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The Sentinels #3

Touched by Light

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Sensual supernatural romance from the author of Touched by Fire. Dr. Julia Reynolds lives a solitary existence. But Adam Masters is determined to draw her into a dark and dangerous otherworld-and make her give in to the stunning sexual attraction between them.

352 pages, ebook

First published April 29, 2009

11 people are currently reading
178 people want to read

About the author

Catherine Spangler

11 books243 followers

Catherine Spangler is a bestselling and award winning author of the Shielder series (futuristic romance)and the Sentinel Series (romantic urban fantasy). She is a two-time Golden Heart finalist and a RITA finalist and has received numerous other awards and honorable mentions.

She is an active member of Romance Writers of America and her local chapter, Dallas Area Romance Authors. A frequent speaker at writers' groups and conferences, she has taught workshops on the creative process, writing techniques, writing paranormal romance, and goal setting.

She lives in north Texas with her husband and a menagerie of critters. She loves reading, taking naps on the sofa with a good football game for background noise, eating chocolate, and playing poker.

Catherine's fun fact: I celebrated the sale of my first book, Shielder, by drinking champagne from a plastic cowboy boot mug. My critique partners brought four of them to my house, along with the champagne. Drinking champagne from those cowboy boot mugs every time one of us sold a book became a tradition, which we still honor.

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5 stars
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4 stars
62 (34%)
3 stars
50 (27%)
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16 (8%)
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
Profile Image for Barbara ★.
3,513 reviews291 followers
March 9, 2010
Adam very forcefully prodded Julia (psychically) to do his bidding. The first few chapters were very much mind rape and rather disturbing. I realize why he did it but Sentinels aren't supposed to harm humans. There are rules and laws and he came damn close to breaking all of them. I liked the first two books in this series but Adam is a complete asshole and I just couldn't relate to him. His attitude ruined this book for me. Julia eventually gives in but I think it's because she just can't fight him anymore not because she actually wants to help.
Profile Image for Cindy.
939 reviews19 followers
August 31, 2009
Good read. This is the third installment to the Sentinel series, a supernatural thriller of sorts. 'Of sorts' because our hero is a powerful agent serving the powers of Good; and yes, that is Good with a capital G. He has interesting powers and a Celestial mandate. Our heroine is a double PHD in Mathematics and Physics teaching at the University of Houston. 12 years ago she was the victim of a stalker who raped and tried to kill both her and her sister; as an added reminder of the trauma she now has visions. 6 months ago she was drawn into the world of the Sentinels by her sister's disappearance and final rescue. Now all she wants to do is be left alone. Unfortunately for her, the hero needs the aid of her visions to help in a literally life or death situation and he wants her permanently on a personal level. And just to make matters worse, the creep who raped and tried to murder her has been let out of jail and told to be a 'good boy' and not bother her. Yeah, like that's going to happen...

Action plot, tight pacing, great characters - a series worth pursing. Can you read them out of order? Yes. But I wouldn't recommend it - especially as the second book leads almost directly into this one.

Sentinel
1. Touched by Darkness (2007)
2. Touched By Fire (2007)
3. Touched by Light (2009)
Profile Image for Paranormal Romance.
1,324 reviews46 followers
August 15, 2025
Life for the heroine is about control. Since her rape 12 years ago she has worked hard to make her life as stable as possible with her aversion to men, her damaged leg and her damaged mental calm. Now, it seems everything if falling apart and that scares her to death.

On the day she receives news that her rapist is to be released from prison, she gets a visit from the hero with a damaged for help. Cool to the point of cold and as ruthless as an immortal being can be when getting what he wants, the hero is not someone she needs around her right now. But this man, this Sanctioned is not willing or perhaps not able to listen when she tells him no and instead forces her into getting what he wants.

The hero has lived long enough to realize that sometimes peoples feelings can be hurt in the pursuit of the greater good so when he fears that one of his Sentinels has been possessed, he goes to the heroine because he needs her visions. He doesn't much care that she is furious with him or that she has the habit of hitting him with her cane, the fact of the matter is is that she is his fated mate and he needs that bond to find her soldier before it's too late.

The hero is very good manipulator and it doesn't honestly take much to get the heroine to flip and become convinced that to defy him means sticking around and helping to find this Sentinel but the hero never counted on the development of his own feelings towards her. He is a Sanctioned meaning he's not supposed to have a bonded mate and the fact that he hasn't had sex in over 300 years seems to mean nothing to his body that is suddenly craving this woman. And on the hunt for evil possessing a friend, the hero finds himself without the control and this spark of humanity is enough for the heroine to get closer to him but things cannot remain.

She can't risk her heart and what her rapist couldn't never do was damage her heart and she fears that the hero has the power to destroy her.

Interesting book. I struggled with these characters throughout because of both of their personalities. At first the hero came across as a manipulative bastard. Ruthless, hard and willing to do or use anyone for his gain. Granted, he was this way because he was the leader and as such needed to make sacrifices for the greater good but boy or boy, I wanted to hit him with a hard object too.

This gradually began to change, where I was able to see inside the ice wall he kept over his emotions and realize that inside he was frightened of failure. He was always a closed off sort of man who didn't let a lot of people into his inner thoughts but with the heroine he was able to loosen up a bit and surrender to the lack of control.

The heroine was a bit problem for me because of her overall attitude. Sure she was damaged and she has been through a whole lot in the past 12 years since the attack and sure she was in the right at the start when the hero manipulated her to get her to go on this trip with him. But, I found her rather unstable emotional wise.

I wonder if it's the just the hero would could bring out that violence and fiery temper or if given the chance she was go off on other people as well. I found her at times to be very childish and almost shrew like in her interactions with the hero and I didn't much care for it. Perhaps it was what she needed though, this conflict between herself and the hero, to snap her free of the cage she's put herself in. Perhaps the way they argued brought out the best and the worst in each other and that was something both of them needed.

Regardless, it made for a frustrating read but one I over all enjoyed.
Profile Image for Riley.
970 reviews64 followers
March 18, 2015
Touched by Light is #3 in Catherine Spangler's Sentinel Series. I've read all three of these paranormal romances and each one is better the previous one. I enjoy a digital friendship with Ms. Spangler, having connected on Goodreads. I've read and enjoyed many of her books! Knowing her talent at telling a good story, I entered a Fresh Fiction contest for one of her books. That is how I ended up with my copy of Touched by Light!

The Sentinel series is a good-versus-evil series premised on the idea that Atlantis existed. Its people once followed the Light. They still exist as Sentinels, blending into society. Back in Atlantis, some folks broke away to follow Belial. Belial is an evil blood thirsty being that is intent on wiping out all Sentinels and anything else that is good.

In this series, Ms. Spangler pairs super-human Sentinels with human Conductors. Through contact with Sentinels, humans have ability to enhance the energy patterns that Sentinels have picked up at Belial crime scenes. This allows a Sentinel to grasp more detail which hopefully helps in tracking the evil agent of Belial. Since a Sentinel is paired with a Conductor of the opposite sex, this unique methodolgy for hunting the bad guys inevitably leads to intimacy which, of course, leads to romance.

In Touched by Light, Conductor Julia Reynolds is a brilliant professor of physics and math. Logical, with a take-no-crap attitude, Julie is naturally skeptical about the paranormal world that should not exist, according to science. Her past has made her untrusting of all men, much less a man with super-human abilities.

Adam is the man with super-human talents – a Sentinel. Not just any Sentinel, he is a Sanctioned. Sentinel – but – more. He is not supposed to have a connection with a Conductor, so when he and Julia get together, he is shocked and please when sparks fly. Both literally and figuratively.

I love their relationship. It begins with confrontation, progresses to constant irritation and slides into perpetual antagonism. Adam and Julia argue all the time, but their constant discord actually serves to force them to understand each other better. So, while there may have been instant physical attraction, it takes a while for the couple to actually make that spiritual connection, keeping the romance side of the story just as interesting as the good-versus-evil side.

Speaking of evil. Evil seems a mild word to describe the Belians. These are really, really bad creatures and us lowly humans don't want to mess with them. There was a lot of action in this hunt for the Belian and it smoothly entwined with the story of Adam and Julia.

To enjoy book 3 in the Sentinel series, you do not need to read book 1. But I do recommend reading Touched by Fire, book 2 in the series, before reading Touched by Light as that is where Julia and Adam first meet and set the tone for their developing relationship. But really, I think reading them all is a good idea! Plus, Touched by Darkness (book 1) is currently free!
Profile Image for Monique Atgood.
91 reviews1 follower
May 21, 2012
SYNOPSIS:
(Wrinkling nose- deep sigh - cant believe I read this one). A reincarnated Atlantisian hero is a “Sanctioned” a sort manager of a earthly crew of “Sentinels”. Sentinels are also reincarnated Atlantisians who have superhuman abilities, and work together to defeat the forces of evil Belians. Belians, love chaos and human sacrifice and just get all up on happy juice when some nut job slaughters a bunch of strangers. That kind of thing.

Ok. One of the “Sentinels” has gone off the deep end with grief after his wife was killed. He drinks too much and a big bad Belian takes over. He’s off spreading carnage all over Texas, and his ‘boss’ Super Sexxxy Adam the “Sanctioned” has to stop the bloodbath. Adam drafts the help of unwilling Heroine Julia, a talented precog.

Julia is damaged emotionally and physically from a brutal attack 12 years prior. She’s not interested in men, but Adam is very interested in Julia. The story revolves around how they track down the damaged Sentinel, learn to tolerate each other, and sorta fall in love. I say sorta, cause, weeeeeeelllll...... they do have a physical romance, but it was pretty much short, to the point, and without any romance. None of the usual things people associate with....warm up activity. Just “let’s save people from the evil Belians by banging our brains out”, or a marriage proposal followed by a quasi psychokinetic assault as Adam rips Julia’s clothes off. Um. A little.... romance?

Perhaps Julia not playing games and Adam not being like an alpha Anne Stuart character, pushing his way into Julia’s life demanding and commanding. might have made the book better for me.

NEGATIVES IMO:
I expected more depth in Adam’s character, and I couldn’t understand why Julia fought Adam so much, but flipped her entire position when he told her he would release her and return her home. A little more transition please?

This book delves into the use of Tarot, Crystal Divination, Chakras, Auras, beliefs in reincarnation, yet, one of the sub-heros wears a cross. Kinda weird mixed message there.

The writing style is impeccable. She wrote the best 'Captive Bride' story I've ever read called "Shadow Fires". I adore this author’s sci-fi series, so I’m reading her entire portfolio, but this is not something I’d read otherwise.
Profile Image for Deb Omnivorous Reader.
2,021 reviews183 followers
April 10, 2016
Julia, our leading lady, has a horrific past of abuse and has survived to make a successful, productive life. Adam, our leading man, is a sentinel of ancient Atlantis and he decides he needs to force Julia into using their psychic link to locate a missing sentinel.

Julia's abuser is about to be released from prison, and Adam is probably going to use the 'stunning sexual attraction' between Julia and himself to force her into giving in to him. Presumably he will protect her from the released criminal and they will live happily ever after. Does this paragraph clue you in that I could not finish this slimy piece of writing?

Having purchased this supernatural romance from a sale table at about $1 -$5 I am not too sad to give it the flick. I have in the past, tried to read it a number of times when I was in the mood for a supernatural romance but never made it past page 25 and this was my final attempt.

This book is creepy, with a strong abusive rape vibe:

pg 20-21, Julia calls her sister to tell her that Adam shoved her against a car, immobilised and gagged her, refused to go away when told to and tried to force her into doing something against her will. Julia's loving sister's response was;
".... He didn't hurt you did he?".... and when told that he hadn't, 'really' hurt her... "Great" and goes on to ask if she is going to do what Adam wants. Are you getting the rape vibe yet? I sure was. Also, Julia feels guilty at hitting the guy with her purse to make him go away? Er.... why? Victim guilt?

Next Adam materialists uninvited in Julia's bathroom while she is in the bath, locks the door so she can't get out and makes interesting banter while she is freaking out. Trigger gag response in your intrepid reviewer, book gets put down for good.

This is sexy or romantic in what effed up universe? It reads like a true crime scenario to me. Having read through the Glossary of terms I have a fair idea of the world building,but no overriding need to protect the world from evil Atlantean reincarnators is a good excuse for Adam's behaviour so far. No sexual attraction, however overwhelming, makes a woman being imprisoned and forced against her will attractive reading for me. From where I am standing Adam and the guy that got imprisoned for abusing her are exactly the same.

Profile Image for Christine Rains.
Author 58 books247 followers
March 20, 2014
Twelve years ago, Julia Reynolds survived a horrific attack. Since then, she's lived a very ordered life and cut herself off from any romantic attachments. Adam Masters comes into her life with force and purpose. He's one of the powerful Sentinels that fights the evil on earth, and she has a unique ability to help him. Julia doesn't want to be involved with any of his missions because he turns her organized world upside-down and makes her feel things she hasn't felt in over twelve years. Yet she also doesn't want more innocents killed. Will she flee from the chaos or surrender to the light?

This is the third book in the paranormal romance series, The Sentinels. I still love the mythology behind it all, and we get a little more in this story. Fantastic world-building.

I did not enjoy this book as thoroughly as the previous two because I could not like Julia and Adam. While Julia does have my sympathy and she is an unusual heroine, her reactions to Adam were just too over the top. Adam is a strong Alpha male type, and while some of those men dance close to the line when being forceful, he crossed the line, in my opinion.

Yet there was a good plot with a missing Sentinel, and Julia dealing with her past. It helped me push on with the story even though the two main characters did not sit well with me.
Profile Image for Deanna.
2,768 reviews66 followers
March 25, 2013
I was not sure what shelve to this book deserved. It was not really a romance (not much romance at all). It was not an adventure. It just was.

I wanted more depth to the characters. They were all more cardboard than substance. Adam never came alive to me and I so wanted him to do so. I wanted him to be more than an arrogant bastard who would do anything to get his own way. (Yeah. Yeah. I know he was protecting humanity. Ends justify the means much, Adam?) Julia had many understandable emotional problems, but her biggest problem was going from one feeling/reaction to another without much cause or explanation.

Story line was another problem. Finding Matt was just a process of going from one forced event to another. The other story of Bennett had no suspense. I had read one of Spangler's stories in an anthology and was impressed. Not this time. I usually speed though a book of this length in one or two days max. Took me four. I kept hoping for more but it was not there.

There was so much potential in this story and in these characters that was no met. Disappointing.
Profile Image for Lakisha.
Author 14 books293 followers
September 22, 2010
I've been trying to finish this book for over three months. There was nothing wrong with the book, but I had a lot of chaos going on in my personal life. Anywho...

I liked the concept of Sentinels and Sanctioned. They are not human but they definitely having feelings and emotions. I feel that Catherine Spangler did a good job with them.

I also liked the heroine/leading lady, Julia. Julia has suffered a lot and has done her best to avoid dealings with the Sentinels and the Sanctioned. All that changes when Adam, head of the local group of Sentinels, appeals to her for help.

I want say anymore because I don't do spoilers, but I enjoyed this novel's flow, the banter (both serious and playful) the host of secondary characters and the way the villains were used.
Profile Image for Katrina.
711 reviews44 followers
May 22, 2014
2.5* more likely. Dull , storyline and luck-luster, two-dimensional characters that I found totally devoid of any appeal. When he was not an ass, calm, cool and centered Adam was just tepid,and Julia,for me, came across as snarly, belligerent, often violent( did anyone notice how many times in these books our heroes got hit and damaged by their female counterparts?) and totally lacking any charm. Not to mention, that her see-saw attitude was constant source if irritation.
Profile Image for Annie.
4 reviews2 followers
June 24, 2016
I've already given this series far too much of my time. I refuse to give it much more.

Save yourself. It's too late for me.

Think...Bruce Campbell camp without the intended camp, bad George Lucas love banter, and contrived sex to save the world. Read my reviews of the first two books, if you need details.
Profile Image for Cat.
28 reviews3 followers
November 23, 2009
Lol...saw the author's name and wanted to read my work.
Profile Image for Joymzz.
617 reviews19 followers
July 20, 2012
The book was totally different from what i am used to. the story plot is really wild and sexy and unusual but any true romance lover would like it. <3
Profile Image for Gerri.
370 reviews
August 26, 2014
I hope there are more to come in this series.
Profile Image for Tutti Dolci.
226 reviews45 followers
August 24, 2015
I didn't find this one as engaging as the first two in this series. Never warmed up to the lead female in the story. Still enjoyable over all, nonetheless.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews