5 star Review Starry-Eyed Love (Spark House #2) by Helena Hunting
 
Starry-Eyed Love ticked all the boxes for me as London Spark and Jackson Holt’s story unfolded. I adore Helena Hunting’s style of writing and I loved both these characters. ,

The first time London and Jackson met, she rejected his advances. Fast forward a few months and London is determined to push through the latest business deal on behalf of her family’s hotel. Imagine her horror when after nailing her presentation the CEO of the company walks in and it is Jackson, the man she rejected months ago.

Working together it becomes harder to resist the sizzling attraction that continues to build. I fell hard and fast for Jackson and I loved how caring, sassy and feisty London was as she stood her ground not only with her family but with Jackson.

Starry-Eyed Love was a sweet, romantic, steamy story about two people who are destined to be together. From start to finish Helena Hunting wove together a story that I could not put down, she had me totally engrossed from the first to the last chapter.
 
I received an copy of this book through the publisher via Netgalley

Adorable, sweet, fun, quick to read romance. Devoured this in two days, liked it burst as much (maybe even more!) than the first Spark series book. Can’t wait for the third sister’s story!

Thank you St. Martin’s press and Netgalley for this ARC!

London Spark recently broke up with her boyfriend and is not in the mood to be hit on by a handsome stranger while out at a bar with her sisters. As the three of them work together with London in charge of the business side of the family hotel, Spark House, which caters to all kinds of events, they know each other’s personal as well as professional business. For London, working and living with family members has its own challenges. While the London is happy to help her sisters to keep things running smoothly, she has put aside some of her own dreams to work in an area that London is less than comfortable in and requires much of her time.

When Spark House is approached with a very lucrative offer to affiliate with a major company, London is off to New York to discuss their possible partnership. Imagine her surprise when the CEO of the company, Jackson Holt, turns out to be the same man she gave the cold shoulder to three months ago. All of a sudden, London is working with Jackson on a mutual event at Spark House as a test run to see how well the companies can work together.

The more time London and Jackson spend together, the harder it is to keep everything on a professional level. Adding to the stress, London is already pushed to the limits with her own work because the oldest sister, Avery, who heads the business is turning into a bridezilla while preparing for her wedding. Once again, Avery, who was featured in the first book, has left the other two bearing the brunt of running the business while refusing to consider hiring more help. Jackson is less than forthcoming about a prior relationship that ends up being played on social media as is common these days. London and Jackson have a complicated and challenging road ahead in order to make a relationship they both deeply desire to work out. This is the second book in the Spark House series but can be read as a standalone.

I just really enjoyed this book. It was just really easy to get lost in this book. I will definitely be reading more by this author.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review! This is the second book in a series and I loved it! I was glad for this character to get her own book. It was a little slow at times but once you got into the deeper parts it was great!

Review While this is the second in a series I don’t feel you need to read the first to enjoy it. It certainly gives spoilers to the first, but that’s to be expected. And I liked it. It just didn’t knock me off my feet. There was a bit too much business talk and the conflict was predictable but I did appreciate the adult manner in which some of it was handled.

An array of emotions... That's what this series has turned out to be. And what an emotional rollercoaster it is to enjoy and love. I knew London would be my favorite since book one, and what a turn out it made. My gosh, I was melting and swooning and wanting more of Jackson and London.

Before I get into the meat of my review, I want to say a quick thank you to NetGalley and the publishers at St. Martin’s Griffin for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Starry-Eyed Love is book number two in an adult romance companion series. You don’t have to read all of the books or read them in order to be able to understand the story, but I feel like it’s better if you do. This series follows the Spark sisters who run the hotel/event space that has been handed down through the generations. In book one we follow Avery and her romance with her roommate. In this book, we follow London who struggles with her part in the business but loves her sisters to no end. When they’re out having a girl’s night one evening, London is surprised when a handsome man pays for their drinks and gives her his number. At the time, she’s not interested but when they bump into each other months later he might be exactly what she’s looking for. Starry-Eyed Love comes out on May 10th and is available for pre-order now.

I don’t know how I hadn’t heard of Helena Hunting before the Spark House series, but I need to dig into her backlist as soon as possible. I love her characters and the world she puts them in. London was just a background character in the first book but even then she was well rounded. And the same thing goes for the rest of the characters in this series. I think the author does a great job of giving everyone their own motivations and their own flaws and somehow it all works. I will say that I thought the main character from book one came across a bit differently in this book, but we are reading from a different perspective so I guess that would make sense. I just didn’t enjoy Avery as much as I did originally. I really enjoyed the romance here and I definitely got emotionally invested. There are some romance books I read where I question the characters’ emotions, but I never felt that with this one. I felt their flirtation and their romance build and I felt their heartbreak when the third act conflict came around. I also really love the setting for the story. The hotel set in Colorado feels tangible to me and I felt the same way when the main characters traveled to New York. The descriptions were all well done and believable.

Going back to the third act conflict, I found London’s side of things to be a bit muddled for me. I couldn’t understand why she felt the way she did after everything. I don’t normally take the other side of this type of conflict (hopefully I’m being vague enough her and not spoiling anything), but I didn’t understand where London was coming from which made the third act conflict feel a little pointless. But the pain I felt after that happened? Very believable, very real.

I’m excited to hopefully read Harley’s romance in the next book. This one made me appreciate her so much more than I did in book one and I’m excited for her to find her own Happily Ever After.

This is the second book in the Spark house series and I enjoyed it so very much! London and her sisters run Spark House a bed and breakfast yet also an event destination. Though London is quite creative that is only part of her job at Spark House and the rest is taking it's toll. When she meets Jackson (for the second time) he suggests a business relationship that is beneficial to both of them. This sets off an incredible chain of events for London that are as exciting as they are exhausting. The chemistry between London and Jackson is off the charts and the admiration is as well. There are obstacles both in their business' and their relationship. Love the way the author weaves this solutions into their lives. This is a true love story! Written in the stars! Do not miss!

London is the general manager for a successful boutique hotel in Denver, who has just gone through a breakup when a really hot guy at the bar asks her on a date; she declines, not being in the headspace for that. But a few months later, London runs into the guy, Jackson, at a business meeting - turns out he's the billionaire CEO of a big company looking to partner with her hotel. This was a really fun romance, and I loved how much business was infused - it made it really relatable. I picked this book up right at the perfect time, as I just started dating an executive much more senior than me, so I could really relate to London's feelings of being proud of her success but also recognizing she's a big fish in a small pond. I ended up tearing through this book, and didn't realize until I came to Goodreads that it was part of a series - now I can't wait to read the others!

This was a really fun read and I enjoyed the character development between London and Jackson. They crossed paths in the past and are now working together and must keep a professional balance between them. What I truly loved most was how real the characters felt and their struggles and development throughout appealed to me. Such a beautiful read that I highly recommend! It can be read as a standalone, but you'll see the secondary characters shine through while reading.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martins press for an ARC in return for my honest review.

This is a wonderful heart warming story. It’s about three sisters and their inherited B+B. It showed you the ups and downs that go with sisterly love. Also a wonderful Romance between Jackson and London. We get to see two people that thought they never wanted a romance fall in love.

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’.
A few months later, multi-million-dollar company calls 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.
This is a second book in the series, and can be enjoyed even if you haven’t read the first book - When Sparks fly.
I enjoyed the story development between London and Jackson, a little slow to start but fun nonetheless. I enjoyed the anticipation as they got to know each other and dated under the guise of business meetings. There is a constant thread of growing Spark House and going green, and I wonder what the author will bring in the next book.

I did not realize this was a continuation of the Spark House sisters, but I am so glad it was. I much more related to London and Jackson was so incredibly swoony. Their story was so incredibly charming and it was so nice to see Spark House develop and grow further. This book just made me feel happy and that is exactly what I needed. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

I adored this couple! I have a thing for the very, rich heroes and the woman they ultimately fall for. I think most of it is because they can have any woman they want, so when they do fall for someone, you know they are special. Jackson made it known from the very beginning that London was special and I loved that. I also just really liked who Jackson was. Even when he messed up, I still loved him.

London was also very, easy to like. I already liked her from the first book, but as we got to know her more as the main character, I liked her even more. I like that she didn't just fall at Jacksons feet. I do enjoy a guy chase girl story. And even though London isn't poor, she isn't anywhere near the income level as Jackson and I think she handled the difference with class. She really just treated him like a guy she has a crush on.

This ended up turning out to be a slow burn, and it was a very good slow burn. The attraction just built and built as the story went along and it really makes the reader excited to finally see these two make the next move. The anticipation is strong in this.

I'm really excited now for Harley, the final sisters book. I can't wait to see who's going to sweep her off her feet.

Starry-Eyed Love was my absolute favorite story about the Spark sisters and their love interests. I look forward to reading more in the future.

3.5 stars for the second Spark sister!

Helena Hunting has written some really great books (Pucked series, looking at you!) This series is a little more PG-13 than some of her other works but I really enjoyed London + Jackson's story. "Fun London" is such an easy character to enjoy with her creativity and her enthusiasm for the things she loves. It's fun to see her bring Spark House to a whole other level with the help of her not-boyfriend, billionaire Jackson, who believes in her wholeheartedly.

I also loved getting to see more of London + Hazel's relationship, can't wait for her installment!

This book was so friggen adorable. I loved the Spark sisters and their dynamics in the family and running the Spark House. A family run boutique hotel that gets a boost from a wealthy media house. The man in charge is also a man who knows what he wants and romance ensues. The ups and downs of the relationship is fun and made for a real page turner. Sweet endings are always the best

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

Reading is subjective, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. This review is just MY opinion. :) Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin's Griffin, for a chance to review an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

DOES THIS BOOK WORK AS A STAND-ALONE? | I didn't realize this was the second book in a series, so I read it without reading the first one. It still worked, but be aware they often discuss spoiler plot points from the previous book (though there's always clear reader understanding).

WHAT DID I LIKE? | This was only my second novel by this author, so my expectations were reasonable: I knew Hunting's books have heart but can hit on some heavy themes, and this one was no exception. I liked that she didn't shy away from serious topics such as terminal illness and death, yet it wasn't something that saturated the entire story to the point of making it feel more like a drama rather than a rom-com. My favorite aspect of the book was the sister dynamics of the three Spark sisters. They worked together, two of them lived together, and they were supportive of each other while still having boundaries and individual lives. I loved to see how they talked things out, and even when they had disagreements, the bad blood didn't go on forever. The girls were relatable, too, and felt realistically human. Jackson, the love interest, was a compelling character, and very sweet with a sensitive streak, yet he wasn't spineless. I really loved that there were a few chapters with his POV! (Does anyone else absolutely adore getting to read guy POV chapters?? Too many mainstream authors don't give us that for stupid reasons I don't agree with.)

WHAT DID I NOT LIKE? | This was a cute romance, but it hit a few snags along the way for me. For one, there was SO. MUCH. SHOP TALK!!!! Omg, the boring, tedious detail of daily business life... As a small business owner myself, I found the narrative soooo bogged down with exactly the kind of work discussions I want to escape when I'm reading for pleasure. This is mostly a personal preference, I know, but it big-time detracted from the enjoyment factor for me. Second, while I found the MC's big sister Avery realistic, she was sometimes obnoxious. Namely, she is bossy and stubborn. Like, how hard is it to see that your sisters are working themselves to the bone and need to hire some help?? Third, there was an awful lot of pandering to the ideals of the post-modern romance reader, I felt. The dialogue often stunk of "Better be careful not to step in anything..." Like, there wasn't any room for the characters, especially the men, to move around within the realm of their flaws. Seriously, I don't need my male protagonist to be perfect except for a couple of contrived conflict points! *Eye roll* Fourth, while I enjoyed the read on the whole, it didn't feel particularly memorable. It was the standard predictable rom-com (and wasn't even very funny -- I'm still confused as to why "hilarious" was one of the keywords used to market this book). I'd say it has that brand of humor that is overdone and obvious to the point of almost being juvenile, I guess? Lastly, is anyone else getting tired of the on-the-nose character names/titles given to contemporary romances these days?? Everything is either cutesy or sexy.

PRUDIE™ RATINGS | Scores rank from 0-10. 10 is atomic bomb, 0 is non-existent.
-> Language: 6/10
8 instances of "big" words, 57 instances of "smaller" words.
-> Steaminess: 5/10
Several racy scenes, but they are easily skimmable/skippable, and mostly quite short. A casual reference to masturbation.
-> Positive theme(s): 7/10
Strong but healthy familial bonds, family legacy, healing and growth, hard work ethic, small business, marriage, complementarianism, honesty and trust, vulnerability without sacrificing healthy boundaries, consideration of others, work+life balance, creativity in adults, preparedness, monogamy, forgiveness.
-> Political correctness: 3/10
"Sex-positive" (promotes extramarital relations and cohabitation), lots of alcohol consumption, stresses "green" environmentalism.
-> Violence: 0/10
Overall score for enjoyment/appreciation: 5/10 for 3 out of 5 stars.

3.5/5 stars
This is a sweet book about a woman named London who runs a small boutique hotel with her two sisters. After turning down a guy who asks her out at a bar, a few months later that same guy turns out to be Jackson, the CEO of an investment company that could do great things for their hotel. London and Jackson fight the attraction and often end up sending each other mixed signals.
The characters were sweet and had good chemistry. Most of the supporting characters were fairly one dimensional, but they added to the plot where needed. There is a big theme of "going green" and being environmentally friendly (which I am all for) but it felt a little bit like getting beat over the head with it at times.
Overall it was an enjoyable quick read.