This is a nice romance fantasy which just seem overly long.
There were places in the story which were drawn out with very little happening making me skip pages.
Still worth a read though.

This is one of Kay Hooper's early books being re-released from 1988. This was probably one of the first novels delving into the paranormal and romance. Set in the future in a mystical valley, Siri is the keeper of the unicorns. She is a warrior and a sorceress. Hunter is a myth hunter that comes to the valley on a quest. They were destined to meet. Kay Hooper has certainly grown as an author since 1988 but it's fun to read a favorite author's early books.

Read this many years ago and have the paperback on the keeper shelf. Siri is the guardian of the unicorns and must keep them safe even while being tempted in love. Glad to see this in ebook form and enjoyed reading it again.

Ebook from netgalley and publishers with thanks. Opinions are entirely my own.

3.5 stars

I was pretty excited when I saw Summer of the Unicorn on NetGalley. It was a romance and it had unicorns. Plus, I had liked the Kay Hooper books that I have reviewed. While I liked this one, I thought that it fell a little short of being a book that I loved.

Hunter and Boran are heirs to the throne on their home planet. When their father died, the throne had to go to one of them. But the council was split on who should be King. So, they send Hunter and Boran on a quest. The quest: To find the unicorns and somehow bring proof that they are real. The first one to bring back proof will be King.

Both men find the planet that the unicorns are on and the mountain range where they live. Hunter discovers that they come to the valley once every 10 years to foal. They are also under the protection of a woman Keeper. For over 10,000 years, the Keeper has protected the unicorns and will kill to keep them safe. On a scouting mission up the mountain, Hunter spies on the unicorns and the Keeper. Unfortunately, he falls off the cliff he was on and almost dies. Hunter is soon drawn into the Keeper’s fight to keep the unicorns alive. When the battles become personal, Hunter is forced to make a choice. That choice will affect the unicorns, the Keeper and himself in ways that he couldn’t even imagine.

Siri is the Keeper and she was pretty intense. First off, I had to giggle at the name. Now, I know this book was written before the invention of iPhones but I couldn’t help but laugh. Bad I know. Anyways, she was a stress ball. Not that I blamed her. I also didn’t blame her for her reaction to Hunter. What rubbed me the wrong way was how easy it was for Boran to get Siri under control and what he did to her.

I thought Hunter was a tool when I started reading the book. I soon realized that he was just a very spoiled prince trying to complete an impossible quest. I couldn’t figure out how he was going to get proof that there are unicorns. Then he falls off the mountain. I did a facepalm when that happened. I also couldn’t understand his nativity around Boran. It was pretty obvious from the first interactions that Boran hated him. How could Hunter not see that or know? He did get better as the book went on. He did help Siri defend the unicorns against Boran and the Huntsmen. But my original thoughts on him colored the whole book.

Boran was the evilest person I have read. He was very refreshing from other villains in books that I have read. He did not hide his thoughts about Hunter. Which is why it baffled me that Hunter could not see that Boran hated him. As for Siri, I do think that he started off intending to rape her and kill the unicorns. But then, he fell in love with her along the way. Of course, his love was twisted and stalkerish but it was love to him. I was not expecting the twist in the plot about him. I did feel bad for Hunter when that happened.

I liked that the author kept Hunter and Siri from having sex until almost the end of the book. That kept the sexual tension at peak from the time Hunter arrived in the valley until they did the dirty. I don’t count what she did with Boran. She was compelled and had no clue what she was doing. It was like rape in my eyes. When Hunter and Siri did have sex, it was hot.

The end of Summer of the Unicorn was pretty standard except that there were a couple of twists in the plot. One twist I saw coming. But the other one, yeah, didn’t see that one coming.

Summer of the Unicorn was an interesting read but it failed to hold my attention to the book. The plot was interesting but it did lag in spots. The male main characters came across as either tools or evil sex maniacs. I did like the female main character but felt that she was too innocent for the male main. I would read this again but I don’t know if I would recommend to anyone.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Rubicon is a planet that grew from people who had escaped from earth because of a fierce disease a very long time ago. The King has two nephews and he's to pick who is to be the next King after him. Before the King gets a chance to make it choice and make it official he dies. So now the Council and Speaker must decide which nephew was to rule- Prince Hunter or Prince Boran. Since a decision couldn’t be reached it was decided the two Princes would go on a Quest. They are to find or disproove of the existence of unicorns They both have a spaceship and. they are sent in two different direction. Prince Boran is also out for revenge from accident that happened a long time ago. They end up going to a planet called Hunters City. Prince Boran finds an amulet that strengthens his mental powers. Hunter doesn’t believe the myth that there are unicorns and Price Hunter can’t see why he should continue with the Quest. Prince Hunter goes up the mountain to get to the valley where unicorns are suppose to be this time of year. He falls and hurts himself but he does think he seen a unicorn. Siri is the keeper of the Valley and Prince Hunter ends up in her cabin to heal from his injuries. While there both Siri and Prince Hunter end up caring about each other.
I just couldn’t get into this book. It just wasn't for me . I really can’t say why i just lost my interest and the book didn't keep my attention. I am sure someone else will really enjoy this.

Unfortunately, as much as I enjoyed Kay Hooper in my early romance reading days, I did not enjoy this revisit even though the story description sounded intriguing and Ms Hooper's writing is good. Summer of the Unicorn was slow and dragged on for far too long in the beginning. There was so much time in the beginning introducing the protagonist and antagonist, I got impatient. I was wondering when the hero and heroine would meet and honestly, it was kinda hard to figure out who the hero was. I never got far enough to meet the heroine. The story simply did not hold my interest. On top of that, the hero had sex with other women in his harem during the book but before he met the heroine. I get that the hero can have a sex life before he meets the heroine but I prefer not to have to read about it in detail. Upon further investigation, this is a re-release of an old book of Ms Hooper's. Perhaps I've moved beyond the old school bodice rippers in my reading tastes since my impressionable teenage years?

Solid futuristic romance! This is certainly different from anything else I've read by Kay Hooper. I found it more fantastical than romantic but still enjoyed it. It just felt like there should be more to the story. If you're looking for romance with a twist, give this book a try.

Kay Hooper delivers a wonderful fantasy in Summer of the Unicorn.. Good triumphs over evil in this awesome story about two princes who seek to be king. You’ll travel between worlds and time in the search for for truth within a myth.

Are unicorns real or myth?   Ms. Hooper delivers her version of myths and mysteries in this fantastical tale told through the adventures of Hunter, a prince of the Rubicon kingdom who along with his half brother Boran seeks to probe the mysteries of the universe in a quest to gain a throne.
After much adventure Hunter arrives in the Huntsman region where he learns of the Reaper a mountain that protects the valley of unicorns.  Dismissing the dangers and warnings, he makes his way to the mountain pass and crosses into the valley only to nearly meet his death on arrival. Fortunately he's nursed to health by the maiden Siri who is the keeper of the unicorns.
Unbeknownst to Hunter, his half brother Boran has also found his way to the valley in stealth and magic. Boran seems to be evil and conniving and seeking revenge.  The author makes a great play on the honorable Hunter and the evil Boran through out the story and so when the true finally emerges its not so much of a surprise to readers.  We have enchanting moments with the unicorn herd as Hunter acquaints himself to the various members and observes secret rituals that are only shown to a trusted few.
The author weaves in biblical tales and other fables into this story with the central theme of good versus evil.  This is a reprint of an older story and very different from her current style.  I enjoyed the whimsy and imagination but I also found the actual romance very tedious.

Summer of the Unicorn is unlike any of Kay Hooper’s other books. Set far into the future, but taking place in a valley of ancient myth.

Hunter comes to the Reaper to fulfill a quest. He doesn’t realize how much his life will change. Siri is the Keeper and meant to never know the love of a man. With the arrival of Hunter, Siri know’s her life is going to change but she fights it with everything in her.

Facing an unknown danger, they both fight to protect the Unicorns and find out that their love doesn’t have to mean the end of the Unicorns.

In some ways this book felt like a beginning, as if there were going to be more books to go with it. I don’t know if that was the original intention. It was definitely an interesting story.

Previously published.

Rubicon is a planet that has descended from people who left Earth because of an unknown disaster thousands of years ago. The King of Rubicon has 2 nephews in line for the crown. When he dies before naming a successor it falls to the Council and Speaker to make a decision. When the can't make one. Prince Hunter and Prince Boran are sent on a Quest to find or disprove the existence of Unicorns. They are sent in different directions with a fully loaded spaceship. The Quest leads them to a planet with the name of Huntmen City. Boran has been after revenge for an accident from years before and finds an amulet on one of the worlds that strengthens his mental powers. Hunter is to the point where he doesn't see why his quest should continue and doesn't believe in myths like he did as a child. He finds a vendor in the city who gets him in contact with a man who has survived going to the valley where the Unicorns are supposed to spend the summer, and receives a map. While in the city Hunter comes across a library where he meets Maggie the woman who takes care of the it. Maggie knows information about Hunter that she shouldn't and he doesn't like the idea. Hunter goes up the Reaper, the mountain where the valley is and after climbing up and over to start down into the valley he falls and thinks he sees a Unicorn. Siri the Keeper of the valley is brought to Hunter by Cloud the leader of the Unicorns where she takes him back to her cabin to heal him. Hunter and Siri are attracted to each other but she can't trust men because of her connection to the Unicorns. Boran has also made his way to the valley and is starting to control Siri through the amulet he wears. While Hunter recovers he and Siri fall more and more in love with each other. Hunter tries to make her believe that he won't hurt the Unicorns and is always asking questions. Besides fighting the attraction to Hunter, Siri and the Unicorns are grieving the loss of the Unicorn who was Cloud's oldest son. That he and Cloud helped save Siri from a previous attack in the valley. The legend around the keeper are what are driving Boran along with his revenge on Hunter. As Hunter learns more about the Unicorns and myths connected to Siri the more he falls in love with her and won't leave the valley. Boran keeps his presence from Siri and Hunter by blocking their memories of him. Just as they think the threat is over it all starts again. Hunter and Siri fight together to save the Unicorns and Hunter makes an ultimate sacrifice to save the Unicorns. Siri up until she final gives in and realizes her love for Hunter fights that love because of the consequences she that are supposed to happen to her. Hunter finally realizes that he can save his world by the information that Maggie has in her library and that the ring his mother gave to him has a purpose for his future child. Kay Hooper gives the reader a look into what the future of Earth could be and the people who inhabit it with a twist into fantasy along the way.

Not one of Kay Hooper's best book this is a reissue of an old book but one I didn't remember reading even though I loved all of the old Loveswept books she wrote.   Not sure it is one that I would recommend it's not bad just not what I would expect of Kay Hooper.

DNF. The setting change where the princes set out to find the unicorn was akward, and although I had been really getting into the story, something about that abrupt switch in style made me really lose momentum. It was hard to pick up and follow, the flow was gone. I kept at it for a bit, but the struggle really killed the fun.