Fever

Rating:
Summary: Reminiscent of Gone With the Wind
Review: The vivid descriptions and character details of this book kept me glued to the pages for three hours...when I reached the end with real tears in my eyes. Ms. Sutcliffe took the time to develop this book as few other historical authors do. I could actually feel the frustration of living in a time when it was forbidden for slaves to learn to read and people could be hung for doing it. I liked the heroine's resilience and determination to rebuild her plantation no matter what it took, even if her beloved rejected her along with everyone else. Kind of a like a nice Scarlett O'Hara.

Unfortunately, there are several inconsistencies and holes in the plot. For example, the plantation--Belle Jarod--had come from her father, Jack Broussard, yet bore the name of Juliette's mother, Maureen Jarod. One is led to believe in the beginning that Maureen was nothing but a prostitute who destroyed her husband's life with her affairs with other men. Then we find that she befriended slaves and worked side by side with them to make the plantation successful. We know for certain that she had one affair--with her husband's best friend--but that is supposedly because her husband neglected her because of his responsibilities on the plantation. So I'm confused. DID she have a lot of affairs? WAS she a prostitute? Or was that all blown out of proportion?

Maybe I read the book too quickly, but I am really fuzzy on how the house burned down the same day Jack found Maureen with his best friend. Jack must have done it, but since Maureen died in the fire, wouldn't that be murder? Such a thing is never suggested. And there are other fuzzy parts. Like how did Juliette end up in the river that day when Chance saved her? It didn't appear to be suicide. And when the five hooded monsters came to Belle Jarod and the black woman died trying to protect Juliette, what exactly did they do? Was it so horrible the author is trying to protect our sensibilities? More fuzzy parts and questions. And Tylor was a caricature of a villain. He didn't have one speck of good in him, so it was too easy to hate him. Ms. Sutcliffe could have given him a bit more depth.

But both Juliette and Chantz are well-drawn characters who are not easily forgotten. Some of the details may be unclear, but it IS clear that I was hooked from the first page, and by the middle of the story, even the thought of eating lunch could not draw me away from it. "Fever" is a much deeper, darker story than I am used to reading, and it left me reeling with strong emotions. I recommend it with these words of warning: don't ask too many questions and don't start reading it if you have a big project to finish.

Rating:
Summary: WoW! Fever is HOT!
Review: This has been one of the few books I have read and read until it was over. KS has created an awesome story, and the settings throughout the book are spectacular. I literally felt as though I was there in the bayou. Plus, I always love a romance novel that gives great sexual tension between the principal characters, and this one has plenty of it, even towards the end of the book. I recommend this to anyone with a free day and night because you will finish it in one day. I did it in a day and a half because I fell asleep with the book. Oh well...

Rating:
Summary: FEVER LEFT ME HOT
Review: This was my second Sutcliffe novel (Notorious being the first)and I have to say that this book blew me away! From the first page til the last I was simply captivated. This book has over 400 pages and I finished it in two, count them TWO days! Set in Louisiana, the author made me feel the intense heat of the bayou and made it come alive with her words. It was definitely not a light read. Very intense and a superbly written story with intriguing characters, some you couldn't help but love, others you couldn't help but hate. Thank you Ms. Sutcliffe for a superb story. This one will stay with me for days, the mark of a fantastic story and author.

Rating:
Summary: Say it isn't so!
Review: Will somebody please reassure me that Katherine Sutcliffe, writer of "Notorious" and "Jezebel" did not write this steamy, schlockey, silly southern soap opera?