The Stone Warriors: Kato

Dorsey says:

5 Action Packed Sexy Stars!

Kato is a millennia old warrior who’s not only very powerful in magic but, also has a powerful presence once he is finally released from his stone prison. When he is freed from his prison by unsuspecting Grace, Kato (along with Grace) embark on a mission to track down and eliminate the dangerous demons Grace unwittingly unleashed while attempting to decode three ancient scrolls.

“They’ll never let us in there.”

“Yes, they will,” he said with such irritating confidence that she wanted to slug him.

Grace is a strong independent woman disguised as a mild-mannered museum employee. She’s fluent in several languages with a specialty of deciphering ancient scrolls and finding the secrets they hold within their long obscure symbols and lettering. But Grace is only play-acting at the mild-mannered women we’re first introduced to, she’s a total bad ass under her museum twinset wardrobe (as are all DBR’s fantastic heroines!). I LOVED Grace!!

“And you agreed to do whatever I said.”

“In your dreams, pal. I agreed to follow your lead when it came to magic, which doesn’t include staying home like a good little woman while you go hunting. So where do we start?”

Kato is fast-paced, action-packed, humorous at times, and Kato is very sexy! Long after reading Kato, you’ll have a new DBR hero lust after along with all her vampires, warriors, and shifters! Naturally, we get some action with Nick, Damian (he is truly a God, I love him!!), and Casey. It was fun catching up with one of my favorite couples and of course, Nick’s presence is always appreciated!

As usual, we are treated to one of DBR’s teasing signature endings and I must say I’m excitedly looking forward to meeting our next Stone Warrior, Gabriel and his leading lady Hana.


Karla says:

5 Stars! A magical read!

After a fantastic start with the first book in this series, Damian, the author once again proves why she is one of the best voices in paranormal romance because Kato “ROCKED”! Always consistent, the author adds all the elements we expect from her in this read; a strong, protective swoon-worthy hero, a smart kick-ass heroine, witty banter, an original and creative plot, and enough heat to crack a stone!

You can’t help but fall in love with Kato and Grace. Kato’s a big tough warrior with a vulnerable side…swoon! Grace is a spitfire and walks head on into danger to protect her man. When she challenges Nick and stands up to Damian, I crushed on her big time. She was a hoot!

The camaraderie, devotion, and love that the men in this series have for each other is another appealing element. Nothing sweeter than cracking the macho man façade and exposing your true feelings for someone, it makes them all the more appealing.

The Stone Warriors series is fast becoming a new favorite and I can’t wait to see how the author entwines this series with another favorite, Vampires in America. But for now, I’m looking forward to the next installment, Gabriel, the next warrior to break free of his stone prison!

Second in the Stone Warriors series, Kato is the next cursed warrior to come to life after thousands of years of ensorcelled captivity. He has watched the world for millennia while he remained frozen in time, but now Grace Van Allen, a scholar in ancient languages working in an antiquities museum, has freed Kato. The very evil sorcerer from the first book is still trying to work his nefarious plans which include Kato because he has a very special dark magic that the sorcerer craves.

Kato’s life was quite harsh as he had a witch mother who used and abused him before he joined his Nicodemus and the four men he considered brother warriors. Until Grace released Kato from his cursed state, no woman ever wanted him for anything other than the pleasure he could provide as he was feared as well as desired. Grace is a pretty tough cookie herself having been trained in self-protection; she is immediately drawn to this fierce but surprisingly gentle man. She has little time to bring Kato up to speed on the ways of the modern world before they encounter demons that must be destroyed. Kato has only been able to observe the changing times in a limited way. So now he must hit the ground running to prevent this new evil from taking over.

Readers who read the first in this series, DAMIAN, will enjoy seeing the continuation of this story as another of the captives is released to not only fight evil, but be reunited with his brethren. Ms. Reynold’s heroines are always lots of fun as they give the macho very bossy, Nico, and his guys a lot of sass and little cooperation. Courage does not only come in big, brawny handsome packages.

Cursed into stone millennia ago, Kato's is lifted by the individual wording to break it by Grace. She is trying to decipher what 3 scrolls say in her job with the museum. Dark magic is at work and Grace is unsuspecting. Great urban fantasy with our carryover villain Sotiris, the cursemaker. Mystery, action, romance. Magic permeates the storyline, with enough questions that you really want to know more right now! Great worldbuilding, a little character surprise, excellent protagonists. Erotica. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC from Netgalley.

Kato is book two in D.B. Reynolds’ Stone Warriors series, although it is the first in the series that I’ve read. The world building is phenomenal and the romance curled my toes. I’m hooked on this paranormal series!

The whole premise of these books is that warriors of old have been cursed. Locked in stone, they await for the one who will break them free. Kato is our hero in this tale, the son of the Dark Witch. Demons have been summoned to modern day California, and the woman responsible is also the woman Kato owes for breaking his curse. They have to beat the clock as they try to wrangle their demon foe while a simmering attraction boils just underneath.

“And you agreed to do whatever I said.”
“In your dreams, pal. I agreed to follow your lead when it came to magic, which doesn’t include staying home like a good little woman while you go hunting. So where do we start?”

I really enjoyed this book! I love the idea of these centuries’ old warriors coming back to life. Kato has confidence to spare, but I adored how he still had this sweetness and curiosity to him. There’s just something so charming about this big, gruff warrior trying to figure out the current century’s lingo. Priceless.

Grace is everything I look for in a heroine, too. Girl can kick butt, and I loved seeing her in action. She’s full of surprises! I adored her. Then there’s the plot that develops alongside the romance. Suspense, action, humor, it all makes Kato a delightful read.

On top of that, we have demons and curses, spells and sorcery. The secondary characters were such good fun too. I need to go back and read Damian’s book, and please, please, please…I need more of Nick! Talk about a puzzle…

I’d recommend this series to anyone wanting an action-packed paranormal romance.

4.5 stars!

The Stone Warriors: Kato, Book Two of the Stone Warriors Series, D.B. Reynolds

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:  Romance, Sci-fi and Fantasy

Well, Wow. I think now I understand the overall plot and world building I really need to go back to book one, as I'm sure I'd rate it higher than I did on first read.
Some series are like that, it takes another book or two before the overall theme falls in to place for me, and this clearly is one such.
I think part of it too was over-expectation, I so love ViA, and was hooked from book one and expected this to be the same. 

Its is the same great writing though, full of people who feel real, who I have strong mental images of, ladies who aren't simpering kittens waiting for a big strong man to save them ;-)
Grace is anything but one of those, though our and Kato's first impressions could be forgiven for thinking that, because that's the image she tries to project. she's more than that though and a perfect lady for Kato.

He's the second stone warrior, and I kept thinking how awful, to be trapped like that for thousands of years, seeing and hearing everything but unable to interact.
Sometimes books have things happening and I think “ how very convenient that he/she does that riiigght at this point", and you could feel that about Kato coming out of imprisonment just in time to save grace from the Demon. D.B has the answer though, she's made it so there's a very real explanation why things are happening just now, and weaves every small thing into part of the larger overall plot that threads though the series. 

Its another great read, a race against time to stop demons from being unleashed and creating mayhem. Another, well..brush with danger feels too subtle, its more than that, another solid drama where the characters face a horrible death over and over, but manage to scrape through, and without using any of that New Skills Gained Just at the Optimum Moment that I so hate. You know the sort, he or she has just learned of their place in the supernatural world, takes it in their stride, and by  the fourth page or so they're killing the bad guys the others have been fighting and losing against for centuries, using some new skill that showed up just as the Demon or whatever is about to kill them! Gah, that really annoys me.
D.B doesn't ever do that, and though here Grace saves the day a few times, it works because she's the skills needed already, the training to keep calm and deal comes from her background. She gained her gun skills as a child, and as an adult she's been involved in some dangerous and scary dramas. Add in how clever and analytical her mind is and she's perfect for Kato. 

I loved catching up with Damian and Cass, and yep, now want to re-read their story.
Two more warriors to go yet, and of course there's also Nick, Nico, Nicademus...what a guy he is. When we first met him back in the early, the first book I think of the ViA series he was almost a throwaway guy, Cyn's friend with benefits hot guy, but he grew in importance in later books, and then we learned he's a powerful sorcerer.
I love how these two series interact, how we get snippets of other characters, even if only in conversation or thoughts.
I can't help but wonder if there's someone special in Nico's life planned? The mysterious talented Lili maybe - or perhaps someone from the Via series? Loads of possibilities to pick from, and I look forward to D.B.s next book(s) of either series. 
 
Stars: Five, a cracking, riveting, engrossing read and a great addition to D.B's series. 

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers

I really enjoyed Kato and Grace. She was a strong female lead(who didn't annoy me) and Kato was an interesting male lead. We get a few peaks at Damian and Casey and Nick too, plus a hint at our next leads and I'm very excited for it. We don't get much in the way of development outside of more knowledge on Sotiris but this was entertaining nonetheless. If your a DB fan you know how she builds her world one book at a time but they never disappoint. I would def read Damian's story before this if I were you though.
This was a complimentary advanced reader copy from the author/publisher in exchange for a honest review via Netgalley.

Another solid story by D.B. Reynolds. Truly enjoyed from start to finish. Looking forward to reading more of the Stone Warriors.

DBR doesn't let you down, you know when you spend your hard earned money you are going to get a well thought out plot, with romance, suspense, alpha heroes, kickass heroines and twists you don't see coming. Kato speaks to all this.

Thanks Netgalley for the sneak peak but I'm still buying this novel for my favorites shelf. Kato is another stone warrior and it takes a special woman to break him out of his curse and we have that woman in spades. Demons are the villain in this outing and our heroes nemesis Sotiris is there as well.

Fast moving plot, suspense and solid story makes this a summer 2017 must read. 4.5 stars and a superduper recommendation.

Kati is book 2 in the Stone Warriors series and Wow what a great addition it is. Ms. Reynolds never fails to be able to draw me in, living the story with the characters never know what will come next. Powerful stone warriors from the past, an evil like no other and a passion that won’t be denied this one has it all.

Fantastic, AWESOME,this book does not let you down, as always with D.B. R. All the great element's of PNR with some suspense and a great heroine

Hot, sexy and irresistible! A great read for a steamy Summer day!!

This series keeps getting better. Kato was beautifully written and a great continuation of the series. Grace finds Karo in the basement of her museum. Unbeknown to her she has been given scrolls to translet that has a really bad side effect. Kato comes to life and saves her from danger. What follows is a wonderful action packed love story. We also get,an update on Damien and Nick and the search for their fellow brothers. While u don't absolutely need to read the first I feel like you get so much more of the story if u do. I was provided this book via netgalley for an honest review. And I highly recommend not only this book and series. But all of D B Reynolds books.

3.5 Stars. I loved the first book in this series but this one just didn't work for me as well as the previous one. It started a bit slow and took awhile to really get going for me. I also never really felt the chemistry between the main characters. They fell instantly in lust and I was never really sure why they fell in love. Kato also was able to function in the 21st century a little too easily for a guy who had been locked in stone for 1000's of years.

But I still enjoyed the book and the second half of the book moved at a much better pace with plenty of action, some fun scenes with the characters from the first book and a plot that moved the overall arc forward. I'm a big fan of D.B. Reynolds and while this wasn't my favorite book of hers I still enjoyed it quite a bit.

I love the world she's built and the use of magic. I also love the relationship between Nick and his "lost brothers". I'm definitely a fan of the series and looking forward to the next book.

Having read this Authors previous series - The Vampires in America - which I thoroughly enjoyed...... I looked forward to this new series .#
The Author continues to capture my attention with her characters ...both good and evil , her world building is superb , drawing the reader in , investing us in the outcome of the tale .

This is the second book in The Stone Warriors series , Damian being the first .
Grace Van Allen is a scholar of ancient languages who works in the dim basements of a museum , with only a beautiful stone warrior , Kato , to keep her company. But when Grace copies an ancient scroll she accidentally releases 3 demons into the human realm ... the scroll was a magic spell !!
Leaning against the statue of Kato she asks for help .... not knowing that such a request and touch would release him from his centuries long curse .
After discovering that her neighbour had been murdered they face a race against time to stop further demons from being unleashed and creating mayhem.
When Kato discovers that his nemesis Sotiris is still alive and involved , he realises that it might be possible that his old comrades are also alive ........... and , with Graces help , he resolves to track them down ....and use their combined powers to defeat Sotiris once and for all ???

This was a very good read and I look forward to the next in the series .

Hold on to your bloomers, the studliness of Warrior Kato is going to melt them right off. Grace can’t resist him so how are we supposed to resist, and who would want to? If we have to go up against deadly blood-dripping demons I want this guy covering for me. We also get to see Nick, Damien and Cassey from book one but this is truly Kato’s show. Grace who works at the museum at first appears rather sedate but as the story unfolds we are treated to Grace the female warrior. Here’s a hint, she falls for Kato just as much as the reader but she gets dessert and we get to sigh. There are lots of bloody battles fought so be forewarned. There is magic in this book both Dark and Light and I am once again totally in love with Nick. I did want more of Ryan the mathematician because that was a bit of a mystery not completely resolved. (perhaps D.B. will treat us to more of him in future books).

Here’s a riddle for you; what’s hotter than a summer heat wave? I thought you would be way ahead of me on this one. Correct, this absolutely mind bending, mind boggling, vicious, sexy down right dirty, delightful novel from Ms. Reynolds. This is number two in her Stone warriors series and she has once again come through with an original plot that kept me riveted. You can start with this book since there is sufficient back-story incorporated and you won’t be lost but reading the first book , the Stone Warriors: Damien, along with this one will make it more enjoyable. Then like me you will wait impatiently for the next in the series, The Stone warriors: Gabriel, to which we are given a peek at the end of this book.

Strong second installment of the Stone Warrior series. Ms Reynolds has created two strong enigmatic characters in Kato and Grace; neither is as they initially appear. So nice to experience characters with depth. This story was a seamless continuation of the much larger story of Nico and his arch nemesis. Excited for the next story.

Another exciting, shouldn’t be missed novel in the Stone Warriors series by the author who gave us Vampires in America.

"It was a time when gods walked the earth, when armies fought not for bits of land, but for the very existence of humanity. On such a battlefield, five formidable warriors stood against an evil greater than any the earth had ever seen. But evil is not an honorable foe. Betrayed by someone they trusted, the warriors were cursed, one by one, tossed into the maelstrom of time, imprisoned in stone, their freedom resting on nearly impossible conditions. Until..."

I just love this intro, it’d be hard not to get hooked right from the start and have you wondering who will unbound the next warrior from his prison and what will he do once he’s free. This time, it’s Kato and Grace’s story that kept me turning pages. Theirs is an unlikely romance or perhaps it was destined.

Grace Van Allen loves the challenge of translating ancient scrolls and she enjoys doing so at night with only a statue as her companion who she likes to talk to. One night, while asking for his help she unwittingly releases her gorgeous stone warrior from his curse along with some lethal demons.

Kato Amadi, son of the Dark Witch, whose blood was infused with magic that feed his soul. A fierce warrior who fought equally well with his blade as he did with his magic. He has now emerged from captivity to fight demons once more, but has discovered that being a man out of time requires a reliable guide, but as they track down the threats they realize that a greater evil is behind them. Kato and Grace will need to trust each other in order to survive.

I have come to expect strong, possessive and protective alpha male heroes and equally strong and smart heroines from D.B. Reynolds and she certainly delivers in Kato. What surprised me a bit was Kato’s vulnerability, but Grace’s brashness didn’t surprise me one bit. Even though her world was rocked by the discovery of demons, magic and millennia old warriors come to life, she believed in said warrior, fought for him and beside him. There’s more to Kato besides good character development though, it has an ingenious, fast paced plot that wraps around a sizzling romance.

Devoted D.B. Reynolds’ fans will love it. Kato is gripping, sexy, and buoyed by Reynolds’ ability to describe fast paced, nail biting action sequences that are so vivid I can practically see the movie in my mind’s eye. I loved catching up with Damian and Casey and I can’t wait to get my hands on Nick Katsaros’ story, but between now and then, Reynolds is sure to give us more kick@ss Stone Warriors stories.

Kato is book #2 in the Stone Warriors series by D.B. Reynolds. It is a standalone, full-length paranormal romance. Told from two points of view with a happy ending.

This is book 2 in the Stone Warrior series. While this does stand alone there are characters and a background story arc from the previous book mentioned in this book. I would suggest reading them in order but it's necessary to enjoy the book.

Kato is a fairly serious and self contained warrior. He posses dark magic so his life had been full of challenges, snap judgements, and some fear until he met up with his 'brothers.' Once he and his brothers are cursed, Kato is trapped in stone for millennia waiting for his curse to be broken. Time passes until late one night, in the dark musty museum basement, Grace accidently sets him free. From there we have action, adventure, romance, mystery and magic. It was a wild and fun ride that was very enjoyable.

The story opens slowly. We get glimpses of Grace and her life but it takes some time before we really get a lot of backstory from her. There is a lot of character development that was very enjoyable to read. I liked how it felt like Kato and Grace got to know one another and they didn't just jump straight into bed with one another. There was some buildup so that when it did happen it was very satisfying. There is a bit of open-endedness to this story. It's more a happy for now ending which I guess plays into it being part of a bigger series. I would like a little more information on where Kato and Grace are as a couple but I guess we will see in later books.

I will say that I am not all that keen on this bad guy that was introduced in book 1. It is said over and over that Nick is the supreme sorcerer. He the most powerful, so strong, unbeatable blah blah...and yet it has taken millennia for his warriors to turn up and every time he fights Sotiris, the bad guy gets away. Now it's not been too clear (to my recollection) if he fought him much over the centuries but I don't believe so. In fact I do think that Nick thought he was dead. But once he realizes he's not he still is unable to beat him. Now I know this is just for the plot since if the bad guy died in the first book where would we go? But if Nick is so powerful I why is he having so much trouble? Something does happen at the end of this book that touches on this so I guess we will see in the next book if that particular thread continues. It would explain Nick not being able to kill Sotiris yet.

I am really enjoying this series and I can't wait to read more. I read that the next book will intersect with her vampire series so I am very excited to see where it goes. The teaser at the end of this book was very good and I really looking forward to more.

3.5/5
I think I'm jinxed with this series, peeps. I adore D.B.'s Vampires in America series, but I can not buy into romantic lines in Stone Warriors. Love the overall plot, but not the instalove. I far prefer slow burn attraction, but I totally understand that the format of this series dictates otherwise.

Saying all that, I loved Kato and Grace. They were interesting and layered. Grace kept pulling rabbits out of the hat when I least expected it, and Kato knew far more than you could have expected from his "illiteracy" issues.

And can I reiterate how much I love Nick? I can not wait for his love story, guys. *grinning* The villain is kinda cartoonish though, don't you think?

Overall, a sweet read. Tons of cool magic, kickass heroines and flashy fighting. I'm going to just roll my eyes at the love story, and keep reading.

Kato is the second book in the Stone Warriors paranormal romance series. It is a very well written and professionally edited full length novel.

Long ago Kato and his warrior brothers were turned to stone by an evil sorcerer. Only specific actions by women with certain attributes can free them from their stone prisons. Kato is released by an expert in ancient languages and is immediately thrown into battle with demons that are determined to feed in Los Angeles.

Kato is a complicated character, but the author made his past easy to understand through small flashbacks that didn't disturb the flow of the plot, but rather enhanced it. The plot itself was fast paced and entertaining.

Now that I've read the second book in the series I can tell that the Stone Warriors are going to be one of my favorite series right next to the Vampires in America. I'm already happily anticipating the next book.

Very much enjoyed this! This reminds me of julia mills kings of the blood series. The characters were all interesting to read.
This is a voluntary review and I do not get paid for this review.

Kato is a book that I have been pretty eager to grab up ever since reading the first book “Damian”. This series is about five warriors, who united many years previous to fight against a great evil. But then they were all betrayed and were magically turned into stone warriors. In this story our warrior is Kato, who had been cursed by his mothers genes who was a evil witch. He is a honorable fighter, and brother and this is his story.

In this book, however we see a hero just wanting to be free. When his statue is brought into a museum, a young woman is working on a translation. And when she “asks” for help, he is set free only to save her from a demon that she accidently unleashes. This chain of events has Kato and Grace working together, as they try to narrow down the search for demons that have been cropping up accidentally. Kato and Grace are a wonderful couple together and they balance each other out. Kato, is a man of brawn. He is smart but in other ways. However our heroine, Grace is really intelligent. I loved her brain, she is quick witted and thinks on her feet. She did some time with the military, so she knows her way around weapons as well and isn’t afraid to defend herself or anyone else she cares about. I loved that she wa a fighter, of course, with D.B. Reynolds, you just can expect her to write this style of heroine as well.

There was so much to love about Kato. Now I will admit that these books aren’t my favorite from this author, I do think her vampire series is the best. However there is something unique about this series. These warriors are so sexy and strong, but also make great lovers and partners for their women they fall for. I really admired Kato so much. He has been mocked all of his life about his mother’s evil deeds and the fact that he isn’t the most intellectual man on the block. But he is courageous and kind too. And there is also a strong bond between Kato and his brothers. Just to see him reunited with Damien and Nick again, just about brought a tear to my eye. Honestly, these sweet moments really balanced out the suspenseful elements that are a strong focus in this story. The romance that builds between Kato and Grace is fully loaded. They make a great fighting team of course, and their minds just work so well together. But there is also a sizzling bond between them that builds in this book, a bond that is both fierce and passionate and sweet and loving too. I just couldn’t get enough and boy I just can’t wait for Nick’s story. He is such a great leader and friend and we see so many good things about him even if he likes to be in control of every situation.

As you probably know D.B. Reynolds, Vampires is America series is one hot world that is full of sexy vampires and this spin off series is just as hot and sexy only we now have sorcerers, magic and curses to spark the imagination.

The second book in the Stone Warriors series certainly has sparks flying and the imagination soaring. Kato is one hunky warrior with some awesome magic and fighting skills, but he’s also got that dark, dangerous but vulnerable vibe going on that reaches out grabs readers’ hearts. Grace is a spunky heroine that adds some spice to the story as her character starts off seemingly vulnerable but surprises readers with quite a few admirable traits and an ability to roll with the punches. The romance between Kato and Grace is hot and deliciously sexy and made me green with envy, I mean what red blooded woman wouldn’t love to wake up her very own hunky warrior just in the nick of time.

The plot is full of twists and turns and keeps readers wondering about a variety of different aspects of the story, the main characters, the supporting characters and most especially the bad guys. Believe me when I tell you that the author is one step ahead of you and the danger has increased with this story as the evil villain has more tricks up his sleeve and continues to lead Nick and his warriors on a perilous chase.

Kato is a fascinating read that kept me glued to the pages and ended with me wanting more; when is the next book coming out? I really can’t wait to read the next one as it seems we just might get to travel to Japan… hmm….

Kato is book 2 in the Stone Warriors series. I really liked how this one started with the words of the curse, I don't remember that with Damian but it was a great addition. Kato was awesome, he is very powerful being the son of the Dark Witch but with that power comes pain from the curse his mother put on him. Grace is the woman who frees Kato from his stone prison. I enjoyed her very much but again like Casey she became a little annoying by the end. Her attitude toward Nick was not necessary, she doesn't know the warrior or Nick and really doesn't understand his love nor the extent of his guilt for the men. The story arc continues since their enemy escaped again but that Epilogue has me excited for book 3.

Very well written, I loved the characters Kato and Grace. I am so hook on this series , I just purchased book 1 .