Customer Reviews

Lightning that Lingers (Loveswept, No 25)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Once in a great while, a book comes along in the stream of tired, overworked romance series that blows away all hint of catagory: This is such a book. A strait-laced librarian, who supercedes the stereotype, falls in love with a male stripper who is both more and less than he seems. There is nothing superficial about this book. The story is told with a tenderness and honesty that made this jaded reader squirm uncomfortably, laugh, and cry. If you can find a copy of this book, get it.

The Loveswept Line was a treat for romance lovers. Many well know authors have come out of this line and it is a shame that it is no longer around. Lighnting That Lingers could possibly be the best book to ever come out as a single category romance.
This books is very sweet and telling of human nature and what we see is not necessarily what we get.
Jennifer is a very shy librarian who has just started out on her own. One night her co-workers go out for a night on the town. They go to a strip club where they salivate over stripper Philip. Jenny is just plain embarrassed by the whole situation, which Philip senses, but tries to help her enjoy herself by offering her a little kiss.
Philip is not only a stipper. He is from a very old school family upbringing, has a love for animals and is very very lonely. He needs money and the only way he knows how is to strip for it. He sees Jenny again in town and knows there is something special about her. Perhaps she can help erase his loneliness?
The Curtis duo have written Jenny and Philip in a beautiful way. Philip is described as drop dead gorgeous whereas Jenny is a little plain but also cute. Philip handles her like one of his baby owls. Jenny in turn allows herself to accept what Philipis offering.
These are just two people trying to find their place in life. Hopefully Jenny can get past Philip's job so they can build a life together.
Philip is a true gentleman in every sense and Jenny maybe a little nieve but when she is with Philip, she shines.
For adults and teens alike, this book will "Linger" long after you have finished.


Katiebabs

Sunshine and Shadow
Windflower

This was one of the first romance novels I ever read, and these many years later (and after many, many re-reads), it is still one of the funniest and sweetest of all the romances! Tom and Sharon had a winning team and I can honestly recommend all of their books--buy them if you can--but this was my "first love" and still has the power to enchant and entrance!

Simply put...the most sensitive, amazing, funny, heartfelt and sexy romance I have ever read. I hear this one is on a lot of people's top 10 lists.

When her friends suggested a night out at the popular Cougar Club, shy and timid librarian Jennifer Hamilton thought it would be fun and exciting. She had no idea just what sort of club it was until she stepped into the place and saw some of the merchandise sold in the gift shop. Any lingering illusions were dashed when the show started and the male dancer started stripping down to nothing. Fainting from the horrified embarrassment was a serious risk, especially when the one man who had caught her eye when she first sat down, a man she thought was a classically beautiful specimen of manhood...but just the sound man, turns out to be the headline act. Mortified and nearly undone when he tries to get a kiss from her as part of his stage show, Jennifer rebuffs his advances and struggles to make it through the traumatic evening.

Phillip Brooks was irresistibly drawn to the timid woman with the large, helpless eyes. He didn't know her name, didn't know where she lived, but among a sea of clamoring women, she was like an oasis of purity and that lure filled him with a deep desire to have her in his bed. It was pure happenstance that their paths crossed again mere days after the night he saw her at the club. Either that, or very good luck. Finding out her name and where she worked gave him every opportunity to pursue the desire and yearning that filled him from the moment their eyes met.

She is a unique and precious gift to a complex and guarded man, but their love may be doomed to failure. She is an innocent, and he, most assuredly, is not.

This Loveswept Classic Romance, originally published in 1983 and now being released in electronic format, is a beautifully written tale by writing pair Sharon & Tom Curtis. It is truly a gem in romance fiction. While aspects of the narrative definitely call into question the label of 'contemporary' romance, the lyrical prose and exquisite writing style elevate it above such pitfalls as feeling dated. Instead, it has a truly classic feel, as if it would comfortably share shelf space with such notables as Austin and Bronte, despite aspects of the content.

It is romance done ever so right. Timeless and genteel.

The shy ingenue is, quite notably and oft mentioned in my reviews, not one of my favorite characters in fiction. I usually have little patience for retiring wallflowers such as Jennifer and have an admittedly cynical view of them that more than borders on disdain. I also tend to prefer the relationship between main characters to develop over a more realistic span of time, and am leery of the too-quick love declarations.

I won't say those things didn't bother me here; I truly would have preferred them to be otherwise. It's rather that despite them, I loved this book completely. I adored the lyrical descriptions and deeply admired the complexity of character found in Phillip in particular, the wildlife biologist who is the heir to a bankrupt empire once on par with Rockefeller and Hearst, who strips in a club in front of panting women to pay the taxes on his family's land out of a desire to preserve the natural habitat. He was intelligent and kind and flawlessly drawn, though not without the personal flaws to make him seem unreal.

The plot of Lightning that Lingers could perhaps be considered formulaic. There certainly was little surprise as to what the conflict would be and how it would have to be resolved, but the journey to conflict and through to resolution was written so appealingly that I was truly swept away by the whole of the reading experience. In a time when romance relies too often on cliche and tripe, and lust has become too often mistaken for love, this classic romance relies solely on the strength of quality characters and elegant prose to spark the flame of genuine emotion and true romance. It's a keeper in every facet and I loved it.

Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided to me by Random House Publishing Group via NetGalley. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.

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Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.

Although this book is somewhat dated, there are somethings that never grow old. Sharon and Tom Curtis are superb and talented writers and their abilities with the written word are truly timeless.

I read Fallen From Grace by Laura Leone which has a similar plot. Male stripper forced to use body for financial purposes. I liked that book, but not nearly as much as this one. Fallen From Grace is very dark in it's plot line while this book is refreshingly witty, sweet, and light in the midst of a serious story.

I liked the 2 main characters. Jenny was you stereotypical librarian, but she was also passionate and fun. Philip was you stereotypical stripper, but he was also sincere, serious, and brilliant. I enjoyed the dialogue in this book immensely. I found myself chuckling several times and moved a great many times as well.

While this title doesn't touch the Windflower in intensity, depth, or complexity....the same quality of writing exists. I recommend these authors and this book highly.

I've only read one other story by Sharon and Tom Curtis, a fabulous novella in the When You Wish anthology. I had no idea they had written anything for the Loveswept line. I am glad they did, as it appears to be the only one of their books that has gone digital. I will now buy ANYTHING that comes to Kindle written by this duo.

This plot doesn't get any more complex than Boy Meets Girl, but I liked the heroine and LOVED the hero. The secondary characters were more interesting than usual, and the pet owl was a treat.

And none of that conveys that this was one of the most lyrical and romantic stories that I have ever read. I cannot recommend this book more. READ IT.

Lightening That Lingers by Sharon & Tom Curtis eISBN- 978-0-307-798824

A shy insecure librarian named Jennifer Hamilton ends up at the Cougar Club with her co-workers. A male strip club and she's the girl who escaped anything in school that involved sex or the body. She does notice the sound man though. A handsome man who's blue eyes connect with her a man who is the third dancer of the night and the star of the show.

Philip Brooks had a mansion and land, he was a Biologist and he had an owl and chicken for pets. To pay for everything he was a male stripper. He notices the brown eyed girl looking at him differently than any woman ever had. Not with the lust in her eyes but once he started dancing he seen her distaste.

Philip meets Jennifer again while she is doing a library fundraiser and they do get to know each other. He shows her the nature on his land and his pets. And as love grows between them he wonders how long before his job separates them.

There are some mild sexual situations in this book.

Book received through NetGalley for review

More of a 4+ star story. This book was a great read. The tender and passionate romance unfolds very sweetly and sometimes unexpectedly. The authors have an evocative writing style that pulled me right into the story. That said, be forewarned that this is a book from the early '80s, so even with the authors' ability to draw me into the story, the book inevitably included cultural references that sometimes jerked me back out (e.g., wearing a sweatshirt with E.T. on it or one of the secondary characters' driving a Gremlin).

Some notes on the characters:

I loved Philip, who is a sensitive, gentle wildlife biologist who just happens to have been born with perfect features, which he capitalizes on as a stripper because that is the avenue that would bring him the most money to use to maintain a wildlife preserve on his family's land. He's a sexy beta most of his life, except (a) when he has to put on his stage mask for his stripping act and (b) when he is initially pursuing Jenny. I say "initially" because Philip soon realizes that his attraction to her feels different from any of his past interactions with women, who simply objectify and aggressively pursue him. He's drawn to Jenny's innocence (a cliche, I know, but work with me) and the gentle but spirited girl that lies under her seemingly frigid facade. Philip falls pretty hard and pretty fast, but it's obvious that he wasn't afraid to recognize "the one" when she came along.

Jenny, a children's librarian, is shy with men, and I was a little apprehensive at first when I saw how retiring she was. I was afraid that her character would annoy me with her fear of men and what I expected to be her reticence in recognizing her own attraction to Philip. Thankfully, such was not the case. Jenny is just untutored, and it took the right man (i.e., Philip) to open up her eyes to passion and love. It was very sweet to watch.

Overall: A great story. As expected, his profession is an issue through which they have to work, but there are no Big Misunderstandings or other major strife to stand in the way of the love story. I was actually a little surprised by how quickly they were to fall in love with each other, but, considering their characters and their respective openness to finding "the one," it worked for me ultimately.

top notch transaction in every way.
And the book is delightful.
Don't pester me with the number of words ...... What I said is what I have to say.