loved the interplay between Kendall Morgan and Jake Stone. Kendall has a special "gift" that lets her find anything. As they travel to their next orders to find a relic they both find themselves avoiding one danger after another. ( )

Fair action-adventure story with very slight supernatural elements. I'm not happy with the ending, however, since it didn't wrap up some of the personal histories of the characters. I suppose this is to get the reader to buy the next book, but I doubt I'll be reading the next. The one just didn't grab me. The main character, a woman named Kendall, initially comes off fairly tough and confident, but after clashing with her bodyguard Jake she starts taking foolish chances and seems to go out of her way to do the opposite of what he tells her to do. This came off as childish to me and made me lose some respect for the character. Jake himself is, I'm afraid, a big walking cliche. Soon of course it turned into a romance and the two could hardly keep their hands off each other. There was just a little too much going on in this one, and there were also too many characters. I couldn't keep track of all the minor characters. ( )

I enjoyed reading this psychic action adventure story. The plot, storyline, and character development are well crafted! Kidnapping, mystery, and sex appeal add to the story. I'm looking forward to book two! ( )

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.
allthingsuf.com

A kickbutt premise stumbling over the execution, anyone who picks up GUARDIAN OF STONE for adventure, mystery, and cinematic action will not be disappointed. While I was never quite swept away, I will certainly remember the mythology and ruins of this particular Italian adventure.

My biggest issue with GUARDIAN OF STONE was the writing style. Clenney gives us the story from both Jake and Kendall’s perspective, but their inner thoughts and back and forth banter supplants almost all other description. I love witty banter, especially between an oil and water romantic pair, but Kendall and Jake’s conversations with each other, hoteliers, and tourists diluted the quips and weren’t an effective way to carry the entire story. The parts of the story told from Nathan’s point of view had a more isolated, descriptive flavor, but that wasn’t enough to immerse me in the story (or get me attached to him).

It was ultimately the ruins and puzzles and ghosts that drew me through the story, and the ultimate mystery of Kendall’s past and powers. Unfortunately, those are questions that will be resolved later in the series, leaving this book a little flat. Fans of thrillers and National Treasure will enjoy the action side of things, but that wasn’t enough to get me hooked.

Sexual Content: Kissing, references to sex. ( )

GUARDIANS OF STONE is another one of those books I had never heard about until it showed up in my mailbox.

I liked Kendall, She was easy to connect with and read about. Her ability was neat to witness and it was fun watching her push down most of Jake's sexual attempts. Kendall has a habit of putting herself in more danger then needed but besides that I enjoyed following her character. Jake starts off as a sexist bad boy that ends up being so much more than that. He was a great protector and as a romantic interest brought some nice sexual tension to the story. I still don't fully understand Nathan but I assume that this is what the author wanted. There is a bit of a love triangle between the three but I couldn't tell if Nathan just wants to protect Kendall or if there is more there. I liked all the investigating and searching for the relic. It was well paced out with a nice amount of action and danger in every chapter. Jake and Kendall worked nicely together but pretty much stumbled along until they hit pay dirt most of the time. I agree with some other reviewers that have noted that you often know what will happen before the characters and I agree it can be a bit tiresome at times.

I'm dying to know how the whole childhood best friend angle will play out, I have my suspicions but no real proof one way or another and since it would be a bit of a spoiler I will keep my mouth shut. Hopefully book 2 isnt far behind. GUARDIANS OF STONE was a fun fast paced read with some interesting characters and an entertaining world that I would like to learn more about. ( )