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Imperia #1
The Stone Prince
A love as bright as the stars and enduring as stone...
Katie James is unlucky in love—so unlucky she's been reduced to kissing the marble statue in her own garden. But her luck changes when the statue warms to life in her arms—and turns out to be a hunk straight out of any woman's fantasy! Well, almost...Jorlan en Sarr hails from a distant planet, and, like all the other men Katie's known, he comes with a lot of baggage.
A cursed warrior with a lover's magic touch...
Entombed in his stony skin for centuries, Jorlan has been waiting for a maiden fair to break the spell. Yet this statuesque beauty with the will of an Amazon and kisses like flame is a far cry from the obedient damsels of Imperia. And though Jorlan is tempted to abandon all for the sake of Katie, unless he can convince her to give him her heart in two weeks' time, he'll be turned back to stone. And she'll be lost to him forever.
Katie James is unlucky in love—so unlucky she's been reduced to kissing the marble statue in her own garden. But her luck changes when the statue warms to life in her arms—and turns out to be a hunk straight out of any woman's fantasy! Well, almost...Jorlan en Sarr hails from a distant planet, and, like all the other men Katie's known, he comes with a lot of baggage.
A cursed warrior with a lover's magic touch...
Entombed in his stony skin for centuries, Jorlan has been waiting for a maiden fair to break the spell. Yet this statuesque beauty with the will of an Amazon and kisses like flame is a far cry from the obedient damsels of Imperia. And though Jorlan is tempted to abandon all for the sake of Katie, unless he can convince her to give him her heart in two weeks' time, he'll be turned back to stone. And she'll be lost to him forever.
368 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 25, 2004
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3093 people want to read
About the author
Gena Showalter
263 books27.9k followersGena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of over seventy books, including the acclaimed Lords of the Underworld series, the Gods of War series, the White Rabbit Chronicles, and the Forest of Good and Evil series. She writes sizzling paranormal romance, heartwarming contemporary romance, and unputdownable young adult novels, and lives in Oklahoma City with her family and menagerie of dogs and cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 296 reviews
November 28, 2008
I enjoyed this first book by Gena Showalter, with its fresh theme of a warrior imprisioned in stone. As characteristic of her writing, it shows a sweet, goodhearted approach to paranormal romance. The sensuality is well-developed but doesn't overwhelm the romantic aspects of the book. It has many laugh out loud moments, while balancing the heart-tugging moments equally well. Jorlan comes off as being a male chauvinist pig at first, who turns out to be just what self-sufficient tomboy Kate needs. Although he seems just like her macho brothers and father initially, she comes to see that he does respect her strengths and wants a woman who will walk at his side, and not behind him. The villian Percen is actually quite compelling and tortured and scarred in his own right, and you feel sorry for him and hope that there is a way for the book to end where he gets a happy ending too, which does happen. He ends up falling in love with a young woman who can equally meet him on the tortured playing field. I love reading Gena Showalter's books because they have a feel-good appeal to them, which is definitely why I read romances.
March 3, 2016
Katie James is a house flipper (or whatever you call people who buy old houses, renovate them, and then sell them for a profit). She lives in Texas.
Katie James likes to fondle statues.
That sounds weird, doesn't it? Well, this house she bought has a "pleasure garden." What the flip is a pleasure garden, you ask? Apparently it is a garden full of statues of people, male and female, in various stages of ...um... self-gratification.
The statue that Katie is so attracted to (I'm cracking up just writing this) is a handsome guy, and she feels compelled to touch and stroke him whenever she passes by. She also sometimes hears him moaning and talking to her. I'm torn between laughing and worrying that she's beyond mental help. o.O
Finally, one day, she ends up kissing the statue, breaking the evil curse he was under and turning him into a flesh and blood man.
"Oh," I'm thinking. "This is like a fairy tale. Some witch cursed him, only a fair maiden's kiss can awaken him, blah blah blah." I settled in for a nice fairy-tale story.
Imagine my surprise when it's soon revealed that the statue, really Jorlan en Sarr, is an alien. Yes, you read that right. AN ALIEN. Sent here through space and time ... or through a dimensional vortex ... or something ANYWAY. So now Katie's got this alien on her hands, and he's a pill.
Apparently the world he comes from is sexist, where women have no rights, are guided and kept by males, and are compliant and subservient. Jorlan is shocked and appalled at Katie, who is 6-foot and a martial artist, and DEFINITELY not compliant with his demands, which include, "Take me to the nearest sorcerer," and "Get in my bed."
Katie is no stranger to these kinds of attitudes, seeing as her father is one of the biggest sexists living, and she has five older brothers who aren't much better. Her father and brothers check up on her constantly, come over uninvited, pry into her love life, and expect her to cook for them and fetch them beers.
Katie has tried her best to break away from these kinds of attitudes: she works in (what Showalter tells us is a) masculine job, she knows martial arts, and she is a car mechanic. But at the same time, she resents the fact that men don't see her as feminine. She has a hard time dealing with the fact that she's 6-foot, and really wants a guy who's taller than her. (Guess how tall Jorlan is? LOL) She's also a 25-year-old virgin, something I find difficult (but not impossible) to believe. Usually I take points off for virgin heroines in romance novels, but for some reason it didn't bother me so much in this book, perhaps because the book on a whole is more of a comedy.
Anyway, this is just scratching the barest surface of the story. Jorlan's sorcerer half-brother cursed him, Jorlan must get Katie to fall in love with him in 2 weeks or he will turn back into stone forever, he also must find a sorcerer in this dimension/world in order to return to Imperia, etc. etc. etc.
....
Not only is this really well-written (for a romance novel, I'm not comparing it to Richard Adams or anything), but it's really a funny book. I was laughing and laughing. Jorlan's trying to figure out this new world (his first experience with strawberry soda is comical) and the battle of wills between sexist Jorlan and feminist Katie is an ongoing clash.
I normally would be offended at such a sexist pig hero but again, this book gives off such a "this is a comedy" vibe that I didn't really mind as much as I normally would. He slowly comes along to Katie's way of thinking as the book progresses, because this is a romance novel. :)
How's the sex? I thought the sex was good, as in "not stupidly written or vomit-inducing."
Here were my feminist beefs with the book:
One: There's a bit of role-playing rape/ravishment halfway through the book that was making my spidey-sense tingle but didn't really set it off since Showalter makes it pretty clear that they're just playing.
Two: I'm going to hide this because it's a bit of a spoiler
Three: And this one was the one that bugged me the most,
The love moves really fast in this book, but I mean, from the beginning we have "fall in love in 14 days or die" deadline, and I always assume romance novels are going to have a fast-track to love. This was faster than most.
Again, it's really clear to me that in some ways romance novels (the traditional ones) are morality plays. Goodness and honesty is rewarded, greed and hate are punished. Forgiveness is encouraged.
Gena Showalter has said she's a little embarrassed about her early attempts at romance novels, but I don't think she has any reason to be. This book was funny and pretty satisfying. For a first attempt, I'd say it was stellar.
I also feel like Gena Showalter could spin off any character in this book into his or her own story easily, and that's a good feeling. Katie's brothers could each star in a book, she gave the other side characters their own personalities and love interests - it was really well done.
Tl;dr: This is a silly romance book. There's nothing deep or meaningful about it. It's fluffy fun. But for a romance novel, I found it well-written and surprisingly hilarious. If you don't enjoy ridiculous romance novels, stay far away from this one. 3 real stars, 4 romance stars. I AM NOW BUMPING THIS UP TO FIVE STARS, 07/30/2015
P.S. Oh, and I forgot to mention: Jorlan and Katie don't have to worry about using condoms because he's an alien and can only impregnate women if he's life-bonded to them. How convenient. Actually, I'm shocked an alien and a human would even be able to procreate, this sounds impossible to me. Also, now that you mention it, it's strange that Jorlan is an alien that looks EXACTLY like a human and has sex in EXACTLY the same ways humans have sex. o.O
Katie James likes to fondle statues.
That sounds weird, doesn't it? Well, this house she bought has a "pleasure garden." What the flip is a pleasure garden, you ask? Apparently it is a garden full of statues of people, male and female, in various stages of ...um... self-gratification.
The statue that Katie is so attracted to (I'm cracking up just writing this) is a handsome guy, and she feels compelled to touch and stroke him whenever she passes by. She also sometimes hears him moaning and talking to her. I'm torn between laughing and worrying that she's beyond mental help. o.O
Finally, one day, she ends up kissing the statue, breaking the evil curse he was under and turning him into a flesh and blood man.
"Oh," I'm thinking. "This is like a fairy tale. Some witch cursed him, only a fair maiden's kiss can awaken him, blah blah blah." I settled in for a nice fairy-tale story.
Imagine my surprise when it's soon revealed that the statue, really Jorlan en Sarr, is an alien. Yes, you read that right. AN ALIEN. Sent here through space and time ... or through a dimensional vortex ... or something ANYWAY. So now Katie's got this alien on her hands, and he's a pill.
Apparently the world he comes from is sexist, where women have no rights, are guided and kept by males, and are compliant and subservient. Jorlan is shocked and appalled at Katie, who is 6-foot and a martial artist, and DEFINITELY not compliant with his demands, which include, "Take me to the nearest sorcerer," and "Get in my bed."
Katie is no stranger to these kinds of attitudes, seeing as her father is one of the biggest sexists living, and she has five older brothers who aren't much better. Her father and brothers check up on her constantly, come over uninvited, pry into her love life, and expect her to cook for them and fetch them beers.
Katie has tried her best to break away from these kinds of attitudes: she works in (what Showalter tells us is a) masculine job, she knows martial arts, and she is a car mechanic. But at the same time, she resents the fact that men don't see her as feminine. She has a hard time dealing with the fact that she's 6-foot, and really wants a guy who's taller than her. (Guess how tall Jorlan is? LOL) She's also a 25-year-old virgin, something I find difficult (but not impossible) to believe. Usually I take points off for virgin heroines in romance novels, but for some reason it didn't bother me so much in this book, perhaps because the book on a whole is more of a comedy.
Anyway, this is just scratching the barest surface of the story. Jorlan's sorcerer half-brother cursed him, Jorlan must get Katie to fall in love with him in 2 weeks or he will turn back into stone forever, he also must find a sorcerer in this dimension/world in order to return to Imperia, etc. etc. etc.
....
Not only is this really well-written (for a romance novel, I'm not comparing it to Richard Adams or anything), but it's really a funny book. I was laughing and laughing. Jorlan's trying to figure out this new world (his first experience with strawberry soda is comical) and the battle of wills between sexist Jorlan and feminist Katie is an ongoing clash.
I normally would be offended at such a sexist pig hero but again, this book gives off such a "this is a comedy" vibe that I didn't really mind as much as I normally would. He slowly comes along to Katie's way of thinking as the book progresses, because this is a romance novel. :)
How's the sex? I thought the sex was good, as in "not stupidly written or vomit-inducing."
Here were my feminist beefs with the book:
One: There's a bit of role-playing rape/ravishment halfway through the book that was making my spidey-sense tingle but didn't really set it off since Showalter makes it pretty clear that they're just playing.
Two: I'm going to hide this because it's a bit of a spoiler
Three: And this one was the one that bugged me the most,
The love moves really fast in this book, but I mean, from the beginning we have "fall in love in 14 days or die" deadline, and I always assume romance novels are going to have a fast-track to love. This was faster than most.
Again, it's really clear to me that in some ways romance novels (the traditional ones) are morality plays. Goodness and honesty is rewarded, greed and hate are punished. Forgiveness is encouraged.
Gena Showalter has said she's a little embarrassed about her early attempts at romance novels, but I don't think she has any reason to be. This book was funny and pretty satisfying. For a first attempt, I'd say it was stellar.
I also feel like Gena Showalter could spin off any character in this book into his or her own story easily, and that's a good feeling. Katie's brothers could each star in a book, she gave the other side characters their own personalities and love interests - it was really well done.
Tl;dr: This is a silly romance book. There's nothing deep or meaningful about it. It's fluffy fun. But for a romance novel, I found it well-written and surprisingly hilarious. If you don't enjoy ridiculous romance novels, stay far away from this one. 3 real stars, 4 romance stars. I AM NOW BUMPING THIS UP TO FIVE STARS, 07/30/2015
P.S. Oh, and I forgot to mention: Jorlan and Katie don't have to worry about using condoms because he's an alien and can only impregnate women if he's life-bonded to them. How convenient. Actually, I'm shocked an alien and a human would even be able to procreate, this sounds impossible to me. Also, now that you mention it, it's strange that Jorlan is an alien that looks EXACTLY like a human and has sex in EXACTLY the same ways humans have sex. o.O
May 4, 2022
La historia me enganchó desde las primeras páginas por la manera en la que está escrito. Tanto me gustó que me acabo de acordar, de repente, de lo mucho que disfruté este libro hace años cuando lo leí por primera vez.
Voy a hacer una relectura y editar esta reseña para contar, con un poquito más de detalle, qué fue lo que más me cautivó.
Voy a hacer una relectura y editar esta reseña para contar, con un poquito más de detalle, qué fue lo que más me cautivó.
August 29, 2018
Şimdi Gena’nın onca kitabını okuduktan sonra biraz çıtır çerez kalmış olabilir ama bu demek değil ki güzel değildi. Tam tersine Gena’nın elinden çıkan her şey okunur diyorum.
July 23, 2018
Okay I've listened to 2.5 hours out of the 10 hour audiobook and let just me tell you that everything dragged and everything was slow and nothing happened lmaoooo I'm getting bored. I don't feel much for the characters. It's a no for me.
March 26, 2018
Serie diversa anche per la Showalter con protagonisti che stavolta non sono né Dei né Immortali o Demoni. Questa serie si ispira infatti a un pianeta extraterrestre, Imperia, da cui provengono i favolosi protagonisti maschili. In questo primo libro abbiamo la bellissima favola d’amore di Katie e Jorlan e il tentativo di seduzione di quest’ultimo per spezzare la maledizione che lo ha colpito. Tentativo che va avanti per circa il 70% del libro, quindi non assistiamo a un cambiamento repentino del protagonista che, da guerriero macho tutto muscoli e autoritario si trasforma in mammoletta melensa.
Abbiamo, forse per la prima volta, la catarsi progressiva del protagonista, che affronta i suoi sentimenti interrogandosi sui cambiamenti che lo stanno coinvolgendo, a partire dalla scintilla che sente da subito tra lui e la protagonista. Al contrario Katie, la protagonista femminile, è una donna risoluta, indipendente, cresciuta con troppi fratelli che vogliono controllarla, non si lascia sottomettere ed è decisa per una volta a essere sé stessa, la vera sé stessa, che è quella che viene richiamata a galla dalle avance di Jorlan.
Lei digrignò i denti con ferocia pari alla sua. «Non te lo chiederò gentilmente. Tu ti chinerai, raccoglierai il lenzuolo e te lo legherai intorno alla vita perché è la cosa giusta da fare. Dopotutto sei in casa mia.»
Lui la ignorò e lei batté un piede per terra, furente. Jorlan trattenne a fatica una risata davanti a quella reazione. «Spero che la vista ti piaccia, Katya, dato che te la godrai per tutta la notte.
Parlando dei protagonisti la Showalter riesce a creare un maschio magnifico (ma lei è una maestra in questo!), con tutti gli attributi al punto giusto, con il giusto mix di muscoli e arroganza, che in realtà intimamente tutte quante sogniamo in un uomo, perché nonostante ostentiamo indipendenza e autonomia, in realtà il massimo per una donna sembra essere la protezione di un guerriero. E anche Katie non è da meno, nonostante la sua indole ribelle dovuta al fatto di essere continuamente controllata dai fratelli e benché, opponga una certa resistenza ai modi di Jorlan, in realtà non ha nessuna intenzione di lasciarselo scappare. Sin dall’inizio è evidente che lei sappia di dover cedere, vuole cedere, però cerca di offrire quel minimo di resistenza che rende la storia stuzzicante e divertente. La nota ironica è evidenziata anche dalla scelta dell’autrice di ricorrere a continui riferimenti sessuali e a continue interruzioni delle scene più calde, il tutto unito a rapidi scambi di battute fra i due aumentano la tensione e rendono il ritmo veramente rapido e divertente, contribuendo a valorizzare un libro già bello di suo.
Katie si girò di scatto e guardò inorridita la pelle di Jorlan diventare sempre più bianca. Sapeva cosa stava succedendo. «Jorlan, ti amo!» gridò, alzando la voce per farsi sentire al di sopra di un rombo di tuono. «Ti amo, ti amo.» Ma era troppo tardi.
Infine, solo l’amore di Katie puó rompere la maledizione di Jorlan, ma farà in tempo? In un finale davvero inaspettato la storia trova comunque la sua conclusione. Dunque è un libro che si legge con facilità, che fa innamorare e che straconsiglio a tutte.
Abbiamo, forse per la prima volta, la catarsi progressiva del protagonista, che affronta i suoi sentimenti interrogandosi sui cambiamenti che lo stanno coinvolgendo, a partire dalla scintilla che sente da subito tra lui e la protagonista. Al contrario Katie, la protagonista femminile, è una donna risoluta, indipendente, cresciuta con troppi fratelli che vogliono controllarla, non si lascia sottomettere ed è decisa per una volta a essere sé stessa, la vera sé stessa, che è quella che viene richiamata a galla dalle avance di Jorlan.
Lei digrignò i denti con ferocia pari alla sua. «Non te lo chiederò gentilmente. Tu ti chinerai, raccoglierai il lenzuolo e te lo legherai intorno alla vita perché è la cosa giusta da fare. Dopotutto sei in casa mia.»
Lui la ignorò e lei batté un piede per terra, furente. Jorlan trattenne a fatica una risata davanti a quella reazione. «Spero che la vista ti piaccia, Katya, dato che te la godrai per tutta la notte.
Parlando dei protagonisti la Showalter riesce a creare un maschio magnifico (ma lei è una maestra in questo!), con tutti gli attributi al punto giusto, con il giusto mix di muscoli e arroganza, che in realtà intimamente tutte quante sogniamo in un uomo, perché nonostante ostentiamo indipendenza e autonomia, in realtà il massimo per una donna sembra essere la protezione di un guerriero. E anche Katie non è da meno, nonostante la sua indole ribelle dovuta al fatto di essere continuamente controllata dai fratelli e benché, opponga una certa resistenza ai modi di Jorlan, in realtà non ha nessuna intenzione di lasciarselo scappare. Sin dall’inizio è evidente che lei sappia di dover cedere, vuole cedere, però cerca di offrire quel minimo di resistenza che rende la storia stuzzicante e divertente. La nota ironica è evidenziata anche dalla scelta dell’autrice di ricorrere a continui riferimenti sessuali e a continue interruzioni delle scene più calde, il tutto unito a rapidi scambi di battute fra i due aumentano la tensione e rendono il ritmo veramente rapido e divertente, contribuendo a valorizzare un libro già bello di suo.
Katie si girò di scatto e guardò inorridita la pelle di Jorlan diventare sempre più bianca. Sapeva cosa stava succedendo. «Jorlan, ti amo!» gridò, alzando la voce per farsi sentire al di sopra di un rombo di tuono. «Ti amo, ti amo.» Ma era troppo tardi.
Infine, solo l’amore di Katie puó rompere la maledizione di Jorlan, ma farà in tempo? In un finale davvero inaspettato la storia trova comunque la sua conclusione. Dunque è un libro che si legge con facilità, che fa innamorare e che straconsiglio a tutte.
November 25, 2011
Umm..
You can say that I'm an old fashioned girl.
But reading the all-about-sex-and-sex-and-sex-and-sex novel is not what I expected when I bought this novel.
I thought this novel would be more to fantasy and romance but what I got was a porn book.
Hahaha..
I read and love historical romance books and most of them also had sex scene buuuttt... not like this.
Ok, stop with the sex thing. Let me tell you what the story of this book is about.
Katie couldn't resist the power of attraction the statue on the house she's working on gave to her. The statue was so manly, handsome, and made her horny so that one day she decided to give the statue a kiss. And then, the statue became a man. His name was Jorlan and he was so horny to her too. And he was naked *so.. you know how you can tell that he's horny*. Jorlan was an alien from Imperia who had been cursed by his step brother and was sent to earth by his mother. The curse would be broken if Jorlan got kissed by a girl and then this girl fell in love with him. Otherwise, he would become a permanent statue after 14 days.
So Jorlan tried to sleep with Katie because on his mind, in order to make a girl fall in love with him, he had to have sex with her. So... the rest of the story was about THIS. Until Percen, Jorlan's step brother finally found Jorlan..
If only this story and less sex and lust scene, I'm gonna say that I love this book. I love the conversations between Katie and Jorlan, about how Katie slowly changed Jorlan's mind and finally made this alien fell in love with her. buut.. yeah.. If only..
You can say that I'm an old fashioned girl.
But reading the all-about-sex-and-sex-and-sex-and-sex novel is not what I expected when I bought this novel.
I thought this novel would be more to fantasy and romance but what I got was a porn book.
Hahaha..
I read and love historical romance books and most of them also had sex scene buuuttt... not like this.
Ok, stop with the sex thing. Let me tell you what the story of this book is about.
Katie couldn't resist the power of attraction the statue on the house she's working on gave to her. The statue was so manly, handsome, and made her horny so that one day she decided to give the statue a kiss. And then, the statue became a man. His name was Jorlan and he was so horny to her too. And he was naked *so.. you know how you can tell that he's horny*. Jorlan was an alien from Imperia who had been cursed by his step brother and was sent to earth by his mother. The curse would be broken if Jorlan got kissed by a girl and then this girl fell in love with him. Otherwise, he would become a permanent statue after 14 days.
So Jorlan tried to sleep with Katie because on his mind, in order to make a girl fall in love with him, he had to have sex with her. So... the rest of the story was about THIS. Until Percen, Jorlan's step brother finally found Jorlan..
If only this story and less sex and lust scene, I'm gonna say that I love this book. I love the conversations between Katie and Jorlan, about how Katie slowly changed Jorlan's mind and finally made this alien fell in love with her. buut.. yeah.. If only..
January 14, 2011
Gena Showalter's The Stone Prince is the first of her Imeperia novels. Our hero is Jorlan, an alien warrior, trapped by his brother in a statue and sent to Earth. He is cursed to remain in stone until released by a woman's kiss. But even then, his reprieve will last only a couple of weeks, unless the woman falls in love with him.
Katie James is a strong woman, raised in a home surrounded by strapping brothers (one of whom becomes the hero in Showalter's Jewel of Atlantis .) She restores homes for a living... and comes across Jorlan's statue while working on her latest project. She is drawn to him and sets him free with her kiss.
It was not love at first sight. Jorlan is hot, but he's cocky and domineering. It's fun, though, to watch Katie put him in place. With her, he begrudgingly learns what love means... and they do fall for each other.
In the meantime, Jorlan's brother maintains his quest for revenge. His motives are pretty weak --it's mostly a mommy complex. Everything is wrapped up in a happy ending, even for our villain. It's a light read, but fun. Nothing like Showalter's Lords of the Underworld or Alien Huntress books. 3 1/2 stars.
Katie James is a strong woman, raised in a home surrounded by strapping brothers (one of whom becomes the hero in Showalter's Jewel of Atlantis .) She restores homes for a living... and comes across Jorlan's statue while working on her latest project. She is drawn to him and sets him free with her kiss.
It was not love at first sight. Jorlan is hot, but he's cocky and domineering. It's fun, though, to watch Katie put him in place. With her, he begrudgingly learns what love means... and they do fall for each other.
In the meantime, Jorlan's brother maintains his quest for revenge. His motives are pretty weak --it's mostly a mommy complex. Everything is wrapped up in a happy ending, even for our villain. It's a light read, but fun. Nothing like Showalter's Lords of the Underworld or Alien Huntress books. 3 1/2 stars.
November 5, 2017
So I was looking for a book with a statue on the cover. I remembered a series I had started with statues that came to life and wanted to read one of those. Unfortunately, I couldn't remember the title or the author. A search only brought this book and other non-relevant items. I decided to give this a try since it seemed similar.
I am not disappointed. I really enjoyed this romance. In a way, it was 2 romances in 1 so that made it even more enjoyable. I loved the whole idea of star-crossed lovers, loving each other despite being from two different worlds. The beginning of the book had me laughing. I couldn't help but picture walking into a garden and seeing a woman fondling a statue. LOL!! Honestly, that pulled me into the story so much more than a boring beginning. I am not surprised at that though. Ms. Showalter is definitely one of my favorite authors (yeah I have a lot but she is pretty high up at the top of that list- I loved the White Rabbit Chronicles). It goes without saying that I will be reading more by this author.
I am not disappointed. I really enjoyed this romance. In a way, it was 2 romances in 1 so that made it even more enjoyable. I loved the whole idea of star-crossed lovers, loving each other despite being from two different worlds. The beginning of the book had me laughing. I couldn't help but picture walking into a garden and seeing a woman fondling a statue. LOL!! Honestly, that pulled me into the story so much more than a boring beginning. I am not surprised at that though. Ms. Showalter is definitely one of my favorite authors (yeah I have a lot but she is pretty high up at the top of that list- I loved the White Rabbit Chronicles). It goes without saying that I will be reading more by this author.
February 19, 2011
I read a lot of paranormal romance - vampires, witches, and so forth. But aliens from another planet never appealed to me. I picked this book up at a library book sale because the cover caught my eye. From the description on the back, it sounded interesting, despite the alien part, and since it is a Harlequin romance, I figured it wouldn't be all science-fictiony.
And it wasn't, at all. In fact, it was all out steamy from the get-go. Katie is renovating a Victorian home, and there are several statues in the garden. She finds herself drawn to this one particular statue though, caressing it, and imagining what it would feel like if it were an actual man and not a statue. She even thinks she hears it whispering to her, “kiss me”. Which she finally does, only to find herself in the arms of a glorious naked man.
This is the first book I've read by Gena Showalter. My favorite authors are ones who can mix romance and humor, and Ms. Showalter does so most excellently. Some of the scenes with Katie's overprotective brothers are laugh out loud funny. Katie is a likeable heroine, though her absolute fear of falling in love and her reasons for that fear came across, to me anyway, as a little unfounded. She's never actually had a boyfriend, and suffers from what she terms “First Date Syndrome”, meaning she never seems to go on a second date with anyone. If there had been a serious boyfriend in her past who had hurt her, her attitude would seem more realistic to me.
Overall, a very enjoyable read. And I'm not sure if I'll ever look at a statue the same way.
And it wasn't, at all. In fact, it was all out steamy from the get-go. Katie is renovating a Victorian home, and there are several statues in the garden. She finds herself drawn to this one particular statue though, caressing it, and imagining what it would feel like if it were an actual man and not a statue. She even thinks she hears it whispering to her, “kiss me”. Which she finally does, only to find herself in the arms of a glorious naked man.
This is the first book I've read by Gena Showalter. My favorite authors are ones who can mix romance and humor, and Ms. Showalter does so most excellently. Some of the scenes with Katie's overprotective brothers are laugh out loud funny. Katie is a likeable heroine, though her absolute fear of falling in love and her reasons for that fear came across, to me anyway, as a little unfounded. She's never actually had a boyfriend, and suffers from what she terms “First Date Syndrome”, meaning she never seems to go on a second date with anyone. If there had been a serious boyfriend in her past who had hurt her, her attitude would seem more realistic to me.
Overall, a very enjoyable read. And I'm not sure if I'll ever look at a statue the same way.
December 16, 2018
I've never been so disappointed to all the books I've read until this one. Upon reading the synopsis, I thought that this book will be really good.
The Stone Prince is all about this woman, Katie, who's attracted to a warrior-like stone statue in the "pleasure garden" of her newly acquired house. Her fascination is so much that she kissed this statue. And then! Tadaaaaan! The statue became human/alien from this planet called Imperia. And then the normal cliché of every story; they fell in love, they made love, they will fight for their love and for the freedom from the curse bestowed to this alien guy Jorlan.
The story didn't give me the vibe. It doesn't have any catch. I thought it will be interesting when I reached the mid-part but it was all the same. Boring. Predictable. The author added some characters whom I didn't even get the chance to encounter. I still decided to finish the book hoping that it will give me the interest. But none. The author didn't even know what to do with the villain-sorcerer-brother of Jorlan who cursed him. So she picked-up one character that will tame and love him. Uggggh! I don't know. I'm very sad that it was poorly written.
The Stone Prince is all about this woman, Katie, who's attracted to a warrior-like stone statue in the "pleasure garden" of her newly acquired house. Her fascination is so much that she kissed this statue. And then! Tadaaaaan! The statue became human/alien from this planet called Imperia. And then the normal cliché of every story; they fell in love, they made love, they will fight for their love and for the freedom from the curse bestowed to this alien guy Jorlan.
The story didn't give me the vibe. It doesn't have any catch. I thought it will be interesting when I reached the mid-part but it was all the same. Boring. Predictable. The author added some characters whom I didn't even get the chance to encounter. I still decided to finish the book hoping that it will give me the interest. But none. The author didn't even know what to do with the villain-sorcerer-brother of Jorlan who cursed him. So she picked-up one character that will tame and love him. Uggggh! I don't know. I'm very sad that it was poorly written.
December 31, 2018
So Katie, our heroine, likes to do morning jogging, loved by her brothers, has an amazing if not quirky job she is passionate about and it works well for her. I mean sounds G-r-e-a-t, right? Not so for our heroine. Then somehow the universe just hands it out to her out of pure supernatural chance and then the story went on about this really nonsensical ‘mating dance’ of no-i-shouldn’t towards yes-god-oh-hell-to-the-yeah. Back and forth. The resistance, the tension, the attraction! And it would have all been so much WORTH to read it, had the herione been someone I could nearly relate to.
Honesty, I just skimmed through until I gave up and just stopped. The conversations alone is just.. just preposterous!! I refused REFUSE to imagine such people ever having these dreadful terse wanna-be sexy banters inside my head from reading it. Who talks like this?
DNF. The story just dragged on. The chemistry looked forced. No, the chemistry IS forced. God help me, the one saving grace I really liked about reading this story is how the writer would describe her characters. The description is amazing 😉 but the plot, and dialogue fell short.
Honesty, I just skimmed through until I gave up and just stopped. The conversations alone is just.. just preposterous!! I refused REFUSE to imagine such people ever having these dreadful terse wanna-be sexy banters inside my head from reading it. Who talks like this?
DNF. The story just dragged on. The chemistry looked forced. No, the chemistry IS forced. God help me, the one saving grace I really liked about reading this story is how the writer would describe her characters. The description is amazing 😉 but the plot, and dialogue fell short.
February 11, 2013
Okay, the premise for this is kind of out there, a woman who had had bad luck with men gets a house that she intends to renovate and, lo and behold, there is a statue in the yard that's she attracted to. Turns out, the statue is really a man from another universe who has been sent here as punishment. And he has enemies looking for him. But as quirky as this book sounds -- I crinkled my nose when I read the blurb -- it actually surprised me. It is witty, fun and there were lots of "awwwww" moments. The characters are so adorable and soon you lose yourself in the interaction between the main characters. It's a fast read, but it is also endearing. I put this on my shelf for another read, which may be soon.
March 24, 2010
If you can't laugh at a 25yr old virgin molesting a stone statue this writer is not for you. I admit the whole alien thing can throw you for a loop but there was not a minute I did not find this book enjoyable, a little out there helk yeah I don't live in a fantasy world I just enjoy reading about the ones some people create. This character was fun for me because she was the youngest girl in an all boy family, I could totally understand some of her issues with overly protective brotherly love. Doesn't matter what the story is I can't stop grabbing books by Showalter!
July 14, 2010
I really liked this book. I first picked up The Pleasure Slave which follows this book and was hooked by the world of Imperia. I knew she had written this book first but I had a hard time finding a copy that was under $26. I was happy when I learned she was re-releasing it. I loved the storyline and the characters and would of loved to have imperia explored a little more. I was a bit bummed that this is only a two book series, but I love Gena Showalters stories and I can't wait to read more of her other books.
October 11, 2011
I've enjoyed other stories by this author but this was definitely not one of them. I researched and found out that this was her first published story. Reviewed by others, I can only tell you why I didn't care for THE STONE PRINCE: Katie and Jorlan were shallow and confusing. The story made very little sense though I thought the idea was a novel one.
With very little chemistry between any of the characters I think there are much better books to read than spending your time with this one. Though others enjoyed THE STONE PRINCE, it just wasn't my type of romance so I can't recommend it.
With very little chemistry between any of the characters I think there are much better books to read than spending your time with this one. Though others enjoyed THE STONE PRINCE, it just wasn't my type of romance so I can't recommend it.
August 20, 2008
Learned (not much) BUT.... Entertainment value for a good (& unusual) romance love story, GREAT!
Couldn't put it down. This type of book is like a good movie to me. You don't have to think, just go along for an entertaining ride. Loved it.
Couldn't put it down. This type of book is like a good movie to me. You don't have to think, just go along for an entertaining ride. Loved it.
December 23, 2011
Eh...trnyata msh blm jodoh sm bukunya Gena. Skip...skip...skip...akhirnya ditutup sblm selesai. Capek bc dialognya yg gak abiz-abiz menjurus k urusan tm4 tidur.
September 19, 2020
Katie is a modern woman with an ancient problem: She never gets past the first date because she insists on love before sex, and men, well … they tend to think with their other, smaller head.
A successful entrepreneur and well protected by five older brothers, Katie isn’t even interested in anyone … except she wishes the stone statue at the back of one of her properties was made of flesh and not marble. Each day she passes him, she’s weirdly drawn closer and closer with the bizarre urge to kiss him. Finally unable to resist, she kisses him and suddenly finds a smoldering, hot, and sinfully delicious dude right in front of her - NAKED.
Jorlan has been cursed for centuries to live in stone until a woman’s kiss releases him temporarily. To permanently break the curse, he must make her fall in love with him. Jorlan thinks this will be easy peasy, because who can resist him? No one! But Jorlan’s never come across a woman like Katie before. She is having none of his arrogant dominance, even if he is hotter than hell.
What a great and surprising read!! I had buried myself in bully romances lately and decided I needed a mental break. I love Gena Showalter as an author, and this looked just delicious.
I adore the way Gena creates her characters; they are so real! The constant banter between Katie and Jorlan was hilarious and felt very natural. There were plenty of LOL moments in this. But it’s also more than just a cute romance. There is a definite villain in this, and it’s someone close to Jorlan. I mean, who cursed him to live within stone, after all?
If you, too, are looking for something a bit lighter but with *plenty* of steam, then look no further.
Your prince has arrived.
A successful entrepreneur and well protected by five older brothers, Katie isn’t even interested in anyone … except she wishes the stone statue at the back of one of her properties was made of flesh and not marble. Each day she passes him, she’s weirdly drawn closer and closer with the bizarre urge to kiss him. Finally unable to resist, she kisses him and suddenly finds a smoldering, hot, and sinfully delicious dude right in front of her - NAKED.
Jorlan has been cursed for centuries to live in stone until a woman’s kiss releases him temporarily. To permanently break the curse, he must make her fall in love with him. Jorlan thinks this will be easy peasy, because who can resist him? No one! But Jorlan’s never come across a woman like Katie before. She is having none of his arrogant dominance, even if he is hotter than hell.
What a great and surprising read!! I had buried myself in bully romances lately and decided I needed a mental break. I love Gena Showalter as an author, and this looked just delicious.
I adore the way Gena creates her characters; they are so real! The constant banter between Katie and Jorlan was hilarious and felt very natural. There were plenty of LOL moments in this. But it’s also more than just a cute romance. There is a definite villain in this, and it’s someone close to Jorlan. I mean, who cursed him to live within stone, after all?
If you, too, are looking for something a bit lighter but with *plenty* of steam, then look no further.
Your prince has arrived.
Read
February 10, 2020turn into stone, really........
August 19, 2014
Good lord this book dragged.
I was intrigued with the concept. Was annoyed with the reality. It was aliens not magic (well, it was magical aliens), which I would have been fine with since I've been on an alien kick recently, but this book just dragged.
Jorlan was very alpha male to the point of being annoying.
Katie was even more annoying.
They didn't have a relationship, they had arguments.
140 pages of 'will-they-won't-they' ffs it got old. Then they had sex, and I thought 'well, at least this might make up for lack of plot for the rest of the book'. Nope.
The sex wasn't even that good, and it was actually quite sparse.
It felt quite repetitive.
Then more than half way through the book the POV switched to another set of characters that hadn't existed previously.
This is not the first book by Gena Showalter that I've read, (though it was the first book she wrote). And it really seems hit or miss with the author. So far there is literally only one series that I have liked remotely, and I've only read the first book of the series (The Darkest Night), and some of the series I've dropped entirely because I couldn't get through the book ( Heart of the Dragon- though I will try reading that one instead of listening to it on audiobook like I had tried), or I finished the book, but didn't really like it (Playing with Fire, again for that one I am willing to give the second book a chance but not on audiobook.).
Just really hit or miss and this one was mostly a miss.
I was intrigued with the concept. Was annoyed with the reality. It was aliens not magic (well, it was magical aliens), which I would have been fine with since I've been on an alien kick recently, but this book just dragged.
Jorlan was very alpha male to the point of being annoying.
Katie was even more annoying.
They didn't have a relationship, they had arguments.
140 pages of 'will-they-won't-they' ffs it got old. Then they had sex, and I thought 'well, at least this might make up for lack of plot for the rest of the book'. Nope.
The sex wasn't even that good, and it was actually quite sparse.
It felt quite repetitive.
Then more than half way through the book the POV switched to another set of characters that hadn't existed previously.
This is not the first book by Gena Showalter that I've read, (though it was the first book she wrote). And it really seems hit or miss with the author. So far there is literally only one series that I have liked remotely, and I've only read the first book of the series (The Darkest Night), and some of the series I've dropped entirely because I couldn't get through the book ( Heart of the Dragon- though I will try reading that one instead of listening to it on audiobook like I had tried), or I finished the book, but didn't really like it (Playing with Fire, again for that one I am willing to give the second book a chance but not on audiobook.).
Just really hit or miss and this one was mostly a miss.
November 7, 2017
Bello bello bello!!!
Finalmente sono riuscita a trovare questo libro in cartaceo!!!
Adoro la Showalter, e anche questo suo lavoro l'ho adorato ^o^
Divertente ed eccitante.
Katie non ha mai avuto fortuna con gli uomini, nessuno di quelli con cui è uscita ha mai suscitato un vero interesse in lei. L'unico uomo da cui si sente attratta è purtroppo una statua.
Una sera una forza irresistibile la chiama e Katie si ritrova davanti a quell'uomo di pietra; attratta inesorabilmente da lui, si avvicina, lo tocca e alla fine... lo bacia.
Si ritrova così stretta nel caldo abbraccio di un bellissimo uomo nudo: la sua statua è diventata una persona.
Jorlan è un guerriero, che viene da un altro pianeta, il quale è stato maledetto da suo fratello e trasformato in pietra. Con il suo bacio Katie lo ha ritrasformato, ma la maledizione non è spezzata completamente: Jorlan ha due settimane per fare innamorare Katie di lui, o ritornerà di pietra, ma questa volta per sempre.
Peccato che secondo lui, l'unico modo per farla innamorare è portarsela a letto.
Katie accetta il tutto abbastanza bene e vuole salvarlo, ma sa che se si innamora di lui poi lo dovrà vedere partire, perché lui una liberato completamente vuole tornare su Imperia. E lei non vuole lasciarlo.
Gli dona tutta se stessa ma non il suo cuore, non completamente almeno. Non è sicura che lui la ami abbastanza da rimanere con lei sulla terra, fino a che non è troppo tardi e lui ritorna di pietra.
A questo punto mi immaginavo una scena a La bella e la bestia: lei gli urla che lo ama, piange e si dispera e lui ritorna normale; oppure alla Romeo e Giulietta: se lui non può ritornare di carne allora lei diventerà di pietra. Ma nessuno dei due scenari si è avverato, per fortuna. Il finale che c'è, è decisamente più carino e romantico ^-^
Finalmente sono riuscita a trovare questo libro in cartaceo!!!
Adoro la Showalter, e anche questo suo lavoro l'ho adorato ^o^
Divertente ed eccitante.
Katie non ha mai avuto fortuna con gli uomini, nessuno di quelli con cui è uscita ha mai suscitato un vero interesse in lei. L'unico uomo da cui si sente attratta è purtroppo una statua.
Una sera una forza irresistibile la chiama e Katie si ritrova davanti a quell'uomo di pietra; attratta inesorabilmente da lui, si avvicina, lo tocca e alla fine... lo bacia.
Si ritrova così stretta nel caldo abbraccio di un bellissimo uomo nudo: la sua statua è diventata una persona.
Jorlan è un guerriero, che viene da un altro pianeta, il quale è stato maledetto da suo fratello e trasformato in pietra. Con il suo bacio Katie lo ha ritrasformato, ma la maledizione non è spezzata completamente: Jorlan ha due settimane per fare innamorare Katie di lui, o ritornerà di pietra, ma questa volta per sempre.
Peccato che secondo lui, l'unico modo per farla innamorare è portarsela a letto.
Katie accetta il tutto abbastanza bene e vuole salvarlo, ma sa che se si innamora di lui poi lo dovrà vedere partire, perché lui una liberato completamente vuole tornare su Imperia. E lei non vuole lasciarlo.
Gli dona tutta se stessa ma non il suo cuore, non completamente almeno. Non è sicura che lui la ami abbastanza da rimanere con lei sulla terra, fino a che non è troppo tardi e lui ritorna di pietra.
A questo punto mi immaginavo una scena a La bella e la bestia: lei gli urla che lo ama, piange e si dispera e lui ritorna normale; oppure alla Romeo e Giulietta: se lui non può ritornare di carne allora lei diventerà di pietra. Ma nessuno dei due scenari si è avverato, per fortuna. Il finale che c'è, è decisamente più carino e romantico ^-^
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2014
Creo que es la primera vez que un libro con contenido sexual explicito me gusta y no me siento tentada a dejar de leerlo, porque la relación de los personajes y las circunstancias en las que se encuentran son realmente extrañas. A pesar de su contenido sexual como dije la historia es bastante buena, un gran escape después de tantos libros de Vampiros, Angeles, demonios, nefilims y esas cosas. En muchos aspectos me pude sentir identificada con Katie y tambien extremadamente irritada por el comportamiento de Jorlan pero creo que con el pasar de los capítulos aprendí a apreciar bastante su personaje tanto como a su hermano. Esperaba un final totalmente desastroso pero la verdad es que me gusto bastante.
Es sin duda una historia muy buena si tienes mente abierta para esas escenas sexuales un tanto explicitas.
Es sin duda una historia muy buena si tienes mente abierta para esas escenas sexuales un tanto explicitas.
June 16, 2019
Blah. This book was blah. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't very good, either. The written equivalent of beige carpeting. It has promise (and I now know that it was her first published book, which makes a lot of sense), but it just kept falling flat. Stilted dialogue, poor chemistry, and shallow characters do not make for a good book, no matter how good the plot and descriptions are.
February 17, 2008
When Katie kisses a statue, it comes to life as Jorlan, a warrior from another planet who was cursed. To stay free, he must win her love in fourteen days.
Funny and intriguing premise. Great characters.
Funny and intriguing premise. Great characters.
March 24, 2024
I have the paperback but ended up listening to this with Hoopla. I have had this on my shelf for years and years. I really like Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld up to The Darkest Seduction and the first Wicked Nights of the angel’s spin off but was not really happy with the few I read after those. I tried a couple of Atlantis 3 star and 2 star, and one of the Alien Huntress 2 star series which neither was particular my type. I read one of her YA Other World Assassin series which I disliked 1 star but I think this might be my least liked of her books. . These two had no true love but an attraction. They lied to themselves. He was a bully and acted like the spoiled prince he was even though he had “watched” the culture for centuries. This was not good.
1 1/2
1 1/2
dnf
June 12, 2020
The Stone Prince
Imperia , Book 1
I Picked Up This Book Because: #Barbsbookopoly roll 4. “An author's debut”
The Characters:
Katie Jamesi:
Jorlan en Sarr:
The Story:
Look I know this dude isn’t from modern earth and this was written quite some time ago but I can’t stand him. Excuse my language but his “I have to fuck her to fix her” attitude got old quick. I get he has to bed her to break his curse but he’s coming off to me as rapey and I just can’t. It’s just not sexy.
The Random Thoughts:
*DNF = no rating
Imperia , Book 1
I Picked Up This Book Because: #Barbsbookopoly roll 4. “An author's debut”
The Characters:
Katie Jamesi:
Jorlan en Sarr:
The Story:
Look I know this dude isn’t from modern earth and this was written quite some time ago but I can’t stand him. Excuse my language but his “I have to fuck her to fix her” attitude got old quick. I get he has to bed her to break his curse but he’s coming off to me as rapey and I just can’t. It’s just not sexy.
The Random Thoughts:
*DNF = no rating
April 10, 2017
Anche 3,5 - Per quanto bistrattata, io continuo a restare una fan della Showalter.
Solo lei riesce a propinarti delle trame assurde, facendoti pure divertire.
Anche questo libro: forse non è un libro d'autore, ma, grazie a questo sexy-alieno (più fratello tenebroso-deforme-cattivone), mi ha fatto trascorrere un paio di serate rilassate.
Della serie: basta che gli extraterrestri non siano gnomi verdi, e le ragazze della Terra sanno come darci dentro!
Solo lei riesce a propinarti delle trame assurde, facendoti pure divertire.
Anche questo libro: forse non è un libro d'autore, ma, grazie a questo sexy-alieno (più fratello tenebroso-deforme-cattivone), mi ha fatto trascorrere un paio di serate rilassate.
Della serie: basta che gli extraterrestri non siano gnomi verdi, e le ragazze della Terra sanno come darci dentro!
October 18, 2021
This is my first book by Gena Showalter . And i liked it soo much. The story went fast, which made it quickly to read. It was really fun watching the interactions between Katie and Jorlan. The steamy part was worth it. I love the new book cover more than the previous one.
But still something was missing for me and it wasn't WOW, which is the reason why I give 4🌟.
But still something was missing for me and it wasn't WOW, which is the reason why I give 4🌟.
May 1, 2018
Not the best book ever, but it was so enjoyable. I gave it 4 stars on how fun it is to read!!! So it’s goofy and light and fluffy and full of sexy time. In all a lot of fun.
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