Title: Partners in Persuasion
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling #11.5, Psy-Changeling Season One #11.5
In: Wild Embrace (Nalini Singh)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Gollancz
Year: 2016
5th sentence, 74th page: And now she didn’t protest when he wrapped his own hand around her nape and held her tight as they kissed.
Still raw from being burned by a dominant female, wolf changeling Felix will never again risk being a plaything. But for dominant leopard Dezi, he’s the most fascinating man she’s ever met. She just has to convince this gun-shy wolf that he can trust the dangerous cat who wants to take a slow, sexy bite out of him…
The idea of a more dominant female that was so beautifully explored in Play of Passion comes to full fruition in this great short story. Not to mention the way in which the cross pack relationships that Riley and Mercy began seem to filter through and bloom within Partners in Persuasion. Not only does this short story have the same tantalising and spine-tingling romance that characterises the Psy-Changeling series, it also displays the filtering through of the expanded acceptance between the two bonded changeling groups.
As someone who ultimately had to make the first move, I really appreciated that Singh was able to write so wonderfully of Dezi’s playful stalking of Felix. Although I know that it is rare even in everyday life, not to mention a peculiarity in most stories, the idea of the female being the aggressor in the relationship and courtship was a welcome one. Felix’s ability to accept this and return her overtures of courtship was even more tantalising. Although the roles of courtship that we tend to traditionally assign to a gender within the relationship were reversed, both Dezi and Felix were able to acknowledge each other’s femininity and masculinity respectively.
Earth and Skye 
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