Thursday, January 6, 2011

Review - - Stone Kissed

Stone Kissed
(e-book)
By Keri Stevens
Publisher:  Carina Press
Release Date:  December 27, 2010




When Delia Forrest talks to statues, they talk back. She is, after all, the last of the Steward witches.

Some people talk to flowers, others talk to their cars.  Delia Forrest has always talked to stone statues and the statues have always talked back, much to the consternation of her parents.  Isolated as a small child because of her "oddity",  Delia was separated from her beloved statues, her only friends, and left at the mercy of her harsh father following her mother's death.  The only person who ever showed her compassion and tenderness was a young man who came to her defense when she was a young teen and has lived on in her fantasies ever since though, in Delia's mind, is well out of her league.  Many years later, Delia, who is now a stone conservator is called home after her estranged father is seriously injured when someone tries to burn down Steward House - the home and land that are as much a part of her as the heart that beats in her chest. Her father has not managed the estate well in Delia's absence and she has no idea how she will pay for his extensive care until a man appears with an offer to buy her home...the very man she has fancied herself in love with since the age of fourteen.  But this man is a cold-hearted, corporate predator who bears no resemblance to the idealistic young man who, unknowingly, stole her heart.

Grant Wolverton is an antiques expert with boatloads of money, a knack for finding treasures and a heart that has room only for his younger sister and his best friend (I hope we see more of these two in a future book).  When he hears of the fire at Steward House, he jumps on the chance to make the estate his own, offering Delia a sum of money he knows she can't afford to turn down.  But Delia turns the tables on him by insisting she be hired to oversee the renovation of Steward House.  If she can't own it she can at least make sure the house is brought back to its glory and her beloved statues are all guaranteed a home.  The more time Grant spends with Delia, the more intrigued he is by her, even though he doesn't believe she can really hear the statues and thinks she's a thief (the statues again).  Though his feelings gradually deepen, it will take a small miracle to bring these two together in the end, especially when the villain enters the story.

Delia captivated me from the beginning of the book.  I was right there with her as she faced her loneliness, her conflicted feelings about her father, her love/hate relationship with Grant, the man who takes from her the only home she's ever known but, at the same time, fills her with a sensual longing she's never experienced before.  As I came to know the statues that comprise her "family", I found myself viewing them as thinking, talking beings.  They reflect Stevens' quirky sense of humor and, as important secondary characters (I do think of them as characters), bring both comic relief and an added depth of emotion to Delia's story.

It took me awhile to warm up to Grant (though I did warm up quite nicely later in the book) and, for the first half of the story, he left me a bit bewildered by his behavior.  There were references to an abusive childhood later in the book but I think it would have flowed more smoothly for me and I would have enjoyed (and understood) the first part of the story better with more explanation of his background/motivation.

The villain of the story, Cecily Johnson, is a succubus and one scary woman.  I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to gory stuff and Cecily has a few scenes that are rather graphic in detail.  Even though a couple of them made me a bit queasy, I do believe they were necessary to illustrate the lengths to which the woman was willing to go to maintain her perfect looks and immortality.  Without going into details, I'll also say that I was very satisfied with Cecily's "perfect" ending.

Overall, this was a good read; one that held my attention, brought me to tears and also had me laughing out loud.  The premise is fresh and original and the writing, for the most part, flows smoothly.  I love the quirky sense of humor that I've come to know from reading Keri Stevens' tweets and that humor comes through clearly in this story along with an emotional intensity that is heart-wrenching at times and heartwarming at others.  This is an enjoyable debut from a promising new author.  I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

11 comments:

  1. I loved the review PJ I really need to get this book

    Thanks
    Have Fun
    Helen

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  2. PJ,
    Thank you for welcoming me to Romance Dish and for your care-filled review.

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  3. PJ, I'm putting this one on my Nook today! Thanks for another great review!

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  4. PJ, you know I'm very selective about the paranormals I read, but your review gives me just one more reason to read this one. I've heard nothing but good things about it, and I do enjoy Keri's tweets.

    But I'm a wimp too. Can I skip the scary succubus scenes without doing major damage to my understanding of the book?

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  5. Can't wait to hear what you think of it, Gannon. I really think you'll enjoy this one.

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  6. Janga, Keri does a good job of showing the villain's mindset and lack of concern for human life. I think you can skim the parts (and there aren't that many, really) that test your wimp factor. They caused me to go "eeww" a few times but no nightmares. ;-)

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  7. This books sounds so interesting! I love the review. Tears, laughter, mystery, paranormal... Just what I like! I'm definitely putting it on my wish list for my Kindle.

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  8. I like the premise of this book. Don't think I've read one yet where the heroine can talk to statues. Great review PJ. Another to be added to my ever growing list.

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  9. Monica, I loved that it was so fresh and original. Hope you enjoy it!

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  10. Ing, this was my first "talking to statues" story too and I loved how the author handled it. By the end of the book the statues had become characters to me with unique personalities. It sounds funny to say I felt affection for a slab of stone but I did! :)

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