I just could not get into this book, the premise sounded good but from the start, it all felt a bit off to me. The setting of Italy was nice but I thought the plot was slow and hard going. There was not really anything in this to entice me and make me want to keep reading, I found it all quite meh. I did not really feel an atmosphere of anticipation had been built, at no point was I waiting to find out what would happen, it did not really feel like anything would happen.
I could not connect to the characters either, I just did not really care about them or what happened to them.

I've enjoyed all Kate Riordan's previous books and Summer Fever is no exception. It is set in an idyllic setting in an Italian villa where Nick and Laura have escaped to renew their marriage after miscarriages and IVF attempts to start a family. They decide to host guests at their renovated property but when Madison and Bastien arrive Laura. has a decision to make. The atmosphere of the story is compelling, the characters well-drawn and it is a great holiday read. With many thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph/Penguin/Random House for the opportunity to read and review Summer Fever.

This was quite an average summer mystery to read. I am pretty sure there have been many similar books and this failed to stand out for me. It is an easy flowing story and the characters are likeable but not memorable.

This book took me a little while to get into it but I'm so glad I persevered! It's a little slow going at first but stick with it - there's a little suspense and intrigue but mostly I loved the way the author could set the scene and it use it to add to the narrative. I had no sympathy for the main character at all and the 'will they wont they' storyline but if you can get over that it's a great summer read.

I love Kate Riordan's historical novels, particularly The Stranger and have been disappointed with her recent move into contemporary domestic psychological fiction. In Summer Fever, Nick and Laura move to Italy to renovate an Italian villa to let out as a hotel and their first guests are Americans Madison and Bastian. Riordan is excellent at creating an intense atmosphere and building up the layers of intrigue. The Italian setting is also vividly drawn and I really felt that I was there in the villa. The downside for me was that I felt the plot lacked originality and I had little time for any of the characters.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Well read and darkly written. The scenery is superb and it only Makes the flawed characters seem more flawed. It’s not an easy read in parts and although very addictive it’s not all sunshine and lapping waves.

It is compulsive. Masterfully written, this novel will reel you in and hold you enthralled as the layers of story are revealed. Highly recommended. A perfectly paced and beautifully observed story...

A completely new author to me so I had little idea what to expect but always open to read different writers. If I am honest this didn’t really work for me, I didn’t really enjoy the characters and the plot failed to pull me in.

With Laura’s marriage in need of a boost, she decides with her husband Nick to host Madison and Bastion at a villa to enjoy a Mediterranean holiday. But far from the tonic their marriage needs the break is full of betrayals and lies.

This wasn’t badly written or anything like that it just failed to capture my interest and I am sure will appeal to others.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Michael Joseph for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Summer Fever - Kate Riordan

Listed as Mystery & Thrillers / Women's Fiction I was interested to give this book a try, the first I've read by this author.

Nick and Laura are moving on to live the dream, leaving London for a new life in the sun, doing up a run down property in rural Italy for holiday lets.

Nerves are jangling as their first guest booking is approaching, rich Americans Madison and Bastian.

I wouldn't class it as 'Mystery & Thrillers', the main tension initially comes from the 'will they won't they' flirting. It is quite atmospheric but I wasn't really interested enough in the characters to get fully involved.

Entertaining enough, and as a poolside 'Women's Fiction' read it might be great though that's not a genre I know much about. I'm happy to admit I might have picked the wrong book when choosing to read this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House

This book is truely amazing. It is really, really well written, completely absorbing and utterly emersive. A really well written physiological thriller.

Simmering With Intrigue…
A sumptuous villa basking in the Mediterranean sun, Nick and Laura are hosting guests Madison and Bastion. The hosts are deeply flawed and their marriage is not what it seems whilst the guests are certainly not who they appear to be. Soaked in human dynamics and simmering with intrigue, a flawless narrative with keen observation and an underlying tension make this a compelling and wholly immersive read.

4+
This is one of those lull you into a false sense of security reads. It starts off in the gentle shallows and before you know it you’ve been dragged into a dangerous riptide.

Laura and Nick are searching for an Italian property for a fresh start, have they found their dream at Villa Luna Rosa? They work hard renovating it and welcome their first guests, Americans Madison and Bastian. What could possibly go wrong?

First of all, the setting in Italy is fantastic and the author uses all on offer to add to the atmosphere including weather to match stormy moods and a fester to add an element of tantalising danger. You realise pretty quickly that there is a depth of intrigue and deception and much of the “re-awakening“ followed by wild, reckless destructive behaviour is firmly rooted in the past.

The dynamics between the couples is fantastic and there are surface overtones and deeply simmering undertones. You feel the moods, the subtle changes and the building tension especially as you realise all the characters are in deep but in very different ways. There is an impending and disturbing sense of destruction, several areas of danger, it’s sinister, and you get almost surreal vibes making it feel like an on the edge of a precipice read . Someone is going in for the kill, but who? There are several plot twists, some are jaw-droppers at the levels of lies and deceit that can’t just be attributed to summer fever.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one as it has a little bit of everything I like in a mystery/thriller.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Michael Joseph, Penguin for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I loved Kate Riordan’s last book and was completely addicted, so I was delighted to be offered a copy of this new book, particularly as it is billed as another summer thriller, sizzling with tension.

This book’s description talks about two characters’ unhappy marriage. What becomes apparent (very early so this is not a spoiler) in the book is that the tension is a result of multiple miscarriages from failed rounds of IVF treatment.

As someone who comes to books to escape, this storyline was surprising and upsetting and I wish I had known going in what I was going to face.

Could not complete.

Many thanks to the author and the publishers for an ARC of this book. I would certainly read the author’s work again but would have loved this very sensitive issue to have been flagged.

I could not get enough of this book and the characters within. I loved every moment of this dark, sizzling summer read. Highly recommended xx

Ever stayed up half of the night to finish a book... well this is one of them. Riordan draws the reader iin with this descriptive and emotive book, of desire, the past and the present with betrayal bringing up the rear of this addictive read.

I felt i was there in Italy soaking up the sun....i felt every type of emotion there was and more...... I knew Nick well and his inability to be the alpha male.... i knew Laura with her desire for things to be right, but not facing the truth.
Madison, beautiful streetwise and smart. and Bastian smooth calm, sexy the Alpha Male of the group....

Booking a stay in the italian villa .... what could possibly go wrong.... Thats why i stayed up half of the night to finish it ... you will too....

Highly recommended five stars from me

WOW!!! ‘Summer Fever’ is dark, disturbing and addictive.. Kate Riordan weaves a tangled web of lies and deceit in this story where tension is heightened by the vivid descriptions of setting and the oppressive summer heat.
I devoured this gripping read. 5 stars!

I'll start this by saying this book needs a trigger warning for sexual assault.

Nick and Sarah are in an unhappy marriage and have moved to Italy and bought a house they plan to run as a holiday house.
They have their first booking, an American couple and Sarah is instantly drawn to him.

I thought the characters were well written, some interesting plot twists and a great setting for it all.

All I can say is wow! Definitely summer fever! I read this on one sitting throughly enjoyed! Loved the back and forth between both timelines!!! An escape for a beach read

This was an enjoyable read that was well written with agood storyline, well developed characters and a good setting. I read this book really quickly and there were twists but I wouldnt say it had a high level of unpredictability. It was still a compelling and quick read that i couldnt put down. I look forward to reading more by the author.

#SummerFever #NetGalley
Wowsome.
Nick and Laura are the hosts:
pretending their marriage isn't on the rocks. Madison and Bastian are the guests:
neither is remotely who they claim to be.
Under the scorching Mediterranean sun
no secret is safe.
No betrayal goes unnoticed. Two couples. But will either survive the summer .
It's like Shalini Biland's The Family Holiday. I loved it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for giving me an advance copy.