Customer Reviews

When Lightning Strikes (Indigo)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We are seeing the same scenario time and time again: Dedicated readers NOT being satisfied with the material that the authors are publishing - the genre has changed and all of a sudden, that author that the reader has been dedicated to for years has become - COMMERCIALIZED!!!
Genesis Press keeps it real - Ms. Cameron's 300+ page novels is engaging and the characters are so very real. Grace falls in love with Livingston, tragedy strikes and Grace has the care of her childhood friend Jet/Jethro to help her.
The story is engaging because there is a plot that crosses so many issues of the black woman, love, relationships, mental health, families, church, a southern background and starting life all over again. If you want a story that you can fall into and look up in a couple of hours of reading and realize the characters in the book can exist in your own life - I suggest you start reading books from Genesis Press.
Ms. Cameron does an OUTSANDING job of delivering a plot that is real - I don't want to give too much away but this book is excellent! We see Grace picking up the pieces of her life and showing the courage to stand when lightening strikes!

I picked up this book last night and couldn't drop it. Excellent read! You get to read not one but two very different love stories, of course involving one main heroine, Grace. The title is very appropriate and it was a page turner. Personally, I think Livingston's and Grace's story was kinda rushed but it was appropriate in the sense that it set-up Jet's and Grace's story. I absolutely enjoyed it because the author used characters that were relatable. Not cheesy like most romance novels because it dealt with many issues apart from the romance at hand. I'll explore more books by this author.

Solange (Grace's best friend) talks Grace into going to a club with her. Grace reluctantly goes out of sheer boredom and surprisingly she meets the man of her dreams. Livingston is almost too good to be true. He sweeps Grace off her feet and they have a whirlwind love affair that leads to them becoming engaged. Livingston also happens to be the best friend and frat brother of Grace's play brother Jet(Jethro). Jet is a supportive friend to Livingston and brother to Grace, but he has a secret.
Things are going great despite Grace's baggage from her childhood, but tragedy strikes and the drama begins. Livingston's family comes to town to spend time with Grace and Livingston before the wedding. Grace notices some things she doesn't particularly care for during their visit, but is just happy to be a part of his family. After the tragedy, Livingston's sister and mother show their true selves and it ain't nothing nice. Grace finds herself left out in the cold and fighting for what should be her rightful place, but when the stuff hits the fan she turns to Jet.
Jet is truly the hero in this story. His unconditional love and support of Grace forces her to look at him with new eyes. The road ahead is not easy for them because Grace has to face some issue in her past and the grief of losing the man she thought she was destined to spend her life with. This was really a great story that Ms. Cameron took the time to truly develop. I loved it and I think you will too!!!

We have all heard the saying that lightning never strikes the same place twice; I am not certain how true that is when it comes to the weather but it is possible in love. Grace Foxfire, in Michele Cameron's When Lightning Strikes!, has experienced the loss of those she cares about the most time and time again. Besides her friendship with her best friend, Solange, and the job that she loves, she has nothing else.

Grace has never been hit by cupid's arrow. One night Solange's cousin, Babs, convinces her to go out. She goes reluctantly with no expectations of meeting anyone worth dancing with. But when lightning strikes, Livingston Lockhart, the man of her dreams, bumps into her and knocks her over. She did not know that her life would finally start heading in the direction she wanted it to; sweet, passionate loving making with a caring and considerate man who loves her for who she is. However, when she begins to have a familiar feeling, foreboding something that will shock her world, she does all that she can to prevent it. Will her world turn upside down again? Or, is Grace being paranoid due to her past experiences?

Jethro Newman, Grace's play brother, has been running from his feelings, drowning them in different women. Jethro came back to Atlanta in hopes of reconnecting with his play sister, while convincing her to let go of the past hurt she has been feeling. He was there the night Grace and Livingston met; the two people he cares about the most. Seeing that she was finally moving on with her life Jethro felt it was time for him to do the same. Will he stop running from his emotions? Or will he continue to add notches to his belt?

We all live in some sort of fear, and for Grace she feared losing the people she loved. Her emotions came through the pages hitting me in the heart. I felt bad for her each time something went wrong. But, when she kept flipping back and forth due to her fear, I wanted to grab her shoulders and shake her. Ms. Cameron did a good job at creating a character that I could connect with in both these ways. It may have taken lightning striking her to get her to come to her senses. The one character I could have done without was Babs; women like her really grate my last nerve. Besides Babs and a few editing mistakes, I did enjoy When Lightning Strikes!. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy contemporary romance novels.

Jennifer Coissiere
APOOO BookClub

If you are a fan of the contemporary African American genre (and even if you are not) read this book! It is the saga of several srtong individuals, our heroine "Grace" and the 2 special men in her life, Livingston and Jett. The author does an excellent job of showing how love can mature...and also be found again. I liked the introduction of social issues in the plot as well as the portrayal of the gamut of emotions in human relationships. I don't want to give away the plot, but I know I'll keep looking for this author's work with interest.

Grace Foxfire is a teacher in Atlanta. Out of boredom she goes out to an Atlanta nightclub with her girlfriends and meets Mr. Right. He's with her play brother Jethro Newman. They are Omega Psi Phi fraternity brothers

This novel is the best novel I've read in a long time. The characters and passion are realistic. The main character deals with much adversity and has baggage from her childhood because of her parents. She has to deal with her fiancee's family who turn out to be a bunch of users.

This novel has a surprise twist that I beleive in but I won't write what it is and ruin it. Ms. Cameron's books are all winners. I didn't do anything but read the book the day it was delivered with me. It had me crying at the end. It has every nuance to be made into a movie.

When Grace Foxfire reunites with her play brother, Jethro, she is thrilled to see him again and anxious to reconnect. Livingston, Jet's frat brother, is an added bonus. Grace and Livingston instantly hit it off. Their relationship blossoms quickly, but a tragedy puts a sudden end to their relationship. Jet is there to pick up the pieces like he always has been. However, this time there is more at stake. Jet is ready to pursue the feelings that everyone but Grace knows he has for her. The question is whether or not Grace is willing to take a chance on love again.

When Lightning Strikes is an excellent book by Michele Cameron. It is like a coming of age book without all the years in between childhood to adulthood. The story flows and has no lagging moments. Cameron does a wonderful job developing the primary and secondary characters throughout the novel. The plot development is excellent as well. When Lightning Strikes is by far a great read!

Reviewed by Tenecia
for Urban Reviews

Grace Foxfire's life was struck by tragedy at an early age. Her mother used alcohol as a way to deal with her father's tragic death, which essentially robbed Grace of both of her parents. Her best friend, Jethro, lost his father in the same accident as Grace's dad. Jethro's mother stepped in to help care for Grace, which in turn transformed Jethro into her play brother. Jethro harbored a crush on Grace for as long as he could remember but as a teenager he was way too shy to act on his feelings. But adulthood brought a newfound confidence to Jethro, as well as shorter name, Jet, and he's decided to finally go after his first love.

As a grown woman, Grace still finds herself unlucky when it comes to love. At a chance encounter in a nightclub, Grace meets the man of her dreams in Livingston Lockhart. Livingston just so happens to be Jet's frat brother and Jet can do nothing but sit back and watch as Grace and Livingston begin to build a life together. An unfortunate tragedy befalls Livingston that puts Grace at odds with Livingston's family. Grace must now rely on the only family she has left for support.

Jet tries to assist Grace in her time of need but finds it very difficult. It's not only the feelings he still harbors for Grace that stand in the way, but it's also the wall Grace has built around herself. The constant tragedy of losing everyone she's ever loved has hardened Grace's heart. She's not only unwilling, but unable to let Jet into her heart for fear of losing yet another loved one.

Michele Cameron skillfully takes a simple romance novel and develops it into so much more. Although the plot may seem cliché, the realism contained within the main characters and their actions especially those of Grace, Jet and Livingston's sister Delilah added depth that will keep readers enthralled. Fans of contemporary literature who usually shun romance novels will also be won over by WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES because it successfully combines romance with the drama romance books are usually devoid of.

Reviewed by Delonya Conyers
for The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

I'm a sucker for great non-cheesy love story and this is what Ms. Cameron brings in "When Lightning Strikes."
The heroine of the story, Grace is an educated 30 yrs old, no children, no husband and looking for Mr. Right NOW. Her friends Solange and Babs convince her again to go clubbing in hopes of finding that special someone. Reluctantly, Grace obliges and literally falls into the arms of Livingston Lockhart while walking to the bathroom. Little did she know that Livingston is the frat brother of her play brother, Jet. Grace and Jet were raised together by Jet's mother after Grace's mother's death. Livingston and Grace hit it off and their love becomes a whirlwind. Grace and Livingston were happily engaged until tragedy strikes. Will Grace allow herself to love again or will lightning even strike twice in her life?

Pros: Characters well developed, excellent storyteller and writer, unpredictable plot.
Cons: Didn't like characters names at all. (Grace, Livingston, Jethro)...

Overall rating: 5.0

Grace Foxfire found what very few people find in a short period of time--true love! Grace meets the love of her life through her "play" brother, Jet. Livingston is everything that Grace could ask for in a man until a tragic accident takes him from Grace. Jet is there to help Grace pick up the pieces in order to move on. Grace slowly realizes that Jet has been more than a "play" brother for a long time and love blossoms between the two. Love is not easy; Grace and Jet are on a rollercoaster before they come to terms with the meaning of "love conquers all".

Ms. Cameron did an excellent job of keeping the story interesting to the reader. The characters had flaws, as we all do, and that made them believable. I always appreciate the opportunity to read a good love story. Well done!
---EbonyReader4Life