Carved In Stone by Kate Douglas

 Archeologist and folklore expert Nate Murdock has discovered ancient stone carvings that will either revolutionize thinking in his field or get him laughed out of it entirely, and he’s hired world-renowned photographer Alex Martin to document his find and bolster his claim. When the alluring Alexandra Martin, not Alex, shows up for the job, Nate’s not sure whether to send her packing or take her into his arms.

Alexandra Martin, the daughter of the famed photographer and just as talented with a camera, is a dark-haired and dark-eyed beauty. Years ago her father built his reputation on photographs he’d stolen from her, and she’s out to prove once and for all that she’s the real deal. When the opportunity to work with the celebrated and ruggedly handsome Nate Murdock falls into her lap, she jumps at the chance—whether he likes it or not.

As tempers flare and accusations fly, the two dig in for a battle of wills and an uneasy truce at their remote mountainside camp. But when drug smugglers trap them in a cave and leave them to die, Nate and Alexandra realize they must trust each other—and the fiery passion growing between them—and surrender to a mysterious force as it guides them through a perilous escape and the acceptance of a powerful love as primal and compelling as the mountain itself.

This book caught me off guard with how much I enjoyed it. I was a bit wary about reading it because I have read other books by Ms. Douglas that are paranormal/shifter in nature and I was wondering if I would enjoy her books that were not shifter books.

I was really surprised when I started the book and how easily the story flowed from the pages. How quickly it sucked me in until I couldn’t put the book down once I had started it.

The two main characters, Nate and Alex, I wasn’t really sure about how I felt about either of them right away. It seemed like during the first part of the book Alex had a huge chip on her shoulder (which it was understandable why she had it) and was taking it out on Nate. With Nate’s character also had his faults with how he treated Alex to start with. However, it seemed like he realized how he was wrong in his perceptions sooner than Alex did.

I was very happy when I found out that there was a paranormal twist to the story. But I was even more excited that even though it was there, it didn’t overtake the story. It added to it more than anything.

Once again, this story really caught me off guard with how well it was written and I can say that I’m extremely glad that I took the chance to read it.