Avery Spark knows how to work hard and play hard. She works with her sisters at Spark House, a hotel and event space where she plans the events and her sisters London and Harper help her pull them off. Whether it’s a wedding for a bridezilla or a weekend for a bunch of guys who ride hobbyhorses for fun, Avery keeps the events rolling along. A lover of sports, she and her guy friends from college get together once a week to watch soccer and play on a team together.
She lives in a condo with her best friend Declan, who is one of the guy friends from college she plays soccer with. For a while in college, Avery was dating Declan’s best friend Sam. It was Declan who had broken Avery’s heart by telling her that Sam had been cheating on her. She lost a boyfriend but gained a best friend, but that’s all their relationship has been. Declan isn’t a relationship guy, and Avery is careful with her heart, so it was never a good combination for dating.
But when Avery asked him to drive her to their college so she could pitch the alumni association about using Spark House for events, Declan agreed. Avery could drive herself, but her tires are getting worn and she can’t get them replaced before her meeting. And the forecast is calling for rain. Avery has been nervous about driving in the rain ever since her parents were in a car accident in the rain.
And when Avery goes on a date the night before the meeting, Declan finds himself jealous and decides to make some bad decisions. He goes out to a bar and drinks and ends up bringing a woman home with him, so when Avery is ready to leave the next morning, Declan is not ready. Avery is irritated, but it’s fine. He can live his life how he wants. She’ll just drive his car. But he left it at the bar last night, having had too many drinks to safely drive home.
Avery sets out on the road alone, in her tiny car with the old tires, and she’s doing okay for a while. But then a kid in a white truck starts weaving in and out of the lanes, getting too close to the passing cars. Declan calls Avery to check up on her and to apologize )again) about leaving her in the lurch. So he hears the sound of metal scraping metal when the accident happens. He stays on the line until help arrives and finds out what hospital they’ll be taking Avery to. And then he calls her sisters and ells them what happened and heads to the hospital, where he hardly leaves her side for days.
Declan blames himself for the accident and vows to himself to take the best care of Avery until she’s back on her feet, which will take several weeks because of the breaks in her arm and leg as well as the other bruises and contusions. Declan orders all he equipment she’ll need to heal in their condo, and he arranges to work from home while he’s Avery’s caretaker. But what he can’t prepare for is how caring for Avery 24/7 will make him feel.
As the days go by, and Avery fights between frustration and hope, Declan is determined to work off his debt to her. After all, he should have driven her. She should never have been in the accident. But his guilt melts into tenderness as he sees her struggle with her new limitations, and all the times he spends in her presence reminds him of what an amazing woman she is. He finds himself developing genuine feelings for her, or maybe just feeling what he had kept buried for so long.
And as Avery sees this softer side to Declan, her feelings are stirred up too. A friendship is a really good starting point for a relationship, but is Declan able to go deeper? Does Avery want to risk her friendship with him to find out?
Prolific romance author Helena Hunting takes a look at whether best friends should become lovers in When Sparks Fly, her steamy new novel. Taking an honest look at the frustrations of physical limitations as well as the challenge of healing from emotional trauma, this novel doesn’t skim over the hard moments or the difficult conversations, and it definitely brings the fire.
I love how this romance is about two adults falling in love, meaning it’s about real-life feelings and consequences, not just rom com tropes that are charming but unrealistic. These characters have their feet planted on the ground at all times (even if one of those feet is in a cast). But since so much of the story happens in the condo, it feels a little claustrophobic. Declan does try to get Avery out of the house when he can, but with the severity of her injuries, there is only so much he can do. With Avery working with her sisters and living with Declan, her world seems limited. There is a lot of love there, but it does feel a little small. That being said, I think When Sparks Fly is a beautiful romance, and the friends-to-lovers storyline is done well, with depth and thoughtfulness.
Egalleys for When Sparks Fly were provided by St. Martin’s Griffin through NetGalley, with many thanks.
