Tangle of Need - Nalini Singh

Adria, wolf changeling and resilient soldier, has made a break with the past--one as unpredictable in love as it was in war. Now comes a new territory, and a devastating new complication: Riaz, a SnowDancer lieutenant already sworn to a desperate woman who belongs to another.


For Riaz, the primal attraction he feels for Adria is a staggering betrayal. For Adria, his dangerous lone-wolf appeal is beyond sexual. It consumes her. It terrifies her. It threatens to undermine everything she has built of her new life. But fighting their wild compulsion toward one another proves a losing battle.

Their coming together is an inferno...and a melding of two wounded souls who promise each other no commitment, no ties, no bonds. Only pleasure. Too late, they realize that they have more to lose than they ever imagined. Drawn into a cataclysmic Psy war that may alter the fate of the world itself, they must make a decision that might just break them both.

Despite the fact that I had some problems with the Psy/Changelings latest book I was really curious to see how the world continued to develop and what would happen to some of the characters that intrigued me. I was mildly curious about Adria and Riaz but I especially wanted to know more about the Ghost, the Arrows and Kaleb Krychek...

I'm glad that I didn't have high expectations for Adria and Riaz because while they are mentioned as the main characters in this story the truth is that it is as much about them as about Hawke and Sienna. That was bad for two reasons, because I prefer to have just one main story and because the age gap between Hawke and Sienna became more apparent (and her frailty to his strength) and I would rather believe them equals in character despite that.

Regarding Adria and Riaz I have to admit that I had some problems with them from the very beginning. I had trouble buying that Adria would be as cold and aggressive to Riaz just because she was feeling attracted to him. But if it was so then she offered him a place in her bed much too soon... Then I had trouble believing that Riaz would change his mind so quickly about having been mean to her and decided to offer friendship. If he wasn't being too rational till then why would he suddenly start, shouldn't it have been a more progressive and slow process?

Another thing that bugged me through the whole book was how the mating bond is seen here. Riaz found his mate, a human, but she is happily married to someone else. Adria has lived with a man who was not her mate and now is embarking in a relationship with Riaz but despite being attracted to him she doesn't feel like he is her mate. From what I remember from the other books finding your mate is a highly desirable thing and, it would seem to me, highly improbable that a male would give up on his mate for any reason other than being rejected... Riaz doesn't even try to persuade his mate... But he does embark on a relationship with Adria and I have to admit that I enjoyed their relationship very much, how he cared for her and how she was there for him. The only problem is that I didn't buy that Riaz would just leave his mate behind and I ended up feeling that Adria was second best. I could buy their love story if they were humans but as changelings not so much...

Having said I really enjoyed the developments in the Psy world, the fight between the councilors, the alliance between Anthony and Nikita and the changelings and I really can't wait for what is going to happen next on that front. I am more and more curious about what is going to happen with Aden, Vasic, Kaleb and the ghost and Judd is now officially my favourite hero in this series. I also want to know what Alice Eldridge is going to add to the story and, like I suppose everyone else by now, who is Kaleb looking for?

Grade: 4/5