Psy/Changling Read-along: Play of Passion (+Contest)

We finally get to back to the changelings we love in Play of Passion. I’m so glad that Drew finally gets his own novel! I love him and his relationships with his siblings. And his place in the pack is unique, and to this point hasn’t been really explained, so I’m glad we get an inside look into what his day-to-day duties. And Indigo is back! She’s one of my favorite characters, mostly because she such a strong woman.

And I might have been looking forward to this book to catch a glimpse of Hawke and Sienna.

-Courtney

In his position as tracker for the SnowDancer pack, it’s up to Drew Kincaid to rein in rogue changelings who have lost control of their animal halves- even if it means killing those who have gone too far. But nothing in his life has prepared him for the battle he must now wage to win the heart of a woman who makes his body ignite… and who threatens to enslave his wolf.

Lieutenant Indigo Riviere doesn’t easily allow skin privileges, especially of the sensual kind- and the last person she expects to find herself craving is the most wickedly playful male in the den. Everything she knows tells her to pull back before the flames burn them both to ash… but she hasn’t counted on Drew’s will.

Now, two of SnowDancer’s most stubborn wolves find themselves playing a hot, sexy game even as lethal danger stalks the very place they call home.

Here are the past discussions!

World/Society:

Some say it is inevitable that Silence will fall. And some will kill to hold it.

The Psy Council has well and truly split with Henry and Shoshanna on the side of Silence, and Nikita and Anthony on the side that knows Silence will fall. Tatiana, Ming and Kaleb are the wildcards.

Henry and Shoshanna have planned to take out key members of both DarkRiver and SnowDancer. Their long-term goal is not yet known but they want San Francisco.

Nikita and Anthony are not going down without a fight however. They are even willing to negotiate an alliance of sorts with the changelings.

DarkRiver and SnowDancer’s bond has continued to grow stronger since Mercy and Riley’s mating. They are also opening talks with the Windhaven wing. They are preparing for the battle they know will eventually come.

Main Characters:

Drew – Drew is the tracker of the SnowDancer pack which means he reports directly to Hawke. He is not a part of the lieutenant hierarchy. Which makes things very confusing when he decides that he wants Indigo, no matter that she’s more dominant than him.

It was hard…to play with her, when all he wanted to do was bury his face in her neck and just…be

But Indigo isn’t going to make it easy for him. If he wants her, he’ll have to charm her. And while Drew is good with charm, trying to be charming while the pack is reeling from a few Psy infiltrations on their land is not an idle situation. Plus Drew has to contend with his own dominance and protective instincts when it comes to Indigo.

The words “possessive,” protective,” and “annoying” were indelibly etched into his profile. – Indigo about Drew

The Psy’s trespassing is just the beginning though. Drew will have to deal a much more serious. And he somehow has to convince Indigo they should be together at the same time.

You want me, and if you’d stop lying to yourself for one second, you’d realize we could have something good.

Indigo – Indigo is a lieutenant in SnowDancer. In terms of dominance she is only behind Hawke and Riley. And being a dominant female, she believes she needs a more dominant male to make things work. Unfortunately for her, her longtime friend (and former trainee) wants her. And he’s not taking no for an answer.

And then the male did that thing he did—he kissed her. As if he had every right to just take her mouth with the wild heat of his…

But Indigo has seen what happens when a dominant female takes a less dominant lover. And she’s not about to let that happen to her and Drew.

Pain. Hunt. Anger. Over and over again. A vicious cycle.

So now Indigo has a male who won’t stop trying to charm her. And she has to deal with the Psy incursions onto her territory. Indigo might love Drew, but does she love him enough to be with him?

“Drew’s in my heart. So deep until the thought o flossing him feels like razors cutting across my soul.” – Indigo

Changeling Characters:

Adria – Indigo’s aunt who is very close to Indigo’s age. They grew up more as sisters. Adria is in a relationship with a less dominant changeling, Martin, and their on again, off again relationship has made Indigo leery of relationships.

Evangeline (Evie) – Indigo’s younger sister who was very sickly as a child.

Lucy – Lara’s assistant healer.

Martin – Adria’s lover. He is less dominant that she is and can’t handle it.

Riaz – Lieutenant who has spent the past few years in Europe. He and Indigo used to have something together and consider rekindling the flame. Riaz found his mate in Europe but she’s already happily married. He walked away and has been hurting ever since.

Tarah – Indigo’s mother.

Updates:

1. Mercy and Riley – Honeymooning in South America.
2. Sascha and Lucas – Baby Hunter is due sometime very soon.
3. Hawke – Is still drawn to Sienna but he is still determined that he won’t—that he can’t—have her.
4. Lara – Was caught fighting with Walker.

Psy Characters:

Henry – Is a powerful member of the group Pure Psy. He is currently working with his wife Shoshanna, but is no longer the beta member of the pair, even if she doesn’t recognize it.

Human Characters:

Xavier Perez – Human priest who works closely with The Ghost and Judd. He tips Judd off to some of his Psy congregation disappearing.

Subplots:

Judd has found the base for Henry’s army in South America.

Hawke and Sienna are still dancing around each other even though it is hurting both of them.

Hints for the Ghost:

Please no spoilers about who the Ghost is in the comments!

He won’t hesitate to take out the entire PsyCouncil to save his race.

Might have someone who he cares about…cares enough to worry if they would live or die.

Glossary of Terms

Vocabulary from the previous novels can be found on their discussion pages:

• Slave to Sensation is now posted here.
• Visions of Heat is now posted here.
• Caressed of Ice is now posted here.
• Wild Invitation is now posted here.
• Mine to Possess is now posted here.
• Hostage to Pleasure is now posted here.
• Branded by Fire is now posted here.
• Blaze of Memory is now posted here.
• Bonds of Justice is now power here.

Discussion

• Are you happy to be back with the SnowDancers?
• How do you like Indigo and Drew?
• There really wasn’t a ‘villain’ of this book. Only Henry, who we already know is evil. Did you like it?
• What do you think is going to happen with the alliance between Nikita/Anthony and SnowDancer/DarkRiver?
• And Nikita has finally admitted she is no longer a proponent of Silence. Do you think it’s really going to change anything?

Giveaway

Thanks to Nalini Singh and the wonderful people at Penguin, I have a couple of every single novel in the Psy-Changeling series, and while some of them have been claimed, all of them haven’t. So this is what we’re going to do – we’ll be giving away all the books in one shot at the end of the Read-Along. That means you have 13 different chances to enter for any one of the Psy-Changeling novels. Join in on any of the discussions and you’ll automatically be entered to win.

To enter, all you have to do is answer this one question: Everyone is saying Silence will fall. How do you think the Psy as a race are going to react? Don’t be afraid to answer any of the discussion questions above either!

The contest will stay open until July 1st, at which time we’ll determine the winners with help from this snazzy plug-in that Jackie has.