The Heart of Stone series moves into the next generation with Hard As Stone, a full-length STANDALONE novel featuring Tristan and Nina’s son, Ethan.Trouble. Playboy. Heartbreakingly gorgeous. Ethan Stone, the only son and spitting image of billionaire Tristan Stone, has a long line of women who would kill for a night with him, and rumor has it he’s more than happy to oblige.But Ethan has a … oblige.
But Ethan has a problem. His family wants him to settle down. Why, he can’t understand. But he needs to figure out a way to convince them he’s given up his wild ways while at the same time living his life the way he wants to.
He has a plan, though, and Summer Carmichael, the quintessential girl-next-door, is perfect to help him. But Ethan better watch out or he might just find himself falling for exactly the kind of woman his family wishes he’d bring home.
NOTE: While Hard As Stone is in the Heart of Stone series, this book, along with Ethan’s sisters’ books Set In Stone and Silent As A Stone (which will release later in 2019) are all STANDALONE BOOKS and can be read individually on their own. The number in the series is included only for retailer purposes, not reading purposes.
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I didn’t realize that Hard As Stone was apart of a series until after I began reading, but you better believe that I will be going and grabbing up some of these other books ASAP! I absolutely loved these characters and was hooked on this story. There was some drama, suspense and some serious chemistry. Throughout the story there is a mystery that surrounds Ethan and one of his sisters. I was constantly taking guesses as to why he was so protective over her and why his relationship with her was so different from that of his other sister. I do wish that I had gotten to hear more of Diana’s story, but since this is a series I am really hoping that she will get her own story in the future.
This is a must read book for sure! You will not be disappointed! – By Alisa
3.5 stars
Review by Leah
Late Night Reviewer
Up All Night w/ Books Blog
Taming the Playboy or did she? Hard as Stone by K.M. Scott is about moving forward and finding love along the way.
I really enjoyed the storyline between Ethan and Summer but I could have lived without the family using her as they did.
I have read where the H uses the h to be a fake girlfriend/fiance and that does not bother me but when Tressa does it after Ethan does, it just kind of went a bit too far. It made me not a fan of her or his family. It felt like Summer was just getting walked all over by the Stone family just because they could. I was waiting patiently for a little scene where Tressa and Ethan put down the competition/grudge match. I did not get that. I felt like there was a hint of Tressa actually doing this for Ethan because she knows Summer is good for him but it was only a spark that died quickly. I was definitely on Summer’s side throughout this book. With the whole mystery person that Ethan would just drop everything and disappear for would have pushed me away too. When it was finally revealed, I loved when they, Ethan, Summer and the mystery person, eventually meet up.
Besides that, this story is really a good one. There are really sweet parts and the banter back and forth between Summer and Ethan will have you giggling. Summer gives as much as she gets. I wish it went more into Summer and Ethan’s relationship, like the plane ride and the time they spent together before everything went awry. I definitely recommend giving this book a try.
This is the book 8 in the Heart of Stone Series (the next generation). Ethan and Summer are great characters. Ethan is a playboy, rich, and handsome. Summer is beautiful, sexy and smart. They are both great characters. They share an instant attraction, and an undeniable, and strong chemistry. Their story is filled with misunderstandings, secrets, and a lack of communication. The other characters are also very interesting. The story is well written, and beautiful. Now, I can’t wait for the next book in this Series. This was my first listen to Paul Corning and Samara Naeymi. They have a great voice, easy to understand, and they did a great narration. I had the chance to read this story before, and I love how the narrators bring it to life. I enjoyed my listening! I received this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily written this review.
Ethan has a problem, he’s a playboy but his family wants him to settle down. He thinks he can use Summer as a cover to still do what he wants. Will Ethan get what he wants or will his family?
When I received the notification that I would be receiving an ARC of Hard As Stone by K.M. Scott, I was excited. She is a new author to me, and I love reading new authors. After searching her profile on Amazon, I saw that, while Hard As Stone is a standalone novel, it is Book 8 in the Heart of Stone series. Wanting to be prepared, I decided to binge read the first books of that series, the story of Tristan and Nina. I was hooked from the first book. I loved just about everything about Tristan and Nina, save for the angsty moments.
Feeling prepared, I launched into Ethan’s book. Ethan is one of Tristan and Nina’s triplets and the only boy. Riding the high of the first books in the series, I soon became disillusioned. For the first third of the book, I did NOT like Ethan Stone. Not even a little bit.
Ethan Stone is everything you don’t want him to be: an entitled womanizer. Here’s the thing. I thought for sure that Nina would keep her children humble. Coming from a middle-class single parent background, I believed she would be diligent in molding them to be givers rather than takers of the Stone fortune. At first sight, that is not Ethan Stone. He’s a womanizer to boot. There were many moments in the first third of the book that I wanted to stop reading because Ethan was not likable to me. He reads emotionally immature at first. And I thought Scott could have moved the narrative along a bit faster too. Thankfully, she gives us Summer who provides a balance to Ethan’s character.
From the start, I connected with Summer. She is every woman in both body and soul, and she is not afraid to be herself with Ethan, even if she believes he cannot like her. In the bedroom, they have incredible chemistry. You need a shot of water to the face for their bedroom antics. However, Ethan seems more enamored with her for this rather than her character qualities, at least for the first part of the book. I had whiplash when it came to Ethan’s interest in her. He would move between really liking her to wanting to be with other women. Even the moment with Ilsa later in the book, when he was fairly attached to Summer, he stood there and let Ilsa paw at him. It infuriated me. It was difficult for me to believe that he was “all in” with Summer. Quite frankly, I stood with his sister, Tressa, at certain points in the book when I thought that Summer was too good for Ethan.
Now, I didn’t feel this throughout the entire book. Ethan has a secret that is eventually, after quite a bit of exasperating time, revealed. Once you learn his secret, his behavior makes sense. Unfortunately, this tends to be drawn out, and I find I can be impatient with characters who act like their heads are on a swivel.
In the first three books of the Stone series, Ethan’s father, Tristan has his faults. He’s closed off to Nina, and he keeps secrets from her. Yet, I never felt like I didn’t like him. I would become exasperated with him, but I always knew that he adored Nina (well, except for his time away from her). His son, Ethan, made me doubt the Stone series. It took me some time to accept him and Summer together. Thankfully, he redeems himself later in the book, and he becomes loveable in the end. But I struggled to accept his redemption for a bit.
Ethan’s story with his sister, Diana, holds the poignancy of Hard As Stone. Summer’s determination in accepting Ethan’s secret and helping him accept his past provides a beautiful lesson of redemption and the strength of forgiving one’s self. This truth is the power of Summer and Ethan’s story.
Overall:
I am new to this author and this series, but I cannot wait to read everything else in this series! Ethan and Summer are so amazing together! The story is well written and every character was perfectly described! This story has a lot of steam and sweet – it is perfect!
I actually liked this book.I wasn’t sure at the begging since this story is part of a series,but it can be read as standalone.
Now,I did rolled my eyes a few times.I didn’t like how Ethan and Summer’s story was devolving.She got mad at him for a very stupid reason(twice),and he didn’t try to explain things to her for,also a very stupid reason(he could explain where he was going without giving the details).Beside that,I liked Ethan and Summer as couple.They were fun and most of the time easy-going.
The plot wasn’t something special since it was just about Ethan and Summer and their relationship.
Overall,this was a light read and I liked it.
Hard As Stone tells us Ethan and Summer’s love story. Ethan is the son of Nina and Tristan Stone. You can know Nina and Tristan if you’ve read the other books in the Heart of Stone series. I love that couple and their love story. I was happy when the author announced that the next generation would get their own books. Hard As Stone was a great book!
Ethan and Summer are amazing characters. Ethan is rich, passionate, caring, talented and troubled. He loves being a photographer and he’s amazing at it. He will never be the businessman his dad is, no matter how much his dad wished that to be the case. Ethan is a player and he can get any woman he wants. Summer is different. Ethan wants to really know her and to be with her all the time.
Summer is sweet, hardworking, reliable, lonely and caring. She isn’t sure what her life is going to be like when she loses her job, but she will get help from someone unexpected. Summer likes Ethan a lot and she loves spending time with him. She still tries to protect her heart a little, so I understood some of her decisions. I adored Summer and Ethan together!
It was great to see Nina and Tristan again. They are still very much in love and they haven’t changed at all. I also liked that I already got to know Ethan’s sisters a little bit. I liked one sister a little more than the other, to be honest, but I can’t wait for both books to be released!
Yes! A great addition to the Heart of Stone series. I loved Tristan and Nina so getting a story about the kids had me screaming with excitement. This is Ethan’s book and I immediately fell in love with it.
Ethan and Summer are absolutely perfect together. He’s the hot bachelor and she’s the sweet girl next door. Their story is real, sweet and sexy. Ethan turns the heat up let me tell you and he is the sweetest guy ever. I’m hoping we get the other 2 kids books and soon. I’m dying for Diana’s story.
Yes! A great addition to the Heart of Stone series. I loved Tristan and Nina so getting a story about the kids had me screaming with excitement. This is Ethan’s book and I immediately fell in love with it.
Ethan and Summer are absolutely perfect together. He’s the hot bachelor and she’s the sweet girl next door. Their story is real, sweet and sexy. Ethan turns the heat up let me tell you and he is the sweetest guy ever. I’m hoping we get the other 2 kids books and soon. I’m dying for Diana’s story.
*Review by Michelle
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Ethan and Summer…..what a great story. I was dying in the beginning with Ethan’s phone conversation with his mom. Ethan certainly followed in his fathers footsteps in life young, successful, good looking and a whore. What starts out with Summer is just pretend until it turns to more. The chemistry between the two is off the charts. Great read and great continuation of the series! Can’t wait for the next one.
Picking up Hard As Stone was just like coming home. It’s been a long time since I’ve been a part of the Heart of Stone world and it honestly felt like no time had passed at all.
Hard As Stone follows the story of Ethan & Summer. If you’re familiar with the Heart of Stone Series, then you know that Ethan is the son of Tristan and Nina. Ethan is devastatingly good looking like his father and has the artistic talent of his mother. The whole world is Ethan’s oyster and women flock to just be near Ethan. However, Ethan’s family isn’t too fond of his playboy ways. They want to see settled and calm. That’s where Summer comes into play. Summer is everything his family could dream of if they had to pick a girl for Ethan. She’s beautiful, quiet, totally the girl next door. She’s perfect. Now, Ethan just has to convince her to go along with his plan. Ethan will soon find out that there is more to Summer than meets the eye. She’s the total package. She’s everything he never knew he wanted. He had better hold onto his heart before it’s too late…
Stories like this are just so much fun. Fake relationships are one of my favorite troupes and I was so excited to see this author’s spin on it. Right away I knew this story was going to be a good one. I was hooked instantly. As someone who was already a fan of Tristan and Nina’s story, I was excited to see what would lie ahead for their son and I was not disappointed. Ethan was everything I was expecting him to be; the perfect blend of his parents. I loved that he was cocky, but had a heart of gold. He struggled with his past and wanted to do what was right even though he knew he would mess up along the way. Then you have Summer who is this amazing girl and is just real. She’s honest and good and would be the perfect friend to share all of your secrets with. Even though she was Ethan’s opposite, she just got him and gave him the support he needed, even when he didn’t know he needed it.
I loved watching Ethan & Summer together. They had great chemistry and I loved their push and pull. Yes, they did make me crazy a few times, but that led to such terrific angst. And well, I’m a sucker for angst. I really enjoyed watching these two figure things out and learn how to communicate with one another.
Hard As Stone is a terrific addition to the Heart of Stone Series. I loved catching up with Nina & Tristan and getting to see their three amazing kids. I had a really great time getting to know Ethan and Summer and loved watching their story unfold. This story had everything I was looking for: angst, drama, sexual tension, excellent chemistry and characters that just kept me begging for more. Bottom line, I had a great time getting lost in this book and being apart of the Heart of Stone Series again.
As an avid K.M. Scott fan, I was super excited to see the Stone children get their stories. And let me tell you, this one did not disappoint. This was a stunning story of finding love, forgiveness and living life to the fullest. What turned out to be the start of a ruse, turns into something beautiful between Ethan and Summer. But hiding things starts to destroy what they have. But Ethan’s reasonings are understandable in a way and oh so heartbreaking. Ethan is the quintessential naughty boy who is use to getting what he wants but behind that, he is such a tortured soul. The reasonings will break your heart and you honestly feel what he does. Summer is that shining light in his life. Exactly what her name is. Bright, full of life and loving. Ethan breaks down her walls and what they have is so raw and passionate. Their connection is evident from their first time alone.
As we roll through this story, you really get the feel for what Ethan is the way he is and how Summer brings out the man his family always knew was there in him. Their love is something so beautiful but Ethan is so scared because of what happened in the past. The level of angst is perfect in this story as well. I honestly could not devour it fast enough! I giggled, I swooned and I wanted to rage a bit at Ethan, but you cannot help but love him. If you haven’t read anything but Scott, do so. You can read this as a standalone but it does have characters that flow from the previous Stone books. I am super excited to see what is going to happen next with the kids!
I just loved this book, Summer is determined but doesn’t have the confidence to back herself and Ethan just wants to do what makes him happy but the family pressures are always there. What begins as a show of deception soon changes and we are drawn into watching Summer and Ethan not only wrestle with their feelings but also work out what they really want in life. There is plenty of lust, lies, frustration (not only by them but you as a reader wanting to shake them silly at times!) and the want for them to see what they mean to each oh and some meddling family members to top it off. Now I patiently or should I say impatiently wait for the next book !!
I was very excited to hear about new series from the Stone family. Tristan and Nina journey on the past were crazy emotional. I thought alot of about their children.. will they be the image of their parents?
‘Hard As Stone’was the highlight of Ethan Stone.. sexy photographer.. playboy charmer.. kinda like Tristan when he was younger.. like Father like son. Summer Carmichael, the simple girl who is chasing her dream.
Their relationship were quick and hot! I love the dynamic.. the play between emotions were slow, raw and sensitive. It brought me hope and love to see more stories from the Stone family.
I haven’t read any of the previous books in this series by KM Scott, in fact, this is my first book by her, but I’m sure it won’t be the last. Thankfully, even though it’s #8 in the series, it IS a standalone and was a fairly easy book to get into.
Ethan is a hot, rich playboy with the world at his feet, or so he seems to outsiders, but if you look deeper into the man he really is? That’s where the truth lies. He may act like an entitled douche but he will protect what is his.
Summer is his complete opposite, she’s a simple girl-next-door type and not the kind of woman that Ethan s expected to date. She so sweet and innocent seeming, but she’s got a hidden spark of sass and sexiness inside her.
These two are an incredible match and it seems nothing can come between them… until Ethan does what most H do. He makes a mistake. Can he come back from it? Will Summer let him? Can she take the heat he’s giving off?
Find out when you One-Click Hard As Stone today.