Cabin Fever

by Alisha Rai

Love isn’t something she thinks she needs…until it lands right on her doorstep. Genevieve Boden is a witch and doesn’t care who knows. The townspeople’s fear of her keeps away those who have hurt her before—like the local men of authority. Besides, a life of exile deep in the woods of West Virginia is due punishment, she figures, for the part she played in her mother’s death. If she’s alone, no one need know that the trauma took away her powers. Then she finds a bloody, fatally wounded man slumped on her porch. In an instant, her healing ability reawakens—and that’s not all. He stirs a hunger beyond her wildest dreams. But a relationship with the new chief of police? Not a chance. Alex Rivera isn’t sure how he survived, but he’s certain his beautiful savior did more than just bandage his wounds. Captivated by this wary angel and stunned by the depth of emotion he feels for her, he vows to discover her secrets. After all, thanks to the raging snowstorm, they have nothing to do but share body heat. Their sizzling attraction goes straight to their hearts. So could a killer’s bullet…once whoever shot Alex finds them. Contains a convenient snowstorm that throws together two wounded characters who happen to be wildly attracted to each other, a drool-worthy hero, a shotgun-toting heroine, mattress sex, shower sex, couch sex, armchair sex, some light bondage, and a really good cup of hot cocoa.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Paranormal, Erotica, Fantasy, Contemporary Romance, Paranormal Romance

199 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cabin Fever is a delightful and far too short novel. The setup hits all my catnip buttons - romance through proximity, caring for an injury, danger from the outside, secrets on the inside, a super sexy yet incredibly sweet (!) romantic hero and an immediate, believable connection between the lead characters. This is a little bit like a Cinderella story with some magic and steaming hot sexy times thrown in - I think the pacing and development of Genevieve and Alex's relationship actually worked well during this short format and I really enjoyed it. This was the first book Alisha Rai wrote - still holds up pretty well! More, more, more!

[Dulcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now this one I really enjoyed. I’ve never much dived into ‘paranormal romance’ but this was sweet with just the right amount of intrigue for a snowed-in situation.
Loved our non-white hard working sexy hero and our chubby heroine as a couple.

[Andria Potter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read and I'm giving this a solid 4 ⭐.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a pleasure to find a book in this genre with well developed characters, unique story lines, unexpected plot twists, and more.

It is my first Alisha Rai read, but it will definitely not be my last. This was a well written book, and is worthy of recognition. HIGHLY recommended!

[lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some reason I kept waiting for the guy to turn into a werewolf and felt a bit disappointed that he didn't, haha.

While the shooting mystery is just meh for me, I love both Alex and Genevieve and how their relationship progressed, especially Alex because he's so damn cute I adore him so much.

[rachel, x · Rating 2 out of 5]

You could tell this was written in 2009 😞


➸ Trigger warnings for internalised fatmisia, misogyny, rape and implied gang rape of a parent discussed, graphic injury (gunshot wound), grief and loss deception, death of a mother from cancer, death of a father during an armed robbery, death of a colleague/partner by gun violence, murder and attempted murder (on-page), gun violence (on-page), stalking, and animal injury mentioned (dog, off-page).

▷ Representation: Genevieve (mc) is fat; Alex (mc) is Latinx with Puerto Rican, Columbian, Brazilian and Costa Rican heritage and has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Blog • Trigger Warning Database • StoryGraph

[Taryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read, fun diversion. You really can't go wrong with Alisha Rai.

[Aoi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh yummmm!

Trust Alisha Rai to make this rather fanfic-y trope very believable and extremely hot

[Mara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hot should not be the only characteristic in love story. Too much "insta": insta lust, faith, love. It stretches the imagination way more than her powers...

[Aisyah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 STARS

This is my first time reading something from Alisha Rai and I'm happy to say that it's so good!! I'm definitely excited to read more of her works.

Alex and Genevieve are SO cute and even tho theirs is kinda instalove I don't actually mind because it was very well written. I mean, I'm actually super okay with instalove as long as it's believable and written well.

I really wanted to give a full 4 stars but Alex's machismo annoyed me a little sometimes, but I still love that man

[Tabs · Rating 2 out of 5]

CW: The male MC makes a few transphobic comments, uses gendered insults, and makes misogynistic statements. There is also some racial stereotyping.

This is a reissued older work with some problematic elements and I don’t recommend it. I thought from the blurb that this would be PNR but it is actually romantic suspense with a forced proximity relationship.

[Lisa Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. I don't read contemporary very often, but when I find a trope I really enjoy I'll give it a shot. Cabin romance are one of my favorites so this was definitely something I was interested in. I loved the forced closed proximity that leads to a happily ever after. It was a pretty short, simple story. Hero becomes injured in the middle of no where and happens upon the heroine's cabin. Heroine is very apprehensive since her safety and security out in the mountains is fragile but decides to take a risk and help. It has a little drama but for the most part a really great story.

I liked Genevieve and Alex. Both were hiding from their past, trying to ignore issues from letting them move on. Genevieve was great independent heroine. Extremely caring, not overly emotional/dramatic, she was a very level headed heroine. She has a horrible past with the town and really has no reason to trust Alex. Yet Alex is...Alex. You can't help but fall for this guy. He is so incredibly patient, gentle and kind. I loved him the minute he jumped onto the page. These two share some pretty sexy scenes together too.

There is a slight paranormal element to it...it's a huge part of the heroine's story, but it not the center of this story. Some minor (very minor) details were a little too convenient for their situation but if you suspend belief just a bit it works out. I wish I could pin point more details from the novel to really review it, but there really isn't much more to this novel. All I can say is EVERYTHING worked. The characters, the development of their relationship, their conflict, the resolution. (Btw, the ending was SO SWEET!) I loved all of it. Highly recommend this novel.

[Mina · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good suspense/paranormal romance!
I loved the hero, he was a Latino law enforcement who had PTSD and had moved to a smaller town to get himself together. When he is attacked by someone and left for dead in the wilderness. He walks and stumbles into the heroine's home - she is a recluse witch that has been dealing with grief and guilt over something she did. These two come together wonderfully - Alex is an alpha male but since he is injured, he needs to rely on Genevieve to get around and get better. All the while, Genevieve needs to let go of the past and move on.

The twist at the end was good and was happy to see that Genevieve, as a take-charge heroine, took care of the two main issues that were threatening them. Alex lets her go, but soon is back with presents to make her life easier, a puppy and lots and lots of love.

[Marilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nunca tinha lido nada da Alisha e acabei começando justamente pelo primeiro que ela escreveu. Divertido, personagens fofos, e a clássica premissa de duas pessoas presas num lugar isolado - que eu amo odiar amar. Tem alguns deslizes. Ainda assim, uma leitura divertida. Quero ler outros dela.

[Ramona · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars -> This was a pretty cute story with a lot of steamy moments, I just wished the characters and the plot was a bit more fleshed out. However, it was a very quick read and the MCs had mad chemistry :)

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eeeeeeeeeeh, it was fine.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ripped Bodice Bingo (http://www.therippedbodicela.com/ripp...) - for the "a touch of magic" square.

I liked this a lot -- Alisha Rai is such a smooth and talented writer -- but have to say that the one moment that took me out of the story and put my hackles up was when dude finds out lady's big secret and says (paraphrase) "phew, I thought you were going to say you used to be a man or something." It was just such a jarring moment both as a throwaway line and tone that didn't fit the rest of the text. I'm not sure if these will be reprinted now that Samhain is no more, but I hope that if so, she'd consider taking that line out and replacing it with something less unnecessarily transphobic.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love

This book is smart, it is sexy, it is romantic, it is suspenseful and just so damn good. I could not turn the pages fast enough. Alisha wove an amazing story that was perfect in every way. Love the characters , their banter and chemistry. LOVED IT!!!

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading backlist books is always a gamble, especially in cases like this when the book is around 10 years old and I'm not sure if just the cover changed or if content has been edited as well.

Generally this was more a miss for me than anything else. The writing was stellar and sharp, like I have come to expect from Alisha Rai. I really liked the premise of the book, the touch of magic and the full trope-y goodness of the snowed-in-together set up. The instant lust and quickly formed trust worked okay for me, the steam was lovely, the climax and solution a punch in the vulnerable parts that was done expertly.

And yet there are lines you wouldn't find in current romance novels because tone and awareness have changed over the last decade. Rubbing up your erection against a sleeping person isn't something we call consensual these days, even though I do think it was a popular thing in romance novels at the time.

My bigger issue was that this was clearly written during a time when the Trans Joke was one common Moment used across genres and tropes.

But there really is nothing okay or funny about "Ha, if you'd have told me you were a man once, ha ha" and yet... You can't really escape it in older releases and it was the same here. There are some other very cis lines in the book in general, enough to make me skim pages before reading in detail.

In the end the book didn't sweep me away, the transmisogyny stole most of the enjoyment I wanted to feel and I was feeling somewhere between lukewarm and angry at the end. The gamble of reading backlist books. This time I lost.

[C is for **censored** · Rating 3 out of 5]

The star rating given reflects my opinion within ‘the official goodreads rating system’.

1 star: Didn’t Like it
2 stars: It’s Okay
3 stars: Liked it
4 stars: Really Liked it
5 stars: It Was Amazing

I don’t really give a rat-fuck that there are some who think I ‘owe’ an explanation for my opinion. Nope, nada, and not sorry about it.

Sometimes I may add notes to explain what my opinions are based on, and sometimes I don’t. I do this for me, on my books, in my library and I don’t ‘owe’ any special snowflakes a thing. Fuck off if you don’t like it and stop reading my shit.

Particularly given the ‘modifications’ to reader’s personal content going on (and outright censorship), unless particularly motivated I will not comment in detail.

It would help if GR was forthcoming in the new ‘appropriate’ and would make a site-wide announcement delineating the new focus from a reader-centric site to one that is now for authors and selling.

[Pauline Allan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this ebook. The heroine is full-figured and full of spunk. The hero is sexy and the dialogue intimate. The action scenes are appropriate and don't overtake the romantic elements. The humor was a welcome surprise and made the characters believable. I highly recommend this read to anyone wanting to curl up on a cold afternoon with a "hot" story.

[☽ Rhiannon ✭ Mistwalker ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this one. I loved the characters. They had more depth than a lot of the cookie-cutter romance I've been reading (and enjoying) lately. The plot was good, the sex was steamy, there wasn't as much angst or insecurity as I generally like with my heroines in my favored tropes (chubby, abused, plain) but I liked it on its own. (3.5 stars)

[Bárbara Morais · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5
o mais fraco da Alisha que já li!!
Mas também foi o primeiro dela, né. O enredo é bem legal, mas meio doido.

[Rhina Luu · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is written in 2009, so I understand why some things in there are Yike!

I like the characters; they cute together. The plot is ~ehh~; I think it's ridiculous that there are two assassins after H at the same time in the same forest. A small TW since this book contain a sexual assault (not between the two leads).

I would have give it 3 stars if it weren't for a random transphobia sentence that was totally unnecessary. I think the author has evolved on her views, since her writing doesn't reflect such a thing now. Also the weird lesbian/bisexual woman fetishization.

From the previous books I have read of the authors, I realized that she tried to depict capitalists in a benevolent ways. I don't agree it can be possible but giving her the credits for trying and not half assing the attempt like others romance book (this genre is not exactly "high brow" but I think we can keep up with the time instead of just allowing authors to write semi rape scenes with trillionaires). Well, in this book, she does the same but with the police. I think for a 2009 book, it's pretty brave to criticize the police in this very white book genre as a woman of color. Her take is very liberal "not all cops are bad but the good cops need to call the bad cops out". I don't think her take is actually as strong as I summarized it, but it's the basic. I think to have that opinion is to ignore how the systemic racism allow people to create laws that hurts POC and their community, and the cops, whether good or bad, is used as an institution to enforced that racism. You don't have to shoot every unarmed black men you see to be a bad cop. Cops are not their to protect or surved underserved communities. These communities don't feel safer that their cousins or a friend of a friend is dead or arrested and be forced to workes as a slave in prisons. Cops are part of the prison industrial complex (which she has talked about in one of her more recent book). The police force were literally created to either forced poor people to get a job for a capitalist overlord or to prevent POC from overthrowing the imperialist fuck face. The reason why I wrote about this is bc I have faith in this author. I loved how progressive and forward her books are, and for her to be thriving as a WOC in this genre is AMAZING. I do hope she can progress beyond the surface issues so that she can get to the systemic parts.

[Nicole Moon]

CWs: gunshot attack, injury, death of loved ones (past), PTSD, transphobic line, mentions of rape (past but quite detailed, not just one short mention), on-page sex, cops (some of them disgusting assholes but there were some kind of weird moments when it was idealized to be a cop)

i have no idea how to rate this book, so i just won't. i loved it in the first half - we have - forced proximity, the heroine who's a witch taking care of the hero who is injured, them slowly trusting each other, a lot of steam but also sweetness and cuteness. an absolute dream.
but the second half of the book wasn't as good as the first and there were some lines and little things that just weren't really great. this book was originally written in 2009 so I'm sure Alisha would write it differently now, but it still wasn't ideal.
if you want a paranormal romance that kind of feels like a contemporary with some supernatural vibes, a setting just in one house, forced proximity, a lot of steam, and an amazing romance, you might like this.

[Brandan WH · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot packed in a short package

3.5 stars
Genevieve is living alone in a cabin in the mountains that was owned by her mom. She’s staying there for penance she believes is due to choices she’s made. It’s in the midst of a snow storm that Alex, an injured stranger, ends up on her porch begging for help.
What happens next is a case of getting to know someone due to forced proximity, “there’s only one bed” and being hunted by bad people. There’s more to the story than that, of course. The conversations between Genevieve and Alex are lovely and enlightening. They’re both hurt and dealing with past trauma but they make sense together but there is a lot thrown into the last couple chapters, so brace yourselves.
It does show a bit of its age with the language used. There is an unfortunate usage of the word “lynching” later in the book that made me cringe.
All in all, this was a sexy read and I truly cheered for the couple to figure it out.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big BIG fan of the "stranded in a cabin in the woods during a snowstorm and, darn it, we might just have to cuddle up together to share body heat" scenario. I know that might sound like a REALLY SPECIFIC scenario to drool over, but I also have a thing for amnesiac vampires and that's even MORE specific, so just roll with this one, okay?

Cabin in the woods (not in a creepy way). Snow. Injured man. A witch. I WAS INTRIGUED. Genevieve is doing the penance thing as she struggles to come to grips with her mother's death and Alex is...kinda in the wrong place at the wrong time, but also not really. There are layers here. THINGS to be uncovered. THINGS.

As for me, I got my snowy cabin in the woods and some shared body heat. *slow thumbs up*

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

You can tell this was written a while ago. I've loved the other Alisha Rai I've read so decided to give this one a go but I found it to be lacklustre and didn't enjoy the smut scenes either. Nothing felt all that developed, which is hard to do in a novella, but not impossible.


1. What was the point in her being a witch? It didn't add up to much.
2. There's a gross trans joke but this was 2009 and many people weren't socially aware of those issues so I certainly wouldn't cancel Alisha Rai over it but it irked me.
3. There's a part where Genevieve agrees with Alex that she doesn't get the appeal with anal, and he immediately starts thinking about doing anal with her? That was...icky to me.

[Sin · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I loved the concept of this novel, and am a big lover of Alisha Rai's writing, several elements really brought down this book for me.

I enjoyed that heroine was plus size and well as fully independent. And I enjoyed the tension Rai created with the close proximity of the two leads.

But, I couldn't get over the hero's casual misogyny even if ultimately he was a good guy. Also, I would have loved the magical elements to have a little more structure or lore in order to make it feel a little more tangible.