Flash

Jayne Ann Krentz

Olivia Chantry's Uncle Rollie dies, and leaves 49% of the family company to her. She is already swamped with her own presentation company, Light Fantastic, and takes on both until the other owner can appear. But at the same time, she wished it weren't the case. The other 51% of the company is owned by an "outsider", Jasper Sloan, a venture capitalist who underwrote the recent research efforts of Glow, Inc.

Olivia is a superb business woman who is disorganized in her filing. Jasper, like Uncle Rollie, is an excellent business man who keeps precise, neat files. The men both knew that information is power. Someone else also knows the power of information. Soon after Jasper returns to Seattle and takes over at Glow, Inc., Olivia's aunt is given a blackmail letter. Olivia receives the next one herself a day or two later.

Although Olivia isn't happy with the control of Glow, Inc. being out of the family hands, she quickly learns to trust Jasper, and pulls him into the blackmail dilemma. Both of them had had disastrous marriages before, and only trusted their business sense. Neither of them trusted their personal timing or feelings.So the attraction that pulls them from the business aspect of their relationship to the personal surprises them both.

There are a lot of twists in Flash. I had trouble with the blackmail part of the story because it doesn't ring true. But the underlying conspiracy is quite believable. Olivia and Jasper are easy, believable characters. This is a wonderful feel-good romance and a quick read. This is a great lazy afternoon or beach book.

Notice: Strong sexual content