Silver Silence
By Nalini Singh
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: June 13, 2017
Reviewed by Nancy Northcott
Reviewed by Nancy Northcott
Silver Silence is the latest installment in Nalini Singh’s popular Psy/Changeling series. The heroine, Silver Mercant, will be familiar to established readers of the series as the assistant to cardinal telekinetic Kaleb Krychek, the hero of Heart of Obsidian. Silver Silence, however, stands alone.
Even though Silence, the emotionless way of life ingrained
in the Psy for generations, is no longer required, Silver clings to it. The discipline it offers protects her from
one of her own gifts, making it a haven for her instead of the prison it was
for some Psy. Still, she can’t quite
tell the alpha of the StoneWater bear clan, Valentin Nikolaev, to leave her
be. He uses any pretext his business
with Krychek offers to contact Silver.
Despite the excellent security in her building, he has a habit of
showing up frequently.
It’s a good thing for Silver that he does. One of his unexpected visits occurs while
there’s an attempt on her life. Valentin
saves her and, after conferring with her powerful grandmother, takes her into
his clan’s den for safety. There,
surrounded by the open affection and playfulness of the bears, Silver finds her
silence cracking and her desire to experience an emotional life growing.
She takes her first steps toward emotion tentatively, and
Valentin, despite his obvious desire for her, restrains himself to her
pace. Meanwhile, the bear clan’s welcoming
nature and loyal support are working their own magic on her heart.
The romance plays out against the background of conflict
over the Trinity Accord, the agreement forged by Changelings, Psy, and Humans
after the fall of Psy’s Silence. Not
everyone believes in the pact, and some will stop at nothing to destroy it.
Silver has a prominent role in the new administration, one that puts her at
risk. Along with Valentin and Krychek, she deals with emergencies created by terrorists
while trying to unmask the being who attempted to kill her.
As Valentin and Silver grow closer, the stakes go up, both
in terms of danger from without and of the risks posed by her abandonment of
Silence.
The characters are sympathetic and have depth. There’s also a lot of humor, some of it
involving tabloid news media. The story
moves at a good pace. Characters from
other books in the series make brief appearances without distracting from the
main story.
Highly recommended.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SILVER SILENCE by
Nalini Singh
Excerpt
Laughing at
the cubs’ antics, Valentin jogged down the slight incline and waded into what
had to be ice-cold water after kicking off his boots and socks. He splashed the
cubs, laughed when they splashed him back. Running so they could chase him, he
turned abruptly and chased them back, to their unhidden joy.
Silver took
a seat on the grass. When the female bear looked her way, she inclined her head
in a silent greeting. The bear did the same, then they both watched an alpha
bear play with two energetic cubs, his hands holding rough care for their small
bodies.
By the time
Valentin made his way back to her, he was drenched and his eyes weren’t human
in any way. When he spoke, his already deep voice was so low it felt like
thunder against her skin. “Couldn’t resist,” he said, pushing back his wet hair
with one big hand. “If you weren’t in recovery and if I wasn’t in terror of
Nova’s wrath, I’d have invited you. The small monsters wanted to play with
you.”
Silver
didn’t get to her feet. “Can we stay here a little longer?” It was patent that
Valentin had an extremely high tolerance for the cold, but he might want to dry
off.
“Sure,” he
said, and, moving away several feet, shook off the wet.
Fine
droplets settled on the skin of her cheek, but she didn’t flinch at the
unintentional tactile contact. She also controlled her urge to reach up and
touch the water where it lay against her skin. There was no reason to do that,
and Silver was alive because she only did things that were rational.
Settling
beside her, Valentin waved at the cubs as their guardian led their tired forms
toward a path in the trees that was at the same level as the stream. “Gentler
climb,” Valentin told her.
“They seem
too exhausted to make it to Denhome.”
“It’s all
an act—they’re hoping for a ride on their aunt’s back.” His tone held the same
fond affection she’d heard when he spoke of Dima. “It’d take more than a few
minutes’ play in the water to wipe out those two.”
The cubs
had played with Valentin for almost a half hour. “They’re hyperactive?”
“They’re
baby bears.”
Silver
watched as those baby bears turned toward her and rose up on their back paws,
as if in challenge. A stern sound from their caretaker, and they dropped down
and scrambled to catch up with her. Their bodies disappeared into the trees as
dusk began to turn from orange to shadowy gray.
Beside her,
Valentin sprawled out, bracing himself on his elbows. His drenched T-shirt
clung to the ridged muscles of his abdomen, pulled tight across his pectoral
muscles, shaped itself over his shoulders. His jeans weren’t much better,
outlining the raw muscle of his thighs.
Valentin
Nikolaev was a man of violent physical strength even in human form. Yet he
clearly had iron control over it; when he’d played with the children, they’d
displayed zero fear of their alpha.
“You
thought about where you’re going to live when you escape the bears who’ve
kidnapped you?”
When she
raised an eyebrow at him, he grinned. “Fringe netter with his own Internet
channel sent out a breaking report last night. Pasha—who obviously needs more
work duties—made up a fake account and posted a comment swearing to have seen
you being pulled into a black van by six burly bears in bear form.”
“You don’t
seem too concerned.” Amber eyes and deep voice, he remained very much a bear in
human form.
“Well,
according to this ‘eyewitness,’ the getaway driver was in bear form, too.
Must’ve been tough for him to steer with one paw since he was drinking a beer
at the same time.”
“Bears,” Silver said, making Valentin throw his head back and
laugh that huge laugh that wrapped around her.
Posted by
arrangement with Berkley, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random
House Company. Copyright © Nalini Singh, 2017.
Do you enjoy paranormal romance?
Have you read any of Nalini Singh's books?
Do you like an alpha hero who can also find joy in uninhibited playfulness?
One randomly chosen person who leaves a comment on this post before 11:00 PM, June 21 will receive a hardcover copy of Silver Silence. (U.S. only)
I haven't read anything by Nalini, but this does sound like a very interesting book. I love an Alpha male who isn't afraid to find joy in uninhibited playfulness.
ReplyDeleteDiane, I love the way Singh depicts bears in this story. The line "Because bears" is used very effectively.
DeleteParanormal romance is unique. I enjoy an alpha hero who doesn't take himself too seriously.
ReplyDeleteYou'll like Valentin, then, Traveler. He's wonderful.
DeleteNalini's novels are captivating. An alpha hero is always a treat.
ReplyDeletePetite, I agree with you!
DeleteShe is on my tbb list. I definitely enjoy paranormal and alpha males - I love when they make me laugh and cry.
ReplyDeleteCatslady, I think you'll get some chuckles out of this book.
DeleteI have not really read many paranormal romances. I'm kind of a scaredy-cat, so they make me nervous :-)
ReplyDeleteKatie, we all have to read at our comfort levels. I happen to like books in which things go boom. *g*
DeleteI have read some of the books from this series and they were very good. She has created a unique world.
ReplyDeleteMaureen, I agree that the world is unique. It's one of the things I enjoy about this series. I also think the Guildhunter books have a layered and unique universe, one totally different from the Psy/Changeling world.
DeleteI bought an anthology for the library several years ago that had one of her Psy/Changeling stories in it. The mistake was mine, the cover had an adorable kitten on it. Not that many of our patrons read paranormal, and I often wondered at the reactions of the little old ladies who picked up the book because of the cover. They certainly had a bit of a shock when they read it. Anyway, I enjoyed the stories but haven't yet gotten an opportunity to read any more of her books.
ReplyDelete