REVIEW: Spark (Spark #1) by Brooke Cumberland

SPARK by Brooke Cumberland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book Description:

When your past controls your future, how do you move forward?
Velaney Wills knows about that all too well.
Weak, powerless, and fearing the one person who has hurt her the most…can she overcome the barriers to move forward?
 
Being saved by a muscled Godsend was never on her agenda, but when firefighter, Eric Reilley comes into her life unexpectedly, everything changes.

Velaney has never felt loved or cared for, and her past prevents her from letting anyone in. Eric manages to break down her walls—despite the repercussions that come for them afterwards.

They have an undeniable spark—something she has never felt before, but will it be enough? Can love overcome all obstacles? Can they save each other to protect their love or will her past shatter everything she never knew she needed…?

**Spark is for mature audiences only – strong language, explicit sexual content, and sexual abuse are apparent.**

 

I put of reading this book for one reason only…I heard it had a cliff hanger. And that was partly right. Because actually, where the epilogue ends, I was satisfied with the ending. Ok, yes. There were unanswered questions. But as far as I was concerned, the couple met, got together, faced drama & issues, broke up and got back together. I’m all good. But alas. That’s not the end.

There was definite drama in this book. Velaney came from a messed up childhood. I felt bad for her. Initially, all her "swear words" were annoying and pulled me out of the story. But after it was explained why she didn't swear, I didn't mind them. And I loved the scene where Eric helped her get over one particular word.

My biggest complaint (oddly enough, it wasn't the cliff)...my biggest complaint had to do with Aiden. It wasn't Aiden himself. He was evil, no doubt about it. But I really didn't understand how he escaped prosecution. He was released from jail because "Velaney was lying and he didn't do it"...yet they caught him in her apartment, attacking her and after she was checked out at the hospital, she was asked about the scaring she had and said Aiden was the one who caused it...and yet, HE WAS LET OUT!? I cry foul on that. There is no way that he would be let out. And if he were, there would have at least been a restraining order against him. But no, there was nothing. And because of the lack of consequences for him, the whole story line didn't feel real. He needed punishment. And even if he wasn't sent to prison (or to be drawn & quartered, which he deserved), because of book 2, he should have still been in jail or under investigation. But after getting checked out at the hospital, she never once talked to the police. Never filed a report. There was nothing.

I could overlook those issues when I knew that there was a second book. I'm hoping that there will be some kind of development in the case against Aiden.

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