I did not read this book as I was not initially aware that it would end with a cliffhanger.. I prefer not to read books that end with a cliffhanger if the other books are not available.

I loved Kylie as a character right from the beginning of the novel. I also somewhat liked Alex and enjoyed the characters together. I did have a few issues with the novel like the fact that at the beginning of the book what brought Kylie and Alex together was never mentioned again even though it seemed like a larger part of Kylie as a character. I loved how secure Kylie was in her profession as well however it felt like she was always getting mad about Alex's reaction to it which I felt they never had a real conversation about. I did find the suspense portion of the novel thrilling and an important aspect of the novel, as well it did feel realistic in a frightening way. All in all I did really enjoy the novel and would read more by Anne.

This is book 1 in the trilogy and it's an exciting, suspenseful thriller, it is a cliffhanger but would have you begging for more with or with out the teaser of an ending.
Kylie has risen up in her law firm to be a top criminal lawyer, but the down side is she has to work with an abusive ex boyfriend who nearly killed her. She kept information of there split secret after her ex threatened her and her shame at allowing him to abuse her in the first place and in such a debased and cruel manner was to much.
Understandably she avoids any type of romantic encounters until she meets Alex Stone. She's attracted to him but doesn't expect to meet him again until he shows up unexpectedly....he seems way out of her league and he doesn't date anyway, but he surprises her and asks her out, she agrees which leads them to a relationship that neither of them expected. Kylie isn't expecting anything too serious but when her ex begins to cause problems again Alex is there to protect her and she learns than he is interested in more than just a few casual dates and that he doesn't shy away from confrontation were her ex is concerned.
There's love and fun in the story and bantering which is well written and adds a gentle release to the drama in the plot, because yes there's also tension, suspense and descriptive abuse. The hero, Alex, is a guy new to relationships and love but had no trouble showing his protective streak. My only problem was Kylie's character, it wasn't very consistent, she flee's from her dominating, abusive ex, then falls for another guy who shows dominating tendencies (he didn't beat her, but still?)
On saying that I still have to say I enjoyed the book and can't wait for the next.

Of Demons & Stones has an interesting premise, but it was a bit lacking for my tastes. Kylie is a successful attorney who happens upon Mr. Rich Pants Alex Stone as she's running by. When she stops and offers him her phone to call for help, he's intrigued by her. She's intrigued, and attracted, too, and when she finds out her boss is his attorney, all bets are off. Little does she know that Alex arranges for her to be his nephew's attorney, all so he can see her and get to know her.

As they fall into a relationship, it's sexy and steamy, but Kylie has a black past, one which will come to haunt her. Her ex, who also happens to be an attorney at her firm, is a psychotic freak who is enraged when Kylie starts dating Alex, and makes a major pain of himself. It's here in the story when I started to have misgivings about Kylie. She's a smart woman, so why she let her ex get away with all the stuff he puts her through, without letting the police and her boss know, I can't even fathom. She acted so stupidly, so many times that I just wanted to smack her. She's the one you yell at in horror movies, because she does exactly what she shouldn't. I'm not saying she deserved what her ex does to her, but she could certainly have tried to prevent it, by letting someone know. Sigh...I hate it when authors make smart women do stupid things.

And then there's the relationship between Alex and Kylie. Alex is sexy, and sweet, but he's holding back from Kylie. He wants her trust, yet he doesn't trust her enough to tell her his past and his secrets. It isn't until almost the very end that he finally opens up to her and lets her in completely. I wish he had done that much earlier, and that it wouldn't have taken Kylie leaving him for him to come to his senses.

I do want to read the remaining parts of this trilogy, but I hope they're better than this first one. Hopefully Alex is more open and Kylie uses more common sense.

I began writing short and honest book reviews because I began to notice that there were occasions when I would get a book that was so well reviewed, only to discover that the book was in fact not worthy of it's rankings. As a busy woman, I don't have time to cypher through every review on Amazon or Goodreads to find the ones that were truthful and unbiased in their feedback. In writing I always endeavor to be those two things, even when it is harsh which is the case with "Of Demons & Stones."

Kylie Tate is a criminal defense attorney at a prestigious law firm. Alex Stone is a forty five year old is a billionaire entrepreneur who is a known playboy. He also happens to be a client of Kylie's law firm. Kylie is a year out of an abusive and controlling relationship, but falls right in step with Alex after a mere couple days.

My problems with this book began after just a handful of chapters. I have stated before that I detest when an author showcases troubling behaviors as "sweet or he must really care." Stalking, coercion, manipulation, and controlling are not flattering behaviors, they are FRIGHTENING! The character Kylie who is supposed to be a smart woman who learned a very painful lesson about how scary these behaviors can be, but when Alex does these very same things, somehow the reader is supposed to feel that they are ok. In fact, one of Kylie's closest friends tells us "his actions might have been misguided, but they came from a good place." Sorry Kylie, you need new friends. If a man will use his power and connections to track you and coerce information about you, that comes from not a good place - in fact in comes from a very dangerous place. If a man will use his influence to interfere with your career under the guise of "keeping you safe" he is really just keeping you under control. I love an Alpha Male Romance novel and I believe that was the author's intent but it was way off the mark.

This plot felt very unoriginal and uninspired. There were many cliche' aspects to the story and it just began to drag on. Being nearly 400 pages, it could have certainly benefitted from some editing as well as help with the storyline which felt fragmented. I found a handful of grammatical errors as well. The writing began to grate on me after a while with the closing paragraphs of every chapter feeling underdeveloped and the use of the word "safe" was overdone.

The story ends with a cliffhanger but as you can safely assume, I will not be reading the next 2 books in the trilogy.

OK... I felt bad about not finishing the book so I gave in and read the rest of it. I just couldn't let it go unfinished.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS.... YOU WERE WARNED!

This book started off with promise. I liked the unconventional way Kylie and Alex met. I thought it was funny and cute that this girl on a jog was coming to the rescue of this rich boy and his broken down fancy car. I liked the back and forth between them as they chatted. She was snarky and witty and he was all smexy and charming. But the further on I read it seemed to change and I didn't like the changes at all.

I know there are things that happen in books that are farfetched and sometimes downright unbelievable. Sometimes I can let it go and just be in the book and enjoy it for what it is and be happy with it all. I just couldn't do that with this one because the decisions and choices Kylie made absolutely infuriated me. I could not get on board with the to quick relationship that unfolds or the continuing stupidity of this supposedly intelligent woman. Just after a few chapters it all went downhill for me.

I struggled a lot with this book because of the decisions Kylie made. First it was all the drama with the ex. There was a lot of things happening that had me screaming at my kindle in frustration with how the whole situation was dealt with. He beat her, punched her, pushed her around, broke into her home, choked her and the list goes on. Not once were the police involved. This woman is a criminal lawyer. Yes, you read that right. How can a criminal lawyer who probably has a good insight on how these things go, get beaten so bad while being handcuffed and strung up by a belt in a shower just run off without contacting the authorities. But the stupid doesn't end there. Nope. She works with him. She is even working a case with him. I just can't... You have to realize how crazy that is and why I struggled so hard with this character.
Second; Her relationship with Alex. She has come from this horrible relationship of being beaten and controlled and says numerous times she has trust issues. YET, she goes on a boat ride with Alex, who she doesn't know well, and she goes with him alone. Then stays the night with him out in the middle of the ocean. Alone. Where are those trust issues? Oh, and then he practically tells her she's staying at his house and moves her clothes to his place. How is this not controlling? It was like the same relationship she had left just without the abuse. She contradicted herself constantly about the things she said to the actions she made.

This book has gotten plenty of 4&5 star ratings so obviously I'm in the minority here. But that right there just shows how that saying different strokes for different folks stands to be true. Cause this dolls, was not for me, but it was for many others. So there is a very high chance this could be your kind of read. If you take a chance on it I look forward to reading your thoughts on it.

Happy reading dolls! xx

Of Demons & Stones by Anne L. Parks is book one in this continuing story of Kylie Tate and Alex Stone....so beware that there is a cliffhanger. I will honestly say that I loved this book and truly wanted their story to keep going. This is a lot of things going on in their story so it will be one you won't want to put down...so beware of that too. I just so happy to have found this author and can't wait for more of her books!
Kylie has been moving up in her company at a top criminal lawyer...but Kylie has to work still with her abusive ex boyfriend who almost killed her. Kylie kept it a secret from the firm due to threats from the ex boyfriend and the shame of his abuse attached with the story. Kylie has avoided all romantic encounters until she happens to meet Alex. Kylie is very much attracted to Alex but thinks that he wouldn't really give her a second look. But Alex it seems has started to notice her and asking her out. Kylie then thinks maybe he is staying with his one night affair reputation and that he might be the one to get her out into the dating world again. Kylie thinks this because she assumes this really wouldn't be very serious relationship for Alex.
Kylie finds soon enough that Alex is wanting more than just a few dates and she does too. But the ex boyfriend too has started to notice that she is seeing Alex and starts to be more confrontational that he has been since they dated.
This story has a lot of drama, love, hero trying to protect 'his women' and also it would seem a possible secret that Alex has told Kylie about.
"My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."
https://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2HX0B5ELOPP5Z?ie=UTF8&ref_=sv_ys_3
https://www.facebook.com/RomanceBookReview
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1709181636033417/
https://twitter.com/soapsrus68
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1831318-sissy-s-romance-book-review-for-you
http://sissymaereads.blogspot.com/
https://romancebookreviewforyou.wordpress.com/
http://booklikes.com/blog
https://www.tumblr.com/blog/romancebookreviewforyoublog
https://plus.google.com/+SissyHicks
https://www.pinterest.com/u2soapsrus/