Spark by Brooke Cumberland
Series: Spark #1
Publication date: July 27th, 2013
Pages: 252
Synopsis (according to Goodreads):
When your past controls your future, how do you move forward?
Velaney Wills knows about that all too well.
Weak, powerless, and fearing the one person who has hurt her the most... can she overcome the barriers to move forward?
Being saved by a muscled Godsend was never on her agenda, but when firefighter, Eric Reilley comes into her life unexpectedly, everything changes.
Velaney has never felt loved or cared for, and her past prevents her from letting anyone in. Eric manages to break down her walls--despite the repercussions that come for them afterwards.
They have an undeniable spark--something she has never felt before, but will it be enough? Can love overcome all obstacles? Can they save each other to protect their love or will her past shatter everything she never knew she needed...?
**Spark is for mature audiences only--strong language, explicit sexual content, and sexual abuse are apparent.**
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Review:
For Christmas I recently acquired a new e-reader (an iPad Air 2) and as with most people who are given new toys I was anxious to see how the Kindle app compared to my Kindle Fire software. In doing so, of course I had to read some of the hundreds of books I have purchased and won over the years. I decided to go back to the beginning. Read some of the books that i have had the longest and who seem to have slipped through the cracks. Spark was one I have had for a while. I had won it from the author in a giveaway some time ago and never got around to reading it. Shame on me. Hunky firefighters and a troubled young girl with a traumatic past? Sounds like a good read to me just from that description alone.
Spark opens with Velaney being rescued from a fire in her apartment complex by her hunky firefighter neighbor who had just moved in a floor below her. Shy, introverted Velaney doesn't know what to make of the cocky man who seems to always be there when she needs him the most. She can't understand the draw she has to him and tries to combat her unexpected feelings for him by ignoring them completely. She has a troubling past that has caused her to swear off men entirely. If her past relationships are any indication she just is no good at the 'love' scene and will only end up hurting whoever she gets involved with. She is determined to keep Eric firmly rooted in the friend zone despite his determination to coax her to let them be more to each other.
As if her commitment issues aren't enough, the person responsible for Velaney's emotional and physical scars has started coming back around. She thought she was through with him and that she could finally attempt to have a happy life with her best friend and the sexy man determined to win her heart. Is Eric capable of saving Velaney from her past as well as her present?
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The cover was gorgeous and sometimes with a titillating cover comes a lackluster story. Instead, I found the story enticing and intriguing. I liked the way Velaney starts to transform from shy and chronically fearful victim to a strong and determined survivor. I found Velaney relatable and Eric to be droolworthy. The protagonists and even the antagonist were thrilling to watch interact. I was rooting for the couple to make it work and for the antagonist to get murdered in the most horrendous way possible. I'm not usually that blood thirsty.
Spark is a devastatingly beautiful story of survival and overcoming trauma through love and friendship.
