Release-Day Review: Her Sexy Sentinel by Jenn Burke

Her Sexy Sentinel
Jenn Burke
Published: Jan. 26, 2015 (Entangled: Covet)
Purchase: Amazon
Review Source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

Reviewed by: Amy

Rating (out of 5): 3.5 stars

When things in Callie Nobel’s life get frighteningly complicated, she runs back to Ottawa—a place where she spent significant time while in school. Unfortunately, Callie can’t avoid trouble completely once she gets there. Instead of running, Callie is surprised to fight off her would-be attackers with strange powers that she’s never experienced before. Fleeing from that situation, there’s only one person Callie can think to turn to, Derrick Llewellyn—a former classmate who could’ve been something more if he hadn’t blatantly turned Callie down.

The last person Derrick expected to see again was Callie, but as soon as he does, he recognizes in her what he has within himself: magic. Derrick is part of the Community. More specifically he’s the Knight, a Sentinel, tasked with protecting those of the Community. The very thing that drove him to reject Callie all those years ago is the same thing that’s pulling them towards each other again. All that has to be put on hold though when Callie is unwillingly pulled further into the workings of the Community. What she finds is a world full of awe and wonder, as well as a lot of danger, and her feelings for Derrick may just be the most dangerous of all.

Readers are thrown into the world of the Community pretty much from the first page. I suppose it goes to say our experience mirrors that of Callie’s because she, too, is thrown right into a new, unexpected situation. It’s this fact, I think, that made Her Sexy Sentinel feel like it was missing something. It’s the fact that since the story is so quickly paced there is literally no time for the slow build-up of teaching Callie how to wield her new powers. She basically has to learn ‘on the job,’ so to speak, as situations arise.

Because Callie knows so little, her viewpoint is frustrating. If that sounds negative, I don’t mean for it to be. I believe it’s her emotions leaping off the page. I would be frustrated too if someone expected me to do a job that I just plain didn’t know how to do. In the fashion of the strong heroines I like to read about, Callie doesn’t back down from a challenge. One of those challenges just so happens to be Derrick.

Luckily, Her Sexy Sentinel switches POV between Callie and Derrick. Since Derrick has had the knowledge about magic from the beginning, when we’re reading from his side of things, all the situations and terminology make much more sense. What we get on Derrick’s side is his more conflicted feelings about Callie. Callie is admittedly attracted to Derrick and she wants to pursue things further. Derrick, for reasons not immediately explained, has known from the beginning that he and Callie cannot be together. The frustration on his side comes through, wanting Callie so much but almost being forced to stand aside. It’s an interesting conflict of interest.

Jenn Burke sets up a pretty unique world in Her Sexy Sentinel. Since the storyline followed a certain path, I understand why some things maybe felt a little incomplete. I’m hoping, based on events at the end of Her Sexy Sentinel, that any more additions to this series will clarify some things a little. It has a lot of promise.

Sexual content: sex, references to abuse