Stone Hearts (The Crescent City Sentries Book 1)

Jasper Lafavre may be made of stone during the day, but his heart is as warm and passionate as any human’s.  After a horrifying and bitter betrayal, he wanders the earth both hiding from his brother and looking to fill the hole in his heart. Daphne Lavain has spent the last three years mourning the death of her husband, Niko.  When handsome and mysterious Jasper walks into her shop, she feels that she may be ready to start down the road to love again, but Jasper’s past may prove insurmountable.

Ms. Dubois’ has an original and fresh take on the shifter genre and her idea of stone guardians who protect the world is compelling.  Despite the strength of this idea, the novel leaves the reader feeling dissatisfied.  The relationship between the characters of Jasper and Daphne is not allowed to develop naturally and feels forced and hurried.  There are some technical problems as well in the story.  Jasper can only take human form at night, and Ms. Dubois relies on some flimsy plot devices to solve this problem.  The story doesn’t flow naturally and leaves the reader wondering if perhaps more editing would be beneficial and allow the story to fulfill its promise.

“Stone Hearts” is an excellent foundation for some great reading.  Allowing the characters more time and space to develop naturally would benefit this story greatly.

Gwenellen Tarbet