Review: Funny, Sexy and Suspenseful Paranormal
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 6, 2013
4.5 StarsI will admit that I jumped into this novel blindly without taking the time to see what type of romance it was or reading the synopsis. My initial thought when I first began reading was that it was a straight forward romance between a business mogul and a Los Angeles movie maker and I assumed that the title Blood Stone had something to do with the movie the producer was working on. Intrigued by the power play between the two characters I was pleasantly surprised when the story took a turn towards the paranormal. A self professed fan of vampire romance, I was thrilled as this story began to unfold and found myself enthralled in the various twists and turns of conspiracy, history, attempted murder, and sex that will make your panties glisten.We begin with a chance meeting between Calum Garrett; an elite business man known for his wealth, power, and money managing, and Kate Lindenstream; a Hollywood movie producer who is about to begin filming on her latest venture. Stumbling upon Garrett while on her way to meet a date, Kate is star struck and finds herself in a conversation with Garrett about her film, his Scottish heritage, her Twitter habits and the fact that they are fans of one another drawn to their successes. When she realizes that Garrett knows much more about her than he lets on, and that she has in fact been speaking to him for months under a different name, she is furious. When he adds insult to injury and offers to help her with her next film, she is downright insulted.Adrian Xerus was dark, brooding, mysterious and manages to appear at all of Kate's events to make her smile. Kate looked forward to their interludes and fantasized about what it would be like to have him in her bed. Limited to teasing and flirtations, she was happy to get away from Calum Garrett and not miss her date with Adrian. Curious about his personal life, Kate is perplexed that he gives nothing away and wonders often about the mysteries he keeps to himself. When she offers Adrian a ride after their lunch together, she once again crosses paths with Calum Garrett and her feathers are ruffled for the second time in the same day.After meeting for the first time in well over 100 years, Calum and Roman were not on good terms. When Calum realized that Kate's Adrian was none other than his Roman, he new that something was going on. It was not a coincidence that Roman made himself a part of Kate's life. Now he had to find a way to get himself involved so that she would not be able to push him away. Being the business man that he is, Garrett uses his "muscle" to tear apart her movie piece by piece by putting liens on her building, calling immigration on her workers, and breaking her down day by day. When Adrian/Roman steps in to help Kate stand up to Garrett and set her rules, the movie is back on, and Adrian volunteers himself as Kate's personal sex toy to relieve stress during the shoot. There is only one problem, Garrett is funding much of the film, and is determined to be on location every step of the way.I thoroughly enjoyed this book if not for anything else than the banter between Roman and Calum. The story is complex but once I gained an understanding of the various identities the characters assume, the understanding unfolds and it is easy to see that there is much more to the story than a love triangle and a movie being made. The story beneath the faade is one we have heard before, but written in a new way. Vampires are tired of living in secret, and they are ready to reveal their true identities. Of course, with that revelation comes resistance and there are two groups determined to put a stop to the reveal. This is where the conspiracy begins. Calum and those he is loyal to (Nial and Sebastian along with their wife Winter who are all masquerading as staff on the movie set) are suspicious that Roman is part of one of the groups trying to thwart their plans. Kate is the center of attention because of the thorough research she does for her films. When on one of her expeditions the previous year, it was rumored that she came upon an artifact known as the Blood Stone; an artifact that can supposedly end the world as they know it. Calum knows Roman is after the stone and he is determined to find out if Kate truly has it. Unfortunately, Roman is at her side almost constantly and he must find a way around him. When the opportunity appears, Calum finds himself in a world of confusion as feelings surface that he never intended to experience. His heart had been broken once before and he is determined not to let it happen again. Unfortunately for him, it is difficult to ignore when that one that broke his heart is sleeping with the woman he is beginning to fall in love with.Kate can't decide what she wants. Mysterious things are happening on her set. People are shooting at her, and she has two men that she is crazy about but can't choose between them. Roman fulfills all of her sexual desires and seems to know exactly what she needs and when she needs it. Garrett drives her absolutely insane with anger but she is desperate to fulfill the urge to have him in her bed. As she gives in to her desires and rumors begin to spread, she and her lovers find themselves in the middle of a media storm that can be the answer to their prayers, or their worst nightmare. When Kate discovers the secret Garrett was hiding, she must determine where her heart lies and gather her strength to follow it. As all the secrets come out, it is then up to Kate to decide if her own truths are ready to come out too.This story has it all: steamy sex, gorgeous vampires, action, mystery, and some history thrown in for good measure. Roman has a tortured past and has never shared his secret of being a vampire with a human. Being married a number of times to human women, he never trusted anyone enough to share his heart or his truths until he found Kate. Forced into slavery as a child in the Byzantine Empire, he fought for the life that he has and lives with the painful choices he made. Those choices include Calum Garrett. Calum Micheil Garrett was a highlander of the Bruce Clan of Scottland. Still prone to reach for his broad sword when he feels threatened, his old habits are not lost, including the need to be with the man who made him. His Scottish brogue will make you swoon (especially since it often appears when he is aroused) and his genuine emotions will melt your heart. The two share a complex relationship that is tender yet heart wrenching. Both men are alpha males, which causes a few scuffles and a lot of exchanged words that will make you laugh. Boys will be boys, and these two are no exception. Constantly throwing insults back and forth referring to one another's heritage, they are comical and sexy all wrapped up in one gorgeous package. This story will keep you engaged and enthralled from start to finish and just when you think the ride is over, hold on to your seat because another crescendo is on its way.Review copy provided for an honest review.