The Spark

An Enemies-to-Lovers Romantic Comedy (Carolina Connections, Book 2)

By: Sylvie Stewart

Narrated by: Amanda Stribling, David Black

Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's Summary

Mark Beckett is the most annoying, patronizing, arrogant jerk on the face of the earth. So, naturally, I can’t get the damn man out of my head.

Fiona:
Like the old saying goes, I’m a jill of all trades but a master of none. What I lack in skill, however, I make up for in enthusiasm - something certain people (ahem) find irritating. But I have my reasons for living my life the way I do, for diving into one project after another and trying to make a difference. And if Mark Beckett doesn’t like it, he knows where to find the door. I don’t need his approval...or his panty-melting kisses.

Mark:
I enjoy the simple things in life: a job well done, a cold beer, a hot woman...you get the idea. But there’s nothing simple about the mess I just found myself in. The last thing I need is a pint-size princess sticking her nose in my business and pushing every damn one of my buttons like it’s her job. But Fiona Pierce may be the only one with the tools to solve my problems - and the power to change everything.

Winner of the 2017 National Indie Excellence Award for Romantic Comedy

Winner of the 2017 Readers’ Favorite Silver Medal for Romantic Comedy

©2017/2018 Sylvie Stewart (P)2019 Sylvie Stewart

very good

Loved it !! this story. the narrator is so fantastic it's like your really there!! good overall

Awesome story

The Spark definetly lived up to it's title. Mark and friends were so funny in the beginning I laughed like a fool. The story took a more serious turn with absolute fluency. Some very serious life events occurred and were handled eloquently. I enjoyed this book very much. Thanks for the good read!

Great listen ;)

I love audiobooks - it brings the book to life. I first read this whole series and the audiobook performance really makes you laugh and feel! I received this complimentary audiobook for an honest review.

hilarious

I'm pretty sure this is the first thing I've read/listened to from this author. it was so funny! there were more times than I could count where I was laughing out loud. it's obviously part of a series, but I have no idea how much I've missed not reading in order. I did feel a little lost a couple of times with trying to know who was who and who was related or whatever. I'm normally not too excited for the alternating chapter narration, but this worked for me. I loved Fiona and I loved the nickname Marc gave her!

Seriously worth your credit! A favorite of the series!

We first met Fiona in The Fix which is Book One of this series. She was the crazy best friend of Laney who was loaded with double entendre one liners. In this book Fiona is still a fun and crazy girl but she brings about new zaniness. Between her designer outfits and let's not forget all the shoes and boots etc. I could not help but have a clear picture of her in my head and a smile on my face when reading. Fiona has dealt with a lot and since she is usually only interested one one night affairs. It was interesting to see how she deals with Mark once she heard his intentions. I enjoyed Fiona's story and had many a smile and giggle at her antics. She is a great character since I was never really sure what she was thinking or going to do next.
PS I loved Marks nickname for her. I think it fits her perfect!

I was not a fan of Mark after the first book or the beginning of this book. I did end up really liking him by the end of the book. He also is only interested in one night stands and makes fun of Nate for his relationship with Laney. But he slowly starts to evolve into an human ( you know, from the pig he was before) as time goes by and he gets more time with Fiona. Definitely not love at first sight between the two. I think there is mostly hate and sarcasm. Then that underlying attraction starts and away we go on a great story. We get to meet Marks family in this book and I loved the relationship between Mark and his brother Jake. When they hung out or had phone conversations you could feel their brotherly love for each other.
By the way the ending of the book is phenomenal! I can't say what happens but it totally revamped my opinion of Mark and made me believe in him.
Jake and Bailey or Gavin next? Either way I will be reading it! Great second book of the series!

I did listen to this on audio. Amanda Stribling and David Clark are the narrators. Both did an amazing job with these two characters. I think they were the perfect picks! Another on my favorites listen!

The Spark

I loved the banter between Fiona & Mark. David Black & Amanda Stribling did a great job with the narration. I can’t wait to listen to the next book in this series. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Love Fiona and Mark!

“The Spark” audiobook is just wonderful and tells the story of Fiona, a tiny dynamo of a woman and Mark, the muscular construction foreman. It isn’t love at first sight for Fiona and Mark. In fact, from the start, they can barely stand each other. Fortunately, due to a circumstance with Mark’s mom, they are forced to spend time together. Mark and Fiona slowly learn that their first impressions of each other were very wrong and that they are perfect for each other. Loved everything about this book, Sylvie had me rooting for Mark and Fiona from the very beginning.

You just have to root for these two

Spark which happens to be the is an interesting and funny look at the life of a playboy Mark and a young woman Fiona who had lots of baggage and could not stay out of her own head which has her acting and talking nutty while she avoids any and all entanglements like Mark. They were frienenemies because he was friends to Nate who was dating Lainey which was Fiona's best friend. So there relationship was nonexistant but now that she and Lainey are helping him with his family issue things are about to get very interesting. Lots of laughs, romance, action and little suspense. Great story line and the characters sort of came alive. I was given a audible copy as a gift without obligation from the author. I am providing an honest review.

What a great book!

I thoroughly enjoyed Fiona and Mark's story. The hilarious banter and obvious sexual tension made for a fantastic listen. The narrators did a great job and I can't wait to listen to book 3.

AMAZING!

The narrators were so much fun and flipping back and forth between their viewpoints was sometimes frustrating and sometimes hilarious. They each made their character sound as if everything they thought and said was perfectly sane and normal - even when it wasn't! We learn that each character has relationship fears and issues and we actually discover the back story behind the issue so it was so easy to relate to the characters and cheer for each of them in turn - even when they were being totally unreasonable. I loved the way that Mark actually grew up first and then helped Fiona in the most sweet and amazing ways to challenge her beliefs and yet never, ever demean or belittle (HA!) her.

One of the great parts of the story was getting to see the previous couple from the series and how their relationship was going. If you hadn't already read it - it was just some nice window dressing to the current couple. For those who had already read it, it was so cool to see what happened next and it makes me anxious to read the next book in the series to see both couple's next steps.

Bottom line: This book is worth listening to over and over!

Funny and sexy - a real delight

This is my first foray into Sylvie Stewart and let me tell you that it won’t be my last. It might, however, be the last of her books that I listen to while out in public, because this book was beyond hilarious. And when you’re randomly and spontaneously laugh-snorting in front of strangers, you tend to get some funny looks!

From the first, Fiona’s personality shines through - and she’s a hoot and a half. She’s got such a quirky and fun personality and she shares that with us, warts and all. The writing style lends itself to Fiona’s character to such an extent that I get the feeling that our author, Ms Stewart, might just be as wacky in real life. I loved the way Fiona talked to herself, remonstrated with herself and generally went about her life. While Fiona is definitely full of life, there are very big and real reasons for her outlook on life which gives her depth and makes her much, much more sympathetic as a character. Fiona is brought to life by Amanda Stribling and I enjoyed her performance. She had the enthusiasm to match Fiona’s and she definitely acted her part rather than just reading it.

Mark was a lovely character, too. Other authors take note - this is how your write a hero who has previously been more, erm, loose with his affections before meeting - and falling for - the heroine. To be completely fair, Fiona is also more of a casual dater and is definitely the more reticent of our couple to get into a relationship. Regardless, Mark’s descent into love is both believable and completely adorable. The way he sets his mind to winning Fiona just made my heart happy. It’s the perfect blend of reluctant hero and determined suitor. Mark is read by David Black and he’s definitely got the perfect voice for the role. Again, he acts rather than just reads - and he’s got definitely got a naughty little smirk in his voice that was pure Mark for me.

The first part of the book is definitely about setting the scene, introducing all our characters, revealing the back stories of our main pair and setting up the shenanigans still to come. While that’s all fun, it’s when Mark and Fiona go on the road trip and start to spend more and more time together that the book really begins to shine. I adore them as a pairing as they really do complement and complete each other. They have a good time together, they bicker and argue and they also are incredibly attracted to each other - so yes, there’s sex within. It’s definitely hot but, again, it’s perfect for Fiona and Mark as a couple with much humour included.

This book is actually the second in Stewart’s Carolina Connections series. Laney and Nate from the first book in the series, The Fix, appear a lot in this story as Fiona is Laney’s best friend. They really add dimension to the story and I now definitely want to go back and read about their own happily ever after. There are several other characters in this book that get their own stories later in the series and I’m excited to read them as I’m already invested in their lives.

This book was a delightfully good time and I’m happy to have found a new author to binge. This was a truly funny romcom with a couple I really liked and rooted for. I enjoyed every minute of listening to this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a romance that’s funny, sexy yet also has depth. Definitely 5 stars from me.

Fierce & sweet

This was so fun! I absolutely adore Fiona and her spunky attitude. She’s so little and fierce!
Mark is such a genuine good guy, and we really get to see that in this book!
Plus we still get some Nate and Lainy!

loving these series

loved it that you had two voices reading this book. certainly made it interesting to listen to and quite hilarious at times.

Enjoyed

This was a fun and easy read. The characters are easy to love and fun to listen too! I liked that he ended up on the other side of the story from his past. Great banter. Excellent duet narrators!

Really good

Good story! I enjoyed. If your looking for a sexy read then this is for you.

Funny feel good kind of story

Really quite enjoyed this one. A little bit of everything in it comedy romance and a little angst. Both characters were strong and endearing. Performance wise male narrator not my favourite but still enjoyed this very much.

Listen to the audio version

Even though this wasn't my favorite Carolina Connections book when I read it, it was still a fun audiobook. I thought the group conversations between body parts were a little much in the written version, but somehow Amanda Stribling made it seem...well, still not entirely normal, but at least not so odd.

The characters were great, and I love the writing style. The narration was awesome, and they obviously performed it better than I imagined it when I read it. I always appreciate dual narrators when there are dual points of view.

Overall, I'd recommend this series. The Spark is a standalone with no cliffhanger and you could read only this one, but you shouldn't.

Enemies to Lovers with a lot of Humour!

Did the Audiobook meet your expectations?
Yes I really enjoyed this book. This was the first book that I have listened to by Sylvie Stewart and I loved it. Sylvie has a great sense of humour that show through the story. I was hooked by this line at the beginning “I am to pretty to go to jail”!

How did the story make you feel?
This was a very heart warming. The banter between Fiona and Mark was very entertaining. Fiona is a great character.

Did the narrator make it easy to follow the story?
Amanda and David have made it very easy to follow the story.

Did you find the narrator’s voice fitting for the main protagonists(s)?
Amanda and David have done an amazing job with their dual narration. They both had the ability to bring Sylvie’s characters to life.

Do you recommend this audiobook and will you pick up more?
I absolutely recommend this book. I am looking forward to hearing about the rest of Carolina Connection stories.

I was gifted this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Laugh out loud good

This book has to be my favorite. It had a little bit of everything I love in a story. SUspense, romance and laughter make this story a must read. Opposites attract is one of my favorite tropes because of all the banter between the main characters. This story did not disappoint. Add the fact that Fiona has a bit of attitude and the banter because laugh out loud fun. Mark and Fiona are opposites, yet there is that spark that keeps bringing them back to each other. When Mark's father brings trouble to his mother, Fiona jumps in ready to help. This is where the chemistry heats up. The romance was slo, but it was well worth the wait, because there was so much happening in the middle that I could not stop listening.

Amanda Stribling and David Black brought this story to life. Amanda really narrated Fiona perfectly. She brought out Fiona's spunk, attitude and sass. David brought Mark to life. He narrated Mark exactly as I imagined him to be. This narrating team is fun to listen to and easy to follow. They made the experience of the story even more enjoyable.

Funny and sweet

Mark and Fiona didn't have a great first impression of each other but after Fiona helps Mark with a personal family dilemma, their interest and affection for each other grows. But both are more interested in one-night stands. Or are they?

I liked their banter and there were so many really funny parts in this book. Just their reactions to certain situations, their sarcasm but affection and their chemistry really elevated this story. I also loved seeing Lanie and Nate again; it's always wonderful to visit the prior couples. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I received the audiobook upon request but I have bought the ebook.

In terms of the audiobook, it is really well done. Both Amanda Stribling and David Black are so good as the characters with excellent control of their voices to play multiple characters. I thought their reading elevated the story.