Chain Lightning

by Elizabeth Lowell

From a top-selling fiction writer comes a romance set amid Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Their association is supposed to be strictly business, and they are very different people. But the tropics create a different world. And for Mandy and Damon, paradise is only a heartbeat away.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Audiobook, Adult, Romantic Suspense

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 1988

About the author

Individually and with co-author/husband Evan, Ann Maxwell has written over 60 novels and one work of non-fiction. There are 30 million copies of these books in print, as well as reprints in 30 foreign languages. Her novels range from science fiction to historical fiction, from romance to mystery. After working in contemporary and historical romance, she became an innovator in the genre of romantic suspense.

In 1982, Ann began publishing as Elizabeth Lowell. Under that name she has received numerous professional awards in the romance field, including a Lifetime Achievement award from the Romance Writers of America (1994).

Since July of 1992, she has had over 30 novels on the New York Times bestseller list. In 1998 she began writing suspense with a passionate twist, capturing a new audience and generation of readers. Her new romance novel Perfect Touch will be available in July of 2015.

To get a full list of titles as well as read excerpts from her novels, visit www.elizabethlowell.com.

Reviews

[Aly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay. I felt really bad for Mandy for what she went through and the lasting effects it had. She needed counseling, especially when she can't even take a bath because her PTSD is so bad. Then she was tricked into a trip and forced on a plane without her consent. Then Damon was a super jerk to her. Even if he didn't know why she was afraid, he had no right to act like her fears weren't valid. I didn't really like him, he kept hurting her. I was glad to see Mandy start to overcome her fears and be happy.

[Maddux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read. This may be the first Elizabeth Lowell novel in which I didn't find the hero to be a complete ass bag.

4.5 stars.

[Michelle Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me start out by saying this book was not horrible, but it was definitely not my cup of tea. The begging was by far the best part of the book. After that, it was pretty much a dud for me.

If you like simple, drama-free, easy beachside romances, you'll like this book.

I need action, drama, angst or an interesting plot at the very least.

The sex scenes were super-vanilla and boring. The most exciting sex in the book is when Mandy walks in on her then-husband cheating on her. That guy might have been a d-bag, but he at least knew what to do with a woman in bed. Thankfully, Mandy goes on to find Sutter, her hero, who is just as boring in bed she is. They make love, he touches her like she's a porcelain doll, and it's slow, sweet, sensual. . .

::snoring::

Sorry, I fell asleep again just thinking about it :)

[Ivonne. · Rating 3 out of 5]

#RetoRita2.0 Una historia de segundas oportunidades, sencilla, sin mucho drama y un final previsible y un poco apresurado, la protagonista me ha gustado que sea fuerte inteligente y que se esfuerza por vencer sus miedos y traumas.

[Alix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seriously, I just love this book. I've loved this book for many years; it is a total guilty pleasure read of mine and I return to it often.

I mean, let's face it, the classic romance novel from the late 80s/early 90s does tend to have some cringe-worthy text moments, but I do not even care. I love the characters, I love the cheese factor, I love the story (just the right amount of smut and angst and adventure) and I never get tired of reading it.

Always, always on my favourites shelf.

Reread: December 2015

[Carolyn F. · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was pretty awful and I ended up just skimming it. When a friend asks Mandy if she's seen a ghost and she asks for a mirror so she can see the crazy Broad, who dumb 1930s cliche is this phrase or what!? I've read other people saying her books are good so I skimmed the rest and it's pretty bad throughout including the ending. Sucky book. Would not recommend it.

[VampDiva · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a romance novel written in the 1980's, this book had quite a lot of sexual action during the second part of the book. I liked Mandy because she was smart and strong willed and could take care of herself.

[Michele bookloverforever · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyable..

[Leila Mota · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leio ou releio romances para acalmar a ansiedade, para me divertir, para me emocionar, ou para relembrar quando era jovem e os via como contos de fadas para adultos. Comecei relendo (ou lendo, faz tanto tempo que alguns livros não sei se já tinha lido) Linda Howard, e passei para Elizabeth Lowell. Alguns desses romances publicados entre a década de 1980 e 1990 ou um pouco mais à frente eu guardei na minha biblioteca do Kindle. Alguns eu tenho até em paperback. Outros eu descartei (e outros desses eu me arrependi de ter descartado e comprei de novo - coisa de doido).
Lendo assim no "atacado", consolidei algumas observações e adicionei outras. É óbvio que sempre soube que essas escritoras (e outros escritores do gênero) têm como que um modelo, e repetem características de personagens e argumentos, às vezes até ambientação, mesmo que variem regiões de um mesmo país ou até outro país. Não significa que não saibam escrever. Em tempos de inteligência artificial, não troco essas autoras clássicas do gênero por qualquer inteligência artificial ou por outras que não sabiam a diferença entre um "you're" e um "your" (leio preferencialmente em inglês, ler romance traduzido é igual a ver filme dublado, patético). Esses autores me irritam, bem como os inexistentes ou igualmente ignorantes editores. Porque falta muita edição/revisão. O que é uma observação recente que fiz nos livros de Lowell que tenho lido. A displicência das editoras é revoltante. Enfim.
Vou repetir este texto em todos os livros que li na última semana, porque a conclusão é a mesma. Embora alguns livros tenham me entretido mais, e outros tenham me parecido exagerados na suposta sensibilidade dos personagens principais. E nem é só da mulher.
Esqueci de dizer que uma boa parte dos textos se perde na excessiva descrição de detalhes das profissões dos personagens ou ambientações. Não preciso saber de detalhes geológicos, ou coisas assim.
Esse livro específico me agradou num ponto: na sensibilidade com que a autora trata de certos traumas ou medos ou fobias - não estou usando uma terminologia científica porque não sou especialista. E o homem é menos tosco do que os dos outros romances.
Os livros que escolhi (como emendei um no outro, fui mais pelo preço ou pela possibilidade de estar disponível no Kindle Unlimited para empréstimo) são de uma época em que a autora podia passar incólume pelo padrão de "homem que odeia mulheres porque elas o feriram" e mulheres que apesar de terem uma carreira, são "inexperientes", seja total ou parcialmente, sempre devido a um ex que também odiava mulheres e as traumatizaram. Não que atualmente não haja homens patéticos (haja vista os chamados red pills, e como pouco mudou a cultura de homens que acham que são proprietários de mulheres e as maltratam ou fazem até coisa pior). Mas fica muito difícil acreditar que em tempos de internet, ainda haja alguém que desconheça as facetas múltiplas do relacionamento físico entre pessoas.
Isso posto, concluo que realmente uma das razões pelas quais esses livros me entretêm é ressoarem numa pessoa que consegue entender o que é uma relação mal-sucedida entre seres humanos por razões absolutamente triviais, ou mesmo por falta de caráter de uma das partes. Os seres humanos são defeituosos desde sempre. E romances continuarão a ser lidos porque uma parte de nós não acredita mais em conto de fadas realizado.

[Simcyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the tension. Their fighting their connection.

One thing I didn't like is that he makes a statement about not having a condom so they should stop and she saying "it's all right". She knew that he was thinking that her statement meant that she was on birth control. She wasn't... it only meant that she would like to become pregnant by him. In fact, she frequent made statements to herself about her hope of pregnancy. Wonder of wonder he ended up being ecstatic and professing his love of her when he finds her with child. I find the situation, not like rape, but close. A woman doesn't have sex with a man with the idea of becoming pregnant without the man knowing that it is her desire. If he is OK with a noncommittal relationship with the possibility of a child, then fine. But he needs to know.

Another thing I didn't like were the sex scenes. They were long and, in my opinion, not needed. The first one where the tide was coming, which could have been good for her to associate a good memory with the water, perhaps, but to go on and on.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was this good? Probably not. Was this whole thing crazy in a fun way? Absolutely.

Look, it's an 80s romance. You know what you're getting into with it. Waif thin heroine and emotionless hero. It's still great and honestly better than many books of its era and our own.

I picked it up because someone on twitter mentioned that the hero tries to stop having sex because he doesn't want to create unwanted children and the heroine was like don't worry, but turns out all she meant was that no children would be unwanted??? And I was like that's insane. But it happens and it kinda makes sense in context.

A fun trip to the past.

[Wordsworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. My second E. Lowell book, and definitely the better of the two.

This book has one of the most effective slow-build erotic scenes I've ever read, worth coming back to sometime just for that. As for the rest, it's a pretty good story with a sweet romance and some good self-directed therapy, with a few weird moments that rubbed me the wrong way in the typical manner of 80s romance novels. Among them is the author's willingness to exploit the heroine by making her helplessly vulnerable and throwing her into some traumatizing situations, but at least those aren't about sexual assault.

[The Unabridged Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the premise of the heroine’s backstory and the hero turned out to be better than I originally thought. However, her ordeal was presented as justification for her to set out to get pregnant without Sutter’s knowledge or consent. Then, she ran away because she was worried about the consequences? A bit too late for that, isn’t it? Sorry, but the deliberate way she made him think that pregnancy wasn’t possible, then using word games later to suggest that this made it okay, makes her a sexual manipulator. Ruined the whole 2nd half of the book for me.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mandy had everything taken from her when she discovered her husband's infidelity and then he died. As she overcomes that harrowing experience, she gives up everything she worked for and loved. Damon Sutter appears to be an egotistical playboy, playing at working. But when Mandy and Damon, thanks to his interfering aunt's (who happens to Mandy's new boss) interference, they spend a vacation on the Great Barrier Reef, learning about themselves, each other, and the people they now are.

[Aleksandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got this in a care package from the Ripped Bodice (which is to say, it was a surprise book I didn't pick). It was a fun read -- gave me all sorts of movie-style '80s office vibes in the beginning. Most of the book is set in Australia, though, on a small island. Not a super healthy relationship and not up to the standard of modern romances on pesky things like safe sex and consent. Nevertheless, it was a quick beachy (literally) read.

[Maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm such a huge fan of the hate-to-love romance trope. I was initially very unsettled by Sutter's reaction to Mandy's PTSD and terror of flying/swimming. However, once he got over his initial reaction and failed past with women, he really approaches her trauma in such a constructive and supportive way. I will say though, that their story progressed so quickly that their love was a bit unbelievable towards the end.

[LMH · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting to read a romance from the 80s.

There are definitely some aspects that just wouldn’t fly today.

But the story was okay. Strong, impressive female lead character, which is nice (especially for the timeline which the book was written).

Sex scenes weren’t steamy. More … overly descriptive and gentle?

Not sure I’d need to read more from this author. Will definitely be novels for someone to love, but not necessarily my jam.

[Aisling · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be fair this was published 30 years ago but far out - racist and belittling to women, I only finished it because I was so far in. Usually I love a good mills & boon for the trash factor but this was absurd - one line weirdly sexualised the beachwear of small children and at another point the male protagonist seemed to be so repulsed by the female that he was about to throw up????? Weird read.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy her writing, and I really enjoyed these two main characters. I appreciated that the plot was loosely plausible. I don’t like the idea of trying to have a baby without telling the father. It really bothers me. But this morning when I reflect back about the book overall I enjoyed it and thought it was well done

[Jeannie Flynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old fashioned 80's romance

There are certain dated mores the hero clings to, and the obsession of the ending with pregnancy isn't so prevalent now, but the gutsy heroine who claws past fear to reclaim her lost life and the hero who had way more sensitivity than even men today creates a satisfying, heart warming story

[Lynette Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

a good story she is a diver when she arrives early only to discover her older husband is cheating on her -later flying them back from an island when he suffers a heart attack she is taken down with the plane but is rescued she now has problems with small aircraft and diving

[Judy Tarver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good romance, always well written by this author. Some of her tales are similar with the heroine and men who have reason to mistrust women and sometimes vise versa but it is always told in a very interesting way and keeps the build up going with every page.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read this book before, years ago and really liked it so it was a good choice for an escape today.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romance.

[Monica Ruiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book made me ugly cry, but it was a really good read. She overcame her fears, and they fell in love!!!!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

very quick read... perfect for the beach!

[Danielle Layne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my go to books for road trips. Because it makes me laugh and keeps me entertained.

[Denise Schmutz McMann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow

[Jenny Luehring · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esey beach read

[Tara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I had read this before. Lowell does sexy very well, but the plot was a little slow and formulatic. It was an old Harlequin.