Synopsis
Read by Barbara Garrick
Olivia Chantry may keep her desk in disarray, but she's a dynamo when it comes to business; her Seattle-based company -- Light Fantastic -- organizes dazzling events that create the flash her clients need to promote their products and causes. Her success almost makes up for a marriage that ended in disaster.
When Olivia inherits a large portion of her uncle's high-tech lighting firm, she butts heads with the co-owner -- Jasper Sloan -- a venture capitalist with all his ducks in a row. Sparkling with Jayne Ann Krentz's irresistible blend of sassy wit and sheer suspense, Flash explodes into passionate pyrotechnics as a beautifully mismatched pair finds that the bottom line isn't making it in the marketplace -- it's the merger of hearts.
Publishers Weekly
Bestselling author Krentz (Sharp Edges) once again displays her expertise in contemporary romance thrillers. As in most of her fiction, an attractive hero and heroine are set up as antagonists, then fall in love. Here she pits Jasper Sloan, successful venture capitalist-turned-CEO of GLOW Inc., against Olivia Chantry, who possesses 49% of the stock and is the niece of the company's recently deceased owner. Both powerhouses in their own right, the two expect to dislike each other, but, not surprisingly, the attraction between them leads to steamy encounters. Romance takes a back seat when a mysterious intruder threatens blackmail, and Jasper and Olivia join forces to prevent their respective family secrets from being exposed. Krentz provides the requisite inside look at the glamorous life. Olivia's special events company, Light Fantastic, provides "flash" for product launches, political fund-raisers and corporate happenings, replete with over-the-top interior designs, sumptuous catering and state-of-the-art technology. Though Krentz's hometown of Seattle, Wash., is the setting, there is little local background; the action might as well take place in any major city where financial wizards and corporate executives hobnob with politicians, nosy journalists and gossipy columnists. Yet Krentz delivers on her tried and true formula: charismatic though uncomplicated main characters, a compelling plot with equal parts romance and suspense, and a surprise denouement that neatly ties up all the loose ends. Editor, Linda Marrow. (Oct.)