Member Reviews

A quick read answering the age old question of how friends become lovers and what the difficulties need to be overcome before finding the solution. Ren and Grace have a sweet and low-angst relationship that they want to kick up a notch.

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ANCIENT SENTINEL is the seventh instalment in Katie Reus’ contemporary, adult ANCIENTS RISING erotic, paranormal, romance series. This is jaguar shifter Ren, and plant geneticist Grace O’Connor’s story line. ANCIENT SENTINEL can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

SOME BACKGROUND: Months earlier, several dragons rose from their sleep, and in the aftermath destroyed much of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, in an apocalyptic showdown known as The Fall, but in doing so revealed the existence of the supernatural world to humankind. Ancients Rising focuses on the recovery of the city, and the group of supernaturals and dragons who have come to call New Orleans their home.

Told from third person perspective ANCIENT SENTINEL follows the building relationship between jaguar shifter Ren, and plant geneticist Grace O’Connor. Ren knows that the human female Grace is his mate but he may be too late, having bided his time in his approach to our heroine. His latest mission finds Ren and Grace on a cross country trip to check out a new territory for their alpha King. Grace is to help with the planting and harvesting of food, and Ren is asked to help investigate a series of thefts and damage to the local food supply. A surprise, a dangerous and deadly threat, and the claiming of our heroine find our couple on a month long assignment, only to return with a few more surprises for everybody back home.

The relationship between Grace and Ren has been developing for several month but Ren was taking his time in the face of their human/shifter difference. Everybody knows that Ren has eyes for our story line heroine but Grace may have move on with someone else. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of both supernatural and human secondary and supporting characters including Grandmother Josephine, Grace’s sister Luna, Hyacinth, Griffin, Juniper, Logan, King and Aurora, and Hunter the pet dragonling.

ANCIENT SENTINEL is a story of friendships and family, recovery and rescue, acceptance and love. The fast paced premise is engaging, intriguing and captivating; the romance is seductive; the characters are energetic and charismatic.



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Ancient Sentinel is book 7 in the Ancients Rising Series and although it's a novella I loved that Ren and Grace already have feelings for each other. This worked perfectly for me since Novella's are always hard to establish a believable connection for me. The connection between Ren and Grace was really sweet and while there was a misunderstanding it all worked out in the end. I really hope Ms. Reus gives us more Novella's for Logan, Griff and all the other side characters you just can't help but love.

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Grace and Ren. I really enjoyed their story. It took Ren a little bit to get his act together, and Grace needed to open up. Their journey from friendship to love was great. Those little dragons were breaking my heart and making me smile at the same time.

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This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

I love this series with the dragons and how the humans are living after "The Fall" and so excited there is a new book out! I don't remember Ren from previous books so I may have to go back and reread them to see if he is part of the story.

Ren and Grace have both kept their interest in each other hidden and so it was great that they were assigned to a mission that threw them together.

There story was great and loved what they found out about the missing food and who was responsible. I can't wait to hear more on that!

Lots of drama thrown in and a great HEA!

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This is a quick read, part of the Ancients Rising series. There is enough background given to read this as a standalone, but the rest of the series is worth a read.

Grace and Ren are good friends, but Grace is ready to move out of the friend zone with him. As she goes to his house to test the waters, she sees him hugging another woman and assumes he is dating her.

Ren has just met with a friend who is in town, but is contemplating taking his friendship with Grace out of the friend zone. When Grace tells him she has a date, he takes this as a sign that he really needs to work harder on letting her know his feelings. So he orchestrates the two of them going on a mission... and makes it his mission to make her his..

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I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I had read previous books by Katie Reus, namely her Red Stone Security series, and I loved them all, so when I saw this title on NetGalley, I didn't hesitate to press the Request button. I admit, it's been a while since I read a romance novel, but reading a book by a favorite author is definitely the way to go back to a beloved genre.

As usual, Katie Reus wrote a compelling romance that is realistic and believable (even in a paranormal setting). I haven't read the previous books in the Ancients Rising series, but Katie Reus explained the background and worldbuilding excellently. It was very expertly done. She offered the necessary details when they were needed without overwhelming the reader. And at the same time, she made me want to read the rest of the books in the series, too! I thought it was brilliantly written in this regard.

Ren, our kind jaguar, is a polite, determined, and resourceful main lead. I found his ability to admit that he had waited too long to show his feelings and change course of action immediately very appealing. We do love determined people here. I also enjoyed his relationship with his friends and other characters. No silly misunderstandings and pointless grudges, which is a big turn-off for me, at least. All in all, I really liked Ren!

Grace is a strong, confident woman with no powers in a paranormal setting, and she embodied the whole "go with the flow" mentality. She was kind and friendly; I'd like to have her as my friend, to be honest. 😅 I did think her vocabulary at times didn't "fit" a scientist; it felt too simplified sometimes. But it could be just me and the fact that I may have missed some worldbuilding detail in the book or series.

To sum up, Ancient Sentinel is a delightful short romance novel in a paranormal setting!! I really enjoyed it. It was fun, romantic, adventurous, and I breezed through it with a smile on my face the entire time I read it.

Now onto buying the rest of the books in this series. And if you haven't read the author's Red Stone Security series, please do. IT'S SOOOO GOOD. Which makes me want to reread it now....

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4 stars - It was really good

This was a very sweet, low-angst friends to lovers story! Grace and Ren have been friends for a while now and they both have feelings for each other. When they get tasked with helping out a small community on the outskirts of King’s territory they finally have a chance to act on those feelings.

Unlike some of the previous books, this one was pretty low-angst and focused mainly on Grace and Ren, which I loved. Grace was a smart and kind woman who does her best to help others. I loved seeing her making friends with the women in this new group and trying to push a couple to admit their feelings. She was just a sweet woman who had been in love with her friend Ren for a long time.

Ren is a jaguar shifter who has known Grace was his mate since he met her. He doesn’t admit his feelings for her because of Grace’s past with men. He was a sweet man who tried to let Grace set the pace of their relationship, and was willing to keep her as just a friend for as long as necessary. Like I said, their relationship was very stress free and sweet. I loved seeing them admit their feelings and get jealous at times.

Overall, this was a wonderful addition to this series. I love how unique this post-apocalyptic world is and the characters that inhabit it.

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Love to see a new 'Ancients' addition - whether you've read others or not, always a fun read that can stand alone. Shifters, dragons, and life after The Fall. Great cast of characters, and almost dystopian in the approach. Makes for a solid story with a bit of romance. I really want my own dragonling!

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Are their hearts going in the same sense…

What a lovely quick read this novella is.
Ren and Grace are so cute, each wanting to make a move but afraid they read the other’s signals wrong.
Ren was part of those who rescued Grace when a date turned into a bad thing.
Since he has become her friend but now she wants more, but wonder if he sees the same.
While Ren is waiting for Grace to be ready to go back to the dating world to ask her.
It was sweet and fun to watch them dancing around another, a sensual amusing tale with a bit of danger and aplenty of shifters to entertaining us.
4.5 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen foreplays and lovemaking scenes

I have been granted an advance copy by the author, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

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Fantastic!

Grace and Ren are a great match. Their story is sweet and endearing with a dash of action and heat.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

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4.5 Stars

I had forgotten about Grace and her sisters. So happy that she was able to get her HEA. Ren is the perfect mate for her. We get some great story telling. Fun humor, some suspense, and some great chemistry, and...baby dragons! What else could you need in a book?

This could be read as a stand alone but the whole series is worth the read. Grab them all today!

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This was a good book. Ren was a jaguar shifter and Grace was a human. They were part of community left after The Fall. They were both attracted to each other but had ot acted on it. Grace decided today was the day and went over to his house where she misinterpreted what she saw. Then they were sent out on a mission to help a new town where food was disappearing. What they found were new friends and some cute little ones. So cute! I loved the characters in the book and love this series

I got this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

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A shortish read but it still has all the feels and like all of Katie's books it is the perfect mix of romance and danger

Ren has known for a while that Grace is his mate but he has taken it so slow not wanting to scare her that he has actually ended up been friend zoned. But Grace is also feeling an attraction to Ren (they really need to communicate with one another) then the unthinkable happens they are sent on a mission together sharing not only a cabin but a bed and all bets are off Now with danger closing in Ren will do whatever he needs to keep his mate safe.

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Ok so many twists and turns and the spice, as per Katie's normal, was SPOT ONNN! This was suspenseful and intriguing and everything I loved! This was a great, engaging read and had so much depth I just had to continue reading! Absolutely thrilled with this book! Great job Katie!!!

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NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

A novella of Ren and Grace's love story. There is some action, love making and dragonlings. We have some familiar characters that show up as well as some new ones. I can't wait to read more of Koa and Estrid, Logan and Zia and a mate for Griff.

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After 'The Fall' life on Earth has changed immensely. Many died, housing is limited, technology is touch and go. Grace is a human living with her older sister Jo, Jo's dragon shifter mate Cas, younger sister Luna, and her grandmother. The local alpha, King, is expanding his territory to include an area inhabited by humans who were recently part of an attack. Being a skilled plant geneticist, King asks Grace if she would travel to the new territory to analyze the local flora.

Ren is a jaguar shifter and former member of a special ops team. He met Grace after he saved her from a crazy Vampire. Unbeknownst to Ren, Grace has a deep attraction for the jaguar. Ren feels the same. He agrees to accompany Grace on her trip to the new territory as added protection. Re also wants to take this opportunity to make it known to Grace that he wants more than a friendship; he wants her to be his mate.

I was provided an Advanced Reader Copy by NetGalley and the Publisher, KR Press LLC, for an honest review.

I absolutely love the Ancients Rising series. Each installment adds to the level of the story as a whole. Reus has introduced many of her characters in earlier books and I was looking forward to both Grace and Ren's story. I adore Grace's sisters and grandmother; can't wait for Luna to get her turn. Ren is a sexy male shifter with a soft side when it comes to Grace and his friends. I can't recommend this series enough.

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Grace has been crushing on her best friend Ren for a while. She decides to come clean and see if he might feel the same. She goes to his house one morning but sees him hugging another female and thinks that its his girlfriend. Ren is a jaguar shifter and has been attracted to Grace from the beginning. She once told him she was through with men so he just waits. When their Alpha sends them on a mission things heat up.

Short story. Shifters. Sex. A little action. So sweet.

* Received and voluntarily read from Netgalley *

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This felt like a quick read, but in no way did the book feel like it was missing anything. This was a cute and sexy read with just enough to keep it a page turner. I enjoyed their sweet friendship that took a leap of faith.

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Finally! I’ve been waiting to read Grace and Ren’s story and it was worth the wait! Little bit of jealousy and misunderstanding, major chemistry, baby dragons, and a happily ever after! What more can you ask for?

Katie Reus’ Darkness and Ancients Rising series are among my top favorite shifter romance books out there. While you can read them individually, I highly recommend reading both series in order. There is great world building and a wonderful group of characters that appear throughout both series. In this case, I’d been aware of the sparks between Grace and Ren for some time. I wondered how they’d finally come together. They are asked by the New Orleans Alpha, King, to head to one of the outer edges of his territory for an assignment and things happen from there. I don’t want to give any spoilers so I’ll just say that it was well written and entertaining, and more of the cute baby dragons.

I received an advanced reader copy from Net Galley for an honest opinion.

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