Dex Colton has had enough. Being a Marine no longer on active duty and in desperate need of job was one thing. Living in a new city and working for his estranged family is another. But his brother about to marry his ex girlfriend? At Christmas, the very worst time of the year? Hell no. The only gift he wants right now is for the world to leave him alone. Until the day he visits a hole in the wall … wall bar and sees…her.
It took more courage than she thought possible, but Hattie Sutton finally left behind a career she never wanted, and parents intent on squashing her every dream. Now she’s in a brand new city, with a cute apartment and her dream job as a graphic designer. Absolutely nothing is going to distract her from her new path… certainly not the sexiest man-mountain she’d ever laid eyes on. Or one sizzling hot night in his arms.
Both are sure they’ll never see each other again. But neither factored in a little Christmas magic…or the meddling Colton family…
Spark is a sexy Christmas novella
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3.5 stars–SPARK is the latest novella (3.5) in Sherilee Gray’s contemporary, adult BOOSTED HEARTS erotic, romance series. This is former Marine/auto mechanic Dex Colton, and former attorney/interior designer Hattie Sutton’s story line. SPARK can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty .Any important information from the previous instalments is revealed where necessary.
Told from dual third person perspectives (Hattie and Dex) SPARK follows the building relationship between former Marine/auto mechanic Dex Colton, and former attorney/interior designer Hattie Sutton. Hattie Sutton left her old life in Phoenix behind, tired of her parents controlling every aspect of her life. Starting anew in Los Angeles as a business partner in a local graphic design firm, our heroine has no desire to tie herself down to one man including the man with whom she will fall in love. Enter former Marine, and mechanic Dex Colton. What ensues is the building but back and forth relationship between Hattie and Dex, and the potential fall-out as Hattie refuses to settle in the wake of Dex’s proclamation of love.
The relationship between Dex and Hattie begins as an almost one-night stand, almost because Hattie is a bit of a runner when things begin to overwhelm. Several times our heroine ‘runs’ at the first sign of ‘something more’ including Dex’s declaration of love. Dex Colton, on the other hand, knows first hand the heart break and pain of betrayal, rejection and loss. Willing to test the waters of his own happily ever after, our hero quickly learns that the woman with whom he has fallen in love isn’t willing to give love a chance. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense.
There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters. We are reintroduced to Hugh and Shay (Swerve #1), Joe and Darcey (Spin #2), Adam and Lucy (Spin #3), as well as Dex’s brother Zane, and his ex-girlfriend Chloe.
SPARK is a quick read; a fast paced novella focusing on one woman’s desire to be independent under any circumstance, and one man’s struggle to find love and his own happily ever after. The premise is entertaining; the characters are colorful and energetic; the romance is heavy and hot but I struggled with Hattie’s continuous need to run every time Dex attempts a more serious relationship.
Spark is a quick read. It’s cute, sweet and hot. Hattie and Dex’s story is a light-hearted Christmas romp that’s perfect for this time of year. I enjoyed it and definitely recommend.
Copy provided by author
RATING 4.5 STARS
Spark is book #3.5 in the Boosted Hearts series by Sherilee Gray. I have loved this series from the start and this holiday novella was no exception. Actually, I’ve been complaining lately that my reading life has lost its sparkle and with this book, I felt it again!!
Dex Colton was my very favorite kind of book hero. He’s all grumpy and broody. He’s an ex-marine, forced to leave due to a serious injury. He finds himself taking a mechanic job in L.A. from a cousin he barely knows because he needs a job, a new place to start. He’s sitting in a bar, not looking for company, when he sees “her!” He can’t look away.
It’s two weeks before Christmas when Hattie Sutton just had to get out of her quiet apartment for a change of scenery. She was new in town, had only been in L.A. for two weeks. Hattie grew up in a family that felt the need to control her every move, constantly making her feel like she was less than. She finally walked away to start the life she really wanted. She is dedicated to giving everything to her new career and proving that she has what it takes. That does not include being distracted by a man. But as she sat in the bar drinking a glass of wine, she saw him, by far the most gorgeous man she has ever seen.
Due to a little bit of meddling, these two find themselves thrown together more than once and the pull between them is not going away. I loved Dex so much and hated the way he had been treated in the past. He definitely had some inner scars and his self confidence had taken a few blows. What I loved, though, is the way he rose above it, not holding a grudge. Hattie had her share of scars on the inside as well at the way her family treated her. What bothered me just a little bit and why this wasn’t five full stars was just that I didn’t like the way she kept running from Dex, even though I understood her reasons.
This book was definitely steamy, so sweet, swoony and full of Christmas smiles. We get plenty of updates on the characters from the other books but you could also read it as a stand alone. The whole series is wonderful so I definitely recommend reading the whole thing but you don’t have to. I enjoyed this so much and I hope you decide to give it a try.
Sparks galore
Sherilee brings us a Christmas novella in the Boosted Hearts series. This story focuses on Dex and Hattie who meet at a bar one night and instantly are attracted to the other. However, both have some past hang ups that they need to overcome in order to move forward especially if they decide to do it together
Fabulous to catch up with some past favourites again, absolutely a must read series and novella Thank you to Sherilee for my advanced copy for which I voluntarily leave my honest review
Dex was the perfect hero for me. He’s big and burly, broody and introverted. He’s got a past that has definitely left scars and the last thing he wants is to get involved with a woman. But when he lays eyes on Hattie his thinking makes a drastic change. He wants her more than anything but she’s got some family issues to work out and refuses to commit to him.
While I loved Dex, Hattie didn’t quite do it for me. She pushed him away so many times and caused him pain and insecurities to the point that it was hard for me to continue cheering for her. I never felt that her reasoning was sound and perhaps that was due to the length of this book not giving us enough background info on her situation or allowing us to actually see what she was dealing with.
This is a fast paced read with some extreme, as in EXTREME, heat. There is no doubt that this couple work together outside their issues. If you enjoy a lot of push and pull you’ll love this one.
This was a short-ish tale with a pretty big story. In it we meet Dex, a long-lost (unkown) cousin of the Coltons from the original Boosted Hearts trilogy. He is a big, rough looking, hunk of a man, who reminds me a lot of Hugh, and who is even more of a sweetheart. He ends up in the Colton family trajectory mostly because he doesn’t have anywhere else to go. Plus, they offered him a job and a place to stay, so it’s a pretty good deal. But what he hadn’t counted on was them making him a part of their clan so readily, and for him to fall under their spell so easily. He also definitely did not plan on Hattie.
Hattie hadn’t planned on meeting anyone anytime soon either, certainly not someone that she is instantly attracted to like Dex. Sadly, she is all kinds of broken, and does quite a bit to cause Dex a lot of additional and unnecessary pain. There were several times that I just wanted to smack her. While I did feel some sympathy for her and what she’d dealt with from her own family, it still didn’t excuse her behavior. She acted more like a spoiled teenager than someone who was in her mid-20’s and had been working as a lawyer. And I just wanted to tell her family where to shove it.
This story has a lot of sweetness, heat, angst, drama, and passion,
all rolled up in a tight little package and topped with some (at least attempted) holiday cheer.
Definitely a good choice for just sitting by the fire, sipping some hot cocoa and soaking it all in.
Plus, we get the added bonus of getting small but significant glimpses into the happily-ever-afters of the original three couples (and related extras) from the Boosted Hearts books!
The last thing Dex Colton wants is to get mixed up with another woman who has the power to break his heart and reek havoc on his life. But then in a crappy little bar he spots her, a woman that he cannot deny his attraction too, one that he is certain could take his mind off of everything for the night.
One night of guilt free passion to quiet all the drama and demons floating around in his head, just some strings-free fun between the sheets with a gorgeous woman. A night that could lead to so much more…
Between the pages of Spark lies a story destined to rattle your emotions and squeeze your heart in all the right places. These two come together for a night of fun, but soon realize fate had the upper hand in their little meeting… they were meant to be together, to become one. But of course when you throw two people together that have given up on love that means your bound to have lots of obstacles to overcome and old wounds to heal. Following these two on their little journey had me swimming in feels, and blushing here and there too… they brought it all to the pages! What a wonderful little literary escape, it had everything I have come to expect from this author and much more! Highly recommend!
I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion.
I have a big soft spot for a hero like Dex. The big, lovable teddy bear that everyone has taken advantage of. The one you just want to find that one person who will treasure him because while he may look all tough and dangerous, he’s one of the kindest men you could meet. He’d give you the shirt off his back even if it’s his last one. I think it’s safe to say I LOVED Dex.
The problem with me loving Dex so much is that I got so mad at Hattie several times throughout this book. She’s very insecure due to her families constant controlling of her life. She had a lot of trial and error trying to stand on her own feet and poor Dex got the brunt of that. Good thing she made it up to him.
Seriously, Dex is every reason you should read this book. If you liked the hero in Breaking Him by this same author, you are gonna love Dex too.