One thing Rose Johnson knows how to do is survive. Rescued by a witch named Gwen from the massacre that annihilated her family, Rose has been fending for herself from an early age. Now Gwen is dead and her spirit is trapped in a soul stone. Rose must locate that stone before it falls into the wrong hands. It holds her secret that she is a gargoyle, in fact, a sacred mother who can close the rifts between the worlds. She has few options, so she seeks out the Sentinels, a group whose duty is to protect gargoyles. After all, she is the last of her kind. When she learns that the Sentinel who failed to save her family is among them, she has a few doubts about their abilities. Will they be able to keep her safe? Or will she again be on her own?

One person Sentinel Calhoun Levesque never expects to see again is Rose. Her sudden reappearance jars his life bringing back the memories of his failure to protect the gargoyles under his care. Once he hears her story, he discovers some discrepancies that lead to truths that will be hard for her to understand. However, their lives are once again intertwined as it becomes his duty to guard her. Together they race to close rifts that demons have opened, pursue the soul stone, and face vampires all while trying to keep Rose's existence as a sacred mother secret. Unfortunately, nothing is ever as simple as it should be, and they must learn to trust each other to survive. Will Cal fail to protect her again? Or will he succeed in his chance for redemption?

Tory Michaels brandishes her pen to wage a few battles on different fronts in this gloriously action packed paranormal romance. She builds a scintillating world lush with great promise yet harbors some dark undercurrents. In addition to the oblivious normal people, she populates it with angels, demons, gargoyles, vampires, and a few other beings all with a multitude of magical abilities and varied intentions. Her characters quickly ensnared me and pulled me along for a thrilling joy ride. The chemistry between Rose and Cal rockets off the charts. They are definitely a sight to behold whether they are fighting their feelings, their past, or their enemies. LOCKED IN STONE opens up a whole new realm of good versus evil, and sucks the reader in with intense action, moderate mystery, and, of course, a simmering romance. In short, this story rocks, and I hope the gargoyles will be around for quite awhile. Ms. Michaels has acquired another fan, and I will be on the lookout for the next installment in the Hearts of Stone series.