“The Spark” by Sylvie Stewart
I was given a digital copy of The Spark by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Overall Rating: 
Watch Out For: Frequent vulgar language and two “adult” scenes.
Fiona is a wealthy childhood cancer survivor haunted by survivor’s guilt. She is spunky, spazzy, and daring despite the invisible scars left by her childhood fight for her life. Mark is a gym junkie content to bounce from woman to woman until a nearly disastrous experience has him rethinking his life and his relationships.
Fiona and Mark’s paths cross when Mark’s father, who abandoned his family years earlier, returns to town. He has been beaten to a pulp by dangerous men to whom he owes money. His estranged family is dragged into the drama when his attackers threaten Mark’s mother, Kelly. Mark and Fiona join forces to protect his mother and find the money his father has hidden somewhere. In the course of their adventure, Mark decides that if he’s going to try this real relationship thing, it’s going to be with Fiona. But Fiona is convinced that she just isn’t relationship material. Will love win in the end? Or will Fiona’s inner demons keep her from happiness?
Overall, I found The Spark charming and fun. It wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, but if you are a fan of romance novels, this will definitely appeal to you. As far as romance novels go, it’s absolutely perfect. Fun, flirty, and sexy. I actually found the plot enjoyable, though my attention began to wane a little bit when the conflict was resolved 60% of the way through the book. The rest was just relationship drama – though again, very typical of a romance novel. So if you love romance novels, you will love this book.
Pros: Fiona is delightful. Her inner voices are amusing and her tendency to ramble had me smiling often. There are many fun and well-fleshed-out supporting characters that give depth to this charming read. But the best character in the book is definitely Kelly, Mark’s wonderfully endearing mother. My favorite parts of the book were the scenes in which Fiona and her friend Laney spent quality time with Kelly. Spoiler alert: I also very much appreciated the fact that Fiona got help for her issues at the end. Rather than just using them as a plot device, the writer wisely and sensitively decided to have Fiona take her problems seriously and get help from professionals. This wasn’t a quick fix, either. Much appreciated.
Cons: I found it difficult to get over the original nasty impression you get of Mark. I liked Fiona a lot, but I couldn’t help thinking sometimes that she could do better than Mark. The constant swearing was a little much for me. Maybe I’m a prude, but I found it distracting. I was also a little disappointed with the climax. I never once believed that any of the characters were truly in danger. I guess I would have enjoyed more urgency. Spoiler alert: Also, for all the effort the author went to to make Fiona a strong-willed and brave character, she was basically useless at the climax. I would have enjoyed seeing her sweet-talk her way out of trouble when it really mattered, instead of sitting stunned in the car while Mark did the work.
Favorite Quote: “A relationship meant transparency. It meant vulnerability. It meant he would find out who I really am and all the things about me that are broken.”
The Spark is the second book in a series (though I read it as a stand-alone without any trouble). The first book is called The Fix. You can find The Fix HERE and The Spark HERE. Both books are available in ebook and paperback.
