What seems broken might just need a reboot in this slow-burn, lesbian romance.
New admin Willow Greene has the worst luck with electronics. Computers crash, printers jam, and even coffee machines refuse to cooperate when she's around.
Like her devices, her relationships never seem to last, so she has given up on dating. That's why she's seriously unprepared for the IT department's easygoing, always smiling Scottie Prescott, who has far too much charm to be safe.
Scottie can't help noticing introverted, mysterious Willow, but she's still healing from a bad breakup. The last thing she needs is more chaos, given she's supposed to fix problems, not get tangled up in them.
But when they get stuck in an elevator together, the sparks between them become impossible to ignore. Can they risk their carefully protected hearts getting burned?
Jae is the author of twenty-seven award-winning romances between women. She lives in the sunniest city of Germany, near the French and Swiss borders. The writing bug bit her at the age of eleven.
She used to work as a psychologist but gave up her day job in 2013 to become a full-time writer and a part-time editor. As far as she’s concerned, it’s the best job in the world.
When she’s not writing, she is an avid reader of sapphic books, indulges her ice cream and office supply addictions, and watches way too many crime shows.
This was a perfectly enjoyable book, yet I found it to be underwhelming. Jae is one of my all-time favorites, but this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I don’t have a lot to say……. It was an interesting premise and the novel had its moments, but overall I struggled to get engaged with the story.
The first half was relatively slow and uneventful. The conflict was…meh, and very repetitive. I liked the concept, but I don’t think I was truly sold on it in a way that would have me care enough to have a stake in the outcome. The ending was similarly underwhelming as it felt like the story simply…..stopped. There was so little hijinx considering the overall premise!
This was one of those books where the “conflict” is essentially just that a character doesn’t want to do something, and the “resolution” is that eventually they do the thing. I find that this isn’t ever a good recipe for a winner unless the author does a lot of work to justify the characters indecision.
The excessive amount of tech puns were clever for the first 20% of the novel but then got mostly just annoying after that.
Excellent story: on a roll! Clare Lydon followed by Jae! Perfect reading. Jae writes so well, a joy to read. Slow burning, but go with it. Recommended.
3,75 stars As a fellow person with unfortunate propensity for static electricity I had fun with this aspect of Willow's character. Thankfully, unlike her, I don't break electronic equipment by my presence, I just shock myself on doorknobs. Other than that this was a decent romance. Not groundbreaking, but fun.
This was sweet, cozy, low angst and wholesome. I'm going to be honest, though, if you run out of a room upset whenever a device fizzles out and dies, you are not keeping your tech problems on the down-low.
The characters are sweet and make you want to root for them. There is a fair bit of growing out of trauma patterns and recognising that good people will accept you for who you are rather than blame you for things outside your control.
This is a good and sweet palette cleanser, but I can't say there was much memorable about it, honestly. It was a fun time, with sweet characters and a low-angst love story, and that's about all I can say.
You'll fall in love with Scottie and Willow. Scottie is an IT specialist and Willow seems to have IT problems because of her static electricity! Scottie was the one IT person to catch Willow's tickets, and she thought Willow was cute. Willow thinks the same of Scottie. Things between them change and they get a bit closer after they get stuck together in the elevator. This is a really cute, low angst love story! I LOVE THIS BOOK! 5 stars!!
"Jae-signatured" always means good time reading. "Sparks" is an extraordinary office love story vaguely related to Jae's series "Unexpected Love". Willow's strange talent sparked not only the electronics around but also started the fire of love, a situation worse than the glitch of her computer in her opinion :) I loved the interactions between Willow and Scottie. Sweet cozy read that I am sure others will love too! Try it!
My first thought about this book was: Is Scottie (one of the MC) written about me? The resemblance between Scottie and I was so uncanny. Not just the IT Part but I also identified with a lot of her characteristics.
After all the emotional and angsty books I’ve read lately, this was the perfect cute and cozy slow-burn romance for my Nervous System. It was so easy to fall in love with Willows and Scottie. I also liked the side characters, that had their short moments. Especially Barb,we all need a Barb in our life as a wing woman. While this is definitely a low angst story, there is quiet a bit of healing and character growth involved especially for Willow and it was great to read what difference it makes to have a partner and family in your life that understand , supports and loves you unconditionally for the person you are.
This book also made me research a fun fact about turtles.
If you generally enjoy Jae’s books and a cozy romance and aren’t afraid of a few sparks here and there, I am sure you’ll like this one as well.
I kind of got into WLW romcoms through Jae. She wasn’t the very first author I ever read, but she’s definitely the one who made me really fall in love with the genre.
I recently started writing at least short reviews for the books I read, and I always look forward to a new release from Jae and once again, she didn’t disappoint.
Jae just knows how to grab your attention. Her stories feel original, funny, and genuinely sweet, and the conflicts between the characters feel real not like unnecessary, over-the-top drama, which I really appreciate.
Scottie is such a sweetheart… kind, warm, and non-judgmental. The way she approaches things and communicates is just so calm and reasonable, and honestly, it was really refreshing to read. And then there’s Willow, who’s a bit of a mess (in a relatable way), struggling with her own stuff, but slowly finding understanding, friendship, and love.
Overall, the whole story was soft, funny, and yes… a little bit hot too.
This is a super cute, super sweet story about a women who has a little extra zap and an IT nerd. Love the references to other sapphic books and all the jokes. There is one big spicy scene in this book.
Jae, Sparks is a beautiful golden retriever/black cat romance. I love Scottie’s personality and how she can glimpse Willow’s heart and softness beneath all Willow’s self-inflicted thorny walls. MC Scottie is loyal, attentive, and my heart melted from her extraordinary kindness to MC Willow who believes she is cursed. Jae, maybe the most extraordinary gift we can give each other is a safe place to blossom, despite the glitches.
Jae is one of my must-buy, must-read author. This book is another enjoyable one. I like the relationship between Willow and Scottie and how it progresses.
In this her 27th Sapphic based book, Jae has once again written a book that is thoroughly enjoyable to read. Based on an intriguing link between the major characters, Jae has given them cleverly crafted back stories that allow them to complement each other. I thoroughly recommend this book.
Very enjoyable read . Tech support meets tech jinx. The characters are interesting and likable.. Sparks fly at the beginning the romance builds. Thanks for another winner.
Willow and Scottie work at the same company. Willow’s magnetism causes technology to fail near her. Scottie fixes her IT issues falling for Willow along the way.
As our two lead characters touch they feel sparks! And not just in the tingly way when you finally kiss the person you have feelings for type of sparks, but literal yikes that hurt, sparks. Willow’s body absorbs energy, batteries drain near her, light bulbs got out, software malfunctions and it has made her feel broken.
Scottie is in IT and her job is to fix things that are on the fritz and she truly doesn’t believe that anything, or anyone, is broken beyond repair.
I really liked how Jae showed how Willow understands that her body does, that she has all these backup plans knowing things tend to break around her, but that even with her best laid plans things still tend to go awry. From the old car she drives to the spare flip phone, and the smorgasbord of snacks that she keeps in her purse that all become pivotal to the romance.
Willow feels broken because of something she can’t control, her energy absorption has impacted friendships, relationships, work, and how she lives day to day. She tries to keep it a secret because the few people she has tried to tell don’t believe her. As I was reading, I kept thinking that the energy could have been replaced with any number of things that would make people feel othered and loved how the author brought people into Willow’s life that made her feel safe to share her secret and understood. Providing Willow with the found family and understanding that she should have always had.
Scottie makes it so Willow feels safe to share her secrets. Scottie being a golden retriever type of character helps to make life easier for Willow and helps them both thrive.
Jae’s latest work is what I’ve come to expect from her. The writing is sharp and fast paced, fully developed characters, witty banter, and people that you want to fall in love.
There are tropes of an office romance, fake dating, and forced proximity all during the slow burn of the growing romance between Scottie and Willow.
One of Jae's best to date If you're new to Jae's writing Sparks is a great book to start with. If you're a seasoned Jae book reader it's among her best books so far in my opinion and I've read just about everything she's ever published in English. There are Easter eggs in Sparks that are a fun bonus if you catch them (but they're not essential to the plot) and at least one nod to lesfic written by other authors. Main characters Scottie and Willow are fabulous and gently burrow into your heart as you get to know them; there are so many secondary characters who contribute comedy and common sense when they're not dispensing wisdom or playing matchmaker that it's tough to pick a favorite among them. Aside from the bits of drama and tension that move the story along there's tons of fluff, chuckle worthy moments and dialogue, and plenty of kindness in words and actions that's bound to warm your heart if the real world is getting you down. I read Sparks with a big smile on my face for the sweet moments, the love and care in words and deeds, Scottie's charming and easygoing nature, Willow's dogged determination, and the cool places in Portland the reader gets to visit thru the characters. There are some excellent conversations that rival the steamy bits in their intimacy and vulnerability, and while the book is long (a hallmark of a Jae book) it never lags in its pacing at any point. When it comes to storytelling Jae is a master at her craft and Sparks demonstrates it beautifully. It's a must read whether you are new to Jae's stories or have read any, or every, one of them; it's a standalone story but may inspire you to read more of her work when you're done. I blew thru Sparks in a handful of days then went back to read it again shortly after; it's bound to be a regular re-read book for me as are some of Jae's other books which get picked up and enjoyed every year for all the feels, laughs and sometimes tears they provoke along the way. I hope Jae never runs out of stories to tell and look forward to reading whatever she publishes next, regardless of the genre.
Willow is starting at Kudos Entertainment Inc as Operations Coordinator. She's a perfectly nice young woman, but tech in general does not like her. Like, high tech stuff shorts out if she's stressed....
Scottie Prescott, IT woman, arrives when Willow's keyboard cuts out, and fixes it. She's surprised at how attractive Willow is, especially as she is recovering from a breakup.
Willow is new to Philly, and temporarily staying with her easygoing sister, Fiona, who is already shipping her and Scottie. Fiona also suggests that she tell Scottie about the tech jinx, but Willow refuses. She's tried that, folks don't believe her.
(This is the same company as in Under a Falling Star. Cute!)
Scottie keeps reaching out to her, but Willow is trying to not get too close to coworkers. Then, they get stuck in a elevator. They talk, each confessing secrets (tho not the jinx) come out to each other, then kiss... just as they get rescued.
Willow freaks and asks to be just friends, which Scottie reluctantly accepts. But Barb, a mutual friend, tricks them into a fake date. Then two.
Willow finally admits she's falling for Scottie, but can't confess. Then someone makes a joke about how often things break around her at the Christmas party, and she bursts into tears.
Afterwards her boss' boss wants her to assist with a presentation, and Willow is terrified the tech will fail.
This was a very sweet, low-angst romance with two distinct and likable characters. Scottie and Willow both had well-developed backstories, and I found it easy to root for them. I especially loved Willow's introverted, shy nature and how thoughtfully (and correctly) it was portrayed. There were also some great scenes like the hilarious coming-out moment, the whole elevator setup, and the intimacy conversation.
That said, it was a little too cutesy for my taste (which is more of a me thing than a problem with the book). I tend to prefer more tension-driven romance. The whole static electricity issue, especially to the extent it's used here, felt a bit far-fetched and came across like an external gimmick to keep the characters apart. I would've preferred Willow to deal only with internal, psychological obstacles instead.
I also had a few small quibbles. Like Scottie describing Willow as "so relaxed, so different from her usual guarded self" when it’s only their second meeting, or the repeated use of "right?" in both characters’ inner thoughts.
Overall though, I still enjoyed this a lot, especially toward the end. I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for a cute, cozy romance.
This didn't feel like a Jae book for a good portion of it.
Let me start by saying, it is a very sweet, and enjoyable book. I would recommend reading it at least once if you're a fan of hers (and you know, to make up uour own mind about it because you're not a robot) but I don't quite know if this one has any replay value for me.
Jae is one of my favorite (if not my favorite) authors. I have always loved her books, two of which are in my top 5. But something about this one kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I didn't mind that it was incredibly slow burn. I've read some of those before, but this one was also full of so many obstacles that it felt like trekking through rough terrain. By the end of the book... I was ready, for the end of the book.
This is the first book I've read by her, where I was apathetic towards finishing it. It pains me to say so, because I've loved everything else by her.
I still liked it on the whole, and say, give it a go. Maybe you'll love anxiety riddled slow burn. It just wasn't for me.
Cute read! Premise is a little farfetched but despite the kind of absurd nature of the "tech affliction", the internal struggles Willow went through, her fear and reluctance to trust people with her "secret" and her journey to being able to accept and ask for help is handled in a way that makes it seem applicable to many things readers could relate to in their own lives.
And the support Willow gets from Scottie made her a really likeable character. I always appreciate a book where the characters can discuss matters relating to themselves and their own needs, as well as their expectations and desires from a partner in mature conversations, and Jae always seems to deliver that with her characters!