Flash (Krentz novel)

Critic Erin Young believes this novel, along with Krentz's other novels Soft Focus and Sharp Edges, are carving out a new subgenre of the romance novel, the corporate romance.^[4] In these works, the hero and heroine are professional equals. In Flash, the protagonists share control of a business and also each own their own successful businesses. Unlike in many earlier contemporary romance novels, the central conflict is a battle for control of work-related endeavors. They form a partnership not because they like each other, but because they cannot achieve their professional goals alone.^[4]

Family is a recurring theme in Flash. The company that Olivia and Jasper own primarily employees Olivia's blood relatives. Their roles within the company are similar to their roles within the family hierarchy. The employees use their personal connections to help each other and each other's business ventures. Jasper, who is unused to having the lines being home and work blurred in this manner, is at first resistant to the idea of family and family employees. As he sees how lucrative the familial connections can be to the business, he becomes more open to the idea that family ties are good. By the end of the novel he has come full circle and embraces the nepotism of the business and desires a family of his own.^[4]

Flash was a Romantic Times Top Pick, earning 4.5 out of 5 stars. Reviewer Jill Smith praised the book's humor.^[5] A Publishers Weekly review noted the formulaic nature of many of Krentz's plots, but concluded that Flash was an enjoyable example of Krentz's prowess in creating romantic suspense novels with charismatic characters.^[3]