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When Ellis Atkins travels to a village in the Adirondack Mountains, he discovers that his true heritage is cursed, which isn’t really a surprise. He carries blackness in his heart that has always existed within him. Now he lives in fear that the darkness will take over and destroy everyone around him.
David Griffid calls him with an emergency: Tima will lose their baby if they don’t get to the University Hospital in Ann Arbor—and they’re taking her sister, Kam, with them. Ellis has no choice but to travel back to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and guard the failing wards set to keep the Black Dragon held prisoner in the mine. This time, he has to do it alone, with only the help of a Siamese cat named Nala.
Not long after he arrives, Ellis feels the evil seeping from the mine, and he worries that the witch, Louhi, will get her clutches into him once again. Then David’s twin, Gwen, joins him unexpectedly, and he finds himself distracted by his love for her. Unexpected changes come upon them, and they have to fight Louhi with little knowledge of what’s happening to their bodies and minds. But they must win at all costs and perhaps destroy the Black Dragon for good.
Dragon’s Stone is another wonderful tale in the Darkness of Dragons series, which takes an unanticipated turn with new surprises that you’re going to want to uncover.
Even though Ellis is not your typical hero—and, for some reason, I kept picturing a pudgy, slightly unattractive man—he’ll still engage your senses as he fights the darkness and his attraction to Gwen. His longing for her lends a sensual element to the novel, causing you to anticipate Gwen’s surrender to him.
Filled with sensory fundamentals, Dragon’s Stone will flood you with vivid imagery of the Upper Peninsula during the winter months. I shivered with the cold and gasped for breath as dragons flew high into a frozen sky. Ms. Toombs definitely has a gift for bringing out the atmosphere in the story’s surroundings.
Though Ms. Toombs does a terrific job of filling in the back story without bogging down the novel or leaving you confused, you’ll still find yourself wanting to go back and read the other two books in the series, for the sheer pleasure of it.
Dragon’s Stone seems to be the last book in the series, making it a trilogy, but I wonder if perhaps Kam might have a story of her own. I sure would like to read it.
