The short and intriguing prologue in the aftermath of an earthquake immediately grabbed my attention and made me eager to read on. Within the first few chapters the author is already dropping hints about past secrets and I was gripped. Nick and Laura have difficulties in their marriage but hoped to make a fresh start in Italy where they have restored an villa to run as a guest house, Villa Rosa. We meet them as they are welcoming their first guests, Americans Madison and Bastian.

No-one is quite who they say they are and who do you believe?! Each of the four main characters has a face they want to present but lots they want to hide. The story moves between the past and the present keeping this a pacy read. The dynamic between the couples all centring round Laura made this a thrilling ride as I wondered just what would happen between them all.

There’s a palpable sense of edginess throughout and more than an undercurrent of danger too with Nick’s involvement with one of the local families seeming a bad idea, but very difficult to get out of. This is a book is full of tension, sexy and mysterious. Summer Fever is a sultry, atmospheric thriller and definitely one for your summer reading list.

I have read and enjoyed the author before, but I didn't really love the way this book was written in the present tense, I felt it didn't quite work. Having said that the book did slowly draw me in and I thought it was clever and enjoyed the setting very much.

This was my holiday read and I really enjoyed it. This a new author for me, I have not read any of Kate Riordan's novels before but I will be picking them up.

The book is set in beautiful Italy, and we meet two couples Nick and Laura who are this lovely guesthouse and their guests Bastian and Madison.

It obviously is not a straightforward summer and things do not go as planned. This book really starts to unravel and I really enjoyed the style of writing and the characters, especially Laura - I really warmed to her. Lots of mystery is in this novel that lies within these characters and I loved the setting of beautiful Italy.

A great and interesting read, perfect for domestic noir fans. Thanks to Kate Riordan, NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

A sizzler of a story! After yet another miscarriage , Laura and Nick buy a rundown villa in Italy in an attempt to change their lives and maybe rekindle their twenty year marriage. Americans Madison and Bastian are their first guests ... perhaps not your average guests. This is a compelling story with characters that are well-drawn and it is a great holiday read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fresh start for Laura and Nick in Italy, renovating a property. You are lulled into a false sense of security when the story takes a big turn. Events from the past turn this story into a dark tale involving infidelity. A summer sizzler set in am idyllic place. This book won't disappoint

Set in Italy. This a a slow burner but it builds and allows you to get to know the characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It twists and turns and is a compelling read. Highly recommended. Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the opportunity to read this advance copy.

This new novel from Kate Riordan slowly sucks you in. Enticing you in, with tale of Nick and Laura moving to a fresh new start to the scenically set Luna Rossa. Working on their dream and getting the place ready in time for their first set of paying guests. But……… and I should have guessed from reading the fantastically superb (yes I loved it!) The Heatwave, things soon take on a much darker side and the reader is taken into this dark and sinister tale of sexual coercion, infidelity and sexual tensions.

After failed IVF treatments, Laura and Nick decide to fulfil Laura’s dream to sell up and move to Italy. They find the wonderful Luna Rossa, house, pool and beautiful views set in a more remote, lesser known area of Italy called Le Marche. ‘The next Tuscany’.

Their marriage isn’t in a good place but Nick is desperate to make amends. However when guests Bastian and Madison arrive from The States, the atmosphere soon changes. Nick and Laura were unsure of how having strangers in their home would feel. How should they behave? Should they eat with them, or separately? Give them space? On arrival however, Madison seems more than willing to be friends and as the two couples start to get to know one another, the dynamics of the four characters make for a wonderfully delicious read. Full of uncomfortable tensions and secret ‘goings on’. Including flashbacks to Laura’s younger days at university with her best friend Lou and details of a discovery more recently back in London, the pieces that make up Laura and Nick’s relationship start to emerge.

Kate again does a marvellous job at capturing the setting and the heat of a European summer. Her ability to create undertones and overtones within an action or interaction between two people is both captivating and chilling. There are indeed some dark themes in this story and a growing feeling of menace, particularly from Laura’s flashback to her time at Uni and the builders working on the house and grounds, but they are wonderfully overlaid onto the idyllic setting and Italian summer. If you are after something a little dark, sinister and sexy this summer give this summer sizzler of a read a go!

I’m always on the lookout for decent holiday reads at this time of year and this book fits the bill. It’s not going to change your life, but it’s a solid, atmospheric, sexually charged psychological suspense novel set in Le Marche in Italy in sultry summer weather. I really enjoyed it. Think A Place in the Sun gone very badly wrong.

Laura and Nick are struggling to get their marriage back on track after failed IVF and miscarriage, and they decide to buy a crumbling mansion in the Marche region of Italy (known for its stunning scenery and its earthquakes) as a consolation prize.

Laura and Nick take in paying guests, couple Madison and Bastian, to help pay the renovation bills. It becomes clear very quickly though that all of them are harbouring secrets and as the days slip by, tensions simmer and the truth begins to surface.

I’m a sucker for a summer suspense novel set in continental Europe and I loved the author’s last book The Heatwave set in the South of France. Summer Fever didn’t hit the same heights but it did hold my attention and I found myself wanting to go back to it at the earliest opportunity. It’s gritty and dark at times (CW ⚠️ rape, infertility) but compelling and stylishly written. A perfect poolside read if that’s what you’re looking for. 3-3.5/5 ⭐️

*Summer Fever by Kate Riordan will be published this Thursday 12 May. Many thanks to the author, the publisher @michaeljbooks @penguinrandomhouse for an ARC via @netgalley. As always, this is an honest review.*

Laura and Nick have bought a rundown villa in Italy in an attempt to change their lives and maybe rekindle their twenty year marriage. Laura, in particular, is bored. They have created a guestroom in the villa and their first guests, from America, arrive. It is immediately apparent that the two couples are going to have a tricky relationship.

I wasn't completely invested in this novel. The atmosphere was very evocative but I found the characters, especially Laura, annoying, although that is probably the author's intention. The plot seemed to lack some substance and there was little action other than a huge consumption of alcohol!

I really enjoyed The Heatwave by the same author but Summer Fever just didn't do it for me. I'm sure other readers will enjoy it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Set in an idyllic setting in Italy ,the description of the area is excellent I really felt I was there .The story is compelling and very enjoyable with a few twists and turns really great characters .A vey good read .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC .

Summer Fever by Kate Riordan

This is a real sizzler of a novel! Hot in every sense of the world, set in picturesque Italy with a sense of growing menace all the way through. I read this one in the garden, with a Pimms in hand and with every chapter became more convinced of the old saying; the grass is never greener on the other side. Laura and Nick have been through a lot. Back in London they were struggling with infertility and Laura hadn’t felt like herself for a long time, the fertility drugs pumping her full of hormones and the grief of miscarriage left her feeling broken. When she discovers a betrayal, after Nick accidentally leaves his phone at home, she’s angry and resentful too. In his eagerness to make it up to her, Nick suggests they do what Laura has always wanted, move to Italy and create a holiday hideaway for couples. They discovered Luna Rossa on a visit to Italy several months ago, after which Laura suffered a third miscarriage. It is in the Marche region, a largely unknown area of Italy next to Tuscany but less expensive. Luna Rossa is isolated, includes a pool, a small cottage and beautiful grounds that fall away steeply gifting the house with incredible views across the countryside. Only a few months later they are preparing to welcome their first couple for a three week stay. It seems idyllic, but they’re taking a risk in welcoming complete strangers into their home. Laura has stalked her guest Madison on social media and she seems very outgoing and glamorous. Laura and Nick could be underestimating how disruptive it can be to have strangers living in your home, especially these strangers…

I felt the author set out Nick and Laura’s back story and state of mind very well. Nick is contrite and desperate to make it up to Laura for his indiscretion, but he’s sacrificed a lot to follow her dream and might have wanted to make it happen at all costs. Laura is still resentful of Nick’s mistake and the trauma of infertility has left her a little lost, unsure of who she is anymore. With hormones still not back to normal and the sadness of losing a child she’s very fragile and could easily be manipulated. I got a sense that she wanted to recapture herself, to the person she was before their fertility journey began. It’s as if she wants to take off her experiences like taking off a costume and simple be who she was before. It takes time to process trauma and assimilate the experience into your sense of self, something she’s barely started. There’s a reckless feel to her actions, almost a need to self destruct. I thought the author’s description of the miscarriage experience was brilliant, I’ve been there and recognised Laura’s confusion at some of the euphemism’s used by medical staff to avoid emotive language; using ‘products of conception’ rather than baby and ‘come away’ rather than loss. It rang so true and I had empathy for her. As we start seeing flashbacks of her life at university and her relationship with the man she loved, I found her curiously passive. This annoyed me, although I did realise later on that it might be a coping mechanism. She seems to slip away in her mind and so any trauma or difficult experience only happens to her bodily rather than emotionally, hopefully leaving her able to cope. Sadly it just leaves her divorced from her emotional self, like an observer rather than someone truly living that moment and feeling it. Shutting emotions out never works and her destructive behaviour is the bodily experience of those repressed emotions.

Once their guests arrive, Madison and husband Bastian, the tone is set for their stay. Gregarious and sociable Madison seems to suck Laura and Nick into her orbit and they’re soon acting like friends visiting rather than paying guests. This is inexperience on the couple’s part and they might learn from it, but there’s an air of menace in the way she ‘plays’ with Laura. She dresses Laura up, is overtly sexual and likes to play mind games with her husband. At a neighbour’s pool one afternoon Madison comes on to Laura with Bastian watching. He’s clearly enjoying himself, but is it just the titillation or is he enjoying Laura’s discomfort and confusion too? In these moments of challenge Laura is again curiously passive, going along with the moment rather than causing a fuss. There’s also a feeling of unease around the builders who turn up to see Nick, their disdain of Laura very evident in the way they dismiss her objections as if she knows nothing about her own house. Is this simply a chauvinistic attitude or is something more sinister going on? The tension is often at fever pitch, accentuated by the physical temperature and constant need to cool off. The author then adds sections of unbearable tension, such as the slightly ‘Don’t Look Now’ masquerade feel of the town’s medieval festival. The heat is unbearable and Laura is never sure who is behind the costume and has the uneasy feeling that they could have stepped back in time; the permanence of the ancient buildings seeming to mock her for feeling untethered and temporary. The author also drip feeds a little bit of stress into everyday life, such as Madison’s wardrobe making Laura feel she has to make an effort too. Nick notices she’s now wearing make- up every day and styling her hair whereas she wouldn’t normally bother. These changes show that Laura isn’t comfortable in her own skin, this pair have some sort of hold or influence but what is it? We are taken back in time to her university days for the answers and then the shock revelations surrounding the guests start to unfold. With secrets being kept about Luna Rossi too, the conclusion is explosive to say the least. This will make you wish you were in Italy, but not with these people.

This will be on my blog www.lotuswritingtherapy.com on publication day.

I have lived in Italy and I have read books and articles relating to people buying villas and renovating. Some people escaping the cold and wet of England to retreat to the Italian sun and the romance of ‘la dolce vita‘.

As I mentioned earlier this is the first book of Riordan’s that I have read so I am new to her writing style and was open to see how she depicts characters and setting.

I was rather hooked early on to be fair.

You have Laura and Nick who have bought a villa in Italy that they want to use as a guesthouse. Things haven’t been easy for them in England due to the fact of several rounds of failed IVF. There appears to be other things at play as well. But their relationship does appear to be on the rocks. Also Laura seems to be appreciative of any flirtation that comes her way.

It becomes apparent that she has started communicating with someone from her past. Whether this is a good or bad thing isn’t apparent straight away.

We have her supportive best friend Lou who knows about Laura’s past and present.

Then there are the first guests Madison and Bastian. They are Americans and perhaps not entirely what they seem either.

I really did enjoy reading this book. It set the scene perfectly and I found myself not wanting to put it down.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

A dark and sultry thriller set in Italy. The novel was too slow paced and the narrative did not grip nor did the characters. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Wow, this is one of the most engaging thrillers that I have read in a while! Perfect for the upcoming summer months, this is the story of two couples sharing a villa and thrust into a series of unexpected events.

This book builds up slowly. I found the book to be an alright read but wasn't keen on the characters. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

From the title and blurb, I thought I was in for a sizzling beach read, but this book is darker and more literary. It deals with sexual coercion. In this case, it is for the victim that the lines of consent are blurred, even years later,. Ideal for fans of a slow-burn, well-written story.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

I do enjoy a novel where couples come away for a holiday toa nice villa and then it all goes pear shaped. That sounds like a funny thing to say but it allows for so many things to unfold and in a locked=room style mystery way so it’s great for a reader!
Laura and Nick in the novel move to Italy and find a house to renovate so they can run a guest house. Americans Madison and Bastian are their first guests. What could possibly go wrong
The relationships and dynamics between the couples is very interesting and when things start to unravel, it’s like watching a car crash.

This book is full of expectation, it’s building up to something, I could feel the tension….
The idea of starting a new life in another country is quite heady, until things start to unravel.
Who is the mystery man? How much does Madison know? Is Nick keeping secrets from Laura and and why can’t she see the truth?
I felt as though I couldn’t breathe as I was reading this, I was on a roller coaster going up and up knowing that at any second I was going to drop fast.

I was very excited to see that Kate Riordan had written a new book. She is such a good (and flexible) writer. Both her historical and contemporary novels are excellent. I have read pretty much everything she has written. The stakes were therefore high for Summer Fever, but it exceeded my expectations and deserves to be a big hit this summer.
Set in rural Italy, the book takes us to the beautiful farmhouse owned by Laura and Nick. A couple who have been unable to have a child despite rounds of IVF, moving to Italy was the consolation prize for Laura., and she throws herself into taking in paying guests. It soon emerges that all is not well, and the tension builds along with the temperature, as the story unfolds.
Not an easy read - as it touches on some very sensitive subjects, but it is all expertly done and is not at all gratuitous. I definitely recommend Summer Fever and have no hesitation in giving it FIVE stars.

Summer Fever is a slow-burning novel that keeps the reader guessing as to who the main protagonists 'love of her life was.'

Nick and Laura purchase Luna Rossa - an idyllic villa in Italy after numerous failed IVF/miscarriages. Leaving England, they embark upon remodellig the villa to welcome their first paying BnB guests - Madison and Bastian.
However, as the tale unfords, its clear that there is more to their guests than first appears.
Switching between Kates university days and Italy, the novel leaves the reader hooked, Riordan slowly unravels the story until its ends with a twist that I did not forsee.

A perfect summer read.