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The Summer We Ran A NovelA National Bestseller An Indie Next & LibraryReads Pick for June A June 2025 Book of the Month Selection A Town & Country Best New Romance Novel "The Summer We Ran is a perfectly nostalgic story of love, loss, and secrets that refuse to stay buried. It's exactly what I hope for in a summertime read." Annabel Monaghan, author of Same Time Next Summer Does your past define your destiny? Told through multiple perspectives, rich with emotion and immersive
A National Bestseller
An Indie Next & LibraryReads Pick for June
A June 2025 Book of the Month Selection
A Town & Country Best New Romance Novel
"The Summer We Ran is a perfectly nostalgic story of love, loss, and secrets that refuse to stay buried. It's exactly what I hope for in a summertime read."
--Annabel Monaghan, author of Same Time Next Summer
Does your past define your destiny? Told through multiple perspectives, rich with emotion and immersive dual timelines, The Summer We Ran weaves together a story of lost love, devastating secrets, shocking sabotage, and the painstaking decision two people must make in order to fulfill the futures they each desire.
In the summer of 1996, Tess Murphy's mom gave her two rules to abide by: keep quiet and stay out of trouble. Her mother landed a new job as a cook at an affluent Virginia estate and didn't want anything to risk the opportunity, least of all her outspoken teenage daughter. What no one saw coming was Tess falling deeply in love with the boy next door, high-society Grant Alexander.
Over a few wondrous and heat-filled months, Tess and Grant's love blooms so ferociously it feels utterly impossible that anything can keep them apart, until tragedy strikes.
Now, more than two decades after their epic teenage romance, Tess and Grant are both running for governor of Virginia, and secrets from that summer threaten to shatter their families, their political futures, and the memory of the first love that shaped their lives.
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4.0 ★★★★★
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 4
Arthurian Fae Quest…say less.
Format: Kindle
A fae centered Arthurian tale unlike any I’ve read so far. The author did a great job at descriptive world building, with scenes easily playing out in my minds eye. There was plenty of action, suspense, and even a touch of horror. An enemies to lovers, slow burn romance, a quest, with plot twist and turns aplenty. There was a love triangle, which I’m not usually a fan of but, it played out well in this story line. The FMC, Morgan Pendragon, was so blatantly naïve, yet I typically expect as much in a ‘book one’ of a series, especially one that features a fairly sheltered princess. I was happy to read that in spite of this, she still showed a strong sense of morals, fire, and spine. Now our MMC? Kairos Draven, aka Void’s Edge. Oh, how I’m a sucker for a smoking’ hot grumpy warrior alpha with a witty mouth, and a strong sense of “touch her and die” attitude, so you know who held all my cards. That ending? Just made me swoon all the harder. Now add a battlecat that rivals the size of a horse…and well Ms. Briar Boleyn you have well and truly stolen my heart. I’m excited to see where the story goes from here, and follow along to see more of the characters growth. I went into this story fairly blind, and I think I enjoyed it all the more because of it.
Once the story got going, it had me in an absolute chokehold and it was difficult to put down.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2024
★★★★★ 3
Not a bad start
Format: Kindle
3 stars
Thank you Netgalley and Briar Boleyn for the ARC!
A camelot/king Arthur retelling with fae. I was hooked by the idea of this book immediately and was eager to jump into this world.
• slow burn
• enemies to lovers
• who did this to you
Morgan Pendragon watched her mother die by her father's hand when she was just eight years old, hiding under the bed. Morgan is believed to have the tainted blood of the fae in her veins and is cast aside so that her fathers illegitimate son, Arthur, can become the king. She's seen his cruel treatment of the fae firsthand, so when he sends her on a journey to find a fae weapon she seizes the opportunity to do more with her life. Along the way, she finds more than she could have imagined.
I don't know a whole lot about King Arthur and Camelot but I had a lot of fun with this story! The plot has some similar tropes to popular romantasy books (From blood and ash) but there's enough originality here that it doesn't feel like I'm reading a copy. I liked how the fae were different in appearance than what is typical in most fantasy books I've read. In this book they have blue hair, violet skin and a wide range of other characteristics. I thought that the world building was easy to follow and I could easily immerse myself into this world. After reading the blurb I kept wondering when she was going to go on the journey to find Excalibur and it doesn't happen until around the 45% mark.
The story is a bit slow at times but starts to pick up once they begin their journey to find Excalibur. The John Wick style Inn was a fun concept that I enjoyed reading about.
There are a lot of similarities to this and FBAA and I would have liked to have it be a little more different, but I'm hoping book two will have the story turn into something of its own. Overall I enjoyed reading this story and I'm looking forward to reading book two especially after that ending.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2023
★★★★★ 5
AMAZING debut novel!!!
Format: Kindle
Plot ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice 🌶️🌶️.5
Romance 💘💘💘
Vibes ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dual 1st person POV - Ara (26) & Rogue (39 - but looks mid-20s: they can live hundreds of years so this isn't that large of a gap as it could've been which I heavily appreciate lol)
Tropes: enemies to lovers, fae/human wars (deep hatred for each other), shifters (dragons- MMC can only partial shift with wings), one horse, one bed, touch her and d!e, found family, abduction turned to freedom
The Last Storm is the debut novel from JD Linton and let me tell you, you guys NEED to read this. The plot was engaging and the editing was was amazing (especially for a debut novel). Our FMC, Ara, is stuck in her gilded cage longing for a life outside of her small town. She uses her books to escape and live vicariously through the pages (honestly, relatable). After her father announces her betrothal to her childhood friend (to whom she has no romantic feelings for), Ara tumbles unknowingly into a desperate plot trying to stop the humans from slaughtering the Fae.
As one can expect from an enemies to lovers / kidnapper/captive romance, Ara fights her attraction and lust towards our MMC, Rogue (the King of the Fae), for as long as she can. Upon seeing Ara for the first time, Rogue is instantly aware that she is his fated mate (not a spoiler). Since she is the General's only daughter, he plans to abduct her and use her as leverage to stop the brutality. During Ara's time in Rogue's captivity, their banter and chemistry continue to rise until they finally boil over and come together (quite literally, and many times I may add 😉).
Here's what I LOVED:
- Rogue continuously seeks advice from his elders and deeply respects their opinions and life experience and tries to implement their recommendations
- Rogue makes many mistakes in the beginning but we see him actively work on not repeating them as the book progresses. The level of self-awareness and his ability to change his behavior was impressive
- The magic system is intricate and we have only scraped the surface. As the series continues and Ara progresses in her powers, I'm sure we'll get to see more of this. I absolutely LOVE the messaging system that is used in this book.
- Ara's struggles are so human and so raw. She is experiencing so much guilt and pain and hurt and getting to see her work through each of these emotions is inspiring. Especially as her and Rogue get closer and she learns she can lean on him as well, that she is not alone.
- While this is the start of a series, there is NO cliffhanger! There's a bit of a teaser of something major that is going to happen at the start of the next book, but it's not a cliffhanger in the sense that we aren't sure if someone is going to live or d!e or if they'll be separated. For that, I am very thankful! This book was so much fun that I will definitely be returning to book 2, even if it takes several months (or longer since this is an debut author) to publish!
- Lastly, the cover is GORGEOUS! And I love the title!
I'll copy a few of my favorite quotes below so you can have a little taste of the author's writing and the world she's cultivated. 😊
Top Highlights from The Last Storm
On days like this, when my heart was heavy and my mind clouded, I resorted to books— to escape, to forget, to find freedom where I had none.
If I were to marry him, my face would always be turned to the window, searching for more, and if not that, I would be a shell of the person I am now.
I stepped back to admire her, thr0bbing at the sight. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. To ever exist. Nothing, no one, had ever deserved to be worshiped more. All men should be made to kneel before her. But she would have to settle for me.
The taste of her met my t0ngue as my scent merged with hers, forever branding her. Mine. I l!cked the wound. Hers. Completely and utterly hers.
I didn’t claim her in ownership. I claimed her as my one. Devoted myself to one. With that mark, my body and soul were bound to her. I would never be with anyone else, emotionally or physically. It would be her or no one, until my last breath.
“Scream my name. Let everyone know who I belong to.”
I had never really cared about the weather before, but now, clear skies meant everything to me, and I was grateful to see another calm morning.
“There will never be another woman for me.” He paused. “Ever.” I stilled at his words. “What… Why?” “This”— his thumb slid down across the mark—“ is a symbol of… surrender. I know you believe that it was my claim upon you, but it wasn’t. It never was. I bound my body and soul to you, little storm.”
“I also know that it is more than this tiny, insignificant mark on your skin that binds me to you. It’s you. All of you. Your strength and resilience. Your determination to endure no matter what fate throws at you. Your love for love and stories and hope. You are entirely the opposite of everything that I am and I would gladly wear your shackles if it meant I could have you.”
My mate. Mine. And then everything shifted and I understood. I understood everything. The surrender. The deep, soul-craving longing. Bound. I was bound to him. Body and soul. Entirely his. “I would’ve waited forever,” he whispered back, understanding.
Seriously, everyone.. add this to your TBR!!
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Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2022
★★★★★ 4
A Decent Fae Romance
Format: Kindle
** 3.5 Stars rounded up to 4 **
First off I want to say that I found the author, J. D. Linton, on TikTok right before the release of the sequel. I bought the first 2 books to support her release, so congrats to her for the release of the sequel!
Overall, I liked the story & plot, I liked the characters, and I liked the spice. The downfalls: not enough development between the characters for the romance, and it leaned a little heavy into the tropes. A lot of stuff is told to you, which could have been used as devices to drive the plot and emotions of the characters.
🛑🛑 Mild Spoilers ahead, I tried to hide the obvious ones 🛑🛑
This is very obviously a fated mates, which is a trope I usually really enjoy. But I wish the relationship between Ara & Rogue had much more development before it's realized that they're mates, instead of Rogue knowing almost immediately and using it for nefarious purposes (at least in the beginning before they get to know each other). By revealing this within the first quarter of the book, I feel like it leaves less room for them to fall for each other organically (albeit with help from the mating bond) and they love each other because of the mating bond. I was disappointed as soon as Rogue know (literally only 5% in) and I literally made a note: "As much as II love a good mating trope, I wish we had to work for it a little more. Where's the fun in just telling us?" I believe that by holding out and feeding the reader snippets of a potential bond, it would've been more rewarding as a reader.
I also wish there was more world building - we are told of a war between human & fae but don't get to really experience any of it. Ara is sheltered in her human home, then sheltered in Rogue's castle. There's bits and pieces about what the war has done on either side - but we're more told of the aftermath and don't really experience any of it. Ara's father is supposed to be the king's #1 general - yet he is at home with his family & with Ara for the first couple chapters. Her, her family, nor her village seem to be affected by the 10 year war going on on their borders. I wish there was a little more setup to make this conflict - an actual war - feel more than a skirmish between fighting territories.
Linton could also be a little repetitive - with the biggest culprit being when Ara is upset she "brings [her] knees to [her] chest]" and either sits like that or cries. Every time she is upset this phrase is mentioned. I would get it if this was her crutch, or how she copes with grief and stress, but that should be explained why she does it so often or it becomes repetitive. I started to get annoyed with how often she would sit like this solely because it happens every couple chapters.
However, I did really like the spice. I love an enemies to lovers trope, especially when it results in spicy scenes. The spicy scenes weren't anything new, but they were fun. Wish there were more but that could also just be me - there is no such thing as too much spice 😂
Would I read again? Probably not, I'm super picky with rereads. Although I did genuinely enjoy my first read through!
Will I continue the series? Probably, at least for the sequel. As for #3, kind of depends on where I am with my TBR once that is released
All in all an enjoyable, fast paced read
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Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2024
★★★★★ 3
I love indie authors
Format: Kindle
Let me preface this by saying—writing a book is HARD! Coming up with characters so real that they take on a life of their own, building an entire world, the political/magic system. Designing all of this is no easy feat.
That being said.
This book had so. Much. Potential. I was so excited to read this book, and I plan to finish it for the sake of finishing it. But. At this point, I would have set I’d aside as a DNF. The book could have benefited from some form of a developmental editor, or an in depth beta reader. I will say this. Within 5 chapters, there are so many… phrases that I’ve highlight that I’ve latched onto. Phrases about books and storms that were written BEAUTIFULLY! So, bravo Linton for hitting the nail on the head as to why readers disappear like they do!
However, 5 chapters in and I can already guess where a majority of the story is going. But that’s also because I read like a mad-woman and have read this particular type of story, many different ways. Enemies to lovers where the FMC isn’t who she thinks she is. I am all about supporting indie authors. BUT. I also feel like criticism should be constructive, and not degrading. So if I could give this book a 4 1/2, strictly because I know the work the author put into this, I would. So if you’re looking for an easy read with characters that aren’t hard to follow, look no further! They are easy to love and easy to care for. One of the biggest issues they lacked, to me, was depth and plausible reactions to their situations. JD, you have done BEAUTIFULLY writing this book. I applaud and will continue to buy your books in the future. My BIGGEST recommendation is to definitely hire some form of an editor for any upcoming books. Or in turn, I will be happy to beta read for you. Should my opinion change of the book by the time I finish, I will happily get on here and say I was wrong, delete this review and post a different one. Until then…
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Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2022