Garden of Stones 
asked by astrofizzy on November 23, 2006 12:54 AM
Jamie McPherson stood on the wind-swept cliff, tears stinging her eyes; she cried out into the darkness of night, to the hero of her dreamsthat special person all girls dream of coming to their rescue, a knight in shining armor. What she didn't expect to hear, as she looked over the desolate vastness of the Pacific Ocean, was an answer. Aerik stopped what he was doing and concentrated. There it was again. A voice so pure, so sweet, so filled with grief it touched his darkened soul. Who was this human girl that had unknowingly connected to him? How was it possiblethis girl whose life was but a flicker in time compared to hisfor her to touch him so? He was consumed with the desire to protect her, to touch her, to possess her. He vowed he would find her. He would have her.
Reviews
I have read hundreds of paranormal romances and this one just does not have it at all. Besides the numerous spelling errors, the story line is trite, the character development weak and the conversation inane and unbelieveable. The idea isn't bad but the story development is amaturish and the contact between the two is like child and mentor rather than lover. None of the love scenes were believeable in even a remote manner. They seem to have been taken from other stories so therefore lacked power. It cost way too much for the lack of worthy story. If you want to give Offen a try, borrow the book from someone or the library. Don't waste your money. I purchased this and the second in the series which I am not going to read. I'll give it to the half price book store and let someone else suffer through the stories.
reviewed by bookworks on November 24, 2006 6:26 AM
I looked everywhere online for a detailed review on this book before buying it, with no luck. The book description of Jamie reaching out and telepathically connecting with the hero, Aerik, who isn't at first sure where she is got me interested enough to pay the $20 price.
Twenty-three year old Jamie McPherson lives in a small town by herself, having lost her family to different tragedies. One night she is feeling exceptionally grief-stricken and lonely. It is this time she inadvertently connects with Aerik Wolfe.
Aerik is a vampire who has lived for centuries. Jamie's mental touch from half a world away is unexpected, and her emotions call to him to find her. His kind are known as guardians of the night. They bring justice against those that kill or bring harm to innocent lives, making sure those enemies suffer equal or greater pain to that of their victims.
If you're looking for something action-packed, this might not be for you as most action happens much, much later in the book. The book focuses on the relationship between Jamie and Aerik with a plot on the unresolved case of the murder of Jamie's brother. In one or two instances you get a trip down memory lane to Aerik's earlier days before and after he turned vampire. Naturally in a vampire romance comes the issue of how a mortal and an undead will decide to continue their relationship. What will Jamie and Aerik do? I like that the heroine put a lot of thought into answering that question. Furthermore, I also appreciated that the source of their telepathic connection is explored rather than chalked up to an "unexplained act of Fate".
The book can at times be very descriptive, giving the reader a good idea of what's going on and sometimes making one anxious for a bit more dialogue. There are times that I thought Jamie could have figured out a few things a lot sooner than she did. She's not a heroine full of too much attitude, which can make a story frustrating to read. She's more open-minded to what Aerik is, and he's patient in developing his relationship with her. I admit I didn't feel the emotions in the characters like I have in Amanda Ashley's vampire books or Christine Feehan's Dark series. That's part of the reason I gave the book four stars instead of five.
As previous reviews have mentioned, there are a lot of grammar/spelling errors. Perhaps because I was expecting them it didn't bother me as much and I was able to return my focus to the story. Just be warned you'll find a lot of them.
All in all, the story is good. The title of the book has a special meaning in the story, and I liked the author's take on that. The plot is simple, but thankfully the author wraps up everything so you're not left hanging at the end. I appreciated the occasional humor that livened the story up a bit. I do wish the book wasn't so expensive, though. That's another reason for four stars. If you're in for a vampire romance fix and have run out of stuff to read, this is good for filling the time until you find something.
Twenty-three year old Jamie McPherson lives in a small town by herself, having lost her family to different tragedies. One night she is feeling exceptionally grief-stricken and lonely. It is this time she inadvertently connects with Aerik Wolfe.
Aerik is a vampire who has lived for centuries. Jamie's mental touch from half a world away is unexpected, and her emotions call to him to find her. His kind are known as guardians of the night. They bring justice against those that kill or bring harm to innocent lives, making sure those enemies suffer equal or greater pain to that of their victims.
If you're looking for something action-packed, this might not be for you as most action happens much, much later in the book. The book focuses on the relationship between Jamie and Aerik with a plot on the unresolved case of the murder of Jamie's brother. In one or two instances you get a trip down memory lane to Aerik's earlier days before and after he turned vampire. Naturally in a vampire romance comes the issue of how a mortal and an undead will decide to continue their relationship. What will Jamie and Aerik do? I like that the heroine put a lot of thought into answering that question. Furthermore, I also appreciated that the source of their telepathic connection is explored rather than chalked up to an "unexplained act of Fate".
The book can at times be very descriptive, giving the reader a good idea of what's going on and sometimes making one anxious for a bit more dialogue. There are times that I thought Jamie could have figured out a few things a lot sooner than she did. She's not a heroine full of too much attitude, which can make a story frustrating to read. She's more open-minded to what Aerik is, and he's patient in developing his relationship with her. I admit I didn't feel the emotions in the characters like I have in Amanda Ashley's vampire books or Christine Feehan's Dark series. That's part of the reason I gave the book four stars instead of five.
As previous reviews have mentioned, there are a lot of grammar/spelling errors. Perhaps because I was expecting them it didn't bother me as much and I was able to return my focus to the story. Just be warned you'll find a lot of them.
All in all, the story is good. The title of the book has a special meaning in the story, and I liked the author's take on that. The plot is simple, but thankfully the author wraps up everything so you're not left hanging at the end. I appreciated the occasional humor that livened the story up a bit. I do wish the book wasn't so expensive, though. That's another reason for four stars. If you're in for a vampire romance fix and have run out of stuff to read, this is good for filling the time until you find something.
reviewed by teacher on November 26, 2006 10:03 PM
Not much reading/story for the $20.00 price tag, too many spellling errors.
reviewed by heavymetal on November 29, 2006 8:59 AM
I thought this first time novel from Jody Offen was pretty good. It really did need to be edited for spelling, and that is why I have given it four stars instead of five.
The story was heartfelt and very believable! The characters were painted in vivid images in my mind, and the background was very well developed.
It is obvious that Ms. Offen put much thought into her version of vampire lore and it has an interesting spin all her own.
I truly enjoyed it and went right to the second book in the series (which was edited).
Looking forward to the third installment now and many more to come!
The story was heartfelt and very believable! The characters were painted in vivid images in my mind, and the background was very well developed.
It is obvious that Ms. Offen put much thought into her version of vampire lore and it has an interesting spin all her own.
I truly enjoyed it and went right to the second book in the series (which was edited).
Looking forward to the third installment now and many more to come!
reviewed by perfect10 on November 29, 2006 11:28 AM
The plot line simple and at times choppy.
Girl in small town.
Girl has problems.
Nice foriegn vamp (Got to have that french accent) hears her call and comes to the rescue.
In addition the character development leaves quite a bit to be desired. It's a nice story if at times a bit hokey (yes I needed to use that word to describe it). I wouldn't recommend it but if you have some spare time, check it out at your local library before commiting to own it.
Girl in small town.
Girl has problems.
Nice foriegn vamp (Got to have that french accent) hears her call and comes to the rescue.
In addition the character development leaves quite a bit to be desired. It's a nice story if at times a bit hokey (yes I needed to use that word to describe it). I wouldn't recommend it but if you have some spare time, check it out at your local library before commiting to own it.
reviewed by mike on November 29, 2006 2:16 PM
