Kiss of Snow is “all about the Hawke”… another delicious alpha with a tormented past. I first met Hawke, in Slave to Sensation, Lucas and Sascha’s story…the alpha wolf and the alpha panther…challenge, tease, and inevitably, ally with each other…
Kiss of Snow
(Psy/Changeling #10)
by Nalini Singh
Throughout the series, Singh shares tidbits, teases…fuels my curiosity about Hawke, SnowDancer’s lethal, intimidating, alpha; intelligent, arrogant and seductive. Hawke leads and protects his SnowDancers, one of the largest, most formidable changeling packs that control the vast territory of the Sierras. He sacrifices everything to safeguard his Pack…to secure its well-being. The Pack is his life; Pack always comes first! Yet, in spite of his ferocious reputation, Hawke is affectionate, tender, warm, playful…firm, but fair. He swaggers through his den…snarls, barks orders; as well as cuddle a pup, inquire about the well-being of a preteen wolfing… stays abreast of everyone’s development and potential…disciplines when necessary. (Well, I’m impressed!) Hawke knows everyone in his Pack; but he…is a mystery!
Enter Sienna…
the broken, emotionally fragile X-Psy who falls in love with a gorgeous, sexy, contentious wolf. She’s told that these unfamiliar feelings, these raw emotions are just a teenage crush, an infatuation…yet, they’re frightening! Being an X-Psy, Sienna possesses rare, unique, and deadly powers…forces she’s learned to control, except when she’s around Hawke. Oh, Baby! There’s something about this wolf…she can’t handle…this obsession!
Oh, BTW, she’s 19, and he’s well…older (33). Creepy? Perhaps, but Hawke avoids her, keeps his distance…for Sienna, and only Sienna, can get under his skin. And since negative attention is better than no attention, Sienna goes out her way…to annoy, to exasperate, to infuriate the deliciously Hottie. “The crowd was chanting, ‘kiss, kiss, kiss’ when Hawke walked inside.That was when Sienna learned the meaning of the term alpha.”
Both Packs, SnowDancer and DarkRiver, know what’s happening, teases him…And he…reacts badly…this alpha who has it all together…authoritative, powerful, dangerous, protective…does not understand why this “girl” gets to him, gets under his skin…“Keep her away from me!” Crush, or no crush, Hawke wants no part of Sienna, or so he claims! (me thinks this wolf doth protest too much). But…is the attraction all hers; maybe, his as well…something he doesn’t want, or won’t deal with? Yep, you guessed it! Sienna attracts, mesmerizes this confident alpha! "Sienna." A deep murmur against her skin, his lips brushing her temple. "This can't be. You know that.”
But…Hawke’s wolf wants to play, wants to be intimate. Hawke, the man, refuses; for he remembers Rissa, his mate who died too young. His hidden pain…he buries, harbors his profound grief of losing his one and only mate. As wolves mate for life, he cannot mate…again…with anyone… and Sienna must understand and accept…“Hawke’s mate is dead…He buried his heart with her”. Hawke believes that Sienna deserves better…needs to create a life with a suitable mate, someone who can give what he cannot. And sooo, we have it…Hawke and Sienna…antagonistic, caustic, abrasive, and biting…laced with sexual tension and frustration!
We watch their flirtatious dance. Hawke choreographs his play, his games, he “hunts his prey”. He follows the instinctive need to protect, to dominate, to claim her…But first, he fulfills her fantasies, her dreams…of Them. “She wanted to dance with him, be a woman in the arms of a man who made every part of her awaken in a hunger she'd never expected to feel and who, for this magical moment, was hers. His jaw, heavy with stubble, rubbed against her temple again as he shifted his hold to press her closer. Then, as the music played, as the night grew softer and quieter, they danced.”
And Hawke is drawn… fascinated, mesmerized by her beauty, her innocence, her strength, determination, and will.
Meanwhile…
the war with the formidable Psy intensifies…answering the impending threat against the Pack, Hawke takes command; strategizes, negotiates, and battles…so many moving parts…
Kiss of Snow has its appeal; intense and passionate…then WTH? Sienna’s powers evolve… she transforms into a weapon of a X-Psy; rare, lethal, unpredictable, and uncontrollable X-fire…especially if her powers reach the synergetic state (Jean Grey of the X-Men, anyone!)
Sienna with Hawke?
I’m ambivalent…Yes, Sienna matures; survived her horrific childhood with Councilor Ming, understands her X status, her fatal power. She’s effective with Hawke…able to handle his dominance, his demands; forces him to redefine her, to “see” her as a mature, desirable woman, and encourages his to follow his attraction… OR leave her, allow her to make her own romantic choices…to live without him. Still, Sienna is a tough sell for me. I don’t see her as the mate of an ALPHA, as Hawke’s life-long companion. Even he contrasts his and Sienna’s connection to Lucas and Sascha’s. “Sascha and Lucas had the kind of relationship that every alpha craved, Hawke included. Sascha wasn’t just a lover, wasn’t simply a playmate in the best sense of the word; she was a partner, Lucas’s first port of call when he needed advice. It was instinctive to think of Sienna. So young…too young”
IDK! I’ll Stay Tuned!
A note about secondary characters: Walker and Lara’s romance…compelling, but rushed! Should have their own book with more details. Can’t wait to read more about the mysterious, intriguing Arrows…Vasic, Aden, and Kaleb!
Kiss of Snow is an intensely emotional read…romantic, action-packed, suspenseful, tender, and sensual!
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