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Keepers of the Flame #1
The Stone Protector
A few months to her 17th birthday, Luanne Kylor begins to experience weird attacks. When she’s almost killed at a shopping mall, her grandmother decides that enough is enough and hires a bodyguard. Even though she’s immediately attracted to Dylan, a bodyguard is the last thing she needs as she’s trying desperately to blend in.
What most people don’t know is that Luanne belongs to a family of vampires. But not just any vampires; they are known as the BORN breed because they were born into their heritage. They are a sort of vampire evolution and Dylan is a member of the Protector Order of the BORN breed.
Forging a tentative bond, Luanne and Dylan come together and both face those that have been haunting Luanne for over four years. They had murdered her entire family and now they’re after her. Survival has suddenly turned into a very dangerous game. Will Dylan succeed in saving her or will she have to look inward and find the strength to save herself? What is her connection to the stone in the pendant around her neck?
What most people don’t know is that Luanne belongs to a family of vampires. But not just any vampires; they are known as the BORN breed because they were born into their heritage. They are a sort of vampire evolution and Dylan is a member of the Protector Order of the BORN breed.
Forging a tentative bond, Luanne and Dylan come together and both face those that have been haunting Luanne for over four years. They had murdered her entire family and now they’re after her. Survival has suddenly turned into a very dangerous game. Will Dylan succeed in saving her or will she have to look inward and find the strength to save herself? What is her connection to the stone in the pendant around her neck?
59 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 23, 2013
56 people are currently reading
348 people want to read
About the author
Melissa F. Hart
195 books68 followersI started writing romance fiction since I was 16 years old. I'm now a published writer thanks to the wonderful world of ebooks.
I live in Canada and I love the winter months. As you can see, I wrote several books related to the winter holidays.
I'm currently an accountant but my dream is to be a full-time independent writer of hot erotic romance books.
I live in Canada and I love the winter months. As you can see, I wrote several books related to the winter holidays.
I'm currently an accountant but my dream is to be a full-time independent writer of hot erotic romance books.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 27, 2013
I promise to be brutally honest with my opinion, but it should not be taken as fact. Any reader should read it for themselves, before they decide if this book has any merit or not. Do not judge this book biased solely on my opinion. If you do, you might miss out on a great read. You never know. It could happen. My review may contain spoilers, but I really strive to be spoiler-free. I downloaded this book for free on Amazon.com. This book was not suggested nor “gifted” to me by the author. I have no affiliation with the author or his/her publisher. This book is more of a novella than a novel. It is very short; therefore, do not expect to be reading this more than a couple of hours. I finished this story in two hours. I am a fast reader, so a slower reader may have a longer read.
1. Strong Main Character/ Female Heroine: Luanne is a really sarcastic little girl, who has not grown up much. The reader learns why she is the way she is, but it is still not satisfying that she falls in love in the end. It seems too clichéd for her and I expected more for her, especially in light of what happened to her in the past. I like the person that she becomes in the end, but she is so confused that I do not think that she sees that she is stronger than Dylan and does not need him to save her. 3 out of 5 stars
2. Strong Main Character / Male Hero: Dylan is the male hero of our story, but I quite like the fact that he does not save our heroine in the end. It made his character a lot more bearable, because I feel like he is a bit of a narcissist that can be very vulnerable at times. His softness seems a bit out of character. 4 out of 5 stars
3. Strong Main Character / Evil Antagonist: The evil mastermind would have to be Lord Morrison, but the reader does not know about him until the end and then, he does not really matter anyways. I felt like this character could have been anyone. 2 out of 5 stars
4. Strong Minor Characters: The grandmother, Katrina, is really the only minor character in this story and she is a very important one. I felt like I liked her the best in this book out of all of the characters. She took things seriously and was not afraid to die to do what she believed was right. I did not feel that the other characters had these qualities or were as enduring to the reader. 5 out of 5 stars
5. The Plot: The concept of the plot was very interesting and I become very excited about it. The author horribly executed the writing, but I still thought that the plot was worth it. I have never read anything quite like this book and not because of the writing. I feel like the concept has never been done quite like in this way. 4 out of 5 stars
6. The Setting: Not much of a setting, but yet again, there was not much to this story. Still, I would have liked to see more descriptions of the house and the rooms that the characters went through. I feel like there could have been more. I am not one to gloss over descriptions. I drink them up. 2 out of 5 stars
7. The Dialogue: The most natural part of this book has to be the dialogue. It really was about the only part of the writing that was done right, without adding confusion into the plot. I feel like everyone was talking the way they should due to their background. No one’s voice sounded out of place with their character. 5 out of 5 stars
8. Engaging Surprises: There were a couple of surprises for such a short book, but I did not really feel like they were surprises more like what the hell just happened and then confusion. Surprises are supposed to shock you and make you more invested into the story. These surprises were more confusing than shocking, because there was never any background on the surprises that made you understand what exactly was going on. 2 out of 5 stars
9. Climax: At least in this novella that I read, there was a massive fight scene that was very satisfying, despite the writing issues. I do think that it was resolved too neatly though and the reader never fully grasped what really happened with Luanne, since it is really glossed over. I wish there was more of an effort put into this scene to make it last longer, but also give some clarity to the reader to get them to invest more of their time into the story. 3 out of 5 stars
10. Emotional Response: I literally had no melty response to this novella. I was frustrated, confused, and angry or indifferent to how the characters would end up. I enjoyed the plot, but was not invested in the story due to a writing style that left more to be desired. 2 out of 5 stars
11. Ending: The ending of the novella was very satisfying and tied up neatly into a pretty little bow. Although, personally I would prefer a less tidy ending, it made the book worth the read in my opinion. Did I cry? No, but I was glad that it ended the way it did…although very predictable. 3 out of 5 stars
12. The Writing: I have to say that although I love the unique plot, I am not a fan of this author’s writing. The writing is all over the place. This author switches from third person narration to first person from Luanne’s perspective, then to Dylan’s perspective in the first person, and back and forth through all of these styles of narration and without any warning do we go. I would have liked to see some type of break like Dylan’s POV or something similar to that. All the switching of writing styles left me confused and irritable. I did get it after a while, but it lessened my enjoyment of the book and I really do not want to read the seconds book. I am afraid that it will be just like this one and that would ruin the story for me….although, I do want to continue…I don’t want to risk my money on it. I am not saying that writing like this is necessarily bad. I did enjoy a book called Turned that switched up POVs, but not in the middle of a chapter and it was very limited with how many chapters were a different POV from the main character and they were relatively short. I just think that the author could have done a much better job at writing this story. 1 out of 5 stars
13. The Artwork: I love, love, love the cover to this novella!!! Although looking through the series as a whole it is the same model with slightly different facial expressions and looks like one photo shoot where the author chose the first three pictures, the model is very beautiful and flawless. I love attractive covers, so I am a bit biased. The only criticism of this cove is that the model looks stiff in her shot, but it sort of fits the character, especially in this book. 5 out of 5 stars
14. Genre: The genre of this book is definitely a paranormal romance. There is a strong supernatural element and the romance comes later in this short book. It is a very fitting YA genre, but I question if it would not turn into more romance and less paranormal elements present. I really hope the author keeps the novel strongly paranormal with the romance to just sweeten the deal. 5 out of 5 stars
15. Title: I have to say that the title says it all. I really enjoy the title. The only title that would be a better fit than this one would be if it said “The Stone Keeper”. Keeping the title the way it is adds more mystery to the plot, but I still think that it would be a small sacrifice. This new title does not give the story away, until the reader figures it out. I really enjoy titles that describe the book perfectly and although this title is not perfect, it is very close. 4 out of 5 stars
Overall, I give the novella 3.3 out of 5 stars. So, I would have to give it three stars. I feel like this book is average and that some people might enjoy it, but the writing really deters me. If you agree with me in the writing section, then I would advise you not to read this book, because you will be disappointed. If my review does not faze you, then go ahead and read it. I hope you enjoy it.
1. Strong Main Character/ Female Heroine: Luanne is a really sarcastic little girl, who has not grown up much. The reader learns why she is the way she is, but it is still not satisfying that she falls in love in the end. It seems too clichéd for her and I expected more for her, especially in light of what happened to her in the past. I like the person that she becomes in the end, but she is so confused that I do not think that she sees that she is stronger than Dylan and does not need him to save her. 3 out of 5 stars
2. Strong Main Character / Male Hero: Dylan is the male hero of our story, but I quite like the fact that he does not save our heroine in the end. It made his character a lot more bearable, because I feel like he is a bit of a narcissist that can be very vulnerable at times. His softness seems a bit out of character. 4 out of 5 stars
3. Strong Main Character / Evil Antagonist: The evil mastermind would have to be Lord Morrison, but the reader does not know about him until the end and then, he does not really matter anyways. I felt like this character could have been anyone. 2 out of 5 stars
4. Strong Minor Characters: The grandmother, Katrina, is really the only minor character in this story and she is a very important one. I felt like I liked her the best in this book out of all of the characters. She took things seriously and was not afraid to die to do what she believed was right. I did not feel that the other characters had these qualities or were as enduring to the reader. 5 out of 5 stars
5. The Plot: The concept of the plot was very interesting and I become very excited about it. The author horribly executed the writing, but I still thought that the plot was worth it. I have never read anything quite like this book and not because of the writing. I feel like the concept has never been done quite like in this way. 4 out of 5 stars
6. The Setting: Not much of a setting, but yet again, there was not much to this story. Still, I would have liked to see more descriptions of the house and the rooms that the characters went through. I feel like there could have been more. I am not one to gloss over descriptions. I drink them up. 2 out of 5 stars
7. The Dialogue: The most natural part of this book has to be the dialogue. It really was about the only part of the writing that was done right, without adding confusion into the plot. I feel like everyone was talking the way they should due to their background. No one’s voice sounded out of place with their character. 5 out of 5 stars
8. Engaging Surprises: There were a couple of surprises for such a short book, but I did not really feel like they were surprises more like what the hell just happened and then confusion. Surprises are supposed to shock you and make you more invested into the story. These surprises were more confusing than shocking, because there was never any background on the surprises that made you understand what exactly was going on. 2 out of 5 stars
9. Climax: At least in this novella that I read, there was a massive fight scene that was very satisfying, despite the writing issues. I do think that it was resolved too neatly though and the reader never fully grasped what really happened with Luanne, since it is really glossed over. I wish there was more of an effort put into this scene to make it last longer, but also give some clarity to the reader to get them to invest more of their time into the story. 3 out of 5 stars
10. Emotional Response: I literally had no melty response to this novella. I was frustrated, confused, and angry or indifferent to how the characters would end up. I enjoyed the plot, but was not invested in the story due to a writing style that left more to be desired. 2 out of 5 stars
11. Ending: The ending of the novella was very satisfying and tied up neatly into a pretty little bow. Although, personally I would prefer a less tidy ending, it made the book worth the read in my opinion. Did I cry? No, but I was glad that it ended the way it did…although very predictable. 3 out of 5 stars
12. The Writing: I have to say that although I love the unique plot, I am not a fan of this author’s writing. The writing is all over the place. This author switches from third person narration to first person from Luanne’s perspective, then to Dylan’s perspective in the first person, and back and forth through all of these styles of narration and without any warning do we go. I would have liked to see some type of break like Dylan’s POV or something similar to that. All the switching of writing styles left me confused and irritable. I did get it after a while, but it lessened my enjoyment of the book and I really do not want to read the seconds book. I am afraid that it will be just like this one and that would ruin the story for me….although, I do want to continue…I don’t want to risk my money on it. I am not saying that writing like this is necessarily bad. I did enjoy a book called Turned that switched up POVs, but not in the middle of a chapter and it was very limited with how many chapters were a different POV from the main character and they were relatively short. I just think that the author could have done a much better job at writing this story. 1 out of 5 stars
13. The Artwork: I love, love, love the cover to this novella!!! Although looking through the series as a whole it is the same model with slightly different facial expressions and looks like one photo shoot where the author chose the first three pictures, the model is very beautiful and flawless. I love attractive covers, so I am a bit biased. The only criticism of this cove is that the model looks stiff in her shot, but it sort of fits the character, especially in this book. 5 out of 5 stars
14. Genre: The genre of this book is definitely a paranormal romance. There is a strong supernatural element and the romance comes later in this short book. It is a very fitting YA genre, but I question if it would not turn into more romance and less paranormal elements present. I really hope the author keeps the novel strongly paranormal with the romance to just sweeten the deal. 5 out of 5 stars
15. Title: I have to say that the title says it all. I really enjoy the title. The only title that would be a better fit than this one would be if it said “The Stone Keeper”. Keeping the title the way it is adds more mystery to the plot, but I still think that it would be a small sacrifice. This new title does not give the story away, until the reader figures it out. I really enjoy titles that describe the book perfectly and although this title is not perfect, it is very close. 4 out of 5 stars
Overall, I give the novella 3.3 out of 5 stars. So, I would have to give it three stars. I feel like this book is average and that some people might enjoy it, but the writing really deters me. If you agree with me in the writing section, then I would advise you not to read this book, because you will be disappointed. If my review does not faze you, then go ahead and read it. I hope you enjoy it.
November 2, 2018
What I thought...
I love it cant wait to read the next one!💖 Though it could be longer, but still.it's good and you just want to read it in a heartbeat because it's that good💖😍💖
I love it cant wait to read the next one!💖 Though it could be longer, but still.it's good and you just want to read it in a heartbeat because it's that good💖😍💖
July 26, 2014
Luanne is special, so special that her life is in danger, but all she wants is to blend in, to be like everyone else. She is a vampire, but unlike other vampires, she is part of a family who were born vampires, not made and someone wants to uproot her family tree. Enter Dylan, a bodyguard who has been hired to keep her safe. It doesn’t help that she is attracted to this young man. Dylan must maintain a cool distance as part of an elite order trained to protect born vampires. Will he be able to keep her safe or will Luanne have to learn to take care of herself?
The Stone Protector by Melissa F. Hart is a great brief introduction to what looks to be a fascinating new series. Ms. Hart has given Luanne attitude, sometimes a LOT of attitude, but she is a teen trying to fit in, with all of the insecurities of a teen, so it fits, especially considering the dual life she leads. Even Dylan has a very strong personality, as different as night and day to Luanne.
This is a quick read with a bit of a twist to the vampire genre. Good vs evil, a life in jeopardy and a young woman who learns to stand up when she needs it most. A good hook to reel us in for this series!
Series: Keepers of the Flame - Book 1
Publication Date: February 23, 2013
Genre: YA Paranormal Fantasy
Print Length: 59 pages
Available from: Amazon
The Stone Protector by Melissa F. Hart is a great brief introduction to what looks to be a fascinating new series. Ms. Hart has given Luanne attitude, sometimes a LOT of attitude, but she is a teen trying to fit in, with all of the insecurities of a teen, so it fits, especially considering the dual life she leads. Even Dylan has a very strong personality, as different as night and day to Luanne.
This is a quick read with a bit of a twist to the vampire genre. Good vs evil, a life in jeopardy and a young woman who learns to stand up when she needs it most. A good hook to reel us in for this series!
Series: Keepers of the Flame - Book 1
Publication Date: February 23, 2013
Genre: YA Paranormal Fantasy
Print Length: 59 pages
Available from: Amazon
July 1, 2013
A quick fast read and it was a freebie on Amazon.com so it couldn’t get any better!
This book is about Luanne Kylor who is 16 years old and is constantly have weird attacks. She was almost killed at mall when she was out shopping. However, she had some strange powers that saved her. When her grandmother found out about another attack, she went and hired Dylan a bodyguard and protector.
We soon find out that Luanne is part of a family of vampires. Not just the average vampire but a BORN vampire which means they were born into their heritage. This is how we find out that Dylan is a Protector. He has been thoroughly trained in protecting the Born vampire from evil.
On Luanne's 13th birthday a stone necklace appeared on her pillow. She thought it was a present from her parents, who soon pass away. She treasures this necklace because it is the only keepsake she has from them. She soon learns that the necklace was not from her parents, the necklace choice her as a keeper. There has not been a keeper in hundreds of years. Luanne finds out that the necklace has powers and holds the entire powers of their vampire clan.
Dylan and Luanne soon form some sort of relationship, and a big battle ensues because of the necklace.
Can't really say too much since the book is not very long, but I can't wait for the next book to come out!
This book is about Luanne Kylor who is 16 years old and is constantly have weird attacks. She was almost killed at mall when she was out shopping. However, she had some strange powers that saved her. When her grandmother found out about another attack, she went and hired Dylan a bodyguard and protector.
We soon find out that Luanne is part of a family of vampires. Not just the average vampire but a BORN vampire which means they were born into their heritage. This is how we find out that Dylan is a Protector. He has been thoroughly trained in protecting the Born vampire from evil.
On Luanne's 13th birthday a stone necklace appeared on her pillow. She thought it was a present from her parents, who soon pass away. She treasures this necklace because it is the only keepsake she has from them. She soon learns that the necklace was not from her parents, the necklace choice her as a keeper. There has not been a keeper in hundreds of years. Luanne finds out that the necklace has powers and holds the entire powers of their vampire clan.
Dylan and Luanne soon form some sort of relationship, and a big battle ensues because of the necklace.
Can't really say too much since the book is not very long, but I can't wait for the next book to come out!
May 10, 2015
Como ya sabemos las deficiencias de las historias de este estilo, digamos que lo leí preparada: podía gustarme o no. Y, jajajaja casualmente considero que está en un término medio. No fue wow pero tampoco tan mala.
La trama de vampiros está muy usada, de modo que quién cometa el altruismo de elegirlo para escribir un libro debe tratar de ser lo más novedoso posible. Y si bien en esta historia no hay grandes diferencias acerca de cómo son los vampiros, diría que el elemento distintivo es la piedra que la protagonista lleva desde que cumplió los 13 años y que años más tarde le traerá "los problemas".
Y con eso me refiero a que todos van a intentar matarla o, en realidad raptarla, porque esa piedra es la madre del poder de todos los vampiros.....
En virtud del peligro que corre su vida, es que su abuela le designa un guardaespaldas: Dylan. Por lo poco que se puede saber de este personaje, se trata de uno de los mejores protectores.
Pero en cuanto a su vida personal, la misma es bastante solitaria.
Acá volvemos a la fantasía exagerada porque ambos protagonistas es como que se enamoran ni bien se ven, lo cuál no me parece mal pero tampoco pienso que todo debe ser tan precipitado, peroooo como se trata de éste tipo de historias "podría" dejarlo pasar.
Seguramente voy a leer los siguientes libros para ver que onda...
La trama de vampiros está muy usada, de modo que quién cometa el altruismo de elegirlo para escribir un libro debe tratar de ser lo más novedoso posible. Y si bien en esta historia no hay grandes diferencias acerca de cómo son los vampiros, diría que el elemento distintivo es la piedra que la protagonista lleva desde que cumplió los 13 años y que años más tarde le traerá "los problemas".
Y con eso me refiero a que todos van a intentar matarla o, en realidad raptarla, porque esa piedra es la madre del poder de todos los vampiros.....
En virtud del peligro que corre su vida, es que su abuela le designa un guardaespaldas: Dylan. Por lo poco que se puede saber de este personaje, se trata de uno de los mejores protectores.
Pero en cuanto a su vida personal, la misma es bastante solitaria.
Acá volvemos a la fantasía exagerada porque ambos protagonistas es como que se enamoran ni bien se ven, lo cuál no me parece mal pero tampoco pienso que todo debe ser tan precipitado, peroooo como se trata de éste tipo de historias "podría" dejarlo pasar.
Seguramente voy a leer los siguientes libros para ver que onda...
January 13, 2017
So I have to say straight away, I am not normally one to pick up a paranormal romance due to not really liking fantasy story, however I needed to read a paranormal romance book for one of the book challenges, and to be honest I was fairly happy that I read this.
The characters were pretty good, the heroine; (Luanne or Lu as she was referred to) was a very strong willed young girl (she was only 16) who I thought was portrayed very well by not feeling like she was too childish to be in the story. Dylan was a hunk of a man, but I didn't feel like the characters connected as well as the story was trying to make us believe. I do wish that I would have read more about the other characters in the story.
The actual story was quite well thought out, however it did feel a little rushed, this may be due to being a short story, so to be honest it is a little forgivable and didn't make me dislike the story. There was lots of suspense in the book which left me satisfied when I finished reading.
The characters were pretty good, the heroine; (Luanne or Lu as she was referred to) was a very strong willed young girl (she was only 16) who I thought was portrayed very well by not feeling like she was too childish to be in the story. Dylan was a hunk of a man, but I didn't feel like the characters connected as well as the story was trying to make us believe. I do wish that I would have read more about the other characters in the story.
The actual story was quite well thought out, however it did feel a little rushed, this may be due to being a short story, so to be honest it is a little forgivable and didn't make me dislike the story. There was lots of suspense in the book which left me satisfied when I finished reading.
May 11, 2013
SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!
the book was ok! i mean, it wasn't too bad or too good/wow! it was simple, though it was simple i think, it wasn't boring! the book could have been longer, but otherwise it was ok! :D
the girl was ok, so was the boy! XD nothing special, but the funniest thing was when Luanne said that the keeper should be someone else, and the stone burned her, it was seriously funny! :P
the book was ok! i mean, it wasn't too bad or too good/wow! it was simple, though it was simple i think, it wasn't boring! the book could have been longer, but otherwise it was ok! :D
the girl was ok, so was the boy! XD nothing special, but the funniest thing was when Luanne said that the keeper should be someone else, and the stone burned her, it was seriously funny! :P
February 8, 2014
I felt as though this book was a little rushed but it was pretty good. It ended a little too soon for my liking though. I did like the concept of what was going on, I still think though that it was a little rushed. I was pretty confused on what was happening countless of times but then I finally understood what was happening!
September 29, 2013
This book was OK, although the main character is perfect and beautiful, which always annoys me. How many people do you meet in real life like this? Very few, if ever.
There's nothing that makes this book outstanding, it's all been done before.
There's nothing that makes this book outstanding, it's all been done before.
September 23, 2014
Narrator switches aren't marked in any way. The story switches from second to first person. It isn't always certain whether or not people are standing on solid ground while they speak. The insta-love is strong with this one. A robot?? Really??
April 2, 2016
I really liked this book, it's about a girl who is a natural born vampire. She has in her possession a stone that holds all the born vampires source of power. When she came of age the stone chose her to be its keeper, so she has to keep it from falling into the wrong hands.
June 25, 2016
This could be a good story, but it needs some editing. It is very ambiguous when it comes to characters dialog. There is very little indication that 'speeking' character has changed from Lu to Dylan, for example.
February 9, 2017
I liked the book a lot. I liked how Luanne was smarter than anyone thought she was and that she was brave. I loved that Luanne, Dylan and Katrina were all very funny. I liked how Luanne called her grandmother Katrina, I thought that was funny. I totally loved the book!
June 30, 2013
i liked it but it was really short
owned-to-read
January 1, 2014*downloaded free on ARE
May 18, 2014
1.5-2
October 6, 2014
Captivating!.
I was totally captivated after the first two chapters,from the third chapter to the end I could not stop reading ,looking forward to the other three books.
I was totally captivated after the first two chapters,from the third chapter to the end I could not stop reading ,looking forward to the other three books.
December 9, 2014
This story was way too short. Just when I was starting to get into it, it ended.
July 24, 2015
Not bad.
A little dramatic. Not sure if I really liked the main character. I think it is more of a teen book. But, the story was interesting.
A little dramatic. Not sure if I really liked the main character. I think it is more of a teen book. But, the story was interesting.
May 2, 2013
great book
December 25, 2013
Okay. Will find the other two books and rate the series
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews