A Fire Sparkling

By: Julianne MacLean

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor, Sarah Zimmerman

An Amazon Charts and Washington Post best seller.

From the USA Today bestselling author of A Curve in the Road comes a spellbinding novel about one woman's love, loss, and courage during wartime.

After a crushing betrayal by the man she loves, Gillian Gibbons flees to her family home for a much-needed escape, but when she finds an old photograph of her grandmother in the arms of a Nazi officer, Gillian's life gets even more complicated. Rattled by the discovery, Gillian attempts to unravel the truth behind the photos, setting her off on an epic journey through the past....

1939. England is on the brink of war as Vivian Hughes falls in love with a handsome British official, but when bombs begin to fall and Vivian’s happy life is destroyed in the blitz, she will do whatever it takes to protect those she loves....

As Gillian learns more about her grandmother's past, the old photo begins to make more sense. But for every question answered, a new one takes its place. Faced with a truth that is not at all what she expected, Gillian attempts to shine a light not only on the mysteries of her family’s past but also on her own future.

This gorgeously written multigenerational saga is a heart-wrenching yet hopeful examination of one woman's struggle to survive, perfect for fans of The Nightingale and Beneath a Scarlet Sky.

©2019 by Julianne MacLean Publishing Inc. (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Julianne MacLean’s A Fire Sparkling is a beautiful, sweeping tale about love, courage, family secrets, and forgiveness that is impossible to put down.” (Jane Healey, best-selling author of The Saturday Evening Girls Club and The Beantown Girls)

“A wonderful, sweeping saga about the secrets we keep and the lies we tell in order to survive. Full of intriguing characters and set against the terrifyingly vivid backdrop of wartime London and Europe, Julianne MacLean certainly knows how to keep her readers guessing. I loved it!” (Victoria Connelly, bestselling author of The Rose Girls)

“War tests the bonds of family and the heart in Julianne MacLean's newest novel. A Fire Sparkling is a touching examination of the intricacies of love with a cleverly interlaced plot that kept me reading at a breakneck speed.” (Olivia Hawker, best-selling author of The Ragged Edge of Night)

A great story

This book kept my attention, page after page. I immensely enjoyed the narrators as they helped me visualize the characters and made them come alive. This was an entertaining and suspenseful story.

Romance novel, spattering of history

More romance and mystery than history. But very good plot twists. You think you know the answer, and then there is more. That happened to me at least 3 times. I loved the ending.

As for history, there are names that are used out of context. For example, Ludwig Beck (not Albrecht) was a general in the army, but resigned when Hitler started a war with which Beck disagreed. He was not an officer during the war.
The Gray Ghost was, among other things, a nickname for a pistol manufactured by the French in 1945/1946, and a nickname for a WW2 ship. But I have not found a thing about a person being called the Gray Ghost during WW2. Although there was one during the American civil war.
Franz Kline was an American painter born in 1910, no mention of an officer by that name during WW2.
I read about the psychological effects of the London Blitz, and most people got used to the bombings, and went about their daily activities without too much fear, being glad that they were still alive.
So the historical side is not very accurate. But it’s a good romance novel.

Secrets secrets.....

I enjoy Julianne Macleans way of story telling. A Fire Sparkling is a sweeping story of life. I know it's fiction. But I am sure there were many stories like it in real life. I am glad I listened to it.

Adventurous!!

This is a wonderful book, i am so glad i stumbled upon it. so many suprises, unexpeted twists.
i loved the story, the characters and the surprising ending.
you can't go wrong with this book, ENJOY!
THe narrator is were good, i enjoyed her immensely.

Very Captivating

Wow!! I couldn’t stop listening once I started. Definitely a must read or listen (audible).