"A beautiful romantc fantasy"

His parents and he were driven out of The Order into the realm of the Outsiders for violating the prime directive of not sharing magical solutions with the humans. The adults died not long afterwards leaving five years old David Angus MacGregor struggling to survive. He becomes an acrimonious hateful soul punishing anyone for the slightest supposed affront. Finally disgusted with his malicious behavior, the Lead Sorceress changes Angus into a hideous statue and he will remain that way until someone frees him from his stone coffin.

When he was still flesh, Angus did a kind deed for a child. She vowed to repay him and over the next three centuries that debt has passed down from her to her descendents. In the present, a dying Aunt Aggie asks her niece Karen Matthews to go to Scotland to free the soul inside the statue. Though thinking this is foolishness, Karen, in spite of also dying from a defective heart and not believing, completes her deathbed vow freeing Angus. They immediate fall in love, but how will he react when he realizes that his beloved is ironically dying?

STONE HEART is a terrific fantasy romance, the third tale in the Order universe (see GRYPHON'S QUEST and THE GAZING GLOBE). Karen is an inspirational person embracing life while near death; Angus has a second chance to redeem his soul, but life's cruelty hits home when another loved one is near death. Will he choose salvation as his cherished redeemer is dying or will he turn bitter and angry at fate? Candace Sams enchants her readers with a fabulous magical story in which the strength of sorcery seems genuine but feeble next to the power of love.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted May 2, 2004