New Year's Kisses

Psy-Changeling #12.7

by Nalini Singh

A short story featuring juveniles from the SnowDancer & DarkRiver packs.

Timeline: Takes place some time before Shield of Winter.

This story can be found on Nalini Singh's official website.

Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Short Stories, Shapeshifters, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

1 pages, ebook

First published December 30, 2014

About the author

I've been writing as long as I can remember and all of my stories always held a thread of romance (even when I was writing about a prince who could shoot lasers out of his eyes). I love creating unique characters, love giving them happy endings and I even love the voices in my head. There's no other job I would rather be doing. In September 2002, when I got the call that Silhouette Desire wanted to buy my first book, Desert Warrior, it was a dream come true. I hope to continue living the dream until I keel over of old age on my keyboard.


I was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand. I also spent three years living and working in Japan, during which time I took the chance to travel around Asia. I’m back in New Zealand now, but I’m always plotting new trips. If you’d like to see some of my travel snapshots, have a look at the Travel Diary page (updated every month).

So far, I've worked as a lawyer, a librarian, a candy factory general hand, a bank temp and an English teacher and not necessarily in that order. Some might call that inconsistency but I call it grist for the writer's mill.

Reviews

[Sophia Triad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cats and wolves are having a party!
For precisely, the young males and females from the DarkRiver leopard pack and from the SnowDancer wolf pack are having a good time together at the house of Mercy and Riley.
It is definitely nice to see these two so different packs mingling, building tight bonds and bridging their differences.

[Angela (Angel's Book Nook) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riordan a wolf and Noelle a cat get the younger adults together to mingle and break the ice now that DarkRiver leopard pack and the SnowDancer wolf pack are allies. It was cute and nice to see bonds being made. It can be read without reading any Psy-Changeling before.

Can be found and read on Nalini Singh's website under Psy/Changeling Free Short Stories.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

1st read - January 2015
2nd read - October 2020
3rd read - September 2021

Noelle and Riordan are so cute together. I love that he doesn't try to exclude Lissa too, he understands the bond between the twins. It's nice to see more mixing between the DarkRiver & SnowDancer packs although I have a feeling it's going to cause no end of headaches for Lucas & Hawke lol.

I love Nalini for constantly supplying my Psy-Changeling addiction with these fab little snippets of the characters :-)

[Somia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice super short read.

I don't really remember Riordan and Noelle so need to pay attention when I re-read the full length books.

[Dali · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that how Nalini is constantly giving us more of her incredible writing skills, applied to this wonderful series and characters.

Leopard and wolf come together...

“Welcome to our New Year’s party... Noelle and I decided it was time our friends became friends.”

with love in the air

"She was it for him. His port in any storm, his playmate, his laughter."

If you want to read these free short stories you can always to to her web page and/or subscribe to her newsletter.

[The Cats’ Mother · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute short story from the spy-changeling series, I can't remember if I read is before, like a lot of these snippets which appear in her newsletters, these don't affect the overall plot, just add to the background of the characters.

[Dina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the Psy-Changeling short stories that Ms. Singh gifts us in her newsletters, but this one was just okay to me. Not bad, but it didn't impress me much - probably because I don't really remember Riordan and Noelle, the main characters here, so it was hard to fully engage myself into the story.

I prefer the short stories that gives us glimpses into previous H/h's lives after their HEA, but if Ms. Singh wants to focus on secondary characters in her free short stories, I'll take it. I'll always read anything she writes. :)

[Aly is so frigging bored · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best story to start the year with!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mush~~

[Maida (Medley of Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

RATING: 4.5 Hearts

[Shannon (Savhage Temptrest) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was so good! I loved seeing the young changelings getting together for New Years and spending time with one another.

This really was the first time since Mercy and Riley got together, that the cats and the wolves were intermingled and hanging out with one another. I liked the tension of the unknown and the couples that actually came together. I particularly loved seeing Noel again and I thought is was so cute how the story ended with sleeping felines and canines together at the Mercy and Riley's cabin.

I just love Nalini Singh and her glimpses into the lives of some of my favorite characters in the Psy/Changeling series, secondary and main!

[Fanny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Al igual que la mayoria de escenas extras de esta saga me gusto, fue un relato agradable de leer y me gusto que la autora nos presente mas en profundidad a los personajes secundarios y no solo se centre en los principales.

2.5 Estrellas!

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bunch of teens from both the DarkRiver leopards and SnowDance wolves clans are gathered for a party to bridge their differences and dicrease tention.

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detente between the SnowDancer and DarkRiver Changling Packs for New Years at a party hosted by Riordan and Noelle. Sweet and fun!

[Kathy Davie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This free short story fits in just before Shield of Winter , 13, at 12.9 in the Psy-Changeling paranormal romance series. The couple focus is actually on a threesome: Riordan and Noelle and they don't exclude Noelle's twin, Lissa.

If you want to read it, sign up for Nalini Singh's newsletter. It can be found in the December 30, 2014 newsletter, or you can see the limited information at Goodreads.

My Take
This was sweet with Riordan, Noelle, and Lissa determined to help bring the two packs together in emotional friendship and not just tolerant of the other. It's so great to see young people take responsibility and look to the future.

"because she was it for him. His port in any storm, his playmate, his laughter."

The Story
It's New Year's Eve and Riordan, Noelle, and Lissa want this new year to start off right, and what could be better than a party!

The Characters
Riley is SnowDancer and his mate, Mercy, is DarkRiver.

The rest are the younger adults (novice soldiers, university students, apprentices etc) in both the DarkRiver leopard pack and the SnowDancer wolf pack.

DarkRiver leopards

Noelle and Lissa are twins, and Noelle is in love with Riordan.

Grey is Mercy's youngest brother. Corey is the first to show offense, and the first to cross that line. Lucas is the alpha.

SnowDancer wolves

Riordan is in love with Noelle and has always been able to tell the twins apart. He cares enough about Noelle to always include Lissa.

Sienna (yep, she's the one mated to the SnowDancer alpha, Hawke) understands the importance of this party. Cadence.

Other partiers include:

Kit, Nico, Tai, Amos, and Jason ends up snuggled with Nicki.

The Title
The title is a metaphor for what Mercy and Riley and Riordan and Noelle are hoping for, peace and friendship between DarkRiver and SnowDancer clans with "New Year's Kisses".

[Lucy Qhuay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aaaaww! I love when everybody's happy and there are no major issues awaiting!

[ari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely

[Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories dedicated to how great Mercy and Riley are, how everyone loves them regardless of pack allegiances, and how they’re the glue that keep both packs together are my favourite. Throw in Sienna using (inter-)Pack gossip about her shenanigans as a way to break the ice between the two groups, everyone deciding that pupcubs are A Thing now, and the fact that this entire New Year’s Eve party idea was a result of both groups deciding that the pupcubs will naturally belong to both packs, no matter what their animal will be, and there’s not much that can go wrong.

[Zaskya Benítez · Rating 3 out of 5]

El relato no aporta nada para el desarrollo general de la trama, pero nos permite observar como las manadas se van uniendo y comparten momentos importantes y divertidos, sobretodo los más jóvenes que ante determinadas circunstancias, podrían ser los primeros en saltar y es simplemente adorable. Además tenemos un vistazo de Mercy y Riley lo cual se agradece SIEMPRE

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riordan and Noelle . She has a twin sister Lissa she's very close to. Riordan doesn't make her choose, he gets to know Lissa and uses Mercy and Riley's house for a party to get DR and SD to get along.

[Tara♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Riordan (SnowDancer wolf) and Noelle (DarkRiver solider) trying to get their friends to hang out together without killing each other. It worked. Booze, food and dancing. Mercy and Riley were very brave to lend their home to a bunch of juveniles for a 'test' party!

[BooksLoveBrains · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute, short snippet of wolves and kitty-cats getting along. I couldn't stop smiling the whole time reading. Also loved the call-back to some of our faves, including Hawke and Sienna's infamous bar scene.

[Lissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roirdan and Nicole, LIssa & Sienna host New Years eve party at Mercy & Riley house to get packs to be friends. M&R want acceptance of their young in both pack no matter what the animal, want the distrust gone.

[Carla Aristondo · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Tailtiu · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://nalinisingh.com/extras/psychan...#

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

me encanta esta serie!!! excelentes historias, excelentes personajes!!!

[Angel Padillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute short story with the SD and DR members

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novices hold an inter-species New Years Eve party at Mercy and Riley’s place. I am so in love with the pubcubs already.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Happy New Year! 🎆🐯🐺

[Nicole Mole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short read!