SECRET OF THE STONE is an older title written by Barbara Delinsky, whose current novel is FLIRTING WITH PETE. Sculptress Paige Mattheson is known to be as cold as ice, and during an art show two men place bets on whether the one can thaw her out. Thus, Paige finds herself meeting Jesse Dallas, who in the guise of a chauffeur worms his way into her life. What ensues is a hot love affair that Paige never in a million years would have thought could happen to her, and Jesse finds he's won his bet but also discovers he's falling for the ice queen, something that should never have happened. No promises were made between the two at the onset of this affair, and as Jesse starts to get the itch to leave, Paige convinces herself into letting him go. Unfortunately, although she thought she could go on with life without him, she finds that she's fallen in love. Jesse decides that he can't deal with commitments and attachments, and he attempts to continue with his life without her. The two lovers part company, but only time will tell how long they can resist the urge to see each other again.
SECRET OF THE STONE was at one time part of the Harlequin line of romance books called TEMPTATION. I wasn't in the mood for a romance so I was a little disappointed at first when I started reading this book. I was hoping for a Barbara Delinsky novel akin to what she is churning out today. However, as I am a big fan of hers, I continued with the book and found that the flavor of the story was a lot like the books she currently writes, but with a slant towards pure romance. I am giving this a 3 star rating; unless you are looking for a straight romance or are a big fan of Barbara Delinsky, however, this book is probably not for you.