Kiss of Snow

Sienna, powerful Psy defector and Hawke, SnowDancer Changeling Alpha have struck sparks since she first arrived in their land. Rebellion, anger, defiance – but under it all attraction which Hawke is desperate to avoid. His mate died when he was a child – he knows he will always be alone and he cannot offer Sienna the life she deserves

While Sienna has her own fear – she’s an X Psy, incredibly rare and even more dangerous. She’s already lived longer than any other of her designation. She knows her days are numbered – but who will she take down in the inevitable end.

There is an issue sometimes, especially with long series, where you have a long running complaint and then a book kind of deals with the issue and you celebrate but show more part of your brain realises that you’re not so much celebrating a good thing so much as the reduction of a bad thing. So we have with this book:

Squee!Brain: a relationship with a female Psy who has an actual active, destructive power!

Cynical!Brain: And they have to pair her with literally the most ALPHA DOMINANT changeling ever so she would still be the submissive one in the relationship

Squee!Brain: But she challenges him!

Cynical!Brain: They ALWAYS do. But they’re always the underling fighting to be treated as an equal from the man who still largely gets his own was. Also we have a creepy age-gap “let’s wait until she’s juuuuuust of age” issues along with virginal heroin + no man may touch her issues.

Squee!Brain: But she isn’t a delicate Silenced Psy who has collywobbles if someone so much as touches her

Cynical!Brain: But she is facing super death because of her powers and being saved by his looooove (no this doesn’t count as a spoiler. If you’ve reached this book in the series you know exactly how this relationship is going to end and don’t pretend you don’t).

So, I’m conflicted. This relationship does address some of the main issues I’ve had about the previous books in this series. Sienna makes it clear that she is the one who knows her own powers and she will make her decisions about them. I like that she establishes her own authority when it comes to her powers, limits et al which is so vital when we’ve had so many Changelings decide they know their Psy lovers better than those Psy do. Equally, unlike the previous books I like that Hawke is somewhat respectful of Sienna’s boundaries – at least in terms of her bodily integrity. He doesn’t touch her or pursue her – the opposite in fact

Of course this is a little toxic when we consider his possessiveness. Hawke both runs from a relationship with Sienna but also lays his claim and violently threaten men who may enter a relationship with her. Yes he’s not pushing her into a relationship, but he is pushing her to be his pedestalled virgin. But, again, to be fair she does challenge this vehemently. Equally while she’s saved by his love, she’s just as much saved by her fellow Psy relatives. I would also quite like her to be able to actually use her Psy powers more but it is nice to see a woman who is this must dangerous and who does show the other side of Silence so well.

Really, it is a vast improvement on the previous relationships which have annoyed me so much in this series. There’s still some tropes that are a problem but it’s nothing like the ones before

Excellently Sienna also have female friends who support her, work with her and recognise the gaps Sienna has in her emotional development due to the years she spent in Silence. I like that a lot, that Sienna has women in her life, women backing her up, women valuing her; even if they don’t play a huge role it’s still an important part of Sienna’s life.

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Kiss of Snow is the tenth full-length book in Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series. It pairs SnowDancer alpha Hawke with powerful X-Psy Sienna. Hawke gave refuge to Sienna and her family a few years earlier when they defected from the PsyNet, and in the time since, they’ve all become valued members of the wolf pack. There’s been an attraction between Hawke and Sienna almost from the beginning, but because of her youth, Hawke has put a strict lid on any feelings he might be having for her. He also lost his mate years ago, and doesn’t believe he has anything to offer her beyond a physical relationship. Lucky for him Sienna is mature beyond her years and just as stubborn as he is, challenging him in ways no one else would dare show more stand up to the alpha of their pack, which intrigues both man and wolf. But despite her managing to get under his skin, Sienna’s time on Earth may be limited. No X-Psy has ever been known to live to full adulthood, and she’s already nineteen. Her power is building at an exponential rate, and she’s having an increasingly difficult time controlling it. If she reaches the critical point, she could set off the equivalent of a nuclear blast that would obliterate everyone and everything she loves for miles around. Hawke is determined not to let that happen, but he may not have a say if they can’t find the information they need to stop it. Elsewhere, the Pure Psy faction is prepping for all-out war and have, not only the SnowDancer den, but also DarkRiver and San Francisco in their sights, leaving the lives of all their citizens hanging in the balance.

Hawke became alpha of the SnowDancer pack at the tender age of fifteen after the death of his father and the previous pack alpha from a Psy attack. His mother died shortly thereafter, leaving him with a huge responsibility for one so young. During those years, he relied a lot on the black and white logic of his wolf side to hold the pack together, and today he’s extremely well-respected by all the pack members. I believe it was back in the first book of the series that he welcomed the Laurens into the den, and since then, all the members of the Psy family have become valued pack mates. Sienna was a mere teenager when they came to live in the den, and although Hawke has been aware of her attraction to him for some time, he’s ruthlessly shut it down because of her age. While Hawke’s age isn’t specified, I got the feeling that he’s probably in his thirties or at the very least, significantly older than Sienna. He also found his mate when he was a mere child, but she tragically died a few years later. He’s been grieving her loss ever since, and with wolves mating only once in a lifetime, he feels he has nothing to give Sienna. However, her challenges keep pricking both man and wolf until he can’t seem to resist her anymore. Eventually he grants her skin privileges and gradually their relationship deepens, but despite caring for her, he insists he cannot offer her the mating bond, which leaves her frustrated. However, it doesn’t stop him from doing everything in his power to save her when he learns that her power is reaching a critical level. At the same time, he must strategize how best to protect his pack when it becomes apparent that Pure Psy is mobilizing an army to attack.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m really picky about my alpha heroes, but lately I’ve been getting lucky and finding some great ones of which Hawke is one. He always seemed so gruff in the previous books that I wasn’t too sure about him, but boy was I wrong. He turned out to be an awesome hero who I absolutely adored. Once he starts letting Sienna in, he warms up very nicely, and while he can be a little bossy, he ultimately respects her as his equal. He’s deliciously protective and possessive without being a jerk, and when the time comes, he’s all about taking his woman to the heights of ecstasy and making her first time perfect. He’s also a powerful warrior and strong leader who needed someone equally powerful by his side, guiding the pack. In fact, he’s so powerful that even the wild wolves in their territory recognize him as their alpha and will fight for him, which I thought was cute. I love how he would do anything to try to save Sienna from the fate they believe she’s destined for. There wasn’t a thing about him not to love, which earned him a spot as, not only one of my favorite heroes of the series, but of all time.

Sienna was ripped away from her family when she was a child by Councilor Ming LeBon who forced military-style training on her at that young age. As a rare X-Psy and the only cardinal ever known to exist, he wanted to use her as a weapon. Eventually her two uncles, Walker and Judd, were able to rescue her from that life, and all of them, including her little brother and cousin, defected from the PsyNet and took refuge with the SnowDancer pack. She’s put her military training to good use, and continued it with SnowDancer lieutenant Indigo, wanting to use her skills to protect the pack that has done so much for her and her family. Even as a younger teenager, Sienna was deeply attracted to Hawke, but he’s kept her at arm’s length because of her age. Although she doesn’t really want anyone else, she’s been testing the waters a little with the younger males in both her pack and DarkRiver, which gets under Hawke’s skin. Under guidance from Sascha and a few of her other pack mates who want to see her and Hawke happy, Sienna continues to push his buttons until he starts to give in. Slowly things begin to heat up between them, but they’re often interrupted by pack business and the increasing danger from Pure Psy. Although Hawke is adamant that he can’t give Sienna the mating bond, he does eventually give her all that he has to offer. But if they can’t find a way to reign in her increasing power and she reaches synergy, she may not be with him much longer and could pose a serious threat to the pack and everyone else for miles around. Sienna may be only nineteen, but she’s very mature for her age after all that she’s been through. I like that she was able to go toe-to-toe with Hawke and challenge him in ways no one else has. Her power and confidence basically make her an alpha female, but she’s one with a softer side that I could relate to. She loves her family and her pack, and gives her all to Hawke when he finally accepts her. She’s also very protective of him and everyone else, trying her best to mitigate the danger she poses to them all, even if it means taking herself out of the equation. She’s just a very selfless person who is always looking out for others.

Of course, Kiss of Snow has tons of great supporting characters, too, most prominent of which are undoubtedly Walker and pack healer Lara, who have a full secondary romance going on the side. These two have been dancing around each other for a while. Initially it looks like Walker is going to nix any deeper relationship, but he quickly realizes that he can’t bear to see Lara with any other male. The quiet, soft-spoken Psy teacher turns out to have a touch of dominance in him, and I loved seeing these two gradually come together. They’ll also get a story of their own in Texture of Intimacy, the next novella of the series. DarkRiver alpha Lucas and his mate, Sascha (Slave to Sensation), are eagerly awaiting the birth of the first Psy-Changeling baby. I loved their part of the story and how DarkRiver has become a strong ally with SnowDancer, also fighting the war against Pure Psy. Judd and Brenna (Caressed by Ice) are strong supporting characters as well. Since Judd is Sienna’s uncle and a powerful cardinal Psy in his own right and Brenna is one of SnowDancer’s top tech people, both are important to the war effort. Lieutenants Riley and Mercy (Branded by Fire) liaise between their two packs to keep things running smoothly. Indigo (Play of Passion) continues to be one of Hawke right-hand people, while her mate, Drew, helps solidify alliances with other nearby packs. Riaz is one of SnowDancer’s strongest fighters, and his story will be up next in Tangle of Need. The Arrows appear to be breaking away from the Psy Council and making their own decisions about alliances. Two of them, Vasic and Aden, will become the heroes of Shield of Winter and Shards of Hope respectively. Most of the heroes and heroines of the previous books, along with a couple of other future heroes, play smaller roles as well, while Psy Councilors Nikita and Anthony ally themselves with the two changeling packs for reasons of their own.

Honestly I couldn’t have asked for a better read from Kiss of Snow. It has everything I look for in a great romance and then some. Hawke and Sienna are amazing characters who complement each other perfectly and their characterizations are extremely well done. Their relationship is a delicious slow burn as Hawke gradually lets Sienna in and their connection grows in unexpected ways. Because of frequent interruptions and Hawke’s desire to make Sienna’s first time magical, they don’t fully consummate their union until very late in the story, but it was more than worth the wait. There are lots of romantic and sensual moments leading up to the main event and when it happens, the author doesn’t skimp on details, making it a delectable treat. I adored the secondary romance between Walker and Lara that was oh, so sweet. Then there’s the overarching storylines of Sienna’s power reaching synergy soon and Pure Psy declaring war on everyone else that was masterfully plotted. How Ms. Singh resolved Sienna’s problem was pure genius and the way things heated up with the Pure Psy faction kept me on the edge of my seat. The first battle may have been won but the war is far from over, and I can’t wait to see what happens next. I loved everything about Kiss of Snow and thought it was one of the best books of the series so far that has left me eager to continue very soon. show less

After what felt like 9 books of buildup, I finally got to Hawke and Sienna's story. It was a maddeningly slow burn, with two extremely powerful characters trying to get out of their own way. The age gap is dealt with pretty quickly, though it's always a little icky to read about a man who "waited for her to be 18." Is there a magical timer that goes off?

Aaaanyway, a lot of stuff happens in this book. A LOT. Tons of development regarding the Psy and silence and a literal war beginning. Since Hawke is pack alpha, it worked and I didn't feel that it overshadowed their romance.

BUT. Here is where I took a star off - Walker and Lara's story was shoehorned into this one and it was distracting and frustrating. I'm a fan of secondary pairings, show more but not if we have entire chapters from each of those characters' POV. Plus there's this whole thing where Walker is the wounded victim because his platonic partner (they're Psy and have no emotions) got an abortion at 8 weeks when the family was scheduled for total rehabilitation. This kind of rehabilitation leaves the person a "vegetable." Why the hell would she have kept the pregnancy? Why was this a big part of Walker's sob story? It just made me resent him and then I had to read about him being super possessive and irritating for the rest of the book.

All in all, I loved the main plots - Hawke and Sienna and the inter-council war, but would have liked to cut out Walker. show less

Hawke and Sienna's book! Like everyone else who reads this series, I was really anticipating this one. Hawke and Sienna's relationship has been brewing in the background of this series since the very first novel. Sienna is an X-cardnial Psy. X Psy aren't known for having long life spans, their powers typically cause them to die a fiery death long before they reach their mid-twenties. So when Sienna feels her powers slowly slipping out of her control, she knows she'll eventually have to leave SnowDancer or risk taking the entire pack down with her. In the meantime, she's determined to keep trying to reinforce her control, but the angst filled relationship she has with Hawke is not helping matters. Hawke has always caused her emotions to show more erupt into chaos and the confusing signals he's been sending her has just been adding fuel to that fire. Sienna has loved him for a hella long time and everyone at SnowDancer seems to be hellbent on shoving them together. Unfortunately, Hawke refuses to act on his attraction and Sienna is done waiting around for him to change his mind.

Oh man, I loved this story to bits. Hawke has been a favorite side character of mine ever since he showed up in [b:Slave to Sensation|178476|Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changeling, #1)|Nalini Singh|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1229895074s/178476.jpg|172416] and went out of his way to annoy Lucas. I really loved seeing that playfulness in his character expanded in this story. There's some really cute scenes centered on him "playing" with Sienna and I loved that she was able to hold her own against him. However, in the beginning of this book his stubbornness concerning her was pretty annoying. Hawke had a kind of "kid in the playground" mentality about Sienna. He didn't want to play with her, but no one else was allowed to play with her either. This combined with their relationship throughout the other books, made me really wish that Singh hadn't gone the virgin route with Sienna. Going into this book, I had hoped that Sienna would've slept with Kit or someone before this story. It was kind of a damper to see Sienna able to match Hawke everywhere and then suddenly play the shy and naive virgin in the bedroom. She eventually gets out of that, but it still broke the tone of the rest of the book to have to sit through that "first-time" scene.

Aside from the main romance, this one also had the benefit of a pretty great action side story. The Psy are organizing some pretty brutal attacks against SnowDancer in an attempt to weaken them so they can eventually be wiped out. The suspense of organizing defensive maneuvers and counter attacks was pretty awesome. I also really enjoyed that this installment seemed bloodier than the others in the series, it made the brewing war seem more imminent and important than it has been in the other novels.

My only real complaint is that I feel like Lara and Walker got short changed. Like Sienna and Hawke, their story has been quietly building over the course of a few books, but they got slotted as the secondary romance in this one. Lara and Walker's relationship was nicely done, but it faded a lot into the background in comparison to the other major plot threads such as: Hawke and Sienna's relationship, the Psy attacks, and Lucas and Sasha's baby. Because of this I really wish that they had been given their own book or at least their own short story.

I would recommend this book if you're a fan, but not to someone looking to start the series. This book really needs to be worked up to in order to appreciate the relationships and events that are at the center of the story. show less

Every single ounce of foreshadowing for this story in all the previous books made me cringe harder than licking the inside of a bag of sour patch kids. And now I've finally gotten to it, and what do you know, it's still cringe.

Honestly, I don't think Sienna's age would have bothered me as bad if it wasn't for all that foreshadowing. Age differences don't bother me that much as long as everyone involved is a mature adult, there's no coercion, and gee-golly cluelessness isn't trying to be sold to me as adorable innocence. There's being inexperienced, and then there's not knowing what oral sex is. At that point, I worry about whether informed consent is even possible. rant>

Luckily this book didn't have any of those hard stops for me. But show more the fact that we met Sienna when she's still a child and Hawke's obviously attracted to her even then, is kinda gross! He doesn't act on it, not even with the typical creepy grooming behaviors, which is the only reason I didn't straight up skip this installment.

But since the cringe all technically happened in other books, and--once Hawke stopped constantly reminding me about her age--I was able to compartmentalize the icky feelings and actually enjoy the book, this one gets 2 Im-glad-I-read-it-but-Im-also-glad-its-over stars. show less

Kiss of Snow
5 Stars

More than lives up to the hype.

The intensity of Hawke and Sienna's passion is smokin' and sizzling, and virtually sets the pages on fire.

Sienna is feisty and spirited. She never submits to Hawke's sometimes overbearing dominance, and often gives as good as she gets. Her love for him is all encompassing despite her fear that he will never be able to give her his whole heart in return.

Hawke is a magnificent Alpha almost overwhelming in his smoldering sensuality. The dominance with which he treats Sienna is tempered by a tenderness and sweetness that make his feelings for her all the more incredible. The build up and resolution to their romance is emotional and satisfying.

The escalating conflict between the Psy show more Council and the Changeling packs comes to an explosive climax and the complex alliances between the various forces make for compelling reading.

My only reservation about the book is that the secondary romance between Lara and Walker, while very sweet, has too much page time and sometimes interferes with the dynamic of Hawke and Sienna's relationship.

All in all, an excellent paranormal romance and one I will definitely read again. show less

Kiss of Snow is the long awaited and much anticipated tenth book in the Psy-Changeling series and ties up a few major plot threads that have been woven throughout the previous books. So it is fitting that it focuses on Hawke, the alpha of the Snow Dancer wolf pack, and Sienna Lauren, the Cardinal X Psy who is the bane of his existence. These two have become firm fan faves, and we finally get to read their story. And I have to say that it was well worth the wait, because their story definitely met up to expectations and then some.
Hawke is really reluctant to engage into a relationship with Sienna, due to his inner fears and doubts that he would be an unsuitable mate — even though his thoughts, instincts and feelings are at breaking show more point to relent and pursue her. Whilst Sienna, who shares the same attractions, feels that Hawke will never see her as someone who he could have a relationship with due to her age and differences. But over the course of the book they each challenge and break each other’s walls down which really helped with the buildup of tension between them. I really felt that Kiss of Snow was one of the best books that utilizes sexual tension in a fantastic way. The moment when Sienna finally challenges and pushes Hawke’s control, I could actually feel and sense the romantic tension between them which was very vivid, sensual and earthy.
I also loved how their courtship evolved from the initial fiery confrontation from a hilarious scene where Hawke had to stop Sienna from inciting riot at a bar, to the playful chase and catch games that really brought out Hawke’s wolf. That ratcheted the tension up even further and really cements their relationship.
I also loved how they resolved their issues and inner conflict especially about the fact that Sienna is younger and inexperienced compared to Hawke — I know there have been some comments about this pairing. But we learn that Sienna bearing a heavy burden due to her dangerous gift and her childhood has her matured much faster than a typical person. She also forces Hawke to face some truths about his past and engages with him to treat her as an equal and I loved how she turned the tables on him! Whilst Hawke shows Sienna that she can open up and share her fears with him.
This leads up to them realising that they are equals and this is what makes it believable and makes this a top-notch romance. I know some people have had commented about the age gap but in this case, it wasn’t an issue and there was no power imbalances. I also loved how Sienna dealt with Hawke and his wolf, who is really intense and I loved how Nalini Singh conveys that aspect to the reader. I really felt she really captured this shifter side well because Hawke has lived with his wolf side more openly to help him being alpha unlike other shifters. This helped to define who they were and what it meant to be together. There is a key scene in the book which symbolises their relationship and it has become one of my favourites. They dance for the first time and both remark they are equals after talking about their Psy and Changeling aspects. The dancing scene reflected the way they had danced around together metaphorically and they have finally have stopped evading and confronting each other and realised that there is possibilities between them.
Another aspect that I loved in the book was the secondary romance with Lara, the pack healer, and Walker, Sienna’s Uncle who we really get to know in this book. I loved how their relationship mirrored Sienna and Hawke’s romance which is fiery and full of inner and outer conflict. But with Walker and Lara their romance was much more subtle but no less intense and whew *fans self* sure can give Judd a run for his money with the icy brooding stakes.
Kiss of Snow also focuses on plot threads about the upcoming war with the Psy Council which has fragmented with opposing factions. It is also the book that due to the buildup with all of the plots and schemes that Psy councillors have caused, their nefarious schemes come to a head which has major ramifications with the members and the changelings. There is also some interesting and plot threads that are introduced, which I think will start a new story arc, as well as new hints due to a new character that is introduced.
Previous major characters appear. Sacha, Lucas, and Judd also have prominent roles, and there is some fantastic scenes involving them which I enjoyed immensely. In a lot of ways the minor subplot that involved Sacha and Lucas was a great way to sum up this previous story arc but also symbolises a new change and direction which mirrors the direction of the series.
Kiss of Snow was a pure and utter joy to read. I inhaled this book and reread it again! This is how you tease and tantalize and reward readers for a long promise romance and it is done with real heartfelt emotions and passion. I was totally lost into this story and the characters, and I have to say this is the best book of the whole series. This is a wonderful steamy romance with the best build up of sexual tension I have read and jam packed with action and plot that the pace never stalls. I think this will be a firm fan fave and it definitely lives up to the promise, especially after that long wait. I will reread this again and again, and I hope we get more glimpses of Hawke and Sienna in future books because I wished this book never end. show less