Anemone's certain fate has it in for her, until a huge man bursts into her house, insisting he's been woken from his centuries-long sleep to be her personal protector.
Young widow Anemone buries her grief in the distant past through her job as a museum curator. That is, until a hero appears from nowhere, saving her from a freak accident.
Dun doesn't remember anything before the moment he saved Anemone. But from the moment he saw her, he knew he'd stop at nothing to keep her safe.
Can they break the bonds holding them back to pain in the past to find a new future?
USA Today Bestselling Author Demelza Carlton has always loved the ocean, but on her first snorkelling trip she found she was afraid of fish. She has since swum with sea lions, sharks and sea cucumbers and stood on spray-drenched cliffs over a seething sea as a seven-metre cyclonic swell surged in, shattering a shipwreck below. Sensationalist spin? No - Demelza tends to take a camera with her so she can capture and share the moment later; shipwrecks, sharks and all. Demelza now lives in Perth, Western Australia, the shark attack capital of the world. The Ocean's Gift series was her first foray into fiction, followed by the Nightmares trilogy. She swears the Mel Goes to Hell series ambushed her on a crowded train and wouldn't leave her alone.
I would definitely read Broken Chains and if possible, Heart of Stone before reading this next book in the series because each book is about one of the brothers and what happened to them. This book is about Dunstan, the ship's carpenter and Anemone, the museum curator. One night, Anemone's world comes crashing down around her and her gargoyle protector, Dunstan is awakened. Anemone takes Dunstan's gargoyle status in stride and accepts his help with repairing her bathroom. Dunstan slowly regains some of his memories as he strives to help and protect Anemone. She is recovering from her husband's death and her miscarriage. Dunstan remembers that he has two brothers but isn't sure what happened to them. Together, Dunstan and Anemone will try to solve a couple of mysteries and along the way they just might find a surprise or two and a happy ending. I am really looking forward to the last book in the series as these gargoyle stories thoroughly intrigue me. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is the next book in this fantasy gargoyle romance series and I very much enjoyed it. It’s a great adventure full of mystery, suspense and drama and this is Anemone and Dunstan’s story. It’s captivating and engaging and is a story of love, loss and hope and I look forward to reading more.
I enjoyed listening to this story. The storyline kept my attention. I liked reading characters. And the ending was written very well. I'm excited to listen to the last book in this series!
I liked this much better than book 1. There was more of a storyline in the present timeline, and the ties to the first book were fun to spot. And finally there's a bit of callback to the prequel! I'm also very excited that we've had our introduction to Ben in this timeline and that his story is next.
Just finished my ARC and absolutely loved this book! In this short we meet Anemone who is a recent widow and is learning to live after the loss of her husband, and Dunstan who is a gargoyle who has very little recollection of his life prior to us meeting him. Their interactions and chemistry was amazing. The conflict that gets introduced in the story had me not wanting to put this book down!
It was odd that the main characters didn’t seem to want to look into why Dustan had become a Gargoyle. And Anemone seemed cold at times. I get that her husband passed away and she lost her baby the same day, but at times she seemed rude to people. Also, she didn’t seem to care that much about Dustan. Had some guy, who was a GARGOYLE, showed up in my house I would be trying to find out all about him either by asking him questions or doing research about every little fact he could remember (like Catena did in book one for Tor). She was unrealistically accepting that a gargoyle lived in her walls. Then she seduces him and honestly it seems all about her pleasure and not trying to give him any. There seemed very little connection between the two. Unlike his brother, Tor, having sex with Catena broke his curse, Dustan’s was NOT broken because apparently neither he nor Anemone were in love. They just like each other and enjoy the sex. It didn’t surprise me when he asked Anemone to marry him, once he learned she was pregnant, that she said not until the baby can walk. She wants time to get to know him better. She doesn’t currently know ANYTHING about him as she hasn’t really asked!!! Tor discovering Dustan was there was a HUGE disappointment. Not an once of relief or joy to see his brother again! Instead he scolds his brother for seducing Anemone and getting her pregnant. (1) he has no right to scold him because it’s none of his business (2) Tor seduced Catena, so why is he being a hypocrite?! (3) Anemone seduced Dustan not the other way around (4) He doesn’t seem concerned at all that his brother doesn’t recognize him (5) he doesn’t seem concerned his brother is still a gargoyle. Another thing was Catena and Tor had figured out in book one that the dancing gargoyle had to be his brother, Dustan. In book two, that comes into the storyline and they run over to “warn” Anemone. She’s in the apartment stairwell and can overhear them at her door. Then a WEEK passes and then Tor finally calls out to his brother. Why didn’t Catena and Tor try knocking on Anemone’s door again in all that time??? Catena, especially, could have gone over during daylight hours to talk to her so Dustan wouldn’t be around. That just made no sense especially since they wanted to “warn” her. I don’t know what they wanted to “warn her” about. It was Tor’s brother!! The book seemed to imply that Dustan would try to seduce Anemone only to break the curse. But Tor didn’t even learn how to break the curse until Catena had done a TON of research into it and then made love to him. It was her love and the fact Tor loved her also that broke the curse. Also, the book never explained how Dustan knew how to dance the Macarena! I did enjoy the storyline with the drug dealer a bit. Though there wasn’t much to that except to close out the mystery of how Anemone’s husband died. Lastly, I have NO idea how to say the female main character’s name Anemone?! I wished the author had chosen an easier name. Overall, it was an okay read. Several things just didn’t make sense to me why they occurred how they did as stated above. I’m looking forward to reading the next book about their brother, Ben. (Ok. This is my final complaint: I don’t get how Anemone didn’t even consider the fact that there’s an artist right across the street at the coffee shop, that only comes in at night, and the fact their brother is an artist. She’s supposed to be a smart scientist?! I would have said we should go check him out! There is suddenly an artist across the street from where the other two gargoyles show up?! Come on! Clueless!)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Anemone is still devasted by the death of her beloved husband and when her roof collapses on her head literally, she wonders if things could get any worse for her. It's a good thing she has her beloved albeit finicky rescue cat Lucky to keep her company. Until she catches a glimpse of a horned stone man with a tail, must be daydreaming, or maybe it's the Moth Man everybody has been talking about, he does have wings! He wouldn't be able to talk to her if it was a dream, right?
Dunstun Stone is cursed to be the stone protector of Anemone, so when she calls out for help after her roof collapses, he is taken aback by her beauty. If he wasn't cursed in stone, he would woo her into his arms. Alas, he can help her by fixing her roof and showing her how handy he could be to keep around. He hadn't counted on the beauty asking him to make love to her, it's so good to know he can still make a woman feel good, by Anemone is nothing like the wenches he had when he was human, he wants to pleasure all the time.
Unlike his brother Tor who turned back to flesh & blood when he made love to Catena, he is cursed in that he is still made of stone. What could the difference be, and will Anemone want to spend her days with a hunk of stone?
I can't wait to read Ben Stone's story. On my way to read now.
Book Two in the gargoyle trilogy was fun. Anemone made an appearance in the first book. She is a widow and is really just trying to make it day by day grieving and learning to relive after her husband passed.
Dunston also made a cameo in the first book. Well parts of him did any way. He needs to figure what happened and what will release him from curse. His memory is still clouded and not clear. He, like his brother, has a skill that will perfectly fit into Anemones life. He built boats and repaired them. She restores them and gets them ready for display in museums.
Both of them need each other to finally heal from different kinds of grieving. Dun gets a surprise visit from his brother which I was sad and disappointed how that went honestly. It didn’t go how I expected it to or wanted it to.
I enjoyed how the book acknowledged the pandemic and what we could and couldn’t do at the time. It was a part of our lives at the time and it made the book a little more realistic even if live gargoyles are not. I can not wait for book three for the third brother. This one kind of left with a bit of a bit cliffhanger hopefully in book three we will find out more.
Another enjoyable story in this series that kept me quite engage as I read about Dunstan a Gargoyle and Anemone a museum curator. Anemone morns the loss of her husband, Morgan, who died at sea and works in the nautical dept in the museum restoring boats. Anemone just moved into her new apartment and is fostering a mother cat with kittens she named Bruce Wayne. Bruce escaped but she found homes for the kittens. That night it started to downpour and worried for Bruce she looks for her and finds her in the bathroom when the roof collapsed on top of her and exposed electric wires dance around her. Dunstan the protector of her apartment building lives within the walls hears Anemone scream and saves her and Bruce. After their close call renames Bruce to Lucky. Next day, Dunstan who suffers from memory loss catches Anemone crying and comforts her. What occurs in an engaging story that I enjoyed reading with very personal characters who are suffering from loss and finding hope and love as they band together to break a curse in this ARC that I volunteer to read and review.
🤔Who knew a buff gargoyle could heal a widow's 💔broken heart?!
3.5 🌟stars This story in Demelza Carlton's fantasy gargoyle romance series was okay but not as good as the previous Broken Chains about gargoyle Tor and Catena. I found this one a bit less focused and the efforts to get back at the heroine's husband's murderer did not impress me. More getting-to-know-each-other moments between Anemone and Dunstan would have been nice.
I thought the set-up for the story was original and I liked that it acknowledged the pandemic. But I am still waiting three books in to the series to understand how the Stone brothers ended up gargoyles in Victorian-era Western Australia and reanimated as protectors for individual women in contemporary Fremantle.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.
Duncan Stone did not remember about the curse that had him trapped only that he was a gargoyle and the protector of Anemone, the woman in whose house he lived on the walls. Victim of tragic events, Anemone was without hope of a flattering future until Dunstan became her hope. Caught my attention Anemone's work and the narratives and mystery around Morgan. I was intrigued with the curse and how each one of the gargoyles was going to break its own curse because the three brothers seem to be very different. The last chapters surprised me and left me with questions. How was that possible that this happened? It seems that Tor is the voice of the sensibility. Interesting descriptions, suspense, romance, violence, and passion. I like these stories that entertain me with the fantasy and make me think about the dramas that the characters live.
Enjoyed this story about a widow who is saved by her gargoyle protector when her bathroom ceiling collapses causing an electrical hazard that traps her in her bathtub. Anemone has still not recovered from the loss of her husband and her unborn child - both on the same night. The two will dance around each other until Anemone finally makes the first move. Then they will collaborate to solve a mystery about her husband's death.
If you read Broken Chains then you so recognize Anemone as Catena's neighbor who found the child's shoes in her ceiling. You will also realize that Dunstan is Tor's brother and that there is one brother left who hasn't had his story yet. Ben. I was given an advanced copy of this book by the author. My review is voluntary.
Anemone is morning the death of her husband who died at sea she is working at the old Prison and living in an old limestone building built in the 1850s. At the time she is unaware that she has a roommate Dunstan a gargoyle living within the walls of her apartment. He has been there since he and his brothers were laying the foundation. One evening Anemone's bathroom ceiling fell in with all the rain she was shocked to see a monster step out of the wall. Together they find out what really happened to her husband and clear his name. A Pretty interesting storyline and characters. Mystery, drama, suspense, mourning, sexual content, violence, some adventure, pager-turner. HEA. I read a copy via BookFunnel without obligation. I volunteered an honest review.
I’m going to honestly say I didn’t enjoy this story as much as her first one in the series. Anemone, the female human lead, particularly seemed a little disconnected with her world, though that may be attributable to the grief she was dealing with, in which case maybe this shows great writing?
Dunstan, the male gargoyle lead, was an interesting protector type, with no memory of his past situation.
The story is dual POV, well written, and the character interactions are interesting. I feel like this story was a bridge between first and last and it didn’t feel complete at the end.
I received a complimentary copy from the author and this is my voluntary, honest review.
A good story about putting the past behind. Anemone is a chemist and museum curator. She's also Catena's neighbor. When the ceiling in her bathroom collapses, Dunstan, Tor's brother, is there to protect her. This story covers their budding relationship as well as help to put both of their pasts behind them. Well written with references to previous stories in the series as well as hints for future ones. I look forward to the next story.
This gargoyle story is about Tor’s brother Dunstan, and Cat’s neighbor, Anemone. Anemone lives next to Cat and is a scientist. Her husband disappeared a year ago, the same day she lost their baby. He has been declared dead by the courts. She meets Dunstan around the same time right before Tor turned human. They develop a relationship. She uncovers startling evidence about her husband but now there is a mystery to solve. With the help of Dunstan, she hopes to find out what exactly happened to Morgan that night at sea. A few unexplained surprises happen as well~ Will they also be able to break Dunstan’s curse?
Anemone is numb, grieving her husband who was lost at sea almost a year ago. She fosters a stray cat and her kittens, restores antiquities at the museum, and does what she needs to keep living day by day. We saw her in book 1 and she really comes alive when Dunstan the gargoyle enters her life. They mourn, they long for each other, they explore, and they solve her husband disappearance. They don't quite reach the happy ending Tor got, but there's another book coming to wrap up the Stone brothers' story.
This is the third book in the Heart of Stone series even though it is book 2. Heart of Stone sets up the story of the three brothers Ben, Tor and Dunstan. Book 1, Broken Chains is Tor's story. Book 2, Broken Bonds is Dunstan's story.
Now I need to read book 3, Broken Dreams which is Ben's story.
I am loving these stories. I believe they need to be read in sequence as the story follows along.
I started reading this book this morning and could not put it down until I finished it. It is well worth reading.
I loved it! I am a little short on time. I know I am going to reread these many times. There is something in them that just keeps me reading to see what will happen next. When the brothers start to wonder what happened to the others, they ask the ones they are watching over if they could help. They are able to get some answers with the computers the guys find almost magical. Some of them are in the archeology studies & can find answers there. Some things are unable to locate until they manage to find each other in this time. It's a neat story!
The Gargoyles are back and this time it is Dun and Anemone's story. And it was a hilarious story with a mystery undertone. I was introduced to Anemone in the first book and I have to say her tale was just as good. A hot story with some sad points but a good story overall and the ending was a riot. Dun was a blast and a great character. Enjoyed the story and found it entertaining and fun to read.
Two lonely people connect with each other. One just happens to be a gargoyle. I couldn’t resist their sweetness with one other. These two definitely deserved a happily ever after!
There are also a couple of mysteries. One is solved, but the second mystery has a few clues dropped. See if you can find them! Thankfully, there just has to be a third book to tie up the loose ends!
I received a free copy of this book via the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I read the first two books in this series and loved them! This particular story Dustan the Gargoyle is called forth to protect Anemone. She doesn’t know how she summoned him but she likes what she sees. I loved the back story on this one. #2 in this particular order. Funny, steamy, action, and finding forever. I loved this! This particular story also has an extended epilogue that is really good!
I enjoy a good mystery and this book has more than one. There's the mystery I Anemone's life that needs solving then there is the mystery of Dunstan. Finding out more about the Stone brothers and getting closer to solving the mystery of how they ended up in Australia, in prison, and as gargoyles makes for interesting reading. Sexy gargoyles add an extra layer of interesting to the story.
I really enjoyed Dunstan and Anemone's story. I've become a fan of gargoyle stories after reading Broken Chains the 1st book of this trilogy and I can't wait for Ben's story and hopefully Dunstan will get his curse broken before the baby arrives!
BB by D. Carlton is the second book in the heart of Stone Series. This novella tells Anemone and Dunston's story. The widow and museum's employee and the gargoyle meet and he's becoming her knight in shining armor fast, real fast. A beautiful next instalment, highly entertaining, unputdownable, 4,5 stars.
Anemone is dealing with a tragedy that has led to a disconnection with reality, or at least, with the whole of her new reality. Finding a protector, even one who is more than he seems, may just be the catalyst in starting over. Can he help her to deal with her loss? Can she help him to discover his background?
The dancing Mothman has his own story! I was expecting something more comedic (because, dancing Mothman!) but this turned out to be heart-tugging and sweetly romantic in the extreme. What a wonderful second chance for both Dunstan and Anemone!
I received an ARC from the author and I voluntarily leaving a review.
I loved book 1 and could not wait for book 2. It took me a bit to figure out how book 2 fits in the timeline- book 1 and 2 are not chronological. More like same timeline from different view point or in this case, appartment.
Dunstan makes a brief appearance in book 1 and it was great to finally meet him. I enjoyed how different their relationship is from book 1. It felt fresh but also like returning home. The narrator's voice was effortless. I drifted off into Anemone's story and cannot wait for book 3 to learn more about what is going on.
I would say could be read on it's own, but better if read with the history of book 1.
I received an advanced copy of this story and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.
A thoroughly enjoyable series. The gargoyle and his girl friend became close friends but only at night when he could come out otherwise the sun turned him into stone again and he was her protector. Why is he in stone and what was the curse that made him that way. What really happened to her husband, misjudgment or murder?