Heart's Sentinel by PJ Schnyder(Book Club 14) may include spoilers...

"If a man is all alone in the woods, and there's no woman around to hear him... is he still wrong?"
Mackenzie was changed into a shifter against her will. Beaten to within an inch of her life Van then turns her into a Southern Peninsula Panther. Seeking shelter Mackenzie is taken to the River Gap Conservation, a home to Jaguars and humans alike. River Gap offers protection to Mackenzie and also protection from herself. Learning to deal with the shift is extremely challenging, most go mad with the change.

Adam is charged with guarding Mackenzie after an accident where her original Sentinel is forced to be in recovery for a week. Adam has an attraction to Mackenzie but due to her recent trauma and his own past he fights his Cat's need to claim her. On top of the Van the Cat who changed Mackenzie is lurking around trying to get her back. A sociopath who was at one point trained at be an Enforcer, he knows how to cover his tracks and with the blood bond he imposed on Mackenzie he proves to be more of a threat than they originally thought.

"Big Mac" and Adam fight the feeling they have for another after a forced heat makes her extremely vulnerable. There is so much chemistry here but also extremely bad timing and bad circumstances. "Big Mac" needs to decide if she can tell the different between the Monster that changed her and the Beast that resides within all the shifters, including herself!

Hi All! I'm very excited to see Heart's Sentinel up for discussion in the Book Club.

I wanted to express my thanks for your interest by offering a little fun giveaway. So - I'd like to offer one participant (to be chosen at random from the comments left on this thread) a choice of either a signed print edition of Heart's Sentinel or a free ecopy of the second book in the series, Red's Wolf. The more comments you add, the more chances you'll have to be chosen by the random picker because I'll enter your name in for each comment.

Also, if you'd all like, I'll be popping into the thread to answer questions. ANY opinions are valuable, so no worries if you have critical comments. I'm always learning as I continue forward with the series.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for the giveaway!!! I really enjoyed this book and I've also read the second I put it on here when I saw you're post on FB about the Read for a Cure by Decadent publishing, we like to start at the beginning of the series but it was mentioned that the second was part of the benefit. I really enjoyed Red's Wolf also! Finished both books in like 3 days... would've been sooner but work got in the way!

I have a question... who was the toughest character to write in this book?
Will you be writing more books in the Terra's Guardian series, if so will it be another pride/pack or will it be characters from the first two books?

I'm so glad you enjoyed my stories.

Stephie was probably the hardest character for me to write. She had to be Mac's friend, but someone twisted by the Change. While I wanted to be sympathetic towards her, I also didn't want to like her, especially considering the final confrontation between her and Mac.

I will definitely be writing more books in the Terra's Guardians series. Book 3 has been drafted for quite some time, then ripped apart and revised. During the first revision round, I literally trashed half the manuscript because the story wasn't as good as it should have been. I felt it would be better to write a good story even if it took longer. Book 3 will be a return to the wolf pack from Red's Wolf with cameo appearances from characters in Books 1 and 2. However, the main hero and heroine are brand new.

These were great questions and I'd be happy to answer more.

I absolutely loved them thanks, and I can't wait to read the 3rd book. I would like to know if Chryssa has a mate or gets a mate? And I'd like to hear more about Mac he definitely piqued my interests also.

I can definitely see where Stephanie would be hard to write, I wanted her to be saved but you could see where she wasn't definitely a "true friend" I was with Adam the entire way when she was brought into the story, everything was too convenient I can't wait to find out more about the "Hunters" though!

Did you choose to bring in another predator because you wanted to make it futuristic or did you make it futuristic because you wanted to bring in another predator?

Chryssa is definitely one of the characters I'd like to come back to in a later book. She doesn't have a mate...yet.

Also, my editor at Decadent loves Mack and definitely wants a story about him. I have one lightly outlined, but I'm not sure when will be the right time. He's a great character.

When it comes to the Hunter(s), I brought them in because there's a relationship between the humans, the shapeshifters and the Hunters that will come out through the course of the books. Book 3 will reveal a lot more about the Hunters.

I loved it. A completely different style for a shifter book. I liked how Big Mac overcame the tragedy in her life. I wasn't sure how she would reacted when she seen one of the pack shift but when one of the children shifted and jump in her arms I knew she would adjust to her new life. Who couldn't love that fury bundle.
The attraction between Big Mac and Adam is so intense! I loved the banter between the two and so glad they found each other.
This was the first shifter book I have read that's been about big Cats, I really enjoyed it! I can't wait to read the next book.

The Cubs were so cute and it was great how Sho was able to help her shift! The kid definitely has potential! I haven't read much about big cat shifters either and I definitely enjoyed this book!

And now you're just teasing me with the relationship between humans/shifters/hunters thing! I can't wait for book 3!!!

bluesun1218 wrote:

I loved it.

Yay!

I'm definitely planning to go back to the pride in future stories. But I think there's more cuddly cuteness in Book 3 to keep giving you the warm fuzzies.

Plus plenty of danger, action and of course, sensual attraction!

As a trivia tidbit for you two: I was a biology major in college and helped at the Sri Ra Cha zoo in Thailand during my summers in undergrad. I was offered an apprenticeship at the T.I.G.E.R.S. conservation to work with big cats. I ultimately didn't choose to go that route for my day job career, but I do have a soft spot for the big cats.

Wow, what an experience working with those beautiful creatures.

I can't wait to read book 2.

That would be so awesome! I think I would be a little nervous working with wild animals but definitely a fear to concur.

I've always loved big cats... the power and grace they possess! My dream pet it a White Tiger, obviously that's not going to happen but I think I could deal with a shifter no matter the species... especially if he looks like Adam or Mack!

I agree

what an awesome picture!

Absolutely amazing pic! I would so love to be able to work on a preserve or refuge that allows you to be that close to the animals, I know generally they like you to keep your distance if they're trying to rehabilitate them but it would be so cool!

I agree. Wow! What a keepsake.
Thanks for sharing PJ!

I just finished Heart's Sentinel and loved it. I'm a sucker for shifter books, so I figured I'd like it, but this was so much more than that. Adam was definitely an alpha male, while also being so sweet and supporting. And oh my gosh, the puns - they made me roll my eyes while cracking me up. Great job!

AmandaW - yay! I'm glad you liked it! And yah, the puns, they burn. LOL

Melly27 - great question.

There are different kinds of strength.

In one of my other series, the Triton Experiment series, my heroine is also a shapeshifting human/cat. She's kick ass in every way - an obvious fighter, a brawler actually.

In the Terra's Guardians series and Heart's Sentinel, I wanted Mackenzie to have the kind of strength that's not so obvious. I want her to show the kind of strength it takes to recover from a traumatic event and live life again. It's a quiet kind of strength to endure and rise beyond.

how very true.

The book was amazing! Absolutely loved how Mac was able to overcome the horrors of her changing and embrace what she had become, and I really want to read more about Cryssa! She came into the book late but definitely caught my attention!

I really wanted to know more about Cryssa too. I understand why she couldn't be around earlier in the book, but I loved how she accepted, reassured, calmed and healed Mac. I'd love to see more of her. And Sho. I just loved Sho.

Sho was great, I'm expecting him to be around causing trouble in Mack's book! There are so many characters I'd like to explore from this series and I can't wait to find out what's really going on with the Hunters! I really enjoyed Red's Wolf also!

I'd definitely like to explore Cryssa and Sho will be back, I promise.

Mack is going to be an interesting story to write as well.