Falling Blind (Sentinel Wars #7) by Shannon K. Butcher
Paranormal Romance
April 2, 2013
Signet

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: ‘’…there is no way I’m dying now-not with you as the prize for surviving.“

Cain, a centuries old warrior who has slipped into deep depression with the abandonment of his ward Sybil, finds his emotions reawakening when he comes upon a young wounded woman fighting for her life against demons.

Rory, who suffers from debilitating visions, has already escaped the vicious demons who held her captive once and will fight to the death before she allows capture again. Once Rory meets Cain and touches him, her visions disappear and she finds peace from the constant onslaught. Cain’s failure to protect his ward has left him feeling like a failure and unworthy to even consider Rory as a mate but as he and Rory spend more time together, he finds himself becoming more and more attached to her. When Rory is bitten by a demon who then uses her blood to attempt control of her, Cain and Rory work together to find the demons stronghold and destroy those who seek to subjugate her again.

The arc is set set on modern Earth, with a raging battle between good and evil is being fought right under our noses. Violence and romance go hand in hand as warriors called Sentinels fight to save mankind against the Synestryns while struggling to locate their mates before they die. Falling Blind is #7 in Shannon Butcher’s dark and gritty Sentinel series. A blending of urban fantasy and paranormal romance, Ms. Butcher gives us a series that intertwines new and old story lines to allow a smooth flowing storyline.The continuing progressive arc engages the reader and sets a fast pace for reading.

This installment focuses more on the main protagonists and their respective journey with the arc flowing softly along side, interjecting at key moments. Though I enjoyed the story overall, I felt the focus was too heavy on our protagonists which at times would cause the flow of the story to drag at times. We don’t get to spend hardly any time with the other characters and I missed that.

Rory and Cain, our hero and heroine are well matched. Both are strong, loyal, and independent. They both feel they have failed other people too many times and don’t deserve to be happy. I like that Cain, though an alpha male, quickly recognizes the strength that runs through Rory and respects it. The chemistry between them is apparently from first meeting though Butcher allows it to grow slowly and realistically. One problem that kept recurring was Rory’s stubbornness. She wanted Cain and accepted his help but every time something dramatic would happen, she would want to leave him. After the third time, it became irritating.

Ms. Butcher does grant us some past character cameos-however they are not as prominent as before. Those I enjoyed because that was really where the action played out. I continue to adore the rich depth and personality that Ms. Butcher uses to develop her characters. Ms. Butcher imparts diversity and individualism into both the characters and their dialogue. Light humor is sprinkled throughout which balances nicely against the overall seriousness of this series.

“Did you make this?
“I did.”
“You cook too? You know that is not playing far, right?”

“What?”

“Gorgeous men are supposed to be deeply flawed and relatively helpless. You’re neither, which gives you an unfair advantage over the entire man-loving population.”

Though all her characters continue to walk the gray line between good and evil, we see some very interesting changes in the landscape that I look forward to seeing develop further.

The ending is a taunt mixture of action and suspense with hints at what’s to come. It wraps up the main conflict nicely but leaves some open ended questions to help us transition into the next installment of this series; to be announced.

Overall rating: C+

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