Book 3 is an adventure full of passion, secrets, action, and hot sex. When one enemy is taken out, another rises up. One who is hell bent on destroying The Stone Society. Dante Di Pietro is the New Atlanta Medical Examiner. Over 500 years old, Dante has resigned to living his life alone until he finds his mate, the pretty doctor he is working closely with at the prison. She is well aware of the fact that Dante is a Gargoyle. She herself is a half-blood who comes from the Original line of shifters. Isabelle Sarantos’ life has not been easy. When she was 12, her parents sent her to live with a foster family, hiding the truth of what she is. Now, 20 years later, Isabelle’s life has been thrown into another tailspin. Not only has she just found out she’s a half-blood shifter, but the fates have decided Isabelle is the perfect mate for the sexy Medical Examiner. Isabelle is not only guarding her heart, but a secret from her past that may take care of any feelings Dante has for her. War is closing in on The Stone Society. This is book 3 in the series. Books are best read in order.
Faith Gibson lives outside Nashville, Tennessee with the love of her life, and her four-legged best friend. She began writing in high school and over the years, penned many stories and poems.
When her dreams continued to get crazier than the one before, she decided to keep a dream journal. Many of these night-time escapades have led to a line, a chapter, and even a complete story.
When asked what her purpose in life is, she will say to entertain the masses. Even if it’s one person at a time. When Faith isn’t hard at work on her next story, she can be found reading, cooking, playing in the dirt (planting stuff) or playing with her staffy pup.
General Synopsis: This is the third book in Faith Gibson's Stone Society series. Featuring: GARGOYLE shifters!
For this review, I am using some quotes from this book, as well as the first book in the series. I also admit this synopsis includes information which contains spoilers, so please feel free to skip if you feel this might ruin your enjoyment of the book.
2014: "The Mayans got it right. Almost. The bombing of Dr. Jonas Montague’s clinic in Atlanta, Georgia by a group of religious heretics set off a chain of events that left the world in a state of de-evolution. The country was divided, literally. Bombings across America caused the underground fault lines to fissure. The result was a canyon as large as the one named Grand, splitting the US of A almost exactly in half. Civil wars broke out. Governments crumbled." - Rafael
2047 New Atlanta, GA : Life has not been easy for Dr. Isabelle Sarantos. First, her mother has to leave her at a very young age, then her father, Jonas, "dies," placing her into the foster home of family friends Maria & Rico Sanchez. Then, she has a disastrous marriage to Alexi Sarantos. The only good thing to come out of that is her son, a gifted child, Conner, whom she also has to place in the care of Maria & Rico for fear of retribution from the Sarantos family after the untimely death of her husband. Recently, she found out her whole life is based on a lie, her parents are still alive, she's part gargoyle, and oh, she has sixteen brothers and sisters spread throughout the world. Then, there is the whole mate thing, you know, where she was "supposed to put her heart in the hands of the fates, beings [she] wasn’t certain she even believed in?"
Yep, can you say understatement of the year? Then life throws another curve ball, someone takes her son . . .
Dante Di Pietro "had been complacent over the last hundred years or so, resigned to a life of being single. Now that the possibility of a family was within his grasp, he would stop at nothing to get Isabelle and Connor back to the States safely. He had to."
I ask that you check out my PO section, as I go into a little more detail on some of the reasons I really enjoy this book & series.
Characters/fu-bo list: Note: My fu-bo lists tend to be very long, which is why I have decided to start putting them under a spoiler link, but for this series, my reason for putting it under a spoiler link is explained in the PO section of my review.
Personal Opinion: Note: this is used in my previous review of Rafael, mainly because it holds true throughout the entire series. I might include additional information at the bottom, so if you have already read my ranting, please feel free to skip to the bottom to see if there is anything new. ❀.(*´◡`*)❀.
For anyone who has read my reviews in the past, you know I'm a fangirl. My fandoms keep growing, Crowley says it best!
I LOVE Gargoyles. Truth. I have been a fan since Disney's Gargoyles. In the shifter lineup, they are second in books I would love to read. Dragons of course being first, Bears now being in third, supplanted by Gargoyles because truth be told, not a lot of authors write about Gargoyles. I know E.A. Price has written a couple (and sadly, at this time, I have not read them yet, but I plan to) and Mandy M. Roth has had one in the works, but hasn't released it yet (at this time). That being said, when I first came across Faith Gibson's Gargoyle series I was super excited. How could I not be, it was like *squee* #feels #Goliath in book form ٩(*❛⊰❛)ʓਡ~❤.
So, as you can see from the very concept, I was in love with this book/series. But that is just the beginning of what I enjoy about this series. I like the concept and I have to admit I am not always a big fan of the post-apocolypse/dystopian genre, but it plays well in the world building of this series. The world might be set in 2047, but it's pretty much similar to our world now, which makes it easier to relate to I feel.
Another thing I really like about this book/series (and what I have alluded to throughout my review), is the multi-point of views this book uses to kind of give us a 3D experience while we are reading. It also allows us the reader to see where the series is heading, as in while we are reading this book, the other characters are finding their mates and their stories are beginning before we actually get a chance to pick up their book. I guess what it makes me think of is being cinematic. Things are happening on screen and off screen from what we are viewing. I do not think that is coming out correct, so let me try again. The main plot of Dante is the romance between Dante and Isabelle. They, are our protagonists, while Stavros Sarantos, Alexi’s father, & Alexi (yes, sadly he survived his "death"), and Alistair Giannopoulos & co. (please see comments below for further thoughts on them, but beware of spoilers!) are our antagonists. But, as mentioned in previous reviews, the secondary characters, while this romance is developing exists and breathes (as does the looming threat of war), just like you or I, and we as readers get to see this away from that main focus. Another thing I like is as the series progresses, we get to see the relationships from the previous books continue to grow, which I feel allows us readers to continue our kinship with those we have read and enjoyed in the past. When I was trying to come up for the word "cinematic," my mind actually said "like a soap opera," but I didn't know how to explain it in that form either, *laughing* Well, I hope you get my idea. I HIGHLY recommend checking out this series, (and as I have continued the series, I can tell you it only gets better as each book continues) and of course it's not just because they feature gargoyles. I don't know, did I tell you it features gargoyles?
So, where to begin? I have a couple of thoughts and a few opinions which I am going to address below this sentence. I am going to place them in spoiler links, so please, ONLY CLICK if you don't mind the spoiler.
Alistair Giannopoulos & co. - Alistair, is Athena's brother, and I believe she describes him best in this quote: "My brother, much like our father, is not a good King. He is a hypocritical bigot who wants nothing more than to eradicate all human life from Greece." Enough said. Big bad. I cannot wait until his head gets chopped off.; Theron, Alistair's son. Yeah, well bad news is I have read past this book & I hate him too. I won't ruin it for you anymore than that.; Now for the one that bothers me the most every time I am reading a book in this series - Kallisto, Alistair's adopted daughter. Ah, Kallisto. How to sum up Kallisto? She's the one person in your world you actually hate, and you love to hate her, to the point where you want anyone to find a bloody sword and chop off her head. Also, someone will have to tape it so you can instant replay it to death. Every time I read her name as I continue the series, my mind actually swaps out her name for "the beeatch" and usually I say, "I hope someone is going to kill her soon! She has GOT to go." Yeah, I apologize for my comments, I don't really like to be this type of person.
The "James Bond" fantasy - ok, this is a little snide, but it bugged me. Not the idea of having a fantasy revolving around James Bond, because who doesn't have at least one fantasy you want to enact following that fandom? No, it's the sex over the hood of the Aston Martin. I guess it's just I have seen basically every James Bond movie, and I've read at least one of the books, so I'm wondering how both of our protagonists have the exact same fantasy. Did I miss this scene in the movie? Was it in one of the books I didn't check out yet? I mean it's a great fantasy, but is it really James Bond?! Maybe this is just me, and if I offended anyone, I apologize. If you have the same fantasy, go for it!
Lastly, Heroine idiocy. - Am I the only one who feels frustrated when our heroine does something completely out of character for her?! Example: "Her heart was full as she thought of all the people willing to put themselves in danger for her, but this was her son. This was something she needed to do herself." [Ugh again! A strong heroine who keeps doing stupid stuff. I don't know if it's cliches or what, but I'm haunted by the horror genre stereotypes! Someone kill me or stop me from banging my head & going "doh!" again. Idiots.] I actually made this notation in the book.
What can I say, I just love the Stone Society series, not one of Ms. Gibson's books has disappointed me. They have all been over the top and this one is no exception.
I was so happy to finally read the story of Dante Chief Medical Examiner at the Morgue, he has found his fated mate after hundreds of years thinking he'd never find her.. She is non other then Isabelle, Tessa his brother Gregor's mate's cousin and the new Doctor at the Pen, but how is he supposed to concentrate on work with her so close?
Dante is a very easy going, laid back Gargoyle who even meditates. But don't let that fool you, he can kick some butt too and he plans on doing just that to protect his fated mate. Whatever is in her past he doesn't care, all he cares about is protecting her from whatever evil is out there.
Isabelle is still so scarred from her past that she finds it very hard to accept that Dante is her fated mate, but that tingle she feels every time he is near is very real. It's getting to be very hard for her, why doesn't he just grab her, or do something?
Meanwhile she gets a blast from the past and it's not good. The Stone Society is her new family and they will help her, Dante will help her if it means his life.
So much emotion in this story, I could not put the book down, it just pulled me in, the anger, hate, discovery, love and passion are indescribable. I became very emotional while reading this story. You just have to read it to know what I mean
Kudos Ms. Gibson. I Loved it!
I was gifted this book by the author for an honest review.
The chemistry was lacking with Izzy and Dante tbh. Dante and Connor had more chemistry I found there connection interesting. I think Dante and Isabelle need a second book so we can get to know the beyond the surface.
Dante is the third book in the Stone Society series by Faith Gibson, and I think this is my favorite one to date. I really enjoyed the writing style and the pace of the storyline. There is drama, action, hot sex, and several “awwww” moments that brought tears to my eyes.
Dante is the local medical examiner, and yes, he’s a Gargoyle. Isabelle has only recently learned that she is a shifter as well, but she’s a half-blood. The fates have decided that these two are meant to be mated. However, what happens when secrets from the past come back to life? Can Isabelle open her heart up once again and allow Dante and his Clan to help her?
I have to admit that I never thought that I would be such a fan of a paranormal series. However, Faith Gibson pulls me further in with each book. She gives just enough backstory of other characters that it leaves you excited for more books. Not to mention, she also doesn’t leave out the characters from the previous books. They are all intricately woven together in a flawless manner which just adds so much depth and emotion to the current storyline.
I give Dante 5 stars and I can’t wait to see where this series goes next.
*I received this book as an ARC for an honest review.
Love this series can not put these books down. Love gargoyles and to have books to read about these wonderful strong winged handsome gargoyle men is so exciting, fresh and new. Really enjoying this series so much. Thank you for writing them.
I've read through book 5 and they go downhill after this one. They get less interesting. Isabelle is my favorite FMC through book 5. I like Sophie, too. She's in book 5. It's hard to say which of the MMCs is my favorite. Other than their skills, they are too similar to one another. Although Dante does show the most romance but I think it was more circumstances than personality. He had time to actually date Isabelle. But even with that, there was very little romance in this book.
The first book was so overwhelming between learning so many characters and having so many different POVs. I think it would have been better to have used the first book as an introduction to the world and characters and limited the POVs to 4 at most. And waited for so many of them to find their mates. I don't think there is another book where so many mates are found but more than one is found in all 5 so far. I do like that we've had time to get familiar with Dante and Isabelle before this book.
I also like that none of the books is a cutter cutter of another one. The relationship situations are all different. This book and the next may be the most similar but they are still noticeably different.
The best part of this book is the bond between Dante and Connor, Isabelle's son from her marriage to a human. Connor is a really awesome and special 6 year old.
The villains in this book don't make much sense and their behavior isn't consistent with what we know about them. Actually, I think that is the case with a lot of the characters in the entire series. She doesn't keep them true to themselves. There are two main sets of villains. One set is a father and son. Given past behavior, the father is the scarier one but his behavior as it applies to our characters is really not that bad. It isn't good but it could have been so much worse.
The other set of villains are confusing. Their motivation is supposedly explained but it doesn't make a lot of sense and I assumed there will be more to it than we know. We also learn about them individually in a kind of confusing manner. This set of villains isn't caught in this book or in 4 or 5. And their behavior in those books is just as nonsensical. Actually, book 4 has very little to do with the underlying story.
These books really are not that well written. The plots are mostly reasonable and the world she builds is mostly good. I wish we knew more about the supernatural world in general. They do say there are other types of shifters but not what kinds and none are in the books. All of the mates are either human or half breeds. It would be cool to have another type of shifter as a mate. The books could be so much better. I even think the author is capable of making them a lot better.
The first step would be re-writing them in first person and identifying each chapter as to whose POV it is. 2rd person makes these type books unnecessarily wordy. She needs a better editor. There are a lot of grammatical errors. There is fluff that needs to be replaced with more meet. And one of the biggest things is less literary license needs to be taken. For example, the way she writes the police department working is so very far from reality a twelve year old could probably give her pointers. Sure, this is a "new" post-apocalyptic type world (almost) but the police would still have structure. When the police department wants to promote a beat cop to detective, they just have to submit an essay and a couple of people at the top review them and make a choice. No detectives test or training. When Jasper started in one of the previous books, he was automatically hired as a detective even though he had no experience and hadn't even gone through the basic police training program. This is far from the only example.
There are other things, too, where it was clear she just didn't want to take the time to properly research or write in detail. Book 5 is really bad about that. Perhaps she is rushing these books out too fast?
I love how all the clan members come together to solve the problem and have the backs of mates before they are mated and their families. Some reviewers have compared it loosely to BDB. I can see that but it is much less intense, formal, and strict. The king is shown only a fraction of the reverence as in BDB. And there is a king for every country. Well, maybe not every one.
If you liked books 1 and 2, you will probably like this book but possibly not books 4 or 5.
This book had everything that I love to read in a book; it had fast-paced action, some sex scenes, the familial ties& the good vs bad plot.
Dante is the M.E. for New Atlanta & from the 1st moment that he met Isabelle he knew she was his mate; Isabelle however, didn't as she never knew that there were shifters/gargoyles in the world. Isabelle finds out when she starts to transition as she is a 1/2 blood gargoyle.
Isabelle was previously married; but had thought her husband to be dead as he had fallen overboard while on the family ship (after he had slapped her several times). After she left Greece she had felt sick & took a pregnancy test finding out that she was pregnant; after she had her son, Connor & as she didn't want her deceased husband's family to find out about Connor she kept him hidden but visited him on most weekends.
This book has many things going on but, you can still keep up the the story & how the Clan works together to help not only getting Isabelle back from being kidnapped but also Connor.
I will definitely be reading the next book in this series later today.
Showcasing the beauty of family of both blood and choosing
Isabelle, an immunologist and newly hired physician for the Pen, finds herself drawn to Dante, full-blood gargoyle and the medical examiner, after meeting him at the Pen and has just barely learned the truth of her heritage from when she found her brother Dane. As the story progresses things go slow at first, miscommunication causes a few false alarms, and when the going gets tough they both learn the truth of the meaning of family. Faith Gibson brings the world to a standstill in Dante showcasing the beauty of family of both blood and choosing. This family will bring the reader to their knees with all the Alpha males showing their feelings freely.
I prefered this book compared witht he previous one, however one thing really annoyed me reason one i removed a starDante said very quicly that Connor is his -which is great and fine with me- so who would decide to first save his woman/mate before saving his child??? He explicitly said in the book, he would first save his mate and worry after about saving Connor... WTF! I am not even a mother yet but as a human, if i was in danger, i would prefer anyone to go save a child -any child even if it wasn't mine- before me! I am an adult and it's a child!!
An also, the amount of se those two have had during Connor's kidnapping... come one! You're child is missing!!
This book is exhilarating and moving. There are also a few sad moments. I can't wait to read more stories about this strong family! Isabelle and Dante know that they are mates. They decided to take things slow because of issues in Isabelle's past. They work together on an antidote for the Unholy that the last doctor was trying to make in the prison. Things escalate as they discover that Isabel has a son and he has been kidnapped. The Di Pietro family works together to try to find her son Connor. Isabelle decides to go on her own and gets kidnapped also. So now the Di Pietro's have to not only find Connor but Isabel also.
I'll actually review the book this time since I went on a rant about the lack of diversity in PNR for the last one. This series would be a lot better if the subplots were more fully developed, and her characters more well rounded. For example, Dante is supposed to like to be dominated in the bedroom. Where was that? Those few instances of Isabelle being assertive is not domination. Nice series, but the author breezes through any possible action, complex dramatic moments, or intimacy.
Dante is book 3 in the series and can be read as a stand alone but is better if read in order, that way you can get the full background of the other characters. Dante and Isabella where mentioned in previous books but the focus is on them in this one. The story line is great and these two characters are awesome together one more passive while the other a little more aggressive. As with the other books of the series there is plenty of action, suspense a few steamy moments. I would recommend this book.
I've loved every.single.one of this series, however this might be my favorite one so far. I'm not going to give any spoilers, but it's so good! I really love how Faith Gibson really let's us get to know the characters. Not just appearance, but personalities. I LOVE the characters of this series! I've literally been reading these books straight through. Is sleep really that important? 😉
I loved the story of Dante and Isabelle it was a very good read. This is another great book in the Stone Society Series. Faith really captured detail after detail with all of her characters in this book. I have to say that this book kept me entertained from the beginning till the last word. I would recommend this book to readers who love a good book with lots of family members. Way to go Faith Gibson I can't wait to read the next book in this series.
Well I'm onto book 4 now. I said I wasn't going to start another series where I would have to keep buying or waiting for the next one BUT the first one peeked my I interest and now I've been sucked in. I love the story line, the interaction of the characters in each book. So I will continue with the series to the which at the monument numbers 9. So worth read!!
Dante is unsure and timid with Isabelle. Isabelle is afraid to let anyone close. As her story unfolds you see a woman alone. Untrusting. She has excellent reasons for it. Dante tends to be a little too unsure of himself at times but I love how much he embraces his family. I can't wait to see how Nadler fixes his situation.
I couldn't put this book down. I read it at one sitting a few times I was going to go do something but as much as I tried to put book down I couldn't! This is the 3rd book ready for the 4th book. There are several mysteries per the books in this series. Trust me NEVER a dull moment! Read the description in Amazon. I don't want to give anything away!!!!!!
I read first 2 books and felt i needed a break from this series. Came back to it 6+months later and it felt new again. Kinda slow burn, but good. I enjoyed it and did not felt skipping. I wish there were less third POV and realationships forming, that it would only be about one couple at the time.
The beginning of this book has Isabelle with brain fart-itis Shes a great doctor, coming up with a serum to fix the previous doctors mad scientist experiments one minute, then flipping out about Tessa, Dante, and her parents get a slowdown in a fancy restaurant. Then everything wicked starts happening and things go sideways a few times. Action!
I can't stop reading this series, I am having a hard time putting the books away. Dante was funny, and exciting. Faith Gibson sure does know how to keep you coming back for more.
This was the third story in this series and it was very very good! I have enjoyed all of these stories and can't wait to read the next book. This one had some great twists to the plot and the characters are always fantastic.
Dante and Isabella, love their story. I have never been into this genre, until the series. Each one just gets better and better. I love this authors writing style. Recommend this and all her books. Love it.
The 1st book was good and they keep getting better. I love a series that includes previous characters and has interaction with children. I also love same sex couples finding love. So all in all good mix. I am enjoying the read.
I liked it. We discovered more about the plot against the stone society. Dante is something else. I liked the change. I'll say nothing more or it would be spoil. My only bad point is that Dante and Isabelle are so serious! I missed Tessa's fun with Isabelle. Still love the serie.