A review by queerafictionado
Secret Spark by Kelly Farmer

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.5

Oh my gosh! This was such a fun read! Secret Spark is not your typical story about superheroes and villains. This story is a more of a satirical take on this common theme filled with lots of humor and snark and plenty of action! It also takes what you think you know about heroes and villains and scrambles it all up. The heroes in this story aren’t your typical heroes, and neither are the villains. Especially Spark, aka Joan. Joan wants to get out of the business and open a food truck with her twin brother and fellow Supervillain, Mark. I absolutely love the relationship between these two and their Supervillain father figure, Perry. A truly beautiful (even if a bit villainous) found family. Joan and Mark’s backstory is pretty powerful too and definitely makes my heart go out to them. 

Meanwhile, Sadie is loving her job as a barista and dreaming about opening her own cafe one day. If only the Supers would stop destroying things all the time so insurance costs weren’t so outrageous! Sadie is obsessed with the Supers though. So when she suspects her new neighbor with the unreal amber eyes isn’t a norm like her, she assumes this very attractive woman must be none other than her Superhero crush, leading to a case of very mistaken identity. And Sadie is so used to falling for not good people, that she gets a little obsessed at times with her new paramour being one of the ultimate “good guys.” And Joan doesn’t correct her assumptions. She also doesn’t confirm her suspicions exactly either. She never flat out lies, and she even shares real parts of herself with Sadie, but she also withholds the full truth. Joan has to be careful about revealing too much for her own safety and Sadie’s. But she’s also rather smitten with her new neighbor and scared of what will happen when she learns the truth. Especially knowing how she feels about Superheroes and Villains. But keeping the flames from igniting (literally and figuratively) is harder than she imagined. 

I absolutely adored the connection between Sadie and Joan. They have so much chemistry it literally SPARKS! 🔥There is definitely some miscommunication around Joan’s identity - but it’s all very low angst. I love that Sadie even does some self reflection to realize the miscommunication was partly her own fault. These two definitely have an opposites attract and a bit of a grumpy/sunshine vibe going on, but their connection is truly palpable and their romance is incredibly adorable. Plus it heats up really nicely too! 🥵

This was a super quick and fun read and I am really looking forward to book two in the series and finding out what shenanigans happen next!

🏳️‍🌈Rep: Pan MC, Lesbian MC, Gay & Nonbinary SCs

📝Tropes/Themes: Superheroes/villians, Mistaken Identity, Humor/Snark, Found Family, Low Angst, Opposites Attract, Adventure/Action, Be Gay Do Crime
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