Heart's Sentinel
P.J. SchnyderParanormal romance
Available from Decadent Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-936394-11-1
August 2010
| Not everyone is meant to be a shapeshifter, and Mackenzie Sunton fears her brutal initiation may have turned her into a monster. She seeks out the River Gap pride for protection against the stalker still after her and to learn about her new powers. Fearing she might need to be put down because she represents a danger to others, she tries to maintain a protective emotional shell about herself, but the River Gap cubs won't let her. Despite her fears, she is secretly pleased by their acceptance when they surround and pounce on her.
Adam, a River Gap Sentinel, is assigned as her guard and mentor. Well aware how new she is to the shapeshifter world, he tamps down the flames of primal desire she ignites as he assess her. He is drawn to her in a way that both puzzles and worries him. But, he also realizes that to defeat the stalker, they both need to first battle their pasts and learn to trust. Heart's Sentinel is definitely a book about trust. Mackenzie needs to trust herself and Adam needs to trust that Mackenzie will be able to accept him as both beast and man. A past event in his life, too similar to what Mackenzie suffered, causes Adam to maintain his distance. But Mackenzie instinctively knows that even if Adam needed to kill, he was nothing like the stalker who violated her. She trusts him more than he trusts himself. P.J. Schnyder has written a shapeshifter world in which even dominant males learn to respect and care for each other. Not a natural instinct for a large cat. Mackenzie's fear is understandable as is Adam's need to protect her, even from himself. Mackenzie's apprehension of her stalker is also justified, and even though it is clear to Adam and the reader that she is not a danger to the children, Mackenzie still doesn't trust herself. But Adam is an excellent guard and teacher and Mackenzie proves to be a most willing pupil. I enjoyed Heart's Sentinel very much, and look forward to reading more books by Ms. Schnyder. Her world is fascinating and complex and Heart's Sentinel is the perfect introduction to it.
Overall rating:
Reviewer: Kathryn |
