Summers End

Shady Hollow #5

by Juneau Black, Cassandra Campbell (Narrator)

A unique take on dark academia, featuring everyone's favorite vulpine sleuth, Vera Vixen.

It's late August in Shady Hollow, and intrepid reporter Vera Vixen agrees to chaperone the school’s annual field trip to Summers End, an ancient tomb built by an early woodland culture. Naturally, her good friend Lenore Lee comes along to help her.

But when the group enters the tomb one morning, they find a corpse that is distinctly more. . . modern than expected. Digging deeper, Vera and Lenore discover that the deceased was involved in the recent excavation at the site, and very unpopular with their colleagues—including Lenore’s sister, Ligeia. Now the fox and raven must delve into the dark world of academia and archaeology to clear Ligeia’s name. Some creature at Summers End thought they were clever enough to get away with the perfect murder. Can Vera and Lenore unearth the truth in time?

Genres: Mystery, Fantasy, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

Audible Audio

First published July 9, 2024

About the author

Joint pseudonym of Elizabeth Cole and Sharon Nagel. For works of these authors written under their own or other names, search also under: Cole, Elizabeth (Author of romance fiction) or Nagel, Sharon, 1966-

Reviews

[KristynRene SwissCheese JellyBean]

THERE'S ANOTHER ONE COMING!!!

[Laney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leftie is the best character.

[Sarah-Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not big on cozy mysteries, but I do love clever little animals walking about, wearing clothes, and drinking tea—so I decided to request a review copy of Summers End. Also, the mystery here involves an ancient burial mound built by animals and the artifacts it contains, and little animals in clothes, plus archaeology was too tempting to ignore.

All and all, I found this book charming, if a bit twee. Juneau Black (actually a pen name for a pair of women who write this series together) has a deft hand with suspects and with herrings (red or otherwise), so the mystery has enough mystery to force one to do a bit of guessing.

If you're an adult who still finds Beatrix Potter's work charming, you'll be cooing over this series as you sip tea from your Benjamin Bunny mug. And, based on my experience, you can start with any volume you want in this series. There's backstory, but our author(s) introduce it nimbly.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

[Lilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summers End is the fifth book in the Shady Hollow series. After crime solving reporter Vera Vixen agrees to chaperone the annual field trip to Summers End, an ancient tomb and current archaeological site, remains are found--which is to be expected... except these remains are modern. As Vera works to solve the murder of one of the professors associated with the excavation, she digs up more than she anticipated.

As someone with a background in archaeology, this book felt right up my alley and just loved every minute of it. I loved the dark academia setting and while I absolutely love the town of Shady Hollow, the change in setting felt like a great way to switch things up while still staying true to the coziness found throughout the rest of the series.

Thank you so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review. I can't wait to grab a physical copy for my bookshelf!

[⋆˚࿔ michala˚⋆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

wasn’t my favorite. i missed being in shady hollow with our usual cast of characters

side note: lefty is my fav character 🦝

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can not get enough of this series!

Summers End is the 5th installment of this series and just like the others, this was a fun, relaxing read and a much appreciated palette cleanser. One of the sweetest treats in this series is that all the characters are animals, usually a cozy mystery will feature an animal on the cover but they have no real importance, but nope! No people here! Anyone who knows me will tell you if there is a Raccoon involved, I'll be there, so I was over the moon to see Lefty make an appearance again as a core character in this world!

Once again we are following Vera Vixen (our favorite foxy detective news reporter) as she tries to find the truth.

Summer is at it's close and where better to celebrate this change of seasons than in the town of Summers End. Summers End is a historical archeological site that would be comparable to Stonehenge. While the school is talking their field trip, Vera and Lenore decide they can volunteer to help keep all the littles ones in line. They are prepared for sneak outs and general trouble making, but what they are not prepared for is seemingly ritualistic murder.

While a few fan favorites critters are present, Vera and Lenore for the most part will have to navigate this mystery with new shop owners, new law enforcement, new towns folks and new suspects!

I enjoyed the new scenery presented in this title as well as the new cast of characters! It's always a delight to see this world expand.

I found the mystery itself to be entertaining and easy to read. These books are great for people looking for something lighthearted and simple. I had my suspicions but was pleased to be left guessing for the majority of the novel!

I will say I was delighted with what felt like a bonus at the end of this story. While I was excited to see who done it, I was also thrilled to see an extra discovery made before it's conclusion. No spoilers, but it was just a little treat in my opinion how things wrapped up.

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love the vibes everytime

[Leslye❇ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* ... This was good enough, but I think I enjoyed the previous books in the series much more. This one wasn't as cozy and didn't have the wonderful setting of Shady Hollow and its charming residents that the other books have. Still, for anyone who has enjoyed the series, I do think you'll enjoy this one as well. These will always be go-to cozy comfort reads for me. The whimsy of these woodland creatures going about solving murders is so entertaining. Lighthearted, sweet, full of whimsy ... while still solving a mystery!

[Katie Fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vera Vixen has done it again!! I absolutely loved this story because it was a fun twist on the usual mystery. This entire tale takes place at Summers End, so we get to meet almost an entirely new cast in a new, quaint location. I found that I really enjoyed this mystery and the lore that went into the event of Summers End. Another incredibly cozy read!! 🦊🐦‍⬛☀️

Thank you to NetGalley and Vintage for this ARC!!
5 ⭐️

[Emily H · Rating 3 out of 5]

As far as the shady hollow series, this unfortunately is my least favorite. I just love Shady Hollow so much, I missed the regular setting and characters, rather than Vera being in a new town with some new (and old) faces.

[Ellie Anna Axtman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peak coziness! Eternally enchanted by this series. Such a whimsically woven world bursting with delightfully peculiar characters, each cloaked in a shroud of mystery. I’m counting the days until the next book drops this October!

[myo ⋆｡˚ ❀ * · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Kat Buckland · Rating 3 out of 5]

My silly little animal mystery books I can’t get enough of 🥰

[Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy these books so much--they're like a warm hug in mystery form! This author duo's work has definitely improved over each book and I loved how this one manages to make a whole new setting feel familiar right away. I love the romantic pairing in this series, though we don't see a whole lot of them together. I really enjoyed getting to see Vera and Lenore's friendship in action as they sleuth together and try to free Lenore's estranged sister from being charged with murder, as well as the new characters like Athena and the crew of academics at summer's end. Such a lovely series--I hope they just continue to write more!

[✰ celly ✰ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i knew it!! so fun

[Jessica - How Jessica Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t know why I have no problem with bookstore ravens and police bears and investigatory journalist foxes… but somehow archaeologist animals seems so so funny to me?‽ ! How do they sift the finds? Haha.

[Andrea Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do so love this series and I still haven’t guessed correctly who the bad guy is right away so that’s fun. I did miss not being in Shady Hollow but I’m glad there were still familiar characters, especially Lefty 😉

[Cat Rutherford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cute installment of the Shady Hollow series. Loved the twist at the end of this one. A great summer read.

[Paige Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun shake up in the series.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deze serie is echt mijn all time favorite comfort read

[SaraFair · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summer’s End is the latest cozy mystery in the Shady Hollow series, a grouping of novels with woodland creatures located in a special town of their own where murders sometimes occur. Once again we enjoy Vera the fox, a novice sleuth, running into a dead body. She uses her reporter’s instincts to flush out clues and the killer. However I enjoyed this installment less than usual because although Vera has one of her friends with her, this mystery does not take place in comfortable, familiar Shady Hollow. Perhaps the author felt the need to add more zip with characters and a town that were all new, but I missed the usual suspects, their comments, and the sweet locations where they usually meet. In addition, the occasion for the out of town visit of observing a burial site we a bit boring for me. We see Vera and her best buddy Lenora the raven get even closer as friends and there is an addition of a junior reporter who is a vole with the same inquisitive nature as Vera. The murderer was actually guessable early on in the story, totally based on the animal that died and the characters in the neighboring town. I will look forward to the next mystery in the series if it’s back in the town we know and where we feel at home. Thank you to Netgalley for giving me a chance to read this earc in return for my honest review.

[Dede Yocum · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC provided by NetGalley

THIS! WAS! SO! FUN!!!!! i already adore the Shady Hollow series but this one was so fresh and fun and NEW!!!! i loved meeting new characters and the setting for the crime was truly so original and made my history-loving self so happy. also, that plot twist????? i truly did not see that coming. probably one of the biggest “oh!” book moments ive had in a while!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Love this series. Really enjoyed the crime in this one. It was so fun not being in shady hollow but still getting that low stakes woodland shenanigans. Heartedly recommend this whole adorable series.

[Kassyreadsalot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: Summer’s End

Author: Juneau Black

Synopsis: A unique take on dark academia, featuring everyone's favorite vulpine sleuth, Vera Vixen.

It's late August in Shady Hollow, and the heat has intrepid reporter Vera Vixen eager to get away. She agrees to chaperone the annual field trip to Summers End, an ancient tomb built by an early woodland culture, along with her good friend Lenore Lee to come with her.

But when the two enter the tomb, they find bones that are distinctly more...modern. Digging a little deeper, Vera and Lenore discover that the deceased was involved in a recent excavation at the site, and very unpopular with their colleagues. Now the fox and raven have to delve into the dark world of academia and archaeology to determine which creature thought they were clever enough to get away with the perfect murder.

Review: This was not my favorite Shady Hollow book I still liked it. In all honesty this is by far my least favorite Shady Hollow book so far and I didn’t love it as much as the previous books. I think it was the fact that most of the regular characters were barely in this book! I did love the dark academia aspect and the fact that there was an ancient tomb! Also I was happy that Lenore got more spotlight and we get to know a little more about her!

[Beka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this installment of the Shady Hollow cozy mystery series. This book has us following Vera and company to the town of Summer’s End, which was established around an archaeological dig that is the woodland creature version of Stonehenge. Of course, it wouldn’t be a mystery if everything went according to plan, and one of the top professors working at the site is murdered, leaving Vera, Lenore, and others to work together to solve the mystery before Lenore’s estranged sister is blamed for the crime!
In terms of mystery complexity, this is the strongest mystery in the series so far. There were multiple viable suspects and the murder was only one element of the shady business taking place at Summer’s End. I will say, while the series is always cozy, it felt like this book traded some of its cozy descriptions and atmosphere for more focus on the mystery at hand. Even though I read this series primarily for the ambiance (the mysteries are usually very simple) I actually didn’t mind the trade off. I also loved that we left the town of Shady Hollow for a new setting and cast of characters. I hope the authors continue this series indefinitely because they are such a treat to read.

[Book Princess (Anastasia) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Полюбила цю серію від щирого серця. Така вона мила і дуже затишна. І хоч це лише друга книга, прочитана мною в цій серії, та точно не остання. Хочу прочитати всі. Повертатися у цей прекрасний вигаданий світ лісових звірів, який так схожий на наш, - одне задоволення. Цього разу лисиця-журналістка Вера зі своєю найкращою подругою Ленор, власницею книгарні у Shady Hollow беруть на себе відповідальну місію супроводжуючих підлітків на екскурсію в сусіднє місто Summerhill, до одного з найвизначніших памʼяток міста - Summers End. Де, звісно, стається чергове вбивство, яке подруги намагаються розвʼязати.

Дуже раджу цю серію усім любителькам та любителям cozy murder mystery. Проте не можу сказати, що книги варто читати саме задля детективної лінії. Ні, задля затишної атмосфери, де лісові мешканці поїдають scones із чаєм, солодкі чи солоні мафіни тощо.

[aly ࣪ ┊͙✧˖*°࿐ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ☆
this book, as with the rest of shady hollow, is utterly delightful yet again. however i did find myself missing shady hollow and its residents as we made our way through summer’s end. i do understand the need for a change in scenery though. all in all this was just another lovely installment in a lovely series.

[Mckenna Crews]

What a freaking delight. These only get better.

[Morgan Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the perfect book for a chill cozy night. I loved the mystery itself and the setting for this one. It was just a great time

[Maddie Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Babe wake up! New woodland creature lore just dropped!!! I did appreciate that even the creatures in the Shady Hollow-verse experience the nightmare that comes with having a career in academia.