As a long term fan! I loved the storyline. I like how old characters do have a bit of cameos but I miss them!

Once again Nalini Singh knocks it out of the park! I love all her books, but especially the books that take place in a pack. Auden & Remi make a great couple and this sort of wrapped up the Scott's story, in a fabulous way. Remi's pack is amazing and zip cannot wait for more.#primalmirror #hea #packfamily

We have Remi’s book! A leopard alpha, he has met his match in Auden, a Psy with memory loss and who is pregnant with a child she doesn’t remember conceiving.

I love this series, and look forward to each and every installment in the psy/changeling world.

What’s so interesting here is- Auden is Scott, a notorious Psy family. This spells so much danger for Auden and Remi, making the tension crackle on every page! Not to mention the slow-burn romance. It was totally worth the wait and development, with the most satisfying ending.

I love them, and this author. If it can’t be the bears, I certainly enjoy seeing the leopards and Remi! This book absolutely lived up to the hype.

3.25 Stars
Nalini Singh is a wonderful author with a fabulous voice and characters that linger long after you finish the book. I'm a huge fan of her Psy-Changelin world and often reread them. But this book was difficult for me to get through.
For 3/4 of the story, the main characters, Remi (a changeline) and Auden (a damanged Psy) dance so slowly around each other before finally becoming a couple. But it was a super slow connection, not organic. (It felt stretched, very unlike most of Ms. Singh's other books.) Though the Rainfire pack seems to be taking center stage now, and the members are fun and interesting, so much attention was spent on the breaking/broken Psynet (that's been breaking for so many books I kind of wish it would just break or heal already) that the relationship took a definite, unsatisfying backseat. The fact that it's taken me so long to keep trying to finish the book was also disheartening.
Sadly, not my favorite of the author's. Longtime readers will need to read it to keep up, but new readers should definitely skip this one.

One of my favorite series, so it was fun to go back into this world. So much nostalgia with these books

I did not do my research, and didn't know this was part of a series when i requested it.
So I don't think I can give a fair review lol!

Primal Mirror, the eighth book in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series, delivers the perfect mix of steamy paranormal romance and urban fantasy. It follows Auden Scott, a Psy woman with a dark family legacy, and Remy, a leopard changeling alpha leading a new pack. Their relationship evolves from curiosity to deep emotional connection as Auden’s mysterious past and abilities unfold.

Remy’s struggles and leadership add a fresh dynamic to the Changeling world, while the overarching plot involving the Psy Net and the Scarabs brings tension and high stakes. The twist at the end will leave you eager for the next book. If you love Nalini Singh’s work, this is a must-read, but be sure to start from the beginning of the series!

The Psy-Changeling world is one I have been following for a while, and with this installment I am certainly not going to stop anytime soon. I had been wondering what was going on with Shoshana Scott (and had my suspicions) for a while now, so I was really happy to see who the heroine in this book was. I also love that we get to see more about Remy and his pack here too. Plus, a lot of new potential opportunities for future books opened themselves up with the characters, so I am a very happy camper.

This book was everything I wanted it to be and more! I was rooting for them from the beginning. The dark truths that our heroine experiences are heart wrenching. I am so glad she has our alpha hero to lean on! Love this series a whole lot!

A new pack alpha stumbles on a mysterious Psy woman and further contact leaves him with great interest and few answers even as the woman finds herself trusting this Changeling outsider with everything she holds dear. Nalini Singh’s Psy Changeling Trinity world continues to offer that exciting blend of sexy paranormal romance and tension-wrought, intriguing urban fantasy.

Primal Mirror is the eighth in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series which is a sequel to the original Psy-Changeling series. Definitely read them in order to get the most out of the world of both series.

Though Auden Scott is a new character, her parents were characters I loved to hate and wanted to see them defeated throughout the earlier series. I found it interesting seeing their dark legacy thwarted in Auden. Auden is purposefully nothing like either parent. She has imperfect Silence, for one thing. She always did because her powerful Psy affinity is telemetry. She reads emotions and visions from what she touches and this never allowed her not to feel. There is a mystery surrounding her and the baby she carries. As the story progressed, I had a horrible suspicion about what was going on and I really was hoping to be wrong, but no, I was way too right. Thank goodness, Auden had an inner strength and she had Remy.

Remy is a leopard changeling and the alpha of a newly-formed pack. Up until now, all the Changeling stories have involved established packs and I found it exciting and fascinating that details were given of how Remy and his people are working to establish themselves. Remy is a treasure. He went through hard times himself with a bully alpha, abandoned by his dad, and having to lose his beloved mom to a long-term illness and this honed him to being a protective, loving, and loyal alpha to his own people. He doesn’t see himself as anything special so is always surprised that such good people have come to work alongside him and help build the pack. Auden gains Remy’s interest from the start first because of the oddity and mystery about her, but then he slowly gets to know her and their friendship grows into something more right when she needs him most.

And, as Auden and Remy’s story is going on, there are brief moments with the greater situation of the world as others are working to fix the Psy Net to save the Psy race and the situation with the Scarabs. I was on the edge of my seat when the failing psy net situation came to a head and a surprise twist happens at zero hour.

All in all, this was so good and leaves me craving the next installment. If you haven’t already, do yourself a favor and make a bookdate with the Psy-Changeling and then Psy Changeling Trinity series.

While it is the eight book in the series I picked it up as a stand-alone and I found it really easy to get into and wasn’t confused at all. It was the perfect blend of sci-fi/fantasy and romance with immersive, extraordinary world building, complex characters, political alliances, high stakes, and an absolutely thrilling ride from start to finish. I loved the chemistry between Auden and Remi and I genuinely could not get enough! It was fantastic and it makes me even more excited to read the entirety of the series!

Nalini Singh enthralls with another Psy Changeling novel in Primal Mirror. The psy net is about to fracture taking many of the psy into death. Shoshana Scott's daughter Auden has memory problems, but is determined to protect her unborn child and control of the Scott empire.. Remi, the Rain Fire alpha, has sworn to protect Auden and her child. What could go wrong? The Rain Fire band gather at Auden's back. Great fantasy.

Remi Denier has a lot on his plate with getting his new pack, Rain Fire, settled. He has a lot of people counting on him to keep them safe and help them thrive. That's why when he learns that there is a Psy property bordering his, he needs to investigate. What he finds is not just any Psy family, but the Scotts, specifically Auden Scott. Although Auden doesn't seem to present any kind of real danger - she seems a bit out of it when he first meets her - he knows that looks can be deceiving. Remi decides to keep a close eye on her, trying to figure out what plan the Scotts have put in place.

Auden Scott is being used as a pawn by her family in some capacity. She just doesn't know how or why. She's always been an easy scapegoat. Her psychometry is looked upon as a weak ability therefore she must also be weak - in the eyes of the Psy. But after a failed experiment left her with cognitive issues, Auden is lucky that she can even remember her own name. The only respite she has is escaping to her family's cabin. She's not there long before she's garnered the attention of the alpha of the Rain Fire pack.

This story, for me, really had the feeling of taking the series back a little ways to the early days of the original Psy-Changeling series. This especially comes through because it is a Psy and Changeling pairing much like Sascha and Lucas from that very first book so long ago. There were also a lot more familiar characters this time around than has been the case in this newer series lately. While I have enjoyed all the books in the series, there are some characters that I don't remember their previous affiliations right away. One of the best things about a series that is as long-running as this, is when you form a liking for the characters and you look forward to their stories and getting their time to shine. While not a requirement, it dims things a little bit when that doesn't happen. All this to say, right from the start I was invested in Remi and Auden's story.

Auden's ties to one of the original Psy families was also an interesting choice and brings back my point about this series taking things to the beginning a bit like a soft reset of sorts. I liked that there were still surprises to be had when it comes to the Scott family. Nalini Singh has always been a pro at mining for depth in characters that we thought we completely understood.

Also, I don't believe we had ever dealt with another Psychometric (Ps-Psy) before in the series. They have the ability to know an object's history. You might be able to guess how debilitating this could become if you are a high gradient; garnering information from the soles of your feet touching wooden planks hammered to a floor by someone hands, etc. I liked juxtaposition between what constitutes power amongst the Psy and what is considered weak. Yes, having a power where seeing the history of an object, or a person, can be debilitating (therefore considered weak), but also how powerful to know thoughts and emotions and motivations and movement from a single touch. Because of this everyone her entire life always underestimated Auden. To see that she's not what anyone is expecting is like the cherry on top of the cake.

Overall, this was a solid entry in the series. It does suffer a bit from a repetitiveness in regards to Auden's situation. Being vague here for the sake of spoilers. Suffice it to say, I feel like some of the back and forth about Auden's circumstances could have been shaved down a bit and still conveyed the same emotional impact. Because if this, I'd say pacing suffers somewhat. Once the story picks up, however, it goes and the revelations and consequences are supremely satisfying.

I can honestly not say I know what is next for the series or where Nalini Singh may go. She tackles a few of the bigger arcs of this spin-off series here and while I know there's always more, I personally cannot see a clear direction at this point. That, truly, makes me excited for what comes next.

I've been looking forward to more books featuring RainFire and the books with couples that are Psy and Changeling are always my favorites! This one did not disappoint and moved the overall series forward well.

"Primal Mirror" by Nalini Singh is a mesmerizing blend of fantasy and romance, where primal instincts collide with deep emotional connections. Singh's world-building is rich and immersive, drawing readers into a universe filled with passion, danger, and complex characters. The story’s intensity and vivid imagery make it a captivating read for fans of paranormal romance.

PRIMAL MIRROR is author Nalini Singh at her science fiction paranormal best. Her Psy-Changeling series continues with this amazing story of Auden and Remi.

Reviewed by Annetta Sweetko for Fresh Fiction

https://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=87483

Primal Mirror by Nalini Singh brings us back to the captivating world of the Psy-Changeling Trinity series, and it's a treat for long-time fans! Set in the enchanting Smoky Mountains, this story revolves around the young and dynamic RainFire pack led by the charismatic Alpha, Remington "Remi" Denier.

The slow-burn romance between Remi and Auden is heartwarming, and their journey is packed with tension and intrigue. The book masterfully blends action and romance, making it a delightful read. If you're into strong alpha characters, mysterious plots, and a dash of magic, you'll love this book. Singh's world-building is as immersive as ever, and the chemistry between the characters is electric. Primal Mirror is a fantastic addition to the series, and I can't wait to see more from the RainFire pack!

finished my reread of the entire series in anticipation of this book and maybe that wasn't the greatest idea.

This book had Slave to Sensation/Dark River vibes and I really dug that. Remi is one of those characters I could not wait to see on the page and I adored seeing Kit and Rina again. But respectfully what the f*ck was this?
Auden Scott, Shoshanna's daughter, is a preggo psychometric who happens to now own the land next to Remi's. She is weirdly vacant and obviously not all there but Remi feels super protective and keeps an eye on her. She builds a cabin and retreats there to get away from her toxic home life. Close proximity! Yay! Except the close proximity doesn't lend itself to developing the romance at all. The book takes a weird turn and turns into a medical mystery. It's all about Auden's wonky brain and her baby. Then she has the baby and it's all about the baby.

This book is about many things and none of them are romance. Not until around the late 70 to 80-ish percent in the book. So when Remi finally gets all sexy and alpha leopard on her, it had zero impact on me because so far this has all been about a pregnant woman with a wonky personality and her mysterious baby. There is no chemistry, no build up, no connection at all. The sex scenes happen in the same time frame and like two days post partum and while they don't have penetrative sex, I was still like excuse me? Anyone who has gone through child birth knows this is ridiculous. I felt like my entire body had gone through a meat grinder, and no effing way anyone was going anywhere near my engorged painful leaking boobs. Yes, I know this is fiction and yes it was explained away by some miraculous medical trick but no I couldn't suspend disbelief and read the whole scene like this 😬😬😬

The overall Psy Net collapsing arc is still happening but it's all background until almost the end when there's another band-aid that slows down the net-apocalypse. Honestly the whole PsyNet thing is becoming so inscrutable and baffling that I'm hardly paying attention except when my murder mittens Kaleb makes an appearance.

I cannot say I enjoyed the romance. But I love being in this universe even when I'm not loving the main romance, so I enjoyed the book as the medical mystery bonkers sci Fi story that it was. I also feel like this book might be the beginning of recapturing the magic of the first series, with Kit making an appearance I have hope that we might go back to the perfect mix of romance and paranormal as the earlier books.

⭐⭐⭐/5
🔥🔥/5

Tropes:
Close proximity

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi

Review

Leopard changeling, Remi Denier, was abandoned by his father when he was just a young cub of five. It’s something unheard of in the emotional changeling packs. Luckily, he had a good mother that was always there for him. However, they had a horrible alpha that couldn’t handle having such a powerful young dominant in his pack. He kicked Remi out when he was only seventeen.

Now Remi is older and wiser. He’s fully grown into his dominance. And, he’s the alpha of his own pack. RainFire is a very young and new pack, but Remi is trying to do everything right to grow the pack the right way. He’s had help from leopard alpha, Lucas Hunter, to make sure he stays on track to do all the things he should.

Remi has been trying to find out who owns the property next to theirs so he could try and purchase it. He doesn’t like the idea of some unknown so close to his pack. Especially considering someone has already hurt some of his pack using that property.

One day he finds people there and is able to talk to them. The young spaced-out girl, Auden Scott, appears to be the owner of the property and it sounds like they would be open to selling.

Then months later, a small cabin is erected on the property, and a very pregnant Auden moves in. Remi can’t understand why she’s there all alone so late in her pregnancy. This should be the time when her family rallies around her. He decides that the pack must do what they can to protect her and the cub.

Auden’s mind is fractured. She has moments of lucidity, but also has large spaces of lost time as well. It’s due to an experimental surgery her mother had done on her when she was younger. It was a failure and left her brain damaged.

Now Auden is pregnant and has no memory of how it came to be. Her mother passed away a few months ago, but her aide, Charisma, has been keeping everything going. Charisma and Dr. Verhoeven have been keeping close tabs on her and they seem especially interested in her unborn baby.

Auden is a Ps-Psy, a psychometric that can feel imprints from objects. And the imprints have grown stronger with her pregnancy, making it difficult to even sleep. However, when she was with Charisma checking on that property, she felt peace that she hadn’t felt anywhere else. Worried for the fetus, Charisma and Dr. Verhoeven see no other choice, but to let her stay there for a bit.

Auden’s brain seems to be improving and she’s become lucid for longer during her stay at the cabin. She does occasionally have to go back to the Scott household to check in. As she nears time for the baby to come, she grows increasingly worried about why Charisma and the doctor are so interested in her baby. She fears whatever it is, is very bad. She has no choice but to ask for a certain changeling’s help in protecting her child.

I do struggle with this spin-off series. Maybe it’s too political? I’m not sure. However, this book actually felt like the original series. I really enjoyed reading this novel and didn’t have the problems I’ve had with the majority of the series. I also enjoyed the previous book, Resonance Surge. So maybe, just maybe, it’s coming out of the darkness, for me, and into the light!

I really enjoyed the young alpha, Remi. I honestly would have liked to have learned more about him. We got little snippets about his past. His father abandoning him, getting kicked out of his pack too young, and him trying to run away from all he had bubbling up inside him by driving race cars. However, the book did not delve too deeply into any of that as Auden and the baby were the main focus. I really would have liked to have gotten more of his backstory though.

Regardless, Remi was a sweet and caring soul. I loved seeing him interact with his pack, especially young Jojo. And, he was great with Auden’s ‘cub’ as well.

He also has an alliance with the deadly Arrows thanks to his friendship with Aden, that I would love to know more about.

This book does really show you how twisted Shoshanna and the Scott family can be. How little psy actually care for their children. I guess that goes hand-in-hand with being silent for all those years.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. However, I found how quickly Remi and Auden went from friends to being together to be unbelievable. They didn’t even discuss becoming more, they both just started claiming each other as theirs. It was the one hangup I had with the book. It made me not buy into the couple, honestly. Even though, I knew they’d end up together.

The ending of this book was hopeful for the psy race, although I wouldn’t mind if they’d disappear as I’ve never been a fan of their lack of emotions. I am curious what will happen next on that front though. The current band-aid can only last so long.

I hope this series continues to improve and I start seeing the things that made me love the original series shine through. More changelings please … they are the key to my enjoyment.

I am having a hard time rating this book. I think this is a 3.5 for me. I enjoyed reading the book but I didn’t love it. It was a little disappointing for me .

The romance between Remi and Auden, it was lacking. In past books you get such a build up, the chemistry and tension in the relationship.
I honestly didn’t feel any chemistry between them. Then we went from protective to kinky. What the? Why? Especially her situation and how Psy race having difficulty processing touch. That was way out there.
I would have liked more about Auden life with her parents , their bond and relationship because they were major in past books . The story gives some hints but nothing else.
I would have liked more drama but didn’t get it, maybe Her using her psy powers more. I don’t know something more. Maybe them more involved in helping with the problem that face the psy , not just a quick patch at the end by the baby.
But no we get the back story about the psynet , and everyone trying to save it , that it took up much of the story that I felt that Remi and Auden wasn’t the main focus,. There was a few other minor things that i just shock my head.
I have been reading this series from the beginning and I enjoyed the pack community, the interaction between them all and having Rina there and then Kit showing up. So overall this book is ok , will I read it again probably not. Will I read the next one that is up in the air.

I receive a free ARC from NetGallery for my honest review