An Enforcer of Havilah

By: Robert W. Ross

Narrated by: Autumn Juliet, Nick Podehl

My parents named me after an angel. That was a mistake. My words and actions remind them of this on a daily basis.

My father disagrees. He is the Sentinel of Order, God’s unchecked hand on the world, but I’ll always be his little girl. Da may be biased, but he’s not deluded. The angel for whom I was named is beautiful, brave, and temperate. Da says two out of three isn’t bad. I cannot take credit for my beauty, and will not attribute bravery to things that simply must be done. As for temperance, I have none.

I come to my lack of temperance honestly. It flows from my mother, the Soulborn of Order. My hair may lack her fire, but my blood makes up for it in spades. I have a sentinel’s blood, which means I can perform what others might call magic.

All my life I’ve been told that, like my father and brother, I am a sentinel, but I’m really not. A sentinel guards. She stands watch and waits for threats to emerge. That’s not me.

Who am I? I am an enforcer for the Council of Havilah, and I don’t wait for threats to emerge. I seek them out in their cradle and destroy them utterly. I do so without regret. I do so without mercy. I am Ariel Thorne, and this is my story.

Author's Note:

Nick Podehl is a featured narrator within this title, having previously voiced all the Thorne Boys in everything I've ever written because he loves them so much and, I think, didn't want anyone infringing on his territory.

I hope everyone enjoys this very cool, duel narration.

©2025 Robert W. Ross (P)2025 Spartamac LLC

loved

this is my first book from this author and is an enjoyable listen. The narrators did a really good job bringing this book to life. Worth checking out.

RWR delivers again!

If you are not familiar with Robert W. Ross and his body of work then you have my sympathy. But, you also have my envy. I am jealous that while I have to wait months for something I haven't read from him while you, my lucky audible buddy, have several books to enjoy in your very near future.

An Enforcer of Havilah is Mr. Ross's first attempt at first person. I only wish that my first attempt at anything would be as wonderful as this. Ariel's character is likeable and believable right from the beginning. While the story is new and fresh several of the characters are familiar and welcome to fans of Sentinels of Creation.

Both Nick and Autumn are consummate professionals and their narration honestly makes me feel sorry for readers that consume Ross's content in dead tree format. They don't know what they are missing.

TL;DR Great book. Definitely worth a credit. Story awesome, narration awesome, RWR awesome.

Masterfully crafted, emotionally grounded, and impeccably narrated

An Enforcer of Hala doesn’t waste time building a world—it trusts you to step into one that already exists. Robert W. Ross writes with confidence, allowing the setting, history, and stakes to reveal themselves naturally rather than through exposition.

One of the most impressive aspects of this book is the shift in perspective. Ross moves from third-person present into first-person, writing convincingly from the point of view of Ariel Thorne, a 19-year-old woman. That’s a difficult technical and emotional challenge, and he pulls it off beautifully. Ariel feels authentic—introspective, vulnerable, strong, and believable at every step.

You can sense the emotional arc of the story early on, but instead of feeling predictable, it becomes grounding. The journey unfolds with care and intention, and the heartfelt moments land because they’re earned through character rather than spectacle. The book knows exactly what it’s doing and never rushes the payoff.

The audiobook performance elevates the experience even further. Autumn Juliet delivers a phenomenal narration as Ariel—natural, emotionally resonant, and perfectly matched to the character. Nick Podehl’s contributions are brief but excellent, adding depth and polish where needed without pulling focus.

This is another example of why Robert W. Ross has become an instant-buy author for me. Every book he writes feels thoughtfully crafted, emotionally sincere, and deeply rewarding to experience. I’d listen to anything he releases—and this series is off to a fantastic start.

New Series - Same World, But Brand New Fun

When an author chooses to leave their literary wheelhouse, it's always a gutsy move. Sometimes it pays off — I mean, who would have thought Stephen King, the master of horror, would give us "Different Seasons?" Sometimes the gamble fails spectacularly, leaving avid book readers scratching their heads and wondering, "What in the world were they thinking?" When I first learned Robert W. Ross was cannonballing into the first-person point of view, I'll admit it, I was wary. Changing narration may seem like a trivial little switch, but it's not. It's a complete structural change and a huge risk. And when your narrative bread and butter is phenomenal, why take the gamble?

Well, why does anyone gamble? The potential inherent in a high risk is a high reward. "An Enforcer of Havilah" was a high risk and my god, is it a high reward. "An Enforcer of Havilah" follows the first journey (and hopefully not the last) of Ariel Thorne, a nineteen-year-old girl who could only be the daughter of Sentinel's Kellan and Shannon — she's too much heart and too much fire. Ariel’s off to do what all nineteen-year-olds do: save the world (because they know better). Ross, who is well known as an author who can actually write women, does a fantastic job bringing Ariel to life. Ariel and her cohorts are as real and tangible as the friends we fell in love with in SOC.

Aside from the spectacular and fun-filled plot, this book is chockablock full of delightful gems. It's nostalgically wonderful to see a flash-forward of favorite characters — as much as I wouldn't mind a 57th "Sentinels of Creation" book, I don’t need it. It’s good to have this twenty-some-odd-years-later check-in on the people you know and love; it’s nice to see the crew still kickin’ and still very much themselves. Also, Ross’s writing is always a treat, but this book in particular contains some truly beautiful and clever passages; each time he releases a book, his proficiency as a writer grows — which isn't something you can say about all authors.

As always, the narration is great. I have yet to see Podehl fail to knock something out of the park, and Autumn Juliet is a delight — she has a full, rich tonality that is rare in female narrators.

Overall, a great start to what looks to be a fun and innovative new series!

Love the story

I like the change to a first person story! The characters are great and I wanted to find out what happened, but I didn’t want it to end~ my definition of a great story. So it’s back to rereading the previous stories, until the next! So congratulations on the grandchild Mr Ross, but more please!!!