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ashleyreadsanything's review
adventurous
emotional
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
torilovesheas's review
5.0
It’s been a bit since I’ve read an absolutely bonkers old school romance and I need to read one more regularly like I used to. The bodices? Ripped. The MMC? An asshole. The consent? Dubious. The plot? Zero to 100 real quick.
Sutcliffe truly is a talented writer and I’m sad she isn’t active anymore. She’s one of maybe five authors that can make me enjoy a romance as wild as this. I mean in the first FIFTY pages, the MMC had murdered someone in a duel and gets shipped to New Zealand to escape Newgate prison and drunkenly signs a proxy marriage document. Meanwhile the FMC finds out her mother, who was an aristocrat’s mistress, has died, moves into said aristocrat’s house as a maid, accidentally ends up pushing him down a flight of stairs after he maybe murders her friend, and then takes her friend’s identity and hops on the ship to New Zealand to meet her new proxy husband. Because her friend was proxy married to the MMC OBVIOUSLY.
And it just went from there. There’s guess between farmers and sheep station owners. There’s school house burning. There’s an ongoing battle between MCs because he wants to ship her back to England and she’s determined to put her foot down and stay. The party didn’t stop until page 405 of 406 and EVEN THEN there was another plot twist!
I loved every second of it. Of course. It’s who I am.
But honestly, there’s some real emotion in this one and some heavy content that really made my heart hurt. Sutcliffe brought the punch and I wasn’t prepared. Ouch.
This was a ‘91 release and a few things didn’t age well, but if you’re a fan of older historical romance, this is truly a delight! A bonkers bananas delight.
CW: violence, murder, suicide/suicidal ideation, miscarriage due to violence, dubious consent between MCs, handsy/grabby old school dude aggression, animal cruelty (not by MCs), savage/savages used to refer to indigenous peoples
Sutcliffe truly is a talented writer and I’m sad she isn’t active anymore. She’s one of maybe five authors that can make me enjoy a romance as wild as this. I mean in the first FIFTY pages, the MMC had murdered someone in a duel and gets shipped to New Zealand to escape Newgate prison and drunkenly signs a proxy marriage document. Meanwhile the FMC finds out her mother, who was an aristocrat’s mistress, has died, moves into said aristocrat’s house as a maid, accidentally ends up pushing him down a flight of stairs after he maybe murders her friend, and then takes her friend’s identity and hops on the ship to New Zealand to meet her new proxy husband. Because her friend was proxy married to the MMC OBVIOUSLY.
And it just went from there. There’s guess between farmers and sheep station owners. There’s school house burning. There’s an ongoing battle between MCs because he wants to ship her back to England and she’s determined to put her foot down and stay. The party didn’t stop until page 405 of 406 and EVEN THEN there was another plot twist!
I loved every second of it. Of course. It’s who I am.
But honestly, there’s some real emotion in this one and some heavy content that really made my heart hurt. Sutcliffe brought the punch and I wasn’t prepared. Ouch.
This was a ‘91 release and a few things didn’t age well, but if you’re a fan of older historical romance, this is truly a delight! A bonkers bananas delight.
CW: violence, murder, suicide/suicidal ideation, miscarriage due to violence, dubious consent between MCs, handsy/grabby old school dude aggression, animal cruelty (not by MCs), savage/savages used to refer to indigenous peoples
ab18's review
4.0
This story is a keeper. It had its negatives but was waaaay better than I anticipated. I honestly thought I’d be putting it down as a Dnf but boy, was I wrong.
Let’s get the negatives out of the way.
One, the beginning. It was unnecessarily angsty and over the top when it didn’t need to be. Nicholas didn’t need to be nobility and he didn’t have to have killed a man. The story could have started with a man who was a cynic when it came to romantic love without the whole improbable backstory. So many other simpler stories could have sent him to New Zealand as the bitter lost soul that he was.
Summer’s story was unnecessarily convoluted as well. We didn’t need her mistress mother, Sophie or Pimbersham. It could just have been Summer, a girl going to New Zealand to escape poverty. It seems like the author only created these backstories for the last five pages of the book. I would really have liked to have seen more of Christopher.
Second, there were some scenes that I expected characters to ruminate over but we just jumped ahead like they were nothing. Example: Nicholas manages to hold an entire conversation after we’ve been told he’s had his face and body repeatedly pummeled. Why didn’t they discuss what happened and how he feels? Not to mention, Summer was almost raped and that isn’t even noted despite it being the reason for the men being forced to back off.
Now for the best parts. I loved the characters. Everyone needs a Frank in their lives. His pithy wisdom and longwinded stories added so much.
Summer was sassy without being annoying. I usually dispose feisty characters but she made me laugh with the way she stood up to great hulking men like a little bantam rooster, chastising them to their faces with no thought to her own lack of girth.
Nicholas was a one step forward, two steps back kind of guy. The arguing, physical tension, tears and silence became frustrating to read… but the good kind of frustrating because you know the buildup is worth it.
The story was so unusual in its choice of plot and so well drawn. I felt the frustration of the Cockatoos, the fear of the families as they were being attacked and the despair of humble folk who are just trying to make ends meet. I honestly couldn’t predict what would happen next and that’s a rarity for me.
Let’s get the negatives out of the way.
One, the beginning. It was unnecessarily angsty and over the top when it didn’t need to be. Nicholas didn’t need to be nobility and he didn’t have to have killed a man. The story could have started with a man who was a cynic when it came to romantic love without the whole improbable backstory. So many other simpler stories could have sent him to New Zealand as the bitter lost soul that he was.
Summer’s story was unnecessarily convoluted as well. We didn’t need her mistress mother, Sophie or Pimbersham. It could just have been Summer, a girl going to New Zealand to escape poverty. It seems like the author only created these backstories for the last five pages of the book. I would really have liked to have seen more of Christopher.
Second, there were some scenes that I expected characters to ruminate over but we just jumped ahead like they were nothing. Example: Nicholas manages to hold an entire conversation after we’ve been told he’s had his face and body repeatedly pummeled. Why didn’t they discuss what happened and how he feels? Not to mention, Summer was almost raped and that isn’t even noted despite it being the reason for the men being forced to back off.
Now for the best parts. I loved the characters. Everyone needs a Frank in their lives. His pithy wisdom and longwinded stories added so much.
Summer was sassy without being annoying. I usually dispose feisty characters but she made me laugh with the way she stood up to great hulking men like a little bantam rooster, chastising them to their faces with no thought to her own lack of girth.
Nicholas was a one step forward, two steps back kind of guy. The arguing, physical tension, tears and silence became frustrating to read… but the good kind of frustrating because you know the buildup is worth it.
The story was so unusual in its choice of plot and so well drawn. I felt the frustration of the Cockatoos, the fear of the families as they were being attacked and the despair of humble folk who are just trying to make ends meet. I honestly couldn’t predict what would happen next and that’s a rarity for me.
takethyme's review
3.0
In some ways DREAM FEVER reminded me of a bodice ripper. First published in 1991, this was past the days when this genre was so popular. Our hero, Nicholas, was a young man who grew up under privileged circumstances. Because of his parents sexual liaisons with others, he had a very angry childhood. By the time he was twenty-one, he gambled, drank and whored his way through his father's money and his parent had enough. To make matters worse, Nick thought he had fallen in love. He dueled with another man who turned out to be his woman's lover, killed him, and was sent to New Zealand to live. Now a sheep farmer, he is miserable and filled with wrath. His dog and one other shepherd are his only friends and that is fine with him.
Summer O'Neile is the daughter of a paramour. She spent her lonely childhood waiting on her mother's love. Feisty in temperament, she wasn't afraid to let others know when they crossed the line. After her mother died she got herself into a predicament and found herself fleeing to New Zealand under the guise of another woman. This woman was married by proxy to none other than Nicholas. Summer believes that she has finally found a new life that will lead to happiness.
When these two first meet, Nicholas doesn't remember signing any papers (he was drunk at the time) and boots her from his tiny home. Literally. Over the next few months these two argue, bicker, quarrel, wrangle... Okay, so you get the meaning. At the same time a spark develops between the two.
New Zealand as the setting was refreshing. It wasn't like either of them could take off when things weren't working. A secondary story between the sheep farmers and the cattle ranchers gave the storyline an edgy bite. The plot itself was not that unusual. For this reason I am giving it three stars though I would say it deserves closer to 3.5. I read quite a few romances. If you don't, you may enjoy this more than I did.
Summer O'Neile is the daughter of a paramour. She spent her lonely childhood waiting on her mother's love. Feisty in temperament, she wasn't afraid to let others know when they crossed the line. After her mother died she got herself into a predicament and found herself fleeing to New Zealand under the guise of another woman. This woman was married by proxy to none other than Nicholas. Summer believes that she has finally found a new life that will lead to happiness.
When these two first meet, Nicholas doesn't remember signing any papers (he was drunk at the time) and boots her from his tiny home. Literally. Over the next few months these two argue, bicker, quarrel, wrangle... Okay, so you get the meaning. At the same time a spark develops between the two.
New Zealand as the setting was refreshing. It wasn't like either of them could take off when things weren't working. A secondary story between the sheep farmers and the cattle ranchers gave the storyline an edgy bite. The plot itself was not that unusual. For this reason I am giving it three stars though I would say it deserves closer to 3.5. I read quite a few romances. If you don't, you may enjoy this more than I did.
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