5 stars for Rock House Grill (Impact Book 1) by @donnavstone #romance #bookreview #newrelease
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  • N. N. Light
    • Mar 27, 2020
    • 4 min read

5 stars for Rock House Grill (Impact Book 1) by @donnavstone #romance #bookreview #newrelease



Title: Rock House Grill (Impact Book 1)

Author: D.V. Stone

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Sweet Romance, Inspirational Romance

Book Blurb:


Aden House, successful but driven chef and TV personality, refuses to slow down. His life implodes one night, damaging him both physically and emotionally. He’s rescued by a woman he thinks of as his angel.

Shay McDowell has rebuilt her life after her divorce. She juggles volunteer EMT duties and her job, while dreaming of becoming a chef. She finds her way to Rock House Grill and back into the life of the man she helped save.

Can love be the ingredient needed to survive the many obstacles they face?

My Review:


In one devasting moment, Shay’s life changes. Catching her husband cheating on her while she’s on duty as an EMT propels her to start over. She loves helping people and when an opportunity arises, she jumps at the chance to work at Rock House Grill, owned by hotshot tv chef Aden House and his sister. She works hard and gains the respect of Aden. When the head chef has to leave, Shay steps in as the restaurant’s chef for the night. He’s a good teacher, though, and she gets hands-on training as a chef. It would be easy for her to fall in love with Aden but her heart has taken one too many beatings. She slams walls up around her heart, refusing to allow Aden in. Can these two battered souls find comfort in each other’s arms or is love not on the menu at Rock House Grill?

Rock House Grill is an incredibly uplifting story about slowing down, savoring the little miracles in life and taking a chance on love. It’s what I would call an inspirational romance but it’s so much more than that. There’s a mystery sub-plot as well as important life lessons woven throughout. The characters are likable, for the most part, and the more I read, the more I grew attached to both Shay and Aden. Man alive, there was a lot of drama and subterfuge with exes. Talk about wickedness abounding. But like in life, Shay and Aden have a multitude of obstacles to overcome in their own lives before they can come together. Their fortitude in life and love inspired me. The plot moved at a good pace with a few surprises thrown in made Rock House Grill an unputdownable read. The culinary details were 100% accurate and added depth to the story. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this romance and it’s one of the better books I’ve read this year. Highly recommend!

Favorite Character/Quote: Shay. She’s such a fascinating character. No matter how much life kicks her to the ground, she gets back up and moves forward. Her inner strength adds to her beauty and it’s easy to see why Aden falls in love with her. Shay’s a heroine every woman will love, faults and all.

My Rating: 5 stars

Buy it Now:


Author Biography:


Hi, my name is D. V. Stone. Rock House Grill, a contemporary romance, is available for purchase on April 6thby Wild Rose Press. I host Welcome to the Campfire, a weekly blog. I am also a multi-genre author of two independently published books. Felice, Shield-Mates of Dar is a fantasy romance. Agent Sam Carter and the Mystery at Branch Lake is a mid-grade paranormal. Here’s a little more about me.

Born in Brooklyn, D.V. Stone has moved around a bit and even lived for a time on a dairy farm in Minnesota before moving back east. Throughout her wandering, she always considered herself a Jersey Girl. She met and married the love of her life, Pete—a lifelong Jersey Man, and moved this time to Sussex County. They live with Hali, a mixed breed from the local shelter and their cat Baby.

D.V.’s career path varied from working with the disabled to become a volunteer EMT, which in turn led to working in hospital emergency rooms and then in a women’s state prison. After a few years, she took a break from medicine and became the owner of Heavenly Brew, a specialty coffee shop in Sparta NJ, and a small restaurant in Lafayette. Life handed some setbacks, and she ended up back in the medical field, but this time in a veterinary emergency hospital.

During the poor economy, she was laid–off from a long-time position she cared about. Devastated, D.V. wondered what to do with her life. Finding comfort in her love of reading, she realized it was now time to follow her dream of writing. It’s been a long road but worth every minute of it. Now a published author, she also works in a people medical office again.

“Thank you for taking the time to read about me. Each time you open the pages to one of my books, I hope you’ll be swept away by the story and find encouragement in your own life, never to give up on hope.”

D.V. Stone

Social Media Links:


Reviewed by: Mrs. N

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