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Of Storms and Wishes: Tales of Spark Book One
Not yet published
Expected 12 Jul 26A sweet pirate fantasy romance
Half a map. Half a lie. Half a heart.
As a pirate captain, Spark prefers burglary over robbery, stealing from powerful merchants in search of the truth behind his father’s death and his family’s demise. Though his grand thefts have always been fruitful, the loot can only pacify his bloodthirsty crew for so long. In danger of losing the loyalty of his men, Spark finally stumbles upon half a map leading to a legendary treasure thought to exist only in the islands of the myths—the same islands where his father’s remains lay.
A regular stowaway on ships, Brynne hops from one crew to another, searching for a legendary dagger that can undo the curse that has plagued her homeland and the man that’s responsible for the curse. Her quest for vengeance takes a twist when she bumps into Spark, the owner of the dagger she has been searching for. When she discovers Spark’s plan to reach the islands of the myths, her homeland, Brynne offers him a partnership he can’t refuse.
Hiding their plans and schemes from each other, Spark and Brynne navigate through tempests, treacherous waters, and monsters. Even as each fortifies walls around their hearts, Spark and Brynne find themselves increasingly drawn to each other. But when they finally reach their destination, Brynne vanishes without a trace, leaving the treasure lost and Spark at a crossroads. With his crew’s patience waning, Spark must decide whether to chase the elusive treasure, avenge his father, or unravel the secrets of the woman who stole his heart.
A retelling of The Little Match Girl and The Ice Queen, Of Storms and Wishes is the first installment of Tales of Spark, a sweet nautical fantasy romance inspired by Sinbad the Sailor and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, brimming with magical realms, ominous secrets, and perilous adventures.
Half a map. Half a lie. Half a heart.
As a pirate captain, Spark prefers burglary over robbery, stealing from powerful merchants in search of the truth behind his father’s death and his family’s demise. Though his grand thefts have always been fruitful, the loot can only pacify his bloodthirsty crew for so long. In danger of losing the loyalty of his men, Spark finally stumbles upon half a map leading to a legendary treasure thought to exist only in the islands of the myths—the same islands where his father’s remains lay.
A regular stowaway on ships, Brynne hops from one crew to another, searching for a legendary dagger that can undo the curse that has plagued her homeland and the man that’s responsible for the curse. Her quest for vengeance takes a twist when she bumps into Spark, the owner of the dagger she has been searching for. When she discovers Spark’s plan to reach the islands of the myths, her homeland, Brynne offers him a partnership he can’t refuse.
Hiding their plans and schemes from each other, Spark and Brynne navigate through tempests, treacherous waters, and monsters. Even as each fortifies walls around their hearts, Spark and Brynne find themselves increasingly drawn to each other. But when they finally reach their destination, Brynne vanishes without a trace, leaving the treasure lost and Spark at a crossroads. With his crew’s patience waning, Spark must decide whether to chase the elusive treasure, avenge his father, or unravel the secrets of the woman who stole his heart.
A retelling of The Little Match Girl and The Ice Queen, Of Storms and Wishes is the first installment of Tales of Spark, a sweet nautical fantasy romance inspired by Sinbad the Sailor and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, brimming with magical realms, ominous secrets, and perilous adventures.
309 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication July 12, 2026
About the author
Amber Lei
16 books10 followersAmber Lei is an avid lover of mythical creatures and all things beautiful with a dash of spookiness. Blending her passion for myths with the allure of melancholy romance, she crafts spine-tingling stories without explicit content. When she’s not writing, Amber enjoys singing in the shower, binge-watching shows, or taking bizarre personality quizzes.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Review of advance copy
I read it as a free ARC (Advance Review Copy).
The book is entertaining, and the characters lively. The romance is clean and slow, which I enjoyed. The relationships between characters are interesting. It's good if you just want a nice story.
Sadly, there's too much to ignore to say that this book is actually good. A casual reader may be able to put aside all of the pointers below, but not anyone who wants to immerse into a story without having to navigate many "flaws" (they're not technically errors, just things that take away from the reading experience).
The not so good:
It feels like the story is written in such a way that the author was scraping to get to a certain word count. It reads awkwardly, with an annoying amount of repeated words, such as:
"the galley", said 4 times in 3 lines
"the current", said 3 times in 4 lines
"The woman called X", instead of just saying the name, written this way more than once.
Really needs some polishing to fix this.
Pace is mostly good, but there's some instances of unnecessary long introspection that could be summarized down to a paragraph or completely removed.
Some of the story isn't very believable (this may contain low-key spoilers).
Worrying about food on a pirate ship with a kitchen makes no sense. You would think a ship would have a fishing net or at the very least a few fishing rods.
The whole thing about Brynne bringing ships to their doom to gather resources for her island is too far-fetched. She's not a horrible person that just chooses to do that for fun. With the matches, there must've been so many better ways to help; she could prevent someone from dying, but not bring prosperity to her island? It's definitely not about the amount of matches she would use, because at least one one was wasted every time she led a ship to get wrecked anyway.
By the end they also reveal a much safer way to travel through the islands, which she or the chief must've known about; they couldn't get help that way?
Sadly, all of this makes me uninterested in book 2.
The book is entertaining, and the characters lively. The romance is clean and slow, which I enjoyed. The relationships between characters are interesting. It's good if you just want a nice story.
Sadly, there's too much to ignore to say that this book is actually good. A casual reader may be able to put aside all of the pointers below, but not anyone who wants to immerse into a story without having to navigate many "flaws" (they're not technically errors, just things that take away from the reading experience).
The not so good:
It feels like the story is written in such a way that the author was scraping to get to a certain word count. It reads awkwardly, with an annoying amount of repeated words, such as:
"the galley", said 4 times in 3 lines
"the current", said 3 times in 4 lines
"The woman called X", instead of just saying the name, written this way more than once.
Really needs some polishing to fix this.
Pace is mostly good, but there's some instances of unnecessary long introspection that could be summarized down to a paragraph or completely removed.
Some of the story isn't very believable (this may contain low-key spoilers).
Worrying about food on a pirate ship with a kitchen makes no sense. You would think a ship would have a fishing net or at the very least a few fishing rods.
The whole thing about Brynne bringing ships to their doom to gather resources for her island is too far-fetched. She's not a horrible person that just chooses to do that for fun. With the matches, there must've been so many better ways to help; she could prevent someone from dying, but not bring prosperity to her island? It's definitely not about the amount of matches she would use, because at least one one was wasted every time she led a ship to get wrecked anyway.
By the end they also reveal a much safer way to travel through the islands, which she or the chief must've known about; they couldn't get help that way?
Sadly, all of this makes me uninterested in book 2.
Review of advance copy
This was such a refreshing fantasy tale to read. Brynne and Spark were evenly match for likability intrigue. Their banter helped this story keep flowing. It didn't seem like their romance was forced, and their relationship didn't hit you in the face throughout the book. It was done very naturally.
I managed to crank this out in one day it was so engaging and fast-paced.
I liked that there had been enough world-building in the prequel that you could just jump right into this story and keep going. It did take me a second to realize the time jump between the two and that something had gone wrong for it to start where it did. I think the reveal of these events was done quite well.
Wood is actually my favorite character of them all. I really hope he can stay prominent in the other books or at least get a novella about himself. Him and Rudy are a dynamic duo.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I managed to crank this out in one day it was so engaging and fast-paced.
I liked that there had been enough world-building in the prequel that you could just jump right into this story and keep going. It did take me a second to realize the time jump between the two and that something had gone wrong for it to start where it did. I think the reveal of these events was done quite well.
Wood is actually my favorite character of them all. I really hope he can stay prominent in the other books or at least get a novella about himself. Him and Rudy are a dynamic duo.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy
Of Storms and Wishes was such an enjoyable surprise. The blend of folklore, seafaring adventure, and romance gave me strong storybook vibes. I could definitely see the influence of Sinbad and classic fairy tales, but the author made the tale feel fresh and uniquely her own.
Spark quickly became my favorite part of the book. In a genre full of brooding heroes, his loyalty, optimism, and soft heart stood out. Brynne's guarded and storm-like nature complemented him perfectly.
Beyond the romance, I loved the sense of wonder woven throughout the journey. Storms, mythical creatures, treasures, and secrets kept the pages turning. It was adventurous without being overwhelming and romantic without relying on spice.
A wonderful choice for readers who enjoy no-low spice fantasy romance, fairy-tale retellings, and lovable characters you'll want to sail with again.
I read this book as a part of the previously available Tides of Treachery anthology.
Spark quickly became my favorite part of the book. In a genre full of brooding heroes, his loyalty, optimism, and soft heart stood out. Brynne's guarded and storm-like nature complemented him perfectly.
Beyond the romance, I loved the sense of wonder woven throughout the journey. Storms, mythical creatures, treasures, and secrets kept the pages turning. It was adventurous without being overwhelming and romantic without relying on spice.
A wonderful choice for readers who enjoy no-low spice fantasy romance, fairy-tale retellings, and lovable characters you'll want to sail with again.
I read this book as a part of the previously available Tides of Treachery anthology.
Review of advance copy
I picked this up because pirates and fantasy are hard for me to resist (read this story as a part of the previously available Tides of Treachery Anthology), but I stayed for Spark and Brynne. Their personalities balanced each other so well. Spark is the kind of hero you don't see enough of—kindhearted, awkward at times, and genuinely lovable. Brynne's determination and sharp edges made them a fun pair to follow, and their banter kept me smiling.
The world felt inspired by classic adventure tales, with mythical islands, monsters, and hidden secrets around every corner. I especially appreciated that the romance developed naturally alongside the quest instead of taking over the story. It had just the right amount of emotion and adventure.
If you enjoy sweet fantasy romance with pirates, magical quests, and heroes who wear their hearts on their sleeves, this is an easy recommendation.
The world felt inspired by classic adventure tales, with mythical islands, monsters, and hidden secrets around every corner. I especially appreciated that the romance developed naturally alongside the quest instead of taking over the story. It had just the right amount of emotion and adventure.
If you enjoy sweet fantasy romance with pirates, magical quests, and heroes who wear their hearts on their sleeves, this is an easy recommendation.
Review of advance copy
This was such a cute book with a unique and fun story line. In a world where every MMC is a shadow daddy, it was refreshing to read about a sweet dorky pirate.
Brynne and Spark are an unexpected pair but the realness of their relationship is super relatable. Spark is the golden retriever guy and Brynne is certainly the storm cloud.
The story brings them through the sea, through difficult encounters, and they end up at each other’s side at the end.
If you like magical adventures and low spice romance, this is for you!
Brynne and Spark are an unexpected pair but the realness of their relationship is super relatable. Spark is the golden retriever guy and Brynne is certainly the storm cloud.
The story brings them through the sea, through difficult encounters, and they end up at each other’s side at the end.
If you like magical adventures and low spice romance, this is for you!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I enjoyed this retelling of The Little Match Girl and the Ice Queen. Definitely felt the inspiration of Sinbad and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. It’s rare to have such a soft hearted MMC paired with a sassy FMC who pushes him around. It’s going to be interesting to see what the next book brings as this felt like it was pretty tied up at the end.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Excellent read. I really enjoyed the story and the way the characters meshed together was fun and kept me interested.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews