Heiress to a Curse

Originally posted at: [...] Get ready to find out what happens when a man of mystery mixes with a woman who has a centuries old magical ticking time bomb destined to go off inside of her. Poor Alexandra. She finally meets the man of her dreams and even in her dreams he's monster. What's a girl to do? Heiress to a Curse has a pretty interesting twist to the old Wicked Witch of the West curse; no dogs in this one though. I was introduced to how it all began way back when and the author did a pretty good job of hinting that all was not as it appeared and someone was getting the short end of the stick. It was actually an important depiction of character because the caring and forgiving man in the beginning isn't the same one I met at the end. I felt bad for him, even worse when all was revealed. But I'm getting ahead of myself. First I want to talk about Alexandra. A reader gets a feeling that despite some bizarre goings on in her psyche, she's level headed and has a great friend in the secondary character, April. Alexandra doesn't shy away from her problems nor does she resort to escapist dependency like alcohol. She just visits her therapist and as nice as he is, he's just a guy without an open mind. She's has no idea what a roller coaster ride her brain is in for when she gets the wet dream of her life. That was a pretty kinky moment for sure. Alexandra has an unusual talent that complicates her life and in fact contributes to some very intense scenes during the story. It also propels her headlong into a desperate attempt to prevent a terrible tragedy despite the personal cost. Ms. Munson has created a very strong character with a caring heart and a sincere personality. It came through clearly. Marius is the hero that starts off very anti-heroic. His duty makes him the bad guy but his growing feelings prevent him from falling off of that cliff. He is so wrapped up with his internal struggles, which are staggering, that he is not able to verbalize what it is that's going on with his heart. He acts on it though which endeared him to me. Not all of his choices are right nor are they all smart but he's a man torn between two worlds and it made for great reading. What is he going to chose to do and what price is he willing to pay? Marius' ultimate decision made for fast flipping of pages and a bit nail. That was intense. There were quite a few secondary characters. Some, like April, directly interacted with Alexandra, and others were just a means to an end. Marius' family was there and provided extra familial conflict and a hint as to what the next books' challenges will be as the series continues. Again, bigger than life doings with emotions wrapped in to hook a reader for the future. Nice touch. The editing was flawless and the dialogue true to character but there were some moments here and there with the interaction between April and Alexandra or even with the police that didn't quite sit right with me. I can't put a finger on it exactly

In the sixteenth century in Romania, a witch placed a curse on the Drakon family that turn each one into gargoyles. Centuries later Marius Drakon knows he is next to change unless he can earn the trust of the witch's descendent and then kill her. Twenty-nine days remain before his conversion. Marius meets reporter Alexandra and knows he must make her believe in him before he murders her. There is only one problem, he is attracted to her. She is working a child abduction case in which he joins her. When she learns who he is and what he must do, she is heartbroken as she loves him. As they trust in their love, they fight off his family who see her death as redemption and seek another way to overcome the curse. This is a great romantic urban fantasy due to the apparent star-crossed lovers as each understands the curse. The first Hearts of Stone story line is fast-paced from the moment they meet and never slows down as his days tick away. Readers will need to set aside time for this fabulous thriller as Zandria Munson provides a strong tale that means little if any nocturnal sleep. Harriet Klausner

Rating: 4.5/5 Alexandra Barret is unaware that the blood of a powerful witch runs through her veins, and that her death will free the Drakon family of a 500-year old curse. She knows there is something special about her; she posses a unique gift - the ability to see visions of both the past and future, which is helpful at her job as a newspaper reporter. Her life takes an interesting turn when a sexy, mysterious Romanian man moves into the apartment across the hall. At the same time, a great winged beast begins stalking her at night, even protecting her at times. What is this creature, and could it be connected to her curious new neighbor? Marius Drakon was sent to New York for one reason: to find Alexandra and kill her. A witch's curse forces him to be trapped in stone during the day as a gargoyle, and then transform into a winged, demon-like creature at night. But every 100 years during the Spring Equinox, instead of turning to stone during the day, Marius is able to live as a man. It is in this limited time that he must get close to Alexandra to complete the steps of the ritual that will finally free his family of the curse. What he does not expect is to find is the witch's descendant as a compassionate, strong and smart woman. As the passion between them grows, Marius realizes he cannot cause her harm. Marius soon finds himself torn between protecting Alexandra and betraying his own family. With time running out, he must find another way to break the curse before his family takes matters into their own hands. Heiress to a Curse is a suspenseful dark paranormal tale that pulls you in from the opening scene. The author's choice of a gargoyle (shifter) as the hero was original. The story is fast-paced and flowed smoothly leading up to a very exciting ending. Marius was a very intriguing character - sexy, mysterious, tortured, protective - everything a fan of paranormal romance is looking for in a hero. I really liked Alexandra and her gift of visions, which she used in a subplot trying to save a young girl from a serial killer. The subplot blended nicely into the overall story. The sensual chemistry between Marius and Alexandra builds quickly, and their erotic encounters are very hot! How is it that Marius can be sexy even in beast form? Fans of dark paranormal romances will enjoy this story. I'm looking forward to reading future books in the Hearts of Stone series.