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Shannon K. Butcher
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Burning Alive: The Sentinel Wars Kindle Edition

by Shannon K. Butcher (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 291 ratings
See all formats and editions
First in an all-new paranormal romance series

Caution : readers may feel the heat coming off the pages.

They are the Sentinels...

Three races descended from ancient guardians of mankind, each possessing unique abilities in their battle to protect humanity against their eternal foes-the Synestryn. Now, one warrior must fight his own desire if he is to discover the power that lies within his one true love...

Helen Day is haunted by visions of herself surrounded by flames, as a dark-haired man watches her burn. So when she sees the man of her nightmares staring at her from across a diner, she attempts to flee-but instead ends up in the man's arms. There, she awakens a force more powerful and enticing than she could ever imagine. For the man is actually Theronai warrior Drake, whose own pain is driven away by Helen's presence.

Together, they may become more than lovers-they may become a weapon of light that could tip the balance of the war and save Drake's people...
Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 11
    The Sentinel Wars
  2. Print length
    340 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Berkley
  6. Publication date
    March 24, 2009
  7. Reading age
    18 years and up
  8. File size
    668 KB
  9. Page Flip
    Enabled
  10. Word Wise
    Enabled
  11. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  12. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Butcher's absorbing series opener successfully fuses an urban fantasy premise with characters designed to appeal to romance readers. Helen Day encounters a man in a diner and is dismayed to realize she recognizes him from nightmares where he watches her burn to death. Drake, an ancient member of a dying race devoted to protecting humanity, feels a powerful attraction to Helen, which she returns despite her fear that the nightmare will come true. After demons attack them, Drake's determination to keep Helen safe is at odds with her haunting vision, leaving her wondering which to believe. Butcher skillfully balances erotic, tender interactions with Helen's worries, and intriguing secondary characters further enhance the unusual premise. Fans of Butcher's romantic suspense novels (No Control, etc.) will enjoy her turn toward the paranormal. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Passionate, intense, and set in an utterly fascinating new world."
-New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0020BUWZU
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley; Original edition (March 24, 2009)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 24, 2009
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 668 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 340 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 291 ratings

About the author

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Shannon K. Butcher

Shannon K. Butcher

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Bestselling author Shannon K. Butcher, who now writes as Anna Argent, has written more than thirty titles since launching her career in 2007. She has three award-winning series, including the paranormal romance series The Sentinel Wars, the action-romance series The Edge, and the romantic suspense Delta Force Trilogy. Her alter ego Anna Argent also writes several series with a fresh and interesting spin on paranormal romance (The Lost Shards, The Taken and The Stone Men series) as well as a contemporary romance series set in a small town in the Ozarks. As a former engineer and current nerd, she frequently uses charts, graphs and tables to aid her in the mechanics of story design, world building and to keep track of all those colorful characters, magical powers and alternate worlds. An avid bead and glass artist, she spends her free time turning small sparkly bits into larger sparkly bits. She’s rarely on social media, so the best place to find out news about upcoming releases under either name is via her newsletter. You can sign up at AnnaArgent.com.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
291 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Heather Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars Making a battle seem like a ballroom dance
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2022
Verified Purchase
That was such a good read, looking forward to the next book. Shannon wrote a battle scene where the love between two seemed like a beautiful dance. It was absolutely enthralling. Yes this is your typical paranormal Romance, damn it's good though.
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Kelley H
4.0 out of 5 stars Promising beginning to a new series
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2009
Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )Verified Purchase
If you are a fan of dark and sexy urban fantasy romance, than you will enjoy Burning Alive by Shannon K Butcher.

Helen Day has had dreams for much of her life. In these dreams, she sees herself surrounded by flames, burning alive, while a mysterious man watches. Imagine he horror when one evening in a diner she sees that very man, staring at her. Terrified of what this means, Helen tries to flee, only to have her life turned upside down in a single moment.

Drake is one of the Sentinels, a Theronai man who sees his fate in the eyes of Helen. Having suffered agonizing pain for years, one touch of Helen and his pain is gone. When he realizes his enemies the Synestryn are after Helen, he will do whatever it takes to protect this woman, whether she wants him to or not.

Helen holds the fate of the Sentinels in her hands, for reasons that stun the Theronai when they meet her. However, if Helen cannot conquer her fear of fire, and the imminent death seeing Drake has foreseen, they don't stand a chance against the Synestryn. Soon, Helen and Drake will be Burning Alive with passion... and danger.

I was intrigued by the premise of The Sentinel Wars series and eager to give Burning Alive a try, not having read Shannon K Butcher previously. I love that the series set up is quite original, not populated with the usual vampires, shape shifters, and fae. Rather than try to carve a unique niche into an already overpopulated market, Butcher creates her own creatures and fantasy rules.

Helen is a likeable heroine, so normal in her behavior. She's no powerful female warrior in the beginning. She's just a typical woman with very human fears and desires. However, don't let that fool you into thinking she is weak. As the story progresses, Helen grows in her strength and adapts to the fantastical world into which she has just been thrust. Drake is a powerful warrior, standing up under unimaginable agony for centuries. While he carries on, this suffering does wear him down slowly so when he finds Helen eases his suffering, it's no wonder he can't stand to be separated from her. I liked the fact that it is actually a physical separation he is afraid of, which throws a few wrenches into the works when danger approaches. We are also introduced to several fascinating secondary characters, some who are obviously only meant for one book, others who I suspect we will be seeing again in future books in the series.

For an action-packed urban fantasy romance however, there are several parts in Burning Alive that seem to drag on, slowing down the pace of the story almost completely. This is likely due to the information dumps required in setting up a new world and series. I also had a hard time keeping some of the types of beings straight in my head, especially the Synestryn. There are so many different types of these demonic beings that I kept getting confused, especially since it appears that there are only two particular kinds of beings belonging to the other two Sentinel races - the Theronai and the Sanguinar. It almost felt like Butcher felt the need to create so many kinds of bad guys just to ensure plenty of battle scenes.

I already have book 2 in the series, Finding the Lost, and look forward to spending more time in the world of The Sentinel Wars. Hopefully the few issues I had with Burning Alive will not repeat in future books in the series and will increase my understanding of the world and hold me captive throughout the story.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, December 2009. All rights reserved.
2 people found this helpful
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Frankie Marie
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic series!
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2019
Verified Purchase
Absolutely love this series! The men are sexy, the women are wounded but tough, and pretty much all the characters get their story told throughout the series. Just enough sex to make it steamy, but not so much that it's literary porn. This is all within a supernatural story line with magic, monsters, and an epic war. Love it and can't wait for the next book in the series!!!
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R Gee
3.0 out of 5 stars Something a little different
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2011
Verified Purchase
Good story. Finally something a little different. There's these Sentinenals warriors who are at war with the Synestryn demons. The demons come out at night in search of blood so they eat people and wreak havoc along the way. Their ultimate goal is to find a way in to an alternate world where a race of superior beings can supply them with their unique blood and make them all powerful. Then, there will be no stopping them.

Then there are the Sentinels whose women were all but wiped out many years ago and their men are sterile and dying. No women, no children. What a sad lonly existence. Their lifespan is told by the tree tattooed on their bodies. When the last leaf falls from the tree, they're nearing the end of their life. Their bodies collect energy during their lifespan and without their other half to help release the energy, they stay in constant physical pain and lonliness until they're soul dies, then their body.

There were some good characters. Look out for Sybil. She's a huge suprise. Helen and Drake weren't the best pair of leading lovers I've read about, but they did alright. Once again, the female protagonist, Helen, is written on the weak, fragile, soft side. Of course she has devastating background that keeps her from reaching her full potential. I didn't particularly care for her without Drake. They did burn up sheets a time or two.

Now her friend, Levi, a fiery little mystery, who was barely in this story, I bet will stand up to the task and take on the big bad guys like a pro. I'm sure her story will be told. There's a spicy Sentinel after her already.

The story takes place over a three day period. So much happened in three days but story had a few lulls that caused me to skim the pages some. A lot of repeating of thoughts going on.

This story is worthy of a 3.5 rating. This is the 1st I've read from this author. I'll pick her up again.
2 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesomeness!!!!
Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2018
Verified Purchase
I love Shannon K. Butchers books!!! She has a clear concise way of letting the story unfold, while still providing a sense of anticipation for the journey ahead. Strong characters with depth and integrity that allow them to walk of the page and into reality. I very rarely re-read a series but the Sentinel Wars are a superb exception.
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!
Reviewed in Canada on May 3, 2013
Verified Purchase
I loved this book and I can't wait to read the others in the series, well done Shannon and keep up the good work!
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L. Murphy
5.0 out of 5 stars A little bit different, very intriguing!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 13, 2009
Verified Purchase
I am fairly new to this author, having only read one of her other books, but I think I might be hooked! She's definitely going on my, "Hmm, I Need A New Book, What Are The Excerpts Like?" list (a step down from, but with the potential for promotion to, the "I Don't Care What The Reviews Say, I've Got To Have It" list).
This was a really interesting, fast-paced, sexy story, and what made it stand out from the run-of-the-mill paranormals getting churned out today was the excellent characters of the hero and his companions. My only niggle, perhaps, would be that this may have been slightly at the expense of the heroine, Helen. I have much more of an impression of him, a day after reading the book, than I do her.

The story arc quickly becomes unpredictable, so there's no taking it for granted that any or all of the characters are going to have a happy ending. Obviously, I want that to ultimately happen, or I'd be reading James Herbert, but this is not a formulaic book, and it was deeply engaging - imagine: not all the characters mentioned are automatically going to be featured in their own HEA 3 books into the series!

The unpredictability stopped me from skimming - a bad habit I've got into when the majority of the books I read follow the same pattern - and kept me interested. The sex was hot, the Helen & Drake's relationship felt realistic, and I really want the next book to come out very soon!
4 people found this helpful
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MaggiePie
4.0 out of 5 stars Amazing characters make 'Sentinel Wars' a great series
Reviewed in Canada on August 5, 2014
Verified Purchase
I was nearly surprised that I got as hooked on 'The Sentinel Wars' series as quickly as I did.

While the writing style isn't perfect, there's no denying that Shannon Butcher can write intriguing characters who make up for a litany of faults. She takes the time to explain the world she's created in a way that actually adds to the story, and is able to draw the reader into a widely arcing story they'll never want to end.
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