Summer's Sins

by Evanna Rhoswen, Samantha Swart (editor), S J Fowler (cover_art)

My singular goal in life was to make Evanna Bishop-Leclair  miserable.  As miserable as I was when I met her. I never meant to desire her, to become obsessed with possessing her,  ruining  her. When I'm given the chance to enact my fantasy of destroying her life, I leap with both hands to grab it. For one summer, I'd have the chance to use her and ultimately tie her to me irrevocably. I thought I'd rid myself of the obsession. 
Instead, I fell in love.  But loving Eva isn't easy. Especially not when she disappears, without a trace, for ten years. This Christmas, I have a chance to reclaim her.  
Theodore LeClair hated me from the moment he met me. I sported bruises, casts, and weathered rumors because of the depth of his loathing. But he wanted me more than he despised me, and my hormones had me tossing aside reality for a dream. I walked into his arms with my eyes wide open, ready to accept the consequences of playing his game. One summer - what could be the harm? I didn't think I'd leave with a bruised, bleeding heart. I didn't think that it would be my  family's  fault.
I ran. I ran for my sanity, my future, my  child.
A decade later, and life is different now. Working through the mire of my trauma, I've become a new woman. I won't fall into the traps I did as a young woman. I won't look at Theodore and see the love of my life. As I sit at the dinner table, I'll be able to look the people who betrayed me in the eye - and no longer care about them. 
At least, that's the plan.

Genres: Contemporary Romance

228 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2023

About the author

Evanna (she/they) is an independently published author, focused on ‘spicy’/erotic tales, be they fantasy, out-and-out romance, or sci-fi. Viewing the world critically and romantically, their stories are focused on the ‘human’ experience. (Even when the Hero isn’t human.)

They live in the Southwest United States with their husband, a dog who believes she’s a cat, and two cats who are absolutely certain the dog is not a cat.

Reviews

[Auj · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning of the book had so many errors I was lost and thought about DNF-ing (it was also late at night), but the first spicy scene pulled me in and I changed my mind about putting the book down.

I know this is an ARC, and the book wasn't going to come out for months when it was first listed, so hopefully, it has spent more time with a proofreader.

Why I gave this book 4 stars was because I enjoyed it a lot as a result of the tropes and the sex scenes. Evanna and Theodore are cousins, though there's no blood relation. Because of that, they still have to sneak around from everyone. Theodore, or Teddy, has a breeding kink and just wants to knock her up.

I wish this had been clarified earlier: (I believe) Evanna is half-black. Her mom ran off with a black man (married him?) and got pregnant at 20. I wanted to know why the father wasn't in her life anymore. The family pretends Evanna's biological mom is her sister, and her grandparents raise her.

I love the secret baby trope, but I thought the excuse for this book was weak/lame. Evanna was upset with her family, but she still should have told Theo she was having his child, instead of disappearing for ten years.

Thanks to BookSirens and the author for the ARC!

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. There were quite a bit of editing issues. Some repeated sentences and phrases, misspellings and punctuation issues, and words without spacing. So there definitely needs to be another combover. There were a lot of tropes going on. Interracial bw/wm, taboo forbidden, second chance, secret baby, bully romance. Good amount of spice, especially the breeding, i think more spice, especially in the "now" era, would have been good. The way the book was going up until about halfway through the book, i wasn't sure i was going to like the book. I liked that the mfc was poc but Eva hid her fire and was a doormat to her family, Theo, supposed friends and the rest of the town. Theo, his friends, her "parents," and others in the town were mean, bigoted/racist, and I definitely wasn't digging Theo as the mmc. I'm glad of the growth and self reflection he made and understood how horrible he was and the truly toxic behavior, especially the bigotry he helped perpetrate. He definitely became better and redeemed himself. I usually hate secret baby tropes, usually the reason the dont tell them about the baby is dumb and irks me and the continued lies and secrets make it worse. But it was handled well in this book and although i think she should have told him, i liked that she womand up and told him as quickly as she did when they reunited even if it took a catalyst, she didn't lie, deflect or prolong it. And didnt continue to keep him from her. We never really got any info on Eva's bio dad and family and why she had no involvement with them or even knew them. I couldn't for the life of me understand how the "mom" was the way she was, and the grandparents/great grandparents were so open, loving, and understanding. I would have liked to see a convo/resolution between Eva and her "dad", besides just asking to meet Xaria. I liked the epilogue given, but think the epilogue should have been an additional chapter, and the actual epilogue or a secondary epilogue should have been Xaria's birthday. To see them after a little bit of time and see the introductions to the other family members, and any changes with and in the family, and further resolutions/closure. This book spikes different emotions and overall is a good read. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lady Lauren Explorer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give it a 3.5.

I think the past was really good to set the tone but once you get to the present or the now of the story, it happened over a span of 3 to 4 days and it just wasn’t enough for me.

I found that some of the drama still wasn’t resolved for the ending that it had, especially with her birth mother. I don’t know if that was a one off, cause it did surprise me, or if that was how she was going to stand up for everything that woman put them both through.

I was very happy that Theodore was the way he was in the end of the book and he learned once he left the bubble of his town. But other than that, I just kind of wish that it was longer, and we had more of a resolution.

Also their consequence of their actions, didn’t really have a huge fall out like I thought it was gearing up for. It was almost like a letdown once everything was out of the bag.

But for how fast I read it, I did enjoy it!

[Narelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a complex book, but worth the time spent reading. While not overly long in length, it packs in a lot of drama and emotional baggage for the two main characters, Theodore and Evanna. From the summer they were together, to ten years later when they reconnect with a second chance. As part of the drama, there are plenty of steamy erotic scenes in this spicy read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[nicoles_book_corner · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amazing read !!❤️🤗

So this was my first book from this author and l went in blind not knowing what to expect.

and gosh did l not expect to find myself so enthralled with this book like l was. From the very first page l was amazed and hooked.

The book did have some grammatical errors but l still enjoyed it nonetheless.

A big shout out to this author for going out of their way to send me the physical copy of Summer’s Sin. 💕💕which l happily added to my bookshelf🙃

The cover alone had all my attention. It’s absolutely gorgeous. This book was definitely a page turner that kept me on my toes.

This book was one epic roller coaster that l didn’t want to ever end. I went through all the emotions reading this book. I found myself crying, laughing and swooning over Theodore and Evanna.

At first Theodore was a pain in the ass😂but l loved him nonetheless. He was madly in love with Evanna and l was happy he he finally got his act together.

Evanna did a good thing leaving for sometime, l personally feel she deserved the world. She had a big heart and she was such an amazing character l absolutely loved.

The whole book was a mixture of happy tears and sad tears and l felt truly connected to these characters. ❤️❤️

Do l recommend this book!? HELL YES

Will l be looking forward to more books from this author ? WITH NO DOUBT !!!!

I received this book as a physical ARC and this is my honest review ❤️🥰

[M Schroeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book started off a bit slow for me, but once my attention was captured, it flew by. I was so mad for Eva with the way her family and Theo treated her. I'm glad she got out of that toxic environment. I was happy to see Theo grow during the time Eva was gone. Coming back home after 10 years brought out all the family secrets and Eva and Theo's child.

I enjoyed this author's debut book and look forward to reading more of her stories.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Vicki Willis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Evanna and Theo - bit odd as they're cousins not blood related once you get past that, the story tells it from before their baby was born and then 10 years later. The characters weren't particularly likeable - there are elements of mental domestic abuse by Theo towards Eva but it was well written. Thanks to Booksprout for the advanced copy

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evanna Bishop-Leclair and Theodore LeClair disliked each other from the start. I enjoyed seeing their story evolve and them get a happy ending. I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rose Seals · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rated this 4 as there is no 3.5 to give. This book has lots of secrets, drama, emotions, some abuse, steam and twists. Can be hard to follow at first with Theo and Evanna being "cousins". Theo has had an obsession about Eva for many years. He thinks he's the only one who should bed her and he does not realize after having her that she gets pregnant. She runs , not telling him anything. She returns 10 years later to resolve her issues. This happens to a lot of kids growing up- sex and pregnancy. Both Theo and Evanna learned a lot of life in those years to be able to meet up and discuss what first happen during that summer and their feelings thru those years that they were apart. Kids minds are in such a turmoil during their teenage years. This author touches on this action and what they have to deal with. Would recommend this book.
I am an ARC and leave this unbiased, honest review.

[Yolanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

💥 fireworks!

I love when I find new authors to one click. Bwwm, kinks, praise, degradation smutty kinks galore I loved it all in this book. The author is new but her full length debut I hope will not be her last and she consistently releases great reads. The story was good all through and so heart wrenching in a good way that I couldn't put it down and read all night. The where no errors in her editing or the flow in the story. Can't wait to see what's next!!

[Arianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled to finish this book. Theodore was absolutely horrible in how he treated Evanna. He spent 50% of the book putting her down, while also she received horrible treatment from her “mother”. I was happy that Evanna eventually left but when she returns, that’s when all the family secrets come out. This is where the book became interesting for me. I was happy that Theodore had grown up and finally started to protect Evanna, but it was still hard for me to get past how he acted in the beginning of the book. I was excited to read a book with an interracial couple but in the case, it bothered me how the black girl was treated. Overall, the storyline of the book was good.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

♡Thank you BookSirens for the ARC, I am leaving this review voluntarily♡

This book included second chance romance, forbidden love, and hidden pregnancy.

Theo & Evanna are cousins by marriage. For some reason, they have never gotten along. Theo vows to himself that he is going to ruin Eva. How? By tapping into his deepest desires & knocking her up. Little does he know, she wants it just as much as he does. Soon, family issues pull the 2 apart, & Eva runs for the hills, only to show back up for Christmas, 10 years later. Theo doesn't expect her to still melt under his touch.. will they be able to make things work?


This was a roller coaster. I HATED Theo for the first half of the book. Sure, his dirty talking was on ✨point✨, but he was not a good guy.
Poor Evanna just wanted to be herself. She's so caught up in trying to be the perfect daughter, that it actually ruins her. Her mother was despicable, same as her "sister." There were a few times I had to put the book down, because of how Clara would speak to Eva. No mother should EVER treat their daughter like that.

I'm not gonna lie.. the ending had me a little teary eyed. I am not a fan of pregnancy in books, but this was a great story. It did take me a bit to get into it because of the miscommunication in the first half. I also feel as though there were some unnecessary details & dialogue that made this book drag at times.

[Chiara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. I won't say anything about typos or mistakes, as I'm sure before this book is published they'll be fixed.

I feel like some things were not explained well or maybe even too late. Like the fact Evanna and Theodore are cousins, but not blood cuosins. okay... how so? We got the explanation 75% in the book. This is a piece of information that should have been presented earlier. Like the Evanna's birthmother or even her father, we know nothing about that. And Oliver? Apparently Evanna has brother who's apparently married and this couple is mentioned in the book as if we should know about them, as if there was a prequel about them or something.

The first half of the book was a bit strange, basically Evanna is her family's doormat, every treats her poorly, even Theodore who, to show her he was jealous basically treats her like she's nothing more than a sl*t.


the second half of the book was much better. Theodore did some internal growth, he became so much better, he realised his toxic behaviour towards Evanna and went into the family reunion with the intention of fixing his behaviour from the past. The way he was left by Evanna and the reason he didn't know about the baby was stupid and quite annoying, to be honest. The way the both handled it though was mature and honest. I had expected Theo to shout and scream about the fact he didn't know his daughter existed.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Serlina Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second chance, erotic rom, enemies to lovers, touch on racism, adult language, steamy

A story of dealing with hurtful sitations and overcoming the pains and set backs that oppress until achieve true happiness. The MMC was captivated by the MFC from young. He was also going through a painful situation but how he dealt with it was wrong by hurting others to salvage his wound. The MFC was seeking love and understanding, trying to live up to an image that seemed to dim her light no matter what .

Being imposed with others wishes and desires can be overwhelming and depressing. I felt that this story was nicely written. Spoke/touches on quite a bit of abuse - parents opression of their children, racism, verbal abuse and bullying from peers.

I loved the steamy spicy scenes, though I felt it was a bit too much at times in some areas… but totally enjoyed it as it was vivid and thought provoking and left me very entertained.

Wonderful story.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Nicole Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an Advanced Reader Copy and am voluntarily reviewing it. This book has some taboo elements but not really. There is no biological connection between the main characters but they grew up as family. Evanna Bishop-LeClair was just trying to bide her time until she heads to college in August. Her “cousin”, Teddy, has decided that she will be his. He has been trying to stay away from his African-American cousin but the buck stops with this summer. He is going to finally make her his. Despite the whole town thinking they are cousins, Eva is the town outcast due to her color and the fact that her grandmother adopted her because her mother, Jasmine, was too young. Her mom, Claire, does not help and continues to perpetuate the rumors.

Being treated like she can do nothing right has taken a toll on Eva. She sets herself to start school far away from the place she grew up. With rumors running rampant, Eva decides to give into Teddy’s advances. They start a secret affair that may leave a lasting impression on both of their lives.

I loved that readers are also given a glimpse of these two 10 years after that faithful summer. Readers will see how that summer changed their lives. Can these two finally live the life they dreamed of? One Christmas visit will change everything.

[Frommailenesbookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I couldn't stop reading this book. The drama of it all was too good to put it down! Taboo romance isn't something I usually read, but I was hooked. The plot was intense and I teared up at some parts. Worth reading for sure! 💕

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theodore was truly horrible in how he treated Evanna. He had feelings for her but was only interested in feeling bigger by putting her down. That he was the best thing in her life at the time was pretty sad. Her relationship with Clara was pretty awful too. Her leaving was the best thing she could’ve done for herself. After 10 years, she returns and all the family secrets come pouring out. But along with all the hurt and vitriol, Teddy gets an opportunity to show he’s grown into a much better man, finally willing to protect her and stand up for her. An emotional, uncomfortable story but a good read.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jessica]

Summer's Sins is a taboo novel involving adopted cousins and their summer of sin.

While it took me a little bit to get into it, it turned out to be a really good novel, a quick read rather.

The growth of Eva and Teddy after the many years of separation was really great.

I'm rating this book a 4 because there are many punctuation errors and such throughout.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[DarknessLighttt · Rating 4 out of 5]

🐚 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 🐚

3.5 ⭐

𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀: second chance, bully romance, forbidden

𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀: toxic relationships, bullying, racism, body shaming, fatphobia

I have so many mixed feelings about this book.

We got only half of the answers like Evanna and Theodore are cousins, but not by blood? And the part with her family was very confusing.

The first part was a bit strange and in some moments they gave me cringe vibes. Why does everyone have to treat her so badly? Even Theodore had two faces with her. Although he behave quite badly with her, at least he was the only person who accepted Evanna as she is. This happened in private, but when someone mentions her name, he immediately turns into a bully.

The second part was much better, even sweet, but without the parts where Evanna had to solve problems with her family. I liked this part more. Both characters developed very nicely during the time they were separated and I liked how they handled the situation that happened ten years ago.

Thank you Evanna Rhoswen for the opportunity to read this amazing book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was received via BookSirens.

[A. Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a mixed up family. This family is not at all what it seems. The only "good" family members are the grandparents, if you ask me. Evanna and Theo are cousins. When they are younger Theo bullies Evanna and tells her she doesn't belong. When they get older, Theo doesn't know what to do with his attraction to Evanna, so it becomes a misplaced obsession. There are a lot of problems with this relationship. Evanna's parents and sister are something else! This book basically chronicles the summer that Evanna and Theo had together. Then Evanna left unexpectedly. The book jumps forward 10 years, finally Evanna is going home to confront all her old wounds, trauma, family, and most importantly Theo. I think the saying goes, with family like this who needs enemies? That's Evanna's immediate family. Evanna could never do enough to please them. This book deals with racial stereotypes. I will say there were several errors in the book. It needs editing but that didn't effect my review.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Melissa Pellerin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is written well, I enjoyed the writing style I didn't find a lot of mistakes or typos in the physical copy. That all being said I think it needs to come with a more detailed warning list/Authors note, as there are some mentions of darker mental Health themes that are not covered.

This book was a fun short read I did enjoy the couple, the spicy moments were Spicy ish and there are plenty of them. I kinda wish there was more couple type stuff other then just hooking up because I think they made a good couple. The end of the book was it all up nicely I love how Eva ends up standing up for herself In the end. The plot moved fast but it was in good pace for the length of the book. Teddys Breeding Kink was something I was kinda surprised to see but defiantly fit in the theme of the book but that with the cousin talk ( NOT BLOOD RELATED ) Was a little bit awkward to read at least for me. Overall I would recommend this book to people who were interested in these themes but its not a book I would have really picked up myself.
Thanks to the author for sending me a copy to read though I enjoyed your writing style a lot.

[Bookitallaway · Rating 1 out of 5]

This had the potential to be great. I liked the storyline with the messed up family as I can relate to toxic family members. That was about all I could muster. The book was 90% just Evanna and Theo getting together, while she was underage no less. I'm not clutching pearls or anything, I've read some dark stuff, but that kind of upped the ick factor for me. I love a good breeding kink, but not when it's your cousin and not when you're underage and he's like 19 I think? Just ew. The writing wasn't horrible but it wasn't great either. I'm glad to see that the MFC finally stood up for herself and her daughter. I just would have liked more substance instead of just pure smut with little thought to plot or anything else otherwise.

Spice: 1/5
Plot: 2/5
Character Dev: 1/5
Overall: 1.5/5

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an okay story, although full disclosure I am not big on taboo family relationships like this one. I will say that I hated the MC for the majority of the book and I actually thought I would hate the ending of the FL ended back with him. However, because of the character development (on both accounts) I can say I did not hate how the book concludes, thus my review is not lower. The reasoning for my 3/5 stars is because I do think that the story could have been better if it was passed in front of an editor. There are a lot of misspells, missing spaces, extra periods, and even parts where it seemed like the author wrote two similar thoughts to pick the best but forgot to delete one of them.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sydnie Nova · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty taboo novel involving cousins in a romantic relationship. I felt really bd for Eva, based on the way Teddy treated her. Things got better after years of separation, and he eventually proves he's a better man and is willing to be there for his family. The story was a bit stagnant and abusive and I felt like the characters were a bit one-dimensional at the beginning. I also was a bit turned off by some of the phrasing and errors in the punctuation. I did, however, receive this copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Chelsea Lamb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has so many tropes it is kinda crazy to think about! I loved how much growth the main characters both made throughout the book. I wasn’t sure I liked either of them much until I saw how much they matured and opened up.

Spice 3/5
-enemies to lovers
-second chance romance
-secret baby
-forbidden love
-emotional scars

Just be sure to read the reader warning before you begin reading and you should be fine.

Giving it three stars due to some minor editing errors.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summer's Sins was awesome!

Benefits: Evanna and Theodore are cousins, though there's no blood relation.
Teddy, has a breeding kink - whohoo!
Secret Baby Trope


This story was powerful, and so much was going on that it just felt like it was so short... it flew by! I can't appreciate this book more!

[Taylor Harper · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a playlist at the beginning of the book to set the mood. This book was a different type of book than the ones I’ve read. It reallyyyy is a taboo book. At first it was giving me Sweet Home Alabama vibes. I wasn’t too sure how to feel about it, it was making me uncomfortable at first. Then you find out they’re not blood related, and the book goes on to explain it all. It made it a bit better, but the uncomfortableness is still there just a bit, for me at least. Really it’s completely up to each person to see how they feel about this book, and see if they like it. It was a new one for me. It caught me off guard. It’s not a bad book, just actually got to get through it to find out a lot about the situation. It is a taboo romance, forbidden romance, unexpected baby book.

[Chastity M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book!