I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Secrets of Skin and Stone by Wendy Laine!  Gris is a shape-shifting gargoyle called a Watcher. He travels to Hidden creek to reside in his relatives' extra house. He meets Piper while she is searching for what attacked and killed her dog, Jester. For some reason, Hidden Creek is full of fiends and that's why Gris has been called to live there. Gris becomes intrigued with Piper and they start a friendship and try to solve the mystery of Jester's death and why there are numerous fiends in Hidden Creek. Piper deals with a specific type of obsessive compulsive disorder and it interested me because of how she handles it in her daily life. The author discusses OCD at the end of the book and opens up with her own experiences of dealing with the constraints and struggles that go along with it. 5 stars for a fun supernatural read for young adults and for the advice and wisdom offered by the author!

Firstly, the reason I was so interested in this book was the gargoyle aspect. I've only read only one series about gargoyles and that was Jennifer L. Armentrout's Elemental trilogy. I wanted to see what more the world of gargoyles can offer since I'm not too used to it yet.

Speaking of the story's world building, I hate to say it but wasn't too excited by it. There were just some things that puzzled me, like the idea of fiends. I wasn't too sure on what they were, only that they were evil and Watchers had to kill them to rid the world of their evil. Also, I wanted to know more about Watchers and their mythology. For instance, how many were there in the world? Do they have a secret organization themselves? If I dug too deeply, I'd be left with more questions than answers.

The thing that had me going though was the plot. I was invested in what was going on, like the mystery surrounding the town and its inhabitants, especially Piper. I really, really wanted to know why someone would want to target Piper. I also thought that as a whole, the novel developed at a pretty good pace. I didn't think that anything was too sudden or out of the blue, although there were moments where continuity failed to happen. However, the near-ending still had the power to surprise me! The ending itself wasn't nearly as good!

As for the characters, I really liked our protagonists, Piper and Gris, the best. They seemed to work really well together romantically, and you can actually buy them being a couple of adorably lovestruck fools! Maybe it was the fact that they weren't afraid to call each other out on things. Maybe it was their witty banter. Either way, you could tell from the getgo that they were OTP and not in a forced way, too! 

Well, that's all I have to say about Secrets of Skin and Stone by Wendy Laine. I really enjoyed reading this book on an entertainment level, but still had trouble with it in other ways.

**4.5 Stars**


Gris has been given his first solo assignment, a simple fiend removal from the small town his aunt and uncle live in. Simple and quick. Well, at least that is what he expected. But he may be in over his head with mysteries and secrets piling up, as well as the danger one teenage girl seems to be in. Piper has a darkness living inside her and the only way she knows to calm it is to cut. When she meets Gris she instinctually doesn't trust him, but he worms his way past her defenses to try and help her with her darkness. But can she really trust him when he says her nightmares are the doing of something supernatural, and not just her consuming inner darkness?

Wow, I had no idea what I was getting into when I first started this book. When I fist learned of the book, I was initially lured in by the gorgeous mysterious cover (as I often find myself when choosing what to read next) without any real idea what the story content was except for a vague idea of gargoyles. Well, this was so much more than I expected, and I mean that in the best of ways. The story was compelling, engaging, complicated, mysterious, detailed, scary, exciting, dark and the best part was the characters. I need a solid plot to enjoy a story, but even more than that, I need to be connected and like my character, and I can honestly say that I love Gris and Piper, darkness and all.

Gris was just awesome, a force to be reckon with all on his own. He has a family legacy that he has to deal with of being a Watcher (aka someone who can turn into a gargoyle at night to battle darkness or fiends), not something he asked for but that he will uphold to his death. That boy was chock full of integrity, intelligence, intuition with people and a freaking caring soul. I loved Gris (in case my feelings weren't clear). He had the ability to make Piper see herself as he did, when everyone else failed to understand her issues. He needs a hug, and maybe an award for being so patient... 

Piper was such an interesting character, unlike any other YA character that I have read about. She struggles with a lesser known form of OCD called Pure-O, with symptoms that are not as well known or understood. When I read the author's note at the end it made Piper even more real since her struggles were what the author went through, adding a layer of realism to what is primarily a fantasy story. I liked how stubborn Piper was and how she made Gris (who was more than happy to) work for her trust, not to mention her affection. And man was that girl smart, blowing all her classmates out of the water when it came to grades, yet making her more of an outcast. She appeared to have a tough skin, but inside she was breaking apart, almost to her end. She needed a hero more than anyone, at least someone who would understand her struggle and make her feel so not alone.

I expected a fun supernatural story, but instead I was given a complicated scary mess that I absolutely loved. This book appeared to wrap up so I think this is a standalone, but I would love to have more story about Gris and Piper. Actually, I would love to read more from Ms. Laine (aka Sparrow) in general because she was able to create strong, damaged characters that I related to and rooted for, and I fully appreciate that. Anyone looking for a dark paranormal mystery with some romance splashed in needs to read this story.

I received this title in return for my honest review.
Visit my blog at http://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/

when i read books about supernatural creatures, i tend to read ones about vampires or angels or fairies or demons. i tend to avoid animal shifters because the idea weirds me out. it never occurred to me that you could write stories about gargoyles. but secrets of skin and stone proved to me that you can write a compelling story about a gargoyle. 

grisham "gris" caso is a watcher, the youngest in his bloodline he's sent to the town of hidden creek on his first solo assignment. he expects it to be an easy, boring kind of job, and that soon enough he'll be back on the road to atlanta. but from his first approach into the town, he senses an unusual amount of fiend activity. so much that at times he worries that he's in over his head. but when all the danger seems to surround piper devon, he wants to be the one to save her. 

piper has had her fair share of sadness and dark thoughts and demons. sometimes the only way she finds relief is by cutting herself open and bleeding away the pain. she hides her scars from her family. she hides her pain from everyone. but gris can see it. his watcher superpowers render him especially attuned to darkness. it's how he finds the fiends that are torturing piper. and the more he investigates the town of hidden creek, the more obvious it becomes that piper is a target for some reason. 

gris is certain that all the strange happenings in the town are connected and even more concerning, that they are also connected to his watcher background. so it becomes his mission to protect piper from all of it, but he can't protect her without opening himself up. because she won't trust him without him offering her his trust in return. 

there's this one scene, where she sees him in his watcher skin and it's the first time he's ever let anyone see him that way, and it is so intimate and poignant and beautiful. they touch each other's skin and scars and stone it doesn't matter, it feels right. and it's just an absolutely lovely moment. 

this book doesn't shy away from hard topics, the author and the main character have a history of self-harm that is difficult to read about. at the same time, the author's personal struggles really inform the narrative and add a depth and a level of understanding to piper's mental health problems.

Secrets of Skin and Stone is an enjoyable interesting story, I found it original in its concept. Gris, a Watcher or gargoyle, who fights and destroys fiends. I have not read other stories featuring gargoyles and I found this an unusual but good twist. As did Piper! We start this story with foul happenings, people doing strange things, missing teenagers and Piper's dog killed. Enter Gris, sent to Hidden Creek to fight the influx of fiends that have gathered and work out why. When Gris is pointed in the direction of Piper, an outsider in Hidden Creek, a fragile friendship begins and quickly turns to romance when together they learn to trust one another and try and solve the mystery of who killed her dog. 
 
There are many elements to this tale, I loved the mystery and at times the dark places this story takes you. It is a complex tale with equally troubled and intriguing characters. Yes, some things are a little predictable but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story.  
 
It would be wrong of me if I did not mention Piper and her complexity. I found it brave of the writer to go into such detail about this characters self-harming, expressing her emotions and reasoning while neither shaming, encouraging or glorifying it. I found it really enhanced the story and the connection I felt to Piper. 
 
Twist and turns in this tale keep you turning the page, it is a well written and an intriguing story with a good balance of romance and supernatural happenings. I found Piper especially intriguing, she isn't the usual leading lady in YA stories and it was a refreshing change.

First off, I loved the cover and at first i found myself intrigued by the story and Gris but as I continued to read this I found myself having a difficult time getting through it as it appeared to become a dull read and maybe that's my fault as I went in with the expectation of getting at least the creeps but it didn't happen. I will warn readers that this does contain some self-harm issues which at times can be very descriptive.

Unfortunately I couldn't get into Secrets of Skin and Stone. Something about the story and writing just seemed off for me.

This had too strong of a YA vibe to really enjoy it. The focus of it was more on the romance than the paranormal plot. The first time Piper and Gris kissed it specifically mentioned they did not use tongues. They were 17 and 18. Most teens that age would do far more than an innocent kiss like that. The romance wasn't exciting when the best thing I could hope was for them to hold hands or maybe a french kiss. From the start it was mentioned that Gris would not be staying in town, so there wasn't much hope for an epic HEA.

The world building was simplistic. The gist of it was revealed early on, and there wasn't anything exciting to learn after that. There was a mystery to it. Gris was trying to figure out why so many fiends were gathering in the town. It was too boring, and the most obvious solution was the answer. Piper was dealing with some mental issues. Gris was dealing with issues but his were completely different. Their issues made each of them outcasts. More depth to the characters would have been better considering what they were dealing with. I'm sure plenty of people will like this. It just wasn't for me.

Okay, to tell the truth, I wasn't expecting much from this novel. It seemed intriguing, I had never read a gargoyle novel, and the cover was pretty cool. But did I expecting to really enjoy it? Nooooo, but it's exactly what happened! 

First and foremost, I want to say that this book deals with self-harm. It can be a very triggering topic, and it does get pretty detailed. I wanted to let you know up front that it does include cutting. This book also deals with mental illness - OCD in particular as well. BUT HEY. THE BOOK TELLS YOU STRAIGHT UP. I will admit that it got a bit lost in the eARC format, but the trigger warning was there which was super A++++! 

Okay, I really, really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the characters; I enjoyed the ship; I enjoyed the world building; I enjoyed the setting; I enjoyed the grittiness of it; I enjoyed so much. 

I lovedddddd the setting. I loved the whole small town Southern atmosphere. It was amazing. It gave such a cool feel to the whole novel, and it made it even that more interesting. Perfectttt setting.

The whole premise was awesome as well. I loved the gargoyles and fiends. It was such an interesting idea, and I kind of want more gargoyle books in the world? Like, now? It was dark and full of cool fight scenes, mysteries, and some decently gory scenes (which I wasn't a super fan of it, but I accepted due to the gritty feel of the novel). 

I also loved Gris and Piper. I loved them as a ship, but truthfully, I loved them as individuals. Gris was your average main character, but he was sweet, had humor, and character. His characterization was deep, and I enjoyed him tremendously. He felt very realistic (even though he was, um, a gargoyle).
I loved Piper a bit more, though. I thought she was wonderfully done. She was OCD, and while I can't speak to the authenticity of the representation, I thought it was well done. It wasn't one of the mental illnesses in YA that is mentioned and then just magically disappears. It was there and a main fixture when, you know, not hunting evil fiends. BUT STILL. I super liked her as a main character, and I super rooted for her.

The ship was cute as well. I super enjoyed Gris and Piper together. There was only one time that the story moved back into the questionable romance paranormal stage circa 2009 time. But other than just one time, it was super cute and I loved them together. I thought it was pretty realistic as well, and Piper just didn't trust Gris right away. Definitely enjoyed the swoons.

As you can tell, I really enjoyed the book. So, you're like, why do I feel like there is a but coming? There was just one little issue, and I'm not even sure where it went wrong. I was really enjoying the novel, really enjoying it, really enjoying...and then I wasn't. At about 80%, I just wasn't feeling it anymore. There was a mystery behind the whole novel, but it just felt that it was dragging out far more than it needed to be. I just wanted it to hurry up and reveal the mystery, and even the cheesy, cute moments between Gris and Piper couldn't hold my attention. That was the only issue I really had for it.

Overall, though, it was a really good read. I wasn't expecting to enjoy this so much, but it turned out to be really good. I mean, who thinks a story of gargoyles and mental illness would mix? But Laine did such a good job, and I will totally be looking out for her books in the future. There was only the lag at the end, which knocked this down a crown for me. So four crowns, and an Ariel rating!

While I liked the premise and,the,world, this book just didn't do it for me. It was way too slow and the end was a bit of a let down for me.

I think I had a whole other view as to what this book was about and not to say that it is a bad book I even think many others would really like this book the cover is awesome plotline good very well written. However this book just wasn't the book for me I just simply couldn't get into it no matter how much I keep reading.

Secrets of Skin and Stone by Wendy Laine

I enjoyed reading this book. Secrets of Skin and Stone is an interesting mystery with great characters. I was kind of shocked when the mystery was unraveled. I loved Gris and Piper, their personalities were quirky and fun. The whole Watcher/Gargoyle was something new and different. The fiends were mean and nasty creatures.
I think the one thing that really stood out was the connection between Gris and Piper. I'm glad they found each other. I enjoyed their dialogue and they way they felt about each other. I would enjoy reading more from this Author.

I give Secrets of Skin and Stone 4 stars for its interesting mystery and great characters.
I would recommend this book to young readers as well as Paranormal Fans.

I couldn't get into this book, as hard as I tried. I have a policy of continuing to read a book even if I want to stop, just to see if it gets better. If it doesn't get better after a while, I'll stop. 

I had to stop reading this book. 

It wasn't so much the content as the writing style. Gris seems like a leather jacket-wearing, brooding, dark YA hero in all aspects. So much angst. Not enough real personality. Also, I understand that the book is written in first-person, but there are ways to write first-person without overusing the word "I." Use descriptive language, have the character talk about what he/she sees and feels without using "I feel" or "I see." I'm not saying Laine needs to use long, flowery prose... all it takes is changing little things. 

For example, instead of: "The only warning I had was a hiss of wind"

She could write:

"A hiss of wind was my only warning," or even, "The only warning was a hiss of wind."

I'm sure there are audiences who won't mind the writing and will love the storyline. I was just not one of those people.

Finally, gargoyles!!!   Been waiting for a good book with my favorite stone fighters.  The story was steady and kept me interested the whole book.  I love that Piper has OCD and is imperfectly perfect.  Gris is the gargoyle and was extra swoony even in gargoyle form.  I can't wait to read more by this author.  I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I recently received an e-arc copy of Secrets of Skin and Stone so that I could give you all my honest review. Upon reading the synopsis of this book I was really intrigued. It seemed to be a scary, thrilling read which is sometimes just the thing I want to dive into. This story is about a girl in Hidden Creek where a lot of creepy things are happening. She has had some bad things happen to her in the recent past and has a lot of inner conflict in which she has been dealing with her whole life. Trigger warning! This book does contain cutting and OCD. Gris, a guy from the city with a special job description comes to help the situation at Hidden Creek. I won’t spoil the story in case you guys want to get the full experience for yourselves but this is a paranormal romance. I don’t really feel like this book is as scary/creepy as I was expecting but it did have its disturbing moments. I won’t be having nightmares anytime soon but I feel like the author definitely created a unique paranormal world. That being said, I feel like the story could have been told a little differently. I feel like sometimes you find out about things in a little too straight-forward way. When introducing a new type of paranormal being you have to explain a lot about that creature to make it interesting for the reader and to help the reader understand them but I feel like it could have been written to flow a bit easier. I don’t know how better to explain this except maybe having a third party character experience this new paranormal creature instead of the main character explaining it to the audience for himself. I feel like the romance was cute although didn’t give me any sort of extra tingly feelings. There weren’t really any toe-curling moments but maybe I’m just a sucker for some gushy romance. All in all, I do feel like it was a cute story as far as the romance and relationship between the two main characters go. I also think the world created was unique and could definitely be built into an awesome plot, leaving room for more books.

I have to say I really enjoyed this book. This is the first book I've ever read with gargoyles! I will say his book does have self harm in it, not too extreme but it may be a trigger for someone . I did like the romance that was involved, it did at times seem very predictable. All in all i really enjoyed reading this book.

Piper is a haunted teenager. She's the town talk with her abnormal ways and weird occurrences follow her. It's for that reason that most people stay clear of her and kind of refer to her as the town creep. But one night, after her dog is brutally murdered, Piper's determination kicks in; she will find out who killed her beloved dog and why. Though as she makes her lists of possible suspects, she puts her own name on it. She cannot ignore all the supernatural things that seem to happen around her and she knows that deep down, there is a darkness inside of her. There is enough of it for her to consider herself a suspect.

Grisham or Gris, is a Watcher and his first job is to head to Hidden Creak and get rid of the fiends that plague the little town. He's desperate to prove to his father and to himself that he can do this job alone. But as he heads into town he realizes this isn't a small job and he starts to doubt his own capabilities as he finds himself in the middle of a bigger job than he or his father could ever have expected. And at the center of it all is Piper. I haven't read a lot of books with gargoyles- i think the only one i read was Jennifer L Armentrout's series-and this one had a pretty cool interpretation of these creatures.

Piper isn't your usual YA protagonist. I think the author did a good job in writing Piper's POV so we could really get a sense of what goes on in her mind since she had an OCD. In the acknowledgements, the author mentioned she had also suffered through OCD so i think it was important to get to know a character like that because it was written by someone in the same situation. 

Gris was a pretty cool character because he wasn't this all powerful and untouchable guy but someone with quite a few insecurities who felt the need to prove himself worthy of his birthright. My only issue with Gris is his "charm". We're told repetitively during Piper's POV that he's charming and that she won't fall for his charm. But even though i did like Gris, i did not find him to fit the description of "charming". I mean if Piper and the synopsis hadn't used that word, i definitely wouldn't have used it to describe Gris. It's like we're being told he's charming instead of being shown if that makes sense.


Romance wise, there is like an instant attraction between the two. It wouldn't be Insta-Love in other circumstances but i think that when you have characters with a lot of mental turmoil and problems then it takes a while for them to open up to each other. Even though, Piper didn't really want to trust Gris at first, i personally think their relationship developed a little too quickly. But the romance was still kinda sweet!

There was a lot of mystery in the book and it definitely piqued my attention but at some point, things really started to drag on so i had to skip a few of the lengthy paragraphs. The thing is, i liked the characters and i liked the romance. But the supernatural plot itself with the murder and stuff kind of lost me at some point. The background and setting was really well written! Throughout the novel, there was a dark and suspenseful atmosphere the author did an amazing job at maintaining! 

This book can be read as a standalone since it had a good ending and the loose ends were all tied up! However the author did mention that there are two other books in the series that have already been written but it all depends on the reception of book 1! So rest assured, this book is still considered a standalone!

This was a pretty decent read. A young adult or (maybe it's considered teen) story about a hero that is a gargoyle and the quirky, troubled girl he falls for. I found this one fairly well written. The pace of the first half was excellent then I found it dragged a bit over the second half. The plot was interesting and unique. There were some twists and turns. A little romance (kissing). Both main characters were likable, and everything was tied up in a nice little ending. So ya, not much more to say about this one. I liked it.

(I received an advance copy of this book for free. Thanks to Entangled Publishing, LLC and NetGalley.)

This was a YA paranormal romance story about a gargoyle.

Gris was an interesting character and I liked how he tried to look after Piper.

The storyline in this was about Gris being sent to the small town where Piper lived to fight Fiends. Piper’s dog was then killed, and Piper and Gris spent time trying to work out who could have done it, and who was targeting Piper as well. This was an okay story, but I found that the pace dragged, and I did start to lose interest.

The ending to this was okay, and tied things up nicely.
6 out of 10

I might have mentioned before how much I love a spooky small town story. I really loved Hidden Creek, Alabama! I got kind of a Beautiful Creatures vibe when Gris arrived in town and I loved how he continued to discover more supernatural connections as he peeled back the layers of the mystery. 

The book is not heavy on mythology though. The Watchers, including Gris, are gargoyle-like shifters who hunt Fiends, which are sort of a cross between ghosts and dementors. And there are humans who practice dark magic (the version in the story is a little like voodoo) which can summon the Fiends. 

I don't always enjoy teen romances - they tend to be angsty and triangular - but I loved Piper and Gris together. They take some time to trust each other so it doesn't feel like instalove, but I was rooting for them the whole time. I would like to meet more of the people in Hidden Creek, though. I don't think we ever actually see any of the girls in Piper's class or her teachers. 

I really want this book to be adapted for TV! It would feel something like a cross between Teen Wolf and Riverdale. I kept thinking of the early episodes of Buffy when Angel was just this mysterious older guy in the first scenes between Piper and Gris. And I'd love to see Gris's gargoyle form on screen.

I understand that the finished copy includes a trigger warning about Piper's cutting, though it wasn't in the ARC. I thought the instances of self harm were handled well in the story, not sensationalized or glorified. It's just a part of Piper's OCD, which she describes in comparison to her mother's more familiar version. I hope that the way Gris accepts it and helps Piper to as well will be helpful to readers who are struggling with something similar.

Secrets of Skin and Stone works well as a standalone, but I'd love to see more of Piper, Gris and Hidden Creek.