ARC Review: Primal Mirror by Nalini Singh

Primal Mirror
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling Trilogy (Book 8)
Publication: Berkley (July 23, 2024)

Description: New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh takes us into a family dark with shadowy secrets, as the world of the Psy teeters on the edge of a final catastrophic collapse. . . .

Daughter of two ruthless high-Gradient telepaths, Auden Scott is not the child her Psy parents wanted or expected, even before her brain injury. Her thoughts are scattered, her memories fuzzy—or just terrifyingly blank. The only thing she knows for certain is that she must protect her unborn baby . . . a baby she has no recollection of conceiving and who draws an unnerving depth of interest from her dead mother’s closest associates.

Leopard alpha Remi Denier is a man driven by the primal instinct to protect. Protect his pack, protect his allies . . . and protect the mysterious woman who has become a most unlikely neighbor. With eerie eyes that see too much and a scent that alters in ways disturbing and impossible, Auden Scott is the enemy . . . but nothing about this strange Psy is what it seems, and Remi’s feline heart is as fascinated by her as his human half.

Then Auden asks Remi to help her shatter the wall of secrets that is the Scott bloodline. What they unearth will reveal a nightmare beyond imagination. This time, the battle is to the death. . . .

My Thoughts: This was another excellent entry into the Psy-Changeling Trinity series. Auden Scott is the daughter of Shoshanna and Henry Scott - both evil doers and former members of the Psy Council. She was a disappoint to both of them because, while she inherited a powerful psy gift, it wasn't one either parent wanted. Therefore, her mother experimented on her and broke her mind. 

Now, her parents are dead and she's pregnant but still under the control of her mother's aide. She is gradually healing her brain but still has trouble staying lucid. It is in one of her lucid periods that she meets Remi Denier who is the alpha of a small changeling pack near Auden's wilderness retreat. Remi determines to care for her and her baby because caring for people is what he does to make up for a childhood when he wasn't cared for. 

Meanwhile, the PsyNet is on its last days. And when it fails millions of psy will die for lack of a network to sustain them. Everyone on the planet is trying to find a way to either preserve the network or provided another network for the psy to join but with no success. However, Auden's baby may inadvertently provide at least a temporary solution to the problem if Auden can find a way to defeat the powerful Scott family who has other plans for the baby.

Auden's upbringing which tried to make her as ruthless as her parents may be all that can save her and her child. Her love for her baby will prove to be the one thing the Scott family didn't plan for. And Remi is determined to be there to support her in every way since she is his mate. He'll do anything to protect his mate and her child. 

Favorite Quote:

When she swung around with the gun pointed, he held up his own hands. "I mean, you have a one percent chance of actually hitting me, but don't shoot."

A glare.

Yes, a definite glare, before she smoothed it over with the ice-coated exterior of Silen perfection she'd shown him yesterday. His heart kicked anyway, his leopard on the hunt...

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.