Of Roses, Blood & Stone

Shadow of the South Series (Book #3)

By: Leia Kay

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

For nearly two centuries, they called it a love story.
They were wrong.

For generations, visitors to the Castillo de San Marcos have heard the same tale:
two lovers, entombed within its walls.

No one asks why.

What really happened inside those walls was never meant to be remembered.

“Haunting mystery confronts historical oppression and erasure.” — BookLife

14 early readers. 5-star average. And a truth no one saw coming.

★★★★★ “Haunting and unforgettable… a story that lingers long after the final page.”
— Early Reader

★★★★★ “The dual timeline was seamless, and the truth behind the legend completely caught me off guard.”
— Amazon Reviewer

★★★★★ “Atmospheric, emotional, and impossible to put down.”
— ARC Reader

For nearly two centuries, they called it a love story. They were wrong.

For readers drawn to gothic suspense and hidden histories, Of Roses, Blood & Stone weaves dual timelines, buried truths, and a legend that was never meant to be questioned.

Perfect for readers of The Hacienda and The Clockmaker’s Daughter.

For generations, St. Augustine has told the same story: two lovers were found entombed within the walls of the Castillo de San Marcos.

No one asks why.

And no one is prepared for the truth.

The legend is polished. Romantic. Safe. It is also a lie.

In 1839, Dolores Martí arrives in St. Augustine as the young wife of Colonel García Martí, a man determined to force the Seminole people from their homeland. Within the coquina walls of the Castillo, prisoners suffer while soldiers speak of order and progress.

Dolores sees something else.

She sees injustice.

And she begins to act.

Aided by Manuel Abela, her husband’s trusted aide, her quiet rebellion sets into motion a chain of events that will not end in love, but in silence.

Nearly two centuries later, social media manager Janice Dalton travels to St. Augustine with her historian boyfriend, Gabriel Martinez, hoping for a quiet escape after finishing her breakout novel.

Instead, they find inconsistencies in the official records.

A sealed chamber hidden within the fortress walls.

And a truth that was never meant to be uncovered.

As past and present collide, Janice and Gabe must decide what to do with a discovery powerful enough to fracture a town’s identity.

Because once the stone gives up its secrets, the myth cannot be rebuilt.

Of Roses, Blood & Stone is a dual timeline historical novel steeped in gothic suspense, exploring occupation, resistance, and the dangerous beauty of the stories people choose to believe.