Summer's End The Summer Solstice series #1
Paranormal Romance/Young Adult
Independently Published
July 6, 2021
She wakes up in the hospital, badly burned with no identity.
He’s been trained to kill her before she burns the world to ashes.
When they finally meet, will he be able to take her life now that he’s started to feel for her?
His fate is already written.
The prophecy is already set.
Love between them is forbidden.
Reviewed By S.C. Principale
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
Summer’s End by Kristy Brown mixes forbidden love, paranormal powers, the end of the world— and college. If you love the feel of a Young Adult romance and fantasy, this is an enjoyable read.
Summer wakes up in a hospital in incredible pain, having been badly burned. She has no memory of her life before she awakens, yet she’s healed to flawless beauty while she sleeps. Already, something doesn’t add up. When she emerges from the hospital, it is to find out that she is a student at college, watched over by two gorgeous girls who claim to be her best friends, but are clearly much more. In fact, Summer is much more, too. She is “The Light”, a powerful force in a human form. One day, she’ll destroy the world with fire— unless someone stops her.
Enter badboy Dooney AKA Alex Doones, who has been trained his entire life to save the world by snuffing out “The Light.”. One kill will save all humanity, and then he can learn to feel, love, and have a normal life. The problem is, whenever he sees Summer, he doesn’t want to kill her. He wants to know more about her. How could anything so beautiful be worth killing? And who are those girls with her? They don’t seem like friends, they seem like guardians. Dooney wants to know if they’re protecting Summer from him, or from herself.
Dooney and Summer are both compelling characters, but they have flaws that the reader needs to push past. Summer comes off as clingy and confused for too long before gaining strength and likability. Dooney comes off as hard inside and out, with a vague backstory that leaves him lacking in dimension for the beginning of the book. However, when a major plot twist reveals that these two had quite a history— a history neither can remember until they touch— you’ll be rooting wholeheartedly for them. Many of the flaws are dealt with and the backstory solidifies. You’ll be glad you kept reading, and then you won’t be able to stop!
The tale is full of that awe-inspiring experience of falling in love for the first time, but there is also that heart-twisting, “our love is bigger than destiny ”vibe between Alex and Summer once the pieces fall into place. However, there are moments when plot holes and big jumps leave you confused. Some of the questions you may have aren’t answered, even by the end of the story. Perhaps the world that Brown builds will continue to develop and fill in the gaps in her future novels.