This entry gave me so much of what I've been wanting in terms of moving the macro world plot forward, but the trade off was SO MUCH FILLER.

Adria and Riaz's set up as a couple faced something that is an interesting question in this universe: Riaz found his mate, but she was already in love and married. Adria is not his mate, but they have a pull toward each other and eventually get together. So what does that mean, in the grand scheme of things?

Obviously they stay together because this is a romance after all, but I liked the questions it brought up about who fate picks and who they choose as their partners. Because Riaz is hurting about his mate, however, made his actions and the way he lashes out at Adria in the beginning INCREDIBLY AWFUL. I was mad, fuming at him, and he did not apologize anywhere near enough for my taste. They just let their hot flaming passion take the wheel. I did like that they both eventually came into the relationship being open about their hurt and their pasts, but that first tinge of rage at Riaz didn't really clear up for me. I loved Adria, though. Loved everything she was going through, loved how she decided to love herself and Riaz, loved her reintegrating into the pack, loved it all.

Ostensibly this is a book about Riaz and Adria. Both were living away from the Den and are reintegrating back into pack life so it makes sense that there is a LOT of pack stuff, but so much of it could have been cut. In this book, we: learn about the sea changeling consortium and an alliance starting to be brokered; catch up with the Human Alliance and what they've been up to; continue with Sascha & Co. and their project; follow the Arrows as they continue to do whatever weird shit they're doing and learn a LOT more about them; follow Kaleb as he continues to hunt whatever the fuck he's hunting; follow Hawke/Sienna as they adjust to being mated/talk about the future/deal with Sienna being targeted by Ming; learn Riley and Mercy are pregnant...it goes on and on.

(There was soooo so so much Sienna/Hawke and I have already made my feelings on that pairing known. Spoiler alert: this book continues to have the characters/narrative tell us that Sienna is soooo grown up and mature and strong for her age to be paired with the much older Hawke. Barf.)

I do love the world and pack and family building MUCH more than the romances, but wow there was so much in this. A lot of the extra world stuff could have been cut or some of it started two books ago. (Especially in [b:Play of Passion|7831145|Play of Passion (Psy-Changeling #9)|Nalini Singh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1272490500l/7831145._SY75_.jpg|10894547] where nothing else was happening.)

As for the ending with Kaleb...good thing I found out his book is next in the series because WHAAAAT THE FUUUUCKKKK IS GOING ON THERE???