Score: 3.75/5 Bookmarks

Steam Level: 🍆🍆/5

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and Macmillan Audio for gifting me review copies of When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting!

This is only my second book by Helena Hunting, but certainly won’t be my last. In fact, I think Meet Cute might have been one of the very first romance books I ever read!

Avery Spark’s parents died in a car crash and not only does she have issues getting in any car, let alone being behind the wheel, but her and her sisters have taken on the duties required for running the family business. This has required a lot of sacrifices, but they’re working hard to make Spark House a destination spot in Colorado Springs.

Avery’s love life is fairly non-existent but she lives with her best friend Declan and has a good group of guy friends, not to mention her sisters, to keep her company.

When Avery gets in a car crash (on a strip of highway I’ve driven myself more than a few times) on her way to Boulder, her life comes screeching to a halt. She’s suddenly reliant on everyone else in a way she doesn’t usually like to be. Out of necessity, her and Declan become much closer and he looks after her in such a sweet way. When it becomes apparent that there are other needs she can’t fulfill herself, with a broken arm and leg, Declan says he’ll help her out, purely as a friend…right?

There were some seriously traumatic events in this book, but levity as well. It took me a little while to warm to the characters and I definitely had a few moments of annoyance with them. This is a good friends-to-lovers romance with a bit of forced proximity as well.

The audiobook is narrated by Jason Clarke and Stella Bloom. Both of them have an impressive number of romance audiobooks under their belt (so to speak) so it’s likely you’ll recognize their voices. I thought they did a great job bringing the characters to life. The audiobook is 8 hours and 32 minutes long, and went by in a flash.

Click the button below to get a physical copy for yourself, or download the audiobook right now.

Synopsis:

Running the Spark House, a hotel/event space that has been in her family for years, has been Avery Spark’s lifelong dream. After years of working hard and making personal sacrifices, Avery and her two younger sisters have turned the Spark House into the premier destination in Colorado Springs. Avery is living her best life—she works with her sisters and loves every minute of it, she has a great group of friends, and she lives in a fantastic condo with her best friend Declan. She might not have any love in her life, but she's happy.

But everything comes to a screeching halt when Avery is in a car accident, leaving her immobile for weeks. After nearly losing Avery, Declan insists that he will be the one to take care of her while she recovers. However, as Declan becomes Avery’s caretaker, lines begin to blur.

Avery and Declan have been best friends since college and always had an attraction to one another, but when she ended up dating his best friend, Sam, they successfully stamped down any feelings they may have ever had for one another. Now, as Declan and Avery spend more time together, they each begin to wonder what would’ve happened if she'd dated him instead of Sam. What starts as a friend helping out another friend turns into foreplay and, before they realize it, they recognize how deeply they care for one another. But when things get serious their past threatens to destroy everything they have built.