“I can’t stop thinking about you. I can’t stop looking for you. I can’t stop wanting you. Images of you fill my brain every second of every day. You’re everywhere. Like a song stuck in my head, even though I don’t want you there. I feel like I’m living in a fever dream that I can’t fucking escape.”
― Elsie Silver, Fever Dream

If you’re looking for a small-town, forbidden, rivals-to-lovers romance, I encourage you to try Fever Dream by Elsie Silver, the first book in her Emerald Lake series. I have read many cowboy romances in the past year, but this one had an interesting twist that set it apart from the others. I can’t wait to read the second book in the series, Midnight Rush, set to publish in 2027.

Professional bull rider Emmett Bush is not looking for love. He is looking for a way to save his family’s farm from bankruptcy. When someone from the bull-riding federation approaches him with the opportunity to star on a new reality dating show with a very high paycheck, he reluctantly decides to do it. In addition to his paycheck, the studio will pay the family to rent the farm every day. Emmett is now the leading man on Romance Ranch, but he has no plans to find love.

Julia Silva has been hired as the location consultant for Romance Ranch, her first big job after college. Julia knows Emmett and has been warned to stay away from his cocky swagger, his good looks, and broad shoulders. Her older brother Theo is also a professional bull-rider, in fact the two are bitter rivals. When Julia walks onto the farm, Emmett is shocked to see her. She is the last person that he expects to see. Their mutual distaste soon morphs into a connection that turns into something more. It doesn’t matter that the two are developing feelings for each other because Emmett has signed up to be an eligible bachelor. He must keep playing this role because his family’s land, legacy, and future depends on him completing the show and falling for one of the contestants. The problem is he has already fallen in love with someone, but his love isn’t a contestant.

This title is also available in large print.

Emerald Lake Series

• Fever Dream (2026)
• Midnight Rush (2027)