New Release Review: When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting
About the Book
Charming, hilarious, and emotional...When Sparks Fly is Helena Hunting at her very best!
Avery Spark is living her best life. Between her friends, her sisters, and Spark House, the event hotel her family owns, she doesn’t have much time for anything else, especially relationships. She’d rather hang out with her best friend and roommate, Declan McCormick, than deal with the dating scene. But everything changes when she is in a car accident and needs someone to care for her as she heals.
Declan avoids relationships, giving him a playboy reputation that he lives up to when he puts a one-night stand ahead of a promise he made to Avery. While he may not have been the one driving the car, he feels responsible for Avery’s injuries and is determined to make it up to her by stepping into the role of caretaker.
Little did they know that the more time they spend in compromising positions, the attraction they’ve been refusing to acknowledge becomes impossible to ignore. When they finally give in to the spark between them, neither is prepared for the consequences. Their love is fragile and all it will take is a blow from the past to shatter it all.
Review
When Sparks Fly is a friends to lovers and forced proximity romance. For me, the first 60%-70% was the most enjoyable.
After a serious accident, Avery was in need of personal care until her body healed. Declan wanted to be there for her, so he began assisting her with her tasks for daily living. Things started to heat up between them and soon the boundaries between friends and lovers was blurred.
Though there were a few good steamy scenes, I found it difficult to invest in the development of their romantic relationship.
What didn't work for me was once Avery was mostly recovered and she no longer relied on Declan, the romance lost some of its sizzle. That, and at times Declan made decisions that were frustrating and problematic.
Overall the transition from "friends" to "lovers" worked nicely, but "lovers" to "in-love" just didn't feel genuine; the connection wasn't strong enough. By the end I felt the characters were better as friends.
So, while I was entertained by the story and characters, I wasn't swept away by the romance.
*TW/CW: Car accident on page; death; PTSD
**Complimentary copy for review provided by St. Martin's Press. All opinions expressed here are honest and entirely my own.
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About the Author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author HELENA HUNTING lives outside of Toronto with her amazing family and her two awesome cats, who think the best place to sleep is her keyboard. She writes all things romance -- contemporary, romantic comedy, sports and angsty new adult. Some of her books include Meet Cute, Pucked, and Shacking Up. Helena loves to bake cupcakes, has been known to listen to a song on repeat 1512 times while writing a book, and if she has to be away from her family, prefers to be in warm weather with her friends.
