Paul is a Sentinel, one of three races sent through to earth to protect mankind from the Synestryn. Desperation to find the one woman who could siphon the painful buildup of energy within his body led him to strike a bargain in blood which in turn leads him to Andra in the midst of saving a child in a warehouse full of monsters.

When Andra reluctantly agrees to accompany Paul back to Dabyr, the stronghold the Sentinels call home, in order to save the last piece of her family she had left, she unknowingly takes Paul's life into her keeping. Will she be able to move on from her past and the guilt she so heavily carries from it to save Paul before it is too late? Before the monsters finally take her as well?

FINDING THE LOST is the second book in The Sentinel Wars series by Shannon K. Butcher. This series so far follows the men of the Sentinels, who must find the one woman for each of them that they may channel the energy their bodies pull from nature. Their race, as well as the other guardian races, is dying, which will leave mankind unprotected and their home world vulnerable. Even though the men have the swords, and are called warriors, it seems the women are the real weapons, being able to take that energy and use it to do magical battle, and even heal.

Although I felt Burning Alive, the first book in the series, was somewhat weak, Shannon was able to turn me on this second book. She laid more elements and deeper plot within this one, giving her world a fuller appearance. You get a better grasp of how all of the races are interconnected and have a common plight. Her main characters are strong but with real flaws that endear the reader to them. The intimacy of course is heated, but not distasteful. For those of us here in North Texas will especially be interested in the next book the series, Running Scared due out May 4th, 2010, as she teased us with the new heroine in Denton, Texas.

I took a special interest in Shannon's works when she came on the scene two years ago as I am an avid fan of her husband's works. I realize this can be a blessing and a curse for her. She is blessed that she can pick up a fan base from his existing readers, albeit mainly the females ones, but a curse if they try to compare her works to his. The two are quite different. Shannon has done well in carving out an existence in the industry for herself, with her own identity separate from Jim's, growing with each new publication.

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