Fever Dream: A Novel (Emerald Lake)

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Elsie Silver comes a small-town, forbidden, rivals-to-lovers romance, the first book in the brand-new Western romance series Emerald Lake.

Professional bull rider Emmett Bush is not looking for love. He’s looking for a paycheck to save his family’s farm from bankruptcy. So, when he agrees to be the leading man on a hot new reality dating show, Romance Ranch, he’s already decided it’s all one big performance.

Until Julia Silva walks onto his property. Smart, snarky, beautiful, and off-limits in more ways than one. As the location consultant on set and the little sister of his most bitter professional rival, she’s the last woman who should pique his interest.

Julia has been warned about Emmett. She knows better than to fall for his cocky swagger, broad shoulders, and smoldering good looks. Plus, she’s sworn off relationships.

But as Julia and Emmett work together, mutual distaste grows into an unexpected connection and then… something more.

Soon, they find themselves searching for excuses to spend time together and out of reach of the cameras. Knowing glances. Stolen kisses. Secret rendezvous.

Still, Emmett signed up to play the role of an eligible bachelor searching for the one. His family’s land and legacy depend on him completing the show.

The problem is, he’s already fallen in love.

Just not with a contestant.

Elsie Silver is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of sassy, steamy, small-town romance. She’s a born-and-raised Canadian girl who loves a good book boyfriend and the strong heroines who bring them to their knees. Her books promise banter, tension, and a slow burn that comes to a screeching halt.

“Combining rodeo and reality show tropes, the diverting first installment of the Emerald Lake series from Silver proves wonderfully entertaining...Silver’s fans will be well pleased."—Publishers Weekly

“A fun and charming series starter, with close ties to Silver’s ‘Chestnut Springs’ series, this is perfect for dating-show aficionados looking for a chemistry-filled twist.”—Library Journal

Fever Dream by Elsie Silver, published in May 2026, is the spectacular and emotional first installment in her highly anticipated Emerald Lake series. Known for her signature small-town Western romances that perfectly balance sizzling chemistry with profound emotional depth, Silver delivers an unforgettable enemies-to-lovers story. The novel masterfully blends the tropes of forced proximity, reality television chaos, and a slow-burning secret romance. At its core, it is a touching exploration of family loyalty, healing from past traumas, and finding authentic love amidst the most highly manufactured and deeply inconvenient circumstances imaginable.

The story centers around thirty-two-year-old Emmett Brandt, who rides professionally under his absentee father’s surname, Bush. Emmett is a wildly successful professional bull rider on the WBRF circuit, carrying a reputation as a cocky, untouchable playboy. Beneath this hardened exterior, however, he is deeply devoted to his family. His grandparents, who sacrificed everything to raise him, are quietly facing total financial ruin, struggling to keep their generations-old horse breeding farm, Stal Brandt, afloat. Desperate to save the only people he truly loves, Emmett reluctantly agrees to star in a sleazy, high-profile reality dating show called "Romance Ranch." He despises fame, but the massive half-million-dollar paycheck and the hefty location fee for filming the show right on his family's property in Emerald Lake are precisely what he needs to keep the bank at bay. To him, the show is nothing more than a necessary performance.

Everything changes when Julia Silva arrives on the farm. Twenty-five-year-old Julia is a film studies graduate desperate to climb the ranks in television production, and she has just landed a job as the location consultant for "Romance Ranch." Adding fuel to the fire, Julia is the fiercely protective younger sister of Theodore Silva, Emmett’s most bitter professional rival in the bull-riding world. Julia is completely off-limits, and she knows perfectly well that she should stay far away from a man with Emmett’s supposed reputation. However, beneath their immediate, bristling rivalry lies a profound, shared secret that completely shatters Emmett's public persona in Julia's eyes.

Two years prior, their lives collided during a Caribbean cruise. Exhausted and vulnerable, Julia was slipped a drug by a predatory stranger at the bar. Emmett, who happened to be nearby, immediately noticed her rapid cognitive decline and the predator's sinister intentions. Refusing to turn a blind eye, Emmett physically intervened, neutralizing the threat and rescuing Julia before she lost complete consciousness. Rather than taking advantage of her or exploiting the situation for praise, he spent the entire night quietly keeping her safe in his room, expecting absolutely nothing in return. This deeply traumatic event left Julia hesitant to drink or date, but it also planted an unbreakable foundation of underlying trust between her and the gruff cowboy who saved her.

Now, thrust into the chaotic, highly produced circus of reality television, Emmett and Julia are forced to work together every single day. As they scout filming locations and build sets across the sprawling ranch, their initial tension slowly melts into an undeniable, magnetic connection. Knowing glances turn into stolen kisses and secret rendezvous away from the prying eyes of the camera crews. However, the stakes could not be higher. Emmett's contract strictly forbids him from engaging in any outside relationships, demanding he play the perfect bachelor for the ten women competing for his affection on screen. If the show's manipulative producers catch wind of his real-life romance with a crew member, he risks losing the life-changing paycheck his grandparents desperately need to survive.

The narrative builds to a phenomenal climax as the pressure-cooker environment of reality TV threatens to destroy their fragile bond. The show’s ruthless producer, Richard, uncovers their secret and attempts to blackmail Emmett, forcing him to play along with increasingly manufactured and cruel on-screen drama. However, Silver gracefully turns the tables. When Richard's unethical and illegal production tactics are finally exposed, the network is found to be in breach of contract. This brilliant twist ensures that Emmett and his family keep their desperately needed money, while also completely destroying the artificial barriers keeping him and Julia apart. The story concludes with a deeply satisfying, hard-won happily ever after, proving that their authentic connection was strong enough to weather any storm.

For a reader like you who so greatly values the ease and versatility of digital reading, Fever Dream is an absolute must-add to your virtual library. Whether you load it onto your Kindle or flip through it on Google Books, having this sweeping romance in a digital format means you can effortlessly carry Elsie Silver's beautifully crafted Western world with you wherever you go. Plus, navigating the story digitally allows you to easily search for and highlight your favorite witty banter and swoon-worthy moments between Emmett and Julia. Keep a close watch on your favorite digital storefronts, too—you might just catch a fantastic promotional deal or even a free ebook offer to dive into this gorgeous love story right away!