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Review: The Fever and the Fury (a Mythica series novella) by Stephanie Draven

by Rachel ElizabethFebruary 19, 2012

TLDR Recap:

Phaedra is a centuries old fury, whose job is to make others atone for their crimes, or to drive them to madness should they refuse to cooperate. Luke Lazaros is Phaedra’s most challenging target yet- not only does he refuse to atone for his sins, but he’s a phoenix… which means that every time Phaedra kills him, he comes right back to life. Phaedra decides that the only way to make any progress with Luke is to drive him mad with desire…but soon she finds that resisting Luke is easier said than done. The Fever and the Fury is worth a look!

Title: The Fever and the Fury
Series: Mythica
Author: Stephanie Draven
Prominent Characters: Phaedra, Luke
Recommended Reader Age: 18+
Sexual Content Level: High

Thoughts:

As a fury, Phaedra spends her whole life making people atone for the crimes they’ve committed. Once she has a target, Phaedra is bound to that person until they are redeemed. For those who don’t want to be redeemed, Phaedra can turn that individual’s life into a living hell. She’s an expert when it comes to torture- which Lieutenant Luke Lazaros can attest to.

Luke is a stubborn, sexy ex-military guy. When Phaedra shows up, claiming he needs to atone for his crimes, Luke refuses to admit he did anything wrong. And since he won’t apologize for his actions, Phaedra is forced to take a different approach- torture. However, being a phoenix means that no matter how many times he’s killed, Luke always comes back- something that irritates Phaedra to no end. When killing Luke repeatedly doesn’t work, Phaedra changes tactics. She knows that every time Luke is reborn, he has a desperate need for sex. And even though it is forbidden for a fury to engage in sex, she can at least attempt to drive Luke crazy with desire. But he awakens a hunger inside her, and it’s not long before Phaedra is craving the pleasures she knows Luke can offer.

The Fever and the Fury was a short, steamy novella. I liked Phaedra’s sarcastic sense of humor, and I’m glad we got to see the innocent, vulnerable side of her. You can’t help but feel bad for her since her life is all about killing and torture. The sexual chemistry between her and Luke was hot, and things heated up pretty quickly. I wish there had been more details about the consquences of Phaedra’s actions, though. It’s stated repeatedly that Phaedra’s goddess, Athena, severely punishes any fury who breaks the rules and has sex, so a little more information regarding that issue would have been nice.

Normally, I’d find it hard to believe that a main character who had killed another character repeatedly could develop such a deep connection to that person so quickly, but Stephanie Draven managed to make it work. Phaedra and Luke were a good couple, and I think Luke was the perfect guy to convince Phaedra to take a risk and give in to her desires.

Memorable Quotes:

If I was anywhere near Luke, I’d feel that lust too…

When she looked at Luke, she saw a man who challenged everything she’d ever believed. Someone with an inner strength and more compassion than she’d ever shown anyone in her life. She saw in him an inspiration to be something better than she was. All of that was tangled up with the liquid heat of lust that swirled through her at the sight of him.

*sighs* On top of being scorchingly hot and sexy, Luke can be deep!

Look, Phaedra. I can’t say that I was waiting all my life for you, because I didn’t even know you existed. I can’t tell you that this is the path I thought I’d choose. But sometimes Plan B is better than Plan A. People change. There are second chances. People are reborn, figuratively, every day. And they learn that sometimes the one thing they never expected is the only thing they really need.

If you liked The Fever and the Fury…

Check out Siren Song, which is also by Stephanie Draven. It’s a steamy read about a tempting Siren, and the sexy naval officer who can’t resist her. 🙂

Also check out The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter, the first book in the Lords of the Underworld series (you can also find it bundled with the prequel and the next two in the series here). These books center around Greek mythology as well. And those Lords of the Underworld are H-O-T. I highly recommend this series!

Final Thoughts

The Fever and the Fury was a fun, quick read. I liked how Stephanie Draven put her own spin on Greek mythology, and Phaedra and Luke were intriguing characters. Like I said, I wanted a few more details and a bit more information in certain parts of the book, but it was still well-written. If you’re looking for a short, erotic story, you’ll want to give this one a try!