So I just finished the book like 2 minutes ago an I'm stunned. This was a really well written story. But I have to say, there was TO MUCH inspiration from other books, specifically Fifty Shades. I was seeing a lot of these similarities from the beginning towards the 60% point, but after that I saw some originality. But that didn’t mean I didn’t want to make her my wife.She exemplified the triskelion, representing my past, my present, and my future.Without her, I am nothing.

He wasn’t supposed to be there when I fell. I wasn’t supposed to get lost in a sea of sapphire blue when he helped me up. And he wasn’t supposed to be Alexander Stone, the New York billionaire real estate tycoon. Dakota Willink is an Award-Winning USA Today Bestselling Author. She loves writing about damaged heroes who fall in love with sassy and independent females. Her books are character-driven, emotional, and sexy, yet written with a flare that keeps them real. With a wide range of published books, a magazine publication, and the Leave Me Breathless World under her belt, Dakota's imagination is constantly spinning new ideas. Holy Hot DAYUUMMM!! I just met my new dominant!! This book had it all!! An awesome hero and our dom Alex Stone and strong willed heroine Krystinna Cole. I crave this book everyday to get my hands on Mr Stone!! The summary actually does a good job of nailing down the premise of the book. It’s to the point, capturing the essence of Krystina and Alexander’s story. If only the book had been the same. Otherwise, I actually loved this couple. They were like my jam. I like sweet heroines who are soft in character (not weak doormats) and heroes who want to protect and provide for the heroine. I found both of these with Krystina and Alexander. I enjoyed that what Alex initially meant to be an occasional thing a few nights a week suddenly became a need to have her with him always. That right there…more jam.Krystina is a recent graduate who, now needing to secure employment, is currently working in a store. It's in that store that she first comes face to face with Alexander Stone. A businessman and entrepreneur, he is a property investor stepping in to save the family business where Krys works. After an embarrassing first introduction, for Krys, Stone sees something in her innocence and beauty that makes him question his beliefs about relationships. Krystina Cole is a recent college graduate living in NYC & is determined to be independent. She has struggle to find a job since graduation that will utilize her education. Alexander Stone is a NYC real estate billionaire who is set in his way. Alexander is completed intrigued with Krystina from the first time they met. He finds himself attracted to her in a way that he has never been before. Alexander wants to have a casual relationship with Krystina & introduce her into his world. He is aware that she is naive but he cannot help wanting her. And he is a man that is use to getting what he wants. But Krystina is not what he expects & she has him bending his own rules to make accommodations for her. They both find themselves unexpectedly in a battle of tug of war. He wants more, seeing her as someone who could be a long term commitment. She wants to keep it casual, so she doesn't fall & lose herself. But what is truly keeping them at an impasse is the secrets they keep from each other. Neither of them knowing how to trust or be honest about their pasts make it impossible to move beyond the pain that hold each of them in its grip. When Krystina is exposed to understand Alexander's needs & her past collide at the same time, she is left questioning what she really wants. Author Dakota Willink bravely takes on the world of BDSM in Heart of Stone, her début novel. As Krystina knows nothing of this world, Willink uses Krystina’s introduction to the Dom/sub relationship as a primer for readers new to the BDSM lifestyle. She doesn’t do a bad job, familiarizing readers with both the physical and emotional aspects of it. But, just like with Anastasia in Fifty Shades of Grey, Krystina is not a true sub…and the similarities to FSoG don’t end there.

I supposed every honeymoon period had an expiration date, and it seemed as if Alexander and I had reached the end of our bliss. It had my heart pounding and aching all the same time. I was bewildered by Mr Stone in such ways that he was willing to be a different Dom than he normally all for this one girl girl. Their secrets divide them up, their passion fires their soul and their attraction becomes an addiction. I give this book five stars of awesomeness. Wow! Talk about a powerful erotic drama, this book is it. I like the smooth pace. The writer maintained an easy storyline of unrequited love. Romance. Hot and steamy sex scenes. Intense conversations and heart wrenching decisions. The writer was able to hold my attention from beginning to end. I like that she kept elevating the drama higher in each chapter of the book. I had dreams and aspirations, none of which included a man by my side. Been there, done that. Then I forgot my cellphone, and all of my carefully laid plans went to hell. These narrators did an exceptional job! Both were able to switch smoothly from male pov to female pov without a disruption in my enjoyment of the story. Jeffrey’s voice was exactly as I would imagine Alexander’s to be and he brought the character to full dominate life. Lacy’s voice was sweet, innocent and perfect for the uncertain and confused Krystina. When emotion was called for both of these narrators allowed their voices to flow with the full depth of characterization. I could not have asked for better rendering than this duo.As time went on, she would further her brand as an author, finding what it was that she wanted to say in the field of romance. She would also become outspoken on a number of different subjects, from feminism to politics, always making her voice heard. Currently living in New York, she spends her summers with her family on the Great Lakes, always looking for her next big idea. Setting herself apart from other writers in her field, she really does have a unique voice that stands out from the rest. This idiosyncratic style of hers has allowed her to make some innovative and creative interpretations of the romantic genre format. Using this approach, readers are left not quite knowing what to expect from her and her work, giving it a really distinctive perspective. Leading the way with her character-driven stories, she pushes the boundaries at every chance she can get, making her work extremely exciting. But the shadows of my past haunted me, making me afraid to explore the possibilities I could never before have imagined. I saw the dark promises in his eyes when he looked at me. But the shadows of my past haunted me, making me afraid to explore the possibilities I could never before have imagined. Every once in awhile you take a chance on a new author and that author goes on to show why we should never dismiss people stepping into the world of writing. For me, Dakota Willink is such an author. Her debut novel, Heart of Stone, is a book that showed me that new authors can be as equally talented writers and informative narrators as the more experienced authors we know and trust.

Although this book is reminiscent of others currently on the market, the writing style makes it an altogether refreshing change. There is a developing story which made me warm to the main characters immediately and with their connection came a special story which underpinned the essence of the book.Welcome to Shh... [Smut, Heroes & HEAs], a reader group dedicated to contemporary Romance & Erotica. I saw the dark promises in his eyes when he looked at me. But the shadows of my past haunted me, making me afraid to explore the possibilities I could never before have imagined. The plot was ok. If I had to rate the plot alone I would rate the plot a 3.5. Again, originality is key when writing a book. But what really got me was the outcome of the characters. If you want to know what outcome I'm talking about, your just gonna have to read the book! The one thing I love is that you can completely relate to the heroine. Krystinna is your average college graduate with marketing degree with no prospect of utilizing her degree while working in a grocery store, yes ladies in a grocery store! How much real can that get?!?! Meeting an investor due to financial woes of Wallys Grocery Store all things Krystinna would never do again has been completely chipped away piece by piece. And an offer she can refused lands on her lap or does she land in the lap on Mr. Stone?!?! In realistic position I was also excited how close this is to my Home town and yes I heard of Clifton Park.. 15 mins from where I live. I had such a true connection with the characters and how they were plotted into this story.

OMG! What a book!!!! My review will not do this book justice and I apologize in advance!! I FLOVED this book!! I have read 50 shades and loved it, and this book was as sexual as that, but to me, this was 50 shades on steroids! The best part is this is book 1!!!! He wasn't supposed to be there when I fell. I wasn't supposed to get lost in a sea of sapphire blue when he helped me up. And he wasn't supposed to be Alexander Stone, the New York billionaire real estate tycoon. She was the angel who guided me to salvation, lighting up all the places inside me that had been dark for most of my life. Krystina Cole was a girl on a mission. She had big dreams and aspirations, none of which included a man by her side. She knew better than that – at least until she met Alexander Stone, the New York billionaire real estate tycoon. She saw the way that he looked at her, and the dark promises in his eyes. She was curious about his world and all that it entailed. But the shadows of her past haunted her, making her afraid to explore possibilities that she could never before have imagined… I LOVED but hated the ending of this book! I say I loved it because it was unexpected. I say I hated it because I wanted the characters to have a different ending than this one, but I'll take it! Honestly this last part of the story added a couple stars onto my rating. Not many authors can write a good, well written cliffhanger and the author did that.

Continuing the story of Alexander and Krystina, this sees them both dealing with several years of marriage and the obstacles to overcome. With Krystina trying to become pregnant, this is set in real-time, as they both face the pandemic’s effects. Feeling trapped by Alexander, Krystina learns that there are things going on with the foundation. What exactly is going on, will Krystina ever become pregnant, and how will things come to pass as they hope for a wishing stone? The writer didn’t put mundane dialogue or drama. She kept the storyline focused around Alexander and Krystina. I liked that she wrote the story to where it was written like a believable story. I liked that the writer did her research on the subplot to the story. Having did the research, helped me as the reader relate to the characters and understanding the situations that they where placed in. Her first series would go on to be translated into five different languages, and she is constantly being recognized for various awards. This acclaim has seen her become a bestselling novelist, and she also writes under the name of Marie Christy for several different projects. She is an outspoken member of the literary community, contributing to different outlets, such as the ‘Blunder Woman Productions’ project. Just to put this out there, I love Allyson! She's my new bestie because I just adore her. This is what a real girl-friends looks like! Lol