Fever by Melissa Pearl

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Title: Fever
Author: Melissa Pearl
Series: Songbird #1
Published by: Indie
Release Date: May 29, 2014
Format: Kindle Book
Pages: 274
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2017 Beat the Backlist Challenge, Lenoreo's 2017 Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge, Lenoreo's 2017 New Adult Challenge
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon
My rating:

Blurb:

Singing in the shower takes on a whole new meaning in Melissa Pearl's first New Adult Contemporary Romance.

Ella Simmons does not want to move across the country. But she is, because her boyfriend has persuaded her to join him at UChicago to finish out her college education. Never able to tell him no, she hops on a plane and makes the trek from LA expecting to adjust to life like she's often forced to, but things are not that simple when she hears a luscious voice singing over her shower wall. His deep, sexy tenor makes her weak in the knees, spreading fire through her limbs and making her question everything about her life and relationship.

Can one voice really have that much of an impact?

Cole Reynolds is on his way out. In his final year at UChicago, the only thing he wants to do is finish school and get on with his life. But the sweet voice that interrupts his morning shower turns his world upside down. Compelled to find his shower songbird, he begins a search across campus. The only thing to distract him from this goal is his roommate's gorgeous girlfriend who's just arrived from LA - Ella Simmons.

Relationships are put to the ultimate test as future dreams are questioned and friendships are thrown on the line for love.

My Review:

ORIGINAL REVIEW:
4.5 stars — OK, that was just about perfect. It’s hard to watch a meek character like Ella take so much time developing her backbone, but it does feel fantastic when she finally starts making the right decisions…..

You’d think that this would be a love triangle book….but it really wasn’t. It was more like a book about Ella finally figuring out who she was and who she wanted to be. I can’t imagine the devastation of the losses she suffered, so I could totally believe her desperate desire for safety and consistency. And this was the book where she finally realized she could let that go, and that sometimes safety can break your heart too.

I will admit, I didn’t really like David….but at the same time, I really hated that Ella couldn’t see what she was doing to him by trying to *not* hurt him. I thought their relationship was actually dealt with quite well….like a real relationship, and how things can change and grow and sometimes not change and grow together. I felt for David, and I was glad that he set her straight on some things in the end, and made her open her eyes.

OK, on to the good stuff. Ella and Cole together. Yeah, that was awesome. When Ella was with Cole (and not silently berating herself), she was really adorable and fun and I could totally see what drew them to each other (other than just lust). They had that connection from the start, and I believed it. And holy cow did they have chemistry. I was right there with Morgan and Jody at the swing dance….jaw dropping awesomeness. Even though the story was told from both POVs, I kind of felt it was more Ella’s story than Cole’s. He had some issues to work through, but I saw more growth from Ella all in all.

I loved EVERY SINGLE singing shower scene. It was filled with so much emotions but so much lightness at the same time. And that ending pretty much hit it out of the park. Can’t wait to read the epilogue when it’s posted, b/c this couple just sticks with you.

ON REREAD:
4 stars — Honestly, I pretty much agree with everything I said up there, some things just bothered me a bit more than the last time.  I guess we just change as readers you know?  It is a bit slower to start, I think I forgot that.  But once we get into it and start to see those changes in Ella, I started becoming really invested in the story.  And Cole and Ella just have so much chemistry.

Honestly, my slight change in rating is really just about a few little things.  I just had a harder time coping with Ella’s choices wrt David.  She frustrated me just a bit more than last time.  Though I would liken her to Pam in the Office (US), and that somehow made me accept her a bit more.  Sometimes people just become complacent and stick with what they know, resisting the scariness of change.  I’m also less keen on reading about Ella being *with* David, b/c it makes my romantic heart cringe.  And I didn’t always understand the friendship between Cole and David…you really didn’t get to see much of it, so I don’t understand what drew them together.  But it could be a case of Cole was David’s best friend, but not vice versa.  That might make more sense, b/c I really don’t think David understands relationships of any kind.

Despite all that, the slow burn, the angst, the feels, and the chemistry between Cole and Ella was just…GAH!  So worth it.  And I LOVED Ella’s friendships with Morgan and Jody.  I can’t wait to finally read their stories.