I’ve been reading a lot of less romantic novels recently, so I was very excited to start Touched By Darkness. Romance is my other reading passion, so I go into a kind of withdrawal if I don’t feed my hopelessly romantic heart.Dr. Kara Cantrell has a lot to hide because her past brought her into contact with an alien race that she is genetically compatible with helping. That help got her in quite a lot of trouble, so she has been in hiding with her young son.Enter Damien, a Sentinel (basically one of the good guys) and sparks fly. He is tall, dark, handsome, and intimidating.Kara is naturally fearful of his appearance in her life, but when inexplicable bodies start popping up, she is forced to recognized that Damien is the only person who can help her and her son Alex. The two of them join forces to solve the mystery of the being that is causing all of the deaths and in the process… well, you know…. romance!!!!Touched By Darkness was perfect for me! I love that Catherine Spangler has created a believable universe, using Atlantean lore and a our regular modern society. She crafts her version of Atlantis flawlessly and provides a fictionally plausible reason for the fascination of Atlantis.Along these lines, her backstory is fabulous. I think you can always tell when an author doesn’t research enough of a back story for his/her characters. There just seems to be either something missing, or character flaws that have no viable explanation/reason. That is not the case with Dr. Kara Cantrell. She has been very clearly created with enough backstory that you feel like you understand her and can empathize with her. She is very real to me.As for Damien, there is also a wonderful back story for him! I was surprised by that, because when you are basically dealing with an “alien” like character, an author can sometimes get away with less back story, but you needn't worry in this case. He is a wonderfully flawed hero and you will love finding out why.The chemistry between Kara and Damien is intense! Whether it is anger, caring or love, it was great reading the adventure of these these two strong characters, and when sparks fly…. WATCH OUT! I just loved it! I’m looking forward to the next in The Sentinel Series! If you would like a great summer romance along with your urban fantasy, you will love Touched By Darkness.If you like this review, please check out more of my others at www.sciencefictionandsuch.com
Actually, it should be darned grateful it didn't get DNFed. Why? The first 50+ pages were one long What Would I Do moment. Then...You get the real grit about what is involved in the whole Sentinel/Conductor non-relationship. Frankly, it skeeves me out. Ok, to be honest, I do not like it when sex is reduced from an entanglement to a ah... meaningless religious ceremony or something. And I *really* don't like it when the H shrugs at the possibility of pregnancy (because apparently a ghost suit is unheard of) and says things like "if it's the will of the One". Yeah. Then you realize the organization has conductors it can send out to assist the Sentinel.As I said to someone, it reminds me of something a friend came up with to mess with Nigerian scammers - Sophonda Cox and her Prostitutes for Jesus.How womantic.The characters... maybe I should just stick with the h at the moment. Given to being a drama queen (as opposed to calmly telling him to get lost, she panics and scares her kid half to death), she really got on my nerves for the first half of the book.Am pretty sure there's been a 15 day wait to PURCHASE a handgun for some time - she goes and buys a baretta (that the local hardware store in bumblefart nowhere just *happened* to have in stock?!) and takes it home. Has to wait on a permit to carry though. Huh.The H? Well, he was tied to that What Would I Do moment. What would I do? Shoot, shovel, and run like hell.
What do You think about Touched By Darkness (2013)?
This was a pleasant surprise. No vampires, and it's in an urban setting!The premise was unusual -- ancient superbeings from Atlantis -- but I forgot that as soon as I got into the story. The world created by the author is a harsh one, and I'm with Kara in trying to forget reality for a dream of "normalcy". Kara's beloved husband was killed one night brutally while she could only watch. She survived that night, only to discover she was pregnant. Her son is her world, and if you even think to hurt
—Jayne dArcy
Since there is no half star marks, I am giving this one a 3.5 officially! This was my first Catherine Spangler book and I snagged it free from amazon. I was hooked by the summary and went ahead and dived right in. Ok so first off, as I began reading, I felt like I had missed something. I went back to make sure I started at the beginning and made sure that this was the first book in the series. It might have just been me, but I was confused by the authors introduction of the Sentinels and the Belians. I didn't feel that there was enough information to fully entice me into this work and I went through the rest of the book focusing solely on the development of Damien and Kara's relationship. I liked the characters and thought that they worked will with one another and the world that Spangler created, but I would have liked to have seen some more originality in the creation. I love to hear about quirks and things that characters have and I felt that these characters were lacking the roundness of those that I prefer. I also really liked the inclusion of a child in the book. It is rare to come across a child that sits as a main character while plotting the course of a romance novel, but I loved Alex and became invested in his well being and also in his future.I think that this was a good, quick read. As I said above, I skipped the actual parts that furthered the Sentinel/Belian plot and opted for the romance, but I think that it was definitely an entertaining read!
—Sarah
I can't decide whether to give this 2 or 3 stars. I finished reading it, and it was OK. I just have major objections to one of the main premises of the book. Sex is power, I don't think anyone denies that. But the first half of this book if fraught with the spectre of rape and Stockholm Syndrome. "If you want to save the town, and the world, from this supernatural killer, you MUST have sex with me." His charm and the guilt trip eventually wear her down. And because he's a supernatural STUD, all her objections are washed away in wave after wave of orgasm.Yeah. Still pretty much rape.My other objection is minor, but still valid. This supernatural sex is ONLY hetero. The author explicitly states that: Sentinals and Conductors are always of the opposite sex. Really, Ms. Spangler? Such an attitude in the 21st century?
—Rob
