"Another delightful duo of stories from Rosemary Laurey and J C Wilder"

Here is another delightful duo of stories from Rosemary Laurey and J C Wilder, where the common denominator in the two books is the element of stone, and how it changed a few people's lives.

The first story found here is Ms. Laurey's THE SHATTERED STONE. Alys' family died in the grey plague and though she survived, she was ousted from her home and the town. She only has a few personal items to take with her on her journey, a few books, which she cannot read, once belonging to her mother, and half of a broken stone pendant, also belonging to her mother. She sets off to head west, in the hopes of finding her mother's people and maybe a new home. Along the way she meets Ranald ven Strad, who is on a mission for his monarch, to track down a long-lost relative. Neither Alys nor Ranald expected their chance meeting would irrevocably change their lives... forever.

This was a good story and the use of the stone pendant as the answer to the secret was well done. Alys is a believable heroine, only trying to mourn her dead family and make a new life for herself away from the memories and the unkind people of her old home. However, for Ranald, this reviewer had a very hard time believing he could be as clueless as he was about the secret revealed at the end of the story. He had all the answers in front of him and it was obvious to this reader, but still he had no idea. The relationship between Alys and Ranald grew slowly and steadily over their journey, and readers can feel the affection between them that grows into an all-consuming love.

Ms. Wilder introduces two memorable characters in her story, AFTER THE RAIN. Li is a young woman, half-elf/half- human, who does not fit entirely into either world. When she is disowned by her family for wanting to leave the elven world for the human world, she finds a new home as a servant in Graystone House. Here she is the caretaker of hundreds of stone gargoyles, thought to be victims of an ancient curse. Accidentally releasing one of the cursed during a tremendous thunderstorm, she is taken prisoner by Nikolaz of Riverhaven, a long lost member of the elven royalty. Along the way, things change and they begin to realize that they may in fact be each other's salvation.

This is a wonderful story about, quite literally, finding love in unlikely places. Li has wounds, both physical and emotional, that make her believe she will never find the love for which she longs. Nikolaz (Nik) feels betrayed in the beginning, mistaking Li for the woman who cursed him. He is mistrustful and all he cares about is getting home to his family. Along the way he softens towards Li, finding out what a wonderful woman she is, and realizes he would do anything to make her happy again. One will feel the passion between Li and Nik, and will be hoping for them to get the happy ending they deserve. This reviewer also loved the way Ms. Wilder tied all of Li's most traumatic events to the rain, hence the title.

This was yet another wonderful addition to the PARADOX series. The stories are beautifully done, and readers will be sucked right into them from the beginning. This reviewer was so engrossed; she read the entire book in one day. However, readers should understand that though this is an erotica story, and the passion is burning hot, there is less sex found here then in traditional erotica. Reading the stories through, readers will see the stories work perfectly as they are done, and the authors could not have handled the relationships between the characters any differently than they did. Always a pleasure, Paradox III satisfies readers and will leave them hungering for the next book in the series. We can only hope there are more to come from these two talented authors.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, October 2004. All rights reserved.

Reviewed by Kelley Hartsell
Courtesy Love Romances
Posted November 27, 2004

Summary

From USA Today Best Selling Author Rosemary Laurey and Award-Winner J. C. Wilder comes the third highly anticipated novel in the Paradox series! In THE SHATTERED STONE, Alys is exiled from the only home she's ever known upon her parents' deaths. She sets off to find her mother's kin in the far western lands. On the way, she meets the monarch's envoy: Ranald ven Strad. The chance meeting leads to an astounding discovery. In AFTER THE RAIN, Li leaves her village after her family's betrayal and seeks to create a new life for herself. She accepts a job at Graystone House as the keeper of the Evil Ones—hundreds of stone gargoyles that fill a chamber top to bottom. Rumored to be the victims of the infamous Lady of Maragorn, Li only knows that the job fills her with dread, especially when she has to deal with one statue in particular, that of Nikolaz of Riverhaven. Plunge into desire and adventure in Paradox III!