Summer Court

The Tarot Witches #4

by S.M. Reine

The fourth and final book in the NYT Bestselling paranormal romance series. Readers 18+ only.
~~~
Half a year ago, Samita Madin shared one steamy night with a friend - what she thought would be just a fling with that firefighter her mom didn't like. But she couldn't stop thinking about Slater Reinhard in the weeks that followed. Especially once she realized she'd gotten pregnant from their tryst.

Samita had every intent of staying in Toronto, keeping the baby a secret from Slater. But then demons attacked North America in a massive catastrophe known as the Breaking, which let Hell pour onto Earth. Separated from her family, and injured in a collapsing building, she has no choice but to let Slater protect her - and their unborn baby - from the preternatural onslaught.

But now Slater's one of the preternaturals. He's been bitten by a werewolf since the last time they saw each other. He's changing from a hero firefighter into a monster with urges that he can't control.

A lot of those urges have to do with Samita.

He only needs one glance from Samita to vow he'll get her and their baby through the end of the world. And Slater has every intent of claiming Samita as his mate.

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Supernatural, Magic, Shapeshifters

171 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 31, 2016

About the author

Hi everyone! My name is Sara, and I write urban fantasy and paranormal novels as SM Reine. I collect swords, cat hair, and typewriters (which I do use for writing!). It's a good day when those three things have nothing to do with each other.

If you would like to know the instant my next book is available, you should enlist in my Army of Evil! We have a wicked cool secret handshake, but you'll have to sign up to learn it. ;) Check it out -- http://smarturl.it/armyofevil

Reviews

[Mara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t recall anything about book 1 and 2, but hopefully they were better than this. There’s no much sense overall in this story and I really wish she started writing a different ending (and a different world).

If that was supposed to be a romance I might have missed the memo...

Edit to add: maybe it should not be labelled romance. I went back to the synopsis of book 1 and the couple there was broken in this final instalment..

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a tough one to read. Mostly because I could see how difficult it was for Samita to be thrown into the middle of all the crazy Tarot stuff while dealing with her pregnancy AND the end of the world. Add in the coven being divided into two very zealous sides and...well, both of them made me ragey for different reasons, so it was messy. I had my angry eyes on, guys. My angry eyes.

I can honestly say I didn't like all the various couples after meeting them again. Some of them, yes, but seeing them through an outsider's eyes stripped away some of their likability. Plus, the fact that Samita wasn't given much of a chance to acclimate (understandable given the end of the world hurtling toward them) just made me...I DON'T KNOW. There was a decided lack of empathy from the coven where Samita was concerned and, while I get why they were acting like they were, it made it hard to want to see them succeed.

Which is ridiculous, really, because succeeding meant the coven would survive and that was kinda important.

Knowing what was coming down the line for some of the Tarot Witch/werewolf couples made meeting them again bittersweet. BUT I really enjoyed how Samita and Slater's story played out. There was a point where I wondered how Samita was going to get over her bone deep dread of commitment before the end of the world hit. I mean, it was RIGHT THERE and she still had her issues to deal with.

Once all is said and done, I genuinely liked the end of this series. Things might get messy later on, but Samita and Slater found their happy place. Sure, it was during the end of the world with demons practically breathing down their necks, but they found it. And that's what it's all about, right?

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[Rachel Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book in this series. This book I enjoyed very much. Not only did you get a lot of answers to questions readers of her books may ask but you also get a slightly different heroine. Samita is strong and fearless in many ways just as much as she is vulnerable. Her acceptance of what is and her refusal to give in to her circumstances made me admire her from the start. Slaters character was refreshing in the way that he respected and not just respected but encouraged her independence all while loving her. His ability to be strong and vulnerable impressed me. I also enjoyed the group dynamic in the book among the witches where there were some who went one way and some who went another but ultimately they were trying to achieve the same goal. I was glad to get answers to questions I had after reading war of the alphas and the mage craft books I have read so far as well. I was curious as to how the seelie and unseelie became the say they were and got to where they were and this gave me answers to all that completely. This was in my opinion one of the best books in a already phenomenal universe of books. SM Reine never disappoints you get your action, drama, sex, war, love, hate etc all told in a way that never makes you tired or bored with the story. All in all I loved the tarot witches series and guarantee that it is more than worth it to read and enjoy believe me you will get hooked as much as i have on all these books. They are worth their weight in gold.

[Llaph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had almost forgot how she comes up with the most endearing characters ... ones you hate one minute then love the next and vice versa.
This book was certainly an interesting twist to things that had occured in the previous book. Who would have thought things would go this route? I'm just going to say lol @ Liah.

This was an interesting look at genesis and I'm so glad to see what happened with Nathaniel. Though it really isn't enough for me yet. Gotta keep reading and catch up~ I so want to read Lincoln's book soon and I can't start it until I read everything else first.

[Joe Kinkopf · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked this the least out of the series. I didn't really get into the characters like in the other books. Even the characters from the other books I liked much less in this book. And I especially didn't like that WTF ending. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that. Maybe I just didn't get it.

The other weird thing was that HUGE gap between this book and the last book. The start of this book, we're suddenly in total chaos, up until the end. The tarot witches didn't actually do anything. They could have stayed at home, and the result would have been the same.

[Susanbarrington · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much sex not enough story

Heroine is not likeable. Bits and pieces of sub-stories float around like fireflies. Would not recommend and I had such high hopes.

[Jessie Mosley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure why this one gets a lower rating than the other three. I loved this one. Again, I skimmed past the sex stuff as I don't care for that, but this one had such a beautiful ending. I will end up buying this series as a physical copy for my personal library all because of this final book. Kudos to the author for ending this particular series like she did. Exceeded my expectations.

[Simo · Rating 1 out of 5]

OK, I actually hated this one. It makes no sense whatsoever, it looks like the so-called storyline is just a thinly disguised excuse for repeated group sex scenes without any logic. The most absurd one is when all the men start having sex with each other, even if the majority of them are straight. And the scene starts with Rage, the rockstar, being buggered by his best friend that does it to punish him, not because he desires him. With friends like this, who needs enemies?! Also I don't understand why Rage's whole history has been rewritten completely. What he tells the h here does not match anything that we learned about him in the previous books. Violet is not mentioned at all in the first 3 books, but in this one Rage says that she had been part of the story since before the first book starts. I'm very confused 🤔. Rage seems to have always had a taste for BDSM, again never mentioned in the previous books. Leah, the h of the second book, all of a sudden has gone back to her roots, becoming a righteous believer in God and in the teachings of Joseph Smith -still engaging in public and group sex of course- and deciding that the best solution to Armageddon was to kill everybody so they would wake up in heaven.
Should I go on? God does manifest himself, but he's a confused teenager that doesn't remember why he sent the tarot cards and why he chose these people as recipients. The universe does end in the end, pun intended, but it's more of a reset after all. The 22 tarot witches plus their significant others wake up as Shide, or fairies, on another plane, but why? And we also learn that they soon turn against each other, once again for no reason. OK, I'll stop here just because I'm exhausted. A tip to my old self and you guys, DO NOT read the series, even if you got it for free!

[Megb · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do you do when the apocalypse is coming? You run, of course.

But, Samita didn't want to run so when a sinkhole opens up in the middle of her house, she has no choice except she gets squashed by a wall in the midst of it. But luckily Slater is there to rescue her. The downfall to being rescued, she has been hiding a secret from Slater, she's pregnant with his baby. She also ends up re-injuring herself causing her to be forced into using a wheelchair, again. She's been through this before but being pregnant makes it that much more challenging.

Samita is a strong and independent woman who has no desire to mate or marry or be dependent upon another person ever in her lifetime. She doesn't want to need somebody or depend on somebody, she has seen what that does to a person and she refuses to succumb. Once the apocalypse starts she is forced to rethink everything and make some difficult life altering decisions, but will she make the right choice or will she run out of time?

Can she find happiness with Slater or will her stubbornness force her to live her life alone with only her child to distract her from her loneliness that she refuses to acknowledge? Will she be reborn after Ragnarok (aka Genesis)? What happens when you are forced to work with people you aren't sure you can trust?

Samita made me feel so sympathetic and sad, yet she never let things get her down, she refused to show weakness. Refused to cry. She was fierce and determined. I admired that but sympathized with her and felt sad for her.. She was so closed off to her emotions I couldn't help but feel bad for her. But I the ending of this book was even better than I expected! And OF COURSE all things were revealed and all my questions were answered! I was relieved yet sad that this series was over.

I loved Slater from the very beginning, he never hid his feelings for Samita and I loved the fact that such a strong and masculine man allowed himself to be so open and vulnerable. It just made him that much more desirable to me. He was pure unadulterated perfection!

I have been slightly addicted to the Descentverse ever since I stumbled upon it. The characters are so vivid, so real, so raw. It's intoxicating. I can't stay away. It's like a drug. Sara is an amazing writer and so insanely creative I am awestruck by her writing.

[CK · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the book I have the most to say about.

Awesomely, positively, the MC is an immigrant Hindu woman, pregnant, unmarried, & most excitingly, DISABLED!! We don’t see NEARLY enough disabled folks in fiction, let alone Disabled POC. Yay! Our heroine has some really great views on Disabled autonomy, the place mobility aids have in a Disabled person’s world, & how accessibility might factor into an apocalypse.

Less awesomely…
Samita has a LOT of internalised Ableism. That’s a really big problem.
Also a big problem is Samita’s view on love, sex, & relationships. She’s hugely judgemental. Scathingly so. Given the way the ending is framed, it seems the author advocates these viewpoints. That’s a MASSIVE problem. Sex isn’t bad, it shouldn’t have to be hidden away. Monogamy, we KNOW, isn’t the best way for humanity to progress. Samita has a distressingly unhealthy view of mental health issues, & took the massive step of isolating herself, her spouse, & her child at the first opportunity. That’s hardly healthy. It shouldn’t be put on any sort of pedestal.

As for the overarching series plot…
This book feels like a hasty, badly planned way to wrap up what was supposed to be a much longer series. We’re given a concrete date for the happenings in this book, but they’re obviously many years after the undated events of the previous books. We’ve gone from three tarot witches at the end of the previous book, to Samita making 22. The disconnect is jarring.
This book is called the Summer Court, but it’s not really got much to do with the Summer Court at all. We get glimpses of previous MCs, but they’re all very much changed people. Leah in particular. This book undermines the premise of the previous books, in my opinion.

Having said that…

Were there POC? Explicitly. And Disabled POC at that!

Were there Queer/GLITTFAB characters? Explicitly! Yay!

Would I re-read? Not if I can help it. I’ll happily push highlighted points where Samita had great points about Disability, but that’s it.

Was it worth my time? A terrible story with a Disabled POC main character? ABSOLUTELY this was worth my time. So very worth my time just for that element.

Would I recommend this book? Not at all. I will promote the character of Samita, because WE NEED MORE DISABLED CHARACTERS. I won’t sugar coat her faults, though. They help make her real, even if they’re still problematic.

[Vannessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the last book in the Tarot Witches series and my favourite of all four. The final Tarot Witch has been called and found by the others, however, she really doesn't want to join the rest of the Coven even if it is the end of the world and her being there may help to stop the Breaking.

This time, we join Samita and her mate to be Slater, who she met months before, months before he had been changed against his will, all because of a vision. Now however, he will do anything to protect Samita and their Thumbelina, but will that be enough to stop the Void?!

The other main Tarot witches and their mates join, but over the last few months, things have changed dramatically for this group of women. No longer are they united in their cause, but each stands for themselves and their own ideas. Samita doesn't really know who to believe, who to trust and she certainly doesn't want to have any part in the sex magic rituals that fuel the witches' powers.

I liked Samita and how she was a reluctantly defiant witch - she knew what was expected of her, but she still didn't do things just because others said she should do. I liked the ending and how it brought about Genesis that leads into S.M.Reine's other Preternatural series, which I have read parts of as well. Having not read all of that series yet, it will be interesting to see if any of these characters make their appearance there as well. Will have too look out for them now!

[C. Erani Kole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a 2.5 for me.

The only reason it's at a 3-star rating is because it wasn't a terrible 2, in my opinion. I just wish the first three-fourths had been better. There was a lot of time jumping with no explanation, lots of characters added in without a reason until much later in the book. I constantly felt like I'd skipped a bunch of books when reading this, and I didn't like that feeling, considering I'd read the books of this series in order. There was just a lot of change that made me feel out of the loop.

Then there's Samita. She was an interestingly stubborn character but because of the confusion with the characters and time and rush, I had a hard time getting along with Samita's mindset. I couldn't understand why she did a lot of the things she did and accept it. The only time I felt happy reading this was when Genesis happened. I thought Reine did an amazing job at writing out those moments, and everything after that felt exactly like the other books I adore. So I'm not sure what was going on with the first three-fourths of the book, but the ending saved this for me.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a bit of a time gap between book 3 and 4. We are now at the time when Genesis begins. Luckily, Rage is filling us in on what happened since book 3 but I still wished there was more about it. There are actually quite a few things revealed especially in the epilogue that are touched in other series (Magecraft and War of Alphas).
Samita, the last missing tarot witch, seems a bit cold hearted. She has a tough hand dealt, well like the others, but reacts tough too. Her reluctancy to mate feels a bit like repetition of Jaycee's. But I love the fact that she doesn't fall under the sex spell and I think this is the best book of them all.

The whole series could have done with less graphic sex for my liking. I loved the build-up of the group and faerie/witch/werewolf thing, and the magic through sex thing is an interesting idea but it wouldn't have to be that bold or so downright rough to drive the point home.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

An alright book, I honestly thought it was the weakest of the 4. Though in general I liked Samita and Slater, I felt like there was a TON missed between the last book and this. The series would have been better served, in my opinion, by being a couple books longer and actually SHOWING us some of that stuff happening, instead of just telling us "oh, over the last couple years, this happened, and that happened, etc." Also, the changes in attitude with Ophilia and especially Leah was a bit crazy. Granted, I know she was raised Mormon and with any strong faith, when the hard times come, that's when the crazy comes out, but still.... Also, Samita's refusal for most of the book to be Slater's mate, even though she loves him.... I kind of understand her reasoning, but still.

Overall, not a bad book or a bad ending to the series, but could have been better with another book or two.

[Barbara "Cookie" Serfaty Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summer Court:The Tarot Witches Book 4

The last of the Tarot Witches Series. The story of Samile and Slate. The world is coming to an end the demons are destroying the world. Samile is the last of the Tarot witches, can she help save the world? Slate is now a werewolf, change not by chose, will Samile mate with Slate or will her be lost, oh she is having his baby. Great story.

[Lisa Kubin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad the Tarot Witches is done!

I wish there were more Tarot Witch stories. I feel like this last book rushed the story and left a lot out! Genesis came too quickly and left out soooo much story potential! I still loved the series as well as The Decent and The Ascent series’. I am definitely going to read on and highly recommend all of these books!

[Jonathan Roth · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the introduction and character explanations, The rest of the book was non stop action and excitement, with the story ending in very surprising fashion. This was my first S.M. Reine read I give the complete story four stars .The series was a heavy read. Highly recommended for everyone who is a fan of good paranormal books

[Pille Pruulmann-Vengerfeld · Rating 1 out of 5]

See viimane osa on küll selline, et oih, tarokaarte on liiga palju, et igast ühest neist kirjutada pikalt ja põhjalikult lugu, keerame nüüd selle kõik pea peale, kohe tuleb maailmalõpp ja käkime kõik otsad kiirel kokku. 18+ raamatut pole siin kuskil, pigem on karske ja kasin monogaamne seks ja õnnelik lõpp, kus saab ikka teistest parem olla. Ärge pigem lugege.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is fast, it's dirty, it's sexy, it's a bit frustrating, and a nice cap to the Tarot Witches series. It's not necessary to read the other three books in the series to understand the events of this book but it is helpful to framing the culture and world the book takes place in.

[Cat- · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like so much happened between the last book and this. This book felt far to rushed, rushed to cover all that happened between this book and the last, rushed to conflict, rushed to the resolution, and rushed through the happy ending....

[Jaime Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. I was so glad to see things finish. Not real happy with how things ended with Ofelia but glad to see it rounded out anyways. Very well written and love and family and yes, very adult situations.

[Jac K · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this as a freebie. I thought it was awful. The storyline was all over the place. The characters were not very like able. Slater, seemed cool, and I liked him, but Samira was the worse. I almost didn’t finish but pushed through with lots of skimming.

[Julie Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing style is always good by this writer and I've enjoyed every other series, however, I did not like the sexual content that didn't seem to be part of the story as a whole, but rather for titillation. I realise it's my fault for not understanding this series wasn't like the others.

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finished the series, which I started because of Caged Wolf, was very intriguing and I hoped would get better. Unfortunately, these don't get better. At least they are fast reads. Still "Not good, poor plot, convoluted story, graphic sex."

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent series

[Miriam Acevedo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Confuse

I like some parts but others had me confuse not understanding . And yes I would recommend this series because of the first three .

[Noxwitchbooklife · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thrilling end to this epic series in the Descentiverse - but fear not, there is more books these characters appear in in S.M. Reine's other series!

[Sam Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bit of a disappointing disjointed end to the series.

[Sue MacKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woah mind wrenching

This story takes you in so many different directions at once and the ending was nothing like I expected it to be.

[Morgan Blomstedt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such fun

This story was a great way to end the series. I loved this entire set of books and can't wait to read more.