Light Me Up

by Isabel Sharpe

The moment he sees Melissa Weber, photographer Jack Shea knows he wants her - as a model. (And maybe a little more.) Stunning, serene, and very, very sexy, she's perfect. But keeping his hands off Melissa is going to be way harder than he thought….

Once Melissa is in front of the camera, she comes to life, channeling a raw passion that the camera - and Jack - find irresistible. But each time she bares her body and soul, the intense sexual current between them grows stronger. And the more they give in to temptation, the more they both risk becoming exposed!

Genres: Romance, Harlequin Blaze, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Harlequin

Audible Audio

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Isabel Sharpe began writing in 1994 after leaving her job to raise her son. A former “bored housewife,” she has authored over twenty Harlequin novels and now writes women-focused fiction for Avon/HarperCollins, embracing her unexpected career.

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Light Me Up" is the story of Melissa, a control freak HR professional with high blood pressure, and Jack, a sexy, flirtatious photographer with commitmentphobia. Jack's taking pictures in the park one day and he spots Melissa in her yoga class, snaps a few photos, and he's totally gone on her from them on, taking loads of pictures of her without her knowledge because he's too chicken shit to actually talk to her.

In spite of what my tongue-in-cheek summary may suggest, I actually quite liked this book. It was a cute, quick read, and I liked Melissa and Jack, although they weren't my favourite characters ever. The plot was predictable (but this is a Harlequin, after all, they're pretty formulaic), but it was well-written, aside from a few flowery lines that made me roll my eyes. I enjoyed the dialogue. I enjoyed the way Melissa totally called Jack out on being a creepy stalker about the photos. My only real criticism is that I was disappointed in the way Sharpe handled the subplot involving Melissa's boss. She was painted as a bitter, nasty woman who thought of all men as the enemy, and ended up getting fired for drawing her female employees' attention to the wage gap between them and their male counterparts. While I understand that disclosing information about other employees' wages is a serious no-no, discussing the wage gap is important in combatting sexism, and I thought that should have been addressed. I also thought Sharpe missed a golden opportunity to hook Melissa's boss up with her dad — that might have softened her up a little, and rejuvenated her faith in love, giving that whole plotline a more satisfactory resolution.

Overall, this was a cute, but probably forgettable book that I doubt I'll read again. BUT — most of the time when I jump into the middle of an in-progress Harlequin series without reading the books that came before, I have no desire to read the other ones. In this case, I'm actually kind of interested to check out the other five(?) books. That's why this book gets four stars instead of three.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Friends With Benefits series and I have to admit that I liked it much better than the first. Jack & Melissa are both likable characters & it was a fun, quick read. Just as in the first, I was much more interested in the relationship between Bonnie & Seth. Those two captivate me for some reason! The third book in the series, Feels So Right, is obviously about Demi since she's the masseuse. Seth & Bonnie are secondary characters AGAIN! It's killing me! LoL in this book when they had their "encounter" there was no mention of a condom. I've been excited & patiently waiting for their story so I really hope she doesn't get pregnant because I'm not really a fan of romance novels that go in that direction. Read this if you want a quick, easy read and some of the suspense & excitement surrounding Seth & Bonnie.

[E. Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Besides Presents, Blaze is one of my favorite of Harlequin's lines but I ended up not finishing this one because I couldn't get past the hero's actions in the beginning before he even met the heroine. The writing was fine. No issue there. My issue is that the hero is a photographer and in the beginning of the novel he is taking pictures of the heroine in secret while he works up the nerve to approach her. Um. No. The author tries to play this creepiness off by having the hero acknowledge that many women COULD see it as creepy (uh, yeah) but once the women see that he is a legit photographer and how much he loves and respects women, they will understand he's not being creepy. Um. Yes. You still are. And the heroine was just....blah. A typical yoga practicing model-y type who just seemed to have no personality from the little I read. Did not finish.

[Rachel Reads Romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Friends With Benefits series. I enjoyed this book very much and it was better than the first book of the trilogy, Just One Kiss. It did start out rough but after the first few chapters it improved dramatically. I loved the characters and I really enjoy the camaraderie between the 5 friends. But the best part of the story is the sub plot that plays throughout the trilogy, Seth and Bonnie's romance (which is the only actual friends with benefits relationship). So far their story is my favorite part of the books and I am sorely disappointed that they did not get their own book instead

[Sandy Harroun · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the interaction between the friends (Friends with Benefits - the Come to Your Senses crew), but this book was just creepy in some places to me and dragged in others. I just wanted to be done with it. The best parts were the Bonnie and Seth. Looking forward to their story.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: Friends With Benefits
Category: Passion

[Annabeth Leong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isabel Sharpe is particularly good at pacing and keeping interesting subplots going. I consistently enjoy her books, and this is no exception.

[Brenda Audiobooks Only]

Narrated by Karen White -

[Maria Sanigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't breatheeee!!!