Dark Watcher

Today’s post is on Dark Watcher by Lilith Saintcrow. It is 178 pages long and is published by Imajinn Books. It is first in her Watcher series. The cover has a storm in the back ground and the main male character looking over his shoulder towards the reader. The intended reader is someone who likes urban fantasy, very mild romance, and high action. There is foul language, no sex, and violence in this short story. The story is told from third person close of the characters moving from one to the next as the story goes. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book-  The Lightbringer: Theodora Morgan knows she's a little strange. Her talent for healing has marked her as different all through a life spent moving from town to town when someone notices her strangeness. Now she has a home, and she doesn't want to leave--but she's been found. The Crusade wants her dead because she's psychic, the Dark wants to feed on her talent, and then there's Dante. Tall and grim and armed with black-bladed knives, guns, and a sword, he says he's here to protect her. But what if he's what Theo needs protection from most?

The Watcher: Dante is a Watcher, sworn by Circle Lightfall to protect the Lightbringers. His next assignment? Watch over Theo. She doesn't know she's a Lightbringer, she doesn't know she's surrounded by enemies, and she doesn't know she's been marked for death by a bunch of fanatics. He can't protect her if she doesn't trust him, but how can she possibly trust a man scarred by murder and warfare--a man who smells like the same Darkness Theo has been running from all her life?

Review- This is a fine novel but I wanted more romance from this story. With a blurb that the one above you would expect more of a love story but it is barely touched on. Theo is the only one who can ease Dante’s pain but that is never explored. The world building is fine and I think that this happens in the same world as her Dante Valentine series but I am not totally sure about that. The magic is neat and understandable and the villains are evil enough. But the lack of relationship building between the two main characters makes it lose a star. I did like it enough to read the next one and I think that I will like it better because now I know that there will be little to no romance in spite of how the book is described.

I give this short story a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.