A Psy/Changeling novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Shards of Hope, Shield of Winter, and Heart of Obsidian..."the alpha author of paranormal romance" (Booklist).
A ghost returns from a leopard changeling’s past, making him question everything—even his base animal instincts…
Clay Bennett is a powerful DarkRiver sentinel, but he grew up in the slums with his human mother, never knowing his changeling father. As a young boy without the bonds of Pack, he tried to stifle his animal nature. He failed…and committed the most extreme act of violence, killing a man and losing his best friend, Talin, in the bloody aftermath. Everything good in him died the day he was told that she, too, was dead.
Talin McKade barely survived a childhood drenched in bloodshed and terror. Now a new nightmare is stalking her life—the street children she works to protect are disappearing and turning up dead. Determined to keep them safe, she unlocks the darkest secret in her heart and returns to ask the help of the strongest man she knows...
Clay lost Talin once. He will not let her go again, his hunger to possess her, a clawing need born of the leopard within. As they race to save the innocent, Clay and Talin must face the violent truths of their past…or lose everything that ever mattered.
Yet another Psy-Changeling win... in fact, this MAY be my favorite so far (I buddy read with Anne who said it is her favorite - a solid 4.5 stars). It probably feels the most like an UF out of all of them - there's still the heavy romance element, but there's also a lot more action and plot twists (IMO).
I really liked Talin and Clay. There relationship is unique for the series - well I guess each one has had it's unique elements, but this one was even more so. Talin and Clay have a history. They knew each other as children and Clay, while defending Talin from a foster father, traumatized her by going deep into his inner animal. And, as a result, they've had no contact until now, when Talin reaches out for help. They have a past to both overcome and to grow from and I loved that unique relationship.
This is also the first human-changeling pairing. While that brought in it's own different elements - such as human authorities - I was surprised by the fact that it did not diminish the amount of Psy involvement there was in this book. In fact, I think we had more progression on the Psy plot line than we've had from any other book. And boy, are things getting exciting on that front!
I had several theories as the story played out and for the most part I was wrong - LOL - but I was circling the truth. So close! Now I have several follow up questions and theories as a result of the way this book ended - not a cliff hanger, but the closest to one we've had thus far. Things are just moving along!
I listened, as always because, ANGELA DAWE. To me, when I see she's the narrator it's a no-brainer. She's just that good.
