What do you think?
Rate this book
Changed Hearts Collection #1
Stone Heart
A woman of secrets. A lord of living stone. Which will break first, the curse…or their hearts?
Ember is used to living on the fringes. When her family chooses her as the sacrifice to serve out their debts, Ember doesn’t expect her life to change that much. She’ll clean where she’s ordered, keep her head down, and survive another day. Life as usual…except Ember doesn’t need a storybook to tell her this castle is cursed. Even more troubling, the lord of the castle isn’t nearly as monstrous as appearances suggest. But Ember has a reason for keeping to the fringes, and failure could cost Ember her life.
Dyrerisan has spent well over a lifetime wandering the dark halls of his castle, alone in his thoughts. He has his own reasons for demanding a servant from Ember’s family, but a desire for companionship wasn’t one of them. But when Ember arrives on his steps, fearless and vibrant, he begins to wonder... Perhaps a life spent in isolation isn’t much of a life at all. But more than his own heart is at risk if he lets Ember in.
Dyrerisan and Ember have both learned to keep their secrets close, and their hearts closed. But hearts of stone can still shatter. A curse is at work within the halls of the castle, and it won’t stop until it claims the life it was promised. Will they choose to fight the curse alone, or standing side by side? And just what is at stake if they fail?
If you enjoy stories of hope and sweet romance without the steam, read this book today! Great for fans of K.M. Shea, Brittany Fichter, and Melanie Cellier.
Ember is used to living on the fringes. When her family chooses her as the sacrifice to serve out their debts, Ember doesn’t expect her life to change that much. She’ll clean where she’s ordered, keep her head down, and survive another day. Life as usual…except Ember doesn’t need a storybook to tell her this castle is cursed. Even more troubling, the lord of the castle isn’t nearly as monstrous as appearances suggest. But Ember has a reason for keeping to the fringes, and failure could cost Ember her life.
Dyrerisan has spent well over a lifetime wandering the dark halls of his castle, alone in his thoughts. He has his own reasons for demanding a servant from Ember’s family, but a desire for companionship wasn’t one of them. But when Ember arrives on his steps, fearless and vibrant, he begins to wonder... Perhaps a life spent in isolation isn’t much of a life at all. But more than his own heart is at risk if he lets Ember in.
Dyrerisan and Ember have both learned to keep their secrets close, and their hearts closed. But hearts of stone can still shatter. A curse is at work within the halls of the castle, and it won’t stop until it claims the life it was promised. Will they choose to fight the curse alone, or standing side by side? And just what is at stake if they fail?
If you enjoy stories of hope and sweet romance without the steam, read this book today! Great for fans of K.M. Shea, Brittany Fichter, and Melanie Cellier.
309 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 9, 2022
102 people are currently reading
254 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
March 1, 2019
3.5 stars rounded up as bonus for the creativity of the premise. This retelling has a few editing issues as usual for indies and self-pubs, and one instance of one of my pet hates (modern language at odds with the setting, though at least this is pure fantasy and not HF), but in general had an interesting premise: both the Beauty and the Beast characters are cursed, and the nature of the curse is one I hadn't seen before in this type of tale. How this was going to be solved kept me intrigued, because usually the curse is one-sided, and I wished it were longer so more of the world could be seen.
January 17, 2023
Cute read.
First off, I enjoyed the different premise of this retelling, specifically the dueling curses thing. That was definitely a fresh look and I appreciate it. And I have a personal preference that fairy tale retellings are clean romances that make me feel warm and cozy, so this one checked off that box for me!
Here’s where things went a little off for me:
1. The supporting characters. The palace staff were basically nonexistent. We didn’t hear much about them, their lives, how they felt about being cursed, etc… which was a shame because I feel like part of the charm of a Beauty and the Beast retelling is that element. So when they had their tearful moment at the end of the book about their feelings toward Ember, I was honestly surprised.
Also, Ember’s family? There is a scene at the end of the book explaining how they’re coming to visit and I’m like… wait didn’t you guys sell her into slavery?
2. The events that led to Ember’s servitude. I had to reread this explanation a few times to really get it, and even then I’m confused. Why was the Marquis concerned about the life of one girl he has never met, enough to hash out a plan like he did?
3. The bad guy. I don’t remember his name lol. It was like we were thrown “that guy is VERY BAD”but we didn’t really see much of him or hear much about him.
4. The way the other curse was explained to the reader was strange and kind of confusing. It took me a while to catch on that something was wrong with the FMC and she wasn’t just *quirky* falling all over the place and swooning.
Will I reread it? Nah.
Was it a fun little palette cleanser? Yep.
First off, I enjoyed the different premise of this retelling, specifically the dueling curses thing. That was definitely a fresh look and I appreciate it. And I have a personal preference that fairy tale retellings are clean romances that make me feel warm and cozy, so this one checked off that box for me!
Here’s where things went a little off for me:
1. The supporting characters. The palace staff were basically nonexistent. We didn’t hear much about them, their lives, how they felt about being cursed, etc… which was a shame because I feel like part of the charm of a Beauty and the Beast retelling is that element. So when they had their tearful moment at the end of the book about their feelings toward Ember, I was honestly surprised.
Also, Ember’s family? There is a scene at the end of the book explaining how they’re coming to visit and I’m like… wait didn’t you guys sell her into slavery?
2. The events that led to Ember’s servitude. I had to reread this explanation a few times to really get it, and even then I’m confused. Why was the Marquis concerned about the life of one girl he has never met, enough to hash out a plan like he did?
3. The bad guy. I don’t remember his name lol. It was like we were thrown “that guy is VERY BAD”but we didn’t really see much of him or hear much about him.
4. The way the other curse was explained to the reader was strange and kind of confusing. It took me a while to catch on that something was wrong with the FMC and she wasn’t just *quirky* falling all over the place and swooning.
Will I reread it? Nah.
Was it a fun little palette cleanser? Yep.
August 8, 2023
Content:
Language: None that I recall
Violence: Low moderate. There is bloodshed. People die. People tortured off screen. Insinuations of terrible acts by the villain.
Sexual: Mild. Chaste Kisses, hugging, etc.
This has Christian themes in it as well, which I wasn't aware of going in, but didn't bother me in the slightest. (I know some people prefer not to read it though, so here's your warning).
I accidentally read this in one sitting. Ahahaha....
I loved the twist in this Beauty and the Beast retelling.
I've read over 40 at this point, and it's hard to get a truly unique version anymore. But making not only our Beast character be cursed, but also the Beauty have her own curse to deal with? You got me hook line and sinker. The way it unfolded had me thinking I knew what Ember's curse was, but never being totally sure. And that went for Dyrerisan as well.
And, small side note: I was driving myself absolutely bonkers trying to pronounce his name the entire book. If you're going to use weird names, for the love of pete, give me a way to know how they're said! It halted the flow so much for me because it's so twisty. And I'm used to fantasy oddball names.
Other than that little tangent though, I enjoyed this book. So. Much. The character arcs drew me in, and seeing Ember's struggle and surrender was fantastic. It was great to see them miscommunicating in a realistic way and not a 'must up the tension factor for the plot' way. I enjoyed seeing how they worked things out like adults and not cliche book characters.
The way vulnerability played a role in their curses was satisfying too. I can't go into detail without major spoilers, but seeing them both have to put their fear and pride away in order to do the right thing made my little heart swell as I read.
I enjoyed this so much I immediately went to find more books by the author. I look forward to discovering her other stories.
Language: None that I recall
Violence: Low moderate. There is bloodshed. People die. People tortured off screen. Insinuations of terrible acts by the villain.
Sexual: Mild. Chaste Kisses, hugging, etc.
This has Christian themes in it as well, which I wasn't aware of going in, but didn't bother me in the slightest. (I know some people prefer not to read it though, so here's your warning).
I accidentally read this in one sitting. Ahahaha....
I loved the twist in this Beauty and the Beast retelling.
I've read over 40 at this point, and it's hard to get a truly unique version anymore. But making not only our Beast character be cursed, but also the Beauty have her own curse to deal with? You got me hook line and sinker. The way it unfolded had me thinking I knew what Ember's curse was, but never being totally sure. And that went for Dyrerisan as well.
And, small side note: I was driving myself absolutely bonkers trying to pronounce his name the entire book. If you're going to use weird names, for the love of pete, give me a way to know how they're said! It halted the flow so much for me because it's so twisty. And I'm used to fantasy oddball names.
Other than that little tangent though, I enjoyed this book. So. Much. The character arcs drew me in, and seeing Ember's struggle and surrender was fantastic. It was great to see them miscommunicating in a realistic way and not a 'must up the tension factor for the plot' way. I enjoyed seeing how they worked things out like adults and not cliche book characters.
The way vulnerability played a role in their curses was satisfying too. I can't go into detail without major spoilers, but seeing them both have to put their fear and pride away in order to do the right thing made my little heart swell as I read.
I enjoyed this so much I immediately went to find more books by the author. I look forward to discovering her other stories.
December 20, 2024
Update after second read:
I didn't remember this book in the year since I first read it. However, I feel my exuberance in my first rating was a bit eccentric. The first 125 pages at least were a bit dull, reading more like a usual amazon christian fiction original. However, keep with it. It is good, just not AMAZING. that is all.
First read review:
I absolutely loved this book! Why have more people not read this book?
This kept my attention the whole time! I was never bored. There was just the right amount of mystery, discovery, etc. My only request would be a little more building of their relationship. It seems to be pretty sudden. However, an extremely creative twist to such a well-known story. I just absolutely freaking loved it. So glad I own it for a reread!
Thank you to the author for a refreshing and intriguing twist that was clean and devoid of all off-putting side characters that generally accompany a good story nowadays.
I didn't remember this book in the year since I first read it. However, I feel my exuberance in my first rating was a bit eccentric. The first 125 pages at least were a bit dull, reading more like a usual amazon christian fiction original. However, keep with it. It is good, just not AMAZING. that is all.
First read review:
I absolutely loved this book! Why have more people not read this book?
This kept my attention the whole time! I was never bored. There was just the right amount of mystery, discovery, etc. My only request would be a little more building of their relationship. It seems to be pretty sudden. However, an extremely creative twist to such a well-known story. I just absolutely freaking loved it. So glad I own it for a reread!
Thank you to the author for a refreshing and intriguing twist that was clean and devoid of all off-putting side characters that generally accompany a good story nowadays.
February 3, 2023
This is a fantasy romance retelling of Beauty and the Beast, featuring a swoony dark elf / troll male lead. There's just a hint of Christian fantasy to the retelling in the end.
August 17, 2023
A very tidy, chaste romance -- that may sound like I'm damning with faint praise, but this was advertised as a romance with "no steam", so it definitely accomplished that aspect of its goal!
I'm always weak for Beauty and the Beast retellings, and like many elder millenials one of my formative influence was Gargoyles, so this book grabbed my attention very quickly. It's well-written from a technical angle (I only found a few typos, but nothing immersion-breaking), and Ember and Dyrerisan are clear on the page. I appreciate that they also had positive relationships outside of their own, even though the premise of the novel is that neither of them are really able to connect, for various reasons. Those reasons are very plausible within the world of the novel, so I didn't have one of those "huh, this doesn't make sense" moments.
It's also decently paced, and I really liked the whole parallel curses aspect of the story. So why three stars?
Because -- and this is an issue I see in a lot of romance novels -- the romance just appears on the page, without much build-up, or without any apparent reason. Why do Ember and Dyrerisan care about each other? For the first half of the novel, they're either annoyed by or made nervous by the other; what may have been meant as flirty banter just comes across as two people being a bit rude to each other. Even if a novel has no steam or smut, there still needs to be chemistry, common interests, curiosity, silliness...all the things a real relationship is made of. That's lacking here, and it keeps the book from reaching its full potential.
And, it has to be said, not enough is done with the fact that Dyrerisan is living stone. Why does he need to eat? Is he stronger than a flesh-and-blood person? Does he have any magic abilities? Does it hurt to be made of stone?
A nice way to pass a few hours, one way or another -- I just wish it had gone a bit further with its concept and its leads.
I'm always weak for Beauty and the Beast retellings, and like many elder millenials one of my formative influence was Gargoyles, so this book grabbed my attention very quickly. It's well-written from a technical angle (I only found a few typos, but nothing immersion-breaking), and Ember and Dyrerisan are clear on the page. I appreciate that they also had positive relationships outside of their own, even though the premise of the novel is that neither of them are really able to connect, for various reasons. Those reasons are very plausible within the world of the novel, so I didn't have one of those "huh, this doesn't make sense" moments.
It's also decently paced, and I really liked the whole parallel curses aspect of the story. So why three stars?
Because -- and this is an issue I see in a lot of romance novels -- the romance just appears on the page, without much build-up, or without any apparent reason. Why do Ember and Dyrerisan care about each other? For the first half of the novel, they're either annoyed by or made nervous by the other; what may have been meant as flirty banter just comes across as two people being a bit rude to each other. Even if a novel has no steam or smut, there still needs to be chemistry, common interests, curiosity, silliness...all the things a real relationship is made of. That's lacking here, and it keeps the book from reaching its full potential.
And, it has to be said, not enough is done with the fact that Dyrerisan is living stone. Why does he need to eat? Is he stronger than a flesh-and-blood person? Does he have any magic abilities? Does it hurt to be made of stone?
A nice way to pass a few hours, one way or another -- I just wish it had gone a bit further with its concept and its leads.
January 7, 2024
Stone Heart is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast that brings new elements to the story while mantaining the classical feeling of the original tale.
Ember is a strong protagonist, her relationship with her Beast, Dyresian, beggins with a rude banter before they fall in love as is common in all the enemies to lovers trope but I didn't catch the progression of their feelings, so when later they expressed an utter devotion for each other it appeared to me to be out of nowhere.
Dyresian's curse was well done and his role as a protector was a good turn of the Beast character. The Aerie was a great addition and I would have liked to see a development of Dyresian and the Aerie's work in this fantasy world where the story is set, worldbuilding is important and could have enriched the plot.
Ember's curse would be great if it was exclusively her own. It's unbelievable that these women could have survived such a curse time enough to bear children. If Ember was the only one cursed, like Dyresian was, it would make much more sense the way the curse was broken as well.
The villain, Duke Kelan, lacked development and his obsession with Ember was pointless, if he would need her because of her Jairvas blood to do something horrible to gain more power then it would be plausible that he would take Ember and leave Nixwood to be... But to take her only to force her to reveal Dyresian's weaknesses and the defenses of Nixwood when he had already been there when the place was unprotected and Dyresian pratically at his power, why Duke Kelan would still need her to defeat the marquis? The kidnapping was for the sake of drama, even though the tension of these chapters were great the plot hole bothered me.
Stone Heart is an entertaining book but the story had potencial for much more! Meagan is a good writer and I'll certainly read other books from her, I hope that she developed her writing as Stone Heart was one of her earliest works, she has talent to became a brilliant fantasy writer.
Ember is a strong protagonist, her relationship with her Beast, Dyresian, beggins with a rude banter before they fall in love as is common in all the enemies to lovers trope but I didn't catch the progression of their feelings, so when later they expressed an utter devotion for each other it appeared to me to be out of nowhere.
Dyresian's curse was well done and his role as a protector was a good turn of the Beast character. The Aerie was a great addition and I would have liked to see a development of Dyresian and the Aerie's work in this fantasy world where the story is set, worldbuilding is important and could have enriched the plot.
Ember's curse would be great if it was exclusively her own. It's unbelievable that these women could have survived such a curse time enough to bear children. If Ember was the only one cursed, like Dyresian was, it would make much more sense the way the curse was broken as well.
The villain, Duke Kelan, lacked development and his obsession with Ember was pointless, if he would need her because of her Jairvas blood to do something horrible to gain more power then it would be plausible that he would take Ember and leave Nixwood to be... But to take her only to force her to reveal Dyresian's weaknesses and the defenses of Nixwood when he had already been there when the place was unprotected and Dyresian pratically at his power, why Duke Kelan would still need her to defeat the marquis? The kidnapping was for the sake of drama, even though the tension of these chapters were great the plot hole bothered me.
Stone Heart is an entertaining book but the story had potencial for much more! Meagan is a good writer and I'll certainly read other books from her, I hope that she developed her writing as Stone Heart was one of her earliest works, she has talent to became a brilliant fantasy writer.
January 14, 2023
Interesting take
Likes:
-The romantic leads learn to respect each other.
-There is mercy for weakness.
- The ultimate message is that a heart afraid to love is lonely and love ultimately results in life, not death.
-HEA
Dislikes:
-It’s theologically weird.
-To avoid materialism, the heroine devalues the symbols of the priceless glory of the people saved by Nyxwood forces. The memorials provide proof that people made in the image of God have value and living beauty that has the capacity to alter creation for the better and should be protected. The concrete record of honoring the welfare of other people as much as your own is not clutter. She should have put it in a museum all people could learn from. Dyre used the memorials as a source of pride, but the problem is his pride, not the concrete record of successful, protective love. James says telling a cold and hungry person that you hope they eat well doesn’t mean anything unless you make sure they have a coat and food because love is revealed by deeds. If the person makes glazed pots with paintings of them in their new coat and gives it back to the church, that is art celebrating love, not clutter. That art should be shared so everyone can celebrate love and mimic it when they have a chance to give back. Don’t just stop with Nyxwood, change the whole world in concrete ways and establish God’s Kingdom on Earth so everyone can choose to never go hungry again because everyone is paying it forward.
Beyond the theologically weird stuff, it was a good story and I am comfortable recommending it.
Likes:
-The romantic leads learn to respect each other.
-There is mercy for weakness.
- The ultimate message is that a heart afraid to love is lonely and love ultimately results in life, not death.
-HEA
Dislikes:
-It’s theologically weird.
-To avoid materialism, the heroine devalues the symbols of the priceless glory of the people saved by Nyxwood forces. The memorials provide proof that people made in the image of God have value and living beauty that has the capacity to alter creation for the better and should be protected. The concrete record of honoring the welfare of other people as much as your own is not clutter. She should have put it in a museum all people could learn from. Dyre used the memorials as a source of pride, but the problem is his pride, not the concrete record of successful, protective love. James says telling a cold and hungry person that you hope they eat well doesn’t mean anything unless you make sure they have a coat and food because love is revealed by deeds. If the person makes glazed pots with paintings of them in their new coat and gives it back to the church, that is art celebrating love, not clutter. That art should be shared so everyone can celebrate love and mimic it when they have a chance to give back. Don’t just stop with Nyxwood, change the whole world in concrete ways and establish God’s Kingdom on Earth so everyone can choose to never go hungry again because everyone is paying it forward.
Beyond the theologically weird stuff, it was a good story and I am comfortable recommending it.
June 15, 2023
This was kind of cool until it was a little boring.
The story somehow felt slow and dragged. Because of the prologue I got SO exited and then it died down. In the beginning we actually didn’t get to see much of the male lead and I think this was also why it felt a little boring. We started to see him more during half of the book and then I was waiting for things to happen between them but there never really was anything BIG.
It was dual POV but only after I read like a half of the book. Basically in the beginning we hardly see him and in the end we really get the dual POV.
I also didn’t like the main character, Ember. Her actions were so confusing the whole time because we the readers aren’t supposed to know the reason to her demeanor yet, but because we didn’t know anything I couldn’t understand what was happening and it made the story so confusing and Ember unlikeable.
But I still wanted to know how the story would end so I continued reading even though it was sometimes a little painful.
I, as a hardcore Christian, liked that they prayed and stuff (short prayers, though), but after a while it started to feel like a I-have-a-problem-so-I’ll-pray-about-it-but-after-I’m-okay-I’ll-just-forget-the-whole-thing- prayer. There was no thanking God or anything like that so it felt like a convenient little Christian thing added to the story.
And of course it was clean and everything!
I liked that there were strong Beauty and the Beast vibes, though!
But anyway, the end was so nice and I felt happy for them but I wouldn’t read it again.
The story somehow felt slow and dragged. Because of the prologue I got SO exited and then it died down. In the beginning we actually didn’t get to see much of the male lead and I think this was also why it felt a little boring. We started to see him more during half of the book and then I was waiting for things to happen between them but there never really was anything BIG.
It was dual POV but only after I read like a half of the book. Basically in the beginning we hardly see him and in the end we really get the dual POV.
I also didn’t like the main character, Ember. Her actions were so confusing the whole time because we the readers aren’t supposed to know the reason to her demeanor yet, but because we didn’t know anything I couldn’t understand what was happening and it made the story so confusing and Ember unlikeable.
But I still wanted to know how the story would end so I continued reading even though it was sometimes a little painful.
I, as a hardcore Christian, liked that they prayed and stuff (short prayers, though), but after a while it started to feel like a I-have-a-problem-so-I’ll-pray-about-it-but-after-I’m-okay-I’ll-just-forget-the-whole-thing- prayer. There was no thanking God or anything like that so it felt like a convenient little Christian thing added to the story.
And of course it was clean and everything!
I liked that there were strong Beauty and the Beast vibes, though!
But anyway, the end was so nice and I felt happy for them but I wouldn’t read it again.
November 26, 2024
This book was alright, nothing special. If you know me, you know I hate when two characters get together and there's a 200 year age gap between them, but c'est la vie or whatever.
The thing that kept annoying me the entire book was the inconsistency of what it meant that the dude was cursed into stone. Like, you'd think that he's basically become a plastic Ken doll where everything is molded and formed including his hair? But Dyre runs his fingers through his hair at some point. HOW CAN HE DO THAT WHEN HIS HAIR IS MADE OF STONE??? WOULDN'T IT JUST BREAK OFF??? Bro really be looking like:
I will say that I liked the aspect of the two curses working against each other. That was original and fun. The romance was meh. Classic case of, "I'm pretty sure they only fell in love because he hasn't talked to a woman in 200 years and she's never spoken to a man before."
The thing that kept annoying me the entire book was the inconsistency of what it meant that the dude was cursed into stone. Like, you'd think that he's basically become a plastic Ken doll where everything is molded and formed including his hair? But Dyre runs his fingers through his hair at some point. HOW CAN HE DO THAT WHEN HIS HAIR IS MADE OF STONE??? WOULDN'T IT JUST BREAK OFF??? Bro really be looking like:
I will say that I liked the aspect of the two curses working against each other. That was original and fun. The romance was meh. Classic case of, "I'm pretty sure they only fell in love because he hasn't talked to a woman in 200 years and she's never spoken to a man before."
March 20, 2023
"A woman of secrets. A lord of living stone. Which will break first, the curse…or their hearts?"
This is the first time I have read a fairytale retelling and I was not expecting to love it as much as I did! 🏰 This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling and I had so much fun reading it!
I absolutely loved Dyre, how sweet his personality was, and seeing how hard he worked to make Ember love him.
And I loved Ember's personality as well! I like how smart the author made her to be.
The story twists in this were so fun to read and I love how the story line was stretched a little bit from the original. This will definitely be a re-read for me!
On top of all that, I just love this cover. It's so vibrant and gorgeous. 😍
If you love fairytale retellings, I highly recommend this one! It's such a sweet and quick read.
This is the first time I have read a fairytale retelling and I was not expecting to love it as much as I did! 🏰 This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling and I had so much fun reading it!
I absolutely loved Dyre, how sweet his personality was, and seeing how hard he worked to make Ember love him.
And I loved Ember's personality as well! I like how smart the author made her to be.
The story twists in this were so fun to read and I love how the story line was stretched a little bit from the original. This will definitely be a re-read for me!
On top of all that, I just love this cover. It's so vibrant and gorgeous. 😍
If you love fairytale retellings, I highly recommend this one! It's such a sweet and quick read.
April 16, 2023
Wow!!! Just when you think you have something figured the author throws not only a twist into the story, but a big one. Wow this author is brilliant in her storytelling. You can feel the chemistry between Dyre and Ember just as much as they feel it.
I ❤️LOVE the meaning in this book. Love is sacrifice and if you aren't willing to sacrifice for it then it wasn't worth it. They were both willing to give themselves up for one another and it was almost tear jerking. This beauty and the beast retelling sort of had a Sleeping Beauty tale thrown in at least to me. I just ❤️LOVED it and couldn't put it down (except when it made me hungry😂). I also ❤️LOVE that this is a very inspiring faith filled fairytale for any age group. I VERY VERY HIGHLY recommend it.
I ❤️LOVE the meaning in this book. Love is sacrifice and if you aren't willing to sacrifice for it then it wasn't worth it. They were both willing to give themselves up for one another and it was almost tear jerking. This beauty and the beast retelling sort of had a Sleeping Beauty tale thrown in at least to me. I just ❤️LOVED it and couldn't put it down (except when it made me hungry😂). I also ❤️LOVE that this is a very inspiring faith filled fairytale for any age group. I VERY VERY HIGHLY recommend it.
February 20, 2025
Stone Heart by Maegan M Simpson
What I loved about this book:
💙 A dark and dusty castle
💙 Two curses
💙 High stakes
💙 What makes life worth living?
💙 Sweet romance, just a kiss or two
This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling so of course I had to resd it! Some interesting twists here with Beauty and the Beast both being cursed. He's spent endless years alone, she can't love without painful consequences. This is the first book in the Changed Hearts series, but chronologically Wolf Heart actually comes first which is the order I read them in and I would recommend that order otherwise you get spoilers in this book. I loved seeing Collin and Izzy again!
Favorite part: The Nyxwood curse (he's a living statue)
Favorite character: Dyre (our main male character)
What I loved about this book:
💙 A dark and dusty castle
💙 Two curses
💙 High stakes
💙 What makes life worth living?
💙 Sweet romance, just a kiss or two
This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling so of course I had to resd it! Some interesting twists here with Beauty and the Beast both being cursed. He's spent endless years alone, she can't love without painful consequences. This is the first book in the Changed Hearts series, but chronologically Wolf Heart actually comes first which is the order I read them in and I would recommend that order otherwise you get spoilers in this book. I loved seeing Collin and Izzy again!
Favorite part: The Nyxwood curse (he's a living statue)
Favorite character: Dyre (our main male character)
January 23, 2023
I enjoyed it
This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, with a nice, unexpected twist of a dual curse. It is well written with a good plot and side characters. I saw some negative reviews that people were upset for the lack of romance, but I felt it didn’t take away from the story at all. I would call it a fantasy adventure. I would recommend this book to teens and Christian fantasy lovers. There is no spice or gore. It gives a positive message that all is possible with faith, hope and love.
This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, with a nice, unexpected twist of a dual curse. It is well written with a good plot and side characters. I saw some negative reviews that people were upset for the lack of romance, but I felt it didn’t take away from the story at all. I would call it a fantasy adventure. I would recommend this book to teens and Christian fantasy lovers. There is no spice or gore. It gives a positive message that all is possible with faith, hope and love.
March 29, 2023
My heart
I was captured from the first word until the end of the book. Ember is such an intriguing character who has experienced much loss and yet still finds reason to hope. I liked the hints of the beauty and the beast fairytale with the library and the curse but it was an exciting twist to have both Dyre and Ember cursed. My emotions were on a roller coaster reading this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Can't wait to read more from this author! Clean sweet romance with adventure and lots of dust.
I was captured from the first word until the end of the book. Ember is such an intriguing character who has experienced much loss and yet still finds reason to hope. I liked the hints of the beauty and the beast fairytale with the library and the curse but it was an exciting twist to have both Dyre and Ember cursed. My emotions were on a roller coaster reading this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Can't wait to read more from this author! Clean sweet romance with adventure and lots of dust.
February 3, 2023
this was good but the constant reference to first the old gods and then the almighty god was kind of confusing. praying seemed a joke and while I am not religious the way religion was portrayed kind of felt like an afterthought added in and added nothing to the story itself. The rest of the story had good and bad points. I found the curses fascinating but the ending seemed one of those convenient things, not an actual thought-out ending. Lots of potential but it didn't follow through with it.
February 19, 2023
Beauty and the Beast retelling - so it seems.
This book was good but I felt the characters were underdeveloped. The leads fall I love with little interaction and there is just a lot missing from them both. I did not find either lead particularly interesting and the villain(s) did not have enough background to explain their motives. Overall, it was okay. Not one I will pick up again. It is a PG book so good for a younger crowd.
This book was good but I felt the characters were underdeveloped. The leads fall I love with little interaction and there is just a lot missing from them both. I did not find either lead particularly interesting and the villain(s) did not have enough background to explain their motives. Overall, it was okay. Not one I will pick up again. It is a PG book so good for a younger crowd.
December 7, 2024
I loved this story. It was just so sweet!! The main characters were doing the best they knew how in the circumstances life threw at them, and there was very little drama in their relationship, which I appreciated. Drama is a part of life, but it doesn’t need to be excessive.
The story was 100% clean, although there was one scene (more like half a scene) where there was some barely described torture. Also the main characters were unobtrusively Christian.
The story was 100% clean, although there was one scene (more like half a scene) where there was some barely described torture. Also the main characters were unobtrusively Christian.
January 4, 2023
a sweet heartfelt fantasy tale
With twists and turns, this book pulls at the heartstrings to make you tear up a little in happiness and sadness. While I wouldn’t call it a rollercoaster, it has enough ups and downs and withheld information to keep you engaged and rooting for our hero’s till the last page.
With twists and turns, this book pulls at the heartstrings to make you tear up a little in happiness and sadness. While I wouldn’t call it a rollercoaster, it has enough ups and downs and withheld information to keep you engaged and rooting for our hero’s till the last page.
December 12, 2022
good solid story
This is a good solid story, but it is pretty simple and the ending is really rushed considering we had two completely separate issues to do with.
Overall a decent read but it felt that neither hero or heroine did a whole lot except for the last 5 pages.
This is a good solid story, but it is pretty simple and the ending is really rushed considering we had two completely separate issues to do with.
Overall a decent read but it felt that neither hero or heroine did a whole lot except for the last 5 pages.
January 5, 2023
Very sweet, but I really REALLY loathe that thing where the main characters just keep secrets from each other, both of them telling themselves that it’s for the best. No one has time for that shit. That went on far too long in this story, but the love between them was perfectly clear and genuine.
January 29, 2023
I enjoyed it
A unique spin on a beauty and the beast retelling.
I enjoy fairy tale retellings. And beauty and the beast is one of my favorites. However, it's sometimes difficult to find one with a unique spin that makes the story fresh and interesting.
This one made the cut.
A unique spin on a beauty and the beast retelling.
I enjoy fairy tale retellings. And beauty and the beast is one of my favorites. However, it's sometimes difficult to find one with a unique spin that makes the story fresh and interesting.
This one made the cut.
December 1, 2024
Romance
A great romance with plot twists throughout to keep things entertaining. I enjoyed how realistic the dialogue was between the main characters. This made it easy to become wrapped up in the story.
A great romance with plot twists throughout to keep things entertaining. I enjoyed how realistic the dialogue was between the main characters. This made it easy to become wrapped up in the story.
January 15, 2023
great book!
Great story! I love it
Would like to know more of their future and what adventures do they go on from here, now that the curses are broken!
Great story! I love it
Would like to know more of their future and what adventures do they go on from here, now that the curses are broken!
January 26, 2023
3.5 stars
I liked that both leads had a curse. I thought the falling in love part was too short/simplified. All of a sudden he would do anything for her and the other servants loved her too.
I liked that both leads had a curse. I thought the falling in love part was too short/simplified. All of a sudden he would do anything for her and the other servants loved her too.
February 4, 2023
An interesting twist to a classic story.
I enjoyed this book. It was very different from other stories based on Beauty & the Beast. I also enjoyed that is a clean story.
I enjoyed this book. It was very different from other stories based on Beauty & the Beast. I also enjoyed that is a clean story.
February 21, 2023
exciting and intriguing
This book had me from the very first page. I couldn’t put it down. The twists and turns made it an I intriguing read.
This book had me from the very first page. I couldn’t put it down. The twists and turns made it an I intriguing read.
June 3, 2023
Similar to Beauty and the Beast, but not quite. Double curses and strong characters, and yes, it did have a happy ending. If you loked Beauty and the Beast, you will enjoy reading this.
November 23, 2023
A very sweet story of love and sacrifice.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews