Fever

3.5 stars

Unfortunately it had taken Rye two weeks to convince Edward McCall II that his son would not, repeat not, marry some useless Houston belle just to get his hands on the Angus bull.

Oh '80s books, never change.

"Little girl, you've got a lot to learn," he muttered under his breath. "And you've come to just the man who can teach you."

Umm, maybe do.

This one obviously had some dated problems and the hero clung to his "woman only want me for my money" bitterness for far too long. Lisa's actions didn't warrant it and it made that drama feel forced.

Even with those issues though, I really enjoyed this one. It scoots along pretty quickly and the dry sense of humor was delightful. I also want to claim Lisa as my buddy if there is ever show more an apocalypse, girl can get it done. Her background makes her sweet innocence believable and not icky and we do get glimpses of her backbone; I want a novella of these two from down the road where Lisa puts Rye even more in his place.

Rye needed to grovel just a bit more but the emotion he shows at the end (he cries!) gave an unexpected heartwarming ending. This takes place on a cattle ranch and I enjoyed the western touches and the feeling of being transported to a different place. You'll have to gird your loins for the term "Velvet Fever" to be used incessantly but hey, who couldn't use another euphemism for sex in their back pocket.

Bottom line, this was a little bit of a gem and if you ever see it at a garage sale or used book store, scoop it up.

"I've been missing you all my life and didn't even know it." show less

Lowell’s early work doesn’t actually age very well. While her characters certainly have good chemistry, her early heroes tend to be tainted by misogyny that is never quite adequately erased by the happy ending. Rye “Boss Mac” MacCall is no exception; he’s convinced that pretty much all women are gold diggers out for his fortune. The heroine is a nubile twenty-year-old untained by Western civilization, since she’s been raised overseas by anthropologist parents. Her extreme vulnerability on this front is compounded by her financial poverty, making their pairing unequal in every possible way. Now, don’t get me wrong, Lowell makes a real charge out of that inequality, but modern readers can expect to feel a discomfort that show more never quite goes away. show less

Nice story; great chemistry between the two main characters. I'd love to read a story about Lassiter, the silver-haired ranch hand who has some kind of unexplained charisma that attracts all the ladies. He's a hoot. My one complaint about this particular story is the blechy overuse of the phrase "velvet fever". Shudder.

My Booklist review:

The first hardcover edition of Lowell’s romance proves that classics never go out of style. Rancher Ryan McCall, son of a legendary and wealthy Houstonite, has been hounded by his father all his adult life to get married and start procreating. His father is so adamant about this that he has even resorted to sending women to Ryan’s Utah ranch to entice him. But Ryan wants a woman who wants him, not his money. He’s surprised to find Lisa Johansen in his upper meadow recording grass growth as part of a university project. Having lived in a variety of villages while growing up, thanks to her anthropologist parents’ pursuits, she has always been the outsider. Now she hopes that in Utah she’ll feel at home even show more though she has no concept of American culture and standards. Drawn to Lisa and her unusual worldview, Ryan disguises himself as a ranch hand to see if she can spot the real man inside the wealthy son. Fever will, once again, easily draw new and loyal readers to renowned romance author Lowell. — Pat Henshaw show less

DESCRIPTION, NOT REVIEW: Lisa Johansen had been raised around the world in the most primitive cultures her anthropologist-parents could reach. Finally they sent her back to the United States to find a husband. But Lisa wanted something more…

Ryan McCall had been raised with the best his wealthy father could provide. Now his father impatiently awaited the arrival of grandchildren. But Rye wasn’t interested in any of the well-trained beauties his father kept sending. Rye wanted something more…

In McCall’s meadow, both of them find the fever that burns through flesh all the way to the soul. But can that fever survive the civilization beyond the meadow’s timeless beauty?

Not my cup of tea. I need my heroines to be a little more experienced.