Sadie Eagan is a single woman working at a coffee house in her city. Despite her parents’ concerns, she loves what she does and where she lives. Even if her current place of residence is Vector City, where Superheroes and Supervillains have no regard for the damage they cause to local businesses, or the potential danger to civilians. When she meets her very attractive new neighbor, Joan Malone, she desperately hopes to break her cycle of falling for people who end up taking advantage of her. Joan is interested too. Only Sadie cannot know that Joan is actually Spark, a Supervillain. Unfortunately, Joan’s secretive nature leads Sadie to suspect the opposite – that Joan is a Superhero. Joan knows she has to come clean if she wants their relationship to have a chance. Secret Spark by Kelly Farmer is a sapphic superhero romance where the couple must confront the truth – can Sadie accept that not all bad guys are bad, and can Joan prove it to her?
Book
Sadie is a bit of a hopeless romantic and Superhero apologist. She blindly supports them and defends them – especially against her friends and coworkers who are unhappy with the city’s damages and absurd insurance rates. But as their relationship develops, Joan occasionally challenges her views. After all, Sadie doesn’t see what goes on behind the scenes – Superheroes expect praise and adoration, in addition to handouts, in exchange for their services. Plus, Joan yearns to leave the villain life behind to start her own small business with her twin brother Mark/Ice. But one of their “team members” Melvin/Trick has his evil eyes set on bigger plans. So the twins have to find a way to leave the life for good before they get in any deeper – or worse, someone finds out about her attachment to Sadie.
Review
Farmer delivers a cute and fun read with some character depth in Secret Spark. While the romance is a slow burn, I enjoyed the flirty back-and-forth and the authenticity of what a secret-identity love story might look like. Or what a pair of super-gifted young siblings might endure with frightened parents and no where else to turn to but a life of crime. The world was easy to follow and I appreciated the sapphic twist on the genre. As far as steam/spice goes, there’s mostly ogling and inappropriate thoughts with one on-page scene towards the end. In my opinion, this fit the overall vibe of the story. Plus, the author sets up for their journey to continue in a sequel or more. Needless to say, low-stakes romance lovers will enjoy what Farmer has to offer with this one.
Kelly Farmer joins the Cantina Book Club Podcast to chat about bringing same-sex love stories to life and what readers can expect in the second book. Keep an ear out for the episode and pick up a copy of Secret Spark, available now!
