Stone Kisses by Tessa Stokes is a gentle yet very sensual paranormal romance. Stella makes a trip to the garden centre, and takes a fancy to not only to a stone statue of the handsome Mercury but also to the assistant there, Justin. However, Mercury is well out of her price range but Justin sees how struck she is with the statue and so delivers it to her. An act of incredible kindness? Yes, and no. There’s an ulterior motive and a bet which involves Greek and Roman gods winning the hearts of mortals. Stella is caught up in this, but not detrimentally. She loves both the men who enter her life, even though one is a garden ornament. Little by little he becomes more than that, and the fun and adventure really begins. Mercury goes missing and it’s surprisingly tricky to find a large, lost statue.
This is a quirky and very imaginative story. Tessa Stokes has a rather understated style, so the whole story appears more simple than it is. It develops slowly but surely and the reader is pulled into this modern fantasy. We gradually learn more about our sympathetic characters and become very involved in their lives, mortal and immortal. There’s plenty of fun at the heart of this story, but there’s sadness, seriousness and real tension too at times. It’s entertaining, unique and far from predictable thanks to the author’s bright creativity. A highly enjoyable novella.