The Blog

Light of the Fire by Sarahlyn Bruck

Jan 23, 2024 | Featured Book, NN, Novel Network

from author’s website

In this heartrending story about healing from past mistakes, two estranged friends face the twenty-year-old accident that forced them apart―and the consequences of the secret that still haunts them.

Twenty years ago, an out-of-control prank ended in an accident that destroyed the high school gym and threatened the futures of star athletes Beth and Ally. They move on with their lives carrying their secret while someone else is blamed, but the years reveal that no one truly comes out unscathed.

Now, both women are at a crossroads: Beth returns to her hometown after a concussion ends her professional soccer career, and a surprise pregnancy disrupts Ally’s idyllic family. The only thing either of them are sure of is their desire to mend their estranged relationship.

But the old friends aren’t just battling new problems when their former classmate Jordan begins to investigate the crime for which his father was convicted. As their secret comes back around to threaten their futures once more, Beth and Ally will have to decide whether to run away from the truth again or face it once and for all.

Available for purchase here.

PRAISE AND RECOGNITION FOR LIGHT OF THE FIRE:

“An enthralling and moving glimpse into the world of professional soccer, Light of the Fire is a beautifully written story of true friendship and facing the mistakes of the past.” —Lyn Liao Butler, Amazon bestselling author of Someone Else’s Life

“A deftly crafted, moving novel of friendship and family, the weight of long-kept secrets, and the healing power of owning up to our mistakes. Absorbing, heartrending, and ultimately hopeful, Light of the Fire is unputdownable.” —A. J. Banner, #1 Kindle, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestselling author

“When fear and guilt drive best friends and budding soccer stars Ally and Beth to keep a terrible secret, that secret shapes the rest of their lives. Light of the Fire is a rich and beautifully written story about loss, family, friendship, and forgiveness, and what compels us to own up to our mistakes. I thoroughly enjoyed!” —Kerry Lonsdale, Wall Street JournalWashington Post, and Amazon Charts bestselling author

“Can we ever truly right our past wrongs—and when we try, does it even matter? That’s the question at the heart of Sarahlyn Bruck’s latest novel about two women whose pasts are still very much present. Light of the Fire is a riveting story of friendship, secrets, and the curveballs life can throw our way.” —Camille Pagán, bestselling author of Good for You

“Sarahlyn Bruck’s Light of the Fire delivers a thoughtful exploration of how the fear of consequences often defines and derails our lives more than the underlying mistake would. Tension mounts as Ally and Beth begin to comprehend how many lives were affected by their secret, keeping readers riveted until the two friends accept that their only path to redemption and peace of mind is to come clean. A timely and important story that resonates in an era in which honesty too often takes a backseat to ambition.” —Jamie Beck, bestselling author of The Beauty of Rain

“A heart-rendering story of secrets, lies and soccer. In a prank of revenge, Beth and Ally, the only girls on a team, accidentally set the high school gym ablaze resulting in the misplaced blame of an innocent custodian, two decades of estrangements, consequences two teenagers could never foresee. A haunting story with memorable, well-developed adult characters and a plot that kept me reading through the night. Author Sarahlyn Bruck scores again.” —Marilyn Simon Rothstein, author, Crazy to Leave You