The First Spark

Sparkwood: Scenes from a Small Town, Book 1

By: M.L. Broome

Narrated by: Oliver Highpoint, Marie Hawkins

I have a very big problem...in the form of one very petite woman.

Don't get me wrong. I adore women, and if you ask any female in Sparkwood, you'll learn the feeling is mutual. With one tiny exception.

Oriana Thorne is a literal thorn in my side—a plucky, infuriatingly gorgeous, pain in the rear who rents the store next to mine.

We've disliked each other from the beginning, or at least since she marched into my shop and started issuing demands. Needless to say, I didn't roll out the welcome mat after that meet-hate.

I'd love to avoid the woman until the end of my days, but as fate would have it, I need her help. Without her approval, my plan to open a speakeasy beneath our shops is dead in the water. Considering Oriana is as fond of me as I am of her, winning her assistance will be no easy feat.

So, when a faulty lock forces the two of us to spend the night together, it's anyone's guess if we'll survive until morning. But that's a chance I'm willing to take. What's the worst that can happen? It's not like I'm going to fall in love with the woman....

Contains mature themes.

©2024 Julie E. Soper (P)2025 Tantor Media

I found this book frustrating

This is part 1 of a 2 part story (and part of a larger series as well) so be sure you're ready for the not-HEA. That's not the problem though.

My issue was the repetitive nature and beating a dead horse aspect of the whole thing... She's not his type, he's a giant playboy. She's a mousy librarian (but beautiful, of course) and he's almost literally god's gift to women. She believes in happily ever after, he was hurt and - boohoo - isn't interested in love anymore. She kept chasing him, hoping to change him and he kept calling her his but denying that he was hers and calling her a friend all the time.

Plus all the disgusting objectification of other women the whole time and talk about them all throwing themselves at him.

I found it difficult to get on board with the FMC continuing to throw herself in the way of a giant manwhore bus. I did finish but if I hadn't bought the 2nd book already I probably would have stopped there.