Locked in Stone by Tory Michaels – a Review

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Description:
Rose Johnson’s adoptive mother was murdered, and Rose is next. She may be the last gargoyle in the world—the last being who stands between this world and the evils of Otherworld. In order to keep her existence a continued secret, Rose needs to find the stone that holds her adoptive mother’s soul. Which means enlisting the help of her enemies the Sentinels…

Sentinel Cal Levesque never forgave himself for failing Rose’s family years ago. Seeing Rose alive is shock enough, until the stunningly beautiful gargoyle attacks him upon sight. As they strike an uneasy peace—and unexpected and escalating attraction—Cal knows he’ll have to tell Rose who really betrayed her family. And with Rose’s life in greater danger than ever, Cal has a chance to make up for the past…as long he doesn’t fall in love.

Review:

Locked in Stone by Tory Michaels is the first book in her Hearts of Stone series. Locked in Stone is a paranormal fantasy type of storyline; with gargoyles, sentinels, demons, vampires, witches, and angels. In the beginning there is some world building that will take a little bit of time to understand who and what are good and evil. Rose Johnson is our heroine, and she is a Sacred Mother Gargoyle, who has been in hiding for 24 years. It was thought that the three young sacred mothers were destroyed by an attack by Lucifer and his demons.

Cal Levesque is our hero, and he is Sentinel Protectorate that are supposed to protect the Sacred Mothers. Cal blames himself for not being able to save them years before, as he was out on assignment. The Sentinels have a huge compound where they also take care of other Gargoyles to work together to fight evil that threatens to destroy earth and humans.

When Rose’s friend and caretaker, Gwyn is killed, she goes to the Sentinels for help. Cal cannot believe his eyes when he sees Rose alive. As a sacred mother, Rose is the only one who can close the barrier that is slowly opening from the Otherworld to release demons.

What follows is an exciting story that will put Rose’s life in danger, as all the Gargoyles and Sentinels work together to heal the rift. There is also a very nice slow build romance between Cal and Rose, as they find themselves immediately attracted to one another; however Cal is hesitant to act on that attraction, fearing loss of control when protecting Rose.

Rose must also learn to trust her new friends, as she discovers the betrayals during her years on the run. The exciting ending will find their lives in danger, and Rose having to make a decision to save herself and Cal.

I did enjoy this story, and feel the series has a lot of potential. I did have some mixed feelings early on with the confusion of some terminology, and the world building. With this out of the way, I feel that the next book should be even better, and look forward to finding out if they find more Sacred Mothers. Tory Michaels is a new author for me, and has shown a very nice imagination in weaving this story together.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher