This is the introduction to a new series for Singh - jumping off from the already established psy-changeling world, and she did an... alright job.

I've read the entire psy-changeling series, and I enjoyed them, I also enjoyed this book, but there is no doubt that this book made sense to me because I had done all the previous readings - it does not read as the start to a series, and I think I would be very confused if I did not have more than a dozen books of background.

On the plus side, the first books in Singh's other romances are very 'alpha male' centered (literally, the males are 'alphas'), and they don't hold up well to modern scrutiny - I went to reread some of the first ones in the psy-changeling series and was honestly a little uncomfortable. This series is starting with strong leads - the male lead is unabashed in his admiration of the female, and I appreciated that. Moreover there was a neat subversion of traditional gender roles. Valentin, our male lead, is emotional and loving and responsible for the emotional health of his friends and family, and Silver, the female lead, is out of touch with her emotions, to say the least.

I also liked that when Silver said she had a reason to remain silent, there was a legitimate reason for that, which is often a weakness. I've grown terrible of the "my power is too terrible" trope which has emerged. Silver's life was literally threatened by breaching "silence", which made her choices feel more meaningful.

Also: Gay characters!

Nalini Singh does it again! Silver Silence is the "start" of the second arc in the Psy/Changling series. Times are changing in the world, the Psy are opening up to emotion and beginning relationships with the other races. Valentine Nikolaev has been fascinated with Silver Mercant forever and with the fall of silence he sees his chance. Silver may find Valentine intriging but she has her own reasons for holding on to silence. Unfortunately not everyone is quite so thrilled with the way the world is turning. Working behind the scenes the Consortium is trying to tear down every attempt at world collaboration. Lovers of paranormal romance will adore where Singh is taking the series.

Silver Mercant is the cool as ice assistant to Kaleb Krycheck and the director of EmNet. Silver can handle any crisis without breaking a sweat, but can she handle a sneaky bear?

Valentin Nikolaev is alpha of StoneWater clan and he and his bear have both take notice of Silver Mercant. Her brilliant mind and take no crap attitude are exactly what both of them need. Now they just have to figure out how to convince her to give them a shot.

After an attempt on her life, Silver finds herself moved into Denhome, the home of the StoneWater clan and a certain exasperating bear. Living in a community full of rowdy bears who have no understanding of personal space or boundaries seems like it would be torture for someone as buttoned up as Silver, but she quickly finds that the bonds of clan aren't so different from those of her own family. Silver finds herself charmed by the affection, humor and loyalty of the bears and her icy exterior starts to thaw.

Valentin has got Silver exactly where he wants her and now he just has to figure out how to keep her there. He knows that bear sneaky isn't going to be enough to sneak up on this woman, he's going to have to be cat sneaky.

Watching the relationship between Silver and Valentin develop was swoon worthy. The two of them had far more in common than what we initially see, but it is clear that they are meant to be together. Silver's strength and attitude make her the perfect match for a man who has so much responsibility on his shoulders and hurts from his past that he is still trying to fix. Valentin loves everything about Silver, even her cool attempts to push him away.

When the consequences of Silver giving up silence became clear, my heart broke for both of them. I very rarely cry when reading books but in this case there was no other option. Just when they finally come together and both acknowledge who the other is to them, they realize they have to risk it all to keep her alive. Watching them fight their way back together made the momentary heart break worth it in the end.



A few of my favorite moments from the story:

Silver gives Valentin's mom an ultimatum to get over her issues or get out. Watching the future relationship between these two is going to be interesting.
All of the pet names Silver and Valentin had for each other. The affection they had was laced in to every single one.
The glimpses of the Mercant family where we realize none of them are as silent as we expected. I hope we get to see more of Arwen and Pavel in the future. I'm also curious if E and S are going to end up together.
Vanentin and Dima's visit to Silver's office - she never stood a chance.
The waffle date - Valentin was still being cat sneaky.
Ena having tea and a chat with a certain someone. I loved how composed and in control she was.

One of my favorite books in this series so far! Since this book starts off the second arc of the series and focuses on a new changeling species, my exceptions were high. I was not disappointed. In past books, we've heard about Silver through her work as Kaleb's assistant. Part of her job has been working with the alphas in the area, and we find out one in particular,Valentin, has been trying to court her for months despite the fact that she's Silent.

I loved the romance between these two, and I looove Valentin! He was so stubborn and sweet with the nicknames and gifts and definitely a different personality than we've seen in an alpha so far. I'm also low-key obsessed with the bear changelings! The nosy, party-loving, too strong for their own good bears were both hilarious and lovable. I'm definitely excited to read more about them and can't wait for the next book in the series.

Full review to be published online in early June.

SILVER SILENCE is a breath of fresh air in the Psy/Changeling world. It comes complete with new locations, new packs and pack politics; and new dangers and motivations that drive and compel a myriad of characters to make plot and life changing decisions.

Silver Mercant is the long time assistant to fan favorite cardinal Psy, Kaleb Krychek; whose appearance in this novel is nothing less than brilliant. It’s very enjoyable seeing Kaleb now, filtered though the lens of who the reader knows he used to be. Silver is such a great heroine, and Valentin Nikolaev the bear is such a…well, bear. He’s all growly, bossy, and lovable to a fault; a well fleshed out character.

For an entry so deep in a long running series; there is a lot to appreciate about SILVER SILENCE. It is smartly written, and you can tell how dedicated Singh is to her craft. Her changelings are written with amazing precision. This is a great read in a well thought out series; if possibly not the place to start reading about this world.

Silver Silence kicks off the Psy-Changelings spin off series featuring the Trinity and it's Silver Mercant's book. Woot! I was very curious to see what kind of man Silver would fall for because her silence is fierce. She's always been so calm and emotionless in her dealings with Kaleb so I was really excited to see her melt and who she'd melt for. Needless to say, I'd melt for Valentin too. He was super yummy and all of the things that I've come to love about the changeling males in this world.

So Silver Silence begins with an assassination attempt on Silver's life and the book centers mostly around trying to find out who was behind the attempt. When danger starts spilling out all over the place, it is most important for the Mercants to hide Silver away so that they can uncover the bad guy. The bad guy is running around causing all kinds of chaos and the good guys (with Silver's help) is trying to stop that but Silver can only do that while staying in the protective custody of Valentin's clan.

Silver doesn't understand why Valentin won't just leave her alone. She's made it more than obvious that his charms hold no sway over her and yet he still shows up at her house every few weeks to deliver reports he can deliver electronically instead. On the morning that she was poisoned, she was grateful that he was there as he was able to act fast and get her the help that she needed immediately. Before Silver knows what is what, she's living with Valentin and getting to know his bear clan. He's the alpha for his bear clan and getting to know him in the midst of his family, something happens to her and it's inevitable that these two are going to get a lot closer than she's comfortable with.

Valentin has made it crystal clear that he wants Silver. He's been intrigued with the frosty Mercant since he first met her and he's determined to claim her as his own. He's got the long game going on right now because Silver is not on board with his plan. She doesn't know how good they'll be and Valentin has every intention of winning her over to his side. On top of pursuing Silver, Valentin has pack issues that he's trying to figure out and my heart hurt for him because of that. He's such a lovable guy who has a wealth of love and affection to give every single person in his pack and I couldn't wait to see how things came together for him and his pack, as well as him and Silver.

Valentin and Silver's romance rocked my socks. It was such fun to watch Silver fight what was happening at the same time that she was melting for him. She was confused and she was frightened but she didn't let that stop her from seeing things through. I loved how fierce Valentin's feelings for Silver were and I absolutely loved that she came to return those feelings. The way that she was protective of him rocked and overall, Nalini Singh did what she always does. She wrote an action packed romance with rich characters and a background story that will gain force with each book released and I can't wait for all of it. It's low key pathetic how anxious I am for the next book in this series. I need it now. Please write faster, Nalini!

Silver Silence was a fantastic start to the Psy-Changelings Trinity series and I'm so here for it all. I wonder who will get their story told next....Lily? Whoever it is, I'm ready!

<strong>Grade: 4.25 out of 5</strong>

Silence has fallen, and the Humans, Psy and Changelings have created the Trinity Accord, with the hope of fostering peace between the races in this new climate. Silver Mercant, personal assistant to Kalek Krycheck, the most powerful Tk on the planet, is also the head of EmNet, an emergency network set up to coordinate all available resources in the event of a large-scale disaster. Taking her out would hurt Kaleb, the Trinity Accord and temporarily disable EmNet. So it isn't really a surprise when there's an attempt on her life. The surprise is the bear shifter who ends up saving her life.

Valentin has been courting Silver for months - she just doesn't realize it. When Grandmother Mercant - the head of Silver's family - asks him to keep Silver safe until they determine who was behind her attempted murder, it's just the excuse he's been looking for. Silver isn't nearly as Silent as she'd like to make out, and there's no one better than Valentin to prove it to her.

For Silver, Silence is a necessity. She needs to keep control of her emotions at all times, to keep control of one of her secondary psychic abilities. But Valentin makes her feel things, and he's persistent enough that her Silence just might not hold. If only that didn't mean certain death for her...

Silver was about what I expected from previous books. Naturally there's more to her than meets the eye. I was interested to learn more about the Mercant family. I wasn't disappointed. Both Silver and her family were fascinating. Still, Valentin was everything for me in this book. Playful, arrogant, adorable..I just wanted to eat him up. He's playful, fun and loving, but also more than capable of kicking ass and taking names.

Silver had a sarcastic kind of humor that really played well against Valentin's more playful sense of humor. They had great banter and wit.

Valentin is great at drawing Silver out of herself. He knew just the right tone to take with her.Though he often teased, Valentin respected Silver right down to her toes. He knew she was capable and didn't try to stop her from doing what she needed to do. Too often alpha-males (be they human or other) are given a pass in being overbearing, but that wasn't the case with Valentin. He wanted to protect Silver, but he didn't even attempt it. Because he respected her and trusted her judgement.

Despite the issues facing them in regards to Silver's Silence, they were a great team. They showed a united front to his clan, worked together to deal with outside threats, and came to rely on one another through thick and thin.

I do feel like Silver's medical issues was a bit too easily dealt with. The conflict lacked the emotional punch I've come to expect. It was just all neatly tied up in a bow. I didn't doubt for a second that all would work out as it should.

We saw glimpes from the Consortium - the largest threat to Trinity - as well as from The Human Alliance. I'm anxious to see both explored further.

Silver Silence was an excellent start to this new chapter of the series. I can't wait to see what Singh has in store for us next.

<strong>4.5 out of 5</strong>

I didn't realize I ever wanted a book about Silver Merchant. Now I wish I had an entire series because she is Silver Fucking Merchant!

*Full review coming soon to the blog*

5 Hearts, Recommended Read
SJ, Romance Junkies.

SILVER SILENCE by Nalini Singh is the first in her Psy-Changeling Trinity spin off from the Psy-Changeling series. It's a romantic thrill ride from beginning to end. Once again, Ms. Singh has managed to delight, stun, and draw forth great emotion with her Psy-Changeling world. Her seemingly effortless attention to detail is stunning, her skillful layering of suspense in an intricate plot captivates from beginning to end.

SILVER SILENCE tells Silver Mercant's story, and this book is best read as part of the series. It could be understood on its own, but it's much richer as a new foray into Singh's complicated world. Silver is a Psy encapsulated in Silence. She works for Kaleb Krycheck, a powerful Councilor, and now heads the a worldwide emergency response network thanks to the Trinity Accord--where all races try to work together in harmony. Yet not everyone wants to be at peace.

And it's into that chaos of betrayal and murder that Alpha of the StoneWater Bear Clan, Valentin Nikolaev, enters. Valentin is fascinated by Silver, seeing in her a possible mate. Even though Silver is immersed in Silence and wants nothing to do with him, the sneaky bear steals into her heart. By providing her sanctuary in his bear clan, he uses the time to seduce her with kindness and affection into seeing the real him.

But the enemy is working their way steadily closer, and Silver is a target. But the danger is far closer than those outside the bear clan. She'll have to fight the enemy, and herself, if she hopes to find a future with a stubborn Alpha bear who's much more than he seems.

I gobbled this book in one sitting, unable to put it down. Singh is a master at pulling the heartstrings, and she had me crying, smiling, and laughing as I read about the Mercan family and the StoneWater Bear Clan. I sincerely hopes she writes more about these fierce, lovable changelings. And I'm thrilled at the exciting direction her series has taken.

I can't rate SILVER SILENCE highly enough. 5+ Hearts. A definite RECOMMENDED READ!!!!!