Found

Books of Stone #1

by B.L. Brunnemer

Forget everything you know about the world. Vampires exist, Werewolves exist, monsters hide in the shadows, and it's my job to make sure they obey our laws. My name is Evelyn, and I'm a gargoyle. The last one or so I thought.
A team of Gargoyles have found me. And for the first time in over a century, I'm not the only one of my kind around. Which is a good thing since demons are slipping into this world fully formed. The bodies are piling up. Something is going on in my city, and it looks like I'm going to need the backup.
* While this is a Veil Diaries world book, this is not a Young Adult book. Graphic content.

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

374 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 13, 2018

About the author

B.L.Brunnemer has been a devoted reader since she was young. As a child, she was instantly attracted to horror stories. The plot, the suspense, the action. She loved it all. Which, as she grew, branched out into several other genres. But a strong female character always caught her eye. Through the years romance became a big part of her reading. Then she found the Young Adult/New Adult genre. But she had a problem. She never found the romance between most characters to be realistic enough for her. At least in the paranormal romance section.

So, she decided to fix that. She'd been writing for years already and had always struggled to finish a manuscript. Until, she decided to write what she wanted to read.

B.L. Brunnemer doesn't have any other publications at this time. She's just a woman, who loves a good story with great characters. And she hopes you'll love them too.

Reviews

[ren ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

short rtc. 🥴

[Brittain *Needs a Nap and a Drink*]

Gimme.

[vee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update 1/15
It’s soo good. I think i’m in shock. At first I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t a reverse harem, but now i’m glad it isn’t. WHY DID YOU HAVE TO FO THIS TO ME BECKY??? ISN’T THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE HOOKED ON THE VEIL DIARIES ENOUGH!?!

Update 1/13
I know it’s release day okay?!? But I’m reading this other great book and i don’t want to stop😭 I swear i will start it by tonight!!!

Update 1/8
I NEED THIS NOW!!!

Blurb:
Forget everything you know about the world. Vampires exist, Werewolves exist, monsters hide in the shadows, and it's my job to make sure they obey our laws. My name is Evelyn, and I'm a gargoyle. The last one or so I thought.

A team of Gargoyles have found me. And for the first time in over a century, I'm not the only one of my kind around. Which is a good thing since demons are slipping into this world fully formed. The bodies are piling up. Something is going on in my city, and it looks like I'm going to need the backup.

Pre-Order (releases 1/13): https://www.amazon.com/Found-Books-St...

[Bec · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sigh, I was hopeful because I have read the authors other work and this is not going to be a popular opinion with all the 5-star reviews this has. Right at the beginning, it was mostly dead in the water for me. In a book where a guy and his pal that you have known for less than 10 minutes says something to the effect of since you are a female, you’re going to have to come with me and you don’t have a choice I get turned off by the book ASAP. It goes more downhill when said male also tells you that your species needs more offspring so you will be put into the women’s compound to produce children. I had some hope when the female says screw that and leaves but my hopes were dashed again several pages later when the female offers the potential kidnapping male a place to stay, at her place of course. What is more irritating is that the male in questions is 500 years old so I have a hard time buying he thought she would go willingly… The female is almost 200 years old and is apparently too stupid to live if she offers both these guys a place to stay because she should know better. This is also heading toward insta love because hormones are just uncontrollable… So I’m DNFing now….

[Jeanny · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tripe. DNF 78%
If you’re interested in her work her Veil series is entertaining YA RH.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

an ok read but I am not interest to see whare the series goes there was a few loose ends in the story which I'm guessing will continue on to the next book but to be honest the charaters weren't really my cup of tea so I won't be reading the next book.

[Searcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Hmm...

Let's call it 3.5 stars.

Honestly, the world-building is incredible. What this book portends for the Veil Diaries series is amazing. I am utterly in love with the complexity of everything B.L. Brunnemer has going on here. There are gargoyles and demons and angels and werewolves and vampires and witches and necromancers and redcaps and...and...

You see where I am going?

There is a ton to love and a great mystery throughout it all that I am very excited to uncover.

All of that - plus the fact that it is very well, and cleanly, written - should equal 5 stars. Right?

And here is where I run into problems.

1) The cliffhanger ending. I am not a fan of those, at all. And it will be quite a while until that curiosity and anxiety is satisfied, since this series is being written concomitantly with the Veil Diaries. And B.L. Brunnemer always takes the time to make sure each book is the best it can be. So, I am docking a half star for the crappy cliffie.

2) I spent a large portion (okay the entire book) of the story raging at Atticus. The guy is the most un-self-aware, chauvinistic, pigheaded, stubborn, bullheaded, rage-inducing, uncommunicative, chauvinistic, pigheaded man it's ever been my displeasure to read. And even as he learned something from his mistake(s), he still managed to find new and annoying ways to be chauvinistic, pigheaded... grrr...

3) And unfortunately, Evelyn - who is a generally *amazing* character - deals with Atticus in a frustratingly passive-aggressive manner. I kept wanting her to just stand up to him and confront him about his issues. THEY JUST NEED TO COMMUNICATE, DAMMIT! Okay, okay, I get that maybe the way she handled it was more mature. *sigh* But it left me forced to deal with Atty's behavior for far too long.

And those additional two issues were big enough to knock my enjoyment down another star. However, I reserve the right on re-read (because I am QUITE sure I will be re-reading this!) to raise my rating if I find myself getting over the Atticus issue.

Back to Evelyn though. She is one of the best MC's I have read in a long time. And given how much I like Lexie, I am now convinced B.L. really knows how to write a great heroine. Evelyn is strong and mature and balanced and pretty awesome. Self-aware. Intelligent. And kind of ridiculously overpowered, though I did not find myself minding in the least, given the array of evil stacked against everyone in this world.

I also found myself very sad (read that as crazy, uber, ragingly BUMMED) that this series was not RH. Because as much as Atticus irritated me, I adore Falk, Zahur and Ranulf. I would have killed for that to be the harem! Not to mention, there was the perfect set-up for it, between the lack of female gargoyles and the discussion numerous times about the possibility of multiple Matches.

*sigh* Ah well.

All in all, this was well worth the read. The complexity this adds to the world of the Veil Diaries is enticing. There had been hints, but I was not prepared for how extensively paranormal it is. And it is a wonderful thing. Be sure you read this before you continue with the Veil Diaries, folks!

I can't wait for WHEN EVIL COMES TO PLAY in 4 days.

*singing* I'm so excited...and I just can't hide it...

UPDATE PROGRESS NOTES:
93.0% "LMAO!

“You’re not so much of a bed hog as a body-heat seeking koala that grabs on and won’t let go.”

Great line.

90.0% "Well, that gives new meaning to the promise to "listen with an open heart and open mind". LOL!"

88.0% "Hmm...pretty sure Zahur had silver eyes earlier. Why are they now chocolate eyes? Continuity issue?"

87.0% "O. M. F. G. I haven't been so irritated with a character in...well, there were a couple other books this month, but STILL! God, Atticus is an effing fool. And I am getting tired of Evie's passive aggressive way of managing it. It's taking too freakin' long."

85.0% "Evelyn really has to stop being a doormat to the guys. Just tell them to cut it out or you are leaving, already! This is getting old, fast."

84.0% "Sigh....Atticus is the most uncommunicative moron... :/"

72.0% "I have never seen two characters who are more relationship challenged in my life. How on earth can *anyone* be so completely clueless? Even instinct would give someone more of an idea than they seem to have."

65.0% "What happened to always having someone with her to help her? And why the heck wouldn't he think Cyrus would come after her since he now knows where she is?

(And by the way...who the heck shakes a bottle of wine?!)"

56.0% "OMFG you idiot! You still can't learn your lesson and effing TALK. TO. PEOPLE? Especially to Evelyn?! I really really dislike Atticus.

You know, this book is backwards. Usually it is the MC that is the main POV of the book that is continually keeping secrets and being an idiot. Here, the MC is pretty awesome, but the guy IS. AN. EFFING. MORON."

56.0% "Thank you Jesus! Finally!

He knew what I was thinking, he figured out why we were here. I was a fucking idiot.

And yes, yes you are, Atticus."

53.0% "Oh Atty...will you never learn?"

53.0% "Clearly the treaty has been violated for some time, I'm guessing. I would also guess this is how the demons have been summoned. So, what I wonder is whether this indicates the witches/Witches Council (as mentioned in TVD) is working with the gargoyle Elder Council on something baaaad."

45.0% "Only took half the damn book and a couple legs for Atticus to get his head out of his arse. A**hat."

39.0% "So far, Atticus is everything I hate in males. Every. Darn. Thing. Pigheaded, self-absorbed, egotistical, bullheaded, arrogant, self-righteous, pigheaded... Did I mention pigheaded?"

34.0% "*grumble* For being 500 effing years old, Atticus acts younger than Lexie's teenage guys in Veil Diaries...."

34.0% "Atticus is an effing idiot. Has it never occurred to him to fucking TALK to anyone, aside from listening to the sh*t Cyrus is clearly spewing??"

31.0% "Can someone explain to me why Falk doesn’t use sign language? I mean, texting is only going to work sometimes. And not like he hasn't had hundreds of years to learn it."

27.0% "Atticus is a freakin' a**hat"

20.0% "This is stupid. Why the hell would she be thinking her aversion to this guy was just the Matching when she has no aversion to Ranulf, Zahur or Falk? Illogic at its worst :(" (No resolution to this - which is interesting. Need to keep track of the guy from the diner, for sure.)

18.0% "Sigh...did I ever mention I hate miscommunication roadblocks like this? If everyone just *talked* then half the problems would be resolved. :/"

13.0% "Sigh...once again an MC who doesn’t bother to learn all she can :( Hate myopic characters - though I guess it’s better than lazy, stupid ones."

13.0% "Bronze and black Latin Templar tats!? Oooo! This sounds like the tats on Lexie’s True Self! I wonder if that indicates Templar leanings later on. If maybe she finally meets with the priest Serena mentioned and learns something!"

12.0% "You know, I’m really not a fan of an author adding an early scene that tells the reader things definitely aren’t going to go smoothly. Example: Atticus talking to Cyrus, being warned off Evelyn, and listening. Would much rather the Cyrus denouement just happen when it comes to a head instead of lingering in my thoughts the whole read."

9.0% "Sigh...this soooo needed to be RH :/ it’s the perfect setup for it!"

[The Romance Book Disciple (Samantha) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found by BL Brunnemer is a slight spin off from her YA Reverse Harem series, The Veil Diaries. Zahur has made a few appearances in The Veil Diaries in helping Lexi with the veil, but in Found we discover he is a gargoyle. I loved Brunnemer's take on gargoyles. She brings together lots of supernatural creatures and Evelyn is the one person keeping all these creatures from destroying Chicago.

Evelyn is certainly one of the more badass heroines. She has more powers than any of the guys and she has been single handedly keeping the supernatural creatures of Chicago in line. She didn't know there were other gargoyles out there. Her parents died when she was a teenager and she spent her life roaming until settling in Chicago. Lexi uses her powers to enforce the rules, but more than that, she uses her brain and diplomacy! I loved that the author included this aspect.

Atticus was a bit of the typical man in my opinion. He finds his mate. He wants to wrap her in bubble wrap. He grunts and demands instead of talking. He makes dumbass mistakes because he doesn't listen and hear. However, he was still oddly likable. I think it helped that several chapters are from the guys POV so you get to see into his thought process. Atticus has lived a very different life than Evelyn, so his behavior, while annoying, is understandable. Falk and Ranulf are great! I loved the humor and levity Ranulf brings (and am dying to know more about him and his mate!!). Falk brings a quiet support system to Evelyn that was touching. Zahur is the mature, father figure of the group. He isn't afraid to call the others out on their idiotic behavior.

Overall, Found is a great introduction to the world of Books of Stone. Its not perfect, but I felt the same way about the start of the Veil Diaries. Sometimes I think it just takes a book or 2 for Brunnemer to really find her rhythm. This is certainly steamier than The Veil Diaries! Atticus and Evelyn are mates and they consummate their mating frequently. If you like paranormal romance with all kinds of supernatural beings, fated mates who aren't sure what they think of each other, and a supporting cast of characters that are awesome, Found is a perfect pick. I'm not sure what is up with this cover. Normally, Brunnemer's covers are stunning. This one totally misses the mark for me.

Kasha Kensington is one of my favorite narrators so the reason I decided to give this book a shot was because of her! Antony Ferguson is great with the accents. Zahur has an ancient, slightly middle eastern accent, Falk and Ranulf are Scottish, and Atticus is English. He does a wonderful job with all the accents. Kensington does amazing with the accents as well, so overall, this was a great listen!

 

POV: multiple 1st
Tears: no
Trope: fated mates, supernatural
Triggers: none
Series/Standalone: series
Cliffhanger: yes
HEA: they are mated and in love by the end of the book, but he still hasn't told her about Cyrus

authors like Lisa Ladew, Dannika Dark, Milly Taiden...then you will probably like Found!

 

Found


 

See full review on The Book Disciple

[Roxy D.C · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 out of 5 stars 🌟

This was a surprising read for me😃!

RTC✌🏼

[C.L. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bottom line- I had expectations for this book and was seriously upset they weren't met. Lesson learned. This is nothing like the Veil Diaries series in tone, character and actions. Because I thought it was an extension of that series, I read this book and was very disappointed. Yes, we find out more about Zahur, but the rest of the story put me off. It was too horrific and gory for my taste. While TVD delved into deep relationships to where we felt and understood characters, "Found" did not. I could not connect with Evelyn and Atticus as a couple. Their relationship was about duty, honor, tradition and the archaic beliefs of what/who gargoyle women should be like. (Seriously, "we are fated mates and you must have my children because our race is dying" is not a good pick up line. JMO) I was not prepared for the violence that accompanied the actions of these gargoyles and the other species they dealt with. I would categorize this as more Urban Fantasy and not a paranormal romance. I will continue to read this author in the future even if it isn't the Books of Stone Series.

[Amber Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing new series!

Words can't describe how good this book was!!!! The description doesn't do it justice. Evelyn is a Gargoyle who has been on her own for a very long time. The last of her species. She takes care of the city full of humans and supes alike. Then a team shows up that turns her world upside down. I can't wait for Book 2!!!!!!! I need it now! If you are a Veil Diaries fan a BIG question is answered not too far in. You won't regret picking up this book, trust me.

[Emma Keaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

BL Brunnemer you’ve done it again 😍 what a way to start a new series. I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait to continue reading this with The Veil Diaries. Already my mind is running on different theories. The only downside is that it’s only day 1 of being released ... I’m not sure I can wait for the next books in both series to be released. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy Crap

She has done it again! I am officially hook on this new series! All the characters are amazing and fun. And I can tell there will be side stories to this to make things more interesting. Also, super cool when he brought up the Veil... *wink* I can’t wait for the next story!!! 😆

[Missy Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in the Veil Diaries world, Found is a page turning new series about gargoyles that had be invested from beginning to end. The story centers around Evelyn, a female gargoyle who has been protecting her city for over 40 years. She has a system in place with all of the supernaturals, a harsh but fair one. Not knowing that there were others out there like her, until at a demon kill she meets another, Atticus. Right from the start there is something about him that sets a fire to her. Besides the fact that he is cold and distant at times, he is he the leader of a group of gargoyles that investigate supernaturals. They were there to see about the demon killings, not expecting to find a rare female. Their mission has just changed. Their orders are now to bring the female home for safe keeping. But they don’t expect Evelyn to be as strong, fierce, kind, loyal, and devoted to her city and friends there. Evelyn and Atticus, find that they are mated, but for past reasons Atticus fights the mating, believing he is not worthy. Will Evelyn fight for them? Will he overcome his dark past and embrace his future? I throughly enjoyed Found, and literally couldn’t put it down until the end. The characters were well written, the secondary characters Zahur, Ranulf, and Falk were just as fun and interesting as the main characters. Overall if you are on the fence about reading this book, don’t. It was awesome! And I cannot wait for more from this series.

[TeaReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me preface this by saying this is my first book by this author.

My usual genre is contemporary romance. However, I read RL Mathewson's Pyte series and loved it!! Unfortunately the author has been M.I.A. on the series after an amazing few books.

Needing to take a break from the norm, I bumped into this and was hooked!!

I could write a book about the author's style, how she held my attention, the attention to detail, multiple POV for various characters and how she introduced stories that you just KNOW will be books 2 and 3. BUT WHERE ARE THEY?!

How do you make such an amazing book and not have the rest for sale anywhere?? I want book 2 and 3 this year. Please and thank you ;-).

Please don't tell me I found another series that I like that will leave me hanging :,-(.

I haven't read this author's other series but I'm not into ghost stories so I highly doubt I ever will. However, I noticed that people who read that series...don't seem to like this series too much.

Note to author, you have another author target audience out here waiting for your next book. Please help us out.

[Esmeralda Felan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!!

Loved this book. Eve & Atty are something else! I love her attitude and I’m so glad that she’s such a strong character! Atticus takes his time making you like him but he’ll succeed. I love the other members of the team. I can’t wait to jump into book two!

[Laura Bartrum · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 🌟

[Jennifer G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evelyn is a gargoyle in Chicago. As far as she knows she's the last gargoyle in the world. She's been alone since her parents were murdered fulfilling her role as a gargoyle, being a guardian of the world. So she lives with the humans as a rare bookseller part of each day and ruling the paranormal world the rest. She keeps the paranormals under control and punishes those who harm one another or humans. While following a demon case one night she encounters something, someone unexpected, another gargoyle. Atticus and his team, Zahur, Falk & Ranulf, have been sent by the Elder Council to investigate these same demon attacks. But now everything has changed. Gargoyles are dying out so the number one rule in their community is to bring any female in. She must be protected. She must do her part in furthering gargoyle numbers. Obviously, once Atticus explains this to Evelyn they are not in good standing. Evelyn is not about to be locked away, forced to try to reproduce. Not ever, but especially not when there is a demon killing innocents in her town. Atticus is not used to be disobeyed. He runs his team efficiently and effectively, he keeps his emotions under tight reign; control is his way. Now this female gargoyle is challenging him, frustrating him, infuriating him and he recognizes her as his mate. As much as every gargoyle dreams of finding their mate, Atticus doesn't believe that he can ever allow himself to claim his mate. He must follow his duty and take her to the Elder Council. Evelyn is equally determined to not return with him. She's stayed alive for years on her own by hiding who she is. She doesn't plan to start following anyone else's orders now.

BL Brunnemer has created a modern-day paranormal masterpiece with this first book in the Books of Stone series. Found is a complex, incredibly detailed story. She has completely integrated the paranormal world into a contemporary setting while still referring to the vast history of the paranormals. There's even a tie-in with her Veil series. The characters are each fully developed, complete with flaws. Evelyn is a brilliant, brave lead female. Her talents, those she was born with and those she has learned through experience are formidable. Her diplomacy and wisdom go beyond her years. Her love of literature and learning and tea give her a softness to balance the badass warrior who can take down a host of misbehaving paranormals. Atticus is almost tragic. Yes, he's gorgeous, smart, powerful, but to be raised to be totally unfeeling is awful. To be convinced that he will destroy everyone near him if he allows any emotion to seep through, to turn off everything that makes him human, that makes life worth living is beyond cruel. That he and Eve are mates is both appalling and inspiring. Atticus needs Eve more than he can imagine but for Eve to finally be around other gargoyles including her mate and to be pushed away is heartbreaking. Each time Atticus deliberately or accidentally hurt her, my heart cried for her. Each time he underestimated her or dismissed her my heart fumed for her. He was dismayed by her lack of basic gargoyle knowledge but he was the one who had so much to learn. His missteps and confusion along the way were endearing. It was easy to see from the beginning that destiny chose right with these two. Their same interests, their shared intelligence, their strong teamwork, their attraction to one another; perfect. I loved their quote wars, their quiet time with books and tea, even their fights/foreplay. The other characters were fantastic too. Eve's bestie, Astrid the bar-tending werewolf; her employee, the empath Rina; the Veil-worker Zahur with his centuries of knowledge; nearly-silent Falk with his obviously tragic past, and playful Ranulf with his ready friendship and surprise match. And of course, Cyrus and the other deadly being after Eve. These two are quite the formidable foes.

I can't recommend this book enough for anyone who loves the paranormal. The writing, the story, the characters are all exceptional. I was drawn into the world on page one and stayed captivated until the end. I ended it with a sigh and immediately wanted more.

[Dominique · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because I loooove the Veil Diaries series and cannot wait to read the fifth book! This book is also part of the Veil Diaries universe but I did not love it :(. I really like how the author writes but contrary to Veil Diaries in FOUND the history of the characters evolves way to fast, they are already kissing and in love in the half of the story.

[Kelsi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Start out strong but not a real fan of the drama later on

This book sounded so interesting, the reviews were stellar, and I liked some of the authors other work. The short teaser sample had me hook line and sinker. I bought it in a heartbeat. Evelyn, our main character, is this crazy intelligent, smart, and independent girl running a city like it’s no ones business. Things started to unravel after what I can “ the premise personality”. It feels like the author has a great idea for a book but then it starts to fall away and starts being put on the back burner. The authors real, hashed out stories comes to light as the book continues on. You sort of give Evelyn this backbone in the face of the guys misogyny in the beginning but then once she crushes on one, she just sort of simmers in silence. A lot of female protagonists who we’re told are are formidable all of a sudden start having these internal monologues about things that bug them, their hurt feelings, and resolved to communicate their needs both emotional (consideration and respect) and physical (they can fight too!). BUT then they get side tracked, forget completely (not realistic), or never hold their ground with their crush. I want to pull my hair out. Our main girl is annoyed and hurt these guys don’t respect her at every turn but she never sits them down and impresses on them what they are doing is wrong. For a relationship to seem real to me, the girl can’t all of a sudden go “ oh this bugged me, I really need to talk to him about this” AND NEVER DO IT. Something always seems to come up or the guy has some problem that makes him naive and the girl shift into emotional support animal overdrive, completely ignoring her needs to address his. I literally started skimming the pages with a frustration headache near 60% left in the book.

Our main guy also is keeping a secret from Evelyn. This is high school level drama. Really? I can see this from a mile away. She is going to find out in the worst way possible just to create suspense. I knew the moment that a friend of the couple goes “ you have to tell her and don’t even think about waiting until after she is stuck with you to do it because that is cruel, stupid, and will break her trust” that this dumb guy was going to not tell her. And surprise! That statement came true and the book ended. The cliffhanger isn’t really a physical one but more of you waiting for all these secrets to wreck havoc. But who knows, Evelyn will probably forgive him without an honest talk on boundaries, and her needs in this relationship. She already looked passed him tearing her apart for 50% of the book and literally got her legs cut off because of him. But no worries, they’ve mates now and no harm no foul. Yea right, the girl is supposed to be strong and smart and she is subtly letting everyone treat her as lesser in multiple areas of her life. It’s a turn off for me. What behavior you tolerate is the behavior you get. By not openly telling her crush is actions are not okay- she is setting up an unhealthy dynamic of her being lied to, left in the dark for her own safety, and pushed to the side.

A lot of people really liked this but the subtle messaging and shift to every other female protagonist in love but no back bone to keep demanding respect is really a stickler for me. She finds love, which is great but it’s built on stills and it’s her job to tend to the emotional garden. It’s exhausting to read in fiction when it happens in real life so often. I just want her to be loved, love them in return, and demand to be treated with respect without secrets or needless sheltering. Evelyn runs the city, don’t put her on car watching duty and the author really shouldn’t all of a sudden make Evelyn agree without a word of argument. The biggest problem for me is the cheapness of using secrets between friends and lovers as bait for future drama. It’s leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I really don’t like books who use this to method.

[JW USA · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok

I really wanted to like this. I love gargoyles and I love female leads. But the constant changing perspective was tedious and instead of engaging it was distracting. I finished this after many attempts only to find the end the most unsatisfactory part. A cliff hanger. Don’t bother.

[Alyssa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars

Premise: Evelyn is a gargoyle and has been on her own for 100+ years after the death of her parents at age 17. She grew up not knowing that other gargoyles still exist and only training is what her parents taught her. A team of gargoyles are sent to her city to confirm her existence and bring her back to their society, lead by Atticus. Here we learn this: Evelyn is entrenched in her city, has treaties among all supernatural species. She is essentially peacekeeper, judge, juror, executioner, warrior and protector of the humans. THIS is what gargoyles are actually created for and she is excelling greatly. Atticus and his team provide the history that their warrior lifestyle has been unsustainable and their race has been on the verge of extinction. They have pulled out completely from the supernatural community and practice isolationism with their sole focus being preserve the race.

Male gargoyles vastly outnumber females. So naturally, female gargoyles are now these precious fragile creatures that must be protected at all costs REGARDLESS of the fact they are in fact stronger than males. Males basically have brute force while women have not only fighting ability but many other supernatural powers. Just to make this more dramatic, women are expected to be broodmares but of course they can only procreate with their one fated mate.

Evelyn is a badass. There's no argument from me there. She's really the only positive takeaway for me in this story. Atticus is just an ass. He's basically brainwashed and was raised by the worst of the gargoyles so he's a strict rule follower and expects Evelyn to fall in line. Naturally they are mates. There's some push and pull but it goes down exactly how you expect it to.

Sooo, here's the thing. I feel like it had potential. Like I think if you just read the premise, you'd be like "yeah, this sounds pretty good." But every time it could've jump-started into something special, it just fell short. It honestly felt like your basic NA paranormal/UF series. It was super predictable. I'm talking zero surprises. It almost felt like deja vu while I was reading it.

Evelyn and Atticus have their fated mate insta-love. The story sets up the other three dudes in another predictable way. Naturally the man Evelyn is hiding from is her mates' guardian. It just yeah, it's pretty cookie cutter storytelling here. It has high ratings, so it's doing something right; I suppose it's just not for me.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kinda just meh. The author shifts the facts and rules of her world building to suit whatever scene she's writing. She has written her heroine to be incredibly naive for someone over 150 years old. Another reviewer referred to this book as NA, and I think that summarizes my complaint with it. When you write a book in which all your main characters are centuries old but the tone still comes across as NA, something is wrong. The romance felt flat. The cast of characters was a rehash of the urban fantasy standards... "I'm the quiet, tortured introvert with the heart of gold." "I'm the one with a jovial sense of humor." The romance was uninspired and felt forced. I took issue, as others have, with how chill the heroine was about the hero's heavy handed treatment of her.

Also one of the main dramatic plot lines of the book made zero freaking sense. The heroine is losing her store because her rent has been jacked up to 60K a month. Sorry, no retail space in Chicago runs 60k a month outside department store sized spaces on Michigan Ave. You could figure this out with some basic research on rent.com so I can't tell if the author was too lazy to do it or just decided to sacrifice logic for a more dramatic read. And if your landlord has jacked up the rent when your new lease turns over you LEAVE and find a new space. You don't cripple yourself and destroy the nest egg you've built over the course of decades by sitting in the space and collecting debt for no apparent reason. If the author was trying to find a way for the love interest to flaunt some cash to impress us there were better ways to do it than by making the heroine look mentally deficient.

There were maybe half a dozen other little things that fell under the titles of illogical, annoying, or the all too convenient deus ex machina. Overall I wasn't particularly impressed, and now I'm seriously demotivated to check out the author's other series.

[Puna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love B.L. Brunnemer.
I love the Veil Diaries Series.

I liked this book.

I really like how gargoyles are the protectors and have all these powers. It a great start to the series. I liked Evelyn she was strong and a straight up badass. Atticus was very irritating but it added to his charm. I just found it hard to stay concentrated on this book. Usually with the Veil Diaries I'm wholeheartedly into the book; nothing distracts me from what I'm reading. This book...not so much. I think we'll figure out more about this world that B.L. Brunnemer has built because these characters have been around longer, so this book has way more adventure which I loved! It's just different than the Veil Diaries, which isn't a bad thing. Will I continue to read this series? Yup. But do I love it more than Veil Diaries.... no one compares to Lexie.

3.5/5

[Ajà · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book in one sentence : Ancient gargoyles who all act like they're in their early twenties keep Chicago safe from demons on a murder rampage.
My rating : ⭐⭐⭐
Steaminess : 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Would I recommend : Maybe? As much as I LOVED the Veil Diaries by B.L. Brunnemer, I was kind of disappointed by her new NA series. It was pretty generic NA paranormal urban fantasy. I think one of the things that works best in the Veil Diaries is the slow-burn romance and deep friendships developped by the characters, whereas everyone in this book are just mates who fall instantly in love with eachother. Despite my lukewarm feelings towards this book, I'll still read the futur releases in the Books of Stones series to see where this goes.
Tropes : instalove/soulmates, enemies-to-lovers

[Sophie Rex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this but i dont think i can cope waiting for the next one 😭 i think i prefer this to the veil diaries, looking forward to seeing more cross overs in future books!


Only thing i’m dreading is when Atticus reveals who adopted him... shit will go down, why didn’t he just tell her straight away, so frustrating!

[Andrea Heltsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure awesomeness

Everything this Author writes is magic. She is a must read no matter what age you are. Five glittery stars!

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally!!! I thought I'd suffer heartburn if Atticus and Evelyn would still deny each other. Jfc. I think it took me almost one whole day? Though, in my defense, my reading pace/flow wasn't steady. I had to pause, taking a long period of break, before going back to it. Frankly, I'm exhausted and exasperated. BUT still in a very good way...I guess.

First things, first. The first time I found out that this one was non-rh...I was a tad hesitant. Two reasons:

(1) As much as there's influx of rh books releasing every now and then, I really love this author's writing style. It checked all the boxes of my ideal rh read. Her brand of slow burn in The Veil Diaries Series was just hands down my favorite. Sooooo, for purely selfish reasons, I want more of her works to be rh as much as possible.

(2) I was also thinking that since I've only known the author for rh, which is something I've been obsessing on, I thought I might not love this one as I did The Veil Diaries...?

What could I say? I love proving myself wrong, lmao. I love it. I really, really do. Simple as that. But Atticus and Evelyn? Not so simple, I'm afraid.

1. Atticus was...really difficult. If I would just look at him and his actions, I swear I would've given up on him already. But I couldn't, I wouldn't. Obviously, he was wired differently. All thanks to Cyrus, half-robot, half-gargoyle bitter scorned man extraordinaire. But...I wouldn't waste time making sense out of that one. Back to Atticus. He was just so, so, so unfortunate to be adopted by this man because for a whole lot of five centuries, he was forced not to feel. That bunny incident? Gaaah...most tragic. And I fucking love bunnies. I've had a lot of them as pets. Ugh. So I was saying...for a such a long time, that was all Atticus knew. Sure, greatest/strongest gargoyle in the present. But yeah, sadly, he couldn't feel. But in the end, he did win me over.

2. Zahur, Falk and Ranulf. Ahhh...another evidence that this read turned out very, very beautiful even though I was worried I'd want this to be reverse harem? These three. Sure, I do love them all. Pffft, I was even more interested with Zahur than Atticus in the first place. BUT, I didn't feel any romantic chemistry between any of the three and Evelyn. And I think that magic is simply because of the way the author wrote them? Like, I don't have any subconscious thoughts about shipping them with Evelyn. Plus, they pair very well with the great females surrounding Evelyn e.g. Astrid & Rina.

3. Evelyn. I got goosebumps writing this because she really is as great as the author wrote her to be. You know how sometimes there's this all-knowing, all-powerful heroine but you cringe every time she makes decisions or execute actions because they seemingly weren't as that all-knowing, all-powerful at all? But with Evie, god, you can't help but be in awe of her. Huge heart, huge character and definitely a whole lot more of patience and forgiveness (esp dealing with Atticus lol). *bows down*

For a while though, I forgot that this settings was the one Lexie and friends were on in, too. Is there a possibility that these families cross each other? *bounces up and down* I'm getting giddy just at the thought of it. I mean, guys, just imagine how the guys of their own aka protectors would be if evie and lexie worked together. HAHAHAHAHAHA. That'd be evil. I like it...I really, really do.

[Tiblu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t expect to love this.....

I soo didn’t expect to love this..... I started reading the sample bit you can see when you click on the book cover in the site,sighs and while Evelyn seemed soo amazing , I gotta say Atticus , well I think one reviewer understated it when she said Atticus is hard to love at first....
Aaaaaaaaaaa,to me ha almost impossible to love,for at least the 1st quarter of the book I’d say he was a HUGE GINORMOUS D-nugget and a coward, beyond a idiotic know-it-all, I mean he finally starts to get a clue but he rather slow on the up take,personally I would have loved to know what his deal was, his back story that made him act the way he did , It was eluded to often but no real detailed were given except that this monster Cyrus has really messed with his head,I feel we deserved to know more about it since it effected his behavior and the story soo much...
Evelyn was amazing and just about everything you could want in a kick ass h,intelligent,kind,consider,confident in strengths and knows her weakness’s and knows when you ask for help ...
I detest heroines who are written to think they have to rely only on themselves in order for others or themselves to be seen as strong, Eve is smarter then that even when in my idiot males drive her to it ...
I’ve never read this author before even though I’ve had the “Veil Diaries” recommended to me but well, ok, I’ll be honest I’m over 40 and the thought of reading about a PNR centered around a 17 yr old girl just doesn’t appeal, I don’t need my h’s over 40 and I don’t need them to be almost 200 like Eve is but what fun is a PNR RH if they are too young to have sex but now I’m rather curious ...
I can’t wait to see what happens next,but I’m rather sad that considering close Rannulf and his mate are to Eve neither feel safe to be honest w/her or the others, they SHOULD know they would protect them ,especially since everyone is already vowed to protect Eve form the evil elders council ....
Thank you I had a great time in your world ...
A wonderful layered story , just wish we could have had more info...

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great but torn

So there is a Simpsons episode where they make fun of the whole teen paranormal romance series by having Bart, Homer, Moe, and Skinner (and maybe Lisa and Comic Book guy) push out a series about gargoyles. The episode was so spot on. I put off reading this spin off series because I just couldn't cross that line. I'm still not telling anyone I'm reading a series about gargoyles, and if anyone finds out I'll claim this is totally different than the Simpsons episode because these gargoyles are not teenagers, and they definitely have very adult situations, but this was really good.

One of the things that bugs me the most about these types of books is the girl will just acquiesce to one thing after another. Evie is not that girl. These strange guys show up and are like cool we will take you to the gargoyle compound and she is like um yeah no. Every time their try to put her in a corner she smirks and goes out and kicks a**. There are a couple of moments where she does things that don't make sense, but they can be brushed off with a while meh it's a paranormal thing.

The only real complaints I have are it seems odd that Evie opens up and let's these guys in so immediately considering her past, it doesn't seem like she has a whole lot of common sense or self preservation, I don't understand how the bad guy can't easily find her a new phone and battery pull would be useless by that point, and from the other series where these characters were introduced I thought she was presented as having several mates, a recollection that was bolstered by the mentioning of gargoyles occasionally having multiple mates, and maybe this is a slow burn (nothings wrong with that) and it will eventually happen, but some complications arise in establishing who that cast will be.

Basically I really enjoyed it and I can't wait for book 2 even if I wish the other shoe had dropped already with the secret because I just want that over and done with unless it's not going to be a big thing.