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Fever
From "one of the most powerful voices in the romantic genre" (Romantic Times) comes a tale set in the steamy bayous of the American South. Steeped in sensuality and lavish prose, it is Katherine Sutcliffe's Þnest novel to date. Fever Orphaned and penniless, Juliette Broussard is overjoyed when her godfather, Max Hollinsworth, plucks her from an isolated French convent. Then she discovers his plan for her to marry his shiftless son Tylor so that he can acquire her family's dilapidated sugar cane plantation, Belle Jarod. Juliette's dreams are of rebuilding her once-glorious home and she wants nothing to do with marriage -- until she comes face-to-face with a blue-eyed temptation who unleashes the same passions that drove her mother, Louisiana's most beautiful and notorious prostitute, to destroy every man who loved her. Chantz Boudreaux, Max's bastard first-born, has one for his father to acknowledge him. But the moment he drags Juliette's naked body from the flood-driven Mississippi, he is swept into a liaison that unsettles his priorities and threatens his life. Soon their forbidden passion burns like a fever. As they struggle to revive Belle Jarod, betrayal and a deadly plague threaten everything they hold dear.
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
4 people are currently reading
126 people want to read
About the author
Katherine Sutcliffe
42 books75 followersKatherine Sutcliffe was born an only child in East Texas. After working for a time at an oil company and as a headhunter for a computer personnel company, Sutcliffe decided in 1982 to quit her job and attempt to write a novel. Three years later she sold her first book, Desire and Surrender to Avon Books. She works eight hours a day, five to seven months a year. Sutcliffe also attempts to find a single CD that will provide inspiration during the writing of each book. In the past, she has used the soundtrack to Somewhere in Time and Kitarō's Silk Road.
In 1995 and 1996, Sutcliffe worked as the Consultant Head Writer for the soap operas As The World Turns and Another World. Sutcliffe was offered the job after Bill Graham, who searched for writers for Proctor and Gamble, mentioned to his wife that they wanted to refocus the soap opera stories on romance. His wife, who loved Sutcliffe's book, insisted that he contact her. During her time as a soap opera writer, she concentrated on developing the six-month story lines, which the breakdown writers would then develop into dialogue and individual scenes for the show. During this time frame, Sutcliffe also made a guest appearance on Another World, playing herself. She resigned from her position after the networks began to insist that she move to New York City to be more accessible.
Her historical romance, Notorious, sold out its first printing in a mere four days.
Sutcliffe lives near Dallas, Texas. She met her husband, an English geologist, while they worked for the same oil company. They have three children, Bryan, Rachel, and Lauren. Sutcliffe also raises and shows Arabian horses.
In 1995 and 1996, Sutcliffe worked as the Consultant Head Writer for the soap operas As The World Turns and Another World. Sutcliffe was offered the job after Bill Graham, who searched for writers for Proctor and Gamble, mentioned to his wife that they wanted to refocus the soap opera stories on romance. His wife, who loved Sutcliffe's book, insisted that he contact her. During her time as a soap opera writer, she concentrated on developing the six-month story lines, which the breakdown writers would then develop into dialogue and individual scenes for the show. During this time frame, Sutcliffe also made a guest appearance on Another World, playing herself. She resigned from her position after the networks began to insist that she move to New York City to be more accessible.
Her historical romance, Notorious, sold out its first printing in a mere four days.
Sutcliffe lives near Dallas, Texas. She met her husband, an English geologist, while they worked for the same oil company. They have three children, Bryan, Rachel, and Lauren. Sutcliffe also raises and shows Arabian horses.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
dnf
November 11, 2022DNF @52% - just couldn’t get into the story. Too many characters with too many dramarama filled relationships to keep track of. I don’t need intrigue and angst between EVERY character. It makes for a slog of a read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2014
Amazing chemistry between leads. Lusty, melodramatic prose. The setting is one bayou that is just dripping with sex. All major pluses (yes, I love over the top writing) that so many romance novels try to emulate, but fail at delivering.
However, the storyline is a huge, stinking mess. The narrative is choppy, scenes are often dropped abruptly to have the author pick things up in the midst of some new drama.
For example, I particularly lost it during this scene: Ridiculous mammy character, who is barely perceptible thanks to badly written and offensive West Indian Voodoo Queen dialogue, clutches her heaving bosom whilst breathing heavily thanks to her incredible weight before the heroine in an overzealous attempt to protect the virtue of a girl she has known for couple of days and abruptly keels dead over during the middle of a confrontation with disguised thugs. End scene.
The next scene picks up after all the action and ineffectively explains that the thugs just flee off into the night.
Just a total mess.
Biggest flaw?
That being said, the book might just be worth a read for the intense passion between Juilette and Chantz. It is a rare sort of magic. It's just too bad the story itself can be so ridiculous and offensive at times.
However, the storyline is a huge, stinking mess. The narrative is choppy, scenes are often dropped abruptly to have the author pick things up in the midst of some new drama.
For example, I particularly lost it during this scene: Ridiculous mammy character, who is barely perceptible thanks to badly written and offensive West Indian Voodoo Queen dialogue, clutches her heaving bosom whilst breathing heavily thanks to her incredible weight before the heroine in an overzealous attempt to protect the virtue of a girl she has known for couple of days and abruptly keels dead over during the middle of a confrontation with disguised thugs. End scene.
The next scene picks up after all the action and ineffectively explains that the thugs just flee off into the night.
Just a total mess.
Biggest flaw?
That being said, the book might just be worth a read for the intense passion between Juilette and Chantz. It is a rare sort of magic. It's just too bad the story itself can be so ridiculous and offensive at times.
June 24, 2009
I really enjoyed this bookpurchased a romantic chick book. I read it because I really enjoy books set in the time period of the old south. There were times that the romanticism got a bit overwelming but the story line was very interesting.
September 21, 2010
Enjoyable romance but incredibly cliched.
Read
January 25, 2026Deep South plantations, slavery, sugar cane; woven with love, lust and loss.
October 28, 2023
Fever… Not worth Reading
This book was awful. Katherine spent more time on describing every scene in excruciating details in stead of developing a good storyline. I can’t believe this is the same person who wrote “My Only Love. A great novel…I loved it. I would not recommend Fever to anyone. Thumbs down!!!
This book was awful. Katherine spent more time on describing every scene in excruciating details in stead of developing a good storyline. I can’t believe this is the same person who wrote “My Only Love. A great novel…I loved it. I would not recommend Fever to anyone. Thumbs down!!!
December 29, 2016
The writing is a mess.Painful to read it.
July 30, 2016
THIS STORY HAD POTENTIAL BUT IN THE END, IT WAS TOO DUMPY.
I enjoyed getting to know the characters initially and the chemistry started out fine, same goes to the plot but...after awhile, things kind of went downhill and it lost my interest .
OUR HERO is the bastard of Max Hollington and Emmaline. All he craves is to be acknowledged by his father who happens to be best friends with Juliette's parents but also betrayer. He is the best cane sugar farmer ever and he's good looking, women love him and he's the man all mamas warn their pure daughters from. Ironically, he is a man of strength and born from hardship yet his heart isnt as brave as his personality. There are indications of his softer feelings for Juliette but the way the author writes their dialogues are so vague, and their interactions are minimal, unlike better authors who often pitch the H/h together so we can read more about them and less about unimportant side characters.
OUR HEROINE vows not to be like her whorish mother and will only marry for love. Living in the convent most her life, Max becomes her guardian and wants her to marry his son Tylor a complete weakling and buffoon. She falls in love with Chantz easily and fast while she overcomes obstacles to achieve her goal of restoring her father's pride and childhood home together with Chantz.
OVERALL while it was acceptable, the romance could have been better and while there was a little bit of angst, it could have been made better too.
I enjoyed getting to know the characters initially and the chemistry started out fine, same goes to the plot but...after awhile, things kind of went downhill and it lost my interest .
OUR HERO is the bastard of Max Hollington and Emmaline. All he craves is to be acknowledged by his father who happens to be best friends with Juliette's parents but also betrayer. He is the best cane sugar farmer ever and he's good looking, women love him and he's the man all mamas warn their pure daughters from. Ironically, he is a man of strength and born from hardship yet his heart isnt as brave as his personality. There are indications of his softer feelings for Juliette but the way the author writes their dialogues are so vague, and their interactions are minimal, unlike better authors who often pitch the H/h together so we can read more about them and less about unimportant side characters.
OUR HEROINE vows not to be like her whorish mother and will only marry for love. Living in the convent most her life, Max becomes her guardian and wants her to marry his son Tylor a complete weakling and buffoon. She falls in love with Chantz easily and fast while she overcomes obstacles to achieve her goal of restoring her father's pride and childhood home together with Chantz.
OVERALL while it was acceptable, the romance could have been better and while there was a little bit of angst, it could have been made better too.
February 17, 2017
More like 2 1/2 stars.
February 11, 2011
One of my first audiobooks, I recall this one as average but didn't realize at the time just who the narrator was - Anna Fields. This is one case where the storyline rates a 3 and the narration rates a 4. But I still can't bring myself to rate the audio version over 3 stars.
November 26, 2016
2.5 stars
July 21, 2014
This the first romance I have every read and I've been hooked ever since. :)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews