As with any Jayne Ann Krentz book, I was at the store immediately to
buy this book. I raced home to read it with great anticipation and I was
well rewarded. This is simply a wonderful book. I was a little dubious at
first, the double prologue and then the one page chapters in which we get
the villains thoughts were different and the double prologue meant that it
was a little longer before the hero and heroine meet, which is always much
anticipated with a JAK book. But, the meeting of these two Olivia Chantry
and Jasper Sloan was well worth waiting for. Olivia owns Light Fantastic
and does special events. Jasper is a venture capitalist who has burned out
and really doesn't know what he wants to do, now that he no longer needs to
watch over his deceased brother's sons. The first time Olivia sees Jasper
he emerges from the fog in a magical cave to lead her to safety--one of her
event projects gone awry.
The characters of Olivia and Jasper are delineated in the prologue. They
are both bound by duty and responsibility to their families. Beyond that JAK
does not really tell us too much about their personality. After about a
third of the book, I thought to myself we don't really understand what they
are feeling. Then I realized that the two characters hadn't a clue about
their feelings. JAK doesn't tell us about these people, she shows us. As
they both grow emotionally and come to understand themselves, we also learn
about them. By the time the book ended, I felt we knew them well indeed.
The mystery is just bang up and exciting. There is not a hint who the
villain is--not even if the villain is male or female. The plot centers
around a blackmailer who sets off a lot more than they realize.
I literally read this book through in one sitting. I would give it Five
Stars--it is vintage Krentz and that is very good indeed.
Linda Hurst
Successful and well-to-do, Jasper Sloan is bored with the venture capital
firm that he and his late stepbrother had founded and is looking for a new
challenge in life. While taking an unwanted vacation on a tropical isle he
receives the news that he has inherited 51% ownership of an up and coming
Seattle company, Glow, Inc., from one of his debtors. The timing couldn't
have been more perfect; he had already drawn up papers to sell his firm to
his best friend and vice president. He consequently learns that 49% of Glow
is now owned by the late owner's niece, Olivia Chantry, a strong and
independent woman who already runs her own company, one that specializes in
special event production.
Without delay he visits Olivia at her
studio/office and is immediately enthralled. Olivia, on the other hand,
seems interested only in buying out Jasper's share of Glow. After all, it
had been founded by her uncle and employed many family members, making it,
as far as she was concerned, a family company, and Jasper an outsider. He
refuses to sell; however, since he was a fair-minded guy, he agrees to
discuss major decisions with her before he enforces them. Not that she
could change his mind if he felt the decisions were valid and necessary, but
he would at least explain them. This would, Jasper figures, have the side
benefit of bringing them together on a nice and regular basis. However, they
are thrown together even sooner than he anticipated when Olivia's aunt
starts getting blackmailed and Jasper is pulled into the intrigue suddenly
surrounding the family. Jasper and Olivia must work quickly to find the
perpetrator that is threatening not only the security of both her relatives
and Glow, Inc., but also their very lives.
FLASH is a terrific story that drew me in effortlessly, and kept me reading
through the night. It alternated wonderfully between Krentz's well-known
tongue-in-cheek humor and the multi-layered suspense. There is instant
attraction between the hero and heroine, especially in the hero's case, as
described by him as electrical static in the air! The development of their
relationship progressed naturally and was not fraught with misuderstandings
and presumptions. Jasper Sloan is a more giving 90s kind of guy, as opposed
to many of the current hard-nosed contemporary heroes. He is still the
strong, take-charge type, but he is willing to listen to, and even try, some
of Olivia's suggestions. As for Olivia, she never wavers in her convictions
and never resorts to the role of a "wilting flower" waiting to be rescued.
She is confident but never brash. I also appreciated her unique occupation
and enjoyed reading about the fun, and often funny, parties she produced.
Very highly recommended!
Margie B. Wilhelm
