Sparks

by Maren Anderson

Rosie wants to tear down the ancient cowshed on her ranch to make room for more horses, but it is unlucky to knock down a barn. Rosie thinks this is superstitious hogwash. That’s why she and her handsome new … friend … Patrick get drunk one night and knock the shed down with the tractor, unleashing something very dark and very angry.


Rosie is thrust into a world of magic she didn’t know existed. The cowsprite under the shed is deadly and won’t leave, the people she’s known for years have secret powers, and the effing trees have eyes. Rosie fights to regain control of her ranch, control of her heart, control of anything, while the answer might be the thing Rosie struggles with most.

326 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 29, 2019

Reviews

[Brittney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sparks is a story comprised of romance, folklore, and the paranormal which made me feel safe and scared me at alternating points. I was immediately drawn in by Rosie's story, her love of horses, and her determination to make her boarding stable thrive no matter her roadblocks. And she has a big one-- a magical sprite haunting her property! I was so intrigued by this idea of a sprite and was thrilled to find that Maren gave the sprite it's own point of view in the story. In the beginning, I turned the pages quickly so I could find out who/what this sprite was and why it would be haunting Rosie. Then, as the story moved along, I flipped the pages because I was rooting for Rosie, worried for her, and wanted her to succeed. However, because I also got to see the sprite's point of view, I was also ultimately rooting for the sprite.

In the midst of the mystery, there's a fun (and sometimes steamy!) romance that brews and I thoroughly enjoyed the setting of the boarding stable and horses. I'm not sure if the author has experience with horses, but she did a fabulous job of portraying life in the barn, the riding scenes, and the horse characters. Fun, intriguing story!

See more horse-book-reviews by Brittney Joy at:
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[Elizabeth Brookbank · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so much fun! I cared about the characters immediately and I really wanted to know what was going to happen - so much so that I read the majority of it in one weekend. It has love, animals, magic, betrayal, and forgiveness. What else do you need?

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I originally gave this 3 stars before reflecting for half a minute. While I like the main character (Rosie), despite her flaws, there's a lack of story craft and editorial attention. And this lack is so, so blatantly apparent at the end.

Rosie's problem, summed up: She needs money to pay off medical debt. She can earn enough, in the time-frame she needs it, by taking in rescue horses, training them, and presumably selling them. These skills are in her wheelhouse - she boards horses, trains them, and teaches riding lessons. However, the rescue horses can't live in the barn - they are not used to being entirely enclosed. So Rosie needs to build a new pen and 3-wall shelter. And the only space available is where the old cowshed is. The cowshed that's inhabited by a powerful, protective spirit.

Good start! Lovely problem! I am in for this story!


And we never get the solution! I read the epilogue twice. The cowshed and spirit are still on the premises. The rescue horses have arrived and are taking well to their training. And... where are they housed?
It is absolutely not stated. The key problem in the book is supposedly solved, but the reader isn't given that info (or secondary problem, actually, since the primary problem is the monetary one). This is deeply unsatisfying! Rosie states over and over is she needs the cowshed to be demolished because she needs to put the rescue horses in that space. But she clearly gets to have her cake and eat it, too. The author doesn't even bother to tell the reader how that happens, let alone show it within the story.

[Ken Ballard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who would of thought that tearing down a dilapidated old cowshed would raise so much havoc in the daily life of Rosie, a divorced horse trainer/boarding ranch operator. “Sparks” by Maren Anderson is a wild romp through the daily life of Rosie as she comes to grips with supernatural beings and ancient knowledge on how to work with them, a new boyfriend and keeping her horse ranch in the black. The author did a superb job of weaving all of these elements and more into a fast paced tale of Rosie’s life. Beware, this is a book you will not be able to put down until you have finished it.

[KeepOnTurningPages · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horses, magical sprites, and romance = a fun, quick read!

[Nicole Shafer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5