Book review: WHEN SPARKS FLY, by Monica Murphy

This was a sweet, easy romance read with lovely character growth! For me, Monica Murphy is the queen of YA romances, but this one didn’t have quite the same spark as previous ones. Maybe it’s because the characters are older — 22 and 29 — or because the plot is more linear, with most of the angst coming from side characters who will clearly get their own book next. Still, I enjoyed it a lot, especially Wyatt and Rachel.

Rachel starts off as a pampered New York girl who’s been humiliated by a charming British jerk, and she escapes to her family’s house in California to hide and breathe. A small accident (okay… a fire) brings Wyatt, the local fire captain, into her life. He thinks she’s clueless, and honestly, she kind of is — but she owns her mistakes, and that’s what made me like her from the start.

What really won me over was Rachel’s growth. Cut off financially and stranded in a small town, she takes a job at a local restaurant, works hard, makes friends, and slowly proves to herself that she’s capable. Watching her flourish was my favorite part of the book.

Wyatt is a single dad with a sweet daughter and emotional scars. Their romance builds slowly, with both of them fighting their feelings because they know summer won’t last forever. There’s some small‑town jealousy, some family tension, and one big life‑changing event that shakes everything up.

Even though the story didn’t have the usual Murphy magic for me, it was still warm, charming, and full of heart. Rachel and Wyatt are easy to root for, and Rachel’s journey from sheltered to strong made the whole book worth it.

Purchase links

FREE with Kindle Unlimited

https://bit.ly/3Mt4Uqb

Audible: https://bit.ly/48LYKd6

Narrated by: Tor Thom & Kelsey Navarro Foster

Paperback: https://geni.us/IuaekK8

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4oCZJRR

About the author

Monica Murphy is a New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling author. She writes new adult, young adult and contemporary romance.

She is a wife and a mother of three who lives in central California on fourteen acres in the middle of nowhere, along with their four cats and one crazy dog. She's a firm believer in happy endings, though she will admit to sometimes putting her characters through tough, angst-filled moments before they finally get that hard won HEA.

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Book review: THEN THERE WAS YOU, by S.L. Scott

This book felt like watching two lonely souls finally find the one person who sees them. Keats Mathews grew up with nothing—an alcoholic mother who chose the bar over him, a childhood built on ramen and white bread, and a life where he had to raise himself. And yet, he’s this quiet, hardworking, beautiful soul who studies finance on a scholarship, writes in secret, and works every job he can find just to stay afloat.

The moment that truly got me was the way he answers the second line of a poem she quotes, like it came straight from his heart. Thud. I melted.

Sosie Stansbury is his opposite on paper—billionaire daughter, fancy life, all the resources in the world. But she’s neglected, paraded around for show, and basically raised by staff while her parents chase their social calendar. Even her birthday isn’t hers. She’s rich in money and poor in love.

Their first meeting on Christmas Eve felt magical. She steals a cigarette from him and accidentally steals his heart too. They spend one night together that is absolutely not a hookup—it’s two people recognizing each other’s loneliness and offering warmth. He can’t promise her much, but he offers himself completely, and she accepts.

And then her father destroys everything. The threats, the manipulation, the way she sacrifices her own happiness to protect Keats—it broke me. When Keats shows up to return her phone and gets threatened too, both of them walk away shattered.

Years pass. Keats becomes the golden boy of his firm. Sosie becomes the perfect daughter in a fake relationship. They meet again, twice, and both times it feels like fate is trying so hard to push them together, but life keeps getting in the way. Star‑crossed lovers indeed.

When Greg traps her with a public proposal and she runs—runs—straight to Keats, I cheered. From that moment, they choose each other, even when everything else falls apart. She gets cut off, loses her cards, her job, her safety net. He gets mugged and she finds him unconscious in a hospital, staying by his side until he’s discharged. They rebuild their lives together, piece by piece.

Sosie gets a job, picks up photography again, starts healing. Keats reconnects with his mother, who is finally sober and trying. Their worlds slowly knit into something warm and real.

The wedding scene—simple, intimate, with only the people who truly love them—was perfect. And the ending, with Sosie showing him the positive pregnancy test, felt like the softest, sweetest full‑circle moment.

This story is about love, yes, but also about choosing yourself, choosing healing, choosing the person who sees you when no one else ever did. It’s tender, hopeful, and full of heart. I loved every page.

Purchase links

https://geni.us/TTWYAm

Available in KU 

About the author

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, S.L. Scott, writes character driven, heart-racing suspense, and swoony romances that will leave you glued to the page. With stories ranging from witty beach reads to heart wrenching and heart healing, her stories are highly regarded as emotional, relatable, and captivating.

Her books are more than escapes for the voracious readers of today. They are journeys of the heart that always come with a happily ever after reward at the end.

For more information, visit her website and sign up for her newsletter. She also loves to connect with readers on social media.

Connect with S.L. Scott:

https://linktr.ee/s.l.scott

Book review: THE SPACE BETWEEN, by Sarah Ready

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 “What’s your lyric,” she says, watching me in the mirror. “Your lyric for right now?”

This book broke me! I think I cried more than in any other book I’ve previously heard.  So much heartbreak, so much love, so much living is enclosed in this book.  And yet, it’s very positive, there’s no rancor, only love and best wishes for the one they love.

Andi and Jace met in Central Park, one day Jace was busking with his brothers and friends, then bullies from his school came and thrashed him.  Andi came to his rescue, ran the bullies away and they became best friends on that day, just because Andi declared it.  

Jace’s parents died years ago, and his older brother Dean is raising him and his brother River.  They are all musical prodigies, they play to raise money for food.  But they have ambitions to play for the world, to help people with their music.  Andi immediately attached to them, and follows them to their house, to their practices and to their gigs.

Andi is really Andrea Leighton-Hughes, daughter of a mega billionaire who lives in the top four floors of The Tower, a building that is decadently and ridiculously decorated.  In spite of her riches, she’s lonely and loveless, since her mother ignores her and her father only sees his children as tools  for his prestige and reputation.  Only with Jace does she feel seen and appreciated.

Their story is turbulent, charged with emotions, and doomed by the disapproval of Jace’s big brother who sees Andi as a hindrance. They are torn apart more than once, by tragic events out of their control.  What is extraordinary is that the love is always present, and there is no regret, no hate, no anger.  Only love and the sadness that they are not together.  

“I send her all my love, I send her my wishes for happiness, and this time around, if she hears me singing, I hope she feels only joy.”

It’s an emotional rollercoaster, narrated in beautiful prose and detailed descriptions, full of beautiful characters and not so beautiful characters.  I was enthralled throughout the whole book!

Purchase links

 bit.ly/3I9PgLi

 

Add to Goodreads: bit.ly/42rZ5wl

 

About the author

Author Sarah Ready writes contemporary romance and romantic comedy. Her books have been described as “euphoric”, “heartwarming” and “laugh out loud”. Her debut novel The Fall in Love Checklist was hailed as “the unicorn read of 2020”. She loves to write fast-paced, emotionally compelling romances about quirky, smart women and the men who love them.

 

Before writing romance full-time Sarah had lots of fun teaching at an Ivy League. Then she realized she could have even more fun writing romance. Her favorite things after writing are adventuring and travel. You’ll frequently find her using her degree at a dino dig site, crawling into a cave, snorkeling, or on horseback riding through the jungle – all fodder for her next book. She’s lived in Scotland, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland and NYC. She currently lives in the Caribbean with her water-obsessed pup and her awesome family.

You can visit her online at www.sarahready.com

 

Connect with Sarah

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2PVEe4j

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3wt7D6B

BookBub: https://bit.ly/3wtATKA

Website: http://sarahready.com/

Stay up to date with all the things and subscribe to Sarah’s mailing list: https://bit.ly/3sWxUbe