Echoes of Silence and Caressed by Ice

I’m really enjoying participating in the Psy-Changling Readalong! I picked up the short Echoes of Silence and wanted to share my review of it alongside Caressed by Ice. I have to say, I think the short story really informed and made the full-length even better.

Echo of Silence by Nalini Singh
Narrator: Angela Dawe
Published by Tantor Audio on August 23, 2016
Genres: Paranormal, Romance
Pages: 101
Format: Audiobook
Source: Scribd

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 . . .

One of Four Novellas contained in Wild Embrace

This was my favorite story in the Psy-changling world BY FAR. It may have been shorter, but it packed a punch. I shed a few tears and really hope I’ll be seeing more of Stephan and Tazia in the future.

This was very different from the first two books – it’s a human and Psy pairing for one, which really changed the dynamic. Not a mating situation but two people who’ve worked side by side for years. In addition, the Psy was a man for the first time and I don’t know why, but for me that really changed the feel. And, significantly, there is no sex until basically the end and, for me, the way the fell in love without the sexual interactions was even better.

I loved the characters and the depth of their experience and growth, despite being a shorter story. I fell hard for them both and I will be very sad if we don’t get more of them down the line.

I thrilled I was able to listen to this story, as Angela Dawe always does an incredible job bringing stories to life. She probably added a lot to my love of both these characters.

I’m so glad I decided to read the short stories along with the main books in this readalong.

Caressed By Ice by Nalini Singh
Narrator: Angela Dawe
Series: Psy-Changeling #3
Published by Tantor Audio on June 22, 2011
Genres: Paranormal, Romance
Length: 11 hours 27 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Scribd
Goodreads

Explore new heights of sensuality in this return to the world of the Psy—where two people who know evil intimately must unlock the good within their icy hearts…
As an Arrow, an elite soldier in the Psy Council ranks, Judd Lauren was forced to do terrible things in the name of his people. Now a defector, his dark abilities have made him the most deadly of assassins—cold, pitiless, unfeeling. Until he meets Brenna…
Brenna Shane Kincaid was an innocent before she was abducted—and had her mind violated—by a serial killer. Her sense of evil runs so deep, she fears she could become a killer herself. Then the first dead body is found, victim of a familiar madness. Judd is her only hope, yet her sensual changeling side rebels against the inhuman chill of his personality, even as desire explodes between them. Shocking and raw, their passion is a danger that threatens not only their hearts, but their very lives…

Can I give this book 4.25 stars? I feel like it’s a bit more than 4 stars, but not quite 4.5 for me. So far, Caressed by Ice is my favorite full-length story in the series (the short with Stephan and Tazi is my favorite overall). I buddy read it with Anne and I know she also enjoyed it quite a lot and is giving it 4 stars.

First off, the characters. I LOVE Judd. I think I like having the male Psy for a change, since it brings in a different kind of emotion when breaking silence. Yes – it’s PNR so it’s all about falling in love, but in Judd’s case it’s born of a protective instinct, seen first in his love for his niece and nephews. I think that’s why I love him so much – I have a really soft spot for kids and for men who are good father figures (seriously, my husband pretty much stole my heart because he was a good dad). His very different experience as an Arrow Psy (as opposed to Faith’s F designation and Sasha’s E designation) was also very interesting and changed the threat of his breaking silence – it was less external and more internal.

Brenna is also a great character. I like that we’re connecting to what happened in previous books – we learned about Judd’s ability in the previous book and Brenna was a victim of a Psy sociopath killer in the first book. Her strength is incredible and while she definitely isn’t making some of the smartest choices, you can see it’s her fighting to reclaim her independence, sexuality, and confidence.

In addition to the characters, the situation between the Psy and Changlings is really progressing with each book and this book raises a lot of questions for me about some key players and where things will go.

And – of course – I listened to this book, because Angela Dawe. Seriously, if you haven’t listened to her narration your missing out.

Related Posts