Sunday, July 28, 2013

FALLING BLIND by Shannon K. Butcher

The Sentinel Wars #7
Signet Novel, April 2013
paperback
Obtained via:  publisher
ISBN: 978-0-451-23972-3
Romantic Suspense

 

Warriors, demon lords and romance?  Shannon Butcher manages it easily in her latest romantic suspense, FALLING BLIND.

Rory has been having visions for most of her life.  Keeping them secret has not been easy.  They cause her to go blind, seeing only what the vision wants her to see, while she is experiencing them.  When she is attacked by a pack of what she comes to learn are Synestryn, Cain, a Sentinel who protects mankind from the Synestryn, comes to her aid.  As a Theronai with compatible powers to him, Rory has the ability to save his life by mating with him.  As his life’s journey is quickly coming to an end, he is more than shocked when he realizes Rory is a Theronai match for him.  But he is also afraid of having hope and having it crushed as he was once before.  With a demon lord fast on their tails, Cain must keep the stubborn Rory safe while she continues to attempt to find the miracle that will keep her visions at bay.

FALLING BLIND is the seventh book in Shannon K. Butcher’s Sentinel Wars books.  Though this reader has heard that the books need to be read in order to fully appreciate them, this reader did not find that to be the case.  Ms. Butcher is a talented writer who is able to set the scene and fill in the background well enough that I wasn’t left wondering who was who and why they were showing up.  The world building, in which three races of ancient guardian Sentinels battle to keep the Synestryn and demons from causing trouble among mankind, is well developed and leaves the stage open for many future books in the series.  The story moves at a nice clip, easily capturing readers’ interest.

The only real negative that this reader encountered was Rory, the heroine.  Her main focus is searching for something to make her visions more manageable; completely understandable.  However, as soon as she touches Cain, she gets immediate and total relief from the visions.  And yet she doesn’t seem to realize, even at the end of the book, that he is the answer to all her problems.  She comes across as selfish and abrasive.  Even after she realizes Cain could die without her, she was constantly trying to get rid of him.  This reader thinks that most women who find a strong, sexy warrior who is the answer to all her problems offering to worship her for eternity, would probably want to see where their relationship would lead them.  On the other hand, Cain was all that and a bag of chips.  He refuses to give up on Rory and is ready to give up his life for her happiness.

Shannon K. Butcher’s FALLING BLIND was as powerful and engaging as it was magical and this reader thoroughly enjoyed it.  What will this talented author come up with next?


Reviewed by T. Barringer

"This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book."

 

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