Born in Blood

Bestseller Ivy (the Guardians of Eternity series) launches her new Sentinels series with a romance between sensitive diviner Callie Bowen and brash Kansas City, Kans., cop Duncan O’Conner. Callie usually resides in the protected dome called Valhalla, whose superpowered inhabitants are guarded by Sentinel warriors when visiting the magic-wary outside world. Callie and Duncan often work on murder cases together, his mundane skills enhanced by her abilities to psychically tap into victims’ last moments. After Callie glimpses an unknown necromancer, both the police and Valhalla launch further investigations. Callie and Duncan are both hesitant about emotional commitments—Callie due to inexperience, and Duncan due to his recent divorce—but that doesn’t diminish their sexual connection. The story arc is a bit thin for the length, but Ivy’s fans will be invested in the development of romances introduced between supporting characters as well as further building of this conflicted universe. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency. (Jan.)