Review: Holiday Sparks
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 8, 2011
Rating: 4.5Chloe lives in Boston but is back in her hometown house-sitting for her parents while they are out of town on a cruise. Not realizing the state of disrepair her parent's house and its electrical wiring is in; she inadvertently blows a fuse and has to make an after-hours call to a local electrician. Conveniently, Scott Quinn is available and eager to make a house call. He and Chloe went to high school together and he had a huge crush on her back then. He's dying to know if she is still as hot as she was back in high school. Scott's look has change a bit since his less-than-cool high school days so Chloe doesn't remember him from. When they reconnect though, the sparks fly. After Scott's inspection of the electrical wiring, Chloe decides an update is in order and hires Scott to do the job creating a perfect opportunity for them to spend a great deal of time together and see what comes of their mutual attraction.This is the first time I've read anything by Shannon Stacey and this is my favorite of the four stories in this anthology. Right from the beginning the chemistry between Chloe and Scott is evident and so fun. I loved Quinn's internal dialogue as he tries to remain cool on the outside, while on the inside he is high-fiving and chest bumping himself at his good fortune at possibly getting an opportunity to realize all his Chloe-induced teenage fantasies. Chloe is taken with how good looking and genuinely nice Scott is and although she doesn't remember who he is as first, I think she finds him even more attractive once she finally remembers him. What was supposed to be a fun casual fling quickly turns into something much more as Scott and Chloe get reacquainted. But pursing anything more than a casual fling is complicated by geography since Chloe lives in Boston and Scott is settled firmly in small town living.Holiday Sparks is a fun, and very romantic story.  While there were no complicated, emotional obstacles to overcome, I still felt myself pulling for Chloe and Scott to finally admit their feelings for one another and grab that happily ever after that was right there--just within their grasp--if they would just seize it!