It was supposed to be a fresh start. A completely blank slate in a place where no one knew about the tragedy that ripped her family apart six months ago. A tragedy Rowan can’t help but blame herself for.
Now the only thing she wants is to blend in. To escape the house that has become more like a prison. Her new school is her only hope. Somewhere she can pretend she’s just like everyone else.
Only Rowan doesn’t realize how unique she is. Holden is the first to recognize it, but he’s not the last.
Rowan can’t explain the draw she feels to the guys who have found their way into her life. The way something seems to spark the first moment she touches each of them. How it almost hurts to walk away from them at the end of each day.
Things are changing, from the ripple of power humming just below her skin to this new family she’s finding herself a part of. But not all of the changes are good.
Someone doesn’t like the power Rowan is stepping into or the bonds she’s forming with the guys who have gifts as rare and strong as her own. And when the truth is revealed, it has the power to burn everything in its wake…
This was wonderfully trashy and perfectly entertaining, exactly what I needed. Best book ever? No! But did it occupy my attention for a few hours? Definitely.
This is such a fun and addicting series! The heroine loses her sister in a car accident and moves to a new school. Still reeling from the loss of her sister and her parents' lives crumbling, Rowan just wants a fresh start. But at her new school, she finds herself being connected in an inexplicable way with a few guys. Little does she know, there are things about her now life she never knew was a possibility. This was fun! I really loved her connection with the guys, especially Vaughn because of how broody and damaged he was. The guys are all werewolves, and it was fun seeing how that was going to be revealed and learning more about the heroine and how she really is.
I do think I would have liked this better if it were set outside of high school (they're seniors), since most of my favorite parts of the series occur outside of school where we forget they're even in high school. But I really enjoyed the dynamics between all of the characters and the heroine wanting to find a connection to fill the hole left behind after losing her sister.
Ok, so I've been in a really weird mood these past few weeks. Due to that, I've been actively trying to branch out to sub-genres of paranormal romance that I usually wouldn't try/like. Reverse harem has been one of those subgenres I've been burned by (aka I picked up a RH book without knowing and ended up disliking it as a whole because I was misled). Why, yes I am petty nice to meet you!
So here we are! Was this interesting? Sure. Was it mind-blowing? No. Will I be continuing on in the series because I'm having a hard time sticking to reading any book at this point? You bet I am! Was the story interesting enough to keep me from DNFing? eh Sure.
I found some of the mates to be one huge blur. Maybe 3 of them stood out as their own person and the rest were just there. I find that 5 is a big number for RH but I'll be sticking to it to see where it goes because I haven't been able to stick to a book for weeks at this point.
Rowen's story is very sad throughout the whole book. She needs a break and I'm somewhat optimistic about where her story is taking her. There are some very big unanswered questions about her past that I'd like to know more about too. We'll see how far I get with this series I guess 😅
This was a great debut in my opinion. It has several tropes I love - slow burn, fated mates, damsel in distress, shifters, powers. I just plain liked Rowan as a main character. She's drowning in grief and guilt after her sister's death and the disintegration of her family, but she's also still moving forward and trying to get through. Rowan has lived, and is continuing to struggle, through a traumatic experience but she's still able to find humor in life and she's caring towards others. She also has no knowledge of the supernatural world that she's suddenly very much a part of. I see a lot of opportunity for Rowan to grow as a character, especially since we're told she's very powerful. She's young and overwhelmed, but when needed, she steps up as much as she can. Book 1 has a bit of steaminess, but no sex. Rowan is not a virgin, but she's also not very experienced and the guys' history isn't detailed.
We're still learning about Rowan's fated mates, but I like the mix of personalities. Almost all of her guys have also suffered loss, which makes for an emotional dynamic. Most are in high school with her, with one slightly older. I felt like some of her mates had more opportunity to shine than others so far and one in particular faded into the background just a bit for me. There is a brooding, standoffish guy who's going to need more time to open up. There's also one that I feel like needs to do more reassuring about his feelings for Rowan, outside of just being mates, and hopefully that happens early in book 2. There's a lot of promise in these relationships though and they're committed to being there for Rowan. That part came through loud and clear to me, they do everything they can to protect and care for her.
Rowan has a positive female friendship and I’m crossing my fingers we get more of this friendship. The adults though in Spark of Fate leave a ton to be desired overall. There is other woman drama in this book, which I'm not a fan of. There are two girls who are each interested in one of Rowan's guys who act as mean girls, but also seed doubt for Rowan. Both guys deny any interest once they've interacted with Rowan so there's that. Hopefully book 2 has the guys stepping up even more to weed out all of those doubts so the group has a strong relationship for whatever's coming their way.
Rowan has more to learn about the shifter world and it seems like that will happen more in book 2. Book 1 focuses on introducing the characters, Rowan's grief and emotional struggles, and some basic world-building. Spark of Fate ends on a cliffhanger, but at least book 2's on preorder at the time of this review. Just as a note, there was no mm or ff and it doesn't seem like there would be. I'm definitely checking out book 2.
Great start to a new series! Book 1 is basically an informative read establishing the storyline for book 2. I realize that may sound meh but it absolutely was not! All the info Hale provides is essential for Rowan. Her back story is pivotal!
Rowan is starting out a little needy for me, hoping that changes in book 2. The MCs are amazing. Each have very unique gifts, only thing missing is some ass kicking.....we definitely need some ass kicking asap in this series.
I devoured this book, I could not put it down. I absolutely loved the characters. They are described so well that it’s easy to designate each personality. I’m already in love with Rowan and all her men. I also really enjoyed the story. I haven’t read a lot of shifter books but loved this concept and found it super interesting. I cannot wait to see where this story goes because I already know it’s going to be great!
Thank you to the author for sending an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
4.5 stars! Spark of Fate is the first book in the Shifting Fate series and I loved this one so much! This is a why choose, paranormal, wolf shifters series and this intro had me hooked!
“It means you’re ours.”
The story starts off with Rowan losing her sister in a car accident and her family moving across the country to Washington for a new start. Her mother blames her and the family is falling apart. So leaving her house, the new school, and the guys in town she meets are giving her hope for a fresh start. It all starts with a shock of electricity when their hands touch…
Holden, Lucas, Anson, Keene, and Vaughn were all so interesting and brought a difference dynamic to the relationship. The found family vibe, her knowing nothing about who she really is (she’s adopted), her learning they’re wolf shifters and oh yeah, so is she! I loved learning about this pack and world right along with Rowan. So so good! I was hooked she can’t wait to binge this trilogy since this left on a cliffhanger. Audios are available through hoopla!
Spark of Fate is the first book in Tessa Hale’s Shifting Fate series, and I can certainly see many being hooked on this one. Although I was curious to see how everything would come together, I did not love this in the way I had hoped.
There were plenty of elements within Spark of Fate that ensured I wanted to see how things would develop, and this made it easy to power through the book in a single sitting. While these elements had the potential to be interesting, there was nothing in this one that stood out as unique to me. I had seen all the elements before, and it made it feel like a checklist was being marked as the book progressed. It made it feel too cliched, which left me a little disappointed as there was so much potential for this one to stand out.
Many have clearly adored this one, however, and I’m blaming my mere enjoyment (as opposed to the expected addiction) on the fact that I’ve become picky with this genre. I really need something to stand out and wow me, and this one did not manage that. Despite this, I remain curious to see if the rest of the series will offer the anticipated wow factor.
Oh my gosh, this book is so good y'all. So, so good. The plot, the characters, the world the author created, are all *chefs kiss* perfection. There are so many layers to this story and so much going on, but it's not messy. It's one part of the story, let's do this, lets carry some over but start a new issue. So the layers are immaculate. The character development is strong, the characters are all ranging from straight jerk to sympathetic worn down, need lovin type. The world, is the pacific northwest. I don't know what it is about the pacific northwest that makes the paranormal writers love it, but I am here for it. I love that area of the world, and it does give off major paranormal vibes. The story of course leave on a cliffhanger, I mean it's one of 3 books, how else would it end?LOL But it's not a super hard dead stop, so I think everyone will be okay, but it totally leaves you wanting/needing more.
I enjoyed the variety of boys in the 17-year-old FMC Rowan's harem, but honestly, the plot was rather predictable and the twists weren't that surprising to me. It's a change in pace from my usual medium-burn smutty RH choices, but it was a quick and easy read. I look forward to learning more about the world and Rowan's parentage and growing family with her fated mates. ------ Ratings - abandoned series: #0.5 Fated Visions: ★★★☆☆ #1 Spark of Fate (this book): ��★★☆☆ #2 Mark of Stars: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
4⭐️ hoa hoa hoa hoaaa twilight but everyone’s a wolf shifter and she doesn’t have to choose — this book definitely scratched an itch, i read it in one sitting 💕
This may be a fantastic book, but the reverse harem trope is unacceptable when the multitudes involved are literal children. Neurologically speaking the brain continues to develop until approximately age 24. Children who are barely old enough to drive do not have the mental, emotional, or physical capacity to engage in extreme sexual situations with multiple partners and it’s grotesque when authors think otherwise.
I can’t believe this is this author’s debut series… she writes like she’s been writing forever. The characters were well developed and storyline was intriguing and uniquely written. Rowan is drowning in her grief and guilt over her sister’s death. Each of her mates bring something to the table and put Rowan‘s needs above their own. I can’t wait to see how this series progresses!!
Spark of Fate was an okay read, but nothing about it blew my mind. Most of the twists and turns were very predictable and I think the world-building and character development could have been better. I did love Vaughn and Anson, though lol
I am really on the fence with the rating on this one, so I'll keep it 3 stars for now. I enjoy the author's writing style, and I like that Spark of Fate is short and well-paced, for the most part. The main character surprisingly has a decent head on her shoulders, and the way that her grief is written makes it feel real. My bone to pick with this is why is the main character 17? And why are we writing smut involving a minor? I skipped past all of the smut because it makes me uncomfortable considering I am a solid decade older than the main character. Making this a high school setting doesn't feel necessary considering most of the book doesn't even take place there. Talking about this more makes me feel like I should rate the book a lot lower. The author should've aged up the main character and had it take place in college if both the school setting and the smut were so important. I know teenagers have sex, I was a teenager once, but by god, we do not need a demonstration.
While the book certainly had it's cheesy and immature moments I did have to remind myself the characters are still in highlight. This was a quick paced read and I easily got sucked in even if parts were a bit far fetched and corny for me. Heroine Rowan moves away with her parents after the tragic death of her older sister. Things at home have changed dramatically with an absent father and a mother who goes from a grieving & lost woman to a shell of her former self. Things escalate at home as her mother goes from comatose to raging mad and abusive, a complete 360 to the mother Rowan was raised by. Doesn't help her mom begins to throw her adoption in her face and refer to her as a killer and 'not my child.' It's pretty gut wrenching to witness all the pain and the many different ways everyone deals with it. Fortunately from the first day of life in her new home, Rowan attracts the attention of not one or even two guys but rather five. Five guys who are hiding the biggest secret ever and are even withholding information about Rowan herself. While this isn't an insta-love story, they do feature mates so the attraction is immediate but does take some time (very little bit) for Rowan to endear herself to the guys and to begin to feel the bond herself. Between life at home, mean girls at school and the guys' many secrets, Rowan is about to lose her mind and who could blame her. She does have a tendency to run away like a dumb-ass (especially at night running into the woods away from her problems smh) straight into danger. It's no wonder it takes an eventual harem of 5 to keep track of her. The end is explosive and certainly a cliffy but luckily the series is complete and the audios are both easy to get through and quick!!!
Great start to a series! I wish this was a little longer, but this was a quick and enjoyable read. I really felt for everything Rowan had to endure and boy, did it seem relentless. I don't want to give anything away, but some things made me so angry for her. Gahhh!
I can see Rowan will grow into a stronger character as the series progresses and I am so looking forward to it. We're introduced to her guys and things are still being established, in a way, and I'm glad that it's that way. I have a couple favs, but all the guys are enamored and protective of Rowan, which I adore. I can't wait to see how their relationship further develops.
Things ended on a slight cliffhanger and there's an overarching mystery to be solved as well. I am really looking forward to when part 2 releases. Overall, a very solid and enjoyable start to a RH series. I would definitely recommend it!
Is this a great book. No. Do I keep reading it. Apparently.
There was no shock when Rowan found out they were wolves. It was all. Oh okay. Hadn’t seen that coming.
She was crying a lot because it was “all too much”.
The guys had to keep telling her she was soo strong and soo powerful. We got the message.
Her “connection” with them was instant, without any of them really having to work on getting to know each other.
So why do I like this enough to keep coming back to it? The first time I read it I gave it five stars and believed it was a work of art. Now it’s become a comfort read - that frustrates me - but comforts me nonetheless.
Holy heck!! I devoured this book. Tessa Hale is a new author and she absolutely understood the assignment because this book was amazing. I mean the novella gave us a glimpse at Holden but this book took it to another level. I loved her harem of boys, I won’t say who my favorite was only that he’s broody and troubled. While is was a very slow burn the plots and twists kept me hooked and I couldn’t put it down. Thank you Tessa Hale for introducing us to your work of art can’t wait for what else you have in store for us in the following books.
2024 was my year of discovering and absolutely binging all the amazing Tessa Hale series- and I really loved this series. If you like PNR, why choose, heroines coming into their own while falling for delicious alpha heroes, gripping fantasy romance, and page turning adventures, you’ll love Tessa. Tessa has amazing audio and I gobbled up most of her work on an audio binge. SO good!
Spark of Fate was an amazing read. The emotions this one brought out in me were strong. The plot was thrilling and I’m dying to know more about Rowan and her mates.
Tessa Hale has a natural way with words. The writing flow was on point and characterization was pure perfection.
I refuse to read high school reverse harem smut. I feel like it crosses some sort of line inside me. I think it’s too inappropriate to link young high school naivety and age to something so promiscuous like reverse harem smut. I can’t do it.
At first it was really good, but then it steadily got worse. Everyone hating her, her mothers condition. The gifts. All of it was just a little too far out there. Also all the guys felt the same, not much personality between them. Also she cried…a lot.