Stone Guardian

Entwined Realms #1

by Danielle Monsch

Gryphons flying past skyscrapers? Wizards battling it out in coffeehouses? Women riding motorcycles with large swords strapped to their backs? All normal sights since the Great Collision happened twenty-six years ago.

Well, not normal for everyone. Larissa Miller may have been born after the Great Collision, but as a history teacher who lives in the human-only city, she has never come into contact with any other race or species, nor has she wanted to. Her life is as ordinary as it gets - that is, until one day she walks out of her apartment and is attacked by a mob of Zombies, only to be saved by a Gargoyle.

Gargoyles trust no one outside their Clan, but due to a cryptic prophecy, Terak, Leader of the Gargoyles, has been watching over the human woman for months. While he can find no reason why the woman has been singled out, something about her stirs every protective instinct within him. When the attack confirms that the threats against her exist and are real, he convinces Larissa that though their races have never been allies, the best chance of discovering why she has been brought into his world is by working together.

In the course of their investigation Terak becomes entranced by his little human. But when he discovers why Necromancers want her and the great reward that awaits him if he betrays her, he must choose between the welfare of his Clan and not only Larissa’s life, but the fate of this New Realm as well.

Genres: Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Romance, Vampires, Magic

374 pages, Paperback

First published June 26, 2013

About the author

Born to the pothole ridden streets of Pittsburgh, PA, USA Today Bestselling author Danielle Monsch started writing in a time long ago, a time when there were not enough vampire stories to read and she had to write her own to fill the void. Yes, such a time of darkness did indeed exist.

Danielle writes stories full of fantastical goodness and plenty of action, but always with lots of romance (and a bit of woo-hoo!) mixed in. Vampires and Werewolves and Demons and Angels, Sword & Sorcery, Fairy Tales, Updated Mythologies and the like - if it's out of the ordinary, it's fair game for her stories.

When not writing, Danielle reads comic books and watches cartoons (though she says she reads manga and watches anime, because saying it in a different language makes all the difference.) She listens to music, plays D&D, follows XKCD, watches movies with the Rifftrax on, and is mom to two amazing little girls and wife to her favorite guy in the world.


You can find Dani at www.DanielleMonsch.com, www.facebook.com/DanielleMonschAuthor, www.twitter.com/Danielle_Monsch, and can email her at Dani@DanielleMonsch.com

Reviews

[Navessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Navessa, corrupting authors into writing porn since 2013*



I went into this book thinking straight PR. I was expecting constant sexual tension, a little bit of a plot line and some light world building because, for the most part, that’s what I expect from PR. Imagine my surprise when the book started off with the chaos and the carnage of WORLDS COLLIDING.

So there I was just innocently reading when BAM earthquake. And then WOAH Orcs. And then GASP, werewolves? And then...no. No it can’t be. That’d be too badass. Don’t tease me this way, it isn’t fair.

Is that…is that a DRAGON???



Oh and the creature list doesn’t just stop there. On top of what I’ve already listed, this book treats you to gargoyles, mages, wizards, goblins, direwolves, zombies, vampires, necromancers, wraiths and…Fallons. No really, I spent half the book wondering just what the hell this side character was. The chick has fire red hair and wields a sword bigger than she is. Also, there may or may not be flames beneath her skin. Um, wut? I have a theory about her and if it turns out to be true she may be the most badass of the badassest.

But you don’t want to know about her, you want to know about our MCs! Okay fine, I’ll save my musings for later. This story centers on Larissa, a seemingly normal human female and Terak, a gargoyle clan leader. Larissa lives in a human only zone, one of many that was formed after what’s been dubbed “The Great Collision”. That’s that whole worlds slamming into each other thing I mentioned earlier. Imagine our world and a magical realm filled with every fantasy creature imaginable now sharing the same space. Pretty neat huh? I sure thought so.

So because of Larissa’s police chief father and four older brothers, that are also all cops, she’s pretty much been raised in a bubble. She thinks everything is hunky dory until she runs face first into a shuffling pack of zombies that shouldn’t even be in her city because of the magical barrier that’s supposed to keep them out.

Enter Terak, who’s been watching her for months because an ego-tripping Oracle told him she was important to his clan and he must watch over her. He becomes her savior and protector through the madness that her life transforms into as they learn that the zombies were very definitely after her. Little by little they discover that she may play a part in a bigger plan and along the way they also realize that they can’t ignore that the trust and the friendship they’ve forged is developing into something stronger. Everything’s not all smooth sailing for these two either, they have a real case of star-crossed lovers going for the first ¾ of the book and it definitely adds to the tension. What can I say? I’m such a sucker for that plot device.

My favorite thing about Larissa is that even though she’s not your typical badass heroine, she’s also not TSTL other than one incident near the end that triggered a facepalm from me and revolved more around trust than anything else. Not only that but she's pretty damn likeable too. Her father and brothers set her up for success with their constant sayings and lessons while she was growing up. They gave her a great set of instincts and so she knows when to run, knows when to hide and most importantly, knows when to get into a car and run something the hell over.

My favorite thing about Terak is that he broke so many of those alpha-broody stereotypes that I’m getting pretty sick of. Yes he’s protective of Larissa but he also builds her up, trusts her to handle herself and encourages her to recognize her strengths. Oh and he’s also not a womanizing man-whore until he lays eyes on her like so many other male leads. In fact, he’s pretty chaste. Everyone say it with me: HALLELUJAH!

I enjoyed the hell out of this book. There was never a dull moment, I was always asking questions and there was always a new creature or a piece of lore for me to digest. So you see, this book is not straight PR. This book is PR meets UF meets High Fantasy. Prufantasy? Sure, why the hell not.

I cannot wait for the next installment and to see where Monsch takes this refreshingly original series.

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

[Carol [Goodreads Addict] · Rating 5 out of 5]

RATING 4.5 STARS

Stone Guardian is book one in the Entwined Realms series by Danielle Monsch.



Twenty-six years ago the world as we knew it stopped. When the earth began to rumble and shake, it somehow caused the realms to collide, later to be called the Great Collision. Suddenly beings only ever seen in fairy tales roamed the earth, zombies, dragons, werewolves, and the list goes on. Jack Miller, a cop, was at work, trying to get to the hospital where his wife was giving birth. But, he didn’t arrive in time to witness the birth of his only daughter, or the death of his wife.

Now, Larissa Miller is an adult, living in a human only city, trying to be independent of her over protective father and four older brothers. She has only read of the Great Collision in the history books she teaches at school. Her city is protected by wards, keeping all magical beings out. Until the day she was attacked by a horde of zombies. And that was only the beginning. What do they want? Why her? How are they getting through the wards? And in the midst of it all, she is rescued by a being she didn’t even know existed, a gargoyle. But she wasn’t afraid of him. Somehow he made her feel safe.



Terak is leader of the entire clan of gargoyles. His clan was his life, his number one priority, until the day he saw her, his little human. His world shifted, and only she became the center of everything that was important to him.

Thus begins Terak and Larissa’s journey. They had to somehow discover what it was about Larissa so many wanted. At the same time, bonds of friendship and maybe even more are forming between them. But along the way, loyalties are tested, between them, between Larissa and her family, and between Terak and his clan.



I really enjoyed this. It was my very first book by this author. It was fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved watching the relationship slowly grow and develop between Terak and Larissa. If I had one complaint, it was that it took so darn long for any of the good stuff if you know what I mean. I look forward to reading Stone Embrace next, book #1.1, a short kind of epilogue to this one. I definitely hope to explore more of this series and Danielle’s books in the future.

"Her gargoyle, her mate, her love."

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 April 2014: $0.00 FREE on Kindle - Okay if you didn't get it at $0.99 in February, you have NO excuse now! LOL!

12 February 2014: If you haven't gotten this already, I just saw that it's $0.99 on Kindle!!! GO BUY IT!!!


Review:
I requested this book because - Gargoyles, I mean c'mon! I love gargoyles. Granted, my love may have something to do with the cartoon that I loved to watch as a kid, but whatever. Still, Gargoyles, made me request this instantly.

I'm really glad I did. I expected smexy times with some paranormal thrown in; what I got was so much more than that. I was happily surprised by a story that took off running - with a bang! Almost literally. The story starts with the worlds colliding. The human realm and what comes to be known as the 'New Realm'. In the New Realm there is magic, beings of fantasy and myth, and a whole lot of trouble brewing. Earthquakes are shaking the world; orcs appear from nowhere decimating police forces, and there just might be a dragon flying around!

On this day, at this moment, Larissa Miller is born. Losing her mother to the chaos of complications during the Great Collision, Larissa has been protected and cossetted most of her life. Kept in the human-only city, away from all beings from the new realm; away from the ability to learn about them without guilt.

Terak is Mennak, leader, of his clan of Gargoyles. When he's told by the Oracle that a human female is important to the future of his Clan and she must be protected for three months, he takes the guarding somewhat begrudgingly. And just when he thinks it's all been for naught, zombies come shuffling out of the shadows to attack!

The world-building in this book was AWESOME. I loved all the different beings, to name a few: Orcs, Necromancers (who are vampires generally), controlling zombies; there are gargoyles (of course), mages, wizards, werewolves, warriors, trolls, giants, elves, wraiths, shadows and at least one oracle! I feel like I should be ending with "...and a partridge in a pear tree!!" I loved it. The really nice thing was that the world-building was smooth and intricate. So many creatures, and yet it wasn't haphazard. There were reasons, division, order to the chaos - though there was plenty of chaos too! We only get a glimpse of a lot of it, because Larissa is just getting involved, but what we do see is tantalizingly great.

Okay, here's where I've got to admit it: I didn't love Larissa at first. Well, I'm not sure if I love her yet - but I have come to like her a lot more than I did in the beginning. She started out incredibly passive, letting her father's disapproval determine how she was going to live her life...as an adult. Eh, I just wasn't into that. And there were reasons - I get that, I still didn't love it. Added to the top of that she let herself believe in the absoluteness of the guards that supposedly kept out the magical beings. She's forced to realize her mistake when she's suddenly attacked by beings she doesn't recognize which shouldn't be there. On the other hand, the nice thing is that she does realize it unlike many other characters I could name. She learns; and I've got to respect that. There is that one moment where I wanted to scream at her near the end, but I understood too. *sigh* Trust, baby, trust. I was still rooting for her by the end of the book. Not only was she being smart, she was being brave and strong; I can see the potential in her for a lot more.

Terak was pretty awesome. He's protective and possessive, but he doesn't need to have Larissa under his thumb. Not only that, but he constantly shows her, and tells her, how great she is. He builds her up so she can stand on her own. Not only with him, but all the time. Unfortunately, though he's beginning to love Larissa there are ... obstacles. And I have to admit I'm not a huge fan of how the biggest obstacle was removed. Must the other woman always be conniving, lying, cheating, or a traitor?? But the gradual way they fell in love tugged at my heart. I liked seeing them become friends - respect each other, and see it gradually become more to both their notice. *sighs happily* Did I mention he's a virgin? Yup, he is.

This book flat out made me smile, laugh, gasp and be shocked throughout my reading of it. The action was nearly non-stop; the characters had great chemistry with each other; quite frankly, I need more. More of the world, more of the characters, and definitely more Fallon... This woman kicks ass chops them up with her big-ass sword and thinks about coming back for names later. I *love* her.

I was going to mention the few issues while reading, but I'm not sure I want to bring them up. Eh. Okay here's a spoiler with them: Disclaimer: I'm hooked on grammar. I can't help it, I love the English language and these kinds of things just stand out to me. I notice them in my favorite author's books too. And there were some very minor grammar and editing issues here. A few times I'd have to read a sentence a couple of times to figure the meaning; sometimes there was a wrong word used in place of another (homonym mix-ups). But even though grammar is one of my hot-button issues, I couldn't hold it against this book. I just flat out enjoyed it. I did want to add because it did pull me out of the story a few times, but in the end it just didn't matter that much.

Long story short: I can't wait to see what Danielle Monsch has in store next!! Please let it be Fallon's book - I need it!!!

7/11/2013: Buddy Read with Cory and Sarah :D

[Elise ✘ a.k.a Ryder's Pet ✘ · Rating 3 out of 5]

⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*Not Bad, But Not Great*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱

Re-read:
Strangely this one reminded me a lot of Waking the Dragon by Juliette Cross , which was probably why I confused the two. The premisses is a bit alike, and the characters aren't all that different; the females human and the males another dominant species. However, there are two very different things about it: the heroine in Waking the Dragon tries to find danger, while the heroine in this one is who's been quite sheltered. The hero in WtD is very alpha male with or without the heroine, while the hero here is alpha with his clan, but can actually be a bit shy around the heroine.

Overall, I'm a bit surprised that the book wasn't such a bad read after all. I hadn't expected it to be bad, not at all, but I hadn't expected to enjoy it this much. It's not great, let's be clear on that, but it's not a bad read. The story is compelling, the character a bit enjoyable to read, and the most important one is that the insta-love, didn't feel so insta-love. It takes at least two weeks for the heroine to realize her true feelings. So while it's still insta-love, it's not that bad as others. That being said, it's worth somewhat to read, and strangely, Fallon, the reason why I wanted to re-read this one in the first place, didn't connect with me this time around. In fact, I almost found her annoying :O

Anyways, the book centers around human history teacher Larissa Joy ‘Ris’ Miller (26) and leader (Mennak - the title of the leader) of the Gargoyles, Terak. When Larissa's life gets in danger, Terak swoops in and saves the night. Unfortentily, the first attack wasn't meant to be the last. With Terak on her side, she must find out why a necromancer is after her.

Larissa is a null; magic has no effect on her, and that why the necromancer is after her.

Other Characters:
The list is a bit long so I've put it in a spoilers tag.
→ Chief of police Jack Miller and his wife Lauren Miller, who died giving birth. Larissa's parents.
→ Hector Torres, used to be Jack's partner when he was detective.
→ Valry, a female Gargoyle and Terak's future Meyla/mate. She conspired with vampires agains Terak's wishes/commands/orders. So did Nalith.
→ Malek, a warrior Gargoyle and Terak's second in command.
→ Krikus, the eldest member of the Council of Terak's clan. His councillors.
→ Nalith, was new to the Council, joining after the death of his father. While Terak had enjoyed the father’s counsel, Nalith was discord and whispered poison in the shadows of the night.
→ Fallon ‘Dragon Slayer’, a member of the Guild - they are protectors of anyone the necromancers target. A swordswoman. Her sword, Tenro, is a sacred weapon and known as the Slayer of Dragons
→ Laire, a member of the Guild. A Battle Mage?
→ Aislynn ‘Ais’, a member of the Guild and she's an elf.
→ Olivia Berry, fellow teacher and friend of Larissa.
→ Michael (the oldest and a cop?), Steven (her third oldest brother and a cop?), Gary (youngest of all the boys, and cop?) and Christopher (a cop?), Larissa's brothers. Michael wasn't in the military like his family believes; in basic training, he was recruited for a Special Forces-type team. A team that doesn't ‘‘leave things entirely to the Seven Houses or the other races’ governments. They need to remain strong on their own, and he was part of a group whose job is to protect them’’. Michael never left - still part of that Special Forces team, meaning he came back because it was part of his cover: he's not a cop, he’m undercover.
→ Wulver, a member of the Guild and an werewolf? He the leader of Fallon's group?
→ Kyo, a member of the Guild and the boss? The leader of the Guild is member of the Seven Houses: a shadow council which wields much power in the New Realms. They deal with matters outside the purview of any single race.
→ Shadow, a member of the Guild.
→ Master Reign, a true vampire necromancer.
→ Zemar, Reign’s personal bodyguard. Fallon has no idea what he is.
→ Merc, the most in-demand mercenary in the business.
→ The Oracle (and the gods), a powerful beings outside of all. They have their own agendas, would that Terak knew them. Never doubt that there are always deeper powers and deeper secrets at play.
→ Rhaum, a friend of Olivia?
→ Simon, a friend of Olivia and a zombie of sorts, he wasn't created to mindlessly follow the orders of their master; he has no master and no one controls him. A man of science. He was a brilliant man who was going to die of cancer, and a necromancer created him to have free will.
→ Jason Evans, a student of Larissa. An all-star quarterback and the golden boy of the school, who was unnaturally fixated on necromancers and was doing his best to get her someplace alone.
→ Garof, a true vampire and necromancer. Apparently the one behind the attacks on Larissa? Larissa killed him with a dagger to the back.

Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Adult) Paranormal Romance (M/F).
Series: - Series, Book One.
Love triangle? - No.
Cheating? - No.
HEA? - Yes.
Favorite character? - Reign?
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Sure.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Sure.
Will I read this again in the future? - Unsure, but probably not.
New Rating - Same as before.

First read:
Interesting book, specially the ending!! I would love a book based on Fallon! I love that woman. She's exactly what I love to read about, so I'm hoping for a book about her and that sexy, dangerous male alpha lord Reign :D Though this book was good, I still think something was missing. I wish the characters were a bit more ... hardcore? A little more dangerous and mysterious.. Just more? But overall, the book had its up's and it was, in a way different from what I've read before, so that was a bit refreshing, and Stone Guardian was an enjoyable read. I do believe i will continue reading this series :)!

Rate: 3 stars.

[Brandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 Stars!

Danielle Monsch, were you reading my mind when you decided to write this?! You must have been because this book has everything I need to make me love a story! Badass characters, humor, shmexy men, shmexy women, intelligent main characters, sex (wink wink), and a world that I want more and more from.

The story starts with the human realm and magic realm colliding, and suddenly there are mythical creatures running amok in the streets! Orcs, werewolves was Wulver the were that helped Jack?! That was never clear to me, and more all suddenly show up and it's utter chaos in the streets. All Jack Miller is trying to do is make it to the hospital where his wife was in labor when the world turned on it's head, and once there he finds out that his fifth child is their only girl, but that he'll no longer have his wife around to help raise her.

It's been 26 years since the Great Collision (for the record, Ris' age is one of the other things I loved), and Larissa has grown up ignorant of the mystical races now sharing the world with her. She's a history teacher in a human-only city, and her father and brothers have always been exceedingly overprotective of her. In her desire to not upset her father she never questioned not leaving the safety of the city, or learning about the other races. Until the zombie attack.

There's really nothing not to like about the characters in this story. Larissa is really level headed, and pragmatic, Terak is sensitive alpha male, Fallon is fucking amazing, and the support cast all managed to pique my interest.

I've decided to add Terak to my list of boyfriends, and I know it sounds odd to add a gargoyle, but just wait, he's all kinds of yummy in that shifter-alpha way so many of my men have. He's no Curran or Barrons, but who is?!

Fallon needs to have her own series. She reminds me of all the long series' heroines I adore: Kate Daniels, Rachel Morgan, Sookie Stackhouse, Allie Beckstrom, well you get the idea. I would love to have series as long as those ones featuring Fallon. There's a ridiculous amount of story that this world can produce, and I love it!

Now, with all this praise, be aware that there are mistakes in this book. A lot of minor editing mistakes that should have been caught, but they're not enough to detract from the story, just enough to distract your eyes while you're reading. So that is annoying, I know, but my love of the story allowed me to not get very hung up on them. However, this was a copy from Netgalley and I don't think the version you would buy from a retailer would have these mistakes.

This story is all about family, adventure, love, sacrifice, and making your own path in the world. It was a really fun ride to take, and I can't wait to see what else is in store for me in the amazing world Monsch has brought to life!

[Aisling Zena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Free on Amazon.co.uk


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stone-Guardia...

[sraxe · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is so trope-y and cliche-filled that it's ridiculous. It's honestly just a standard fare YA Paranormal Romance, pretty much a carbon copy, trying to pass itself off as an Adult Urban Fantasy. You've got the instalove, love triangle, evil interloper girlfriend, damsel-in-distress-y virgin heroine, near-death experience, abandoning of one's people for TRUE LOVE...just...so ridiculous. The concept was interesting but it's so shallowly explored and it probably would've benefited in another author's hands. My attention was constantly waning and it was a struggle to get through this book. I honestly can't believe I finished it because I put it down way more than I picked it up and was legitimately considering DNF'ing it.

I think the author did herself dirty by having Chapter One being from Jack Miller's POV. He seemed pretty bad-ass and was a good opening to the book...which ultimately led to everything else being a letdown because nothing else compared to him and his opening. It's such a disappointment going from him, storming through the city--colliding realms and paranormal creatures be damned--to get to his wife, to his damsel-in-distress daughter. Our introduction to Larissa Miller consists of her running into zombies, freezing...and then having to be saved by the male protagonist, Terak. He then proceeds to pick her up and fly off with her "bridal style" (that is legit what is written).



Even though she has four older brothers who are in law enforcement, the eldest of which was in the military, and a father who is the chief of police, she can't fight or defend herself in any way whatsoever. The author tries to give us the flimsy excuse that she was more into books than other stuff...but that's bull. Sorry, but do you really expect me to believe her father and brothers wouldn't force her to learn something in a post-apocalyptic world with other races and species running around? For goodness' sake, Larissa even uses the phrase "self-respecting cop's kid" when talking about a first-aid kit. Shouldn't any "self-respecting cop's kid" know how to defend herself? Even a little? Have a weapon, at least?

Anyway, next trope. We are then immediately introduced to Valry, who, as it happens, is Terak's Meyla/betrothed. We're obviously supposed to believe she's super, super evil because Larissa says she's the only one displaying hostility. Well, we certainly couldn't do without the jealous rival, now could we!!! The author adds another trope here and later makes Valry be the traitor to the clan. This, in one fell swoop, takes care of his betrothal and the jealous rival and proves Larissa was right because LOOK! SHE WAS TOTES EVIL. Honestly, this was such a cop-out. What's easier than having his intended betray him? There's no messy break-up or censure for him to endure because it was HER FAULT.



Then the instalove. During their first meeting, she's speaking privately to Terak and he says her name and "she wanted to close her eyes and listen to him repeat those three syllables on an endless loop." Terak is just as instalove-y over her because he wraps her up in his wings which is like a SUPER big deal because he tells us like three whole times that "he had wrapped her in his wings."

She also refers to him as "her gargoyle" and he considers her "his little human." So cheesy. Oh, and that starts a third of the way through.

The author also tries to cast the Magic Realm as being dated in their views and beliefs. She says they're "closely related to Earth’s medieval feudal societies." The only reason this thought comes across is because Terak mentions that he, as a leader, can be challenged for his position. I can't help but feel that she casts them as backwards by thinking feudal. Uh...there are plenty of groups in the animal kingdom TODAY who have that kind of ascension.

I guess I shouldn't be too surprised when it comes to her. Later on, she's just as judge-y when Terak mentions he's betrothed to Valry for the betterment of his people. He must marry the strongest female of his people and then their offspring will be tough, as well. She calls him a coward and says that's BS and that one should marry for love and nothing less. She tells him that it's a coward's way out not to.

“That’s bull!” The exclamation was a surprise, as was the finger that poked him in the chest. “I understand you are under pressures I can’t comprehend, but there is nothing strong or noble about picking a female you don’t love as your wife. It’s a cowardly way out.”

...

“Only a coward would marry someone he doesn’t love. You know why? Because love is the ultimate vulnerability. It can put you on your knees and destroy parts of you that will never function again when it’s gone. A coward couldn’t handle that, so they would instead marry someone that could never happen with.”

Ugh...just f'ing ugh. With both of the above, she's pushing her human views and beliefs on him and his people. Sorry, but they aren't human and, frankly, it's disgusting of her to belittle him and the traditions of his people just because they don't fall in line with her human ideologies.

Honestly, she can fuck right off with that attitude. Like, who the hell is she to call another person's way of life cowardly? Consider another group's traditions and views below her own? Seriously, who the fuck do you think you are?

She calls him a great leader...but then wants him to flout the responsibility he has to his people...for her. It's so stupid, so insanely, mind-numbingly stupid and selfish...but of course she ends up being right in the end.



Larissa is so basic and tstl.

Although we're supposed to believe she's a bookworm and a "scholar" and has been interested in the different magical races...she knows nothing about them. She tries to use the excuse that her father didn't want her looking them up, but give me a break. Larissa says she spent more time at the library than anything else, so she couldn't have read up about these different races while there? She's been living on her own for a year and she couldn't look it up in that time? Give me a break.

She's a teacher...but is criminally uninformed. She's the daughter and sister to cops...but is a damsel-in-distress.

She even acknowledges herself that she's useless (“I’m useless”). She constantly talks about how ordinary and normal she is. It's practically drilled into the reader's head a couple of times that she's just your average human gal...except she's totally not. You see -- she's got this thing called Special Snowflake Syndrome. Everyone in the world is totally after her, you see, because she's TOTES SPECIAL.

But that's not all. This is an Adult Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Romance and she's a twenty-six year old protagonist...but she's a virgin!! She's "untouched." But she's totally pretty and she has a lush/curvy/generous/etc body and a lush mouth and lush curves and lush hips and lush thighs and lush this and lush that. Lucky for Terak that she's a virgin, totally untouched, with a bangin' bod and is super pretty to boot.



Oh and she's also incredibly immature. He's hurt during a fight and she decides she needs to tend to his wounds. She starts being super juvenile when it comes to removing his pants and starts to wonder if he has the same "equipment" as a human male. Ugh...get it together because this is not the time or the place, okay. Oh, and she doesn't discover if he does or doesn't then because she proceeds to cover him with a towel before removing his pants. Which um...totally defeats the purpose of removing his pants in the first place, but okay.

Other than being an idiot and judgmental (mentioned above), she's also super gullible. The only reason why the reader doesn't mind her listening to Terak, and not telling her family anything, is because we're privy to the fact that he's a main character. Were that not the case, as it isn't for Larissa, you would see how immensely stupid it is for her to believe a gargoyle she JUST met and decide to keep secret's from her family because he said so. Alarm bells should be going off when someone is emotionally blackmailing you into doing what they want! She's so stupid.

She also doesn't know at this point that he's been stalking her for months and lied to her face about it. Oh, and when she finds out? No big. She's mad for a bit, but it's quickly overshadowed by the fact that HE LOVES HER. HE WRAPPED HER IN HIS WINGS.

At one point, the author has Larissa's POV state that "She wouldn’t like him if he was the type of male who thought so little of his promises and responsibilities." And the thing is...he does. He does think so little of his promises and responsibilities because he's ready to overthrow his people and promises and responsibilities and wife her. In fact, she wants him to. It's so ridiculously stupid. Let me just remind you...they've known one another for LESS THAN A MONTH.



So stupid.

Time and again she shows how stupid she is. Near the end, a student (who betrayed her and had her sent to the baddies) is about to be killed. SO, Larissa asks them not to do it and she'll do what they want. What the want is to sacrifice her in order to tear the realms apart and, in doing so, sacrifice the human realm. This means, then, that the student she's trying to save, the other billions of humans, her father, her brothers...they all die. And she knows this. But she says she'll go with their plan in order to not have the student killed now...who will die later anyway if the plan works.

Do you...are you understanding this? To assuage her own conscience and not watch the student die in front of her...she's willing to go with a plan that will kill billions, including that student she's trying to save.



She's so ridiculously stupid that I don't....I can't even.

Oh, we can't forget Terak.

He's a virgin, too! He's a virgin...and the first time they're getting down to business he's totally like "I gotta go down on you" (or probably more like "I must give you oral sex" because he's super stiff sounding and doesn't ever use contractions) and is super expert at it too, btw, and totes knows what he's doing even though his people don't do the whole sex-thing until they're mated and he's never done any of this before.



Oh, btw, and he has a human form. Even though the book is called "Stone Guardian," he has no stone form. He turns human, though! I couldn't help but feel that the author chose to give him a human form so that the sex would be more palatable.

Before we even reach the half way point, he's well decided that he'd battle his clan to save her life. It's so stupid. Isn't that the reason he's watching her in the first place? For the good of his clan? And now he'd be all too happy to fight them for her? Ugh. He does one better later on and he leaves them altogether for her. So ridiculously stupid.

Oh, and to top it all off, at the end she decides she'd rather die with Terak, while the mountain collapses atop them, than escape. She's legit his ride-or-die chick, being all if you die, I die with you Gargoyle-I've-known-for-less-than-a-month...fuck my brothers and father, tbh!!



Oh, and worry not...even though half his clan was not having it with a human mate...they all had second thoughts and joined him in the end! The End. HEA.

Lastly, the writing.

The writing isn't horrendous...but could be way better. My goodness, do NOT use so and well in your writing! It's so conversational. The author also tries her hardest to be funny but it's such a forced effort to be comedic that it ends up being very unfunny. She uses things like "mad ninja skillz" (with the Z) and just...just stop.

The author also likes to do things like this:

It hadn’t been this hard to part with a phone since she was fourteen and had been waiting for Jared Thompson to ask her to junior prom

Never had she been quieter than she was at that moment, not even when she had been taking pictures of Christopher getting to second base on their sofa with his high-school girlfriend.

What was the point of having little asides like that? Were those little anecdotes supposed to be funny? I didn't find them funny and was just rolling my eyes at the forced humour.

The author also used the most over-used way to differentiate between two characters and their speech patterns. She has Terak not use any contractions and the way his dialogue is written is super stiff. The dialogue, in general, doesn't tend to read as dialogue at all, and it's much worse when it comes to his lines. It's so lazy to just contraction-drop. It's been done a million times over and it's so very unoriginal.

There are also multiple errors I ran across (but only noted a couple).

• to/too
• then/than
• gate/gait
• I'm want to meet

On top of that, the interactions between Larissa and Terak are so disgustingly cheesy. They wax poetic about one another and the author honestly needed to give it a rest.

She was sunshine. She was light and laughter and the key to a part of him that had sat, unused and rusty, since his mother had died. She was gentleness that surrounded a will of steel, and a fierce protectiveness to her family and her students and whoever else she considered her Clan.

She was his heart, his life, and he would forever protect her. Whatever he needed to do, whatever he needed to give up, he would keep her at his side and ally with whoever he must, as long as she was safe.

So cheesy and OTT omg.

[Lynsey is Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stone Cold and Hot as Hell

What a thoroughly enjoyable read! Walking the razor's edge between Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance, STONE GUARDIAN has a love story that simmers and action scenes that will knock your block off. Full of colourful characters, interesting supernats and dangerous adversaries, as well as many tertiary characters that are just screaming for further exploration, I'm really excited to see where Monsch will take the Entwined Realms series.

Here in STONE GUARDIAN I had the absolute delight of meeting Terak, our gargoyle main character. Such an underused, fascinating and pretty freakin' sexy (if Terak is any indication) supernatural class to explore. Monsch brings us a version that's dignified, steeped in tradition and in many ways, held apart from the rest of society. Humans included. That is until the Oracle tells Terak he must watch one particular human - school teacher Larissa Miller. Why? Well, that's what Terak would like to know. But like most Oracles, clear and concise answers are not her forte and she's being very vague about what makes Larissa so darn special.

But let me tell you, Larissa is special, as a main character. Hurrah for non-stupid heroines! Heroines that know their limitations, that don't run headlong into danger or try to commit suicide by stubborn! She was wonderful, charming, engaging, and very likeable. Born on the day the worlds collided, Larissa's family (Dad + four older bothers, all cops) all lost something precious that day - Larissa's mother. For that reason they have no love for any of the supernatural races and live in the human only area. This makes Larissa understandably a little ignorant when it comes to supes, so imagine being thrown into their world head first with EVERYONE trying to kill you, and only a stern-looking gargoyle for protection.

I loved the romance in STONE GUARDIAN. It was sweet, unhurried, tender. Just gorgeous. I hope to see more of Larissa and Terak in future books even if they're not the main characters next time. I also enjoyed several other characters, including some feisty female members of The Guild who brought some comedic relief.

All together a wonderful addition to the paranormal playing field

4.5 Stars ★★★★1/2
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Incidentally, another author who does this UF/PNR mashup brilliantly is Kate SeRine. You should check her out, too, if you haven't already;)

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Larissa Miller was born on the day the worlds collided, The Great Collision, blending the supernatural world with the human-only world.

Twenty-six years later, the oracle approaches a few factions of the supernatural community, telling them that Larissa will be a key person to the future, including that of the Gargoyles. Not willing to blow off an Oracle vision, Terak, the leader of the Gargoyle, starts to protectively watch Larissa.

Three months of watching Larissa has bestowed Terak with nothing but a slight obsession/fantasies with the little human until the day Larissa is attacked by zombies, created by a necromancer.

Dropping Larissa right into the fryer of the supernatural community comes as a little bit of a shock to Larissa. She has never had any contact with the otherworldly beings till the day she is attacked. Rescued by Terak, Larrisa must be convinced that he is her only chance at safety. As the plot thickens and more and more attempts are made on Larissa's life do we discover the depth of Larissa's role. The fate of the world truly does depend on the trust that a Gargoyle and a human can form.

This story is a paranormal reader's dream. The Great Collision brings all your favorite and slightly unknown supernaturals to the forefront. Danielle Monsch masterfully blends these supernaturals into a delightfully original storyline that you can really sink your teeth into. Who would of thought that a Gargoyle would be a completely steamworthy alpha hero? Stone Guardian was a fabulously exciting, action-packed romance that shouldn't be missed.

I received this ARC copy of Stone Guardian from Romantic Geek Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This book is set for publication July 15, 2013.

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was an okay monster romance story but didn't get any strong feelings for this.

[Books & Vodka Sodas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, there is it—Gargoyles are the new hottie’s of the paranormal universe and it is going to be really hard to top that!

Stone, big, Alpha, protective, and loyal.

Larissa is thrust head long into a world she was kept sheltered from since the walls came down and the magic realm and the human realm were crushed and forced to exist together.

This story could have gone horribly wrong. But it didn’t. This story did everything so totally right I couldn’t put it down. Takes a lot to get me to stay up until nearly five in the morning reading a book, I thought for sure I would finish it last night—alas my eyes were not agreeing with me. I had to put it down and 49% and continue it today. I finished this book in less than twenty-four hours.

I got lost in this world. The world building was done so well and without punishing the reader into believe that this event occurred in history. I believed this was all happening outside my front door. I kept looking out of my window thinking, “Hm, I wonder if this is going on and I have been lied to my whole life.” Oh, the hope that a gargoyle guardian was waiting outside my window to protect me from some big bad. If only! The world would be a much better place with Tarek and his crew!

This story was epic. I am not sure how much I can gush about this. This is the best Paranormal Romance series I have read since I first picked up Kresley Cole’s A Hunger Like No Other! And I have a first edition copy of that thank you very much! Danielle is a force in the paranormal writing world to me and I don’t think that book two can come fast enough for me!

I liked all the characters! Even the baddies I was like, “OOOOO Sizzle!” Vampires are supposed to be bad! That’s all I am going to say and Danielle surely followed through on that account.

I already miss Fallon, Larie, Wulver—and most of all Tarek and his crew of awesomesauce Gargoyles! I am officially a geek fangirl of this series! 2014 is just too far away!

**A copy of this book was provided by Romantic Geek Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

[namericanwordcat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am always on the look out for good new paranormal series and this book delivers.

Because the paranormal romance market has been so popular for a long while now, there are a great deal of books available to us to read. This means there are lot of good books, some bad books, some very bad books and that great books are hard to find but definitely there. Originality of plots, worlds, and characters tends to be a problem.

Not every element is original in this book but when combine with strong plotting, engaging writing, and well drawn characters, this romance rises above the rest of the paranormal flood.

This book has a solid and interesting premise which creates its world--the collation of several magical realms 25 years ago. This is a little like Tinker and a little like Kate Daniels but with its own twists.

We get the whole cast of magical creatures. Our hero is the head of the Gargoyles. Gargoyles, in my opinion, rock. Our heroine is a rather sheltered human. She has some special talents and grit. The romance is a charming and believable one with both leads overcoming internal obstacles as they work together to defeat the bad guy. There is a slow build to the sexy times but a nice pay off for the wait.

I enjoy their love story but what made me really like the book was the cast of secondary characters who are bound to get their own books. The heroines brothers, the gargoyles, the father, the crazy mage, the kick ass female swordsman, a hot werewolf, awesome elf girl ...

There is lots of fun to be had here. Come and enjoy yourself!

I was given this book for my honest review. So, there you have it!

[Marta Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stone Guardian is simply such fun to read although I confess I had previously bought a copy of it in Darkly Dreaming which is an anthology that seems to be unavailable now. Its a very enjoyable story filled with action and romance not to mention families who do seem to meddle! There's enough danger here to keep the reader turning the pages and I'm loving having a Gargoyle as a hero and the heroine was amazing. If you enjoy romance with more than a touch of magic then this book is a must read

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I buddy read this with Cory and Ange, click the links to read their reviews.

My Review:
I wanted to read Stone Guardian purely because it was a paranormal romance with a gargoyle hero, come on how could I possibly resist that? I was expecting a story that would be heavy on the romance and hopefully have a little world building to go along with it but I wasn't expecting the fantastic world full of so many wonderful supernatural creatures that Danielle Monsch has created. The book starts with a bang as two world collide, the human dimension suddenly finds itself sharing space with a world full of gargoyles, elves, mages, werewolves, vampires, necromancers, orcs, goblins, zombies, direwolves and much, much more and I'm sure you can take a good guess at the kind of chaos that would cause!

26 years on from the Great Collision things have calmed down to a certain degree now that everyone has learned to live together. Well, a lot of the humans have managed to ward their cities so that none of the supernatural creatures can come anywhere near them and they're now quite happily living their lives in ignorance, but, a lot of the other species have carved out their own territories and come to agreements with each other. Larissa is one of those humans who is bumbling along in her human only city quite happily ignoring the world outside. Until the day she is attacked by zombies that is. First of all how the hell did the zombies get through the wards and what could they possibly want to come after her for? Secondly who is the mysterious gargoyle who has rescued her and now he's whisked her away to his lair will she ever see her family again?

I have to admit I had a bit of a love-hate relationship going on with Larissa. It irritated me no end that she was so completely ignorant about all of the supernatural creatures now sharing her world. I know her father and big brothers were overprotective of her but she was a grown woman, intelligent enough to be a teacher and she hadn't bothered to do any research? That just struck me as a bit odd and made me want to shake some curiosity into her! Having said that she really does start to come into her own as the story continues, once she gets over the shock of what is happening she uses her brain and she knows when to accept the help she needs. She isn't a kick ass heroine in any sense of the word but there are times she fights next to her man rather than just sits around waiting for him to rescue her. She also learns to stand up to her father and brothers and she stops letting them push her around and walk all over her. She definitely has her stupid moments but overall I ended up learning to like her and I do think that her flaws made her more realistic.

I really liked Terak from the get go though, he was a fab alpha character who is protective of his people and of Larissa since he has become her protector. I loved the fact that he wasn't a super experienced womaniser and that he treated Larissa with respect and let her make her own choices. He wanted to protect her but he accepted that it needed to be on her terms and that it wouldn't be right to force her to do things his way even though he was physically capable of doing it if he really wanted to. If Terak hadn't been enough to keep me reading (and he definitely was!) then the side characters would have. Larissa may not have been a kick ass female lead but that doesn't mean there weren't any strong female characters. I absolutely loved Fallon and can't wait to get my hands on her story, watching her slay enemies with her sword was epic and I also enjoyed seeing her work alongside Laire and Aislynn. Those women sure know how to kick butt and they're not afraid to get a little bloody as they do it.

I think it would be wrong not to mention that there were some editing errors in this book. The spelling mistakes, missed words and grammar problems were enough to pull me out of the story on occasion but considering that is a major hot button of mine and that I never once considered giving up reading the book that should tell you just how good the story was. Since the version I read was an ARC I'm hoping a lot of these issues may have been resolved in the final version but even if they haven't I'd still highly recommend reading this book. As much as Stone Guardian is labelled paranormal romance (and each book in the series will focus on a different couple) I would actually be tempted to label it urban fantasy. There is so much action and such fantastic world building that it really didn't feel like the romance was the main focus of the story. That isn't a complaint by the way, it had the perfect combination of romance and action to make it an edge of your seat read and have me hooked from the very beginning. This really is a fantastic start to a new series and it's one I'm incredibly excited about continuing!

[Shandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Edit 12/23/14: I'm going through some of my previous reads and adjusting ratings I felt were too generous. This is one. I'm dropping this one down to 2.5 stars because while looking at my other three star reads, this one doesn't sit on a level playing field with how they made me feel. I won't be continuing this series.

Buddy read with Jenny, Tandie, Athena, Annette, and Catherine starting 3/15.

3 stars. Any spoilers will be clearly marked.

So I participated in this group read, right? Well, I think I'm the only one that actually liked it. One more person is still finishing it up, so I can't speak for her. However, I saw the gleaming reviews from *cough* several of my friends and dove in. I didn't realize it was PNR. I really don't like PNR…it's totally not my cuppa tea. Gimme blood, guts, gore, mayhem, terrifying nail biting scenes annnnny day. Gimme romance? BAAAARF!!!!!!! So, in fairness to this book, it's my fault I didn't like it more.

With the above being said, I actually did end up liking it!! Three stars from me means it has some flaws, but I liked it. Three stars isn't a bad rating. With it being PNR, there wasn't as much cheese (IMO) or romance as I had anticipated when I started it (after realizing that I was walking into PNR). Some of the things Terak says drove me a little insane, as did the sex scenes. But, all in all, it was a good story….

While I wasn't in love with the romance happening in this story, I totally liked the idea of the different Realms. I loved the plethora of supernatural beings I was greeted with!!! Gargoyles, Orcs, werewolves, elves, dwarves, dragons, vampires….and so on!!! It was so much fun to me!! Plus, I've yet to read a book with a gargoyle as a lead character. That was just insanely cool to me!!

While this book definitely had it's flaws, I think if you're into PNR and like the idea of a bazillion different types of beings, I think you may enjoy this one. I'm definitely shocked I ended up liking it as much as I did!!

[Jess the Romanceaholic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun fun fun -- lots of action (of both the fighting and the *ahem*ing variety), interesting world-building, and likable characters. I can't wait for more of this series!

I have a theory (it could be demons... Dancing demons, no, something isn't right there...) about some of the other characters that I'm DYING to discover the truth about.

Full review to follow shortly, but for now, 4.5/5 Stars will have to do.

[Ginger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Free copy provided by the author (through LoP) for an honest review.

I grew up watching Gargoyles, remember the cartoon?

"When going back to your childhood home, there is that one perfect moment. It's the moment where, as you grab the door knob and start turning, memories jumble across your mind like the spill of photographs from a box...

No, it wasn't like that at all. But it was like my childhood fascination grew up and got hotter ;)
(while looking for pictures for this review I found that there are many others that have a 'grown up' fascination as well 0.o)

I enjoyed the world building. The two realms (the one we are in and the magic one) have collided. We are trying to coexist but of course, not everyone is happy with the new world. Larissa, born on the day of the great collision, has no desire to be a part of the magical world and lives in an all 'human' zone. They use little magic and learn little about the magical world around them.
This perplexed me. How could one not want to learn about the other beings around them? Even if you do not see them or interact with them wouldn't you want to know about them. Even if it were just to protect yourself? *shrugs*

Larissa is a teacher, she just broke free from her over protective father and brothers to move out on her own. Little does she know that she still has a protector.
Terak has been told that Larissa is important to his clan. A very saucy Oracle (The Oracle to be specific) has given him this information. So he begins watching her to see if anything happens, and of course it does.
There are some impressive fight scenes. We find out that there are a few different factions/governments/clans/whatchamacallits that may or may not be allies. A couple awkward love scenes (no, not as a result of the writing but they are both *gasp* virgins. How often does that happen?! I liked it.)

They were just so cute together



The Oracle does give Larissa some information too

"Larissa weighed it in her hand. "This is a very light history." The Oracle arched one fine brow. "Why would I bother with that? This, my dear, is about how gargoyles mate."

I like this Oracle, none of that nonsense about wars and destruction but something a girl can use!

About 85% of they way in Larissa looses her ability to think, umm at all.

"Don't worry, Miss Miller. They'll take care of the gargoyle." Unease trickled through Larissa "Who are they?"

She was almost nabbed by one of the kids enlisted by the necromancer earlier in the book. Yup, before she was 'deflowered' by a gargoyle. Why does this seem to be a common theme of stories? If you want to survive, don't have sex. I think I learned that on one of the Scream movies. "I'll be right baaaaak!" OK I am off the soap box

Anyways, as you can guess Larissa starts asking the right questions too late and is nabbed. I won't go into that anymore as you can guess that has some spoilers.

A little blurb from the author hints that the next book might have a little more saucy hotness for us. Those two have good chemistry I would like to see them exploring that as their relationship progresses. And since the Gargoyle/human make up is compatible (*wink wink*) it will be good.

The author has some good writing in this book. A few sections where the talent shined, however the book overall was a little rough. For example: I would have liked to see a little more depth to the supporting characters. We don't really get to know any of them very well but they do play a part in the story line (thank goodness).
I would be interested in continuing with this series/author. I think I will be pleasantly suppressed with how things progress.

Is this in our future?

[Tai · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.7 stars!

How I loved this book! I don’t know what I was expecting when I started it, but it wasn’t what I got. Right from the start the author had me totally engaged in the new world she was building, and the characters she placed in them. I was laughing when they laughed, rolled my eyes in annoyance when they did, will even admit sheepishly finding myself yelling back at the characters a time or two based on the actions they took. I was just that engrossed in the story.

I really enjoyed the main couple, especially gargoyle Terak. The way the author described him, with his dark looks and eight pack abs (yes, I did say eight pack) I will never be able to look at gargoyles the same way again…especially after a particular scene at the end. Though I did wish that we got a little more background on how things ran with the gargoyle clans and the powers they held. I was fascinated every time he interacted with them, but wanted more. More, more, more. That was the theme with me and this book, page after page left me greedy. With Larissa, I liked that with so many traditionally “strong” characters in the story, she was just a normal average person, though she in no way was a weak character. Both her and Terak clicked right together from the very beginning, and the coupling never once felt forced. She did annoy me a time or two, however, with how weak willed she became in regards to her family, and how she let them control her life. It made her seem much younger than she really was, until ten seconds later, when I had to mentally slap myself for that thinking after realizing her family was almost exactly like mine and I am past the age of thirty. Haha, you know what they say about people in glass houses and all of that.

It was like the author was reading my thoughts the whole way through the story. If I felt the characters were doing something stupid, which is something that annoys me to no end in books, the author did not try to insult the readers’ intelligence to make us believe the actions were justifiable. The characters would call themselves out for it, which felt really refreshing. Yes I know characters are really only words printed on a page, but in my bibliophile world the best characters are the ones that authors are able to make come “alive”, and this author did that every step of the way.

I absolutely loved all the secondary characters in the book, and that is my only real “complaint” about the story. I loved the secondary characters so much that somehow at the end of the book I didn’t really care about the main couple. Not that Larissa and Terak weren’t great, in fact they were awesome, but compared to Fallon, Laire, and the rest? I was fan girl squealing over them by the last paragraph, and was breezing through the last bit of Larissa and Terak’s epilogue trying to get through it to read more about the others. Now I’m dying to read more of the series, especially Fallon’s book, Laire’s, Aislynn, and even Olivia. I’m sad now that I have to wait.

**An ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

[Sadie Forsythe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I generally quite enjoyed this. It had a good story, a little humour, some romance, and a couple kick-ass females (always a plus). I'm thinking Fallon, Aislynn, Laire, The Oracle. Unfortunately Larissa, the heroine, wasn't one of those awesome women. She was alright, not stupidly stubborn or so naive she practically begged to be victimised, but there didn't seem to be much to her. She was a bit of a shadow puppet until Terak came along and gave her some substance. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed her well enough, but her life basically consisted of work and letting her father and brothers control her life in an incredibly patronising fashion.

As much as I might complain about the way Larissa caved to her male family's whims I was also a little disappointed that the family, who played quite a prominent role in the beginning, had almost no place in the bulk of the book. The small inclusion of one of her four brothers was almost a distraction it held so little relevance. Her family was really important to her. Much of her life was structured around them and their overprotectiveness, so I found their absence conspicuous, especially at the end.

The mystery of why everyone was looking for Larissa kept me guessing until the end. Though I have to admit that I found it odd that she could just keep going home when so many baddies were after here. Did none of them know how to dial 411? Having said that, I quite enjoyed Reign as an antagonist. He and his obsession with Fallon piqued my interest for future books. As did Fallon's strange conversant at the end. I have my guess, but we'll see.

I liked Larissa and Terak as a couple, but I have to admit the sex scenes did little for me. The first one was too smooth for two virgins (and I'm still wondering about Larissa's lack of hymen). The last one...well no, it was just wrong on too many levels to list. But beyond this one small complaint I liked them together. I especially liked Terak.

There were a few typos here and there, mostly missing particles. It wasn't particularly distracting. The book was well written. The dialogue was comfortable and Larissa was quite witty at times. I look forward to the continuation of the series.

[Feminista · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

A unique story about the world as we know it opening up to a realm of different species. But on the very day the world changes, a girl is born. This girl soon becomes the most coveted woman for many races. But she has a guardian to protect her.

I didn't enjoy the beginning of this novel half as much as I enjoyed the second half. I understand that the heroine did not know much about the other species, but I found her lack of knowledge a hard pill to swallow. And the first time she is attacked, I thought she was a bit too weak, at least for my taste. I also didn't like her family much, a big contributor to her lack of knowledge.

I did enjoy the second half. Her romance with Terak was sweet and enjoyable. I really liked Fallon and the other warrior women. I am looking forward to the other novels in this series.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Romantic Geek Publishing

[Douglas Meeks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well first you need to understand that the clan of gargoyles trust nobody. The fact remains that out of the blue one day The ORacle shows up and tells Terak and his clan that Larissa must be protected at all costs. Terak could care less but you don't just blow off The Oracle so he becomes her observer for three months and she becomes a bit of an obsession with him, until she is attacked and then hiding and watching is no longer an option.

This is a wonderful story filled with creatures of myth, romance, betrayal and heroics. What's not to love?

This is Urban Fantasy at its finest and the romance and obsessively protective family just add to the drama, this is great reading and I highly recommend you grab a copy. It has pieces of every great PNR/UF novel you ever read so enjoy a good time.

[Tandie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Buddy read is ON!
March 15th with JennyJen & Shandra.



Okay, who's idea was this buddy read? I need someone to blame.

[Netanella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm reading this in honor of the burning of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris this week.

But zombies pulling knives in a fight...wtf, man!?!? That's just wrong.

Much later....
Thankfully I persevered through that bit of zombie heresy (comparable to vampires drinking cherry kool aid), and made it to the good parts.

The damn good parts! And I think I feel in love, a little, with this book and the characters. Paranormal romance series are hard to do right anymore, simply because they have been done so well before. J.R. Ward, Nalini Singh, Kressley Cole are the Royal Trifecta. So when a new paranormal series comes along that knocks you off your feet, and you spend a beautiful Saturday ignoring your responsible chores to read instead about the Clan Leader of the Gargoyles falling in love with a human null.

Awesome book. I look forward to more.

[Kathie (katmom) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read several of Danielle Monsch's books, and loved them. When I saw this cover, I knew that I had to have it. There's just something about it that really grabbed me. I begged for an ARC and was thrilled to get it.

Stone Guardian pulled me in from the first page. It opens with on-the-edge-of-your-seat action, then barely gives you time to breathe as the story unfolded. It was great!

Terak is a gargoyle. He's the leader of the gargoyle clan. All alpha male...with wings, a tail and a profile to swoon over. When he curves his wings around Larissa, it gave me the warm fuzzies. And gave Larissa some, too.

He's not sure why the Oracle told him she was important, but she's been right about things too often for him to disregard her warning. As he watches over her from afar, he is entranced by Larissa, by her kind heart, and her strength of spirit. When he finally meets her, after the zombies tried to capture her, he falls hard.

Larissa hasn't had anything to do with the other races that have come to our Realm on the day she was born. It makes her dad, who was there when the great collision happened, nuts when anyone mentions the others. So she just doesn't, because she's a good girl. But there's something about Terak that pulls her toward him and she doesn't think it's just because he rescued her. He's warm and she feels safe with him. Of course, she believes that the zombie attack was rather random and she really doesn't need a bodyguard, right? She only agrees to it after she puts a deadline on the whole operation, and as long as the one female gargoyle is never one of those to watch over her. SHE is a horrible entity, no matter what her designation may be.

The mystery of who is after Larissa, and the supporting cast trying to keep her safe (or catch her), was a nice twisty little path.

There's a lot of world building here and I thought the information was smoothly integrated into the story. If you've read many of my reviews, you know that I hate "info dumping" and I was glad to not see that here.

I asked if there was a cliff hanger, and was pleased when the author told me that this is the start to a series, but there's no cliffie to contend with and some threads that will follow through in the next bookS. Whew...and, thanks! I'm looking forward to seeing more of Fallon (they call her Dragon Slayer), Laire, and Wulver. And Reign? Yeah...scary!

FIVE BOOKMARKS!
I definitely need more of these characters.


*Thank you, Danielle Monsch, for the ARC!

This review can also be seen at:

www.firstpagetothelast.com

[Sandi Layne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confession time.

I used to watch the Gargoyles animated series on TV with my older son, back when we lived in Arizona. I developed a huge character-crush on Goliath. I then went on to study how gargoyles were used in historical architecture and how fascinating the creations were during thunderstorms and the like. It was pretty cool!

When I saw a book cover with a hunky gargoyle guy on it, I was not, though, compelled to buy it. However, since the author was donating proceeds to charity for a limited time, I did buy the eBook so that I could do a tiny bit to help out, you know? The author, after seeing my blog comment about this, offered me another book of hers if this one didn't pan out to my satisfaction.

So, of course, I read it.

Review time.

What I liked about this book:

Swoony hero? Aces. Terak, the gargoyle hero, is the leader of his Clan. He's got the alpha-male temperament, the body, the swoony fascination thing down to a fine art and he doesn't even know it. He also has vulnerabilities and responsibilities which make things a bit tense at times. Totally works for me.

Feisty heroine? Check! Larissa is from a family of overprotective males and is determined to live on her own -- near her family but not WITH them. Having to concede to the need for the Stone Guardian in her life is hard for her.

Secondaries? Tons of fun and I want to know more!

Bad Guys? OH MY, yes.

So I liked all of this.

My not-favorite things:.

The prologue. I think the set-up was maybe necessary but its presentation lacked finesse. It had punch, but it was off-putting to THIS girl, anyway. And the whole buildup was not, in my opinion, necessary as the plot spun out. The world-establishment could have been handled differently and with perhaps more logic.

However, the world set up (our world collides with a more supernatural one, resulting in a permanent state of new affairs) is a good one. I like the way the author weaves it into the story as it progresses. It's just the heroine's role in it that has me scratching my head.

Overall?

4 stars. I want to read more. :)

[Anne Dirty Girls' Good Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twenty-six years ago The Great Collision happened, uniting our human world with the magical realm. Now zombies, vampires, orcs, trolls, and gargoyles aren't just creatures of myth. They're real and part of the world we know.

Larissa lives within a protected city and has no contact and very little knowledge of these creatures until the day she's attacked by zombies and saved by a gargoyle, Terak. Terak isn't the only one watching her, and the zombies aren't the only ones attacking.

What a great book! Larissa wasn't a warrior, but she was smart and practical. She accepted and asked for protection. She trusted her gut feelings and that was all so refreshing to read. Terak the gargoyle was really interesting. I enjoyed this new take on gargoyles.

Even more than I enjoyed Larissa and Terak, the secondary characters really shine in this story! Fallon and Laire are two hilarious women - warrior and mage and they are part of a team of fighters that is mostly women! The women are respected by the males they work with and they are more then just beings to have sex with or sequel bait. They are fierce and it was so awesome to read characters like this!

The "why" of Larissa being targeted was a big mystery that I didn't figure out until it was revealed, but it totally made sense. That's some nice writing!

I did have some little complaints. There were times when Larissa and Terak seemed to know things about each other that they hadn't had time to learn. There was a time or two when someone acted out of character. Overall, though, the good far outweighed the bad. Monsch writes great characters and an interesting world! I really look forward to reading more!

eta 7/3/13 to add full review above.

Preliminary review (7/10/13) The Gargoyle shifter was nicely done! I liked the world the author built and will definitely read more. There were some flaws, but also some really good writing. Larissa was a smart heroine who generally made smart choices - I loved that! The secondary characters were awesome, and I look forward to reading more!

[Ronda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a book with heaps going on, at first I thought it might have been too much but I have to say that every avenue this book took was an avenue I wanted to explore! I love that Larissa is the only girl with four brothers - my family is the same (1 daughter, 4 older boys) and it is great to be able to relate to some of the ways that Larissa has to find in order to deal with the family.

I have read a gargoyle book before and this one just confirms my suspicions that gargoyles are in fact sexy creatures - I want one!!!

A great book, love the way it started in the past and then brought us to the present day, kind of a history lesson without having to have a novella prequel, very easy to read, great lines, just a great story to read!

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most Fun I've Had Reading All Year
Twenty-six years ago, her life began...and her world ended.

Larissa Miller grew up in the years following the Great Collision, the day the human realm and the realm of magic slammed into each other and merged. Sheltered by her single father and four elder brothers, all of them cops, she's lived a pretty idyllic life in the human-only city, the dangerous reality of orcs, necromancers, werewolves, and any of the sundry deadly creatures who now share her world a distant concern.

Of course, distant concerns can get a whole lot closer pretty damn fast when you're attacked by a group of zombies, creatures of nightmare who shouldn't even be able to get past the magical wards that protect the city. Larissa's life doesn't seem quite so idyllic after that. She just doesn't know why. Neither why she is being targeted by the baddest of the baddies nor why a gargoyle came to her rescue. But she's going to find out.

For three months Terak has clung to the shadows, watching the human woman whose fate is linked to that of his clan, according to one very inscrutable Oracle. As clan leader, it is his responsibility to protect her. He just didn't know what he was protecting her from until he caught the scent of death and decay on the breeze.

Even after the zombie rescue Terak doesn't know how Larissa's safety will impact his clan but it no longer matters. Given the depth and breadth of the rage that courses through him at the mere thought that anyone would dare attack what was his, he has more than a sneaking suspicion that the little human has become very important to him. And with a necromancer after her, as being set upon by zombies would indicate, his little human's problems are just beginning.

He will end them for her or die trying. He is gargoyle. It's what he does.

~*~

I can't even begin to adequately express just how much I loved this book. Reading it was the most fun (with a book) that I've had all year. I loved it. I loved the world, loved the story, loved the characters. It was a trifecta of awesomeness!

There was so much great storytelling going on in this book. Everything from the prologue, which gutted me, to the conclusion, which tantalized me, was a thorough, intriguing, thrilling, emotional journey that captivated me and held me in thrall until the end. Not only were the primary plot threads and story elements woven together well and fully developed, but there was a delicious subtlety to elements which were merely introduced. At times it was maddening, but in the very best, "Ohhh, I want more of them/that NOW!" way that left me ravenous for the continuation of the series.

Without doubt, Monsch has a gift for creating exactly the sort of varied, sophisticated narrative and three dimensional plot that I most enjoy. To be honest, though, that gift pales in comparison to her sheer, unmitigated genius for character creation.

Larissa is a solid heroine, and while she isn't my preferred type for the genre (she's a little too innocent for that), I loved her personality and practical attitude. She gets a lot shoved at her at once, and I couldn't help but admire the way she soldiers through some fairly massive paradigm shifts, adapting as she goes. Her growth and evolution throughout the story was appealing, and I was pleased with the ease of her acceptance of Terak.

And positively delighted by his consternation over it.

Terak was a whole other massive dose of fantastic. First: gargoyle. Yay! I think they're sadly underutilized in the genre and I'm a total sucker for them. Second, Terak is my absolute favorite type of romantic hero. He's a big, bad, and totally kick-ass warrior, but when it comes to Larissa, he's befuddled by the strength of his instinctive reaction to her, even as he revels in it. And his confused pleasure every time she does or says something that displays her trust and comfort level with him was so damn endearing. Loved him.

That said, I have to be honest. Though wonderful and fully entertaining, neither Larissa nor Terak, nor their romance, were what pushed this book over the edge of five star reads into that ultra-small group of books I consider favorites. That honor lies exclusively with the few members of the Guild we meet in this book. Secondary characters Fallon and Laire stole every single scene they were in, exploding across the page and into the main characters' lives with a vitality and multihued vibrancy that is absolutely unmatched in recent memory.

I loved Larissa and Tarek, but Fallon and Laire rocked my world. I'm dying to spend more time with them and find out all those devious, delicious little details about their lives and acquaintances, details that were merely hinted at in this book. They were truly spectacular.

I'm not saying there weren't any critical elements. There were one or two things that didn't work for me nearly as well as the rest, or things that I would have liked to see evolve a bit differently. Most notably was a moment late in the book where Larissa hops on the Stupid Train for a short jaunt to Hapless-Victimtown despite spending every preceding moment in the book being exceedingly cautious and pragmatic. And I think I pulled an eye muscle with the severity of the eye roll that her moment of doubt about Tarek's motives caused. That was pretty heavy-handed and awkward.

All of that is usually exactly the sort of stuff that dims my enthusiasm for a read, but it just didn't in this case. There was way too much awesome going on before and after it all. The minor quibbles I had didn't do much more than flash on my radar before being overshadowed by my overwhelming pleasure in everything else. So very much pleasure, so much reading entertainment, so much fun. Absolutely the best time I've had while reading in a very long time. I'm so incredibly bummed that the next book won't be around until 2014. So long to wait!!

Quotables:

"Before Laire comes up with a reason why we should start removing clothes to prove some theory, I got a question." Fallon said. "Can we teleport out of here if this turns ugly?"
"Nope, our only hope will be for you to swing your sword, Wulver to fang out, and me to set everything on fire... Ooh! Liquor," And Laire turned way, walking to the bar.
"Laire, get back here! You do not drink before we meet with our mortal enemy."

~*~

"I don't think you belong here."
Laire plopped down on the barstool. "And I'm supposed to care about the opinion of someone who drools over corpses? Your implants have more sense than you do."

~*~

"Please tell me you recognize the most in-demand mercenary in the business?"
"Why, did we have a drunken one-night stand you forgot to tell me about?"

~*~

"Who do they think I am, sending a pansy-ass like that against me?"
Fallon patted Laire's shoulder, a there-there motion. "I don't think they knew we'd be waiting when they prepared this trap. But for you, we'll send his head back to them with a note to not insult you again. Does that make you feel better?"
Laire gave a long, theatrical sigh. "I don't know, maybe."

Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided to me by Romantic Geek Publishing via NetGalley. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.
~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Thoughts - 5 out of 5 unicorns - I loved it!!
**Received ebook for free from CrushStar Multimedia LLC via NetGalley for an honest review

Cover is absolutely beautiful and attracted me to this book. I think I want a Gargoyle of my own :) Also my dad always called my sisters and I his gargoyles (silly yes, but in my mind when I read the blurb)!

Okay the book, I can’t even put into words how much I loved it. This book even though it is the first in the series was attention grabbing from the get go. There was no trying to get into this book because I was sucked in from the start. It started with awesome action immediately with the Great Collision and with Larissa’s birth. This is my first experience reading Danielle’s work, and I loved it and will have to read more. This adventure was awesome. Larissa is an outstanding heroine because she has strength and never gives up. I don’t want someone who sits around waiting to be saved. Yes, she makes mistakes, but she owns them and won’t take lip from anyone trying to tell her what to do. If it isn’t what she wants, she makes sure you know it. Terak is just as awesome with his resolve that no one takes what is his. He is a strong take charge kind of guy, but he thinks and doesn’t bulldoze Larissa by forcing his will which I find sexy. The world created by Danielle is fabulous, and I can’t wait to take my next book vacation there. There are a few typos here and there, but I definitely didn’t care because it didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of this fabulous world.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves paranormal action packed books with romance. I can’t wait for the next book.

Merged review:

My Thoughts - 5 out of 5 unicorns - I loved it!!
**Received ebook for free from CrushStar Multimedia LLC via NetGalley for an honest review

Cover is absolutely beautiful and attracted me to this book. I think I want a Gargoyle of my own :) Also my dad always called my sisters and I his gargoyles (silly yes, but in my mind when I read the blurb)!

Okay the book, I can’t even put into words how much I loved it. This book even though it is the first in the series was attention grabbing from the get go. There was no trying to get into this book because I was sucked in from the start. It started with awesome action immediately with the Great Collision and with Larissa’s birth. This is my first experience reading Danielle’s work, and I loved it and will have to read more. This adventure was awesome. Larissa is an outstanding heroine because she has strength and never gives up. I don’t want someone who sits around waiting to be saved. Yes, she makes mistakes, but she owns them and won’t take lip from anyone trying to tell her what to do. If it isn’t what she wants, she makes sure you know it. Terak is just as awesome with his resolve that no one takes what is his. He is a strong take charge kind of guy, but he thinks and doesn’t bulldoze Larissa by forcing his will which I find sexy. The world created by Danielle is fabulous, and I can’t wait to take my next book vacation there. There are a few typos here and there, but I definitely didn’t care because it didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of this fabulous world.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves paranormal action packed books with romance. I can’t wait for the next book.

[Mara]

If you know me, you already know what a no rating review most probably means. Yep, you are right. This is one of those books that are perfect, but I still didn't enjoy it. My fault.

Let's start with the good, as it's only fair. World-building and side characters were absolutely great. Moreover, for once you actually have a prologue where you (literally) see the worlds collide. In most UF you are at times told about the accident that started all. It's often very important, but not that often shown. Here you have a account from a witness, the heroine's father.

The world and its inhabitants are intriguing and well-developed. I think they are pretty unique too, given the genre. I think Ms Monsch is talented and she'll grow into her skin.

On the plus side, there's also the absolutely lack of mating bonds, instinct whatever you call them. As a pnr the romance is the focus (not overwhelming though), but there's no lust before reason. She doesn't' stop thinking because Guy gets into a room. (On the other side the sex scene at the end was a little too unbelievable. As they are both virgins, there should be much, much more awkwardness. Yes, it's a fantasy, perfect oral on the first time they did anything at all? Naahh. :D)

The downsides. These are not real: they ruined the book for me because I don't like some tropes. It's really not linked to the book.

They are two: the heroine and her family.
-I'm sorry, I hate the naive, sweet, all-round virgin idiot, sorry girl. The perfect daughter, the perfect teacher, the perfect woman. She lives blindly happy in her blindness and never worries. She does what she's told and she's never angry. She shows some vague idea of steel somewhat toward the 60/70% of the story. But it's really too little, too late for me.

-At 26 she really should be far from her family. And this is my second pet peeves. I don't think that love justifies all. This is the worst excuse for the harm some kind of love can do. Her family is suffocating, "cheating" in a way with all their lies and omissions. Yes, they love her and they made her an idiot savant with this love. And the guilt trip.

She lives in a world that has recently discovered magic. She is ignorant about what lives outside her human-only city and remains so for most of the book. Because her family guilts her in to this. Meh.

Will I be reading the next? Yes, I think I'll do. I liked this world and some side characters are right up my alley, like Fallon.

ARC courtesy of publisher via NetGalley