5 Wine Glass #Review of Sentinel of Darkness by Katie Reus

Title: Sentinel of Darkness
Series: Darkness #8
Author: Katie Reus
Format: Kindle Edition, 99 pages
Published: October 16th 2018 by KR Press, LLC
ISBN: ASIN B07FPS3N22
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Linda
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 5 out of 5 Wine Glasses

She thought she’d put her past behind her…

Local artist Keva might be human, but she knows about the things that go bump in the night. Years ago, a dragon shifter saved her from certain death. Ever since, she’s lived in his clan’s territory and put her life back together. But the feeling of security is only an illusion, because her past has come back to haunt her. A past with claws and fangs, demanding blood.

He’ll do whatever it takes to defend his mate…

Dagen has finally met his mate—except he insults her the first time they meet. He’s not too proud to grovel to get back into her good graces. But when a threat from her past emerges, he realizes that he’ll do anything to keep her safe. Even if it means dying—or losing her forever.

Linda's Thoughts:
He was going to make her his… 

Sentinel of Darkness is a wonderful novella in Katie Reus’ Darkness collection. It’s a paranormal urban fantasy delight! While the story is told in just under a hundred pages, Katie packs an awesome punch with it with fully-developed characters and a fabulous story line. It truly feels like a full-length novel. I actually meant to just read a couple pages in it one evening before I went to sleep but ended up devouring the whole thing instead. Katie is an amazing author and Sentinel of Darkness is a shining example.

Keva’s a talented artist and a human; Dagen’s a dragon. Years ago, Keva became aware of the existence of dragons when Conall, the Alpha of the Petronilla dragon-shifter clan, saved her from her abusive wolf-shifter boyfriend. Since then, Keva has left that past behind her - living and working in dragon territory under Conall’s protection. But, now, her ex’s family have found her and she’s in mortal danger.

Meanwhile, she and Dagen have met for the first time. Dagen recognizes her right away as his one true mate – but, sadly, not before he firmly lodges his foot in his mouth during their initial meeting. So… major groveling moves to the forefront of his to-do list before he can court her and ask her to be his. Most immediately, he has to protect her from those who want her dead.

Keva is cute, feisty and independent. Dagen is the superb persona of an alpha hyper-protective male but, it’s paired with a bit of insecurity. He is a huge, powerful dragon – chained to his own torturous baggage from the past. I like that while he’s very protective, he’s not paranoid nor does he try to take complete control of Keva’s life. That said, I couldn’t help but chuckle every time Dagen couldn’t suppress his growling when another male talked to Keva. Their chemistry is off-the-charts and they make a perfect couple.

Following please find a few of my favorite lines from Sentinel of Darkness:

“You make it hard to breathe,” he whispered.

--- 
She turned to face him and suddenly he was all up in her space, his lips crushing hers. Just like that, another rush of heat spread through her, scorching and all-consuming.
Groaning, he pulled back. “I’m sorry ---“
Keva grabbed his shirt, pulling him right back to her. Hell no. If he was going to start something, she was going to finish it.

--- 
“You could never be a weakness,” he growled. Ever. She could only ever be his everything.

Sentinel of Darkness is the eighth installment in Katie’s Darkness series; however, this tale works perfectly well as a stand alone if that is your preference. I love this series and this book is my favorite in the series so far. I laughed, swooned and held on to the edge of my seat. The ending left me with a huge smile. I can’t think of a higher compliment to a book and to an author than to say that I can still feel a warm glow when I think about Sentinel of Darkness days later. Have I mentioned how much I love dragons?

Now, I’m happy dancing at the news that we will be treated to a Christmas story featuring the Petronilla clan entitled A Very Dragon Christmas next month! I can’t wait!



Suggested Reading Order: 
DARKNESS AWAKENED (Book #1)
TASTE OF DARKNESS (Book #2)
BEYOND THE DARKNESS (Book #3)
HUNTED BY DARKNESS (Book #4)
INTO THE DARKNESS (Book #5)
SAVED BY DARKNESS (Book #6)
Guardian of Darkness (Book #7)
Sentinel of Darkness (Book #8)
A Very Dragon Christmas (Book #9) – Releasing Nov 2018!