I love the setting of this series so decided to give the second one a chance. It was so easy to read and I enjoyed the slow burn. I loved the emphasis on family and those relationships in contrast to the romance building. Great summer read!

This booooook y'all. This was a great follow up to the first book and I think it even surpassed it in execution!

One of my issues with the first book was that I wanted more of the relationship with the sisters and we definitely got that here. There was a lot going on between the girls in this book and it definitely all comes to a head at the end of this one.

I loooooved the romance here, even if it was a bit rushed to me, it still felt very real. The drama was drama, a typical romance plot thing. You always see them from a mile away but I guess we never really expect them to be too surprising do we?

Loved this, waiting impatiently for the third!

Just like the first one except this one is a billionaire romance trope. I liked it well enough but i have to be on a certain mood to like books written in the present tense.

This book was fantastic, but I already knew it woukd be before I even started to read it. I am never disappointed in any of Helena Hunting's books , and this book was no different.
London and Jackson are funny and the chemistry between these two are off the charts once they decided to finally admit how they feel. I could not put this book down until it was finished but I wished it never would end.
I can not wait for the next book in this series

3.5 Stars

I adored the Spark sisters! And I enjoyed London's love story in this series, Starry-Eyed Love! London Spark is hard-working and just trying to find her own footing in their business. And Jackson Hoyt, the charming CEO, strictly professional business man who rejects office romance is also extremely likable hero who fell for London right away!

London meets Jackson at a bar. Sparks start flying between them but London rejects dating with him because she already carries too much on her plate, focusing on her business life and a few months later she meets the same charming guy as a potential partner who has his own multi billion dollar company.

But as the story goes, as the more they work together, their dynamic and interest shifts!

This was a fun book to read

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and the publisher. This is my honest and personal review.

Esse é um romance muito gostoso de acompanhar, London tem suas questões pessoais sobre relacionamentos que ela começa a descobrir quando se abre para Jackson. Já ele, passou por algumas experiências não muito boas, com mulheres que buscavam seu status social, mas ele sabe que com London não é assim. Os dois perderam os pais, e essa similiaridade faz com que eles entendam melhor um ao outro. A construção do relacionamento foi muito boa de acompanhar, e eu fiquei totalmente encantada por eles.

Uma das questões do livro se deve a Avery não querer ceder ao pedido de London e Harley para que elas tenham pessoas ajudando na parte administrativa da Spark House, e confesso que eu só queria dar uma sacudida na Avery para ela ver além do que ela quer. Eu estou muito ansiosa pelo livro da Harley, já vi que o mocinho é um pai solo e com certeza vou amar.

I love Hunting's previous books and this one did not disappoint! Lighthearted, great character development, lots of romance and some laughs as well.

I ended up not finishing When Sparks Fly in preparation to read Starry-Eyed Love - I wanted to like the series but the writing style just isn't clicking for me.

Starry-Eyed Love is the second book in the Spark House romance series. In this book London Sparks crosses paths with a multi-millonaire, Jackson Holt. When they start working together they decide they can't pursue a romantic relationship, However, as they spend more and more time together, their growing chemistry and feelings will complicate matters.

This was a cute and entertaining romance! Reading it was a breeze and I enjoyed getting to know the Sparks sisters more. You don't have to have read the first book to read this one.

I liked the first book in the series, but this one was definitely better for me. I really enjoyed the couple in this one a lot more. I loved how the serious businessman Jackson lost all his edge and toughness with London. I loved that London was the one to initiate a lot of the steamy scenes, I'm always here for sexually empowered women!

Their relationship was also very believable. Even though they were from very different backgrounds, they had a lot of commonalities. They both lost their parents, neither of them really gave love a chance, and they were both workaholics. I liked that this meant that they could understand and relate to each other on a deeper level and this helped grow their relationship.

While there's nothing wrong with being a workaholic, if that is your priorities in life, I did like that London and Jackson found in each other someone that made them want to reprioritize their life and put love first.

Even though their attraction starts as insta-love the fact that they can't date while spending all this time together means that they have a lot of time to bond and get to know each other outside a relationship. So when they do get together, you know that they understand each other on a deeper level.

Unfortunately miscommunication trope and blowing things out of proportion plays a big part in the main conflict, but at least I did like the resolution to the conflict.

The sister relationship played a big part in this book, similar to the first book in the series. I love that this series has such close sister relationship, but this book made me wish they would just sit down and talk instead of letting issues grow and grow until they came to a head. I love seeing positive sister relationships in books and the way they treated each other in this one, honestly made me sad at times. Plus, somehow Avery from the first book came off as a terribly selfish person in this book which was hard to reconcile with her character from book 1.

Overall rating ⭐⭐⭐.8, rounded to 4.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for the eARC!

Starry Eyed Love was cute, but it seemed a little unoriginal.

I liked London. She was kind and creative, and I felt for her having to work with her family. She tries to keep the peace and live the life she wants to live. I have to admit the sisters’ relationship was maybe my least favorite thing about the book. I found Avery to be very off-putting, and admittedly I hadn’t read her book, so perhaps I would have liked her more if I had. Jackson was a pretty one-dimensional character. I felt like much of what we knew of him was more told to us than shown, even though we do get his POV chapters.

I did feel like Jackson and London did have some great chemistry. I loved their flirting, and I liked them together. However, I was annoyed that the conflict could have easily been solved if Jackson had just been more forthcoming with London. I also didn’t love how against London Jackson’s friends seemed to be for what didn’t seem like a great reason.

Overall this book was okay. It was cute and entertaining, but I’ve read better.

Thought this story was the cutest! I still enjoyed the first one more but was throughly entertained. Plus that cover is so adorable

I received an advanced reader's copy of Starry-Eyed Love by Helena Hunting.

London was a relatable character. Her struggles and how she dealt with situations were clearly shown. Jackson is a good partner for London and is very supportive of her. I liked that we got to see London progress throughout the story and finally address the issues that were impacting her life balance with her sisters.

This is the second book in the series and it was great to get more scenes with the three sisters interacting and how their lives had progressed since the first book.

I enjoyed this follow up to When Sparks Fly. Although this could be read as a standalone since it’s a different couple from the first book, there is a lot of background info about the sisters and Spark House that is in the first book. Starry-Eyed Love is a fun millionaire trope full of Helena Hunting’s humor. Jackson is pretty great in that sweep you off your feet kind of romance. London is really down to earth and doing her best to balance her personal life, her relationship with her sisters, and her role in their business. I liked reading about the conflict and growth among the three sisters. I am looking forward to the next book, Make a Wish, which is about Harley.
Thank you @smpromance for a digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This ARC was offered in exchange of an honest and unbiased review:
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4*
Pros: A very sweet continuation to the Spark House series. Now focused on London, it is full of cute little moments and steamy romance. Beautiful notes on tight-knit sibling relationships. Talks about finding your passions, maintaining a wealthy work-life balance, and working out difficult romantic relationships.
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Cons: A bit unnatural dialogues. Over-the-top and unnecessary strife. Definitely more on the insta-love side.

A fated romance about the quiet millionaire, Jackson Holt, falling for the resilient and determined London Spark who runs a boutique event hotel with her sisters. These two were like fireworks. With a palpable chemistry and the ability to meet each other’s needs, London and Jackson have a sweet fairytale-like love that is endearing and tenderhearted. This one is just as much about romance as it is about the sisterly bond.

On a whim Jackson asks London on a date after dinner with a friend, but is quickly turned down by London. The two end up going their separate ways. So when fate pushes them back together again in a work related matter, they try and keep their relationship strictly professional. The only problem is that neither one of them wants to be “just“ friends.

These two were super sweet together and this was a fairly quick read. I love the way Helena writes and I usually love the family dynamic she brings into her fiction. I think the only reason I gave this one four stars is because Avery was being a tyrant and the fighting between the three sisters was a drag at times. I really do love Jackson and London together and I’m so glad they finally got their happily ever after!

3.5 stars

Last year I read Helena Hunting’s first book in the Spark House series, When Sparks Fly. It was ok (came in at 3 stars for me) and while I didn’t LOVE it in the way that I had hoped, I was invested enough in the story and characters that I felt excited to try another book by Hunting. I liked the sound of this one as it sounded like a cross between a missed connection and workplace romance. Overall I thought it sounded cute and just a nice breezy read going into the spring.

So I said yes (obviously!) to reviewing this one and I was glad I did. While this book is part of a series, I would not have been lost in the story if I skipped over the first one. This book has new characters and storylines, the connecting part centers around Spark House and that’s about it—save for the occasional character cross over etc. So if you are worried about reading this one out of order, I would not worry you will be absolutely fine jumping in this series with this one instead of the first book.

If you love more contempo romances, Hunting has quite a few romances under her belt and this book will leave your romance reader heart feeling full! I am glad I decided to give another book by Hunting a go, I did find that I liked this one better than the first book I read by her. I love when that happens!

Summary
Charming, hilarious, and emotional, Starry-Eyed Love is Helena Hunting at her very best!

Having just broken up with her boyfriend, London Spark is not in the mood to be hit on. Especially not when she’s out celebrating her single status with her sisters. So when a very attractive man pays for their drinks and then slips her his number, she passes it right back to him with a ‘thanks, but no thanks’. As the business administrator for their family’s event hotel, the Spark House, London has more important things to worry about, like bringing in new clientele.

As luck would have it, a multi-million-dollar company calls a few months later asking for a meeting to discuss a potential partnership, and London is eager to prove to her sisters, and herself, that she can land this deal. Just when she thinks she has nailed her presentation, the company’s CEO, Jackson Holt, walks in and inserts himself into the meeting. Not only that, but he also happens to be the same guy she turned down at the bar a few months ago.

As they begin to spend more time together, their working relationship blossoms into something more. It isn’t until their professional entanglements are finally over, that London and Jackson are finally ready to take the next step in their relationship. But between Jackson’s secretive past and London’s struggle with her sisters, London must question where she really stands – not just with Jackson, but with the Spark House, too. (summary from Goodreads)

Review
This book satisfied my romance craving in many ways. It had some steam, a lot of romance, and of course left me day dreaming about a rich billionaire. I really liked how Jackson and London had this kind of chance encounter meeting and she turned him down. Immediately that showed me that she was strong and independent and knew that it just wan’t the right time for her and I loved that about her character and their romance. I thought it set the ton for their romance that would develop and evolve later on in the book. They did have an instant connection that carried throughout the book which I thought worked really well. I felt invested in their romance and it felt realistic. Jackson was swoon worthy for me and like London found myself attracted to him which, isn’t that the point of romances?!

The only thing that I felt really weighted this book down for me was the business aspects and language. There was a lot about businesses and a lot of business lingo that just felt a little much for me and made the book read a little more slowly than I anticipated. This did have a lot of cute dialogue and it was relatively fast paced—or was intended to be—but the business part just didn’t flow well for me. This is mostly a minor thing and others might not feel the same but for me it was a little frustrating when I wanted to get going with the story.

I did like this book better than the first one and I am glad that I read it and didn’t just go off of my feelings for the first book. This one felt more developed and was written better than the first one in my opinion. I loved the characters and I thought Jackson and London worked well together as a couple. Lots of well developed chemistry and a feeling of ‘fatefulness’ when it comes to their romance. I just wish some of the business parts were removed or condensed to allow for better flow of the story. If you love romances then I think you will find a lot to love in this one, a charming destiny plot, some steam, and two well matched characters. Get this one on your TBR for summer!

Book Info and Rating
Format: Paperback 352 pages

Published: May 10 2022 by St Martin Griffin

ISBN: 9781250624727

Free review copy provided by publisher, St Martins Griffin, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Genre: Romance, contempo romance

Book 2 in the series follows the middle Spark sister who is doing a job she doesn’t really love, but loves her family so she does it. What she really wants to do is be creative and not deal with the financials or client proposals. I liked London but thought she needed to stand up for herself. Who I didn’t like at all was Jackson. He was a manipulator and kept information from London multiple times. I couldn’t get past this. Writing was decent and I’m curious about the next story, so gave it 3 stars.

Thanks to SMP for the arc for my honest review.

Starry-Eyed Love is the second book in Helena Hunting’s contemporary romance series, Spark House, a series that follows three sisters who run a small boutique hotel together.

London Spark is the focus of this second installment, and I loved her from the opening scene when we encounter her and her two sisters, Avery and Harley at a bar together. London has just broken up with her boyfriend and the sisters are celebrating her newly single status. London is ready to focus her attention on the family business and has no interest in dating right now, so when a handsome stranger at the bar flirts with her, she tells him she’s not available. Little does she know at the time, but that man, Jackson Holt, is about to change her life in more ways than one.

I really loved the chemistry between London and Jackson right from that first meeting and was actually disappointed when she blew him off. Color me tickled then when London is invited to a meeting to discuss bringing Spark House on board as a partner for a huge environmentally friendly initiative. If you guessed Jackson Holt is the founder of this initiative, you would be correct. This of course forces London in close proximity to Jackson, whether she likes it or not, and things take off from there. London and Jackson are a great match on pretty much every level and there are plenty of flirty sexy moments between them, but I’ll say now to prepare yourself for a slow burn since they do have a working relationship and there are some angsty moments as they try to figure out how to navigate the professional and the personal.

As much as I enjoyed London and Jackson’s story, I was also a big fan of the relationship between the sisters. They are experiencing some growing pains as the hotel expands and so even though they adore each other, there is still the occasional tension. London, in particular, is in an awkward position. She has somehow landed in the position of business administrator, so she is responsible for bringing in new clientele and planning events. This isn’t her wheelhouse at all, as she is more of a creative type, and as much as she wants to help her sisters with the business and doesn’t want to create drama, this particular job and the way Avery is pushing her and refusing to hire outside help, is running her ragged. I loved how realistically Hunting portrays these relationships, especially the angst and tension, as London comes to terms with the idea that the only way out involves confronting Avery. Hunting hits that perfect and very relatable balance of “I love you more than anything but something has got to give.”

Starry-Eyed Love was my first time reading something from Helena Hunting but it definitely won’t be my last because this book was just such a delight – equal parts charming, and funny, and with a delicious side of drama and angst to spice things up.

I had gotten to know London in the previous book and was glad to know her story was coming next in the series. I had found her interesting, especially as it related to her dynamic with her sisters. From the little I learned of her, I came to admire her loyalty to her sisters and Spark House. But I also got the sense that she wanted more than what she was currently doing with her career.

in this installment we get to really see the role she plays in Spark House and the toll it was taking on her, which served to endear her more to me. 😀

So of course, I wanted what was best for her and a romance with a handsome, charming man was just the right kind of "spark" she needed in her life.

I loved Jackson. Not only was he the right amount of sexy and wicked, he was also caring and driven to succeed. Together with London, they made the perfect pair--driven, with an obvious connection and chemistry to burn.

I enjoyed catching up with the sisters and seeing them work together to make Spark House successful, but most of all I enjoyed seeing how their bond kept growing, their easy acceptance and their loyalty to each other even when they butted heads.

All in all, a fun steamy read.