Make A Wish (Spark House #3) by Helena Hunting.

This one was by far my favorite in the Spark House series! This second chance romance stole my heart. I had been eager to get my hands on this story and it was Utter Perfection!! Page by page this book consumed me infused with Helena Huntings unique style, she delivered a love story that is entertaining, well written, full of emotion, character and a romance, with great chemistry and lots of heat like no other. A must read book and series!

Harley Sparks and Gavin Rhodes have a history. Nine years ago Harley was nanny to his daughter Peyton, until they moved away. Gavin and Peyton have recently moved back to the area and Harley is totally taken by surprise when they arrive at a Spark House Birthday party she is in charge of. But Harley is really floored when he asks her to lunch. It evident that Harley still has feelings for Gavin as well as Peyton. And soon she finds herself lending a hand with Peyton once again and growing attached to both Gavin and Peyton.

Harley has been struggling with her role at Spark House as all her duties and roles keep changing. She loves being with children and is very creative. Harley and Peyton are adorable together. And this sweet adorable nine year old steals the show as these two reconnect. But with a boyfriend already and Gavin’s mother-in-law that is not a fan of any female around her granddaughter, these two have a lot to figure out.

This one brings all the feels, it will make you laugh and it will bring you to tears at times. I love that Harley is so understanding and patient with Gavin as he struggles to fight for them. I loved every moment of this book. And you really need to read this book now. Utter Perfection!

I received an early copy and this is my honest review.

MAKE A WISH – Helena Hunting
Spark House, Book 3
Griffin
ISBN: 978-1250624741
January 24, 2023
Contemporary Romance

Colorado Springs, Colorado – Present Day

Harley Spark loves being around children, but she gave up her dream to work in child development to work alongside her sisters London and Avery to open Spark House, an event center and hotel. Years ago, Harley was a nanny for Gavin Rhodes, who had lost his beloved wife when she gave birth to his daughter, Peyton. However, months later, he abruptly moved to be closer to his in-laws. Did an almost kiss with Harley lead to his decision to leave? That question has haunted her for years. Spark House hosts children’s parties, and one day, Harley is stunned to see Gavin there with Peyton. Turns out that he has moved back to Colorado Springs. He is friendly, even though a bit reserved with her, but Peyton is excited to reconnect with Harley. Will what happened between Harley and Gavin be addressed?

Harley is soon spending lots of time with Peyton—and Gavin. They get along great, and she is good with the little girl. Harley has a boyfriend, Chad, but it is quickly becoming apparent that their relationship is not good. Chad doesn’t like the time she’s spending with Peyton and Gavin, yet he is more interested in his gaming and fantasy sports than her. After deciding to break up with Chad, it allows her to focus more on Peyton—and leads to Gavin asking her out on a date. Is there a romance blooming between them? It’s clear that they like each other, but Gavin isn’t ready to make any commitment.

MAKE A WISH is an emotional tale that will tug at your heartstrings. Peyton is an adorable child who latches onto Harley because, well, she provides a spark in her life. For Harley, the feeling is mutual. She loves children and misses working with them, especially after her sisters decide to no longer host parties for children and concentrate on adult ones. Then there are her feelings for Gavin. He’s attractive, but he seems to have locked himself into an emotionless life. Oh, he loves Peyton, but can he love another woman again? It doesn’t help that his mother-in-law is critical of any woman that he brings into his life. Will her interference destroy his relationship with Harley?

MAKE A WISH takes place over several months as Harley and Gavin’s relationship develops from being friends to soon becoming lovers. There is no mention of a future together, but can that be far behind? But is Gavin over the death of his wife? Harley isn’t trying to replace Peyton’s mother, but the little girl craves for an adult female in her life. The relationship between Harley and Gavin is rocky at times as he grapples with the past, while she wonders if she is in a rudderless romance trying to navigate through rough seas. Will their relationship swim…or sink?

As with lots of romances, there is plenty of ups and downs in MAKE A WISH, but we will soon be wanting Harley and Gavin to work it out. The final book in the Spark House series, we get scenes with London and Avery (their books are WHEN SPARKS FLY and STARRY-EYED LOVE) and get to catch up on them. But MAKE A WISH is mostly about Harley, Gavin, and Peyton. Don’t miss the charm and enjoyment of this tale.

Patti Fischer

After reading and loving the first two books in this series, I was ready to dig into The Wish. The sisters all run Spark House an event hotel that has been in their family for a very long time. There are a lot of chances happening at Spark house, changes that Harley feels is leaving her out in the cold. But she does not want to cause problems with her sisters and their husbands so she keeps it to herself.
When Harley was twenty, she nannied for a young father Gavin with an infant whose wife died during childbirth. One night when Gavin was frustrated from the baby crying Harley tries to comfort him, but one thing led to another till she attempts to kiss him. Next thing she knows Gavin took Peyton and moved to be near his in laws to have help. Harley was completely heartbroken.
Fast forward seven years and Harley is doing a children’s birthday party at Spark House, and you guessed it who just happens to be there. Gavin has moved him and Peyton back home!! Yikes let the fun begin. I will say that I loved how mature Harley is not only with Gavin and Peyton, but when she finally voices her discontent with how her part of Spark House is going. No spoilers read this story to find out what happens!!
As always, I love the epilogue it was super sweet.

O terceiro livro das irmãs Spark foi um agrado imenso dessa família que deixará saudades. O drama que surge logo no início se desenvolve para uma relação cheia de desejo e ternura, e os personagens secundários somam à história cada um com seu papel. Em um final de trilogia com tantas emoções como a Helena Hunting faz com destreza, essa história foi o encerramento perfeito para essas irmãs que me fizeram viver suas histórias com entusiasmo e despertaram novas paixões no meu coração.

If you love second chance romances with a single dad added to the mix then Make a Wish should certainly be on your radar. As you would expect from the very talented Helena Hunting this read is entertaining, well written with characters you can’t help loving.
Gavin Rhodes and Harley Sparks have a history and they have known each other for many years because she was once the nanny to his daughter Peyton. Gavin and Peyton have recently moved back and Harley is surprised when she meets him at a Spark House Event and she is event more shocked when he asks her to lunch…….so what does the future hold for this couple well i would one to click to find out if I was you.
This book ticked all my boxes, I fell hard and fast for Gavin, I adored Harley, the chemistry is scorching hot, the banter is witty and the emotion had me in tears but it was a little girl named Peyton who stole the show and took this story to another level. Beautifully written, emotional yet entertaining journey that’s a wonderful addition to the Spark House Series.

Another lovely visit with the Spark sisters. Here we meet the youngest Harley. What a sweetheart she is.
Gavin is a single father whom Harley used to nanny for. He and his nine year old daughter have moved back to the area and they are reunited with Harley at a birthday party.
This is a gentle story of loss and discovery, forgiveness and finding your future. It’s not action packed or suspenseful but there is some endearing insight into moving on after loss and dealing with grief. The author deals with such a sensitive subject with care.
Gavin is an interesting character. I struggled to like him and questioned his motives for a lot of the story. However, I did empathise with him as we learned more of his fears and reasons for his actions.
I’m pleased Harley had her sisters guidance to keep her straight as I really loved her character. Her blossoming friendship with Peyton was lovely to read.

An enjoyable finale to this series, with some heartwarming moments that made me smile!

I loved the first two Spark House novels, and I'm so glad that the youngest Spark sister is finally getting her story!

Just like Avery and London, Harley has a lot going on when true love comes her way. As their eco-friendly event hotel really starts to take off, Harley Spark feels like she's losing her, well, spark. But then Gavin Rhodes and his daughter come back to town, and the chance to spend time with the little girl she used to nanny for couldn't come at a better time. Even if it means having the constant reminder that she once almost kissed Gavin. Especially if means realizing she may still have feelings for him.

I love a good single dad romance, and Gavin is more than just a one-note character for Harley to gravitate around. He definitely had his own complexities and was every bit as developed as Harley was. Their shared grief over losing people important to them truly allowed them to understand each other in ways no one else could.

Due to their (mostly) platonic past, they had many hurdles in their present. One of the reasons I love the Spark sisters so much is the fact that they're not afraid to question each other's relationships. And London and Avery definitely had to have several heart-to-heart conversations with Harley about what exactly she was doing with Gavin, especially with Peyton involved. And since there was a child in the picture, one both main characters were connected to, it made this romance and their rocky road to get there that much more meaningful.

I loved how Hunting incorporated all the main characters from the first two books, and kept the growth of Spark House a running theme throughout all three books. While readers could enjoy Harley and Gavin as a standalone, Make a Wish should truly be read as part of the series to fully understand the sisters and what Spark House means to them.

As much as I loved Avery and Declan's friends-to-lovers romance in the first book, this third installment may just be my favorite. A second-chance, single dad romance that involves rediscovering your passion and avoiding a meddling mother-in-law? Yes, please.

Another amazing series is coming to an end. Make a Wish is the last book in the Spark House series and features the youngest Spark sister, Harley.

Harley used to nanny for Gavin, a widower with an adorable little girl. Harley has been caring for Peyton since she was born and helping out carry the load of the parenting with Gavin. But when lines start to blur, and plagued by guilt, Gavin packs up and moves away and closer to his in-laws, leaving a devastated Harley behind.

Years later fate brings the three of them back together and Harley and Gavin's connection is stronger than ever. Sparks (pun very much indented) are flying and their chemistry is off the charts. But equally strong, is Harley's connection with Peyton.

Watching Gavin be a father was absolutely delicious and I loved loved loved how Harley was with Peyton. It was extremely satisfying to watch their story unravel and be a witness to how they navigated their ups and downs. My heart actually squeezed during Gavin and Peyton's heart to heart and I was here for their healing journey.

If you're looking for an age gap, single dad, nanny romance with all the feels, Make a Wish is the one. Helena Hunting is back and delivers a powerful story about overcoming loss, figuring out your worth and fighting for the future you deserve.

Grab The Tissues! Gavin & Harley’s Emotional Age-Gap Single Dad Romance Closes Out The Spark House Series Beautifully. The Angsty Story Is About Second Chances. There Are 10 Teary Passages By My Count & A Number Of Adorably Cute Passages. I Absolutely Love The Ending – It Had Me In Tears. It Offers Gentle Closure On The Spark Family & Ends Fittingly With Peyton’s POV.


ABOUT THE SPARK HOUSE SERIES:

The Spark House series includes:

1. When Sparks Fly (Avery & Declan’s story)
2. Starry-Eyed Love (Jackson & London’s story)
3. Make a Wish (Gavin & Harley’s story)

ABOUT SPARK HOUSE:

Near Colorado Springs, Spark House Event Hotel has been in the Spark family for three generations. It was originally a sprawling home on a large tract of land but had been converted into a bed-and-breakfast-type boutique hotel once the family took it over. The sprawling gardens and open fields set against the backdrop of the distant mountains are idyllic, giving Spark House guests a real sense of getting away from it all. Weddings and anniversaries have always been a natural fit for the venue, but the vast property provides ample space, which inspired the recent addition of unique events, to include sports and team-building-themed activities. The owners have always been carefully green-focused. Their efforts continue to this day as new and better methods become available. They have recently begun relationships with like-minded local companies, finding creative ways to work together.

The Spark sisters currently run Spark House. Avery is the oldest of the three, followed by London and Harley. They lost their parents in a car accident when Avery was just sixteen, London fourteen, and Harley was twelve. Their grandmother had taken over raising them at the time. Spark House had been their grandmother’s, and over a decade later, Avery, Harley, and London are taking the reins while their grandmother begins a well-deserved retirement. Avery is the face of Spark House, while London and Harley work mostly behind the scenes.

Avery has big plans for the business and wants to make her grandmother proud. Running Spark House has always been her dream. She works with clients to help create custom events to meet their needs.

London manages business relationships. She oversees contracts, accounts payable, and finances. She secures sponsorships and liaises with vendors, all with a focus on being green-friendly. She works in the background on putting events together, to include things such as centerpieces.

Harley is the social media director, but she helps out with other random tasks when needed.

FROM WHEN SPARKS FLY, BOOK 1:

Avery Spark, twenty-eight, loves sports and lives for competition. She is naturally athletic, adventurous, and independent. She has thrown herself into her work, only leaving time for occasionally catching up with her friends – Declan, Mark, and Jerome. They enjoy playing soccer and watching sports on TV together. Her last serious relationship was in college, and her relationship with Sam didn’t end well. Sam and Declan had been best friends since high school, but when Declan discovered that Sam was cheating on Avery, he chose his friendship with Avery over Sam. Avery had met Declan in her first days on campus at the University of Colorado, and the two had become fast friends. They shared a love of soccer and other varied interests. At the time she had been seeing a boyfriend from back home, and although she felt an attraction to Declan, by the time her relationship ended, she had already witnessed Declan’s playboy ways. Sam had been a safe choice, or so she had thought. The breakup had made her realize just how dependent she had been upon Sam, and she vowed never to live that way again. Since then, she has dated but never gotten serious with anyone.

Declan, roughly twenty-eight, is glad that he is an only child. He wouldn’t wish his drama on anyone else. His parents divorced when he was eighteen, but in the years before and since, they have used him in an emotional tug-of-war. He doesn’t kid himself about how messed up he is as a result. He knows he will never be able to have a steady relationship because he doesn’t know how. He is fine with the status quo, though, living the life of a playboy. He has sometimes indulged in hookups, but he has cut back on the randoms lately. He works in finance and loves sports – soccer and hockey in particular. For the past two years, he has shared a condo in Colorado Springs with his best friend since college, Avery. They get along perfectly, and she fits in easily with him and the guys. He and Avery get together regularly with their old college friends, Jerome and Mark. Declan has been loyal to Avery since Sam broke her heart back in college, and he never wants to see her hurt again. He is very protective of her happiness, which is why he needs a distraction when his body suddenly reacts to her. He might find her attractive, but he would never risk breaking her heart.

When an accident leaves Avery hospitalized with multiple fractures, Declan has to face some of his demons. He insists on being her caretaker and working from home during her long recovery. Avery is forced to become dependent on others, something that is very hard to swallow. And sitting still never came easy for her. They live in a bubble, sheltered from the outside world, and not surprisingly, the feelings they had so successfully tamped down for ten years begin to surface. But neither has a successful track record with relationships, and when they finally begin to face the outside world again, their fragile relationship is tested. The couple eventually earns a happy ending.

FROM STARRY-EYED LOVE, BOOK 2:

This book opens about one year later. Declan and Avery are planning their wedding, and business at Spark House is steadily growing.

Jackson Holt, thirty-five, is the CEO of Holt Media and Consulting. Nearly a billionaire, he started Holt Media eight years ago, but he made his start building several successful apps. His real passion lies in green solutions and making them a viable choice. To him, it is more than a business pursuit. In his youth, his parents developed cancer due to contaminated soil. He grew up watching them fight the illness, and after years of suffering, despite repeated expensive treatments, they both died while he was in college. That was a difficult time in Jackson’s life. With no siblings, he was orphaned and alone in the world.

Jackson was soon making millions, but he never took to the spotlight. Work is his passion. His good looks and charismatic personality guarantee he could have any woman he wants, but he never fell into the playboy lifestyle. Relationships have always been difficult for Jackson, but his tireless work and travel schedule make them nearly impossible. His company is currently headquartered in New York, but he has a Denver office in the works.

London Sparks, about twenty-seven, loves working with her sisters at Spark House. As orphans, she and her sisters don’t take family for granted, so they appreciate the opportunity to work together. London has never fallen in love, but she does have a side business doing something that she loves. Starry-Eyed Treasures, her Etsy shop, offers original designs using origami stars. She has a nice following. Lately, though, she is finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with orders. She can hardly find enough time for sleep.

London isn’t exactly thrilled with her job at Spark House. When she and her sisters divided duties, she was stuck with tasks that just don’t come naturally to her. She loves designing centerpieces and other creative efforts, but much of her work is dealing with vendors and numbers. She and Harley believe that it is time to hire more staff, but Avery is adamant that they keep things in the family.

When London takes a call from Holt Media and Consulting about a potential opportunity to participate in their new Teamology program, she knows what an amazing opportunity it is. London shows up at their meeting well-rehearsed and ready to impress, but she never anticipates recognizing the CEO as the man she turned down at a bar several months ago. As Jackson and London begin a professional relationship, they have the opportunity to build a relationship without the pressure of romance. The couple faces some real challenges, but they eventually find a happy ending.

IN THIS BOOK:

The story opens in July. About two years have passed since Jackson entered the story in book two. Jackson and London are proud parents of baby Ella, while Declan and Avery are expecting their first child in the new year. Spark House has flourished in recent years. Declan stepped in to help manage their finances, while Jackson’s efforts have helped grow their business. The sisters have had changing roles as they try to keep up with the change. They are now in the midst of final talks that will make Spark House into a franchise, building on the model the sisters have worked so hard on. There are plans for five new locations to open soon if all goes as planned.

Gavin Rhodes, roughly thirty-six, is moving back to Colorado Springs and it feels good. The move to Boulder seven years ago had been necessary for a few reasons, but the new Greenscapes branch of his father’s landscape architecture company is more than established now. His in-laws live in Boulder and helped out during some very difficult years, but Gavin is ready for the change. His father wants him to come back home now so he can ease into retirement. Gavin faces challenges as a single dad, but he has a built-in support system ready and waiting to help with the transition. In addition to his own parents, he has his close friend Ian and his wife Lynn to lean on. While Gavin is ready for the change, it doesn’t erase the guilt he feels for leaving his in-laws behind. Karen and Kyle are not happy to see their granddaughter leave, and Karen doesn’t hesitate to share her disappointment every chance she gets. In part, it was her insistence that Gavin and Peyton move to Boulder that made him decide to open up the new branch himself seven years ago.

Gavin’s wife Marcie had been the love of his life. After meeting in college and spending a decade together, they were thrilled about becoming parents. Losing your wife on the same day you welcome a child into the world was an emotional rollercoaster, and it sent Gavin into a devastating state of grief. Harley was a gift from the angels those first eighteen months. The nanny had a natural mothering instinct. An orphan, she understood the giant hole in his and Peyton’s lives. She was young, but she was mature for her years, and he instinctively knew she was perfect for the job. Marcie’s mother didn’t approve, though. She didn’t want a stranger raising her grandchild; she wanted that job herself. After eighteen grueling months of grief and sleepless nights, Gavin finally agreed with her. He packed up and moved to Boulder, leaving his family, friends, and Harley behind. He had come to rely heavily on the twenty-year-old, which wasn’t a healthy situation for either of them. It was the right choice to leave, but after just a few weeks back in Colorado Springs, it seems the angels have delivered Harley into his and Peyton’s lives once again.

Harley Spark, twenty-seven, loves all things glitter and crafty. Princesses and playing dress-up are her idea of fun. It is no surprise then that she adores children. She recently found her niche at Spark House managing birthday parties for kids. That was after her role managing social media was scaled back as a result of Jackson lending his own professional promotion team. So when Declan announces that the parties are being cut because they are not profitable, Harley has a hard time seeing just where she fits in. She is struggling to keep up with all the change that Spark House has seen in the last several years, unlike her sisters, who are thrilled. Every time she finds her place there, it shifts.

Harley began working at Spark House almost seven years ago in order to be closer to her sisters. As orphans, she places a high value on her relationship with them. Her original plan had been to get a degree in child development and do something with that, but that idea was derailed after Gavin and Peyton suddenly moved away. She didn’t feel comfortable working as a nanny after that. Her confidence was shaken, and she soon gave it up. The guilt she feels for what happened still haunts her to this day. Although she had been halfway through her degree at the time, she took a step back from school altogether, hoping that working with her sisters would help rebuild her confidence. With recent changes, though, she feels just as lost as ever. Avery and London seem quite happy, so Harley doesn’t want to rock the boat. She is biding her time for the right time to speak up. In the meantime, she enjoys hanging out with her boyfriend and their friends. She and Chad have only been dating for a few months, but they have friends in common and are comfortable together. Harley hopes to one day find the kind of happiness her sisters have found, but she and Chad are still new and fresh.

As Harley is struggling to find her way professionally, she is also finally working to finish her degree in childhood development. She has always loved working with kids, which is why managing the birthday parties at Spark House had been such fun. Hosting her last party is bittersweet, but many of her worries fade into the background when she unexpectedly comes face-to-face with her past. Gavin walks back into her life, bringing back a myriad of feelings – guilt, shame, comfort, and longing. Peyton is now an adorable nine-year-old who loves all things glitter and artsy. She takes an immediate liking to Harley, who soon finds herself being pulled back into Gavin’s orbit. There is much left unsaid, and it is awkward at first. The couple has some real struggles as they try to bridge the gap, but they eventually find a happy ending.

Grab the tissues! Gavin and Harley’s emotional age-gap romance closes out the Spark House series beautifully. There are ten teary passages by my count and a number of adorably cute passages starring Harley and/or Peyton. I absolutely love the ending – it had me in tears. It offers gentle closure on the family and ends fittingly with Peyton’s POV. The story builds emotionally. Gavin and Harley meet when he is a widower and single dad and he hires her as a live-in to help with newborn Peyton. After nearly a year and a half, Gavin’s grief hasn’t subsided. The pressures of work and being there for his infant daughter, the sleepless nights, the pleading from his in-laws, and the endless guilt he feels all feed into him finally reaching a breaking point. He grabs the opportunity for a fresh start in Boulder. The story picks up seven years later.

There are a few issues that merit mention. *Spoilers* Timeline issues occasionally cause confusion; shifting numbers are difficult to reconcile. Seven years pass while Gavin is away, but it comes across as eight years at times. Harley is twenty-seven when they see one another again. She is later twenty-eight but with no mention of a birthday, which rightly would have been celebrated. Peyton was nearly eighteen months when she and Gavin moved to Boulder. Seven years pass, making her about eight and a half at the time they move back. Later, however, she proves to be nine, turning ten. As for Gavin’s age, it seems relevant since the age gap does come up as an issue, but it is not precisely given. We know from comments from Harley that he is over thirty-five and on the left side of forty. There are a few mentions of him being perhaps mid-thirties. He is thus likely thirty-six or thirty-seven. According to the timeline, he became a father in his late twenties (so twenty-eight or twenty-nine). Peyton should be going on nine according to the timeline – not ten – and thus, that makes Gavin’s age line up again at roughly thirty-six to thirty-seven. We also know that Harley is almost a decade younger than Gavin. Going with the twenty-seven that she begins with for an age, then we can presume Gavin is most likely thirty-six here. My takeaway is to just go with Gavin moving away for seven years (not eight), with Peyton currently eight and a half, Gavin thirty-six, and Harley twenty-seven when they all cross paths again – and just ignore the conflicting numbers. In other issues, there are one or two confusing passages. There is also the issue of Gavin’s social life in Boulder. It supposedly didn’t exist, but we find out that he really did have one. He was able to get away with a lot behind his in-law’s backs. It wasn’t clear how because he supposedly only had a work and family life to speak of. I don’t see how he got away with secrecy because his in-laws would certainly have heard about the hired babysitters from Peyton herself or suspected he was lying about his whereabouts and asked about it.

Gavin and Harley’s romance is a beautiful story about moving on. Both Gavin and Harley have experienced loss, so they connect on a deep level. Gavin doesn’t just struggle with the loss of his wife, he worries about raising a motherless daughter. Harley knows exactly what it feels like to grow up without a mother, so she is a natural fit for him and Peyton. Peyton quickly falls in love with her, which is no surprise thanks to Harley’s love of arts and girly things. Gavin is an adorable father who isn’t ashamed to play dress up with his daughter, and again they all fit together beautifully. Gavin and Harley are both exceedingly patient, which is both good and bad. It eventually becomes a problem when neither seems capable of sticking up for themselves. They both have a tendency to take the back seat, leaving them vulnerable to the manipulation and oversight of others. They have a lot of work on their journey together, but they pull it all together in the end.

This story is about second chances. Perhaps the greatest second chance belongs to Peyton, whose brief story closes out the book and the series. Besides the timeline issues, the story is wonderfully written. The plot is fairly simple, but the story slowly unfolds. The characters are wonderfully real and three-dimensional. Their stories are engaging, and reaching the end is bittersweet. The story is told in first person. The POV alternates between Gavin and Harley, with twenty-one chapters in Harley’s POV, eight in Gavin’s, and the epilogue in Peyton’s POV. I rate this book 4.5 stars.

I received an advance copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Make a Wish was high up on my list of 2023 anticipated reads and it did not disappoint! The third book in the Spark House series follows Harley, the youngest of the sisters. Back in the day, Harley nannied Peyton for Gavin after his wife’s death, and she nearly kissed him. They left town shortly thereafter, shattering Harley’s young heart. Years have gone by and they moved back into town. Harley is a familiar, comforting face which results in spending a lot of time with them. But the feelings are still there. This could get complicated.

I loved how real and genuine this book felt. Every thought, conversation, reaction, you name it was so true to real life. I could have been reading a story about how a real life couple came to be.

One of the main issues explored in this book is dating after the death of a spouse and as a single dad. It’s so, so complex and I feel the author handled it well.

If you are looking for a genuine read that will have you on a rollercoaster of emotions, Make a Wish is it.

Thank you to @helenahunting and @smpromance for the opportunity to read this book. The review expresses my own opinions.

I have loved this entire series, and Helena Hunting finished it off with a big emotional bang!!

Harley is such a lovable character... her optimistic, fun, and creative personality all combine to make her easily likable and relatable. Her relationship with Gavin has so many layers to it, yet it feels so organic, raw and real. She feels deeply, and nothing about them ever felt forced. From the beginning, the way in which she describes Gavin is mesmerizing. He is a total DILF. lol I loved their age gap, tragic pasts, emotional and physical connections, and the way in which Gavin doted on his daughter Peyton.

There are SO many things to love about this book. It is swoony, steamy, and will make you feel ALL the feels. I didn't realize how emotionally invested I was in these characters until there were tears streaming down my face at the end. I wanted EVERYTHING for them. They all deserved their HEAs, including sweet little Peyton, who plays such an important role in this story.

If you love single-dad, emotional, age-gap/nanny romance, then you definitely need this book! Well done once again H Hunting!!!

Make a Wish is a sweet, engaging romance with some favorite tropes: commitment-phobic single dad, age gap, and former nanny turned girlfriend, to name a few. The characters are appealing, and the story is immensely readable. Harley, the former nanny, is at a crossroads in her life, searching for purpose and feeling rudderless. Her shame and guilt over (as she believes) driving Gavin away and her inability to articulate her own wishes concerning the family business she shares with her sisters hold her back. Gavin is struggling with his own grief and guilt over his wife’s death. The bumps in the road for their love story are believable, and the characters are easy to buy into. Gavin’s daughter, Peyton, is charming without being cloying. All in all, this is a very enjoyable entry in the Spark Sisters series, and Harley and Gavin’s growth as characters throughout the novel keeps the interest going until the final page.

Helena Hunting has written a romance book filled with so much love, hope and acceptance. Harley and Gavin’s journey was everything I could wish for and then some. I felt so many emotions for both main characters. I cried tears of sadness, frustration, and joy. This is an exceptional and emotional story that had me captivated. Harley is my most favorite Spark sister. Her passion, free-spirit and maturity was a breathe of fresh air. The reality of their relationship was real, raw and relatable. The author knocked this one way out of the park and straight into the universe. I highly recommend this book and series.

Make a Wish is the third and final story in the Spark House series, featuring the three sisters. Harley is the youngest and she seems the most floundering in life—not sure where she belongs. She reunites with Gavin and Peyton, a widowed dad and the daughter she used to nanny for 7 years ago. I’d like to say that sparks flew when they reunited, but it felt more like she slipped right back into the nanny role.

I feel that both Gavin and Harley were well-fleshed out characters, but I didn’t understand their connection. The only thing they had in common was their love for Peyton, so the romance felt lacking. Harley seemed very meek and a bit of a doormat, while Gavin didn’t stand up for nor prioritize Harley.

And yet, Make a Wish was still a very enjoyable read. Helena Hunting’s writing keeps me interested and her character development was well done. Another good read from Helena Hunting!

Make a Wish is the third book in the Spark House series, and is an enjoyable conclusion to the Spark sisters’ story. Helena Hunting infuses Harley and Gavin’s book with angst and longing, and moments of humor too.

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When Harley was a college student, she worked as a nanny for widower Gavin and his infant daughter Peyton. During an especially emotional moment, the two almost kiss; Gavin announces he and his daughter are moving away days later. Harley is devastated, but ends up working at Spark House with her sisters and planning special events. Years later, she’s stunned when Gavin and nine year old Peyton show up at a birthday party she’s planned. Peyton demands they all see each other again, and soon Harley is wrapped up in their daily lives. Is it just about Peyton, or does Gavin have feelings for Harley too?

The interesting thing about this book is that it seems grounded in a reality of being a widower single dad, and less of the rom com single dad fantasy. As great as Harley is, there are points in the story where Gavin seems like he is only interested her because his daughter adores her. And, he struggles with some issues in relation to his late wife. While the two have some chemistry, “real life” plays a large role in how their former nanny/age gap relationship develops.

It’s great to watch the relationships between the Spark sisters, and how they’ve grown and changed over the course of the series. There are tons of fun moments in this book too. I loved the shout out to Mills Hotels; while you don’t have to have read any other Helena Hunting books to enjoy this one, she always throws in Easter eggs to delight of longtime readers.

Make a Wish is consistent with the rest of the Spark House series. Harley and Gavin are likable if flawed characters who do some serious pining before becoming a couple. Overall, the Spark House series is a nice place to visit if you are looking for sisters finding love while running a small luxury hotel.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Make a Wish surprised and disappointed me. I enjoyed the first half of the novel, despite my aversion to children centric romance novels. Nine-year-old Peyton is adorable and a pleasure to read as she learns to cope with the changes around her. Seeing her through the main character, Harley’s, child loving eyes made Peyton very hard to dislike. However, the relationship hurdles Harley and Gavin need to clear are cliche.

Harley, the third and final Spark sister, loves children, but put her dreams on hold to help her sisters with Spark House. Now that the business is striving, she’s realizing she made a lot of sacrifices. Enter Gavin, the father of a child she was nannying nine years ago before they abruptly moved away.

Gavin is a flawed character. He’s a typical Hunting love interest, but on the softer side. Gavin’s issues are the driving force of the conflict in his relationship with Harley. The relationship hurdles Harley and Gavin need to clear are cliche and just when you think they worked out their problems, another more serious problem emerges. This more serious problem was glossed over in a way it shouldn’t have been.

Harley and Gavin’s chemistry is lukewarm as their connection is one based in family rather than solely on physical attraction. This isn’t surprising considering the more family centric focus of this series.

Overall, Make a Wish started out strong but faltered in its use of cliche relationship hurdles.

It was nice to go back to Spark House and visit with these girls again. London is married with a daughter of her own and Avery is expecting her first. But this story is all about Harley and the man that never left her thoughts for long, the single dad whom she was a nanny for his daughter Peyton. The story centres mostly on the friendship to relationship and also the happenings at Stark House and the new franchise that the sisters are building together.

After Gavin lost his wife giving birth to Peyton, he thought his world had collapsed, he was devastated losing the love of this love. His emotions were all over the place because that was also the day when his precious little girl came into his life, and now it's mainly just the two of them. It was why he hired a nanny to help him navigate those first years. Then things changed and he and Peyton moved to be closer to his in laws. In the years he was gone, Harley matured and went to work with her sisters at Spark House and this is where they bump into each other again after seven years.

If you are worried that this story will be super sad and overly dramatic with part of the storyline, don't fear. It is not an angsty book at all. I would say it is a slow and steady romance, building trust to an everlasting relationship. Yes they have to navigate the sad loss of his wife and how do they move forward from that as well as having a nine year old daughter. Not that Peyton is a handful, she's adorable, it's more that they don't get as much alone time as other new couples would. This book probably took way longer than I normally read, and that's on me, but it was the perfect book for me to read over these holidays. I could pick it up at any time and not feel like I was lost or had to go back and re read a chapter to remember where I was. It's what I would classify a good vacation novel.

This one was definitely my favorite in the series. I've been anxiously awaiting Harley's book as she has always been my favorite of the three sisters. I really liked that we got some good back story with the two main characters. Sort of second chance romances are my jam, so I was super excited about that.

Gavin and Harley were so sweet together and then add in Peyton to the mix and it was *chef's kiss*. The story flowed nicely and honestly I thought the relationship development with Peyton and Harley was the star of the show. It was so sweet and heartwarming.

One thing that I didn't like that ultimately caused me to knock off a star was the addition of Harley's boyfriend (sorry I'm blanking on his name right now). I honestly don't care for love triangles or emotional cheating of any kind, so that rubbed me the wrong way. If that had been left out then I would have given this a 5 star.

Overall, a great ending to the series! I'm looking forward to seeing what's next!

I usually shy away from single parent story as they are not my jam.
I don't enjoy the POV/ dialogue from a child's perspective.
There have been 2 exceptions to this rule; The Soul Mate Equation by Christina Lauren and this story.

This is book three in the series and even though it is a stand alone I would recommend reading the other 2.
Harley is sweet and as the youngest of the Spark sisters she is still finding her way in life and at Spark House.
She is reunited with a single dad from her past and her love for him and his daughter blossom. Of course there are roads to navigate while they find their perfect love story.

This is a cute read and ends the series.

MAKE A WISH is the last book in the Spark Sisters series and though I’m sad to see it come to an end, I just adored Harley and Gavin (and Peyton)! This sweet story of second chances, facing your past, and embracing the unexpected answers the question of whether or not these two connected souls can find a way to be together, against all odds.

The last person Harley Spark expects to see at a client’s birthday party is Peyton, the now nine-year-old she used to nanny for, and her still-very-attractive father, Gavin. With nowhere to escape, she has no choice but to face this daddy-daughter duo and revisit the embarrassment from all those years ago, when she almost kissed Gavin in a moment of weakness and emotion. Peyton, though, is all too excited to reunite with Harley, and from the looks of it, so is Gavin. As they spend more and more time together, the line between friends and something more starts to blur, but both Harley and Gavin have a lot to reflect on if they want this relationship to work.

This story pulled at my heartstrings in the best way. Both Harley and Gavin had to face their feelings from all those years ago, while juggling work, their own families, and maybe most importantly, Peyton, who has already been through so much in her young age. I loved the relationship that was rebuilt with Harley and Peyton, and that they both taught each other things that they may not have learned otherwise. And Gavin and Harley? Swoon! Their will-they-or-won’t-they, careful friends to lovers journey was so great to read, especially when they worked through all the road blocks that were in the way. From navigating family dynamics and being true to themselves, there is no shortage of feels in this book! (Also, the epilogue—IYKYK! It made me so happy.)

I also loved that Harley was able to pave a way for herself with Spark House, and really open up to her sisters. Fans of the series will see more of Avery and Declan, and London and Jackson, and a new cast of characters who you’ll be sure to love (or at least love by the end of the story). Harley goes through a lot of change and growth that I also very much related to, and I’m so glad that her journey coincided with Gavin’s. He also does his fair share of reflection and growth, and both come out stronger on the other side because of it.

A huge thank you to the author, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the early copy of MAKE A WISH. It releases on January 24th and it’s a sweet treat that you don’t want to miss!