Member Reviews
Starry-Eyed Love is book two in the Spark House romance series. This is London's story.
This book can be read as a standalone. But IMO the books are meant to be read in order. This book does have different narrators (and the main focus is on a different couple) however much of what happened in the first book is spoiled here. And Avery is in this book a fair amount.
This book does feature both the male and female 1st person POVs. However London is definitely the main narrator. And honestly she is such a wonderful main character!
There are three Spark sisters: Avery, London and Harley. They own and run their family's event hotel. London loves the creative side of her job. But she has also been taking care of the business/financial side including taking meetings with clients.
I was actually quite surprised, but Avery did not come across well for much of this book. She came across as very selfish. And if I had not read When Sparks Fly I would not have known that she was actually a kind and wonderful person.
The sisters' parents died when they were younger. So the book does deal with the loss that they still feel even now.
I absolutely loved the romance in this book. I adore the hotel. I love the sister relationships. Overall this was just a really fun, quick, enjoyable read!
4.5 Enchanting Stars!
I really enjoyed this delightful, fun and moving second chance at love romance. London was out with her sisters celebrating her new single status. When a ruggedly handsome man tries to ask her out, she turns him down. Now months later, Spark House is looking to expand their business when a multi-million-dollar company wants to partner with them. London is all prepared to wow them with her presentation, only to discover, the CEO is Jackson Holt, the sexy man who hit on her months earlier. After a shaky start, London and Jackson find a way to be professional while working together. But the more time they spend together, the more they like and respect each other, and their chemistry only grows hotter. When they are finally able to give in to their attraction, secrets from the past threaten to tear them apart before they even have a real chance. This slow-burn romance was the perfect blend of humor, heartfelt emotion, and heat. London and Jackson were so perfect together, especially how he brought out 'fun London', allowing her to be herself. I loved the way London and her sisters worked together through thick and thin, but Jackson's back story touched my heart as well. This is one of those stories that has a little bit of everything I like and I felt invested in their HEA from start to finish. I really enjoyed this sweet, emotional and steamy romance.
Spark House is starting to flourish and grow and a NEW adventure is about to happen for London .. the quite, shy one that doesn’t have the best track record with boyfriends .. hense why her and her sisters are out kind of looking for love for London because they want “HAPPY, FUN London” back.
So when a large, sexy, hot Lumberjack approaches London she tells him, No Thank You when he tries to give her his number, she isn’t ready for another relationship as she just ended .. Daniel .. because he was getting to clingy and “SERIOUS London” was around ALL the time !! She is determined to put all of her energy into Spark House and her Etsy business and forget about men for a while ..
In walks Jackson Holt .. of Holt Media and Consulting and he is looking to bring Spak House out and into everyone’s view as he has heard nothing but good things about them and there Green Views and wants to help them expand .. BUT .. what he didn’t think he would find as he interrupted a meeting in his office .. the girl who turned him down and he NEVBER EVER gets turned down .. LONDON !!
Can these three girls make there business thrive while planning a wedding for Avery and Declan, Harley helping London with the Etsy store all while trying to push and prod London to GIVE Jackson a chance !!
These two are like oil and water BUT in the end have the same business goals..Go GREEN or GO HOME !! So what they don’t see right in front of them between all of the meetings, traveling and family is LOVE !! Can these two make it work living on two end of the country and lets NOT forget the Ex’s !!
LOVE THIS SERIES !! cant wait for more to make me laugh, scream and cry all at the same time because these girls ALL deserve LOVE AND HAPPINESS !!
I adored this book. Full of humour, charm, sass and heat. I loved how we saw more of London's interactions with her sisters and how those relationships developed further as the story went on. I can't wait for the next book!
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read Starry-Eyed love by Helena Hunting. This is the 2nd book in the Spark House series, but can be read as a stand alone, since I did not read When Sparks fly. This was a wonderful rom-com book and I just adored London and Jackson. I read Starry-eyed love when I wanted to destress, and wind-down and it was perfect for that! I definitely think both When Sparks fly and Starry-eyed love would make great beach reads this summer (adding bk 1 to my TBR list now!)
I was excited to get my hands on this book as I really enjoyed the first book so much. This book features London who is the middle Spark sister and Jackson - who is a bit harder to explain. There are so many elements that make up this man and the information for each part is revealed slowly throughout the book. But by the end of the story one thing is for certain, he is a beautiful man.
Their first meeting took Jackson out if his comfort zone, and at their second it was London who thought she was out of her depth. Their budding relationship hits a roadblock straight away and once that is removed secrets and omissions cause a big blow up. Suffice it to say there is never a dull moment in this book and it made for some wonderful reading.
It was also great to catch up with Avery & Declan again - but I honestly cannot remember Avery being so over the top in her story? With one Spark sister to go I am really looking forward to reading Harley’s story next. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.
3.5-3.75 stars. I enjoyed this book. Starry-Eyed Love is book two in the Spark House series and is the second sister London and Jackson's book. London is getting over a break up and is in a bar when she is approached by a guy who showers her with compliments and asks her out. But she turns him down because she doesn't think she's in a good spot to date after her breakup. Three months later, a big company approaches the sisters at Spark House with the opportunity to partner with them. As the business administrator there, London goes to meet with the company and finds that the man who hit on her in the bar, Jackson, is the CEO. The partnership goes through and London and Jackson work closely together. They become friends but neither feel they can act of their attraction to each other or start a relationship because of their business arrangement. But that is easier said than done and when their partnership is up all bets are off and they are free to date.
This story was pretty cute. I liked London and I identified with her anxiety. I liked Jackson in general, although there was nothing super special about him. I thought he was almost too much of a perfect gentleman. Still, I liked that he adored London. I liked this story in general, but I had a few things that bothered me about it. I found Jackson to be a little too formal in his speech and behavior. I also found the book a little slow and it took a while before anything romantic happened. And I did not like the OW drama that I felt took up too much time. I think it was added because the couple was kind of "on the boring side" together and it added interest, but I felt it added interest in a negative way. Still, I liked the book more than the first book in the series. I liked the Spark House location and the sisterly comeraderie. I was happy London got her stressful job situation worked out and got the happy ending she deserved.
Overall, I enjoyed Starry-Eyed Love. It was a sweet romance. I am looking forward to the third sister, Harley's book and whatever Ms. Hunting comes up with next.
After recently breaking up with her boyfriend, London is out having a drink with her two sisters one night when a gorgeous guy approaches her, keenly interested in introducing himself. He looks like the kind of man that most women would not say no to but that is exactly what she does, much to the surprise of her sisters. He looks as surprised as they do but respectfully accepts her decision.
London and her two sisters Avery & Harley own and run Spark House. An event venue that has been in their family for generations. The three girls are determined to carry on their grandparents legacy and continually look at ways they can improve their offering with a strong focus on the environment and sustainability.
Word of mouth is a great way for them to get their message out there and when they capture the attention of a big corporate organization that wants to partner with businesses like Spark House, London is eager to be fully prepared with a top-not presentation. Things initially start well, the right questions are being asked and she definitely is able to give them all the answers they need. And then he walks in. A ridiculously gorgeous man with the most incredible eyes that seem vaguely familiar…
Turns out the CEO is none other than Jackson Holt, the people she is trying to impress are led by the man she turned down flat in a bar a few months ago. Despite the initial tilt of the axis, Jackson keeps things very professional and decides that Spark House is definitely a business he is happy to align with. So what can he do about the insane attraction he has towards London now?
Well the short answer is, nothing. He has a strict policy of not dating any clients so he has created his own worst case scenario. Jackson manages to put all that aside and goes full steam ahead into making plans with London. His staff are surprised at his interest in this project, he is usually more hands off than this but he simply cannot seem to stay away from London. The more time these two spend together the clearer it is to Jackson that he needs to back away from the project.
Jackson has no intention of breaking ties with London though, in fact, he wants to make them more permanent. The only thing she asks of him is honesty and he knows he can definitely do that, in fact it’s the least he would expect in return from someone he was dating. As their lives begin to merge London is also struggling to deal with the pressure of an increased workload and the stubbornness of her sister to not take on more staff. Somethings gotta give soon and the fallout may affect all of them.
I really enjoyed the second story in this series. London and Jackson had all the makings of an amazing relationship, they just needed to clear the decks in their personal lives to free them up to be together and begin a love filled future.
"Starry-Eyed Love" was a sweet, heartwarming slow burn romance between middle sister London Spark, responsible for the financial and administrative aspects of family-run event hotel Spark House, and multi-millionaire tech mogul Jackson Holt, CEO of Holt Media & Consulting. Their feelings for each other were apparent early on, but they fought to remain professional as they worked together to plan a charity event at Spark House. I loved their banter and the way the chemistry between them steadily increased as the event approached. When they finally acted on their feelings, it was totally worth the wait.
The main reason I rated the book 4 stars instead of 5 is that London's older sister Avery, the protagonist of the previous book in the series ("When Sparks Fly"), drove me crazy in this story. Even as Spark House continued to grow and host more events, she refused to consider hiring additional staff, insisting that only family members should be involved in the hotel's management. It made her seem really insensitive to London and their younger sister Harley's needs, especially their need for an improved work-life balance.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and recommend it for all contemporary romance fans. I look forward to Harley's story next year.
*Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
We are back at Spark House and get to see who London really is. I loved the meet cute between London and Jackson, but the first few chapters were really hard to get interested in and keep my attention. I did enjoy seeing her sisters.
Running a family owned business isn’t as easy as one might think, and I believe, if she would have been honest and more forthcoming, a lot of her stress could have been alleviated. Jackson is totally swoon worthy. He is super wealthy but doesn’t really act like it. I ended up falling for these two characters hard, probably because they were there for each other and supported the other every step of the way and because they never stepped over the line of professionalism while working on the charity.
I highly recommend this series and this book. I received an ARC via Social Butterfly PR and am leaving an honest, voluntary review.
I really enjoyed the relationship between Jackson and London as it unfolded. My problem came with being bogged down with the “business minutia “. Too much time and too many details I didn’t really need to know about. I kept wanting to yell, “get back to the story!” It was such an interesting dynamic between the sisters. I wish Avery had been a little less bratty, but I haven’t read her story with Declan so perhaps there is a reason.
The book starts out funny as can be. The three sisters Avery, Harley and London are out on the town because London broke up with her boyfriend.. By the end of the night London gets asked out and she refuses. Little did she know that her life was about to change. The hotel her sisters run has been in the family for generations and is all about going green. Now Jackson Holt, who was the guy at the bar, is the head of the media company that helps small place get to the next level. Sparks are flying but they can't do anything about it due to business practices. They become friends but there are still complications. The sisters are arguing and Jackson has disappeared. Avery's wedding is bringing out the best in everyone.
Another sweet and swoony visit to the Spark House and this delightful trio of sisters! Starry-Eyed Love is precious and tender- a slow burning romance that leaves stars in your eyes and butterflies in the belly.
This is the lighter, dreamier side of Helena Hunting- but as always, we have a heartfelt character driven story. Here we focus on middle sister London- the business oriented middle sister who is a busy bee running the family owned hotel and business. A promising business meeting introduces her to Holt Media’s Jackson Holt, billionaire CEO, brilliant minded businessman, and an unexpectedly familiar face. Their new business venture has these two in a professional collaboration- but it’s clear there are sparks between them. Is there space for a different kind of collaboration in their future? WInk wink.
This story was cute- and I enjoyed it even more than the first in part because I just really related to and admired much about London. And Jackson is quite a dream leading man- passionate, clever, charming, and an all around do-gooder with integrity and magnetism. He’s quite the total package, which made the slow burn of this a bit maddening at times. BEcause both of these characters are in a business relationship and are so thoughtful and caring, the business part of their relationship really dominates a good 60% of this story, it’s slow, London resists a bit too much- it stifled a bit of the chemistry, and I felt like the romance didn’t really take off until I was already a bit too twitchy for it. Though I did appreciate who we see two characters really take time to get to know one another in a friendly way- but man, the burn is SO slow. I enjoyed it- but I did find myself missing a bit of that Helena Hunting heat.
But it’s certainly heartwarming and adorable. And I did enjoy opportunities to check in with Declan and Avery and some really great sister moments along the way. These three continue to bite off more than they can chew, but they always show up for and support one another, and as far as characters go, we have some really great ones in this series. Enjoying it overall!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4351629608
I really enjoyed getting to know London and Jackson and watching their relationship grow. Their chemistry is undeniable and I loved how Ms. Hunting brought them together. That seems to be the key to this series for me :) Glad to see all the Spark girls enjoying their lives outside of Spark House.
London has to be the sweetest of the Spark sisters. I fell in love with her immediately. I love how creative she is. She has set aside a lot of the things that she enjoys and desires for her family. And it is clear that both of her sisters don’t see it. Her sister Avery who we met in a previous book appears to not notice London at all or hard she is working to maintain Spark House. When a new green opportunity comes along for London and her sisters she takes the lead and that is where Jackson comes in.
Jackson is a famous CEO and works a lot, he gives his all to his company. But it is clear that he is lonely. He has his best friend, Trent, to look out for him and he surrounds himself with a found family, but he is alone.
When Jackon and London begin to work with each other and start to collaborate on a project. The two of them began to flirt over a Google doc that was color coded. I was ALL IN friends. ALL IN! Only Helena could make this as hilarious and serious at the same time. The fact that they are bantering in a Google Doc just made me chuckle! Even as Jackson is desperately trying to distance himself from London due to work he just can’t. They have this easy relationship and chemistry that outsiders can see from the start. Jackson is also one of the few people in London’s life that sees her. See’s that she is overwhelmed and not fulfilled. He is seriously attentive and so swoon worthy! I love how their relationship progressed. Jackson and London are a couple that you wish you could be friends with because they are kind and genuine people but also a lot of fun! If you are a fan of Helena’s other series you will love some cameo’s from them, too! It was an amazing surprise and I can’t wait for Harley Spark to get her HEA, because she is such a sweetheart!
Return to Spark House with this charming, sexy, slow-burn office romance. I loved the development of Jackson and London’s story. And that they had not one, but two meet-cutes!
Even though these two are pretty perfect for each other and wildly attracted, they keep things professional as Spark House partners with Holt Media for a promotion and London is planning a charity event for Jackson. It’s as these two get to know each other and I was waaay invested in them as a couple by the time they finally crossed the line to become more than colleagues.
Jackson and London really balanced each out nicely, and I thought that they handled the baggage each of them is carrying around from the past well as they worked it to solidify their romance.
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and voluntarily left a review
Starry Eyed Love was a fun, sort of forbidden, sort of workplace romance. The Spark sisters are close and growing an amazing unique business. They are fun and funny and so devoted to each other. I really like Jackson and London together. There was something about them that just made me want to root for them from the very first time they met. This story definitely had humor and a little angst but there were times that it was dragging and I admit, I skipped way more than a few pages to just get to the point. I do want to read the next book in this series but if it were more than three, I'd probably stop reading.
DNF: This will officially be remembered as the series that lost Hunting her spot on my one-click list. And that doesn't make me happy. The storyline is filled with miscommunication, problematic elements, and drama that doesn't reflect well on either character - just like the first book in the series. Hunting is a skilled writer, so there are things that were working, but this certainly didn't feel like the same author who delivered four 5-star reads in a row for me just a year or two ago.
I liked this book much better than the first book in the Spark House series. However, it still did not match the witty banter and steam of the Pucked series.
The book centers around London and Jackson’s working relationship and businesses. Because of this, there was too much discussion of business matters for me. Those sections of the book were not interesting and took away from time that could have been spent on the romance.
Speaking of romance, this is a very slow burn romance. The couple doesn’t get together until well into the second half of the book. When they reach their conflict, and it was very easy to see coming, there are a lot of angsty/emotional scenes. I really enjoyed that part of the book; both the emotional suffering and romantic angst were very well done. I felt it right along with the characters.
All in all a promising second book in the Spark House series. I look forward to reading the next book in the series!
In Starry Eyed Love Ms Hunting brings us back to Spark House, focusing on middle sister, London. After meeting all three sisters in the first Spark House book, I was excited to see more of them here.
I enjoyed seeing London and Jackson get to know each other and see how the friendship evolved to be more. One of the things I appreciated about this book was that the romantic conflict avoided the most obvious path. The struggles between them were more authentic for the fact that it was rooted in history and prior experiences.
As much as Starry Eyed Love is a romance, it’s also a relationship story. The relationship between London and her sisters is key to the development of the story too. Now that we have seen Avery and London find their potential happy endings, I am curious to see what may be in store for youngest sister, Harley.