Stone Cold Seduction (Set in Stone, #1)

Oct 31, 2011 Dahlia (yadkny) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Paranormal & UF Lovers

Shelves: favorites

What’s a girl to do when some want you dead and some want you alive, but you’re not even sure who you are anymore? Well one thing’s for certain, knowledge is definitely power.

Elleodora (Elle) Fredrick’s might seem like a small-time soap shop keeper in a big city, but that’s just barely touching the surface to who she really is. By night, she is a thief determined to steal from the man who made her young life hell for two weeks every year. Her independence was hard-won and so she takes from him...more What’s a girl to do when some want you dead and some want you alive, but you’re not even sure who you are anymore? Well one thing’s for certain, knowledge is definitely power.

Elleodora (Elle) Fredrick’s might seem like a small-time soap shop keeper in a big city, but that’s just barely touching the surface to who she really is. By night, she is a thief determined to steal from the man who made her young life hell for two weeks every year. Her independence was hard-won and so she takes from him and gives back to the families who were made to suffer while in her his employ.

On what was to be a night like any other while burglarizing her father’s property turns into a night of unimagined discovery where mythical creatures are no longer myth. Elle’s sadistic father is revealed as the shadow elf king making her the royal heir to the shadow elf throne. Unfortunately, no one told her any of this until now when latent abilities start to manifest. Turns out, she’s an anomaly to everyone and only receiving her official fate reading can provide answers.

A dangerous journey to Scotland is in order to find a fate-reading oracle that has first hand knowledge of Elle’s fate, but before this “Dorothy” can leave for “Oz”, she’ll be taking a few people with her. A quirky oracle of a best friend, a sexy gargoyle bodyguard, and a fever-inducing phoenix. Since nothing ever comes quite so easy for Elle, she’ll also have to avoid being caught by hunters out to collect her dead or alive thanks to her father and do battle with her father’s nightmarish goons. And if that wasn’t enough, suppressed memories from her formative years are starting to pop up revealing enlightening truths, but even scarier revelations. Who is Elleodora Fredrick’s and what is her fate? Once found, her fate will change everything.

I am in love with Ms. Macallan’s writing! She completely had me seduced by the first page of this entertaining, action-packed story. Her writing is fluid and easily imagined where complexities of world-building could have become confusing.

Elle's voice is strong and comes across with such clarity. Her flashbacks were brilliantly timed and placed in the story as to not overwhelm, but leave the reader craving more. Elle’s a unique and memorable heroine with her cat-burglary and strong aversion to violence. The start to her journey is a bumpy one, but her growth thus far is tremendous and I quite like how she doesn’t give in too easily to anything and above all continues to fight for her independence. Fate or no fate, she lays many burdens heavily on her own shoulders and remains determined to avenge those who have been wronged by her father. Ms. Macallan has created a very admirable and likable heroine indeed!

“When you are ready,” he interrupted, “I would like you to call me ‘love.’ Until then, Jax is fine.”

That’s right ladies, get ready to fall in love with a gargoyle! Jaxon West is protective, possessive, strong, perceptive, not to mention insanely gorgeous, and almost indestructible. When it comes to Elle, Jax always seems to know what to say and what she needs sometimes even before she does. He never pressures her more than she is willing to give him and will wait for as long as it takes her to accept this new part of her life. In other words, Jax is perfect. Well now, we shouldn’t get too far ahead of ourselves because there is another candidate in the race to win Elle’s heart with a slight advantage over the competition. Beware of the phoenix! I have a feeling he may steal some of the show in the next book.

A phenomenal first installment to the Set in Stone series! Even in the aftermath of having read the final page to the story, I am still in awe over all that happened in what seemed to be a blink of an eye. I am spellbound and anxiously wait until the next chapter of Elleodora's journey begins. The next showdown is bound to be even more heart-stopping and adrenaline-inducing than the first and I find myself already addicted. Ms. Macallan is officially on my author’s-to-watch-for list and I am excited to share such incredible talent with others who are readers of the paranormal romance and urban fantasy genres.

Review also posted @ Night Owl Reviews(less)

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Jul 19, 2011 Brooke Moss rated it 5 of 5 stars

Excellent read. I am extremely picky with my fantasy/UF books that I read, as I am not typically a fan. But this book had enough sass, wit, and realism to suck me in. The main character, Elle, is as believable as my own BFF, with her sardonic humor and lack of confidence, and the hero character? Jax? Oy, a very tasty treat. This is a highly recommended read for anyone who enjoys urban fantasy, OR for someone looking to dabble. If you are considering trying out an urban fantasy for the first time...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Tania rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 0-blogged

Elle is the daughter of a particularly nasty man who happens to be the King of the Shadow Elves. She has suffered through an abusive childhood and has had major portions of her memory stripped away. Stuff happens, she gets together with a gargoyle, finds out she has powers and that her father has been withholding her fate from her. Yeah, fates get written down on bits of paper in this world. Oh, and perhaps most importantly – she was engaged to a phoenix when she was young. For three quarters of...more

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Nov 06, 2011 Sharon rated it 4 of 5 stars

http://ismellsheep.blogspot.com/2011/...

Jess has crated a new and captivating world full of Shadow/Light Elves, Oracles, Phoenixes :swooning: and Gargoyles :swooning yet, again. This is the first book in the Set In Stone trilogy. I am a big fan of trilogies because you get a complex story with closure in sight. The second and third books come out March and April 2012 so there isn’t a long wait and considering the cliff hanger on this one I am glad.

The story is fast paced at breakneck speed, but...more http://ismellsheep.blogspot.com/2011/...

Jess has crated a new and captivating world full of Shadow/Light Elves, Oracles, Phoenixes :swooning: and Gargoyles :swooning yet, again. This is the first book in the Set In Stone trilogy. I am a big fan of trilogies because you get a complex story with closure in sight. The second and third books come out March and April 2012 so there isn’t a long wait and considering the cliff hanger on this one I am glad.

The story is fast paced at breakneck speed, but it is at the expense of creating characters without much depth. In the case of this story I didn’t mind so much because it is so entertaining! The main character, Elle, thinks she is just an ordinary girl until she starts to exhibit some unusual abilities. She finds out her memories have been tampered with and she is actually the daughter of the Shadow Elf King and in a whole lot of trouble. I love Elle’s attitude. She is written with just the right amount of clever snarkiness.

Now let’s talk about smoldering alpha males (you knew I would). Elle is being pursued by two OMG perfect lovers. First there is Jax, a gargoyle shifter. Gargoyles serve the Shadow Elves. Who knew they could be so sexy? When Jax turns to stone he is more like a smooth Greek statue that is just as flexible as his human form, but can crush you without much effort. He can also turn specific *parts of himself to stone at will (hubba, hubba). Elle is his fated mate and he will have you swooning with the way he loves her, but he has some very dark secrets that Elle might not be able to forgive.

Enter, MacLean. He is a Phoenix shifter and they serve the Light Elves. Elle is also his fated mate (I know, lucky damn girl) and she was once engaged and very much in love with him, but her evil father has stolen all her memories of this supernatural world she is part of and sent her to live as a human. Elle has fallen in love with Jax, but her memories of MacLean start to come back. This is setting up a tumultuous love triangle that will leave someone with a broken heart. The author has said Elle will end up picking one over the other by the end of the trilogy and that the one who is dumped will get his own story, hopefully with a HEA! At this point I want her to pick Jax, but I think MacLean will shine in the next book leaving the reader and Elle with a very difficult choice.

This is quick, light, entertaining reading with all the right PNR and Urban Fantasy elements and is well worth your time.(less)

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Jan 25, 2013 Julia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, arcs, romance, urban, dropbox

STONE COLD SEDUCTION establishes the start of a new series, and it is a mixed bag to begin with. Elle seems to move backwards throughout the book, starting out as a leather-clad cat-burglar robbing her father to help his victims, and ending up as a victim herself. While there is obvious potential for her to grow into her birthright, Elle's resistance and anger is her own worst enemy in book one. Even her love life is hard to get excited about, as the two handsome, charming, and wonderful men in...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Paranormal Haven rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews-by-ronnie-guest-reviewer

2.5 stars

I picked up Jess Macallan’s Stone Cold Seduction thinking that it sounded like a good mesh of UF and PNR, plus it included elves! I’m a huge lover of elves, one of my top favorite series of all-time has an elf heroine. Unfortunately, the book itself has more clichés than you can shake a stick at.

Elledora Fredricks makes her living by selling perfumed soaps at her shop while stealing from her rich, evil father at night. She’s at her father’s estate, in the middle of a “job”, when she run...more 2.5 stars

I picked up Jess Macallan’s Stone Cold Seduction thinking that it sounded like a good mesh of UF and PNR, plus it included elves! I’m a huge lover of elves, one of my top favorite series of all-time has an elf heroine. Unfortunately, the book itself has more clichés than you can shake a stick at.

Elledora Fredricks makes her living by selling perfumed soaps at her shop while stealing from her rich, evil father at night. She’s at her father’s estate, in the middle of a “job”, when she runs into one of her employees, Jaxon West. Precariously perched on a ledge of eight inches, we’re treated to Elle ogling Jax as if she’s run into him on the street. After nearly being discovered out on the ledge by her former tormenter and father’s right hand man, Luke, Elle beats a hasty retreat. When Elle returns home, Jax starts badgering her with questions about her abilities and her best friend, Teryl shows up conveniently for certain revelations to be made. We come to find out that Elle is the daughter of the Shadow elf King and she shares certain abilities that her father possesses.

I will say this, the book reads very easily. The dialogue flows, there’s humor and interesting creatures other than elves to be found in Stone Cold Seduction. My problems stem from the clichés that pop up throughout the story. The newfound (and growing) powers that Elle accepts pretty much without question, the men that want her, and the dastardly father that would like his own daughter dead. I would’ve liked to have seen more development with her and Jax rather than her just jumping into bed with him, but that’s my preference as a reader, not so much a flaw with the narrative.

Elle is tasked with finding a particular oracle and learning about her fate. Along with going to Scotland on her quest, she is also avoiding the hunters that are out there looking for her. Elle has inadvertently been stealing souls that are locked inside various articles and jewels, and she’s wanted by the King of the Shadow Elves, the gargoyles, and assorted otherworldly creatures. She has to deal with Teryl and Jax keeping pertinent information from her at the time when she needs it the most.

I appreciated the flashbacks of the memories with her father, I wish there had been more of them included throughout the book. It gave me a better picture of her father and how she came to despise him, but the glimpses that I saw were few and far between. The pacing throughout the novel is pretty well done, and I can see how this would appeal to many fans of urban fantasy and paranormal romance, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me.
- Ronnie(less)

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Mar 16, 2013 My Book Addiction and More MBA rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

STONE COLD SEDUCTION had me hooked from the very beginning. The first chapter had me invested in Elle’s story and the mysterious Jax. Elle handles the incredible revelation that she and those around her are not at all what she thought with amazing grace and an ability at adjust and accept. This isn’t to say it’s all easy for her. As you would expect, the changes are a lot to take and hard for Elle but she fights through it all until she is able to step up and accepts the challenges of her fate....more

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Dec 04, 2011 Marlene rated it 4 of 5 stars

When first we meet our heroine, Elleodora Fredricks, she is in the process of burgling her sperm donor's office building. As the story opens, Elle only thinks the jerk is spawn of Satan. By the time the book ends, Elle realizes he might actually be a demon. Or the next nearest thing.

Stone Cold Seduction by Jess Macallan opens with a kick-ass female Robin Hood clinging to the side of a high-rise in a catsuit. If our heroine had only thought her evil dad was just the usual corporate variety of evi...more When first we meet our heroine, Elleodora Fredricks, she is in the process of burgling her sperm donor's office building. As the story opens, Elle only thinks the jerk is spawn of Satan. By the time the book ends, Elle realizes he might actually be a demon. Or the next nearest thing.

Stone Cold Seduction by Jess Macallan opens with a kick-ass female Robin Hood clinging to the side of a high-rise in a catsuit. If our heroine had only thought her evil dad was just the usual corporate variety of evil, this would have been an interesting enough premise. But...

Elle has some serious memory issues, because Dear-Old-Dad isn't just your typical corporate badass. Dad is the King of the Shadow Elves, and Elle feels like Alice tripping down the proverbial rabbit hole as all of her friends start revealing everything King Dad, AKA "the sperm donor" has deleted from her memory. It's one of his powers that she has also been made to forget.

But now, Dad is after her, along with his goon squad. And so are all the other powers in his "Shadow World". Because Elle hasn't been stealing mere baubles like she thought she was. She's been stealing something much more important. She's been stealing "soul gems", an item, and a concept, she didn't even know existed a few days ago.

And her friends, her "crew" who have been helping her? They're not who they seem either. Her best friend Teryl turns out to be an oracle. And the new man in her life, Jax? He answered an ad for a stockroom clerk at her store. But he's really a gargoyle. Now he says he's her fated mate.

And what's this fate thing all about? Elle isn't sure she believes in this destiny thing. A few days ago, she was happy running her custom perfume store, trying to right some of the wrongs her dad did. Now, not just her life but also her entire universe has turned upside down.

And in the middle of it all, a man from her past returns. And guess what? Not only is MacLean a phoenix, but he is also her fated mate. What's a girl to do?

Verdict: I really liked the Elle who was clinging to that building. The catburglar Elle was fantastic! But the more Elle finds out about herself and her lineage, the more she retreats into her 17-year old self, and that person is in a really bad place. I want to see Elle get her mojo back, and that's not going to happen until the next book.

Because this is a series (Stone Cold Seduction is the first book of Set in Stone) I will say I liked Elle enough to want to see what she does next. At the end, I could see that she was starting to get her own back. Good on her.

At the end, Elle got to see her fate, and she has not one, but two fated mates, and it is her choice which one to pick. I'm looking forward to watching her make both men grovel in the next book!

Escape Rating: B in anticipation of Elle getting her groove back in the next book.(less)

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Nov 05, 2011 Rachel Firasek rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

You ever read a book and afterwords think, "Whoa? What did I just read?"

Well, that's exactly what happened with me when I read Stone Cold Seduction. I'll admit that I normally like a stronger heroine, but there is something steadfast hidden beneath the loveable Elle. I can't explain it, but she's "real" in a way that some heroines don't come across. We all have fears that we can't explain and Elle has some definite issues, but that's okay, that's what makes her awesome.

Then there are the two m...more

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Oct 15, 2011 Jules rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sent-4-review, reviewed

Stone Cold Seduction is a fun start to a great new series ~ Set in Stone. Jess Macallan has created a lovely cast of characters and an interesting setting for their adventures. She has pretty much smashed the "rules" of what readers have come to expect with the "normal" paranormal novels.

Well, I have to say that I was completely taken with the heroine Elle. She's funny, snarky and compassionate. She's also very much her own woman. Where her upbringing should have crushed her, it only made her i...more

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Sep 27, 2011 Stacey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley, kindle

Full Review: Elle is happy running her organic soap shop by day and stealing priceless artifacts from her father at night. She’s got a hot male employee who catches her in the act of stealing, but rather than turn her in, he helps her get away! Turns out Jax is not human, but neither is Elle, she just didn’t know it yet. Dad is an evil master manipulator who deserves to be punished.

I am not one to start new series anymore; I hate waiting for the next one and prefer to read them all in one fell...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Larissa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Previously Published on my blog: Welcome to Larissa's Bookish Life

*NO Spoilers

Ok, so thanks to Jess Macallan, Gargoyles are HOT! LOL

But let me rewind a bit. More often than not I find myself fairly entertained by a novel and a couple really weird plot points away of giving up, when the author turns it all around and makes me thoroughly enjoy a book.

This is exactly what happened with Stone Cold Seduction for me. Elle is a pretty interesting heroine, but the discrepancies in her attitudes and pers...more

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Sep 18, 2011 Jody rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, demi-gods-mythology, fairies, favorite-series, soulmates-fated-love, special-abilities

Elleodora Fredricks has always known her Dad was evil and in fact that is what lead her start stealing precious artifacts from him in the first place. Elle has always felt the need to correct the wrongs he has done by selling his stolen property and giving the money to the victims of his evil temper. Then while narrowly escaping from her latest heist, Elle finds out she is being to show powers such as shadowing because her father is the King of the Shadow Elves. With the help of her best guy fri...more

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Aug 15, 2011 Sareh rated it 5 of 5 stars

So I guess this is one of those things I've seen on other blogs where the post title is usually something like In My Mailbox. But I'm just gonna call it a review as I would do with normal books. I have signed up with a website called Netgallery where you can request to read and review books before they are out. And because I'm suppose to get the review for the books out before they're actually published, I'm going to post my reviews for these requested books first before I get to my regular book...more
So I guess this is one of those things I've seen on other blogs where the post title is usually something like In My Mailbox. But I'm just gonna call it a review as I would do with normal books. I have signed up with a website called Netgallery where you can request to read and review books before they are out. And because I'm suppose to get the review for the books out before they're actually published, I'm going to post my reviews for these requested books first before I get to my regular books. Anyways....

So the title is kinda sketch I know, but it's an adult book. Yes, I, a teenager, read adult books. One of the reasons I picked up this book was that it's fantasy and has elves and the like in it. I'm interested in pretty much anything that has elves in it.

Writing: I enjoyed the writing style in this book. I thought it was good and I saw a few words here and there I had to look up because I wasn't sure what they meant. The story's PoV is in first person, present tense, which I enjoy reading. I have seen a lot of books in first person but not a lot of them are in present tense. I also thought that Macallan keeps up the tense well throughout the rest of the book.

Plot: While romance is certainly a strong theme in this book, as is the much overused love triangle, I enjoyed that Macallan didn't make it the center of the book. I enjoyed following Elle in her quest to retrieve her fate. I thought that there was enough tension and a sense of urgency to keep me reading and guessing. There were bits of mystery in this story that made it exciting. And the plot twists were great too, I never saw most of them coming.

Characters: I thought that all of the characters were very good. Elle was a character that I think people can relate to and she was interesting. Although she was good as the Main Character, I thought that she could be too stubborn and she didn't really ever trust anyone (although she has good reason not too). Jax was an interesting character, but I thought that he was way overprotective. Sometimes it was annoying and kinda creepy.

MacLean I thought was sweet. I felt bad for him when he realized that Elle doesn't remember him at all. Although as we go through the story, we see her slowly remembering who he is. As for Elle's father and Luke, I hated them. They were evil characters just as Elle said so. Macallan certainly did a good job portraying them as evil. I thought that her best friend, Teryl, was a good friend too. He was kinda funny and interesting.

What I liked: I enjoyed the creativity in this book. I was happy to not only find out that there was no vampire and werewolves in this novel, but I also enjoyed Macallan's take on gargoyles and phoenixes. This is one of those moments were I think "why didn't I think of that!". While I'm sure I've seen gargoyles in humanoid forms before, I've certainly never come across phoenixes in human shape before. So I thought it was cool that Elle could "shift" both. And how gargoyles were bound to serve shadow elves and phoenixes were bound to serve light elves. I thought that the world building in this story was very good as was the mythology and lore put into it. I also loved the powers that Elle developed.

What I didn't like: As I said before, this is an adult novel so it has some..adult parts in it. And lets just say I skipped over them because I really didn't want to read those parts. That being said, I thought that Elle's relationship with Jax (cool name by the way) was too soon. I've seen this in other novels where the character has met a love interest and suddenly they're in love. I mean, how realistic is that?

I think Elle's relationship with Jax was based more on lust and desire than it was on love. I think that her relationship with MacLean is based more on love even though she doesn't really remember him. And the whole part about Jax being made for her I think is complete rubbish even though his fate says so. It just bugged me. Elle has only known him for two months and all of the sudden they're in love and crap.

Overall: I really liked this book and I thought it was good! I'd recommend it for it's certainly very nicely done. The only real problem I had with it was the relationship between Elle and Jax. (less)

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Aug 09, 2011 Sharon Tyler rated it 4 of 5 stars

Stone Cold Seduction by Jess Macallen begins the Set in Stone series; it is due to be released on September 6 2011. This urban fantasy offers readers a new world and set of characters that are well built and entertaining. The combination of independent, but previously abused, heroine with three hot guys on a quest to figure out what the world has in store for them in the future leads to a fun and interesting story that left me wanting more.There is humor, complicated love story, some hot scenes...more

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Aug 05, 2011 Erika Badass rated it 4 of 5 stars

Grade: B+ 4 Stars, Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for allowing me to read this novel.

Stone Cold Seduction by Jess Macallan follows the story of our un-likely heroine Elleodora {Elle} on her journey to find her fate.

By Day, Elle owns and runs a scent shop called Emmaline's and finally feels she has gotten away from her Evil father and his henchmen.

By Night, Elle moonlights as Robin Hood--stealing from her Father and selling the merchandise in order to pay the medical bills of he...more

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Sep 15, 2011 Cocktails and Books rated it 4 of 5 stars

Elle Fredricks has just been caught wearing a horrible Catwoman suit while stealing from the most evil man she knows...her father. The fact that she's been caught by her oh so hot employee, Jax, makes this all the more embarassing. But Elle soon finds out that being caught stealing is the very least of her problems.

Seems Elle never knew her father with the king of the Shadow Elves. Sure, he's still an evil bastard, but now she finds out he's evil with special powers. If that wasn't enough, she f...more

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Mar 11, 2013 Juls rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: blog-lllr, blog-uanr, paranormal, urban-fantasy

Elle is a shop owner by day and a burglar by night. But she’s no ordinary burglar because she only steals from her father. Her father Jedren is very powerful and no one crosses him. Doesn’t matter if you are his child or employee. Your treatment is based on what he can get out of you.
Some employees have wanted out and Jedren’s has made their lives miserable both physically and financially so Elle decides to be a modern day Robin hood and now she steals from her father to make this happen.

What...more

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Oct 06, 2011 Maria rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: elves, magic, fae

I really can’t believe that I just read a book and it made me find a GARGOYLE sexy! But, it happens! “Stone Cold Seduction” by Jess Macallan is the first book in the Set in Stone series and it’s a powerful start!

This book is about Elle a young woman who is happy running her little shop and hating her father. Her dislike is so deep that she’s stealing artifacts from him so she can give the money to people who have suffer because of her father’s actions. One day she learns that nothing is as she b...more

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Sep 29, 2011 d.blue rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had heard good things about this book before I won a copy here on Goodreads. I typically read UF/PNR and I love to try something new. I have to admit that I enjoyed it more than I thought I would as I have gotten a little jaded with all of the urban fantasy / PNR out there. I loved the inclusion of Gargoyles and Phoenix's. ( I adore gargoyles and this one is way better than the ones I use as bookends) I liked that it is not another vampire/ werewolf book. The use of Fates was interesting and I...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Angie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

Synposis: "When a regular night of Robin Hood-ery results in the manifestation of some, um, unusual paranormal abilities, perfume-maker Elleodora Fredricks realizes the normal world she lives in isn't quite... normal. And neither is she, thanks to her father, king of the shadow elves. Not only is he evil incarnate and the reason Elle moonlights as a burglar-someone has to take care of all his victims-he's stolen her memories.
And only reading her fate can fix that.

Good thing she's got a trio of h...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Danielle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: review

This review was originally posted at Ramblings From This Chick

Wow. Wow, is the only word I can think of after finishing this book. It was just so good and I couldn't put it down. I just kept turning the page completely absorbed in the story.

Elleodora Fredricks or "Elle" has recently learned that she is part of a supernatural world consisting of Shadow Elves, Light Elves, Oracles, Phoenixes, and Gargoyles. With her future unknown she sets off on a journey to find her fate with her oracle best f...more

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Aug 15, 2011 Kara-karina rated it 4 of 5 stars

3.5/5

Egalley thanks to Entangled Publishing, LLC

Stone Cold Seduction is fairly light, amusing urban fantasy. Elle has this wry sense of humour which captivated me straight away.

"I jerked at the unexpected male voice, sloshing coffee on my hand and the table. “Damn! MacLean, what are you doing here? And why do you always sneak up on me when I’m holding hot coffee?”
MacLean didn’t answer. I noticed his copper eyes were streaked with flame.
“Guys, can we tone it down? Please? Can we have one conv...more 3.5/5

Egalley thanks to Entangled Publishing, LLC

Stone Cold Seduction is fairly light, amusing urban fantasy. Elle has this wry sense of humour which captivated me straight away.

"I jerked at the unexpected male voice, sloshing coffee on my hand and the table. “Damn! MacLean, what are you doing here? And why do you always sneak up on me when I’m holding hot coffee?”
MacLean didn’t answer. I noticed his copper eyes were streaked with flame.
“Guys, can we tone it down? Please? Can we have one conversation where no one loses a shirt, is on fire, turns to stone, or growls uncontrollably?”

She is this artsy new age woman, owner of a spa products shop, products which she creates herself. Her only drawback is her evil dad. She thinks he is some sort of mafia man and from time to time she steals some precious stones or antiques from him to donate the money to the families of his victims.

However, reality is much more complicated. Dear daddy is a king of shadow elves, and Elleodora is his heir.

On the night of her latest burglary, Elle is saved from being seen by her hot new employee Jax who suddenly sprouts wings and drops them from multi-storied building. Bewildered, Elle finds out that her world is not what it seems. Her best friend is an oracle, Jax is gargoyle and she actually has an ex-fiance phoenix whom she can't remember because dear dad wiped her memories...

Elle starts manifesting powers unusual even for her new world and her time is running out as everyone wants to either use or kill her, and the only way to save herself is for Elle to read her fate...

Loved everything in the book, but love relationship between Elle and Jax. I'm not a big fan of soul mates idea as I said before, and here it's done particularly badly. Everything happens super fast, unbelievably fast, and all these smoochies and swoons were making me gag. He was calling her his "little gem" for God's sake! It's even worse than "ma petite"!

Other than that I loved that Elle's character develops really well and she finally grows a pair to stand up to her dad. I'm looking forward to the next installment and well done to Jess Macallan for such an interesting book!

Verdict: refreshing, fast read, full of humour and drama. If you like Mary Janice Davidson and Kerrelyn Sparks, I think you'll like this one as well.(less)

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Aug 14, 2011 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, earcs, ebook, paranormal, romance, fantasy

STONE COLD SEDUCTION is a great romance. After reading a few campy, prosaic paranormals, it was refreshing to read Elle's story. I wasn't a fan of the rather abrupt ending, but I should be used to that by now, as it seems to be the trend, especially in ebooks, where it's hard to tell how much of a story is left. Aside from that, the romance was well done, the love triangle aspect was not utterly overdone (I could understand the attraction she had for both men) and the fantasy angle was intriguin...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Readsalot81 rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: received-for-review

2.5 stars

***This is posted at Paranormalhaven.com as a guest review***

I picked up Jess Macallan’s Stone Cold Seduction thinking that it sounded like a good mesh of UF and PNR, plus it included elves! I’m a huge lover of elves, one of my top favorite series of all-time has an elf heroine. Unfortunately, the book itself has more clichés than you can shake a stick at.

Elledora Fredricks makes her living by selling perfumed soaps at her shop while stealing from her rich, evil father at night. She’s a...more 2.5 stars

***This is posted at Paranormalhaven.com as a guest review***

I picked up Jess Macallan’s Stone Cold Seduction thinking that it sounded like a good mesh of UF and PNR, plus it included elves! I’m a huge lover of elves, one of my top favorite series of all-time has an elf heroine. Unfortunately, the book itself has more clichés than you can shake a stick at.

Elledora Fredricks makes her living by selling perfumed soaps at her shop while stealing from her rich, evil father at night. She’s at her father’s estate, in the middle of a “job”, when she runs into one of her employees, Jaxon West. Precariously perched on a ledge of eight inches, we’re treated to Elle ogling Jax as if she’s run into him on the street. After nearly being discovered out on the ledge by her former tormenter and father’s right hand man, Luke, Elle beats a hasty retreat. When Elle returns home, Jax starts badgering her with questions about her abilities and her best friend, Teryl shows up conveniently for certain revelations to be made. We come to find out that Elle is the daughter of the Shadow elf King and she shares certain abilities that her father possesses.

I will say this, the book reads very easily. The dialogue flows, there’s humor and interesting creatures other than elves to be found in Stone Cold Seduction. My problems stem from the clichés that pop up throughout the story. The newfound (and growing) powers that Elle accepts pretty much without question, the men that want her, and the dastardly father that would like his own daughter dead. I would’ve liked to have seen more development with her and Jax rather than her just jumping into bed with him, but that’s my preference as a reader, not so much a flaw with the narrative.

Elle is tasked with finding a particular oracle and learning about her fate. Along with going to Scotland on her quest, she is also avoiding the hunters that are out there looking for her. Elle has inadvertently been stealing souls that are locked inside various articles and jewels, and she’s wanted by the King of the Shadow Elves, the gargoyles, and assorted otherworldly creatures. She has to deal with Teryl and Jax keeping pertinent information from her at the time when she needs it the most.

I appreciated the flashbacks of the memories with her father, I wish there had been more of them included throughout the book. It gave me a better picture of her father and how she came to despise him, but the glimpses that I saw were few and far between. The pacing throughout the novel is pretty well done, and I can see how this would appeal to many fans of urban fantasy and paranormal romance, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me.

My rating 2.5
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Aug 26, 2011 Kathy Martin rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this first book in a new urban fantasy/paranormal romance series even though the female lead was atypical for the genre. Elle is not a kick-butt and take names kind of woman. She hates the sight of blood and violence makes her faint. She owns her own shop where she makes soaps and lotions. She is very sensitive to the way things smell. She also had an unfortunate childhood. She is the child of divorced parents and her two weeks each year with her father was the opportunity for o...more I really enjoyed this first book in a new urban fantasy/paranormal romance series even though the female lead was atypical for the genre. Elle is not a kick-butt and take names kind of woman. She hates the sight of blood and violence makes her faint. She owns her own shop where she makes soaps and lotions. She is very sensitive to the way things smell. She also had an unfortunate childhood. She is the child of divorced parents and her two weeks each year with her father was the opportunity for one of her father's employees to torture her (with her father's permission.) She was constantly told that she was worthless to her father. She grew up hating him and wanting to help his many victims. This has led to a second career as a cat burglar.

She has a best friend named Teryl who assists her in her second career. She only steals from her father and uses the proceeds to take care of some of his other victims. Teryl helps her identify things to steal. She also has an employee in her shop named Jax. He is a hottie of epic proportions but she just longs for him from afar until the night he rescues her in the middle of one of her burglaries. That burglary also caused her to manifest some unusual powers.

She didn't know that her father was a shadow elf. In fact, he is the king of the shadow elves and she is his heir. She is surprised to find out that Teryl is an Oracle and Jax is a gargoyle. Apparently, when she didn't manifest any powers by age seventeen, her father wiped out her memory. She needs to play catch-up really fast now that she is developing some unusual powers. She also finds out that she has been stealing the souls of a variety of the non-human characters in the world which were hidden in the objects Teryl had her steal. All of a sudden, she has hunters on her trail. Her only hope is to travel to Scotland to find out her fate which her father should have shared with her at age eleven.

She also finds out that she once had a fiance named MacLean who is a phoenix. He comes to her shop to investigate the thefts. She doesn't remember him. This immediately sets up a rivalry for her affections between Jax and MacLean. Both believe that she is their fated mate. Elle is very conflicted.

The book is a journey of self-discovery for Elle. She learns about a world that she didn't know existed. It is also filled with danger and adventure as Elle, Teryl, Jax and sometimes MacLean try to find Elle her fate and keep her out of the hands of the hunters and her father.

This book also introduced me to a new word - manversation. Elle defines it as "a conversation men have where only grunts, growls, and manly looks are exchanged." I love it and intend to use it lots.

I recommend this book for lovers of paranormal romance but caution readers that this is the first book in a series. There is a small resolution at the end of the book but most of the major problems are still to be solved. Luckily, readers need only wait until November for book 2 and January for book 3. I know that I am eager to find out what comes next for Elle.
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Jul 15, 2011 Asche rated it 5 of 5 stars

THIS BOOK ENDED WAY TOO SOON!!!! I didn’t realize when I requested this book, that it was a trilogy, not just a single romance novel. I started reading this book during my free time today while leading Freshman around my university’s campus. Although I love being a part of the orientation staff, I was happy when it was over and I could finish this book. It was the first book that I had read that had a gargoyle in it, nor had I ever read anything that had phoenix’s either. This was a very enjoyab...more

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Oct 25, 2011 Alison rated it 2 of 5 stars

Stone Cold Seduction, the first in a new urban fantasy series from Jess Macallan, is a mostly light read, with some great quirks; it starts wonderfully, with nicely introduced characters, quickly established background overview and good world building.

Some of the phrasing was wonderful, and the introduction to “manversation” had me laughing out loud! I just love this word, it so perfectly sums up that silent meaningful steer that men sometimes use to communicate messages to each other that I jus...more

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Sep 11, 2011 Marquetta (LoveToReadForFun) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review

Stone Cold Seduction is the first book in the Set in Stone series. This book caught my eye because the characters are preternatural creatures that I have not read about before.

Elle is your average business owner who sometimes steals from her father. Their relationship is tenuous at best and she doesn't feel any remorse about what she is doing. Elle is your regular Robin Hood; she sells the items that she steals from her father and uses that money to help out his victims. During one of her escapa...more Stone Cold Seduction is the first book in the Set in Stone series. This book caught my eye because the characters are preternatural creatures that I have not read about before.

Elle is your average business owner who sometimes steals from her father. Their relationship is tenuous at best and she doesn't feel any remorse about what she is doing. Elle is your regular Robin Hood; she sells the items that she steals from her father and uses that money to help out his victims. During one of her escapades, she is nearly caught but thanks to her handsome employee, Jax, and Elle's shadowing power, they avoid being detected. Elle is grateful to have escaped unnoticed but when she discovers it is due to her shadow elf power, the world as she knows it crumbles around her.

Jax is a gargoyle and his duty is to protect Elle from her father. Elle is in a vulnerable position because everyone knew about her heritage but her. Now Elle is forced to come to terms with the knowledge that she isn't fully human, she has powers that are manifesting at a fast pace, her best friend is an oracle, her evil father is royalty and that her hot employee is a gargoyle. Oh yeah and that she is fated to be his mate.

Stone Cold Seductionoffers a different twist on standard paranormal romance trope. I liked that the beings in this book are not your standard vampires and werewolves. I can honestly say that I haven't read many books where the hero is a hot gargoyle. Who ever thought that gargoyles could be sexy? Not only does Elle have to contend with the information overload about her dad, but a man from her past, MacLean, arrives and proclaims that they were once engaged. MacLean is a phoenix and his father and Elle's signed a contract for the two to wed. Something happened to break that contract and now MacLean is back, 10 years later.

Stone Cold Seduction was a quick and easy read. There was just enough information to get the plot moving and not bog it down. As Elle learns about this new world she is a part of , the reader is learning as well. The story is told from Elle's POV. Her voice is funny and snarky. We are along for the ride and it isn't an easy one. The love triangle was interesting and Elle's faith and love wasn't truly tested until the end. I'm usually not a fan of love triangles; it reminds me of so many YA novels. But so far, I find Elle's conflict to be true and genuine.

I enjoyed Stone Cold Seduction but it didn't wow me. There were some moments where I felt that Elle was TSTL but understood that her actions were necessary to create the overall arc of the story. Stone Cold Seduction ends with a whopper of a cliffhanger that makes me anxious to get the next book. All in all, a good start to what I hope will be a great series.
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Sep 15, 2011 Qwill / The Qwillery rated it 4 of 5 stars

First off, kudos to Entangled Publishing for being upfront about Stone Cold Seduction's genre: "Paranormal w/ strong Romantic Elements." That is an apt description. This first book in the Set in Stone series has no HEA, but does have romance. With an HEA I might have thought of it as an Urban Fantasy Romance, but there is no HEA... yet.

I really liked Stone Cold Seduction. Jess Macallan has created a really interesting mythology for her series that includes Gargoyles, Phoenixes, Shadow Elves, Lig...more First off, kudos to Entangled Publishing for being upfront about Stone Cold Seduction's genre: "Paranormal w/ strong Romantic Elements." That is an apt description. This first book in the Set in Stone series has no HEA, but does have romance. With an HEA I might have thought of it as an Urban Fantasy Romance, but there is no HEA... yet.

I really liked Stone Cold Seduction. Jess Macallan has created a really interesting mythology for her series that includes Gargoyles, Phoenixes, Shadow Elves, Light Elves and more. There are no vampires or werewolves. The fact that a mythical creature in the book called them myths made me smile. There are moments of levity in Stone Cold Seduction. There is romance and, yes, sex. There is action and some violence.

Elle is the central character of Stone Cold Seduction. All of sudden her world is turned upside down when she finds out who her awful Dad really is and who she is and may become. The world is not what it seems. Elle's a very likable character. She has an offbeat and lovely sense of humor. Her reluctance about some things is explained throughout the course of the story. We know as much as she does. We find out about her horrific past right along with her as her memories slowly start to return and her paranormal abilities manifest. Bad things have happened to her. The folks who have caused those bad things are still around. There is one scene in the story that really made me cringe for Elle.

Elle is surrounded by a trio of terrific males - Teryl, Jax and MacLean. Teryl is Elle's BFF. Jax works for Elle. MacLean is... well you'll have to read the story. The interaction between Elle and the "trio of hotties" and among the trio is very well done. There are several very amusing "manversations" as Elle calls them between the guys. "...a manversation is a conversation men have where only grunts, growls, and manly looks are exchanged.” I like all the guys. They each have well-drawn and distinct personalities.

This is the foundation book for the series so don't expect much to be resolved. Elle's powers have not completely manifested, her fate is not clear, and she's going to have to deal not only with romantic entanglements but her dear old Dad in the upcoming books.

Jess Macallan did a terrific job balancing humor, violence, action, and romance in Stone Cold Seduction. It's an engaging read and I can't wait to see what happens next.

I give Stone Cold Seduction 4 Qwills.(less)

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