I received this book for free from the author as a free story in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the author as a free story
"Poker Night"
by
Nalini Singh
paranormal romance in a PDF edition that was published by the author on October 2, 2012 and has 7 pages.
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Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Must Love Hellhounds, Kiss of Snow, An Enchanted Season, Archangel's Blade, Angels of Darkness, Lord of the Abyss, Desert Warrior, Angels' Flight, Tangle of Need, Play of Passion, Archangel's Storm, Wild Invitation, Heart of Obsidian, Archangel's Legion, "Hide and Seek", "Making Dinner", Shield of Winter, "A Conversation", "Home", Angels' Pawn, "New Year's Kisses", Night Shift, "Weapons Training", "Zoë's Workshop", "Wild Night", Archangel's Shadows, Archangel’s Enigma, Shards of Hope, “Fairy Balloons”, “An Unexpected Guest”, Allegiance of Honor, "The Song of the Wolf", Silver Silence, Archangel’s Heart, Archangel’s Viper, Ocean Light, "Elena's School of Horror", Cherish Hard, "Ain’t No Party Like A Bear Party", Archangel's Prophecy, "One Night At The Refuge", "Secret Things", Rebel Hard, Rock Hard, Wolf Rain, "Clean and Dirty", "Wolf School", "Naya’s Most Important Visitors", "Grocery Shopping", "The Cannibal Princess", "A Gift for Kit", "Movie Night", "Kaleb and Sahara’s Meeting with Sascha and Lucas", "Housewarming at the Orchard", "Christmas in the Kitchen", "Stalking Hawke", "Romancing Drew", "Sunday Morning", "Rowan", "Baubles & Ben", Wild Embrace, Love Hard, Rock Addiction, "Music Awards", Rock Courtship, "Rock Courtship Memo"s, Rock Redemption, "Sunshine", Rock Wedding, "With This Memo", "That Lip Ring…", A Madness of Sunshine, "Beary Tiny Ghosts", Alpha Night, "A Wedding Breakfast", "Knives and Sheaths", "Seedlings", "Star Kissed", "A Walk on the Cliffs", "Wild Cat Blues", Slave to Sensation, Caressed by Ice, Visions of Heat, Kiss Hard, Angels' Blood, Archangel's Kiss, Archangel's War, Archangel's Sun, Archangel's Light, Archangel's Resurrection, Last Guard, “A Perfect Moment”, "Music in the Rain", Storm Echo, Resonance Surge, "Mate", “New Year’s Eve”, Archangel's Lineage, Visions of Heat, Mine to Possess, Hostage to Pleasure, Branded by Fire, Blaze of Memory
A free short story, 11.7 in the Psy-Changeling paranormal romance series, revolving around the SnowDancer wolf pack and the DarkRiver leopard pack outside San Francisco.
My Take
Oh, dang, this is funny enough as the leopards and wolves playing poker snark away at each other, even as they plan Mercy and Riley’s anniversary party. I mean it, I crack up at these guys, but then the cubs come out and join the game. It’s just too funny the way Singh describes these scenes via third person simple subjective point-of-view from Nate’s perspective.
Singh’s writing is amazing, as she creates a realistic world, that is however populated by shifters. And they have all the same likes, dislikes, and snark, ahem, as any of our own families. It’s a place where I’d love to live where, not only your family, but the people around you support each other.
Even more amazing, is how thoroughly and concisely Singh provides so much background in so few words.
The Story
It’s coming up on Mercy and Riley’s one-year anniversary, and the packs are planning to celebrate.
The Characters
Mercy, a leopard sentinel, and Riley, a wolf lieutenant who likes to take control, met in Branded by Fire, 6. Bastien, Sage, and Grey are Mercy’s brothers.
SnowDancer is…
…the wolf pack led by Hawke. Drew is mated to Indy (Play of Passion, 9); Brenna is Drew’s sister (Caressed by Ice, 3).
DarkRiver is…
…the leopard pack led by Lucas. Nate is the most senior sentinel; Tamsyn, a healer, is Nate’s mate (Enchanted Season: “A Beat of Temptation”, 0.5). The very mischievous Julian and Roman are Nate and Tamsyn’s four-and-a-half-year-old cubs. Dorian, a.k.a. Boy Genius, is another sentinel (Hostage to Pleasure, 5).
The Title
The title is more than just “Poker Night”. It’s a meeting of two formerly, viciously rival packs.
