Review: "From Summer and Fall" By Alora Kate

(Links below the review!)

I had originally learned about Alora’s books the other day during a conversation about a book cover reveal. She had done a really wonderful cover for a fellow author, Brooklyn Taylor. Brooklyn’s book “Marital Blissaster” officially released this week. I’ve done a review for it and it’s here on my blog. :) Through some chatting I had ventured to look at Alora’s other covers and as I discovered she was an author, she had commented at the same time that she also wrote. Well from there it was a given I had to go look. I always look for new books and especially from authors I’m not aware of. This was a win for me on all accounts. I ended up getting this book from Amazon and dove into reading it tonight. I needed something a little different from the one I had been reading earlier in the day. When I say different, polar opposites of what I was reading.

I snagged my kindle and ran away to my usual spot, snuggled under my blankets in bed. I started to read and I ended up messaging Alora and telling her what I thought already. I was two chapters in, and already I found a few things intriguing. As I continued to read, I started to love each of the characters and appreciated who they were.

From Summer and Fall starts off The Four Seasons Trilogy. I have to applaud Alora on her play on words on this right off the bat. Summer, Fall, Spring and Winter are all siblings living in a house together as they each finish off college. Summer is secretly in love with Tristan who is her brother Falls best friend. Fall isn’t in love with anyone, only looking towards the next good time. Not even he stops to see that someone does love him despite all his goals to never have love again. Hannah loves him and has since…. Well…. Forever. She’s Summer’s best friend. What happens when these clueless men finally get knocked over the head with reality and see what’s in front of them? Now that’s where the adventure really starts!

Summer has always been the quiet one, the cute one and the one who wants her happily ever after. Not just the ones that we read about either. She wants to save herself for the ONE. The one man she will know is the one she’ll spend her life with forever. She has such an innocence about her that makes you want her to have nothing but good things surround her. She has such a pure and light heart that so many feel they have to protect her. They do a pretty good job of it though, I have to say! But she’s also a lot more tough than anyone thinks she is. Otherwise she wouldn’t be moving towards the type of career she is studying for. Besides, who else is going to knock some heifer in the eye when she’s mean to her bestie? Yes, Summer is the good girl but she’s got some fight behind her. I don’t think Tristan would want to truly make her mad! In all her daydreaming and wishes, she wants Tristan to be that man. But he doesn’t seem to see her as anything but a little sister. Until that night, when everything changes after one fight. Summer doesn’t know where to go with any of it. Could it be love?

Fall has had the love of his family, the love of the football fans and the friends around him. One day he changed. At least that’s what everyone else thinks of it as. What they don’t know is that there was a huge reason as to why it happened. He shuts them out, and in the process becomes a bigger asshole than even he thought he could be. It’s all about the good time, the parties, the women and the game. He’s a ladies man and he swears he’ll never give his heart again. Once he and Tristan start college, that just continues even more. He’s so good at it, he doesn’t even have to practice that panty melting smile of his! He knows it makes him an ass, but he doesn’t care. In a lot of ways he’s on autopilot and if it wasn’t for Tristan and his sisters he would probably be a lot worse off. But I think it’s a little bit of Hannah that keeps him steady too. Even if he is too stupid to see it. She has figured if she can’t be with him, she’ll settle to just be around him when she can. But like with the other two, that changes suddenly and there is no going back. Can her heart handle the breakage that might come with Falls full entrance into her life? Who is going to lead Fall to the light side of love?

Those answers are throughout the whole series. I’m sure of it, even though for right now I can’t answer it totally. Why? Because Alora left me hanging! I yelled at my kindle. Yes, she executed the one move that my little abibliophobiac heart can’t take. The dreaded cliffhanger! Ugh! I’m not kidding you, I DO yell at my kindle. “WHAT???????” Is often heard from me as I read or the ever popular, “Are you freaking kidding me? It ends like THAT? What the actual f@$k is that?”. As much as I want to be mad at Alora for making me curse at my precious kindle, I have to laugh. Because I am hooked. Fair and square, I’m hooked. When an author can bring out emotions in you while reading their work, it’s a win for all. I laughed, I cried and I laughed some more. Then I yelled. I think I will have to buy my poor kindle some extra storage space or something to make up for all the shenanigans that come from my reading obsession!

Positives:

Alora has created relatable characters that compliment each other throughout the whole story. Even the supporting characters in the first one have enough to them that you’ll remember them into their continued stories.

I loved the play on words for each books series title as well as the nuances that I’ve been able to pick out about many things. I’m not ready to share my thoughts on that just yet, until I finish the whole series. Then I’ll share if I’m right. Ok, hell, I’ll share if I’m wrong too. Ok?

Negatives:

I found myself wanting to know a little more about the supporting characters. Even though I know more will come out about them later on. I just need to know more right now dang it! Ya’ll have figured that out about me by now right?

In some ways the pace of the story threw me off. Some of it was slower than others. But it’s one of those things I have a feeling I might have figured out why already. But I’m waiting to figure out if I’m right or not……...so that’s a little of both I guess.

Over all I was really impressed with Alora’s writing style and her ability to engage the reader. It’s a book that makes you stop and think a little but also warms your heart. Be prepared to have a few ongoing emotions and the desire to go out and buy the other ones in the series to find out what happens next. Like right after you finish the first. Like I did. Yes, Yes, I really did.

I give it a 4 out of 5 stars!


Authors Website: Alora Kate

Authors Amazon Page: Alora Kate

Authors GoodReads Page: Alora Kate

Authors Facebook Fan Page: Alora Kate

My GoodReads Review HERE

My Amazon Review HERE

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