Member Reviews
Starry-Eyed Love is the second in a series about three sisters who work together at their family-owned hotel and event location. I was excited to read London's story after enjoying Avery's. But when I realized this was a secret billionaire brought to his knees by a woman trope, I was all in.
Starry-Eyed Love is sweet, heartbreaking, and has all of that Helena Hunting spice.
I absolutely loved this book. I could not put it down! This romance was full of heart, angst, and romance!! A modern day Cinderella story at its finest! The relationships in the story inspired a hope for families and lovers! A must add to your TBR!
Her last name might be Spark, but London couldn’t seem to find a spark with any of the men she dated. That was until she met Jackson.
I was so happy to be back at Spark House with this tremendous trio. In this installment, the sisters had an opportunity to expand their business, however, there were some growing pains. The good news is that everything worked out, AND London got her HEA.
London was the serious sister in the previous book. I enjoyed getting to know her better and to see her fun and creative side shine. Jackson was an interesting and wonderful match for her. Their similar backstories help them understand each other’s pain in a way others couldn’t, and I swear they brought out the best in each other. I especially loved how gooey Jackson could be. He made my heart melt.
With that, I warn you to be patient. The romance was of the slow burn variety, and I mean slow. There was a good reason with them not wanting to blur those professional lines, and don’t worry, there’s tension and all that, but I was ready for these two to go head-on into it. At least it was worth the wait.
As expected, Hunting struck the perfect balance of humor, romance, and drama. Additionally, there was a wedding, lots of non-dates, and cameos from the Shacking Up characters that made this a delight. The cherry on top was a happy tear inducing ending that left me eager to return to Spark House.
Overall: A fabulous addition to the series!
Starry-Eyed Love est le second tome de la série Spark House sur les sœurs Spark. Après avoir découvert leur univers dans le premier tome en compagnie d’Avery et Declan, nous voici embarqué avec London.
Dans la famille, London est celle qui gère le côté créatif et les relations publiques avec les clients. L’affaire familiale gagne en reconnaissance avec ses initiatives et elles ne tarderont pas à attirer l’œil de Jackson Holt, un CEO milliardaire qui a décidé de donner des coups de pouce en promouvant des entreprises auprès de ses clients fortunés.
Mais Jackson et London se sont déjà rencontrés dans des circonstances non professionnelle quelques mois auparavant, et l’un comme l’autre va devoir jongler leur relation professionnelle avec l’attirance indéniable qu’ils ont malgré tout.
Ce tome nous montre la croissance de l’affaire familiale et les tensions que cela génère pour les 3 sœurs. London, la pacifiste, essaye toujours de jongler avec les difficultés et repousse l’échéance sans cesse. Le mariage d’Avery et Declan se profile et cette dernière perd peu à peu pied entre sa vie personnelle et professionnelle. Quant à Harley, elle demeure un soutien incontestable pour ses sœurs et essaye de tenir la cadence mais on sent la lassitude et le besoin de changement.
Et au milieu de toute cette agitation, Jackson va tout faire pour garder une distance professionnelle respectable avec London tant qu’ils seront partenaires. Mais dès que le gala de charité sera terminé, il fera tout pour gagner le cœur de London et ne plus la lâcher.
Vous l’aurez compris, la relation de London et Jackson sera une évidence mais également un challenge. La vie discrète de ce milliardaire attire les médias et la convoitise, et London n’est pas forcément armée pour tout ça. Mais Jackson est un homme entêté et qui sait ce qu’il veut, il fera tout ce qu’il peut pour gagner le cœur de London, la protéger et l’épauler.
J’ai passé un bon moment avec ce nouveau couple mais je trouve que leur histoire est un peu éclipsée par les problèmes de Spark House et la mésentente entre les sœurs. Ce tome manquait un peu d’inattendu, l’intrigue était facilement devinée et cela manquait de l’humour habituel qu’on trouve dans les romans d’Helena, c’est dommage.
En bref, un nouveau tome qui nous montre l’évolution de Spark House et nous livre la belle histoire de London et Jackson. Cela manque un peu d’originalité et d’inattendu, mais nous passons tout de même un bon moment en leur compagnie. Si vous avez aimé suivre l’histoire des sœurs Spark dans le premier tome, vous devez découvrir cette suite.
Starry-Eyed Love took me by surprise in the best possible way. I was hooked on London from the very first page and was excited to see where her story was going to take me.
When we first meet up with London, she’s fresh off a break up and has sworn off men. The last thing she’s looking for is to be hit on by a sexy, mysterious stranger. Flash forward to a few months later and London finds herself reunited with Jackson, the man she turned down. The more time London and Jackson spend together, the lines between business and pleasure become blurred. Will Jackson and London take a chance on love? There’s only one way to find out….
Starry-Eyed Love is a fun and refreshing romance. You could feel the chemistry and sparks between Jackson and London instantly. I enjoyed the push and pull between them, how they desperately tried to keep things on a business level, yet couldn’t ignore the sparks between them. I thought that Jackson was a pretty good book boyfriend. Of course, he wasn’t without his flaws. He didn’t always communicate the best and was a little guarded when it came to his past, but I truly believe he had the best of intentions.
Overall, I found this book to be a really wonderful read. I loved getting to know London and Jackson. Their story consumed me and definitely had me devouring it in just a few short hours. I thought their story had the perfect mix of steam, tension, and swoon and was filled with all the ups and downs you’d expect from a truly enjoyable love story. In the end, Starry-Eyed Love was just the romance I was looking for.
This is book 2 of the Spark House series. Book 1 introduces us to the Spark's sisters Avery, London and Harley. Book 2 is London's story.
London has spent much of her adult life avoiding relationship where she could fall in love. Out with her sisters marking the end of her most recent relationship, an attractive man flirts with her, paying for their drinks & passing London his number.
A few months later life is as hectic as always for London at Spark House. When a multimillion dollar company reaches for a meeting about a potential partnership. Turns out the man from the bar is the CEO of this company. As attracted as they are to each other mixing business and pleasure is not smart. So they agree to be friends!
As they start spending time together, business related obviously! It is plain for everyone to see that London and Jackson have feelings for each other. Though neither London or Jackson seem to realise what is going on. At least not initial. When they do figure out their deal, they decide that once the event is over they will give their relationship a chance.
Jackson is secretive about his past and a lie off omission puts their fledging relationship in jeopardy. While London is struggling with finding a balance in her life, business pressure from her sisters & no time for her passions.
This is a beautfully written, slow burn romance with plenty going on around our couple to give the story body without over shadowing London & Jackson. All the characters are well developed, we even have Avery turning into a bit of a bridezilla.
The second story from the Spark sisters as they continue to run Spark House and manage their love lives. This time the story focuses on London Spark as she balances the demands of work, with her personal passion projects, and a new love interest. Light and enjoyable, I do find each book makes you like the main sister character the most as the author plays up for the faults of the other sisters. If you enjoyed the first book in this series you would enjoy London's story too.
After enjoying the first book in this series, I was excited to get my hands on London's story. While it follows a somewhat predictable path, a chance meeting, a second encounter months later that hints at romance but there has to be obstacles and set backs before you get to the happily ever after, it doesn't stop the reader from getting sucked in. I really loved that London's story was a reminder that running a business isn't easy and that not all roles are natural. When she stood up for herself, you were cheering for her. Fans of Hunting and the Spark House series shouldn't miss book two!
I enjoyed this book. Very easy read and enjoyable. Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for chance to read!
Starry-Eyed Love is the second book in this series and although it's a standalone, I believe reading the first book makes this one even more enjoyable. I knew the development of London's personality would be interesting and intriguing based on what we learned of her in the first book and I wasn't disappointed. I love all three sisters and their loyalty and love for one another (one of the reasons I truly enjoy this series), but I felt a certain kinship with London from the moment she was introduced to us--probably because we share many of the same traits! She's wants to "do the right thing" by everyone while still being sweet and kind. She definitely has some anxious tendencies at times as well. But it's when she meets Jackson that I think we really get to see the "real" London. Jackson is her perfect counterpart and partner. Their slow burn relationship was quite satisfying, along with some really interesting aspects of the whole B&B business that I wasn't aware of since I don't own a B&B! This was another charming, but emotional, read that had me crying and laughing equally. So Ms. Hunting what can we expect in Harley's story?! Can't wait! I'm grateful for the opportunity to have read and reviewed an ARC for NetGalley.
Helena Hunting returns to the Sparks sisters in Starry-Eyed Love. After Avery has found her happily ever after, her sister London gets her moment to shine. Having just broken up with her boyfriend, London Spark is not in the mood to be hit on. So when a very attractive man pays for her and her sisters’ drinks on a night out and tries to slip her his number, she passes with a ‘thanks, but no thanks’. As the business administrator for their family’s event hotel, London has more important things to worry about than men. As luck would have it, a multi-million dollar company calls a few months later offering a potential partnership and London is eager to prove to her sisters and herself that she can get this deal. Just when she thinks she nailed the presentation, the CEO shows up…and as it turns out, it’s none other than Jackson Holt, the guy London rejected all those months ago. As London and Jackson begin to spend more time together, their work relationship blossoms into something more. But between Jackson’s secretive past and London’s struggle with her sisters, London must question where she really stands – with Jackson and with her job at Spark House.
Gosh, it’s good to be back with the Spark sisters. Helena Hunting really created a well-rounded family with the Spark sisters who balance each other out in the best of ways. An absolute highlight in Starry-Eyed Love is, of course, this relationship between the Spark sisters. A huge component of this story is how the family’s event hotel is getting more and more traction and how the sisters are at odds on how to proceed – while London and Harley would love to hire people to help out so they can take a breather every now and then, Avery outright refuses because she thinks it’s going to turn their family-run business into another bland corporation. I loved the discussions between the sisters surrounding what it means to be a family but also to put your mental and physical health first instead of working yourself into the ground. There are fights and reconciliations, difference of opinions and democratic decisions and it showed how fleshed-out these characters really were. Hunting here mixes tougher topics such as grief, work-life balance and listening to others with a heartfelt romance.
And speaking of romance. London and Jackson are sure to draw readers in with their vibrant personalities. Both London and Jackson are ambitious, strong-willed and often struggle with separating the personal and the business aspects of their lives. I loved that we got to spend time in both of their heads and get to know their deep-seated fears, their goals and their biggest dreams in life. Another aspect of Starry-Eyed Love that enchanted me was that London is also the owner of an Etsy store where she sells her own design creations. I love seeing these side hustles where people can live out their creativity and craft what they enjoy which they might not get to do in their day-to-day job (I mean, we’ve probably all been there). Meanwhile, Jackson has worked hard to create the empire that focuses on sustainability and creating a more eco-friendly world for everyone and watching him and London find ways to make big events happen but keeping their carbon footprint in check was so cool.
And the two of them together? Hoo boy, readers are in for a deliciously tension-filled ride. There’s a lot to be said for forbidden love but color me impressed by the way Hunting managed to make consent such an important topic in this novel. There are so many moments where both Jackson and London want to give in to their attraction but they both value their professional careers which I really appreciated. Yet of course the tension between them made their eventual collision all that more explosive. There’s also so much love between these characters – by the way they support each other and try to push each other to be better than they already are, which was lovely to read about.
One minor thing that took away a bit of my enjoyment was the repetition toward the second half of the novel. While there’s of course delectable tension and the ever-intriguing “will they, won’t they” between London and Jackson, the second half of Starry-Eyed Love very much hinges on miscommunication, indirect jealousy and other elements that could have been dealt with in one honest conversation. Since both Jackson and London approach life (and relationships) with brutal honesty, it felt out of character for them to not simply talk about Jackson’s past and instead eschew any mention outright which could be frustrating at times. But that’s a minor complaint that I’m sure readers won’t fret over. All in all, Starry-Eyed Love delivered all the tension, drama and complex family dynamics I could have wanted. I can’t wait to get my hands on Harley’s story.
Mixing business with pleasure, Starry-Eyed Love is a wonderfully complex second installment in the Sparks sisters series. With two charming, ambitious and heartfelt leads, this book is sure to wander on your favorite romances shelf this summer!
Thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to review this book. Helena Hunting is an auto buy for me So I was very excited to be approved to read this book. I very much enjoyed it and recommend it. All opinions are my own.
Book two in the Spark House series. I had not read book one and nothing was missing for me. This was such a cute, fun, and funny read! Cant wait to read more books about the Spark sisters!
I received an ARC for my honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.
OH MY SWOON. I have to say I loved London and Jackson eeeeeven more than Avery and Declan. I can’t wait for Harley’s story…downfall of reading early is that now I have to wait longer! 🤣😩 Helena Hunting is definitely on my list of fave authors after two 5 star reads from me!
4.5 ⭐️ (rounded up to 5). Another great romance book by Helena Hunting. I loved the first book in this series and equally loved this second one! It’s one of those books that you truly enjoy all the characters and look forward to future books so you can read more about their lives. I loved how we got to revisit Avery and DeClan’s characters as they planned for their wedding. DeClan was the hot, bad boy (playboy, pig) who turned into a romantic, sweet boyfriend. I ended up loving his character. Never did I think Jackson Holt would top him…but he sure did!!! I absolutely loved London and Jackson together. I highly recommend this one (Pub Date 5/10/22). I really hope the author is working on a third one so we can read more about Jackson and London…and the series would not be complete without a romance story for the third sister, Harley!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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I loved the first book in this series, but I loved Starry-Eyed Love even more! I adored both London and Jackson and I loved the will they or won’t they scenarios throughout the book.
When London was introduced in When Sparks Fly, I really wanted to know more about her and until Harley’s book comes out, I’m declaring her as my favorite sister. She was a very relatable character in putting everyone else’s needs ahead of her own and doing what she thought was best for her family, even if it meant sacrificing her dreams. Her and Jackson were great as a couple, but I really liked the foundation they built first as friends and were able to open up and share things with each other.
I liked that Avery and Harley were still prominent characters in this book and you even get glimpses of Declan. I can’t wait for Harley’s book and to catch up with the sisters again!
This is the second book in the Spark House series and can be read as a Stand alone although I would recommend reading the first book.
Three sisters run Spark house each with different traits and each with a different story.
This book is London's story.
I very sweet - slow burn - story.
A billionaire who wants to save our planet hits on a girl who has not had the best luck in love.
Will she say yes?
I enjoyed the story and the pace of the book was just right!
Helena once again is a queen in dealing with social issues and brings in hard working woman to her world, and earth friendly warriors!
Harley is a middle sister. She and her two sisters own a boutique hotel. They are working to make it an environmentally responsible business. The hotel has been in the family for 3 generations and the girls all want to honor the history and their family.
On an evening out with her sisters, a bearded man comes over to her and asks her out. She refuses because she has just broken up with her most recent boyfriend. Months later, Harley is making a presentation in order to become a partner with a large successful corporation. Because of their environmental work, this could partner them with larger companies and increase their business.
The very wealthy owner of the corporation joins her meeting and she recognizes him as the man she turned down. He asks hard questions but overall he is quite supportive of Harley and her presentation.
Jackson, the millionaire, is quite smitten with Harley. He has never forgotten her. And he immediately starts to develop a relationship with her. In his heart, he realizes that there can be no personal relationship immediately. There is a charity auction to complete, and then Jackson will feel free to start anew with Harley.
This is the first book by Ms Hunting that I have read. I have heard very good things about her writing. For me, this book was not what I had hoped. It seemed that there were quite a few pages of filler. Repetitions and descriptions which seemed to be inserted just to increase a word count. I wanted more there there.
Jackson and Harley spend time together. It is all lovely. Jackson is so rich that anything he desires is provided. It is all lovely. Near the end of the book, there is conflict. A former relationship causes pain and misunderstanding. It seemed a little over the top to me. I know this is probably all me. Just not sure this story is for me.
I liked Harley. She is a kind hearted peacemaker. She will do whatever it takes to maintain an even keel with her sisters. And she is beautiful.
Jackson is a driven overachiever. He has created an empire by working hard and hiring very talented people. He is very handsome.
These two people are nice people who deserve good things in life. And that is what happens.
I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are completely my own.
This is my first ever Helena Hunting book so yes, I didn’t read the first book, When Sparks Fly (not yet, at least), which is about Avery, the eldest sister. So, I definitely didn’t know how it’s gonna be like.
The verdict? I liked it!
It’s lighthearted and funny but with just a bit of conflict and I think that’s great. It’s what I currently need so I really enjoyed reading this. There were moments where I giggled and moments which got me exclaiming “OMG!”
I loved that there’s chemistry between London and Jackson. That moment when they met again was done so well! I could literally imagine it and just thinking about what the people around them were (probably) thinking makes me laugh. Oh Mitchell!
Easily digestible and fun. Characters are also very easy to like and there wasn’t one where I felt I need to have them deleted from the book. There is heat🔥 but not too over the top.
Overall, it is a great book to read after being at work all day.
This is the 2nd book in the Spark House series. Great characters and great storylines make this an awesome series. London just broke up with her boyfriend and is in a bar with her sisters when a man hits on her. She's not interested and lets him know. A few months later London comes face to face again with Jackson while working a partnership for the Spark House. As they work closely together sparks fly! I loved the chemistry between London and Jackson. The characters are awesome and feel like they are your friends! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.