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, Remi’s feline heart as fascinated by her as the human half of his soul.
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…
Comment: This is the 8th book in the Trinity spin-off series of the broader PsyChangeling series by Nalini Singh, in which case this is book #23. I have liked all the books in this long series, some more than others, but this one wasn't as fully compelling to me as others have been.
In this book Auden Scott, the daughter of two previous Councilors, is looking for to have privacy so she can have her baby without the interference of others. It is true she doesn't always remember some of her steps and she can't remember why she became pregnant, but she already loves this child and wants to protect her. She is going to stay at a cabin in a propriety that borders a changeling one, and alpha Remi Denier seems to welcome her with some caution. As things escalate on her end, so does their careful approach and subsequent friendship, but can they build up something everlasting when danger and a nefarious plan is following Auden? They have to find out what before it's too late...
I had to go back and read what I wrote about the book before this one because, to be honest, some things are no longer easy to remember. It also feels a little tiring how the overall arc of the issues related to the fall of Silence are still dragging, which I assume is due to the need to keep up the books linked to a major situation, but there are times that, yes, it seems as if not much is really being developed.
Although, since I've mentioned this subject, I have to say that this wasn't the detail in this book that bothered me the most. I liked it in general, as I have liked all the books before, but the romance here didn't seem very convincing. I also wasn't a big fan of Auden as a character, despite acknowledging her worth of having a HEA, and this kind of affected my overall impression of things. I think Remi and Auden weren't a couple I could feel was "destined", so to speak, even though they become mates.
Auden is Psy and has a tough background to be linked with, since she is the daughter of two characters who have been seen as bad in the series. She has been like a pawn in their plans and she is naturally a good person, as we learn, and she is now protective of her baby but I feel I never really got a reading on her. I can't describe it well but her personality was kind of bland and the emphasis of this story was more on what she was going through and the nefarious plans which caused her to be in this situation, instead of focusing in who she is as a person.
Remi was obviously more interesting because he is changeling and he is the alpha of a new pack, is dealing with pack stuff as the story progresses and has all the features of changeling characters, which helps. He is a great protagonist but, again, his connection with Auden felt rather forced. I mean, I understand the circumstances and I do like that his character and personality shine through, especially considering his childhood and so on, but I did expect him to be way more vibrant.
This means that, for me, it was the overall plot and romance that felt like a let down. I wish things could have advanced more on the plot front because, while we do have some new information, things didn't progress that quickly. This would not have bothered me, as it often didn't in many books throughout the series, if the romance had been the larger than life type. Unfortunately, Remi and Auden didn't convince me of their feelings. I still feel happy for them, but it felt not enough attention was given to a romantic relationship as it was to a respectful evolution of one's boundaries.
I know, this sounds unfair, but I wanted these characters to feel the other person was everything. The way things happened, it was almost more a situation that had to happen because this is a romance novel and not an organic feel these two people really had. With so much time dedicated to set up other things, I feel the romance wasn't... well, romantic. I wanted more for them, and thus, I've ended up simply happy, and probably will not re-read any favorite parts in this book as I still do in others.
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