Book Review: Wild Invitation by Nalini Singh

Wild Invitation
Author: Nalini Singh
Publication: Berkley (March 5, 2013)

Description: Experience the explosive series hailed by #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan as "a must-read for all my fans."

In Beat of Temptation, innocent Tamsyn has always had a place in her heart for Nathan, a blooded DarkRiver sentinel. But is she ready for the fierce demands of the mating bond?

In Stroke of Enticement, a wary young teacher, skeptical about love, arouses the man--and the animal--in an aggressive leopard changeling who must prove his affections are true.

Plus NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED

In Declaration of Courtship, Grace, a shy submissive wolf, finds herself pursued by the last man she ever would have imagined: a SnowDancer lieutenant said to be "mad, bad, and dangerous to know."

Plus NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED

In Texture of Intimacy, SnowDancer healer Lara discovers the searing joys--and unexpected challenges--of being mated to quiet, powerful Walker, a man used to keeping his silence.

My Thoughts: BEAT OF TEMPTATION tells the story of the courtship of Nate and Tamsyn. It was filled with heartaches and misunderstandings. Nate was determined to give Tamsyn freedom because she was so young and he was so much older. It took quite a while for her to convince him that the only freedom she wanted was the freedom to love him. It was nice to get a look at the past of a couple of my favorite characters.

STROKE OF ENTICEMENT introduced me to characters that I didn't know. Zach is a soldier for the DarkRiver pack and Annie is a human school teacher. He sees her and recognizes her as his mate but she, having seen her parent's unhappy marriage, is determined to live independently and alone. Annie can't resist Zach's humor and caring and heart. Once she knows that he is all in, she opens her heart to him.

DECLARATION OF COURTSHIP is Grace and Cooper's story. Cooper is a pack lieutenant and very dominant. Grace is an engineer and very submissive. She has to convince her wolf that she has something to offer Cooper and not just submit to him instinctively. Cooper is so used to being dominant that he can't bring himself to share his recurring nightmares with Grace. This lack of sharing makes their mating go much more slowly than it should. Both have to have complete trust in the other before they can become mates.

TEXTURE OF INTIMACY tells the story of the mating of Lara and Walker. Lara is a healer and Walker is a Psy who fled to SnowDancer with his daughter, niece and nephew when they were threatened with rehabilitation. Walker is a telepath who learned to counterfeit the silent, emotionless state of the Psy while hiding his intense love and protectiveness toward his family. Open hearted Lara has to deal with a man who is just learning that showing his emotions won't put his family in danger.

I loved all of these story that talk about the courtship and matings of various couples in the changeling part of the Psy-Changeling universe. Each story was well-written and emotionally intense. Fans of the series won't want to miss these novellas.

Favorite Quote:

Once the cat decided on a woman, it didn't flinch. Devotion was almost obsession with those of his kind, and he was at peace with that. But words wouldn't convince Annie—she'd have to be stroked into trusting him, into relying on him. Because not only was she wary of loving, she'd become almost mutinously independent inher desire to avoid opening herself up to pain.

This anthology was from my TBR mountain. You can buy your copy here.