The First Spark: Sparkwood: Scenes from a Small Town, Book 1

by M.L. Broome, Oliver Highpoint (Narrator), Marie Hawkins (Narrator)

I have a very big problem . . . in the form of one very petite woman.

Don't get me wrong. I adore women, and if you ask any female in Sparkwood, you'll learn the feeling is mutual. With one tiny exception.

Oriana Thorne is a literal thorn in my side—a plucky, infuriatingly gorgeous, pain in the rear who rents the store next to mine.

We've disliked each other from the beginning, or at least since she marched into my shop and started issuing demands. Needless to say, I didn't roll out the welcome mat after that meet-hate.

I'd love to avoid the woman until the end of my days, but as fate would have it, I need her help. Without her approval, my plan to open a speakeasy beneath our shops is dead in the water. Considering Oriana is as fond of me as I am of her, winning her assistance will be no easy feat.

So, when a faulty lock forces the two of us to spend the night together, it's anyone's guess if we'll survive until morning. But that's a chance I'm willing to take. What's the worst that can happen? It's not like I'm going to fall in love with the woman . . .

Contains mature themes.

Audible Audio

Expected publication December 16, 2025

About the author

M.L. Broome is a bohemian spirit with a New York edge. Her small-town contemporary romances feature smart and sexy heroines over the age of thirty-five, and sizzle with angsty, slow-burn goodness.

Raised on a steady diet of stories, she grew up believing all men should be like Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre—enigmatic yet unflappable in their devotion. Hence, her own brand of book boyfriend was born.

When M.L. isn’t holding one-sided arguments with her characters (she likens it to herding cats), she loves losing herself to nature on her North Carolina farm, one her rescue fur babies by her side.

Her favorite things? Dressing up and kicking back with a glass of wine and a stunning view, soaking up all the experiences that make the soul and senses tingle.

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