Heart of Stone is one of those books I’ve been planning to read, and I always seem to forget about it. Part of the reason is I do not own a physical copy so it can’t gaze down at me in disappointment whenever I buy another book like the rest of the books on my shelf… Well, I finally cracked open Heart of Stone to find the most gentle, comforting romances I’ve ever read. How have I let this one collect dust on my TBR so long?!
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Title: Heart of Stone
Author: Johannes T. Evans
Series: N/A
Genre: historical romance, paranormal fantasy
Publisher: self-published
Pages: 296
Audiobook length: N/A
ISBN: 9798672289854
Content warnings: homophobia, blood, death, mentions of slavery and racism
Blurb
The year is 1764, and following a glowing recommendation from his last employer, Henry Coffey, vampire, takes on a new personal secretary: young Theophilus Essex.
The man is quite unlike any secretary—or any man, for that matter—that Henry has ever met.
Heart of Stone is a slowly unfolding period romance between a vampire and his inimitably devoted clerk: lushly depicted in flowing, lovingly appended prose, we follow the slow understanding these two men grasp of one another, and the cross of their two worlds into each other’s.
Henry Coffey, immortal and ever-oscillating between periods of delighted focus upon his current passion project, is charming, witty, and seems utterly incapable of closing his mouth for more than a few moments; in contrast, Theophilus Essex is quiet and keenly focused, adopting an ever-flat affect, but as time goes on, he relaxes in his employer’s presence.
Craving resounding intimacy but with an ever aware of the polite boundaries for their situation, Coffey and Essex perform a slow dance as they grow closer to one another, and find themselves entangled.
Review of Heart of Stone
- Format: ebook
- Pacing: slow
- Plot or character-driven: character
- POVs: dual POV
- Representation: gay main characters, m/m romance
Johannes T. Evan’s creates the kind of narrative you can just sink into. His writing is very atmospheric, which is perfectly suited for a historical romance. The two main characters felt very real, and their dialogue flowed naturally. It felt easy to just sit back and enjoy Heart of Stone’s slow-paced romance.
The narration comes from both Theophilus and Henry, who both experience the world in noticeably different ways. I loved that I could see the difference in how the two charters paid attention to sights, sound, smells, and other characters in the story. It made Henry’s heightened vampire senses feel more real and was a great way to develop both of the characters, who had near opposite personalities.
Despite Theophilus and Henry being so different, it is very clear that they enjoy each other’s company more and more throughout the story. I loved their dynamic. Henry is very passionate and curious while Theophilus is more thoughtful with a sardonic sense of humor that made me (and Henry) laugh. I really enjoyed seeing Henry and Theophilus become friends before they confessed their feelings to each other. The romance is very slow burn, so there’s a lot of pining, but I never felt worried about the characters. Heart of Stone had a very comforting feel overall.
‘What’s this?’
‘It’s a gift,’ Theophilus said.
‘For me?’
‘For you.’
‘You shouldn’t have.’
‘I will take it back then,’
(Theophilus & Henry in Heart of Stone, Evans, pg 254) – I found this interaction so funny! Next time someone tells me I shouldn’t have, I should respond with “I’ll take it back then”, lol
For most of the story, Henry and Theophilus are insulated within Henry’s household, so we don’t learn too much about vampires and the rest of the world aside from what is revealed during their conversations. However, I did enjoy meeting Henry’s much older vampire friends, who provided glimpses at vampire culture and their origins. It made sense that vampires would form very close platonic partnerships during their long lives, so I liked that the author spent time exploring that side of vampire life.
Plot-wise, very little happens I Heart of Stone, which is a very character-focused story. If you want to read a book that’s going to make you feel like you’re being gently wrapped in a warm blanket, Heart of Stone is it. I would recommend this book to fans of slow-burn romance who enjoy seeing characters develop strong relationships and learn to act on their desires.
You’ll like this book if you enjoy…
- Slow-burn gay romance
- Opposites attract
- Vampires!
- Character focused, introspective stories
Where to find Heart of stone by Johannes T. Evans:
Have you read Heart of Stone? Let’s chat in the comments!
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Comments
2 responses to “Review: Heart of Stone by Johannes T. Evans”
I love Johannes T. Evans work! I don’t see them get hyped nearly enough!
He is a great author! I think he has a pretty big following on AO3/Medium/email marketing, but it’s harder to gauge how big from the outside looking in on those platforms. Now that he’s publishing a few more of his works as novels, I wonder if we will start to see more people talk about his stories.