To be part of a paranormal romance/urban fantasy book feature on my book review blog in May 2019.
Blog link here: https://sonyaheaneyblog.com/

Silver Silence is the first novel in Nalini Singh's Psy-Changeling Trinity series and marks the beginning of a new array of full length novels featuring new couples and new romances in our beloved Psy-Changeling world.

Silver Merchant is a member of one of the most renowned and infamous Psy families. Known for their control, precision and loyalty to family, the Merchant's are a powerful force. As the director of a new worldwide emergency response network she hopes will thrive under the new Trinity Accord, Silver utilizes her Silence as a weapon and has no use for emotion. Valentin Nikolaev is the alpha of the StoneWater bears and knows exactly what he wants; Silver. The seemingly cold as ice woman fascinates him like no other and both bear and man are determined to make Silver theirs. Sensing a hidden fire behind her icy demeanor, Valentin is determined to make Silver feel the powerful emotions he is sure she is capable of. Silver and Valentin may be wildly different, but when an attempt is made on Silver's life and brings the stoic Psy into the heart of bear territory, will the cheeky alpha be able to convince the woman he wants to give in or will Silver's Silence be too strong to break?

What can I say but congratulations to Nalini Singh on another story so very well done! Silver Silence is a perfectly written, paced and explored addition to the story that allows readers to finally see Kaleb's old aid turned humanity aid director Silver Merchant front and center. I've been intergued by Silver ever since she was first introduced to the series as someone in Kaleb's inner circle and I'm thrilled with how Singh wrote her story!

Silver has always come across as a very serious, cold individual so it was wonderful to see her thaw throughout this novel. Even though Silver utilized her abilities through Silence, it was adorable to see the small things start to break through; her appreciation of Valentin's small gifts, her enjoyment of verbally sparring with him and being in his company--this all made it clear there was a softer more vulnerable side to her while still allowing Silver to be the "Silver Fucking Merchant" the world saw.

And in saying that, so much of Silver's growth and development was thanks to the man determined to win her heart, Valentin. I loved Valentin and thought he was the perfect balance of cheeky, relentless man and capable alpha. It made me smile to no end the lengths Valentin went to for Silver. His actions of courting her were so very endearing to witness.

The StoneWater bears were a fantastic addition to the series and it was a great dynamic to witness. As with DarkRiver and SnowDancer in the past, I think StoneWater has a lot of potential stories within it as Singh introduced readers to so many personable new characters including Silver's brother Arwen and naughty bear Pavel who I'm hoping will be our first M/M romance in this series down the track. These two definitely have chemistry.

With plenty of sharp and witty dialogue and some adorable scenes of friendship and family within this rambunctious bear pack, Silver Silence was a highly addictive read that I just devoured. Nalini Singh shows no sign of slowing down where this series is concerned and leaves me DYING to read the next story which features Bowen Knight. Bring it on!

"Love is no rose. It’s a goddamn weed that digs its roots in so deep, there’s no hope of getting it out.”

Silver Silence by Nalini Singh was such an easy book to fall in love with, just like it was easy for our protagonists Valentin and Silver to fall in love.
Seriously, I’m not someone who likes a lot of cheesy moments in a book, but this was like gooey mozzarella that makes you want to add more to your meal!

“Come to see how the lesser races live?”
“Your low opinion of you own race is not my concern.” Ena said, cold as ice.

So we open on a very new race, both by nationality and species. Russian bears! Let me say that again for you guys. Russian. Bears. RUSSIAN. BEARS. Yes, be still my beating heart! These two words are now promoted to some of my favourite words in the dictionary!
Now I wasn’t someone who was that interested in the Russian language or ways until Valentin smooth talked me into wanting to go to Russia and finding myself a bear. Not a literal bear though. They wouldn’t like me very much! Valentin was just a… I can’t even explain it. Basically my perfect man in one book! Kind and considerate, but in control and commanding. His very presence on the page sent the other characters into overdrive trying to impress him.
Not Silver though. She didn’t need to ‘try’. Bitch.
Silver was our tough-as-nails heroine, saving lives and kicking butt without having to change out of her high heels! She’s a psy, but if she breaks silence, she’ll end up losing her grip on her auditory control. As such, she needs two things in this book. To not break silence so she won’t die, and to break silence so she can live and be with Valentin. Basically caught between a rock and a hard place.

“You want to try sex… I volunteer as a willing sacrifice.”

The plot of the story was really fascinating and kept me riveted to the last page! Silver was poisoned, and most likely by someone in her family (which is where we meet her brother Arwen and please oh please let him have his own book!).
While trying to find out who killed her, Valentin offers her a safe house in the form of Denhome, where his group of bears live. He is the alpha, so he gets to offer that freely. But of course, he has his own reasons which end with him wanting to get cute and snuggly beneath the blankets with him.

“Mr. I. M. A. Medvezhonok. Mr. I’m a Teddy Bear.”

Singh mixes a fantastic amount of humour and sexuality into her novel. Before it gets too intense with the sexual side of things, there’s always a joke to brighten up the situation and make everything far more realistic. We all like to laugh at ourselves, and if her characters began taking themselves too seriously then we lose a bit of what makes these characters and their plot so desirable to the reader.
I found myself loving every minute of this book, and it’s fantastic to see how her writing has evolved over time. Some of her earlier books lacked that humorous transition into her books, but she’s really come into her own as an author and I’m so happy to continue being a loyal reader.

“And we don’t punish the pawns worse than the kingpins.”

To sum it all up, I loved this novel from beginning to end. It captured my interest with such a new and exciting idea and I want to see how Singh’s characters will evolve from here. I know we’re going to see these characters again (in other books as side characters) so we still get to follow what happens next.
What I’m truly hoping for is a book on her brother. *crosses fingers and hopes for it*

A great read.
This is the first book I have read by Nalini Singh. I found myself being introduced to a brand new and intriguing world full of Psy (psychics), Changelings (shapeshifters) and humans. It has dark and sinister elements with the romance shining through, sneaky like a cat.
This was an enjoyable read and left me wanting to know more about this world. I will definitely wanting to read more books by Nalini Singh.

It is also a book that doesn't leave a new-to-the-fold reader feeling like they've missed something for not reading the earlier books. It is enjoyable for a new reader to the psy-changeling world as for a longtime fan.

I received a free, advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

4.5 helms

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I probably shouldn't admit that this was my first Nalini Singh book *ducks and hides*....You know that rock I have mentioned previously? Yup still living there! However, I have been following Nalini's career since her publication of "Desert Warrior" because hey a fellow antipodean publishing romance novels? AWESOMENESS! I actually have plenty of her books on my growing TBR yet never managed to pick one up! Shameful!!!! I seriously didn't know what I was missing! Luckily I got the chance to read "Silver Silence" and WOW! Silver and Valentin are one heck of a power couple and Nalini's style of writing is just riveting!

Since this was my first Singh, I knew I was taking a huge gamble plunging into a well-established series with such a powerful world behind its pages. I was floundering a little when I first started the book and had to try extra hard to remember the facts, but I didn't get as lost as I expected. I would recommend reading the previous books though because it WILL provide the buildup and excitement Silver and Valentin have generated and also will give essential background information. I'm glad I didn't find it too overwhelming but others might not agree. There is enough information in the book to give you the gist of everything but the depth may not be there. Also good to remember is that although this is the start of a new chapter/series (Psy-Changeling - Trinity #1) it is also part of Psy-Changeling (Psy-Changeling #16) so there has been a massive amount of world building that we newbies have missed out on!

So I've noticed this new trend on bears in romances and seriously I just couldn't imagine a bear being sexy but boy was I wrong! Nalini breathes a whole new life into bear shape-shifters and Valentin Nikolaev is one cuddly Medvezhonok. Not only is he alpha as heck but putty when it comes to Silver! Silver Mercant is Silent and alpha Valentin Nikolaev wants nothing more than to make her all his and ruffle that cool, calm and put-together exterior. Silver is a prime target for those who don't want Trinity to succeed and after a close poisoning attack, she is placed under guard at DenHome under Nikolaev's very capable guard. What better place to show Silver what an alpha means to a clan and the meaning of family in Nikolaev's own way. But how does one make one of the most powerful psy entirely theirs with such a strong vow of Silence working against all odds?

I really enjoyed reading about Valentin's relentless pursuit of Silver and her succumbence to Valentin. The family concept of DenHome and the strong extended family vibe was very well done without drawing attention from the couple and loosing the reader in clan dynamics. The cliffhanger towards the last 150 pages or so in the book was so intense I wanted to ugly cry! The ending was perfect and I was ecstatic for Valentin because Silver completed his happiness on so many levels. The idea of Trinity between the races was also fascinating and this novel opens the doors for the following books in the series.

Couple of things did annoy me though. I did find a few things repetitive like post thoughts/post action explanations (e.g sentences like "because he was alpha"). I wasn't sure if this was Nalini's style of writing or this book in particular so I didn't judge too harshly but I did find it somewhat unnecessary for continued explanations. I felt like the reader could read between the lines in some of these repetitive scenarios.

I haven't gone into too much detail on what happens etc. as I don't want to spoil it for the rest of you guys! The new generation of Trinity sounds like one heck of a series and I really enjoyed meeting Silver and Valentin :)

*Thank-you Nalini Singh, NetGalley & Berkley Books for the ARC.

Nalini Singh is brilliant. Silver Silence will tear you apart. It is filled with so much heart, emotion, and love, coupled with tragedy, disaster and intrigue that it will bring you to tears. In short, this book is stunningly spectacular.
As I write this review, I am suffering from one of the worst book hangovers I've experienced in a long time. I can't move on. I have been going back and re-reading parts of the book that have stood out to me, touched my heart in a particular way because I want to experience that emotional rush all over again. After having re-read a certain part 3 times, it still doesn't get old.
I am loving this new post-Silence world which Ms Singh is creating. It has become a complex living organism with many players and moving parts. The Psy, changeling and human politics as all three races learn to cooperate and live together in harmony and trust is fascinating.
Aside from loving this world, Ms Singh also creates characters I love. I adore the Psy-changeling pairings because they are so diametrically different. Valentin is just about the cuddliest, growliest, cutest hero ever. I adore Valentin. He's big, adorable and unapologetic. And he's beary good. I loved all the beary characteristic Ms Singh included in not only Valentin but also the bear clean. From the adorable, cuddly bear cubs and little gangsters, to the growly, lovable adults. But Valentin stands out as alpha of the StoneWater clan. His big love for his clan, his broad shoulders as he carries the weight of the entire clan on them. There's loss and tragedy and sadness too, and Valentin handles that with so much love and care, it will bring tears to your eyes. And most of his, his relentless pursuit of his Starlight. Valentin is persistent, "sneaky like a cat" and so damned adorable in his courtship of Silver that you can't help but love him and want Silver to fall for him pronto because you're falling for him too.
Silver is an awesome heroine. She is razor sharp, extremely competent but she also has heart. While she is Silent, she has not been conditioned negatively for it because of her upbringing in the Mercant family. Family is everything and in that both her and Valentin share a common ideology. I loved Silver's transition from Silent to feeling. She rises to a challenge from Valentin and once there, there's no going back. Silver is such a strong heroine it is impossible to not love her. I loved that even when she became a feeling person she retained her sharpness and her strong will. Becoming feeling and emotional didn't weaken her. It made her *more*.
I loved the Russian setting of this story too. Ms Singh peppered the entire book with Russian endearments and phrases, and I loved everyone of them. Each time Valentin referred to Silver as "moy solnyshko" it was a delight. I also loved the pet names the bear clan members had for each other. Pavel was Pasha, Yakov was Yasha. I loved the sense of intimacy and familiarity these pet names brought to the people I grew to know and love as the story progressed.
This is another stunning installment to the Psy-changeling series. I can't wait for the next one.

Fantastic! Emotional roller coaster that absolutely took my breath away!!


Full review to be posted on blog.

I love the first book for the series, especially the dynamic between the heroine and the hero. This is much like a modern romance story, where two people save each other instead of a one sided heroism. I like the fact that the story is fast paced and the plot keeps moving as well.

"Because .... bears"
I loved this book, I couldn't put it down and can't wait for the next one Another great read from Nalini Singh.