’s strengths were highlighted gave these characters a lot of depth for such a short story. 4.5 stars
TEXTURE OF INTIMACY
Walker and Lara were the “B” story, so to speak, in Kiss of Snow. It was great to be given more from them where the concentration is on their relationship and their adjustments to that relationship.
I mentioned before that I adore the SnowDancer kids, and this story brought that back around again. Whether they are shifters or the Psy that were adopted into their pack, the kids in SnowDancer will obviously rule the world someday. And they’ll do so with kindness and empathy.
Anyway, this story is about learning to open up and share with your partner; to learn how to trust that what is shared won’t be used against you. It’s a beautiful addition to this couple’s relationship arc. 4 stars
Now that I’ve discovered how much I love the Psy-Changeling series, I want to read everything I can that has to do with this series. Nalini Singh published a book, Wild Invitation, that has four novellas from the Psy-Changeling world. This is the first, which takes place years before the first book. It tells the mating story of one of my favorite couples, Tamsyn and Nathan.
While this story started a bit slow for me, once the explainers were out of the way (which honestly wasn’t that long) and it got to how Nathan and Tamsyn got together it pulled me in. There is so much yearning in this story and my heart bled for Tamsyn. The mating bond made itself known while Tamsyn was only 15 and Nathan had done the right thing and kept his distance. The story picks up when Tamsyn is an adult, yet Nathan is still not claiming his mate. He wants to be sure she can spread her wings and see the world if she wants. The problem is he doesn’t believe her when she says she’s content and ready to move their relationship forward.
Oddly enough I feel this angsty part of her life helped to shape the strong woman Tamsyn is now. She learned to stand up for herself and what she believed to be right. And it taught Nathan to trust his mate. That being said, I feel like this is better read after the first full-length book in the series, Slave to Sensation. 4 stars
STROKE OF ENTICEMENT
I adore this short story. It was another Psy-Changeling story included in the book Wild Invitation. Not all authors can write a great novella, but so far this author is 2 for 2 with me.
Zach, a soldier with the DarkRiver pack, meets schoolteacher Annie when picking his nephew up from school. Annie isn’t exactly shy, but she’s a bit of an introvert. Zach’s confidence and blatant flirting throw her off at first as Annie feels she’s always seen as not living up to other’s expectations. But Zach is drawn to Annie and cannot wait to learn more about her.
This story is very sweet. Zach knows body language and is very observant so he not only seems to intuit Annie’s needs, but he also understands her reticence once he meets her parents and spends more time with her. He’s patient and kind but never lets her doubt how much he wants her. Annie finally has someone who believes in her as much as she believes in herself. 4.5 stars
DECLARATION OF COURTSHIP
I’m not great with names so we may have met Cooper before, and I know Grace has popped up in previous books. This was interesting to me because the two of them aren’t living in the main SnowDancer pack. Cooper is a lieutenant in the pack; he is a dominant who is in charge of a den of wolves south of the main tribe dwelling. Because he is in charge, he kept his feelings for Grace under wraps when she was new to the den to give her time to acclimate and form other friendships. Grace is a submissive and Cooper wanted to be very careful about not taking advantage of his place in the pack.
I loved learning more about what it means to be a submissive shifter in this world. Grace may be a submissive but she’s not meek. In many ways, Grace has a type of power the dominant wolves cannot tap into themselves. The care Cooper took in not throwing his power around was appreciated by me, and the way Grace’s strengths were highlighted gave these characters a lot of depth for such a short story. 4.5 stars
TEXTURE OF INTIMACY
Walker and Lara were the “B” story, so to speak, in Kiss of Snow. It was great to be given more from them where the concentration is on their relationship and their adjustments to that relationship.
I mentioned before that I adore the SnowDancer kids, and this story brought that back around again. Whether they are shifters or the Psy that were adopted into their pack, the kids in SnowDancer will obviously rule the world someday. And they’ll do so with kindness and empathy.
Anyway, this story is about learning to open up and share with your partner; to learn how to trust that what is shared won’t be used against you. It’s a beautiful addition to this couple’s relationship arc. 4 stars
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Violence