When Sparks Fly by Monica Murphy @tor_thom @kelseynavfoster @brilliancepublishing #BookSky #WhenSparksFly

the setup…
Rachel Henderson is twenty-two and just suffered a humiliating breakup with her wealthy British boyfriend. She leaves her family’s New York City home for their lakefront vacation house in Foxglove Bay, California to nurse her wounds for the summer. But she inadvertently sets the house on fire with a candle mishap and ends up homeless after being rescued by the grumpy fire captain. Her angry father cuts her off, leaving her stranded with no money or a place to stay. Fortunately she’s befriended by Paige Lawrence, a nearby resort manager who takes her on as a roommate and helps her get a job at Mitchell’s Ice Cream, her side gig. It’s a small town and soon she runs into Wyatt McKinney, the fire captain and serious sparks fly.

the heart of the story…
I liked the idea of a spoiled rich girl having to suddenly make it on her own in a small resort town. Wyatt’s also a single dad with a six-year old daughter and that added another nice element. But it was mostly sexy times with little page time devoted to relationship development. I liked them both but couldn’t connect with the rapid ramp up.

the narration…
Tor Thom & Kelsey Navarro Foster voiced their characters nicely and made this a strong listening experience. I’m glad I opted to wait for the audiobook.

the bottom line…
I liked the story and it has a very strong start. Rachel was an authentic character, being completely naive about the working world but fully accepting her circumstances. It was wonderful how the town embraced her, taking their cues from Rachel trying to do a good job. She and Wyatt were a nice match and I just wish there was much more romance and less spice. Love the cover!

Book Info

• Release Date: July 28, 2026
• Narrators: Tor Thom & Kelsey Navarro Foster
• Audio Length: 10 hours, 34 minutes
• Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

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(Thanks to Blackstone Publishing for my complimentary copies. All opinions are my own.)