Collide

Southern Sparks

by Kat Long

Brooke
When I walked in on my now ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend sharing a mouth-snuggle, I didn’t overreact.
Nope, I let my pettiness out and walked away with the lightbulbs, fabric softener, and, of course, my romance books.
Starting over, my new boss is straight from the depths of Hades.
Karma, it appears, is a fickle jokester. If I set the bar on the floor, Magnum Hansen still couldn’t reach it. He’s a complete man-child with a severe case of always-have-to-have-the-last-word syndrome and jeans that have no business fitting him so well.
He constantly finds ways to torment me—why do I find it so attractive?

Magnum
There are things I’m not meant to know about our new receptionist.
The feel of her sweater-melons is the biggest. But I do and now I can’t stop thinking about her.
The way she smiles at everyone but me is irritating. Her habit of biting her bottom lip when she can’t figure out a tricky word on her crossword puzzle is adorable. The highlight of my day has become the way she argues with me.
I shouldn’t want her, but I do—and I've never been good at following the rules.

It's a terrible idea to date your coworker, but sometimes temptation is worth the risk.

Genres: Rom Com

246 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 14, 2023

About the author

I live at the beach with my Happily Ever After, a daughter, and two irritating but lovable cats.

Before I started writing contemporary romance, I graduated with a Master’s Degree in School Psychology from The University of West Alabama. Now, by day I work in finance and by night I'm a writer.

My characters are sexy and clever, but in real life, I'm the ultimate over-thinker. Let’s face it, my inner monologues would not make good reading!

When I'm not writing swoony stories or reading Dramione FanFiction, I'm probably watching Animal Planet in yoga pants, trying not to over-water my succulents, and wondering if the real meaning of life is forty-two.

READERS MAKE MY WORLD GO ROUND:

https://linktr.ee/KatLongRomance

Reviews

[Kristina]

This blurb has the terms ‘mouth-snuggle’ and ‘sweater-melons’ in it; cue me politely declining this read….

[Beyond the Pages with Eva K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick Summary: A hilariously funny contemporary NA romance

My Review: Collide by Kat Long is book one in the Southern Spark series.

What do you get when you cross hot word play with sexy intentions? The answer - you get a combustible connection between Brooke Abbott and Magnum Hansen. Translation: You get a sweet treat and a savory snack all in one.

About the Book:

After walking in and witnessing a most unexpected betrayal concerning her boyfriend and best friend, Brooke Abbott decided to take drastic steps to get away. She sought to start a new chapter in her life. Who knew that her new life chapter would involve a sexy middle child turned man named Magnum? She found him to be rude just as much as she found him to be yummy. Now, what?

Magnum didn't know what hit him when he collided with Brookie the Cookie. She was a tasty treat that he had every intention of devouring. Trouble was, he didn't know how to go about securing a serious relationship. What did he know about the proper ingredients to make a relationship work?

My Final Say: This romance was a quick read. It was playful yet charming, in a good way. The author's approach to humor was food-tastic, and her inclusion of the monster ro was too ridiculous. I secretly loved that the two could banter about what they read. That was cute. Overall, the Hansen family proved to be interesting. I cannot wait to learn more about them.

Readers who enjoy light and fluffy romantic comedy with a side of hilarity will really enjoy this book.

Rating: 3.5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: NA to A
Status/Level: 🌶🌶
Series: Yes

Thanks to the author, to the publisher (BooksGoSocial), and to NetGalley, who provided access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collide by Kat Long appears to be the first book in the Southern Spark series. I'm going out on a limb that each book will follow a different brother. This is Magnums story. It is likely to be followed by Maverick (the eldest), Miller, and then Mark.

Magnum isn't taken too seriously as a third owner of the family company. And when he starts off meeting the new office manager on a childish display, things don't really get better. Brooke is looking for a fresh start after leaving behind a disaster. She's always shown her appreciation through baking, but now she's out to make sure someone is left out of the goodies. When the snipes and side comments turn into more like foreplay for Magnum and Brooke, things get complicated. It's a mixed trope of frenimes to lovers and taboo boss with employee. The smut club is a hilarious look behind the genre. Bonus that they can't seem to keep their hands off each other, regardless of where they might be. Enjoy as Brooke and Magnum manage to showcase how lack of communication creates strife in a romance novel.

[Steph (Teacups & Tropes)]

DNF

This dude is supposed to be a partial owner of a company? 💀 He comes across like a whiny toddler who failed business in uni.

This is not attractive for me in a hero unless I purposely want to read about a whiny frat bro. Also the mom called him “darling son” and made me wince. Why. 😭😬

[Maycee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feisty and Fun.. must read

Okay, hear me out! I KNOW Collide is Magnum and Brooke’s story, but we all know Bev really stole the show here. I absolutely fell in love with her in By Your Side (Book 2 in Kat’s Southern Charms Series) She’s really upped her game to include “Middle Finger Cacti” to go along with ᗪ ! ↻ K topiaries.. she seriously needs her own HEA or because the guys still miss their dad, maybe a prequel with their story? I would pay SO much money for her to be my MIL! That being said I really enjoyed Collide! I’ve already been invested in the Hansen Men since Kat’s previous series. Magnum was the Wild Card as he didn’t fit into a singular type of guy. I felt myself getting protective over him, he’s a lot more sensitive that his brothers realize and he totally pulled at my protective instincts. Brooke is a fantastic FMC and it was so easy to fall in love with her. She is sassy and hilarious, and definitely comes off as relatable. With her clumsiness, love of smut and baking, and the tendency to have stains on her shirt.. really she is me in book form. The chemistry and banter was so fun to read. The dirty talk is On Point, and I love that Brooke gave as much as Mag did. So freaking hot!! Miscommunication is one of my pet peeves in a romance but mixed in with their not so meet cute, enemies to lovers vibe, and Brooke’s past relationship, it was easy to see past the frustration and truly enjoy the story. There was so much character growth for both characters and I truly enjoyed watching Brooke and Magnum fall for each other. Tons of laugh out loud moments, fun sibling banter, so much yummy steam and a great HEA. The epilogue set us up for the next book and let us see that we will get more from Mag and Brooke as the series progresses. Great start to what I’m sure is a fantastic series. Don’t sleep on Kat, she writes amazing stories and I definitely recommend this one!

[Karen Boozer · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Brooke arrives in Charleston its with a broken heart, broken spirit and walls. Her first meeting with Magnum is less than stellar. She sees him as a selfish, dirt riddled egomaniac. She reacts to him in a way that starts the sparks because she is snarky and insulting. The attraction is there but she is scared. She brings her treats to the office for everyone but does something less for Magnum. Their relationship evolves when he helps her out during an ice storm.

Magnum who loves women and hasn't had a serious relationship because they didn't feel right. He meets Brooke and there is just something about her and he cannot get her out of his mind. He baits her and she baits him where they end up trading insults. Then during the ice storm there is some sort of unspoken truce. I will let you read to find out! Magnum doesn't know how to do relationships but he wants to try. He is jealous of other guys talking to her then the ex shows up and he feels as if his world explodes.

This is an amazing book and it is funny, makes you want to bop them on the heads and ask them what they are doing. I really loved this book and as a result am going to back to to read Kat's other books. I highly recommend reading this book!

[BookBratt1890 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brooke is moving cross country, starting a new job, and a new life after catching her fiancée and bff in the upside down tango. Magnum works hard alongside his brothers in his family business, but has grown tired of not being taken seriously in his current role. Hijinks and chaos ensue when these two meet, and they pull no punches during their verbal sparring sessions. Will this be a recipe for love or utter disaster?

Brooke and Magnum's story had so many things to love about it. All of the characters were multi-layered and bursting with personality. Best of all, they felt like people that I knew, or have come across in my life. Brook is my spirit person, and I found her scarily relatable. The story was almost a parody of traditional romance novels and I loved its witty charm and humor. I couldn't get enough of this couple, and when things got hot and steamy I was hooked. This is definitely a novel that I would go back and read time and time again.
Story: 5 out of 5 Stars
Spice: 4 out of 5 Flames

[Alexandria Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brooke is in a horrible situation where she caught her boyfriend with her best friend so she decides to leave it all behind. Driving to the other side of the country.

While she thought she would be done with men little did she know that her sarcastic banter with Magnum would lead to more.

Magnum, never looks for relationships. He would rather meet someone in a bar, go home and then never see them again. He has a huge sweet tooth with Brooke being a fabulous baker.

I enjoyed watching the characters grow together and leading to what they both were not expecting to happen. The smut club was on of my favorite parts seeing how much they enjoyed bonding over the books.

This was a funny enemies to lovers read with a good amount of spice.

Thank you to NetGalley for the EARC! As always, my review is my opinion and thoughts.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happens when you put a sassy, smut loving, bake-a-holic woman and a sexy, screwup, determined man together in the office? Collide! Brook was burned from her former boyfriend, best friend, & job. Starting over in a new town with a new job to move on, she has a not so meet cute with Magnum, one of her new bosses. Even though there was mutual attraction, the pair got along like oil and water. Insults and bickering aplenty until Magnum shows up to Brooks apartment to fix her doorknob. Their relationship takes a positive turn and they both start to enjoy each other and admit their needs. When things seem to be going well, a misunderstanding creates a domino effect that’s heart breaking. Thankfully, brookies come to save the day and we get our happily ever after.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enemies to lovers, misunderstandings, two people who don’t want or need love? That’s Collide in the short of it.

Brooke leaves Colorado after facing a girl’s worst nightmare: her best friend in bed with her boyfriend. A complete change of pace wasn’t what she had in mind, but taking over for her Aunt at TriVolt was just what she needed. What she didn’t need? A cocky, cookie stealing man with a penchant for getting under her skin.

Magnum is the brother that seems out of line, but can actually handle more than he’s given. What happens when a woman challenges him in every possible way though?

Romance books, friends with benefits, crosswords, and forced proximity…what could possibly go wrong?

[Lou Loves Literature · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️
Collide is Magnum and Brooke's story.
We first met Mag in the Southern Charms series, and Kat said then that we'd be getting a book for each of the Hansen Brothers.
Brooke is new to town after a crappy break up, taking a job at TriVolt, owned by Maverick, Magnum, and Miller Hansen.
Immediately there's tension between Mag and Brooke, as he takes all the treats she baked for everyone.
This kicks off a sort of frenemy situation, with the 2 constantly sniping at each other.
They start to bond a little more over romance books, and I really enjoyed all the chatting about plots etc.
The banter throughout this book is brilliant, and the spice is 🥵!
I thoroughly enjoyed the entirety of this book.
So worth a read 💕

[RomanceLand65 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. The sarcasm and humor between the characters were off the charts. I loved the fact that several different tropes were involved. Enemies to lovers, living a life of a romance book sort of then you combine it with the love of baking it just works. She loves to bake and he loves her baked goods. Then you mix in the damaged goods from her past mix it with a whole lot of mistakes from both characters gives us a recipe for the grand gesture. And both of them have the grand gesture. Which in turn is pretty funny. If you enjoy a good romcom with lots of baked goods sexual humor this is it. Enjoy the fruit of kat longs humor.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collide (Southern Spark #1) is a steamy, funny, light book that will have you laughing out loud and eager to turn the page.

Brooke flees her life in Colorado after her best friend & her boyfriend are caught in the act of ultimate betrayal. She starts a new job halfway across the country, knowing only one of the owners of the family business she will soon work for. Tensions mount when she meets another owner (Magnum) at the retirement party for her aunt (who recommended Brooke Dow the job) when he snatches the tin of cookies Brooke made for the party and pushes all of Brooke’s buttons in the process.

Brooke and Magnum soon find themselves in a fiery relationship which includes fun word puzzles, a spicy book club and all the while figuring out how to work together.

Brooke continues to find her new path in life, despite a controlling mother who seems to be more concerned about her own feelings than those of her daughter, and begins to make new friends along the way.

Will Brooke and Magnum move past word puzzles and their spicy book club? And, will Brooke ever bake a batch of brookies for Magnum?

If you enjoy a light (and steamy) story, you will enjoy Collide. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series…

Thank you to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for early access to this book for my honest review.

[Angela Mcmanus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. The banter back and forth was top notch. Magnum was a little immature at the beginning. But the author did a great job developing his character throughout the book. I just loved Brooke.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cuteness factor in this was all there!
I love a good southern sassy, steamy read.
And this was that PLUS all the hilarity!

Magnum and Brooke were funny torturing each other. It was so awesome to see their relationship bloom and address issues with banter and emotion, and to see them grow out of themselves but into two people who cared about the other, it was awesome.

Can't wait for more from this series.

[Hart's Reader Group · Rating 1 out of 5]

Brooke frustrated the HELL out of me. She was painfully irreverent (and NOT in a funny way), rude, stubborn, and immature I couldn't stand her. She ruined the read for me. I DNFed at like 15%.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kat long is known for her witty banter and explosive chemistry. Collide is exception to her spunky style. Magnum and Brooke start of on the wrong foot that ignites their chemistry. The path from spilt coffee and cookies to HEA is a delightful journey.

[Krissy C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating 4.5 stars. Received as an ARC and leaving my honest review voluntarily. Enjoyed this opposites attract story that had me chuckling at their banter and antics. The vulnerability and fears both Magnum and Brooke had are so relatable and I was in equal parts wanting to smack them on the head and shouting at them to communicate but all the time rooting for them and so happy when they finally get their act together and find their HEA/HFN. My only complain was that we didn't get to see the proposal… why??

[Thaimelly Rigobello · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a nice and easy read. It is funny and hot. The banter is great and the creativity used to change words is amazing. Brooke is sweet and deserves her happy ending. Magnum is charming and fun. Together they discover how good they fit. Can’t wait to read the next books. Thank you Kat for the review copy.

[SassypantsReading · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my voluntary review. This review is wholly my own opinion.

This book had so much potential, but overall, I couldn’t get into it. I felt like the book was confused about whether it was NA or contemporary. I know that’s such a small difference and probably doesn’t matter that much, but I tend to dislike NA books. I also felt like big chunks of the book were missing. The book is dual POV and starts with Magnum (yes, that’s *actually* his name). Magnum is hiding out with his mother at a rage knitting session and we meet some interesting characters. Unfortunately, we don’t ever see these people again. They would’ve been some awesome side characters and would’ve added a lot to the story. Good side characters come with territory with the small town trope, but I actually couldn’t tell if this was supposed to be small town or big city. When we meet Brooke, she’s driving to Charleston, SC, but Magnum refers to where he lives as a small town. I never really got clarification on which it was. But back to missing chunks of the book. There were so many times where I’d be reading and all the sudden we’ve jumped scenes or went from inner monologue to real life conversation, but there was a missing link somewhere. Even the beginning of the book, for both the MC intro chapters, I felt like I was missing some backstory. I even went back and double-checked that this was book 1 in a series. It almost seemed as though an editor took out whole paragraphs for the sake of brevity, but doing so, left out stuff that would’ve advanced the plot.

Ok, so speaking of plot, let’s get down to the MCs and plot line. First, I didn’t love the MCs. Brooke had the potential to be a sunshiny, strong FMC, but she kind of fell flat. Part of that, I think, is there is really next to no interaction with anyone other than our MMC. Any “girl time” is stupidly brief, feels forced, and doesn’t have any buildup to those relationships. It’s like, oh hey, here’s my fiancé’s phone number, and boom, they’re automatically friends. Weird. But back to Brooke, I think if we had more depth to her, she would’ve been a rocking FMC. Now Magnum. First of all, wtf on the name???? I just can’t with it. Moving on. He is an absolute asshat child. He has zero growth whatsoever. He goes from playground “flirting” tactics to somehow being madly in love, with no logical explanation of how he got there. He is salty about how he’s treated in the family business, but other than a token “he has ideas and wants to try harder” we get nothing. I also hate how there was so little interaction between the brothers. I love a series based on brothers, but it’s the camaraderie and shenanigans that make me love them. We got none of that here, other than one small text strain between them all. It’s Magnum’s lack of development that really made this book feel NA to me. Now for the plot. The speed was absolutely bonkers. We have almost half the book of will-they-won’t-they, then we totally rush to the ending. The smexy times were hot, I’ll give the author that, but there was no buildup to them. The only real build up was when they were in the supply closet. Everything else was like, wait, what? How did we get here? Oh, you’ve been boning long enough for Magnum to feel like he belongs in your place, but we don’t see it? How did we have that long ass slow burn but then rush the ending? And then we have their “fight” 🙄 Goodnight, it was the most boring fight ever. The childishness of it also makes me feel like this book leans toward NA territory. They probably could’ve had more drama if it wasn’t so rushed.

Things I loved about this book:
Brooke’s love of baking and figuring out what makes her coworkers tick.
Magnum and Brooke’s Smut Club
Magnum and Brooke coming up with outrageous euphemisms for body parts
The slight interaction we see between the brothers.

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collide is the first book in Kat Long's Southern Spark series. It is a really fun romcom featuring Brooke Hannah Abbott and Magnum Borealis Hansen.

After catching her boyfriend, Nathan Coxson, and her best friend, Lizzy Johnson, in bed together, Brooke has moved to Charleston, South Carolina to work at TriVolt. She needs a fresh start.

Magnum shares ownership of TriVolt along with his brothers Maverick and Miller. Their brother Mark is the only one who chose another direction for his life, but the brothers remain very close with each other and their mother.

When Brooke and Magnum first meet, it doesn't go well. While she acknowledges that he is physically appealing, what stands out is how rude he is. She doesn't like him or how he behaves. And she especially doesn't like that he calls her Cookie. Since she now works for his company, they end up spending more time together and their persistent banter turns into something more.

This enemies-to-lovers book was so much fun. The author has written the FMC as a book lover, especially erotic literature. When the MMC steals one of her monster romance books, and surprisingly enjoys it, they end up having a mini Smut (book) Club which allows the author to have a little fun with her readers. She pokes fun at topics, and includes a bunch of witty euphemisms. You can't help but smile while reading.

Collide was a surprisingly spicy read given that the FMC is an avid baker who rarely curses, and makes use of a wide variety of baked goods to express herself, such as "you confused the banana bread out of me". Once our characters cross that line, we see her language start to change as well.

I'm really glad that Long has planned a series for these characters. I love the energy and dynamic of the Hansen family so I hope read more about the brothers and well as Brooke's new friends.

[Ginger_BrownieReads “Michelle aka Chely” · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Holy forking Brookies” I absolutely enjoyed this book!

If you want witty banter, magnetic chemistry, a light read, something fun and distracting with a good love story this is the book for you! An absolute Rom-Com!

Brooke and Magnum Hansen are explosive together. I love how they are “on” 100% of the time and the build-up to when they finally let loose was so much fun.
This started off a little slow for me but I think it’s because Magnum is such a different MMC than what I have been reading. I wasn’t sure how to feel about him but in a good way, if that makes sense. He came across as a jerk, immature, didn’t give me that hot-guy vibes right off the bat, his and Brookes was most definitely not a meet cute but the character quickly evolved.

This has so much laugh out load banter and wittiness, I absolutely loved how Magnum and Brooke bickered and how that played into the tension buil-up.
Brookes inner dialogue cussing was hilarious and totally saw myself using some of her words it was great!

Quick Recap:
Brooke leaves her hometown looking for a forest start after a horrible life event and ends up across the country working with/for Magnum. Their first interaction was filled with a lot of dislike for each other and that changed when he showed up at her doorstep responding to a call for help.
They end up connecting over smut and sweets (LOL) and that is the best! When her past comes crashing into her present, they are both slapped in the face with the reality of not knowing exactly where they stand and how to deal with it. Don’t worry, the guy gets the girl 😉 which are our favorite endings!

The reason I gave this a 4-star rating is because I missed the outside character development. This is the first book of a series which I am sure will follow the Hansen brothers but I didn't feel the connection to the brothers. There’s wasn’t enough story to give me a feel for their personalities or for who they are. I feel like the descriptions were very general and I didn’t feel the connection. I am huge into storylines and plots and love when I get to know all the characters and have a feel for the dynamic of the families and it gives me something to look forward to when it some to series’. Will I still read the rest of the series? YES because the rest of the story made up for that and I know it will get better. The mother-daughter relationship also, didn’t have much closure but maybe that is to come. Also, there was a huge part in the epilogue that we did not get that I was really looking forward to and it left me hanging a little bit.

TROPES:
Office Romance
Enemies to Lovers sort of
He falls first
ROM-COM

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶

Please remember that ratings and reviewers are subjective to readers interpretation and I did receive this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Kat Long and her team for the opportunity.

[Kelly DeMarco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow burn set to simmer boils over
After the opportunity to read Miller's story in Crush (Southern Spark Book 2), I was super curious about Collide and jumped on the chance to read the first book of this series too. This book is aptly named as that's exactly what the characters in this book do. They collide with their insults that morph into sexy banter, eventually leading to all kinds of physical, sexy collisions.
Collide (Southern Spark Book 1) by Kat Long brings Magnum to his knees, although he resists like Brooke is the plague. And Brooke? Well, let's just say she has a whole mountain's worth of conflict to work through. These characters both want the same thing, a forever someone special, but they both seem unsure of whether they'll ever find it or even be worthy of that kind of happiness.
I really enjoyed this slow burn, enemies to lovers, work place romance. Magnum and Brooke will set your kindle, or paperback pages, on fire! Brooke hides behind insults and snark and Magnum can't help fueling that fire. The inner conflict of these two grows and takes on a life of its own until they both realize they've given negative talk free reign, preventing happiness and love, the ultimate goal for both of them.
Overall, Magnum and Brooke will take you on an emotional roller coaster journey that entertains and has readers rooting for them to acknowledge their feelings and talk. They get the lovin' part down pat (make sure you have a fan and a glass of ice water, you'll be glad you did) steaming things up and setting fire to each other. And while they might take the long way around to it, Magnum and Brooke do get their HEA!

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brooke is seeking a change of life when she accepts to replace her Aunt at her position across the country from where her heart was broken, and on her first day at the office, runs into man-child Magnum who rubs her the wrong way. What ensues is a lot of eye-rolling and a lot of entertaining, witty flirty banter that are really #relationshipgoals . Also, hot engineering nerds? YES PLEASE!

This was my first Kat Long book and I really love the way she writes and I felt both characters were very likeable and realistic. Brooke I loved from the get-go. I liked how the Smut Book Club and all the references to romance novels. I especially thought how real it is that Magnum was able to pick up that in so many romance novels the problem arises from miscommunication when that's exactly what happened to them too. So often we can see much more from the outside looking in and not when we're in the situation, especially when it concerns matters of the heart.

The plot itself is nothing extraordinary, it's your usual tropes and nothing too surprising or shocking. But as Brooke said so herself, "That's one of the great things about romances. The stories are predictable", but Kat does a wonderful job of bringing us on this journey, THE couple's journey to their HEA.

I am definitely going to read the following books, and I'm going to be swooning over Brooke and Magnum for quite a while.

I was sent an ARC of this book and all my opinions and swooning are my own.

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brooke found her now ex-boyfriend and friend in the throughs of bungle in the jungle so she left and left with all of the essentials as well, toilet paper, batteries, and many other supplies which I thought were good for her. She leaves Colorado and heads for South Carolina where she will be taking over for her Aunt who is retiring. Once there she goes straight to the job and that is where she spills coffee but you are also introduced to Magnum, one of the brothers that own the business. Immediately the banter between the two of them starts and it will only get more intense as the book goes along. I found all of that to be fun and good since both characters go back and forth with it. Each has their own issues and for Brooke coming out of a broken relationship she at times is still working at what is going on inside of her and also takes things to mean something to the point of accusing Magnum of cheating which the few times he tells her no but she won’t say anything at the time. The story progress with a nice flow was surprised by the abrupt ending, but oh well. I did not like her mother's character at all. Overall a good story and you can see the growth of the two characters in the end. I received this book from Netgalley.com

[Yaasmiyn Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rate: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

The first book in the Southern Spark Series, I started this a bit backwards and started with Crush, which is just as good. I did find myself more privy to this story, and it could be Brooke's love for smut books, and the exchanges between the two of them. Kat long does such a great job portraying her characters in a light that makes them seem so human and relatable. Reading her books are so easy, and when it ends, you're left wishing there was more. 


In this story, we meet Magnum and Brooke. Magnum is the younger brother trying to take on more responsibility in the family business, and show his brothers that he can handle more than they are tasking him with at the moment. He's aware that they see him as the light hearted jokester, but he hopes that eventually they'll trust him. Brooke just left a toxic relationship where she caught her fiancé and at that time, boss, cheating on her with her friend. She moves to town to take over her aunts position, who is retiring, and that's how she meets Magnum. 


To say that what ensues after they meet is hilarious would be an understatement. This book was full of laughs, great scenes, and of course, smut. If you want a great read that you will undoubtedly breeze through, this is the book for you.

[Dawn Litwiller · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read!!
Brooke & Magnum's chemistry is off the charts amazing! This enemies to lovers read was so much fun, I didn't want their story to end. Magnum seems to really get off on getting under Brooke's skin and the more he does it, the more he finds himself getting more and more attracted to her. As for Brooke, she can admit the Magnum is attractive, but is trying to not get bothered by him due to her ex cheating in the worst way possible. Despite their best efforts, the two of them can't help themselves and give into their attraction and it is fireworks!
What I loved most about his book is that they deal with real emotions and insecurities. They have some miscommunications and could let it tear them apart, but they actually think things through and communicate with each other to get to the other side of any misunderstanding.
Such an enjoyable read and I loved the author's writing style. The banter, steamy bits and secondary characters made me never want to leave their world and I want more!!

[Jaclan Claybrook · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, I wanted to say thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, I’m behind the publishing day but I still appreciate the chance to read something new.

This was my first Kat Long book, and won’t be my last.

What I liked- the overall message, the fact that they could make of troupes within a troupe…..troupe-ception if you will, the male main characters come to Jesus meeting with his interests was good, and the smut was primo in my opinion.

What I didn’t like- a few inconsistencies with Magnum, they both were a bit all of the place, as people are in real life, but it came across as hard to tell if it was the writer or the character at some junctures. Clearly not her first novel though. Some limbs were lost or transposed during one scene….it happens in this books from time to time, but after five times through I couldn’t piece one scene together, no biggie.

Overall I would read the next installment in this series, and I see it’s in the works so I hope to have the chance. Thanks to author for this fun little read!

[Rebmay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me smiling and giggling right from the start. I loved the snark, the sexual tension and the push/pull nature of their relationship. I found Brooke’s use sweets or other food items (fudgecicle, brownie batter etc) in place of swear words to be rather endearing. I giggled when she and Magnum discussed smutty romance. The fact that Magnum was willing to read the books she loved was swoon worthy. Everyone at the office noticed the dance these two were doing and wondered when they were finally going to snap and do something about their attraction to each other. When they did finally succumb to their desire for each other, there was plenty of heat, steam and dirty talk. Then their insecurities came to the surface and instead of communicating their thoughts and feelings to each other, (which they had both agreed was the problem with the couples featured in her smutty books) they emotionally spiralled. Good thing they had a tight support group, mostly his family, that put them on the right track.

I would be delighted to recommend this fun, flirty and delectable book.

[Jordan Fiest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Collide is part of the Southern Spark Series.

Brooke really is a super nice and caring person. She makes goodies for everyone at work and actually takes the time to listen. She is reeling from a breakup and I was glad to see her stand up to her mother about what she wanted for herself. She didn't deserve to be treating like a welcome mat, but her ex and mother sure treated her poorly. I liked how she got a bit of a backbone to react to these two.

Magnum was kind of dumb at times. He really bothered me at times. I get the fact that people perceived him to be the dumb, fun brother and he kind of embraced it. But when it came to Brooke and how to interact with her and talk to her, he really was dumb. However, I did love his grand gesture. That was something I found quite endearing.

Now after reading this book I am going to have to make some of those delicious sounding desserts. Brookies are first on the menu!