Review: ‘Wild Embrace’ by Nalini Singh
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Wild Embrace
by Nalini SinghSeries: Psy-Changeling #2.5 #5.5 #11.5 #12.25
Published by Berkley on August 23, 2016
SubGenres: Paranormal Romance
Format: Paperback
Pages: 375
Source: Purchased
Audience: 18+/Adult
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The “alpha author of paranormal romance”* presents a stunningly sensual collection of four all-new Psy-Changeling novellas, in which taboos are broken, boundaries are crossed, and instincts prove irresistible...
Echo of Silence
In a deep-sea station, Tazia Nerif has found her life’s work as an engineer, keeping things running smoothly. But she wants nothing more than to break down the barrier of silence between her and her telekinetic Psy station commander...
Dorian
A changeling who can never shift lives a life of quiet frustration—until he learns how to let his leopard come out and play...
Partners in Persuasion
Still raw from being burned by a dominant female, wolf changeling Felix will never again risk being a plaything. But for dominant leopard Dezi, he’s the most fascinating man she’s ever met. She just has to convince this gun-shy wolf that he can trust the dangerous cat who wants to take a slow, sexy bite out of him…
Flirtation of Fate
Seven years ago, Kenji broke Garnet’s heart. Now the wolf packmates have to investigate the shocking murder of one of their own. And the more Kenji sees of the woman Garnet has become, the deeper he begins to fall once more. But even his primal instincts are no match for the dark secret he carries...
Wild Embrace is a collection of Psy/Changeling novellas written by Nalini Singh. This one includes #2.5, #5.5, #11.5, and #12.25 in the series. Since each is a novella, I’ll try to keep each review short.
Review of Echo of Silence (#2.5) (Read May 25, 2021)
This novella focuses on a Psy/Human relationship, which so far what I’ve read in the series has been Psy/Changeling or Human/Changeling. (I’ve only read four full-length books as of 5/26/2021) It was great to read a story that didn’t have a changeling but did have them all working together on a deep-sea station. The female protagonist, Tazia Nerif, gave up her life at home to be an engineer on the deep-sea station. She’s intrigued by her sea station commander, Stefan, who happens to be a Psy. She knows how Psy’s have no feelings, but she’s determined to learn more about him. She ends up with Stefan on a rescue mission together, and they start connecting.
This short novella introduces a Psy that, right off the bat, may have broke silence or is about to because he is concerned with Tazia’s happiness. He knows he shouldn’t be caring, but he will defy the Psy council to be with TAzia. I found the connection with Tazia and Stefan interesting since they were learning about each other. The passion was not steamy between the two, though, as some of the other couples I’ve read so far, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying their story. I loved the ending between these two characters, but I’m not going to spoil it for readers who haven’t read their story yet.
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Review of Dorian (#5.5) (Read August 2, 2021)
If you haven’t read Hostage to Pleasure, then I recommend reading it before reading Dorian. Readers will miss out on how Dorian met his mate and will read a potential spoiler. I warned you. This short novella begins with Dorian when he was younger and then goes to the present day. This was a great addition to showing Dorian and how he was in the beginning when he was learning to be a Sentinel who couldn’t shift. Nalini then dives into the moment when Dorian shows everyone what happened to him after his full-length book. I loved it because it was emotional. I don’t want to spoil this for everyone, but I do recommend reading this novella. I swear Nalini knows how to tug at reader’s hearts.
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Review of Partners in Persuasion (#11.5) (Read July 21, 2025)
Partners in Persuasion is another enjoyable novella in Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series, best read after Tangle of Need. It centers on the wolf changeling Felix and leopard Desi, who are complete opposites. Desi is assertive and dominant, while Felix is submissive and wary of being hurt in another relationship with a dominant partner. I completely understood Felix’s reluctance to get involved with Desi after what happened in his last one, but Desi was determined to prove she could do things slowly for him. I appreciated how Desi respected Felix’s feelings, and she wasn’t willing to give up being with him. Once they did work through everything, they had a very tender and passionate relationship, and I loved reading their story.
If you enjoy Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series, I highly recommend reading every novella between the main novels to discover more about side characters like Desi and Felix. You’ll fall in love with every one of the characters, just like you do with the main characters.
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Review of Flirtation of Fate (#12.25) (Read August 12, 2025)
Flirtation in Fate is a novella in Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series, best read after Heart of Obsidian. If you like Second Chance Romances, this will appeal to you. However, it wasn’t a favorite for me. I was bothered that Kenji, who claimed to have loved Garnet for years, broke her heart seven years ago.
Kenji and Garnet end up working together to solve a murder within their pack, and they are determined to find out the truth, especially since they couldn’t believe a certain wolf pack member would harm another. The truth, though, comes out, and it’s surprising who was behind the murder. Here’s the thing: the romantic relationship between Kenji and Garnet ticked me off because seven years ago, Kenji broke Garnet’s heart, not by accident, but by purposefully distancing himself, believing it was necessary for her well-being. During that time, he tried to move on with other women, attempting to suppress his feelings, while Garnet was in a relationship as well, but she still had obvious feelings for Kenji. Kenji had his reason for pushing Garnet away, which was understandable, but he should have talked to her instead of hurting her. I just didn’t care for Kenji, and I think Garnet should have made him grovel to get her back. Garnet, though, was a strong heroine whom I loved getting to know in this book. I hope I get to read more about her in the upcoming books in the series.
Overall, while I enjoyed this novella, especially the murder subplot, the romantic dynamic between Kenji and Garnet left me unsatisfied, so I’m giving this book 3.5 stars. Although I had issues, I’d still recommend it to other readers. If you enjoy the series or like a mix of romance and suspense, you may still find it enjoyable.
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.5
About Nalini Singh
I've been writing as long as I can remember and all of my stories always held a thread of romance (even when I was writing about a prince who could shoot lasers out of his eyes). I love creating unique characters, love giving them happy endings and I even love the voices in my head. There's no other job I would rather be doing. In September 2002, when I got the call that Silhouette Desire wanted to buy my first book, Desert Warrior, it was a dream come true. I hope to continue living the dream until I keel over of old age on my keyboard.
I was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand. I also spent three years living and working in Japan, during which time I took the chance to travel around Asia. I’m back in New Zealand now, but I’m always plotting new trips. If you’d like to see some of my travel snapshots, have a look at the Travel Diary page (updated every month).
So far, I've worked as a lawyer, a librarian, a candy factory general hand, a bank temp and an English teacher and not necessarily in that order. Some might call that inconsistency but I call it grist for the writer's mill.
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