Reviewed by Taylin

TITLE: Stone Heart

SERIES: The Gargoyles of Arrington #3

AUTHOR: Jenn Burke

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 228 Pages

RELEASE DATE: July 23, 2023

BLURB:

Maybe his heart isn’t made of stone after all…

Centuries ago, Teague O’Reilly and his brothers were cursed to be gargoyles, and their only hope for freedom was to find their true loves. Teague knows he’ll be cursed forever—who would love someone who doesn’t want sex?

Chris Holt does. The bear shifter tricked Teague into binding their souls together in hopes of ending the Holt family curse. He didn’t realize how that jeopardized Teague’s chances to find true love, except… Chris is pretty sure he might be it. Him and Frankie.

Younger than the two other men, Frankie’s had a difficult life as an orphaned mountain lion shifter. He knows he belongs to both Teague and Chris, and Chris knows it too. But they’ll need to work a certain type of magic to convince the asexual gargoyle that there’s more to love than sex.

When the dark, fae-like creature who’s been tormenting them for months resurfaces with a new plan to subjugate them, Frankie will do anything to protect his men.

Anything.

Stone Heart features a male/male/male triad relationship between an oblivious asexual gargoyle, a gay himbo bear shifter, and a fierce gay mountain lion shifter. There’s also a cabin with only one bed, lots of self-discovery, and a huge found family. It’s the final book in the Gargoyles of Arrington series and has the hardest-won happily ever after, I promise.

REVIEW:

After five-hundred years of searching, Teague is the only brother who hasn’t found love and broken the witch’s curse. He believes he will sleep in his gargoyle state for another hundred years before waking alone. However, Chris and Frankie have different ideas. The question is whether they have enough time to convince an asexual Teague that love comes in many forms. The idea is simple, but with plenty of obstacles, the execution is nigh impossible.

Having read and loved the other books in this series, I was almost shaking with anticipation before I even turned a page. I suspect it was also the most difficult of the three to write. After all, how do you finish a fantastic series? In two words – Like this.

The story is told in the first person with chapters from the named viewpoints of Teague, Chris, and Frankie. The paranormal worldbuilding began with book one and has grown with each novel. But this tale expands to a cabin, other shifters not seen before, and Teague’s own police department. Also, there’s an element of human behavior and a wicked witch intent on snatching away the happiness that has been five hundred years in the making.

Teague is a gargoyle who has served in one kind of law enforcement or another for hundreds of years. He’s a man of honor, integrity, and some special powers. When what Teague holds dear is targeted, it hits him hard. As head of the family, he feels somewhat alone, so his journey to the realization that he has people he can lean on is beautiful. But Stone Heart isn’t just Teague’s story. It is the coming together of three souls from very different backgrounds that find a home in each other.

Due to cursed influence, Chris is a shifter who, alongside his family, has connection issues with his bear. As their leader, Chris’s decisions are part of the story in book two. Therefore, he feels a need to make up for the past. Chris also likes peanut butter sandwiches and chopping wood, yet he doesn’t enjoy the outdoor lifestyle. Chris knows that Frankie is his mate, and he believes that Teague completes their triad.

Frankie is a mountain lion shifter whose cat knows Chris and Teague are his. Frankie is practical, resilient, and the voice of reason between Teague and Chris. His past has been a patchwork of pride’s where he learned many skills. They are also the source of Frankie’s demons.

Stone Heart was a story where I wanted to take in every word and, at the same time, rush the reading to see what happened. The arcs of characters come together in this wonderful story, which I will have to read again and again because I’ll need to fill the gargoyle-sized hole that these characters will leave. And each time, I’ll need to cope with the blubbering mess that I’ll be by the end.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

Amazon