Night Fever [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Diana Palmer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2006

Rebecca Cullen has her hands full raising her teenage brothers, running a farm, and earning a living. When one of her brothers is arrested, she has no choice but to appeal to D.A. Rourke Kilpatrick. Can she really trust her heart to a man who has the power to destroy her?

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A selfless young woman's loyalties waver between a crusading district attorney and her family in Palmer's conventional novel. At 24, Rebecca Cullen is the sole support for her family: brothers Clay, a high school senior, and fifth-grader Mack, as well as her ailing grandfather. Strict frugality, weekend work on the family's struggling farm and a job at a law firm get them through. The latter provides Becky with her only social outlet, including playful conversations each morning with an intriguing man. After Clay is caught with drugs, the man turns out to be Rourke Kilpatrick, a zero tolerance prosecutor. Against his better judgment, Rourke drops the charges, and a chance encounter leads Rourke to invite Becky to lunch, where each is unnervingly interested in the other. Meanwhile, Clay's former employers, the Harris brothers, are ready to expand their empire into Mack's elementary school, and force Clay to get information from his little brother, who balks. Tensions in Becky's household escalate, not helped by her budding relationship with Rourke, whom the family resents (except for Mack, who accepts him unconditionally). Becky and Rourke's passion ignites, and almost immediately she faces crises on several fronts. Becky's extreme naiveté is part of the show here, offering a gentle escape mixed with real-life menace for fans of Palmer's more than 100 novels.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A compelling tale . . . [that packs] an emotional wallop." -- Booklist on New York Times bestseller Renegade

"Diana Palmer is a mesmerizing storyteller who captures the essence of what a romance should be." -- Affaire de Coeur

"Nobody does it better." -- New York Times bestselling author Linda Howard

"Nobody tops Diana Palmer . . . I love her stories." -- New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz

"Palmer knows how to make the sparks fly . . . heartwarming." -- Publishers Weekly on Renegade

"Sensual and suspenseful . . ." -- Booklist on Lawless

"Stirs the emotions, tugs at your heart and brings tears to your eyes." -- Lezlie Patterson, Knight Ridder newspapers, on Lawless --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 509 pages
• Publisher: Wheeler Publishing (February 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597221821
• ISBN-13: 978-1597221825
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,897,340 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From the back cover:, October 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Night Fever (Mass Market Paperback)

She had never longed for love like this...

Rebecca Cullen didn't want to fall in love with Rourke Kilpatrick. At 24, she was saddled with the job of raising her teen brothers, tending their Georgia farm, and earning a living--responsibilities that all but choked her hopes for a personal life. Then Becky's brother was arrested on drug charges, and she had to see the district attorney. D. A. Rourke Kilpatrick was notorious for his hard line against drugs. His good looks struck Rebecca as forcefully as his misbegotten blind justice. But to her surprise, he telephoned her, showed sympathy, and seemed to want to get to know her. Then, one night, his lips touched hers, and all she wanted was to feel his strong body against hers--forever. But was the man she fell in love with just using her to investigate a crime? And could she really trust a man who had the power to destroy her--and break her heart?

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Classic!, January 6, 2006

By 

Kristi Ahlers (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Night Fever (Mira Hardbacks) (Hardcover)

Diana Palmer's "Night Fever" is a classic romance that's being re-released for the first time in over a decade. This read is very romantic and sensual and one that will entertain the reader for sure.

Rebecca Cullen has a hard life but she doesn't let that get her down. Her mother died when she was young, her father ran off, one brother insists on hanging with the wrong people, and her grandfather is sick. She works all day at the law office, and comes home to take care of her little family. She is twenty-four and has no social life. What she does have though is a rather entertaining relationship with a man that works in her building. He annoys her, she snipes at him...it's not perfect but it's something. Than her brother Clay gets arrested. It's a well-known fact that the D.A. is hard on crime and harder on crime related to drug use. She knows that there is little she can do but with the help of her boss (another lawyer) she hopes to talk this strict D.A. to accept a possible plea bargain. Imagine her shocked surprise when she finds out that the D.A. is none other than the obnoxious elevator man! No what?

Rourke Kilpatrick takes his job of D.A seriously. When the pretty but young Rebecca comes to is office trying to help her brother he reluctantly agrees but warns that he won't do it again a second time. He has enjoyed their sparing matches in the elevator and he didn't like seeing the downtrodden look in her eye when she came to him for help. This is just the beginning of a relationship that neither can imagine having but at the same time turning their backs on. Will these two lonely people finally find the love that they each deserve?

Rourke and Becky were wonderfully drawn characters. Their romance is very sensual not in action but in how they grow together as a couple. Although at times Becky's naïve nature wears thin, it's still true to her character so readers should be patient when coming to this portion of the story. Ms. Palmer tackles a very dark subject regarding drugs, which is sadly always timely so this read won't seem dated despite the fact that it was originally penned in the early nineties. Truly this is a classic love story and one that I highly recommend.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars reprint (under the name Susan Kyle) of an engaging legal thriller romance, November 30, 2005

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Night Fever (Mira Hardbacks) (Hardcover)

Twenty-four years old Rebecca Cullen works as a "mule", the lowest ranked employee at a law firm just outside Atlanta while living nearby on her grandfather's farm in Curry County. She has raised her two younger brothers Mack and Clay since their mom died eight years ago; their dad deserted his family years earlier. Though she worries about their mounting debt and expects to sell the farm soon even knowing that will kill her beloved granddad; her biggest concern is Clay running with a fast crowd whom Becky knows uses crack.

Curry County police arrest Clay on drug charges. County D.A. Rourke Kilpatrick is known for being tough on drug offenders, even young ones as he feels strongly about keeping drugs out of his community. However, to Becky's shock, Rourke is gentle with her and with her sibling who he sees as possible bait to catch the real felons. He also wants more from his virgin that he cherishes, but she fears that his tough love approach to her brother will break her heart.

This reprint (under the name Susan Kyle) is an engaging legal thriller romance starring a courageous heroine who gained too much responsibility too soon and a justice driven D.A. who will do anything legal to keep drugs out of the county. Though the romance seems more fairy tale than real, readers will commiserate with Becky, who has no time for courtships. The legal aspects are cleverly designed so that the audience obtains a taste of justice in that rare metro Atlanta region lacking a population boom (then again this tale takes place in 1990) and the pairing though seemingly odd at first make for a fun Georgian Cinderella romance.

Harriet Klausner