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Fever Dream

Fever Dream

Contemporary RomanceRomance
Published
2026
Language
English

Synopsis

Professional bull rider Emmett Bush isn’t looking for love — he’s looking for a paycheck big enough to save his family’s farm from bankruptcy. So when he’s offered the leading-man spot on a splashy new reality dating show, Romance Ranch, he signs on convinced the whole thing is one big performance. Then Julia Silva walks onto his property. As the show’s location consultant — and the little sister of Theo Silva, Emmett’s most bitter professional rival — she’s the last woman he should want, and she’s been warned all about his cocky swagger and easy charm. With cameras rolling and a rivalry simmering, the line between scripted romance and the real thing gets dangerously blurry. The first novel in the new Emerald Lake series brings rodeo and reality-TV tropes together in a world closely tied to Chestnut Springs.

Prose complexity
2/10

Vibe

FunnySpicyLightheartedEmotional
Enemies to LoversFake DatingForced ProximityWorkplace RomanceFound FamilySlow Burn

Genres

Contemporary Romance Romance Romantic Comedy

About the author

E
Elsie Silver

A #1 New York Times, Sunday Times, and Globe and Mail bestselling author, Elsie Silver writes sassy, steamy, small-town contemporary romance. Born and raised in Canada, she lives just outside Vancouver, British Columbia, with her husband, son, and dogs — and the rugged ranch towns of her home province shape the settings of nearly all her books. A lifelong romance reader, she came to writing at her mother's urging to reclaim an identity of her own, drawing on an earlier background in copywriting...

Characters

Emmett BushProtagonist

A professional bull rider who joins a reality dating show to earn the money to save his family’s farm.

Julia SilvaProtagonist

The reality show’s location consultant and the younger sister of Emmett’s rival, Theo Silva.

Theo SilvaSupporting

Emmett’s bitter professional rival and Julia’s older brother, the bull rider from the Chestnut Springs series.

All characters in Fever Dream

Frequently asked questions

  • Who are the main characters in Fever Dream?

    It follows Emmett Bush, a bull rider cast on a reality dating show called Romance Ranch, and Julia Silva, the show's location consultant and the sister of Emmett's rival Theo.

  • Is Fever Dream part of Chestnut Springs?

    No — Fever Dream is the first book in Elsie Silver's new Emerald Lake series (2026), though it's set in the same universe and tied closely to Chestnut Springs.

  • How is Fever Dream connected to the Chestnut Springs books?
  • What is the central hook of Fever Dream?

    Emmett signs onto a reality dating show purely for the paycheck to save his family farm, then finds genuine chemistry with Julia — the one woman he's been warned off and shouldn't want.

  • Is Fever Dream spicy?

    Yes — it's an open-door contemporary romance with the humor and heat Elsie Silver is known for.

  • Should I read Chestnut Springs before Fever Dream?

    It's not required — Fever Dream opens a new series and stands on its own — but readers of Chestnut Springs will recognize the connection through Theo Silva and his sister Julia.

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