Flame & Stone

Dunning Manor, Book 1

By: Jamie DeBree

Narrated by: Kevin Clay

Length: 3 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

It takes a lot of heat to melt a heart of stone...

Flames once put the heartbroken Thomas Grady under the ancient curse of an old manor house. Two hundred years later, fire fueled by an unholy passion drives Katie Watson to the same manor for protection. Assigned as her guardian under duress, Thomas just wants to do his job and go back to sleep.

Katie falls hard for her new protector, even as they're planning an intervention for her nemesis. And now that she's found Thomas, she refuses to give him up - even if that means she has to travel through time and space to make it happen...

©2015 Jamie DeBree (P)2015 Jamie DeBree

A gargoyle romance.

I didn't really like this book. I found the characters one dimensional and the plot too strange with conflicting aspects. I was especially disappointed with the idea that Katie tries to stand up to Thomas before submitting to him utterly and completely, never to stand up to him again. The gargoyle aspect was a bit of a surprise, and a good one, but poorly thought out.

I found Kevin Clay to be the best part of this book. I was shocked to hear a male narrating a pretty traditional fantasy romance, but it kind of worked out. He has a movie trailer voice that made me giggle at first, but I grew to really enjoy.

A gargoyle romance.

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

A fast paced, exciting paranormal read...

This book, Flame & Stone (book 1) by Jamie DeBree Is a fast paced, exciting paranormal read. I would also classify it as a thriller, suspense and a romance story. I enjoyed listening to this audio book and in my opinion, I feel this story is an original story line. The setting starts out in 1801. As you read this book, you will run into things like druids and gargoyles (both of which are new to me).

The author, Jamie DeBree did an excellent job on this book. The plot is great. The story just amazed me. The narrator, Kevin Clay did a fantastic job with his multiple voices and accents too! I swear I even heard one voice that sounded like Sean Connery! This book as a whole is awesome! Great job you two!

***I received this audio book as a gift in exchange for a honest and unbiased review.***

Got kind of stupid

Didn’t finish it. It got really ridiculous in the middle and I just stopped. She was annoying with a lot of situations in this book.

Savior in Stone

Would you listen to Flame & Stone again? Why?

Yes to make sure I didn't miss anything from the storytelling. LOL

Who was your favorite character and why?

Katie: I thought it was great she needed saved and could save Thomas at the same time. :)

Which character – as performed by Kevin Clay – was your favorite?

Thomas: The voice he used made him sound so hot!!!!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When the best friend stepped in to save Katie.

Any additional comments?

1st I'd like to say I really enjoyed "Flame and Stone". I didn't know what to think at first when the book started with the heroine in dire trouble. When she was smart enough to get her self away from the crazy boyfriend I just thought "Thank God". I really thought the authors idea of starting the book off with a shock was great. He sucks you into the story line with it.
Thomas did start off as a sad savior. He was just a little hoo hum. He is cursed to the manor and only 1 woman can save him from his curse. So he is in disbelief it will ever happen so why hope. Poor hottie gargoyle. LOL I realy loved it when he eats what is probably the worst cooked food that someone could serve him. Not one complaint. Check one for the best guy on the planet.
Only the best friend was a crazy lady surprise. That the author puts her right by the end. (No story killer infor here! LOL)
I thought it sounded fairly thought out the "Plan to break the curse". Katie and Thomas were interested in each other. They both needed saving, him from the curse and her from a crazy killer ex. For an audio book that is less than 4 hours in length. I give big kudos's to an author that can write about 2 people needing saving from their troubles. Get revenge on the asshole. Brings a BFF that goes against Katie than becomes a heroine herself in the end. Romance and a little on the hot side of life. Two more surprise evil villains who get what they have coming to them. And doesn't leave you hanging. I just have to say WOW!
Kevin Clay is the narrator. I really like listening to his voice. He is great at bringing a story to like. You can hear the emotions in a story through this narration. It really keeps the story alive for you.

Highlight of this story was the narrator

AudioBook Review:
Stars: Overall: 3 Narration 4 Story 2

I was all in when I saw the opportunity for a new gargoyle romance: I’ve read others, but started in the middle of the series, and rarely have the free time to go back and read just for pleasure. Flame & Stone has a wonderful premise, and I was curious about a male narrator for a book that appeared to be female-heroine driven.

While the premise was clever, the abbreviated introduction to the series at just 150-ish pages meant that every word, each nuance needed to count. Character development was crucial in this story, setting the foundation for more to come while providing readers with interest in following along.

Thomas was cursed long ago, and now is a gargoyle destined to protect Dunning Manor. A bit set in his ways, Thomas is bossy, moody, gloomy and rather too full of himself. He does, however, do his job well, and he is tasked with protecting a young woman in danger. He’s not a happy camper with the situation and he makes that clear.

Katie is the heroine and a rather damsel in distress air follows her about until, quite predictably, she falls for Thomas after a tiny bit of push and pull.

That is, sadly, the story in a nutshell. Lacking in character development, depth and story continuity, the premise was the best part of this book. The writing showed plotting conflicts and disconnects that just didn’t work, with predictable choices being the ones used nearly every time.

Highlight of this AudioBook was the narration provided by Kevin Clay. While it took a few beats to get acclimated to his voice and delivery style, he brought every ounce of emotion and character out of the words on the page, creating moments to enjoy from a fairly flat story.

I received an AudioBook copy of the title from the narrator via AudioBook Blast for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

The reader's voice and performance really made it!

Sorry to report that the story development was lacking. If the devil is in the details, this was a holy endeavor. Terrific outline with excellent potential, but sadly underdeveloped. The reader's performance was excellent, and I loved his voice quality.

Decent story, great narration..

Katie and Thomas were a great couple but did we have to have 2 sex scenes in the 156 page novella? Couldn't think of anything else to the story so just add more sex? This could have been so much better but it wasn't. If this is going to be a series I won't be reading it.

So, lots of sex but no swearing.

As to the narration: Kevin Clay did some perfect voices. The voice he gave to Thomas was so deep and sexy.

Wonderful!

I absolutely enjoyed this story. The author, Jamie DeBree did a wonderful job creating this story. It shows that the author has an huge imagination. It was a great story, packed with adventure, twist, turns that kept me glued to the story from start to finish.

Narrator, Kevin Clay did a wonderful job with the telling of this story. I was glued to it from the beginning of the story till the very end. I think he did a great job with the accents of all the characters. Overall, most definitely 5 stars! I received this audio in exchange for an honest review.

Sexy Gargoyles ... who woulda thought!!

Would you consider the audio edition of Flame & Stone to be better than the print version?

I did not read the print version, but I dont see how it could have been better

Who was your favorite character and why?

Thomas of course! Im s a sucker for the dark brooding type

What does Kevin Clay bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

OH EM GE yes. His voice is awesome. Seriously think he could read me tax code and I would be enthralled

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It was and I did!

Any additional comments?

I can not wait for the second book ... i hope there is a second book ... there NEEDS to be a second book

A damsel in distress, what's not to like?

What did you love best about Flame & Stone?

I loved the basis of the curse. Karma at it's best.

What did you like best about this story?

The reluctant hero who is afraid to become involved has his heart of stone changed by the woman he's assigned to help.

Have you listened to any of Kevin Clay’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I have not. I think he did an admirable job.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A cursed mansion that makes the Tardis look like an actual phone booth! Will the cursed hero succeed at his task ? Or will it all come crashing down around his stoney ears.

Any additional comments?

I got to review a free copy of this book, and it had enough magic and enchantment to make me want to read anymore in this series!