Don't Fight the Spark: Soldiers and Mercenaries Story

By: Kasia Bacon

Narrated by: Michael Fox

Length: 2 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

As the Light Festival draws near, the Něssyrians craft paper lanterns, awaiting the most important holiday of the year. The Lyliňg Fighting House, too, prepares for celebration - by laying fresh sand onto the arena and setting up a match against their top pit fighter, the unrivalled Yüuzuki Ōren. His last match. One he can’t win. 

With the odds more than stacked against him, the gorgeous Barbarian is as good as dead. Unless his lover, healer Ĥaiatto Ẽkana, proves himself every bit as determined as he is clever and finds a way to protect the man he’d stop at nothing to save.

©2019 Kasia Bacon (P)2019 Kasia Bacon

4.5 stars fantasy story & narrator that drew me in

I forgot how much I enjoyed this story! It's the perfect fantasy story for me because it jumps right into it, explaining the world through the story instead of chapter after chapter of world building. I love them together, and I love that I understood who they are in such a short time. The way they care for each other is wonderful. Haiatto is willing to risk anything, do anything to save Yüu and the love they share. Plus there are vampires, and other cool characters!

Audio: I admit, at first I wasn't sure I was going to like the narrator, because he did a couple odd pauses, but after the first few paragraphs I quickly fell in love with him. His voice for Yüu made me melt, and I loved all the other voices as well. Everyone was distinct, and the female voices sound great as well. I will be looking for more from him.

Mismatched parts

Three F bombs in the first ten minutes felt jarring against the backdrop of what mostly plays like a subtle Asian-gladiator fantasy romance. There’s sweet feelings and fade to black scenes… mixed with detailed MM coupling. Throw in a vampire and then a twelve minute glossary chock full of terms never mentioned in this book. This came off as a random, incomplete story board for a longer book. It wasn’t terrible, but the concept was far better than the execution.

Wherever you are is my home

Why did I ever fight the spark??? 😳 Seriously!?!?! Why did !? 😁 I’ll tell you why .. I love Miss Kasia Bacon’s writing. I really really do. 💜 I think she writes the most beautiful, poignant and sophisticated proses when it comes to fantasy and romance. But we also know that she’s the queen of shorties. (No pun intended 😏 ... wait .. I actually did 😂) Anyhow, though I loved each and every one of her previous stories, I was kinda afraid that this is going to be another shortie with a sequel. And that’s why it took a while for me to pick up this book but boy, was I wrong. 😅 This is by far, the most complete and sexiest story Miss Bacon has ever written. 🔥 I believe only she has the ability to write “performing fellatio” to be beautiful, pure and yet innocently titillating. It was a glorious reading experience. 😍

The love story between Yüu and Haiatto was really beautiful and heartwarming. The forbidden love story between a state-owned pit fighter and black sheep of a magic healer, the odds were really set against them. But of course, love did win over everything in the end. And as Yüu would said wherever he can hold And love Haiatto every night is home.

Michael Fox did a fantastic job narrating this lovely story. I mean I loved it when I read it but I loved it even more when I listened it. Highly recommended to anyone who loves fantasy with healthy amount of romance and swoon-worthy moments! 🥰❤️😘


5 Wherever you are is my home stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️




Audio rating

Story - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Performance - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"You never know how strong you are until being

strong is your only choice." ~Anonymous~
I absolutely loved this short story. I can't believe how in depth it was! The main MC's are Yuu and Haiatto. Yuu is a fighter and a very good one. Haiatto is a healer. After a fight Yuu ends up badly hurt and this is where the adventure begins because Haiatto is determined to protect him. There was so much going on. I adored most of the side characters and was yearning to learn more about them. The world building was amazing, I was engaged from the start. The connection between Yuu and Haiatto was mesmerizing, it's like I was there and could feel their love, connection and bond to one another. It was beautiful, all of it!!
Also the narration was pure magic, Michael Fox is phenomenal. I adored the voices he used to all the characters. So freaking good!!!!

Amazing tale of holding tight to love through all

I loved this story of a love that spanned hidden trysts, to fighting for their freedom, and breaking out into a new light! Kasia never fails to tell a heart pumping, blood boiling, tale of passion and sweet moments that wraps you up and takes you away into it's own wonderful world. Michael does an Amazing job of making you forget your listening to only one person too!! I loved this book and the whole series and highly recommend the ebooks as well!

Good story. Great narration.

This was a romance with a sense of dark resignation, but a thread of hope, inspired by the main character's determination, keeps the story from feeling oppressive. The relationship between Haiatto, the MC, and Yuuzuki is tender and intense. The author does a nice job of building a connection between the two in a very few pages.

The story is short and action-packed with hints of future stories involving the cast of this book. Michael Fox has a lovely voice, and his performance was a great addition to the story.

great story!

Great book! I really liked the characters and the plot! And I thought that the narrator was brilliant.

The Desperation of True Love

Don't Fight the Spark was a delightful surprise. Ĥaiatto's determination and desperation to save his love, Yüu had me on the edge of my seat. I felt the unfairness of their situation so keenly, but the lengths Ĥaiatto went to protect the man he loved the most had me cheering and biting my nails. I really hope there will be more stories with both of them.

Short but intense Order universe story.

I loved this short but intense audiobook in The Order.
As the author herself described it to me, it’s a nerd & jock, fantasy edition.
Ĥaiatto is the overthinking, full-of self-doubts healer, in love with Yüuzuki, the confident but very loving fighter. He’s used to heal his lover from the fighting wounds and bruises, but when he finds him unresponsive and beaten to a pulp, he understands something more than the usual fights is going on and he has limited time to find them a way out where they can be together and safe.
As I mentioned the story is short but very intense, and Michael Fox’s narration is perfect to make the story even better!

Riveting story

This book had me at the edge of my seat for almost the whole story. It showed some less savoury parts of this amazing world that Kasia Bacon has created and with that came trials for the poor MCs. They did, however, have eachother and their shared love and their rightness for eachother shone through Ms Bacon’s wonderful prose.

That prose is a work of art in itself and is one of the reasons, along with the worldbuilding and the captivating characters, that will keep me seeking out this author in the future.

Michael Fox’s narration is great, it’s easy to listen to and he gives all the characters good voices.

Genius author and superb narration

How do you take a 5 star Kasia Bacon read and make it better? Why, you release it in audio with fantastic narration, simples!

I'm already a huge fan of this author, she nails a short story every. sinlge. time .... without fail and although these are short stories, they are so well written they never feel short or rushed or lacking. 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Kasia Bacon is a genius. Period.

Sweet, funny and heartwarming story

Sweet, funny and heartwarming story about power of love between slave fighter and healer in word of magic, vampires and cruel creatures.
The book is a part of the Order Universe that I am a big fan, but it is a stand alone addition so you will not feel lost if you haven't read previous books by the author. You will meet new characters that are introduced to the universe world.
This story will take your breath away. It's intense, full of humour, good doze of romantic and sizzling hot scenes.
Having read that for you makes even better experience. I adore the way the actor changes voices and accents according to each character which makes all the difference and adds depth to the story.

A great story and a thrilling narration

A great M/M fantasy romance! The Order Universe is a new world to me, not once did I find myself lost or confused. The world building is seamless and organic. It unfolds alongside the plot. But what sold the story to me were the characters—distinctive and believable. I became invested in their plights right away. Despite the story being on the darker side, there’s enough humour to balance it out. Steamy bits are, well, steamy. And it ends on a HEA!

The British narrator is bang on. I loved his narration. Great accents and voices. I even listened through the glossary! Also, I prefer my audiobooks under 4 hours, so I found the length an advantage, too.

Want more!!!

Similar to The Witcher with its own world and super sexy twist. Netflix needs to make this a series ASAP!

Prepare to be transported to another world

When I heard Kasia Bacon was releasing one of her books in audio I really wanted it to be 21 Arrow Salute (afterall it has my cheeky chappie in it) but I honestly think this was an excellent choice. Oh, the feels. The knowledge of your partner's impending doom and poinancy of each and every moment, the tendril of hope as you see a spark of possibility for a future together, after a lifetime of hiding.

The world building is effortless, even more so than when reading. The narrator fills the characters with passion and hope and love.

A beautiful story and an excellent performance.

The healer and the fighter...

A short listen about defending love and honor. The names are a bit hard fo spell but I enjoyed the story, the strength of a lover who heals and the loving heart of a fighter used for entertaining the masses. Good one!

Didn’t Spark my Interest

This is the first book by this author I have read/listened to and I’m afraid it didn’t grab my attention.
There was very little world building and the character building was shallow and under developed in my opinion, making it difficult to invest my time or emotions with the story or the main characters.
This may be due to the fact it is only 2 hours 27 minutes long but I found myself distracted despite the narration being very good.

🏋‍♀️Barbarian + ⚕️Healer = Adorable❣️

For brevity, Yuzuki is brawn and Haiatto is brain. Brain has to figure out how Brawn can side step the clutches of Mr. Big Bad. Who wears fashion forward uncomfortable high heel shoes. Really. Touches like this speak to the clever, deft character work and breadth of creative world building Kasia Bacon fits in under 2½ hours.

🎧 This story has a barbarian fighter, an ancient vampire, a patriarch grandfather, a grandmaster assassin, an adorable potty mouth and a female furia. Yet? Michael Fox voices them with the same accent, cadence, staccato breathwork and largely similar pitch. So? All characters sound upbeat and similar in age, background, ethnicity and species. Only a gang with 3 minutes audio time got markedly different accents. Result? The author's character work is made moot! Tragic. To his credit, Mr. Fox’s voice is pleasing, his accent is darling and his gentle delivery is buttery goodness.

Riveting story

This book had me at the edge of my seat for almost the whole story. It showed some less savoury parts of this amazing world that Kasia Bacon has created and with that came trials for the poor MCs. They did, however, have eachother and their shared love and their rightness for eachother shone through Ms Bacon’s wonderful prose.

That prose is a work of art in itself and is one of the reasons, along with the worldbuilding and the captivating characters, that will keep me seeking out this author in the future.

Michael Fox’s narration is great, it’s easy to listen to and he gives all the characters good voices.

Exciting, multi-faceted story

Suspenseful story with some great characters.
Flashes of humour are used to contrast with the brooding menace of much of the story.
Great world-building and effective narration.