💥 When Sparks Fly 💥
By Helena Hunting
Publisher: St Martin Griffen (Sept 21.2021)

We had the honour of meeting Helena by zoom last month when we picked her book Meet Cute as our spotlight of the month for Canadian Book Enablers; which is where we found out that she was having another book released in September… so of course we needed to have it 😉

When Sparks Fly is a friends-turn- lovers troupe that is a quick read with some sexy humour. I found I could zip through it even if the main character Declan bothered me. I found him to be narcissistic and felt at the start that he only wanted Avery because others wanted her. Ugh. He just bothered me. It’s probably just me but I think he reminded me of someone in my past and it’s what turned me off.

That said, the focus on mental health and boundaries and important “couple” issues that the author includes as part of Avery & Declan’s journey was the parts that I found the most interesting. I liked the sweet moments when Declan was trying to take care of her. But ultimately it just fell a little short. I didn’t dislike it. I didn’t love it. It was ok for me.

I still think the author is fabulous. Her writing is easy to sink into. But the characters for me couldn’t make me love the book.

Thank you @stmartinsgriffen and @helenahunting for the gifted copy in return for an honest review. Readers/ don’t let my personal experience shade the book as she’s written a ton of fun other contemporary rom-com books that are loved by many

When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting is a nice read. It is well written though the characters sometimes make really bad decisions. Declan and Avery have been friends for years and have now bought a condo together. It has never occurred to either of them to share their deeper feelings of how they feel more than friendship. A bit silly to me. I also found this book to be a bit heavy on the sequel activities, but that’s just me. I think it will appeal to the 20's and 30's age group the most. I give this book 4 of 5 stars.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book captured my attention at the beginning with characters who were likable and believable. But the plot was poorly written, with sporadic inclusion of events included in between the steamy romance scenes and the thoughts of the characters about masturbation. I was not very impressed with the writing at all since there was not much to it. The plot was supposed to be about Spark House, a hotel that caters to people with quirky desires for a getaway, with a lot of physical activity involved. I would have enjoyed reading more about their endeavors and fiscal difficulties, but instead I was caught up in the middle of a friendship that develops into a steamy, almost X-rated romance. I was not at all prepared for that so I was disappointed with the lack of build up and the whole lack of telling a story. If the whole point was just to have shower and bedroom scenes, then just have them and don’t try to tell a story. I give the book 2.5 stars, rounded down because there were parts that were “rolling the eyes” cliches and other parts that were equally distasteful to me. The attraction between Avery and Declan was obvious, but there could have been a backstory or something to support their sexual encounters that seemed to overtake them and conquer the whole book. Fans of steam may enjoy this book, but it was not my cup of tea.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

I love every book I have read by Helena Hunting and this is no exception. It's a little angsty at the beginning and the end, but you know things will work out how they are supposed to be by the end. Both Avery and Declan have things in their past that weigh on them today and the question is whether they can work through those issues together or not.

Thank you so much for allowing me the chance to read and review this.

I did enjoy the book. I initially had to put it down because it didn't interest me at first but I picked it up today and was able to finish almost in one setting.

I do like a good friends to lovers books. I felt bad for Avery when she got into a car accident and even worse for Declan because he felt bad about it.

This book was a four star rating. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

How do you know the book you read was 5 stars worth?
Well, one of the signs is if it warmed your heart to the point you feel like you're melting of pleasure.
Obviously, this is me figuratively speaking, but I am not far away from the truth, because this book really brought me so much joy. In other words, it reminded me why I fell in love with books in the first place.

The writing style was so addictive, I understand why Helena Hunting is popular in romance community.
She knows how to start a book to grab your attention, and she surely knows how to finish it.

The characters of the story were both likeable and relatable.
The story is written in first person, following Avery's and Daclain's POVs. If I am being completely honest, they did kind of sound the same, but I didn't mind it.

This story is somewhat personal to me as I was in a car accident myself and I was also at one point in my life a carrier, so I could understand both of the characters to some point.
Of course, this being a romance fiction it was sugar coated to a certain degree.

My favourite part was the last fourth of the book, when the writer (or I should say characters) approached to problems in realistic and mature way. It is what made this book special and of course, when it sums with the end, it made perfect friends to lovers story.

This is a really sweet friends to lovers romance from
Helena Hunting. It’s a standalone, not part of any other existing series.

Declan and Avery have been best friends since college, and they live together. When Avery is in a car accident that Declan feels responsible for, he volunteers to be her primary caregiver as she recovers. As they spend so much concentrated time together, they both start questioning whether their feelings for each other are strictly platonic.

I loved the relationship between Avery and her sisters, and their larger friend group. And Declan and Avery have a lot of chemistry. I also appreciated how the conflict was handled.

Thanks to St Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

Friends-to-Lovers Romance

I really enjoyed this sweet funny romance, but be warned ... it starts out with a tragedy. The chemistry between Declan and Avery is undeniabe ... everyone can see it, but them. The characters are well developed and I loved the realistic banter. I sure hope that the other 2 sisters get a book!

Declan and Avery have been best friends since college, so they bought a condo together. Avery and her sisters own an events company, therefore Avery's weekends are busy and she doesn't have time to date, while Declan is a total playboy bringing home hook-ups all the time. Avery's parents were killed in a car accident, therefore she has issues with driving. But when Declan misses a planned alumni reunion, Avery takes off on her own for an hour's drive ... in the rain. Avery is involved in a car accident and ends up with a broken arm, leg and ribs. Declan feels responsible because he was supposed to be the driver, so he volunteers to be her caregiver till she's back on her feet. By spending so much time together, they take a really good look at each other and realize that maybe they are more than friends. Should they move their relationship to more than friends ... or are they better off just staying friends?

I received an early copy courtesy of St Martin's Press through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

Swoon! I love a solid, well thought out, best friends-to-lovers story and Helena Hunting NAILED this one.

I often find, in many friends-to-lovers books, the friendship isn't as well established as I would like. In "When Sparks Fly", Declan and Avery are more than just the very best of friends. They've purchased a home together. They are as close as two people can be without being in a romantic relationship.

I enjoyed how Hunting told both sides of the story. You were able to see what both Declan and Avery were thinking and feeling. I loved how they came together at the start. Super creative (and HOT).

This book was sweet and fun. I loved it and I can't wait to see what else is next for the Spark sisters.

Avery and Declan have been best friends since college, in fact, they are so close that that they are also roommates. They see the comings and goings of each other’s lives, have regular hang outs with the guys, and play soccer together. On a deeper level, they’ve always been there for each other through the serious side of life too.
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Declan has been there for Avery as she handles the grief of heartbreak — through romance and death, and Avery has seen Declan through the baggage of a toxic family. Though neither of them are perfect, they always see in the best in each other. However, mistakes are made and an accident occurs. Avery is physically hurt and Declan deems himself responsible. Therefore, he devotes his time to helping her through a difficult time. Throughout this process, sparks start to fly when they recognize they both have deep feelings for each other.
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Overall, I liked this one. I enjoyed the friendship that Avery and Declan had and even the chemistry that was fizzling between them. Those moments were undeniably smooth and sexy. However, I wasn’t totally on board for the quick transition of friends to lovers. Declan had an evident sexual history that Avery was fully aware of and yet she never questions it as they start to physically be together. I think that the two of them should have had a discussion about this to highlight the importance of asking important sexual questions to the reader. On the other hand, I appreciated how the author included topics such as forgiveness, mental health, creating boundaries, and therapy. It was refreshing to see the characters taking care of themselves in this way.
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I’d recommend this to readers looking for an entertaining, quick read.

What I really loved about this book was the fact that the author gave space to the characters to make their way back to each other. The focus on getting to the root of the problems was highlighted in this book.

Absolutely loved this story! The characters had me hooked from the first page. The chemistry was there and I enjoyed the build up. The dialogue was great to read.

Friends to lovers and forced proximity are two of my fav troupes. They totally worked in this one! What didn't work was the the actual characters. They both had deep "issues" but they were dealt with in an immature fashion. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I Avery and Declan better as friends.

This book is a super quick read, but I could just not get into it at all. I really liked Meet Cute and Kiss My Cupcake by Helena Hunting, but When Sparks Fly just really fell short for me.

I am pretty picky about friends to lovers tropes and this one just did not work for me. I liked the protagonist enough, but I did not like the love interest, or really the premise of the story itself.

All in all, I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't.

What a sweet story! I adored this slow burn friends to lovers. It’s always nice to read about an athletic girl, who scores the sexy guy.

I always love a damaged guy too, who doesn’t?

Avery and Declan have been best friends since college. They live together, play sports and watch sports together, and have guys nights, until something happens and everything changes.

As an ortho physician assistant, I really loved the medical/orthopedic aspect to this story even more. Spark house sounded like an awesome event planning location, and I wish I had something like that closer to me.

I loved watching these two best friends navigate through to more, Declan was so attentive and thoughtful until he self sabotaged and Avery was so kind and ambitious, truly inspiring. I also adored her sisters and their friends.

Thank you @smpromance and @stmartinspress for an ARC for my honest review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed reading this book. The characters were likeable and relatable. It was a little difficult to believe that a guy and a girl who met in college could be such close friends as to buy a condo together and never have questioned the status of their feelings until years later. And I feel like it jumped very quickly from Declan helping her after her injury to more physical.

This is a disappointing read but not a bad.

I didn’t feel the connection between the two. Their love seems to be more platonic by the time things start heating up It was too little too late.

This is a slower read. People who want a slow burn friends to lovers might like this book.

This was a very good friends to lovers book. I really enjoyed all the supporting characters also. Avery has a wonderful relationship with her younger sisters and her friend group. This was my first book by Helena Hunting, but will certainly not be my last.

Thank you to St. Martin's and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Avery is going to attend a reunion with her friend and roommate Declan when he lets her down and she ends up in a accident.
When she is seriously injured, he is filled with guilt, and resolves to help her with her recovery.

They are spending all their time together and their new closeness leads to them becoming more than friends. but Declan never wanted relationship, so will he be able to change this for Avery?

Hoping that Avery's sisters get their own books next!

This was a fun romance and a very quick read!

I don't know if it needed to be told from two points of view - I think 3rd person could have worked just as well. This is because the main characters are pretty good at talking to each other directly about their feelings and concerns.

Both Avery and Declan are reasonably put together and grown up for almost thirty. They each have some big emotional baggage that throws some tension and conflict into their relationship but it doesn't prevent them from having stable friendships, jobs, etc. I like that they were realistic and flawed but not cliche. I liked that Declan worked on his trust issues himself with a professional. They both were good at recognizing where they went wrong, apologizing, asking for forgiveness and working to improve. I liked this realistic, adult approach instead of the heroine trying to "fix" the broken dude.

I'm guessing there will be two more Spark House books featuring the other two sisters, London and Halley. I hope that one has to be the fake girlfriend going to Mark's family reunion. His disastrous first date with a woman who turned out to be his second cousin was hilarious and it HAS to be a set up for a future book.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.