Stone Song

The Isle of Destiny #1

by Tricia O'Malley

From New York Times Bestselling author, Tricia O’Malley, comes a riveting magickal romance set in modern day Dublin. Clare MacBride has her life in exactly the order she wants it. In a year, she’ll have finished her geology dissertation, though she’s no closer to figuring out the answer to one question that plagues her. Why does she feel stones pulse with energy? A centuries-old curse, a mysterious faction of protectors, and a mythological godstone all sound like old world fairytale nonsense to Clare. It only takes one rainy evening with a silver-eyed fae and a handsome stranger promising protection to rock her world forever. With her life plans shattered at her feet, the lines of science and fiction blur as Clare is forced to throw everything she knows about the world out the window and look deep within her heart for answers.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Magic, Fae, Paranormal Romance, Fiction

300 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 2, 2016

About the author

As an award winning NY Times, USA Today, and WSJ bestselling author, Tricia O’Malley’s infectious joy in writing romance with an added dash of the magical has touched hearts around the world. With over three million books read, O’Malley’s stories have been translated into several languages and enjoy a devoted following. Tricia O’Malley is a native of Wisconsin, and departed the wintry tundra for warmer locales five years ago. She now lives in the Caribbean with her handsome Scotsman.

An avid scuba diver, Tricia spends much of her time underwater dreaming up new stories while photographing the beautiful sea life. Tricia loves fun vacation reads, believes in mermaids, and has a serious travel addiction. She discovers her inspiration on the go – and you’ll find her books set in beautiful settings with characters who deserve a happily-ever-after.

To see some of her underwater or island life photos visit her on Facebook, Instagram, or join her mailing list at www.triciaomalley.com

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an avid reader you find books you like, some you love. Every so often you come across a book that not only is amazing and brilliant but touches your heart and soul. This is that book.
The book that makes you feel , inserts you into the storyline and touches your heart. This book is about true love, friendships, trust, finding and believing in your self. It has mystery, supernatural aspects, Irish mythology and a quest for good vs. Evil.
This book reminded me of a combination of Karen Marie Moaning Fever series and J.R.R Tolikens the Hobbit. Good fae, bad fae, a quest to save Ireland by finding four supernatural items, love and friendships along with some comedy makes this book one of my favorite reads of all time!!! Bonus if you've read the Mystic Cove series some characters pop up from those books.

[Aditi · Rating 1 out of 5]

★ 1 star ★

Y'all, I don't have enough energy to write a full review about this book, so I'll keep it short.

The writing was (excuse me, I'm about to go full-on English teacher) always tell and never show. I hated everyone in this book. They were all flat, and none of them showed any character growth. At all. Which sucks, because they sucked the entire way through. (Allow me to excuse my unkindness with the headache pounding in my head right now.)

The plot was all over the place, and sometimes (most of the time), there was no plot at all. Blake sounded super r*pey the entire time, and every conflict was fixed on the same page. The word 'lust' was used wayyy too many times. The word 'ladybits' was also used, and that simply should not be allowed.

I wrote out a lot of thoughts while I was reading this, but putting them into a paragraph that makes sense is too much work for my sobbing brain right now. I can't do it guys, I just can't. Not after reading about four straight White people for 300 pages.

In conclusion (Yes, this is a high school essay), can I give this less than one star? Please?

[Hailee (haibooklovers) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cheesy. Flat characters. Underdeveloped world.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clare’s life was in order, a geology student, she thought she understood rocks, stones, the earth and the stories they could tell. Only one thing bothered her, why did she sense energy from the stones she came near? Why don’t others feel it? Facts were her life, so when she heard of ancient curses, magical stones, she had no idea that those fairytales would change her life forever. Then, there was the beautiful Fae with the dazzling eyes…had she fallen down the rabbit hole?

STONE SONG by Tricia O’Malley is filled with the magic of the Fae, Ireland and the quest to save the isle. Completely likable characters, the eternal battle of good versus evil and an ending that is really rather simple and direct, this tale is a comfortable, entertaining read to pass an afternoon away lost in the magic of this author’s imagination. A little love, a little laughter, unlikely alliances and an uphill struggle to complete a quest!

I received a complimentary copy! This is my honest and voluntary review.

Series: The Isle of Destiny - Book 1
Publisher: Lovewrite Publishing (June 2, 2016)
Publication Date: June 2, 2016
Genre: Fantasy
Print Length: 302 pages
Available from: Amazon |  Barnes & Noble
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[Micky Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the branch off of the missing side of the family mentioned in the Mystic Cove series. You won't be sorry that you continued down this branch of the family either. Excellent characters, endearing love stories with a bit of wit tossed in for fun and exciting action both on and off the battle field! You get a few Mystic Cove characters laced in for an added bonus! I can't wait to hear what happens in the next book!

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars on the re-read.

Clare MacBride is busy and stressed, but she's where she wants to be and only a year away from completing her PhD in geology at prestigious Trinity College. She's just no closer to understanding why she can feel the energy and stories within stones. When a mysterious, leather-clad man saves her from a mugging, claiming to be her protector, she's not sure what to make of it. When he tells her of an ancient curse and two warring factions of fae, it all sounds like a mythological fiction, until continued attacks make it all too real.

Science-minded Clare struggles to come to grips with things she can't explain as she finds her world completely upended. Soon she must question everything she thought she knew and, with help from her friends and Blake, her official protector, she'll find the answers were within herself all along.

This was an audio revisit of a book I loved when I read it a few years ago. It didn't hold up quite as well with age, but I think a lot of that was due to my dislike of the narrator; an Irish narrator would've suited much better than an American. I still adored Blake and he's still one of the most sensual and swoon-worthy heroes I've read. Clare was a bit annoying in all of the stupid decisions she made, endangering the entire group, despite the fact that her above average intelligence is mentioned often. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed the fantasy and adventure of this book and found it to be a lovely escape from reality. I'm continuing on with my audio revisit.

[Ria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've started and stopped a LOT of books lately, so credit to this one that I made it through in full, I liked the world and am a total sucker for chosen one story with a healthy dash of romance. Unfortunately, as curious as I was about how this would end, I couldn't quite get over a problematic main character, really odd writing choices and - crucially - the clichéd portrayal of Oirish people, to be sure, to be sure.

So firstly, Claire as our heroine didn't really work for me. I understand the confusion and anxiety over her destiny, but she kind of came across as an unreasonable diva on multiple occasions. She was also portrayed as being without fault, and of course her magical magicness was awesome and saved the day more than once. The love story with Blake got my interest at first, but it quickly descended into creepy territory, with ten years of watching, longing, and then a random 'conflict' where he got mad because she saved him... No thank you.

The writing was really strange. From the standard "she looked in the mirror and described her perfect appearance in detail" style to let us know what the heroine looks like, to on-the-nose dialogue that was all tell and zero show, this brought me out of the story repeatedly.

And to be fair, all the Irish people I know are older and not from Dublin, but the attempt to capture Irish speech patterns never really felt authentic, this seemed to be a very cheesy and unrealistic depiction of Irish people.

I kind of loved Bianca and Seamus though, it's a shame the quest wasn't just them, as I suspect it would have been more fun.

[Alex · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope, DNf. Not for me...

[Jessica Kellar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well that was cute and lighthearted.

[window · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting concept, poorly executed. Character development was lacking but the bigger problem was the lack of robust world building and a plot. In many ways, it felt like a rehash of Karen Moning's Fever series. In this book, the "quest" felt more like a random road trip with no logic. The world building and mythology lacked logic and flow and the rules felt arbitrary. There are "good guys" who know things but they can't tell them because.....well, just because. At one point, one character point blank asks why things work a certain way and the other character says basically "I don't know why, because". It felt like the author was anticipating readers wondering the same thing and offered this up as an explanation but it really didn't explain anything.

[Vampire-lk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute quick read fluffy beach read! Audiobook is great brings another level of engagement! Did switch back to kindle version to speed read this to get it finished as have so many on my TBR!! Very cheesy at times, but cute beach read nonetheless! Was touch angsty which was eye rolling bcse didn’t have to be in that moment, but had to have the tied way though the book break up to make up scene lol felt more with them like a sappy hallmark movie lol! Which is why it’s a 3/4 Stars! Not all the feels, but sappy fun to it!! Obviously loved touch the forbidden romance trope the best! The bit of mystery treasure hunt worth the read if you like that trope as well!!

[Kimberly Southern-weber · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ppphhhhhhhbbbbbbttttttt.

[Liz~In~Colorado · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the branch off of the family mentioned in the Mystic Cove series. 

This is a mythologic based series that is centered around two types of fae (good and bad) who are fighting for the future of civilization. There are four treasures that need to be found to totally defeat the Domnua (bad fae). the seekers don't know they are destined for greatness, and the guardians are lifelong defenders of their seekers. 

She's just no closer to understanding why she can feel the energy and stories within stones. When a mysterious man saves her from a mugging, claiming to be her protector, she's not sure what to make of it. When he tells her of an ancient curse and two warring factions of fae, it all sounds like a mythological fiction, until continued attacks make it all too real.

It's filled with the magic of the Fae, Ireland, ancient curses, magical stones and the quest to save the isle.  The eternal battle of good versus evil, this tale is a comfortable, entertaining read to pass an afternoon away lost in the magic of this author’s imagination. 🌹

(The Tuatha dé Danann, which means 'the peoples of the goddess Danu' in Old Irish. I've visited other stories written about her, most notable Nora Roberts Chronicles of the One trilogy.)

[Kyjuliano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given a beta copy of this book for an honest review. I fell in love with Ms. O’Malley’s writing when I happened across a free copy of Wild Irish Heart, her first book in the Mystic Cove series. I immediately purchased every one of the books in the series. I was so sad to see it end, but was left really looking forward to the new series that she gives us a brief glimpse of at the end of Wild Irish Witch. It was worth every moment of the wait.



Once again we find ourselves immersed back in the world of mysticism and magick, good vs evil. We are taken on a quest to find something of great value and a chance for seemingly ordinary people to find the strength that lies deep inside their soul. With lots of humor and insight we get to come to know and love new and wonderful characters. Along the way a few of our favorite people from Mystic Cove pop in to lend a hand. I laughed and I cried!


I highly recommend this book and can’t wait for the next installment.

Can a simple scientist overcome logic and save the world? Come along for the ride.

[Andrea ☾ [is inconsistently consistant] · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25 ⭐️ Left no lasting impression.

I'm going to be so honest here. I got this as an audiobook, but I think I would've enjoyed it much more as an actual physical book, because the weird/faked Irish accent that the narrator had for most of the characters made this more of a comedy than anything else. There were points where I was barely paying attention to what was happening because I was focusing on the weird accents/voices.

This is a contemporary fae book with the chosen one trope, and although that sounded right up my alley, something didn't click with me in this one. I don't think is a bad book, but I can't say I enjoyed it much. Tbh, I'm already having trouble remembering some of the things that happened here and I finished it about two hours ago!

I don't think I'd recommend the audiobook, but maybe giving it a whirl with a physical copy/ebook might make this better!

[Kathy Parish · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very pleasant reading experience. Part of a trilogy that I look forward to finishing. Love the Irish culture and the supernatural conflict of good and evil. The love story was an extra plus. Mildly graphic sex.

[Anita · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this very choppy. The main character, supposedly on a “quest”, did very little to accomplish that task. Seemed like they just wandered around a lot.

[Maru Rusiach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love is the light that shines its truth in darkness

I’ve actually found this book through Bookbub emailing, it instantly caught my eye, so I purchased it as a light reading. When I started reading it, I got caught up and couldn't let go until i’ve read the last sentence.
In this story, Claire’s quest is not only to find the stone that would help her save Ireland’s fate but, furthermore, to find herself and fulfill her destiny. The story brings us a tale where Ireland’s fate is in the hands of four seakers, who have to fulfill a series of quests in order to maintain reality and life as we mortals know it.
I’ve really enjoyed reading this book, seeing how Claire and Blake’s paths come together, how friendships are forged more stronger than they already were and, most of all, how Claire’s knowledge of reality gets twisted and changed when becoming close to the reality that magic exists. Her scientific brain struggles at times, but it's a journey she has to take in order to achieve her goal.

It was a fun, entertaining read and I can't wait to get my hands on the next book of the series.

[Nina S · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot was so promising — set in Ireland, a regular woman named Clare, finds out she is a part of the fae world. This fell so flat. I have no idea how it’s rated as high as it is. First of all her acceptance into this world and the meaning for her was so quick and casual. Alright cool I’m doing this, what!??! Then the terminology they used throughout the whole thing referring to the “quest” and “last battle” it was so odd and cheesy with them saying that from two people who have been human basically their entire life. Also there was just 0 connection of why these fae were “bad”. The only part that actually made sense was Clare questioning that and of course they want to be free they’ve been imprisoned for 100s of years.

[Bambi Unbridled]

I tried this one in audio and the narration didn't work for me. The American accent for parts of the story, then switching to an Irish accent for the dialogue was jarring and kept throwing me out of the story. Also, when the dialogue was occurring, the narrator spoke extremely slowly. I had to speed up the playback to get past it, but it wasn't perfect. I think I will skip this one in audio and try again in print.

[Olga Godim]

DNF 31%

Boring! Several fantasy tropes assembled in the usual way: THE CHOSEN ONE, A RELUCTANT HEROINE, SHOULD GO ON A QUEST TO FIND A MAGICAL STONE. THE FATE OF IRELAND DEPENDS ON HER. The clock is ticking too. And, of course, she has magic, although she is a scientist and doesn't believe in magic, so she resists her destiny. At first. Plus some lust and a hunky sidekick. It was all so predictable and so slow, I couldn't read it anymore.

[Cindy Penningnieuwland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the setting of the book in Ireland, with descriptions of the beautiful landscapes, Celtic stories and legends and the Irish language. Combined with magick, cute love stories, a quest and deep friendships, this book made for a very cozy and fun read! It felt a little light on the world building, as well as character and relations-between-those-characters-building but that's also ok, it made for an easy read which is also welcomed at times!

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the continuing characters!

Very enjoyable, good lead characters. Love the descriptions of the countryside. Interesting and solid story. Can't wait for the next one.

[Katie McCormley · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. My god was this cheesy. For some unknown reason, I'm feeling compelled to read the next one though, hence the extra 1/2 star. Her tequila series is 1000x better. Stick with that one, people.

[Marcela Mahoney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read again so I could read the remaining books in the series as I had last read it while I was on vacation a few years back. Still as good as I remember it last. Now I know why I bought the others.

[Jenn · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - man this one was terrible. The main character was a mix of three others but it didn’t pull any of the best characteristics from them… only the dull pieces. Shame bc it had potential.

[Willowymn · Rating 5 out of 5]

IEnjoyed this book. It has action, romance, and a quest. Looking forward to reading the second n the series.

[Terri 【Rheereadsbooks] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

I love magical book series!
This was a sweet, fun, entertaining read.
I’m off to start Sword Song......
Can’t wait to see where the next adventure takes me!!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️

[Margaret Gabbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the fact that she started a whole other series which includes the characters of the "Cove" series. I'm fairly certain I finished all of the cove series and Stone Song all within a week of starting to read Tricia, (That's a book a day). Imagine my disappointment when I finished Stone Song, saw that "Sword" was supposed to be available in the fall of 2016... it is not out yet. I'm anxious for it and the 3rd book too - so - - chop, chop - get to writing Tricia! Your fans eagerly await!