All her life, Callie O'Rourke wanted to be a firefighter. A lifelong nightmare of being in a fire has driven her to pursue a career to fight fires and save lives. She won't let being a woman stop her from achieving that goal. When her determination and training land her a job, Callie has no idea being the city's first female firefighter will gain the attention of more than just its citizens. Although haunted since childhood by the fiery death of his father, firefighting is in Danny Redmond's blood. He comes from a long line of firemen, all the way back to his great-grandfather. Callie's refreshing candor ignites Danny's interest. With her ability to fight fires, combined with the way she puts him at ease, it's not long before they become friends. Focused on being the best firefighters possible, neither is looking for romance. Yet the more they're together, the more they realize firefighting may not be their biggest challenge.
A friend once asked Sharon to try writing a single paragraph. That paragraph led to a novel of over 200,000 words! She's been writing ever since. From her first attempts at writing, and after learning the golden rule - 200,000 word novels don't fly - she settled into the warm and comforting world of Romance. Inspired by those dedicated to serving others and a passionate belief in "love conquers all", Sharon's books offer stories of bravery, hope and unconditional love.
Born and raised in Northern California, Sharon now lives on the East Coast where her husband, son, dog, cats and goldfish have learned to overlook her endless quest to blend the hearts and spirits of people who don't exist - until she creates them with words.
The world is full of books. Endless amounts of them. But there are only a few rare books that you pull out to read and, when finished, you're overcome with such intense emotion. Sparks is one of those books. The experience I had as a reader while engaged in this powerful, riveting story had me in a whirl of feelings.
Callie O'Rourke is Fairmont's first female firefighter. She's a bit of a news maker with this status. Callie's strong willed, fierce, and takes many risks, but these risks are to save lives. She thinks with her heart and her head. She's had a lot of things to deal with in life, but Callie has definitely overcome obstacles to get where she is today. Though she didn't get off on the right note with Danny Redmond, the hero.
Danny is a bit complicated. This man has not been whole for a long time. In a tragic chain of events, Danny's life changed when he was a child, and the things he feels and never completely dealt with affect him to this day. He's not too happy about Callie, but oh my, do things change for him rather quickly.
Written with such intense depth, Sparks draws readers into a wild ride of feelings, a bit of adventure, and a whole lot of love. The conflict keeps the story line tight. Just when I thought Callie and Danny were on their way to a beautiful relationship, some startling revelations come to light, spiraling everyone involved into a confused state. Talk about characters going through turmoil. This novel brings a sense of family and community together. A feeling of nostalgia washed over me many times, as reading this made me think of the times where people looked out for one another a lot more, and strong family ties were more prevalent.
There are touching moments, I wiped away tears more than once. This book is beautifully written. Strong characterization, stunning plot, and at times I held my breath, unsure of what would happen next. Fair warning, readers--this book is going to grab hold of you tight, and won't let go even after the end. I find myself still thinking about Callie, Danny, and the rest of the crew at the fire station. Sparks lives up to it's name, in every sense of the word. This is a story that can be read over and over. It's a keeper!
If you love contemporary romances that have tendencies to bring out tears of joy, gut wrenching pangs of fear, and a powerful love story, let Sparks light up your life. Don't miss this stunning novel!
Sparks is a heartwarming novel full of romance, heroes and obstacles.
I admit I am a sucker for firefighter romance books. This one does not disappoint. The pace was fast and the story line is unique and really holds your attention. This is a book with a little of everything. We have a tortured hero that you just want to heal, a heroine that is strong, brave, and only wants to love and be loved by her man, and a HEA that is moving.
Callie and Danny start out as friends and over a short amount of time the friendship line fades and the romance starts. They seem to have a promising future until some information from Callie’s childhood is exposed. I don’t want to give too much information away on that plot, because it takes away from the story. I will say, it does cause quite a bit of discord in any hopes of a future together.
There are some situations in this story that may seem to be a bit far - fetched. Just read it for the love story that it is and you will enjoy it.
Ms Horton has an impressive style of writing. It was funny, smart and realistic in regards to the dialogue. This is a quick easy read with an incredible and witty supporting cast.
Reviewed by Meli Book provided by the publisher for review Review originally posted at Romancing the Book
Firefighters are strong, macho, heroic and when they fall in love they fall hard. This is the case for Danny Redmond. Firefighting his blood and somehow a spitfire woman like Callie has gotten under his skin. He has no idea how it happened but he has fallen in love with her. Now Callie is no damsel in distress she is also a fellow firefighter and takes her job seriously. These two are so compatible with one another it’s hard to see them separated. The sexual chemistry is fully there no matter how hard Danny tries to ignore it. Sharon Horton did a great job in showing us that it’s more than a job for Danny it’s his heritage and for Callie it is her time to prove that she can do anything she sets her mind too. This was a wonderful imaginative and very detailed book from the secondary characters to Danny and Callie’s past with one another it was well done. Definitely a book that is worth reading and can’t wait for more of Sharon Horton.
Sharon Horton’s SPARKS is a book for anyone who enjoys a good love story about a couple whose path to happiness is not smooth or easy. Danny is a firefighter whose father died as a hero saving a child from an inferno. His older brother Will, who is also a firefighter, raised Danny from the age of ten.
There are several breathlessly memorable scenes in the book… a cave rescue, a burning apartment, and Callie’s dreams of stars burning her hand. It all leads up to a dazzling finale that is a satisfying end to a good story.
Ms Horton has an impressive style of writing. It was funny, smart and realistic in regards to the dialogue. This is a quick easy read with an incredible and witty supporting cast.
What a wonderful book.... Of course it is a book about love..... Fireman meets FireWoman...Fireman and Firewoman fall in love....THEN the punch line to the whole book hits and I read with tears for the rest of the book. IT IS SO GOOD!! It is so sweet and filled with all kinds of different emotions. LOVED, LOVED, LOVED!!
A woman firefighter working in a building full of men firefighters what could go wrong? Sharon Horton had me laughing all the way in this book from Callie to the men in this book were hillarious. Definitely a book filled with secrets, regrets, mistakes but most of all romance.