The Summerlands

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The Summerlands Synopsis

If you love magic, mystery, romance, time travel, and exploring universal secrets, The Summerlands is for you! 

Sera Parker believes she’s an ordinary young woman embarking on a new life in a charming Virginia town. When her soul clan—including smokin’ hot Archangel Michael, her fellow elementals, air, water, and earth, and a smattering of witches—announces she is one of eight sworn protectors of the Earth plane she doesn’t believe them.

Sera’s default systems for awakening from her dream of being human aren’t doing the trick, the mortal half of her brain is fighting to hold on. As Sera slowly begins to remember her true identity, she realizes there’s still a considerable chunk of her soul memories missing—her motivation for making the unthinkable decision to live in the Underworld for three decades among them.

Will Sera regain her soul memories without going insane? Can she live down the shame of betraying her true love? Will she learn the truth in time to stop the destruction of the last incarnation of Earth?

Find out in The Summerlands; book one of the Angels and Elementals series.

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The Summerlands Review

The Summerlands is the first novel in the Angels & Elementals series by Susan Butler Colwell and is well worth reading. Coming in at 280 pages, this novel packs in terrific world building, lore, romance, and mystery. Susan Butler Colwell brings together archangels, demons, souls, elementals and other mythology in a original way that keeps the reader engaged. Of course when the book starts out with this opening paragraph you know you have started reading something good:

The last time I died, it was a Tuesday. Don’t ask me how I know that. It’s just stuck in my brain as a cold, hard fact. Well… that and the slightly more troubling realization that I took the guy who’s uncharge of all evil as a mate. But I digress.

Seraphina

Seraphina is an elemental; half-human and half-celestial. She’s one of four gatekeepers of the Earthly plane. She’s just been killed by Morgana, and woken up in the Summerlands, her home plane. She’s setting up the plan for her next reincarnation . The problem is, she can’t remember her last life, nor why she spend 30 years as the mate to Mortegol and why she had chosen him over her archangel mate, Micheal. The problem is, as an elemental, she won’t know anything about who she really is for the first 21 years of her life, and the mystery of her 3 decades in the Underworld is haunting her. 

Most of the novel is spent following Sera as she awakens and learns of her true identity. This allows for great world-building as the reader learns more about the Angels & Elemental’s world as Sera remembers. While I felt some parts of the book were slower, I recognize that this is the first novel in a series and I surely will appreciate the time spent understanding this complicated universe built by Susan Butler Colwell. Sera is a well built character; she’s strong and confident. I wish that more time was spent exploring her relationship with Micheal, in a more steamy way. But other than that, Sera, Micheal, and the rest of the soul clan are well thought out and their actions throughout the plot are aligned with their character. 

The plot of The Summerlands plays out well and does not feel rushed. Sera does not find out who she is and is immediately 100%. The awakening takes time and is realistic. The big events of the novel come closer to the end of the book when Sera understands more about herself. There are many twists and turns in the novel that were not expected and the twist at the end I did not see coming at all. Overall, The Summerlands and Sera’s story are well worth reading and I’ll be waiting for the sequel to be released. I’m hoping the next book is focused on one of the archangels POV. *crossing fingers*

I would like to thank Reedsy Discovery and Susan Butler Colwell for sending me a free copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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About Susan Butler Colwell

Susan Butler Colwell is a writer, entrepreneur, passable baker, and lover of magical things. 

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Angels & Elementals Series

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