The Druid Stone (Layers of the Otherworld, #1)

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The Druid Stone (Layers of the Otherworld #1)

by Heidi Belleau (Goodreads Author), Violetta Vane (Goodreads Author)

3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 · rating details · 215 ratings · 72 reviews

Sean never asked to be an O'Hara, and he didn't ask to be cursed by one either.

After inheriting a hexed druid stone from his great-grandfather, Sean starts reliving another man's torture and death...every single night. And only one person can help.

Cormac Kelly runs a paranormal investigation business and doesn't have time to deal with misinformed tourists like Sean. But Se...more

ebook, 351 pages

Published August 6th 2012 by Carina (first published January 1st 2012)

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Best M/M Romance Published in 2012

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Oct 03, 2012 Blacky *Mistress of doom* rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-m-m, read-paranormal, read-fantasy-scifi, of-course, 4-stars-for-quality, 3-stars-for-enjoyment, read-adult-erotica

Well this was a strange read for me. If I could describe it with one picture, this one would be perfect:

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The story is about druids (duh, the title) and all the ancient myths and legends about them. Sean is having the same dream over and over again, it's the death of some man from the past. He asks for help, and tries to hire Cormac, a druid from Ireland. Cormac refuses to see him so Sean is forced to travel from America and beg for his help, if nothing else. Cormac still brushes him off, and afte...more

33 likes · like · see review

Nov 29, 2012 Monique ~ Sinfully Sexy Book Reviews rated it 5 of 5 stars

Amazing....This book is complex, intriguing, fascinating and compelling. It is an epic adventure and reminds me of a dark Indie Fantasy Movie on a high end Hollywood budget. Breathtaking in detail and colour with an underbelly of darkness, murky in it's depth...

This book opens on a nightmare....a nightmare of torture, violent and brutal. It is a curse, laid on Sean by his Grandfather and for the past year he has endured this nightly mental assault on his senses. He feels everything, the pain is...more

28 likes · like · see review

Sep 05, 2012 Kate added it

Sigh. Yet another book where all my GR friends have given 4's and 5's but I thought was pretty mediocre.

I'm not going to do a review exactly because reading this was enough work and I'd probably end up posting a long list of whiny complaints. Suffice to say this had some really good parts and some dishwater dull aspects that were flatter than the land around Fargo.

Completely off the wall: This is Celtic fantasy not Urban Fantasy. There is no urban here. Just because it's sidhe doesn't make it ur...more Sigh. Yet another book where all my GR friends have given 4's and 5's but I thought was pretty mediocre.

I'm not going to do a review exactly because reading this was enough work and I'd probably end up posting a long list of whiny complaints. Suffice to say this had some really good parts and some dishwater dull aspects that were flatter than the land around Fargo.

Completely off the wall: This is Celtic fantasy not Urban Fantasy. There is no urban here. Just because it's sidhe doesn't make it urban. The Celtic mythology and historical aspects were very well done and seamlessly welded into the story. No complaints there.

The Druid Stone reads like it was written by someone who writes from watching movies, not someone who writes with an eye to reading fiction. This would explain both the strengths and weaknesses this book has. The descriptive writing is clear, compelling, sometimes powerful and always very very visual. This includes the opening scene of Sean's recurring horrifying dream of being slowly murdered. I could see (and cringe over) each thing being done to him. The paranormal sequences within the triple spiral were weirdly otherworldy and disturbing. Scenes of Ireland, of the Beltaine bonfires, of an abadonned industrial site were amazingly drawn and sucked me into interesting mental places. The few erotic sex scenes were very lush and very visual (I thought a little overdone, but most m/m readers will really enjoy them).

The other side of that is that the characters were undeveloped and lots of splody action replaced a layered and logical plot. The characters are flat, their relationship is pretty much insta-love and while we are told their backgrounds and their motivations, they don't really feel convincing to me. Neither man has a nuanced personality. An actor in a movie can convey things by expression, posture and voice that a writer has to find another way to get across and it didn't happen. So often one man would be hurt or almost hurt, and the other guy would think to himself "OMG, Cormac could have been hurt when xxx happened. Oh woe. I would never survive if anything happened to him." So the inner thoughts are melodramatic and unnuanced and we get no real sense of a complex personality. The dialogue between the characters doesn't help. It is fairly infrequent and limited to discussing whatever situation they are in. Sometimes it amounts to a lot of "Do this", "No I won't", "Yes you will." Add a certain childish stupidity to my list of dislikes.

The plot was full of incomplete pieces, parts that were confusing or only seemed to exist to move the next immediate piece of story forward. Not complicated, more like chaotic. We nver really know what Finnbheara and The Fir Bolg want, why they are after Sean, why Michael was sent back in time, etc. But it was busy and there were a few clever turns. Again, like a movie where so much is going on you forget that none of it really makes sense on the most basic level.

I did like the appearance of Finnbheara as a 1970's Fabbio clone. That was a nice touch. And sorry, Moss, while I did find druids and bonfires there was no naked dancing. I know I failed you on this. Maybe next book. :)(less)

18 likes · like · see review

Aug 30, 2012 Sandra rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, net-galley-carina-press, urban-fantasy, time-travel-stuff, group-read

ARC received from Carina Press on NetGalley

4.5 stars Wow, I expected this to be good, but I have to say it took me completely by surprise. I thought it was going to be a contemporary romance with a paranormal/supernatural twist, but really it's an urban fantasy that just happens to have a love story. Loved it.

The first third was what I expected and I loved every second. Sean trying to find the cause of his nightmares, Cormac living his life, Sean getting help from Cormac, sexual tension, etc. Th...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Nikyta rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: carina-press, contemporary-fantasy, cruelty-abuse, broken-to-bits, adbp, fae, gfy-ofy, deception-betrayal-lies-omissions, grieving, interesting-jobs, kidnapped-hostage-taken, magic, m-m, paranormal, injury-recovery, pets, working-together-in-some-capacity, scifi-fantasy, suspense, time-travel, net-galley-reviewed, separated-for-a-bit, tourists, published-on-amazon, series-serial, armchair-reviews

This review can be found at The Armchair Reader.

This story was... hard for me to get into. The world is extremely interesting. If I could rate on just that, I'd give this book five stars but I can't because I struggled with other factors within the story.

What I liked is how desperate Sean was to stop reliving Cormac's ex-lovers death. I also liked how shattered Cormac still is about his past. It made for some interesting conflicts between them. I also liked the chemistry they could have had toge...more This review can be found at The Armchair Reader.

This story was... hard for me to get into. The world is extremely interesting. If I could rate on just that, I'd give this book five stars but I can't because I struggled with other factors within the story.

What I liked is how desperate Sean was to stop reliving Cormac's ex-lovers death. I also liked how shattered Cormac still is about his past. It made for some interesting conflicts between them. I also liked the chemistry they could have had together. Bits and pieces are shown but the full potential there wasn't achieved, IMO. More than anything, I wished their relationship had been more developed because, while they might have had some attraction, I didn't feel like there was any connection between them at all. In fact, I felt like there was always Cormac's ex-lover that Cormac would put before anything else, including Sean, and I didn't think that was fair to Sean, especially after everything he just did for Cormac.

As I said, the world is very interesting. It's intriguing and captivating but I didn't enjoy how it was handled. I was confused most of the time about what was going on. I couldn't understand how Sean and Cormac would get into these situations, and while they were intense and interesting, it didn't really make sense. This made reading the story difficult and I think what made the book also drag for me. I just really struggled with it. More than anything, though, the ending is what frustrates me. Sean and Cormac changed the past but nothing in the present changes?! That made no sense to me at all. Also, while I found the ending very sweet, it came out of left field for me. Sean and Cormac love each other but I'm wondering how that development happened because I didn't see it in the writing. I also really wished we got to see their time in D.C. because I felt like the ending was very abrupt in not showing that.

All in all, amazing world building but everything else I was just confused on. The events they go through and how they end up where they do, didn't add up for me. I was confused on so many things that by the end, I was a bit disappointed by not only the journey they go on but the supposed love they've seemed to have developed off screen. Some people will really enjoy this one but it missed its mark with me.(less)

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Aug 01, 2012 Merrian rated it 4 of 5 stars

I won an ARC from the authors in a competition based on their Cruce De Caminos short story which introduces Sean and the experiences that have shaped him. Sean is one of the leads in The Druid Stone. You don't need to have read Cruce De Caminos but it does make reading The Druid Stone richer.

I have read four stories by these authors now which possibly makes me a fangrrl. I enjoy their voices and the way their stories have an edge of gothic horror to them even when that isn't an explicitly upfron...more I won an ARC from the authors in a competition based on their Cruce De Caminos short story which introduces Sean and the experiences that have shaped him. Sean is one of the leads in The Druid Stone. You don't need to have read Cruce De Caminos but it does make reading The Druid Stone richer.

I have read four stories by these authors now which possibly makes me a fangrrl. I enjoy their voices and the way their stories have an edge of gothic horror to them even when that isn't an explicitly upfront part of their books. I have been thinking about this and feel that for me, this gothicness makes the risks that the characters are exposed too very real.

Everything is at stake for Cormac and Sean in the Druid Stone, their relationship, their lives, people they care about, the world as we know it. Sean is cursed and in desperation seeks out Cormac one of the last Druids in Ireland. Cormac is burnt out and sad, he has lost someone he loved. Nowadays he works hard, helps in his sister's shop and has lots of great but non-commital sex. When Sean comes to him, Cormac is at first reluctant to help or connect with him. There is humour between Cormac and Sean and in the face of events. The story is not grim even though it is violent. I think Sean saves Cormac from that grimmness. In Cormac's role as Druid, terrible and hard choices have to be made and they are a cumulative burden to his psyche. Sean is a nice guy, he is honourable. I was glad to read this about him because in the Cruce De Caminos short story he had been thrown away by his family and society. Despite what had been done to him he had not lost himself.

Cormac has a tattoo of a triskelion on his forearm. I ended up feeling that this three legged spiral was also a metaphor for the story structure. Events forced both Sean and Cormac to spiral over old and painful past wounds, their own and others. They moved backwards and forwards through time and the parallel Sidhe worlds. The ugly past history of Ireland's war for independence and the consequent civil war entwine with the mythic past to create the present situation. I thought the story wears all this background and history lightly although it does make for a complex plot and interesting relationships. This is a story to be read attentively and it does justice to the viscious hard edged creatures of Irelands mythos. there is nothing twee in this story.

The Druid Stone is a paranormal romance and Sean and Cormac's coming together as a couple is of equal importance to the resolving of the curse. I really liked that sorting out the curse and surviving the dangers they faced didn't automatically mean that the relationship was signed off. Our guys had to make things work with their real lives spread over one continent and an island with an ocean between them. To me this meant they really chose to be together not that events forced them into coupledom. That distinction is important for me in trusting the HEA. (less)

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Aug 30, 2012 Plainbrownwrapper rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-again-maybe, mm

This book is much more literary and literate than the vast majority of mm romance stories out there. If all you're looking for is simple-minded sexcapades, don't even bother looking here. But if you're looking for a richly told and layered urban fantasy romance, you've come to the right place.

Both of these authors have a lot of knowledge pertaining to their subjects (both Irish and hispanic culture, history, and mythology), and it shows in their writing. Their backgrounds allow for a depth of st...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Laylah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-other, favorites, gods-and-monsters, m-slash-m

Right, well then. For starters, I have this problem with any title that has the word "druid" in it (or "faerie," or "emerald," or references to the moon esp. if full, etc. -- you get the idea). Much like main character Cormac's problem with the American romantic notion of Ireland! My expectations immediately take a turn for the worse on exposure to the key words. I think I had already passed over this one once before I read Cruce de Caminos and got curious enough about Sean's continuing adventur...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Bea rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: male-male, goodreads-review, horror, suspense, paranormal, blogpost

Not sure how to characterize this book, horror, suspense, or druid/witches.. Perhaps a mixture of all. I will say that I had a profound enough reaction to the book that I will be making a blog book review about it this week.

Very well written. I loved the attention to detail and the historical accuracy. My undergrad History degree was pleased.

Overall, this was a wonderful book! It satisfied a taste I had for both male/male romance as well as historical/fantasy storylines. The writing was excellen...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Connie rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of urban fantasy, adventure books

Shelves: m-m, arc-galley, mystery-suspense, time-travel, fantasy-paranormal

Great book!
I really liked Sean as a whole. And Cormac is an amazing character too.
For someone who is such a fan of contemporary The Druid Stone is a little bit out of my comfort zone, but as soon as I saw the blurb I wanted to give it a try.
The romance and Sean's and Cormac's relationship takes a step back during the whole story.
Is an adventure, is full of magic.
Half way down the author put your imagination to a test. Honestly, you have to immerse yourself in this "world" and find a way around...more

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Sep 06, 2012 Luke Lane rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: gay, series-debut, fantasy

For me, this was a wildly inconsistent book, and I'd say that the parts I liked were outweighed by the parts I didn't like.

For what is seemingly a self-published Kindle book, I will praise the writing style of the authors, and the effort and research that obviously went into attempting to create a different story, one that you don't usually see in paranormal romance books, never mind M/M romance. I did find however, that as soon as the book dipped into fantasy and the other 'dream-like' world, t...more

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Oct 12, 2012 Elizabetta rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: pets-and-their-men, bingo-round-6, pnr-fantasy

3.5 stars

Boy, wouldn’t I have loved to have been a fly on the wall when Belleau and Vane were pounding out this story together! What a complex swirl of contemporary romance, paranormal horror story, time travel and Celtic mythology. Never a dull derivative moment in this collaboration!

Druid Stone worked best for me when the focus was on Seam and Cormac's developing romantic relationship. The paranormal story within a story was interesting and well written but distracted from the love story. An i...more 3.5 stars

Boy, wouldn’t I have loved to have been a fly on the wall when Belleau and Vane were pounding out this story together! What a complex swirl of contemporary romance, paranormal horror story, time travel and Celtic mythology. Never a dull derivative moment in this collaboration!

Druid Stone worked best for me when the focus was on Seam and Cormac's developing romantic relationship. The paranormal story within a story was interesting and well written but distracted from the love story. An interesting dilemma since without the druid stone, a cursed nightmare-inducing talisman given to Sean by his grandfather, there would be no story. Or, well, a much less involved one anyway. For it is the stone that brings the two MCs together. Sean, Cuban-Irish American travels to Ireland to seek out help from Cormac, Druid sorcerer. It is the stone and Cormac’s mojo that allows them to travel between different dimensions and times in an attempt to break the curse. The attraction between the two MCs is a bit of a slow burn. Sean is gorgeously exotic with his mixed Cuban and Irish heritage and Cormac is drawn to him. Cormac is sexually cocky and aggressive but waits for a signal from Sean to ‘play for his team.’ This does read as gay-for-you as Sean considers himself hetero despite his rent-boy history. I did say complex, right? I liked that there is no insta-love and the sexual tension runs strong through their early relationship. I like that they have to grow towards each other.

Druid Stone is the sequel to Cruce de Caminos where we first meet Sean living on the streets of New Orleans. I had a bit of work adjusting from that earlier Sean, gay-for-pay-rent-boy, to the cleaned up Sean of Druid; and his seamy past isn’t really discussed in Druid until about the 30% mark. In New Orleans he was in serious need of direction; now he’s a recovering addict working hard to stay clean, solve the mystery of those nightmare/visions, and connect with his Irish heritage. It was never clear in Cruces why he was using drugs but it seems now that he has been trying to diminish the horrendous nightmares he’s been suffering from and he desperately needs help with vanquishing them.

The plusses in Druid lie in the strong writing and imagery evoked. You know you are in the hands of some talented writers. My issue is that certain parts worked better than others for me -- it felt like there was a bit too much going on. This is after all, a romance (much more so than in Cruces) and when the story strayed away from that it lost some luster. Still, the paranormal world aided in bringing Sean and Cormac together and will feature heavily in any future sequels. I never know quite what to expect with Belleau and Vane and that’s a good thing in this genre often given to overworked romance tropes.

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Nov 17, 2012 Amy *Sussudio* rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormals

It's a great story even if it hurt my head a little. I am second generation Irish. My grandparents (yes all 4 and no not the same boat) came over in the 1930 and 1950's respectively. I gained a great deal of Irish culture from them and it still didn't help me with this story. There is a great deal of dimensional jumping. I think this did me in. I wasn't able to wrap my head around what was happening. Which makes it difficult to understand where the story is heading.

That's about it. I don't thin...more

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May 03, 2013 Lis rated it 4 of 5 stars

**Review for Rarely Dusty Books**

The Druid Stone is an intriguing and intense story that is steeped in magic and mystery, folklore and mythology and two exquisitely fascinating characters that will keep you on the edge of your seat and melt the screen of your reader at the same time.

As a student of folklore, I tend to be a skeptic when it comes to stories that twist and turn mythology and folklore to fit a story. While often very good, it can also turn bad (very bad). With The Druid Stone ther...more **Review for Rarely Dusty Books**

The Druid Stone is an intriguing and intense story that is steeped in magic and mystery, folklore and mythology and two exquisitely fascinating characters that will keep you on the edge of your seat and melt the screen of your reader at the same time.

As a student of folklore, I tend to be a skeptic when it comes to stories that twist and turn mythology and folklore to fit a story. While often very good, it can also turn bad (very bad). With The Druid Stone there were absolutely no worries. All the folklore and mythology ring true and the way the sidhe were portrayed was very close to old stories.

The Druid Stone is a story that has several plot angles and layers, but it’s in no way overwhelming or causes you to lose track of the story itself. There is a lot of information on Irish history and mythology, but it’s not an info dump and it doesn’t take away from the story. Rather it’s part of it. Once you start this story it’s hard not to become engrossed in Sean’s nightmares (which can be very detailed and graphic at times) and his sweetness or Cormac’s stubbornness and their adventures together.

The writing is graphic and engrossing, not one sided or static, something that’s not always easy to find. Sometimes with two authors writing together, it’s easy to see where one stops and the other stars, but there is none of that in The Druid Stone. Instead both authors create a vividly intense story.

Sean and Cormac are their own persons and have their own voices and make their own choices in the story. There is a definite romance between the two, but it’s not quite obvious. There are no candlelight dinners and roses, but two fiercely independent characters who are perfect for each other. They are also very stubborn, so it takes them a while to work out the kinks (and add a few).

The Druid Stone is a story I definitely recommend for readers who like a good blend of Urban Fantasy, action, adventure, mystery, mythology and two steamy hot manly characters who definitely know how to use their equipment. (less)

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Jan 16, 2013 Danni rated it 3 of 5 stars

What I liked about the story:
Sean and Cormac - both great characters with a lot of depth and intriguing personalities
The worldbuilding - it was a very interesting set-up, with the old Irish folklore and Cormac being a druid in the modern day.
The supporting cast - Cormac´s family and the other people involved in the story were all interesting

What didn´t make this a five star read for me:
The length - There were so many times that I thought this story was wrapping up, and then it just kept on going...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Jaya rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: good, slashreaders

Slash Readers: Alright so let me just say I loved this book. I actually purchased the audio version to listen to while I was on a long trip. And the edition of the voices and accents was lovely. :)

(view spoiler)...more Slash Readers: Alright so let me just say I loved this book. I actually purchased the audio version to listen to while I was on a long trip. And the edition of the voices and accents was lovely. :)

(view spoiler)

There are a couple of other works attached to 'The Druid Stone', though I haven't actually read them. If you are interested Cruce de Caminos, is actually set before this book and focus's on Sean's back story. Galway Bound, is set after the adventures that occur in this book and is a short story not a longer work. Unfortunately at this point there are no longer works that deal with this characters, though I would be willing to read one. :)(less)

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Aug 10, 2012 Annette Gisby rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, romance, urban-fantasy

Ever since his great-grandfather gave him a strange stone, Sean O'Hara has been having the same nightmare every night. He relives again and again the torture and death of someone in the distant past. His sleep disturbed, his days getting more and more surreal as he tries to survive on little sleep and an array of pills, he's at his wits' end. Psychiatrists are no help but he thinks he might have found the solution: Cormac Kelly, an Irish druid.

Unfortunately, Cormac wants nothing to do with him....more Ever since his great-grandfather gave him a strange stone, Sean O'Hara has been having the same nightmare every night. He relives again and again the torture and death of someone in the distant past. His sleep disturbed, his days getting more and more surreal as he tries to survive on little sleep and an array of pills, he's at his wits' end. Psychiatrists are no help but he thinks he might have found the solution: Cormac Kelly, an Irish druid.

Unfortunately, Cormac wants nothing to do with him. Emails and letters go unanswered. With nothing left to lose, Sean leaves Boston for Ireland to seek out the one man who is sure can help him. Cormac is reluctant to believe Sean at first, convinced he is one of those "plastic paddies", as he calls them, who think every hill holds a leprechaun or two, everyone drinks Guinness and there really is gold at the end of the rainbow.

But it's when Sean attracts the attention of a sidhe king, Finnbheara, that Cormac realises that perhaps Sean is really cursed after all.

Now, I'm not normally a fan of urban fantasy, but when I read the blurb for this one, I was drawn in with the references to Irish mythology. Being Irish myself, how could I resist? I'm glad I gave it a go, it was a wonderful tale.

Both Sean and Cormac have tortured pasts, which might have come off a bit of a cliché but there was nothing clichéd about this story, it was evocative and imaginative. It was very well-written and I couldn't tell which author wrote which part, it flowed so well.

Sometimes the romance between Cormac and Sean took a back-seat to the plot, which didn't bother me, I like a good bit of plot with my romance. This is certainly a roller-coaster ride of a plot. The book had a bit of everything: romance, adventure, ancient and mythical beings, magic and suspense. It was moving, romantic, funny and heart-wrenching in parts, everything a good novel should be.

I loved the characters, Sean and Cormac's pasts were just part of who they were, it didn't seem to be used as an excuse for cheap drama.

The book was great, I'm glad I read it, but there were a few little niggles that took me out of the story when I first read them. In a few scenes form Cormac's point of view, him being Irish, he referred to being "blocks from home" and walking on a sidewalk. I've never heard any Irish person refer to blocks, it should probably have been street or road. And no sidewalks either, it would have been pavement or footpath.

All in all an excellent read, especially if you like a good bit of plot with your romance.

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Aug 07, 2012 Val Kovalin added it

The Druid Stone is the third strikingly intense urban fantasy I’ve read from this very talented writing duo currently making a name in m/m for dark, beautifully written fiction that defies description.

As with Cruce de Caminos and Hawaiian Gothic, we get a blend between (1) the realism of contemporary gay romance + (2) the supernatural.

It’s hard for me to pin down what I mean by supernatural with these authors, but it’s addictive. There is too much depth and world building to label their fiction...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Stephanie Collins rated it 3 of 5 stars

Let me start this by saying I am relatively new at reading M/M books but this one was so much more than the romance. You have sidhe, druids, and other Irish folklore appearing thru this book. You also have some heavier pschological issues at play which makes this a compelling read.

Sean has inherited a stone from his grandfather and since it became his it has given him nightmares of being tortured and killed in Ireland. He has decided to give one last shot at clearing this up and maybe get a lif...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Aurora rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: supernatural

Sean O’Hara has been tormented by horrific nightmares ever since inheriting a strange stone from his great-grandfather and he heads to Ireland in search of the one man who may be his only salvation.

Cormac Kelly has his own paranormal investigation business but his power is real as he’s descended from the ancient druids of Ireland. However, Cormac is tired of tourists on misguided trips to find their Irish roots and he’s scathingly dismissive of Sean’s problems. Hurt by Cormac’s scorn, Sean attem...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Meggie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, historical, romance

I don't really know what to think about this story; for starters it was to long and to full of different extra problems from both MC's. But okay, those small past action made both characters what they are at present. And then, as soon as Sean and Cormac started to wander in the Otherworlds I started to get bored.

First Sean and Cormac had to find each other in this dimension, then they had to run for their life's. After they finally came out and were alive, Sean had to go back to find Michael! B...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Emanuela ~plastic duck~ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: rainbow-gay, glbt, paranormal

In modern Ireland, Cormac is a druid. He investigates and solves paranormal problems, fulfilling a role that is still respected in his community. His last important relationship with the mysterious Michael ended abruptly, leaving a void in his life that he’s never been able to fill.

Sean is of mixed Irish and Cuban heritage. His grandfather gave him a hexed stone during a family reunion. From that moment on Sean has been dreaming (and living) the horrendous death of a young a man. He lives on dru...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Cyndy Aleo rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fairies, arc, erotica, romance

I was sucked in by the description of Heidi Belleau and Violetta Vane's The Druid Stone , which I received from NetGalley for review. How it sounds: Sean O'Hara is cursed after he receives a Druid stone from his great-grandfather and heads to paranormal investigator Cormac Kelly over in Ireland to find out how to have the curse removed. I hear: male/male romance with a cursed American and an Irish Harry Dresden. I got: something else entirely.

I'l be blunt; Sean is sort of pathetic. His entire c...more I was sucked in by the description of Heidi Belleau and Violetta Vane's The Druid Stone , which I received from NetGalley for review. How it sounds: Sean O'Hara is cursed after he receives a Druid stone from his great-grandfather and heads to paranormal investigator Cormac Kelly over in Ireland to find out how to have the curse removed. I hear: male/male romance with a cursed American and an Irish Harry Dresden. I got: something else entirely.

I'l be blunt; Sean is sort of pathetic. His entire curse consists of realistic nightmares he has over and over again, which seem to be telling of real killings. He's been to therapists, taken sleeping pills, and done everything, but nothing gets rid of them. He shows up on Cormac's doorstep as his last hope. Cormac, on the other hand, is a stereotypical alpha male slut; he's had something bad happen to him, so he hides in meaningless sex. Stop me if you think you've read this one before. Oh, and did I mention that Sean isn't gay? Cormac should be alpha male enough to turn him for the purposes of this romance.

Even if you work your way around the M/M romance tropes here (and get over your disappointment that you are not, in fact, getting a gay Harry Dresden), you might be okay, you think. Until you realize that the romance is really only half the book. The other half (which is a completely different book altogether) is a fantasy novel involving time travel, fairy wars, and a whole hell of a lot of I-don't-even-know. There are multiple trips into fairy realms that must be escaped from, and then once they escape, they have to go back to rescue someone who got left behind, and you get the feeling that there's a lot of filling-in here because the authors couldn't decide what kind of novel this was supposed to be. Then they complicate it further with a woman they drag out of her own time, and rescuing Cormac's ex-boyfriend to add some complications to the budding relationship.

In short, there's a lot of confusion here. Had it been just the romance or just the fairy story, it might have been okay, but you end up feeling like there's a book within a book and one doesn't go with the other.(less)

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Sep 05, 2012 deirdre rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m

why 4 stars??
1. the authors did a great job with the mythology/folklore/druid side of this story. research well done!
2. the writing is great. i did get lost a few times with all the goings on within the fantasy part of the story, but the writing was great.

the story is a blend of m/m romance and fantasy. the fantasy is well done, but i did find myself frequently rereading large portions of the text to understand what was happening. there is a TON going on here plotwise (perhaps too much????). th...more

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Aug 23, 2012 Jen (Red Hot Books) rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love dark stories about the fae. And this definitely fits the bill. The Druid Stone is haunting, disturbing, stirring, and sexy all at once.

Sean has been having the same horrific dream over and over again for more than a year. In it, he relives the grisly torture and murder of a man in Ireland nearly 100 years in the past. He's seen doctors and shrinks, he's tried drugs of all kinds, but every night the dream comes back with the same brutal clarity. He's come to believe that he was cursed by...more I love dark stories about the fae. And this definitely fits the bill. The Druid Stone is haunting, disturbing, stirring, and sexy all at once.

Sean has been having the same horrific dream over and over again for more than a year. In it, he relives the grisly torture and murder of a man in Ireland nearly 100 years in the past. He's seen doctors and shrinks, he's tried drugs of all kinds, but every night the dream comes back with the same brutal clarity. He's come to believe that he was cursed by his great-grandfather, who gave him a mysterious stone he can't get rid of. Research leads him to Cormac, a Druid, and he hops aboard a plane to Ireland, hoping he can get the curse removed.

Cormac is a man damaged by the mysterious disappearance of his lover 10 years ago. He does his duty with his magic, but lives his life with meaningless one-night stands with random men. When Sean shows up on his doorstep, he thinks the man is a flake and sends him on his way. But thankfully, when Sean is targeted by the Fae King, Cormac is there to rescue him. Of course, at that point, the Druid realizes his mistake.

The story follows Cormac and Sean as they try to unravel the mystery of the stone and figure out the identity of the man dying in Sean's dreams. This, as the two men realize a growing attraction between them.

I definitely enjoyed the book. The authors do a great job presenting the Fae as twisted, selfish, and downright scary. The mystery was good and the resolution was very interesting. But just as good is the characterization of our two male leads. Both men are deeply scarred by their past. The depth of their issues is slowly revealed over the course of the book and it wreaks havoc with their growing feelings for one another. Their friendship is believable. The sexual tension is great. And the love scenes are hot.

I did have a couple of issues. One is the fact that these two fell in love in a week. I can suspend my disbelief for a lot of things in Urban Fantasy, but this is just one of my biggest romance peeves. Sexual attraction, sure. Affection, absolutely. Hope for a future, I'm all on board. But when people profess to love each other in seven days, I can't do anything but roll my eyes. And that's a shame, because almost everything else about the relationship clicked for me.

My only other problem was that there were a couple of times that I got confused about what was going on in the Fae realm. I didn't entirely understand what was happening, especially in the "dreaming" parts. I got the impression it was supposed to be disjointed, due to the unreality of the realm, but I found myself re-reading a couple of parts, looking for a clarity I didn't find.

Overall, though, I did like this one. It was just the right amount of darkness. It was surprising and sexy and... different. It was good.

Rating: B

*ARC Provided by NetGalley(less)

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Aug 10, 2012 Madison rated it 4 of 5 stars

It was so good, and the review got quite long. So I put it on my blog.

http://madisonreesewrites.blogspot.se...

Excerpt:

"*phwoar* is the only way to begin this review. As a rank amateur, I don't believe in sticking to the cold hard facts. This is one awesomesauce of a book that delves into M/M romance, urban fantasy, a very rich tapestry of characterisation and isnane amounts of world building.

The Druid Stone sets off with Sean O'Hara, of Cuban and Boston Irish descent, "inheriting" a cursed stone...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Fehu rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley, genre-m-m-paranormal, roadtrip, second-chances, other-worlds, profesion-magic-user, gay-men-with-pets, species-fae-other-magical-crea, outside-the-us

I would recommend this book to people who enjoy a plot in a book.
The Druid Stone is an interesting read, with a lot of plot twists and unexpected moments.
It has a strong feel of place, namely Ireland. The authors create a story with, Irish myth and history woven into the our modern world but in Ireland, following Cormac and Sean the veil between our world and the one of magic and sidth seems very thin. As a reader one feels a bit like Alice when reading this book, one falls down the fairy mound...more

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Aug 23, 2012 Kaje Harper rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, m-m, paranormal

This book is an intriguing fantasy, an adventure, a family story and a romance that is sweet and hot and kept me guessing right up to the end. The urban fantasy setting is familiar in its depiction of the fae and yet adds a new twist with the intermediary between humans and Sidhe being a druid main character. The writing was smooth and engaging. Occasionally I got slightly lost in the twists of shifting fantasy worlds, in mirror perhaps to the disorientation of the MC's, but most of the imagery...more

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Sep 09, 2012 DaisyGirl rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, genre-romance, i-returned, romance-pnr

3.0 Stars

After inheriting a cursed druid stone from his great-grandfather, Sean O'Hara starts reliving another man's torture and death. He desperately seeks the help of Cormac Kelly (a descendant of legendary druids) who runs a paranormal investigation business in Tuam, Ireland. Sean and Cormac begin a romantic relationship that is threatened by the mad sidhe lords of ancient Ireland and their own dark pasts.

First off, this book is filled with incredibly vivid descriptions. The authors' ability...more 3.0 Stars

After inheriting a cursed druid stone from his great-grandfather, Sean O'Hara starts reliving another man's torture and death. He desperately seeks the help of Cormac Kelly (a descendant of legendary druids) who runs a paranormal investigation business in Tuam, Ireland. Sean and Cormac begin a romantic relationship that is threatened by the mad sidhe lords of ancient Ireland and their own dark pasts.

First off, this book is filled with incredibly vivid descriptions. The authors' ability to bring the sidhe world was awe-inspiring. That being said, the sidhe world they created was a pretty dark one. And, since a lot of the book was spent in this realm, the book was pretty dark.

Second, the sidhe world does not operate on our time/space continuum. Since time and space are not linear, we experience it via a collage of impressions conveyed via descriptive snapshots of different points in time. While the sidhe realm is beautifully haunting, it's not for the analytically inclined. The sidhe world - and much of the book's plot - does not withstand analytical scrutiny and a cursory glance will reveal a lot of holes.

Nonetheless, the book was original and the world enthralling. I did, however, have a gripe with the end. (view spoiler)

Bottom-line: pretty good read if you don't mind the dark sidhe world and you are willing to roll with the non-linear plot.(less)

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Mar 17, 2013 Trix rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: abuse, action, adventure, angst, bi-sexual, comedy, coming-out, drugs, fantasy, first-time, magic, mm-novels, mystery, paranormal, suspense

What an amazing journey! I quite enjoyed the story! I wondered at first what could make the story so long and was pleasantly surprised by the complexity and diversity of the plot.

(view spoiler)...more

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About Heidi Belleau

Heidi Belleau was born and raised in small town NB, Canada. She now lives in the rugged oil-patch frontier of Northern BC with her husband, an Irish ex-pat whose long work hours in the trades leave her plenty of quiet time to write. She has a degree in History from Simon Fraser University with a concentration in British and Irish studies; much of her work centred on popular culture, oral folklore,...more

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Quotes from The Druid Stone

“But now that he was here, he was happy. It wasn’t an uncomplicated kind of happy, but still. Something about the warm atmosphere, the way Cormac’s family teased him the same as they teased each other, fussed over him and brought him drinks, included him seamlessly in their conversation, just…recognized him.” — 2 people liked it

“For Cormac, every touch was shadowed by regret and anger and desperation, although he tried not to show it. Sean was being so clear, so brave. Doing the right thing because it was the right thing because it was the right thing to do, like he always did and always would do. Cormac could learn a lot from him.” — 2 people liked it

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