Title: When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
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 by Helena Hunting is a sizzling friends to lovers romance.
Twenty-eight-year-old Avery Sparks loves sports and lives with her best friend from college Declan McCormick. Her only long-term romance occurred in college and resulted in heartbreak so is not in the market for a relationship. She works alongside her two younger sisters, London and Harley, at their family-owned events hotel. Looking to expand their clientele, Avery is involved in a serious car accident when she is on her way to a college game and meeting with the alumni association. Her recovery period is long and Declan volunteers to help her at home because of his guilt over not driving to the event with her as planned. Their close proximity brings their long-repressed mutual attraction out in the open and they begin a heated relationship that turns into a romance. But will Declan’s trust issues ruin their chance at happiness?
Avery is low maintenance and high energy with plenty of enthusiasm for planning events for their hotel. She is happy with her life and enjoys hanging out with her sisters, Declan and their friends Jerome and Mark. Avery does not want to take a chance on ruining their friendship, so she ignores her attraction to Declan and puts him firmly in the friend zone. But during her recovery from the car accident, Avery’s very close contact with Declan leaves her fighting her desire for him. She also is well aware that he is not boyfriend material but will she change her mind as their relationship begins to venture into relationship territory?
Declan is very charming but his parents’ dysfunctional marriage leaves him with a serious inability to commit to anyone. He feels incredibly guilty over his role in Avery’s accident and he will do anything for her during her recovery. Despite his unease, their relationship turns intimate and Declan realizes his feelings for her have always run deeper than friendship. But having never dealt with the emotional baggage from his parents’ marriage, is there any chance for a future between him and Avery?
When Sparks Fly is an amusing and sometimes poignant romance with redeemable characters. Avery has her own issues but they are nowhere as deeply rooted as Declan’s. Their friendship is extremely close and serves as a solid foundation for their transition to romance. The conflict late in the story is not exactly unexpected but it provides an opportunity for realistic character growth. Avery’s sisters, Harley and London are a wonderful characters so hopefully Helena Hunting will revisit them in the future works.
