Book Review: Lord of Lightning by Suzanne Foster

Lord of Lightning by Suzanne Foster is a 2011 reissue of a novel originally published in 1990. A mysterious stranger in the small town of Shady Trees is bound to bring suspicion from the locals, especially when combined with stopping clocks and children insisting they have spotted a UFO and a strange figure glowing green that just happened to bring a bird back to life. Miss Lise Anderson is the straight laced school teacher trying to convince her students, and the town that nothing extraterrestrial is happening. But after a few encounters with the mysterious Stephen Gage Lise is certain that there is some electricity in the air.

Lord of Lightning left me with mixed feelings. It feels a little dated, but since it is a reprint that is not too unexpected. Lise is a prim school teacher in an extremely small town. She does not believe in the crazy rumors surrounding the newest member of the town, but seems willing to take whatever he is willing to offer her- although she does offer up the token protests. Stephen is certainly mysterious, and I like that his character keeps the mysterious air through out the book. In fact, there were moments when readers might find themselves wondering if he really is an alien or something paranormal. He has a tragic back-story, and an attraction to Lise that he seems unable to deny. The book walked the line between category romance and erotica, but never really seemed to excel at either one. I was left feeling rather let down, only because I have enjoyed more recent books from Foster, and thought she could have done much more here. But, perhaps this just shows how far she has come as an author since this book was originally published.

Lord of Lightning has great potential to be great category romance or erotica, but missed the mark. It seemed to walk the unexpected line between the two. It was a quick read, and showed me how much Foster has grown as an author, but was not a book I would widely recommend. Readers that are big fans of Foster might want to give it a look, to see the photos and information she has included about her life in the back, and to appreciate how much she has grown as an author.