Heart of Stone (The Stone Series Book 1) by Dakota Willink is a sizzling romance with heat and dominance. Krystina Cole is a slightly naïve young woman with big dreams and aspirations. She can’t help but be attracted to New York billionaire and real estate tycoon Alexander Stone. Alexander is used to getting his way. When he meets Krystina, he is immediately attracted to her. He ultimately introduces her into a world of dominance and submissiveness. But she isn’t like other women that he has met, and he worries that Krystina will be turned off by his choice of lifestyle. Even more, he worries about the secrets that he holds from his past, because revealing the truth could be devastating. Krystina knows a thing or two about secrets. But if they are keeping information from one another, how will they ever learn to trust each other?

Heart of Stone is a very spicy romance that delves into the lives of both dominant and submissive partners. Dakota Willink does a nice job of creating complex characters that are interesting and mysterious. They are sexy but also layered and have more on their minds than just romance. I liked that about this story. I liked how Willink built the attraction and how she revealed information about each character gradually, giving the reader time to get to know the characters and wonder about their motivations. Willink is a very talented writer, and her ability to weave a story together flawlessly is very apparent in this steamy romance.

Alexander Stone is a billionaire and tycoon in the real estate world. He doesn’t take kindly to the word “no” and he is used to getting what he wants. When it comes to women, what he wants is to be the dominant partner. He wants a submissive woman that he can take care of, but who is also willing to listen to commands and do as she is told. When he meets Krystina Cole in Heart of Stone (The Stone Series Book 1) by Dakota Willink, he is attracted to her and wants to dominate her and have her as his submissive partner. But Krystina is not the typical type of girl he is interested in. What if she doesn’t enjoy being dominated? What if his ideas of pleasure frighten her or scare her away from him? What if the secrets from his past are shared and ruin his chances of happiness forever?

Romance readers who love BDSM will absolutely love Dakota Willink and Heart of Stone. It is a well-written book with flawless characters and very exciting romantic scenes. But even readers who are not familiar with this style of romance can enjoy this book. It is very tastefully written. Willink does a nice job of explaining what is happening through both characters’ eyes and never tries to demand too much from her characters. I liked the secrets that both characters had and felt that added a nice depth to the story. The ending is a cliffhanger, which I certainly hope is explained in the next book!

Krystina Cole has a secret. In Heart of Stone (The Stone Series Book 1) by Dakota Willink, we learn that her past contains a secret she can’t imagine sharing with anyone, but especially the billionaire businessman she shares a bed with. Over the years she has hardened her heart to make it easier to deal with the emotional weight of her past. But Alexander Stone threatens to undo that every time he takes her into his bed. Alexander understands secrets. He has a few skeletons of his own in his closet. But while Krystina is afraid to open up emotionally, Alexander feels that revealing his past would lead to much more devastating results than a few emotional wounds. As they become closer and more romantically involved, they hold on to their secrets even harder. Each refuses to budge. But in a world of BDSM where trust is the most important ingredient, how can they ever expect to learn to trust one another when they are both keeping secrets?

I liked the premise of Heart of Stone. Dakota Willink did a nice job of setting the stage for two characters who have trust issues to be in a dominant relationship that requires an extreme amount of trust. The tension jumps off the page between these two characters! And the romantic scenes between them sizzled with intensity! Willink created two memorable characters and put them in a situation that threatened them both (by having to reveal their secrets), which made for such a good story. I couldn’t put this book down and think other readers will definitely feel the same.

Heart of Stone by Dakota Willink is a contemporary romance. Krystina Cole (Krys) is a college graduate working at a local grocery store, but her dream is to work in marketing. She’s not interested in having a man in her life —she likes her relationships with no strings attached. Then she meets Alexander Stone, a New York real estate tycoon with kinky tastes. They meet by chance, but quickly develop an unexplained interest in each other — Krys is curious about his world, and he is attracted by her clever attitude that is the complete opposite of what he likes in women. The sparks start flying, and though they both carry a significant amount of baggage that may shadow any attempts at a relationship, it doesn’t mean they stop trying. Early on, we find out what Krys’ baggage is, but the author is teasing us throughout the book about Alex’s. His sister gives us some possible insights…well, you’ll have to read the book.

Heart of Stone by Dakota Willink is a well-crafted story, a sizzling romance surrounding Krys and Alex’s developing BDSM relationship. Oh, dear, I’m still blushing. It was truly exciting to watch the two of them try to look past their differences while building their relationship. What I liked about this book was the fact that although, same as in many other romance novels, the attraction is instant, Willink made her characters very real by making them work at their likes and dislikes in the bedroom and beyond. Out of the two main characters, I loved Alex. In spite his hunger for kinky sex, he is caring and gentle.

I rate this book 5 stars it was one if the best books I have read in a long time . The second book can't come soon enough.