Definitely my favorite of the series! I loved Harley, Gavin, and Peyton so much. I’m a sucker for the single dad/nanny trope and this one is no different.

This is my far my favorite Spark sisters book. I was given the opportunity to listen to this audiobook by NetGalley. I had previously read both of the other Spark sister books so I was very excited to hear Harley's story. The narrators were great. They were easy to listen to and told the story well. I'm not usually one for tears but man, this one pulls on the heart strings. I loved the details in this book. It was well written and believable. I enjoyed listening to the relatable challenges and the way Harley and Gavin overcame them.

Make a Wish by Helena Hunting: "Spark House Sisters" Series

New York Times bestselling author Helena Hunting's comtemporary romance novel Make a Wish is book three of her popular "Spark House Sisters" series, which also includes When Sparks Fly (book one) and Starry-Eyed Love (book two).

Make a Wish will be published on Tuesday, January 24, 2023, but it is available for preorder on Amazon in Kindle, paperback and audiobook formats.

I was fortunate to listen to an advance copy of the audiobook through NetGalley. Here's my book review.


Make a Wish by Helena Hunting

Make a Wish is book 3 in Helena Hunting's contemporary romance series "Spark House Sisters" which features her signature "swoony heroes and quirky heroines"
A Charming, Often Hilarious, Heartwarming Contemporary Romance Novel
New York Times bestselling author Helena Hunting's website describes her lead characters as "swoony heroes and quirky heroines you'll fall in love with." I would say she writes genuinely likeable, thoughtful characters with good hearts and intentions, human failings and insecurities, authentic voices and often witty, flirtatious banter.

Bottom line: Hunting crafts well-developed characters you can't help caring about and rooting for.


Helena Hunting's "Spark House Sisters" Series

When I had the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of Helena Hunting's Make a Wish in audiobook format, I jumped at the chance to listen to this deservedly popular, New York Times bestselling author's latest contemporary romance. I was delighted to discover that the story holds its own as a stand-alone novel. However, I enjoyed it enough to want to go back to the beginning of the story by reading the first two books.

Here are the three books in this series about sisters Avery, London and Harley Spark, in order (links are for the Kindle editions on Amazon):

When Sparks Fly ("Spark House Sisters" Book 1—Avery's Story)

Starry-Eyed Love ("Spark House Sisters" Book 2—London's Story)

Make a Wish ("Spark House Sisters" Book 3—Harley's Story)


Make a Wish Synopsis

When Gavin Rhodes's wife, whom he adores, dies after giving birth to their daughter Peyton, his world collapses. Overwhelmed by grief, heartbreak and a misplaced sense of guilt, Gavin buries himself in his work and hires a vivacious, cheerful, energetic and responsible young woman as a live-in nanny for his baby girl.

Harley Spark's parents died when she was very young, so she knows how hard it is to grow up without a mom. Unlike Peyton, however, she and her two sisters had each other for support, and vice versa. Her grandma Spark also provided a loving, supportive and encouraging home as well as a love of fun and adventure. Harley is totally devoted to Peyton and tries to make up for the lack of both a mom and siblings in her life by playing the roles of both nanny and surrogate big sister.

Harley finds enormous satisfaction in providing a positive, upbeat and nurturing home environment for baby Peyton and her overworked, emotionally devastated dad. The arrangement works beautifully for a year and a half...until the fateful moment when 20-year-old Harley, trying to comfort an exhausted and still grieving Gavin (and indulge her secret crush on him), leans in and almost kisses him before he realizes what she is trying to do and abruptly pulls away.

Harley is horrified and mortified. Worse yet, her idyllic working and living situation suddenly evaporates as Gavin packs up his and Peyton’s things and moves to the other side of the state. He transfers the care of his baby girl to his late wife's strict and domineering mother, Karen, who takes on the role of mothering and educating her granddaughter with an almost religious zeal.

Harley is covered with guilt and remorse for her unusual lapse in judgment and she misses Peyton (and Gavin) tremendously. But when Gavin refuses to respond to multiple apologetic texts, she eventually has to make her peace with the consequences of having acted on her misguided impulse.

Harley loves being and working with kids, but reluctantly decides to give up her career as a professional live-in nanny, fearing another potential risk to her heart if she falls in love with another family who employs her. Instead, she joins her two sisters and their partners in running the family's event hotel, Spark House. In addition to doing some of the hotel's social media, Harley's favorite role has been organizing the children's themed birthday parties, for which she always dresses up in costume. Unfortunately, they are less profitable than other events, such as weddings, and seven years after Gavin's and Peyton's move, Harley's siblings let her know that the upcoming princess-themed birthday party for a local nine-year-old will be the last one at Spark House.

For the "last hurrah" birthday bash, Harley dresses up as a fairy princess. The last people she expects to run into among the young party guests and their parents are nine-year-old Peyton and her dad. Gavin, in turn, who is both a doting father and a good sport, is wearing a tutu. It's not exactly the outfit he would have chosen for an unexpected reunion with Harley, who is now in her late twenties and even more attractive than before.

Harley is so flustered at seeing Gavin again (especially when she is dressed in full-fledged princess attire with all the trimmings) that she breaks out in hives. Gavin is grateful that Harley is no longer his daughter's nanny, and their age difference is less significant. He hopes this chance encounter might lead to both closure concerning their awkward and abrupt parting and perhaps a different type of relationship moving forward. Peyton is simply overjoyed to see her beloved former nanny and playmate and can't wait to make more play dates for the three of them.

Gavin decides to move himself and Peyton back to their hometown. There are a several good reasons for the move, but one of the most compelling is for them to be near Harley again. Predictably, Karen becomes jealous and resentful of Harley and does her best to undermine the would-be couple's burgeoning relationship. Karen's interfering behavior angers and upsets both Gavin and Harley, but Gavin also feels guilty about moving Peyton out of her grandmother's home, control, and daily life and is reluctant to confront his mother-in-law.

Will Harley, who hates confrontation, find the courage to stick up for both her professional role and romantic relationship?

Why does Gavin feel guilty about his wife's death? Can he finally bring himself to truly risk giving his heart to a partner again unconditionally and stand up to his overbearing, jealous, threatened and still-grieving mother-in-law?

Will Peyton finally get her two biggest wishes, a mom and a sibling?

I can promise you a happy ending, but you'll have to read Helena Hunting's Make a Wish not only to find out the answers but also to enjoy the rich storytelling and the rocky road that ultimately leads to this trio's HEA (happily ever after).


Amazon Editors' Picks: Best Romance

I'm not the only reader who has fallen in love with the characters in Helena Hunting's Make a Wish. Even though its release date is nearly a week away at the time of this book review's publication, this new contemporary romance novel is one of Amazon Editors' top picks for Romance Books.


Two Excellent Audiobook Narrators

Fan favorite narrators Jason Clarke, Stella Bloom share the narration duties on all three of the "Spark House Sisters" audiobooks in this series. Bloom's pleasant but higher-pitched voice is the perfect foil for Clarke's bass, and both narrators are eminently "listenable." They are skilled at voicing both male and female characters, as well as both adult and juvenile characters, that are easily distinguishable. This was especially important because each chapter of is told from either Harley's or Gavin's point of view and read by Bloom or Clarke, respectively. I never struggled to identify which character was speaking, even during conversations among three or more characters.

They also spoke at an ideal pace for me, slow enough that I didn't have to concentrate on not missing anything, but also not so slow as to be soporific.

These seasoned narrators really bring the characters to life and enhance the reader's (or listener's) experience of the book. For that reason, I highly recommend the audiobook format for this contemporary romance series.

Here are links to all three audiobooks in order:

When Sparks Fly "Spark House Sisters" Book 1 Audiobook

Starry-Eyed Love "Spark House Sisters" Book 2 Audiobook

Make a Wish "Spark House Sisters" Book 1 Audiobook


10 Hours of Listening Pleasure

There is enough meat to the story to keep me happily engaged in listening to the audiobook for 10 hours. Key bits and pieces of information from the past are gradually revealed to us (and to the main characters) as the story unfolds, giving us more context and insight into each character's motivations, emotional challenges, desires and fears.

By the end of the book, I felt real empathy and compassion for all the characters, even the rigid, self-absorbed, bossy, subversive Karen.

More importantly, all the characters experienced authentic, significant growth from the beginning to the end of the story arc.


Adult Content

As in most contemporary romance novels, the relationship between the story’s hero and heroine includes physical intimacy.

While Hunting isn’t shy about describing the sexual aspect of Gavin and Harley’s romantic relationship as it evolves over time, I didn't feel the descriptions of their intimate encounters were gratuitous or excessively graphic, and those scenes certainly weren't a primary focus of the novel. The pair's relationship is built on a foundation of friendship and trust first. In fact, despite their obvious mutual physical attraction, both of them are very cautious about taking their relationship from friends to lovers.

However, if you are offended by premarital physical intimacy, that aspect of this book (and, presumably, the others in this series) might be a turn-off.


Fun But Not Fluff

The story flowed well and never dragged, and the narrators' characterizations did justice to Hunting's charismatic writing, keeping me engaged, entertained and emotionally invested from beginning to end.

Harley's and Peyton's boundless enthusiasm, zest for life, optimism and love of unabashadly "girly" things like tutus and glitter crafts provide some much-needed lightness to balance the tragic deaths (and, in Gavin’s and Karen’s cases, misplaced guilt) that weigh heavily on the main characters' hearts for much of the book.

Ultimately, it's a feel-good story about second chances. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Now, I'm off to download the first two books in the series.

This book was really sweet and cute. I have come to expect no less from this author. It’ll give you the warm and fuzzies.

Wow, an awesome finale for this series. It has lots of glimpses of the past storylines so you definitely will want to have read the other books (but not a must because there was a lot of explaining and recapping).

I loved seeing the past love stories continue as well as the company grow. These three sisters have helped their family business thrive and grow. Thanks to the previous stories main male characters, it becomes a franchise. This also leaves Harley feeling like she’s losing her purpose. Which happened before when she was a nanny.

The good news, a family she used to nanny for has come back to town. She doesn’t become their nanny but a friend and support system. But with a hot single dad, things move out of friendship and it’s so good. However ghosts from the past make things challenging as well as unhappy in-laws.

Will they make it? Will little adorable Peyton feel loved and safe?

So glad I was able to finish this series. Thank you.

This was such a good book. I loved the relationship between Gaven and Harley. Payton was such a great addition to their love story. The audio was great an I loved that I got to see Gavens side of the story as well.

I listened to the audiobook version of Make a Wish and I think the narrators were excellent. There was both a male and female reader so depending on the chapter's POV, the voice changed.

I was unaware that it was actually the third book in a series until I was finished with it, so it is definitely a stand-alone novel. From what I learned after the fact, each book is the story of a single sister with the other family members weaved throughout the background.

If you can get past the age gap between the two love interests than this romance was good. I just found stuck on the fact that when the two main characters met in the prologue, she was a 19 year old nanny for the child of a 20/30-something widower. When they reconnect in chapter one about eight years later (the child is now nine) the age gap is woven throughout the story. I know that a ten year age gap isn't the biggest deal when you're both adults but the fact that they met when she was still a teen gave me a little pause and felt icky.

I did like that the mother-in-law was named Karen because she seemed to be a stereotypical "Karen" in her mannerisms. I'm not sure if this was on purpose or a coincidence but it definitely made me laugh.

Hunting writes inner dialogue and communication between characters SO well. There was a mild misunderstanding (ish) at the heart of the story, but that was quickly resolved and the communication surrounding it was some of the best I’ve read in a romance.

There were some clichéd phrases I could have got without, but overall the emotional intelligence of the writing won out.

I am not personally a fan of family drama, and there was a fair bit of that here. However, it propelled the plot in a way that I was able to tolerate.

Jason Clarke and Stella Bloom did an impeccable job narrating.

I have every intention of reading Hunting’s other books.

Thank you Helena Hunting, NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio for my audio advanced review copy. My opinions are my own.

Plot - 4
Writing and Editing - 4
Character Development - 5
Narration - 5
Personal Bias - 4
Final Score - 4.4

I love this series. I’m sad to see it end. I love the Spark sisters and their connection.

I love Harley, Gavin, and Peyton. I love the bond that Harley and Peyton have. They have a special connection. Harley loves kids and wants to work with them.

Gavin is struggling with learning how to move on from losing his wife. He wants Harley and he’s struggling with the feelings that brings him. He wants to be the best dad he can to Peyton. He is amazing with his daughter and I love the bond they have.

I loved watching Harley, Gavin, and Peyton together. I’m sad to say goodbye to the Spark sisters, but I know whatever Helena brings us next will be just as amazing.

I really enjoyed the narrators for this audiobook.

I'm always a huge fan of Helena Hunting and Make a Wish was no different!

I absolutely love how Make A Wish weaves in characters from other series while keeping the integrity of the Spark House series and Gavin is an absolute fox of a single dad! Peyton is the cutest little girl, I wanted to slap Gavin's former mother-in-law, and I simply want to be best friends with Harley!

Both Stella Bloom and Jason Clarke did a fantastic job with the narration and truly brought the characters to life.

4.5 / 5 stars.

Content warning: grief, death during childbirth.

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series and I think this last one may have been my favorite. I loved the connection between Gavin and Harley, and the added relationship between Harley and Payton made this book extra special. I'm not always a fan of single parent stories, but this one felt so natural and real. The story stayed light while still addressing big topics like grief and death during childbirth. I think Harley had some nice personal growth and I'm glad that in the end, she figured out how to advocate for herself. The ending had me in tears. Helena Hunting continues to be a must-read author for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book!

Amazing read about second chances and adorable romances!!! If you are looking for a heartwarming novel this author did it beautifully!!!

The Spark House sisters are back and youngest sister Harley has finally met her match in Make a Wish by Helena Hunting! (AVAILABLE TODAY!)

The Spark sisters trilogy revolves around three sisters, who tragically lose their parents as children, and eventually inherit their gramma’s holiday, retreat Spark House.

By this third book, Spark House has evolved from its humble beginnings and has turned into a big time operation. Hurley used to find her place with the children and birthday parties and now there’s no room for that and she’s feeling lost.

With the candles being blown out at the last Spark House birthday party wraps up, a ghost from Harley‘s past arrives in the form of Gavin and daughter Peyton, her former boss and the child she used to nanny for back in college.

Ten years of past, and Harley is not the young 20 year old nanny anymore and Gavin is finally ready to move on. They had a connection before and it’s only greater now. The only thing in the way of these three, making a happily ever after the ghosts of their past.

I really liked seeing Harley find this place for her. That’s self at Spark house and fight for her relationship with Gavin and Payton. Not only did she have to battle the ghost of Gavin’s deceased wife, her former subservient position as his nanny, she also had to fight her sisters perception of her as the little sister.

Having read this series from the beginning, have become attached all three of the Sparks sisters, and they can have been more please and how Harley and Gavin come together in this already made family just perfectly.

🎧Having listened to the audiobook, I loved the perfect voicing of both Jason Clarke and Stella Bloom for Gavin and Harley. Their voice work added to the story and provided another dimension to the characters. This narration pairing balanced each other well and created a very enjoyable listening experience.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for my review copies. Opinions are my own.


#MakeAWish #HelenaHunting

This is such an amazing story and audiobook read by the fantastic Jason Clarke and Stella Bloom. I can’t thank Netgalley enough as well as Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this novel by Helena Hunting.

This is the third book in the Spark House series and the first one I’m listening to in audiobook format. It can be listened to as standalone.

This is an amazing Rom-Com featuring heroine Harley Spark and our hero Gavin Rhodes, who is sexy beyond compare. I’m a big fan of these two characters and loved the interesting interactions they had throughout the story. Sexy and sweet all in one. Not to be missed.

Absolutely adored this third instalment in this series, by FAR my favourite. I LOVED the single Dad and the nanny turned grown up friend trope and the chemistry was off the charts. This was everything

I absolutely loved this book! I’m a sucker for a single dad trope as all my friends know and this book definitely lived up to my expectations. Peyton was not afraid to stand up for herself in the relationship which made me love her even more. Gavin was a great dad and really hot, so I also loved him. Harley, Gavin’s daughter, was so cute and the last chapter really got to me and made me cry some happy tears.

This started strong for me on the premise alone - age gap, friends to lovers, widowed single dad… and then there was just so many scenes that had me eye rolling & feeling secondhand awkwardness.

What worked for me:
- tropes (single dad, friends to lovers, age gap)
- family of sisters
- theme of grief & having relatable experiences

What didn’t work for me:
- A part of the weirdness for me was the description and conversations with the child was 9 years old. I felt like the MCs treated her like she was much younger/immature than a smart 9 year old… it created so many cheesy side scenes that took the pace off kilter from the steamy romance.
-I think the childhood development interest was well thought out, but again, it became almost cheesy with the relationship the MC was trying to build with the dad/daughter.

Harley Spark now works with her sisters at their family’s even hotel, but she used to nanny for a toddler who had lost her mother. One night, Harley almost crossed the line and kissed the widowed father. A few weeks later, the father and daughter moved, and Harley never heard from them again. Seven years later, Harley is hosting a princess party at Spark House and the last people to arrive are Peyton and Gavin. It turns out they’ve just moved back, and Gavin suggests the three of them go out for lunch.

Gavin is unaware of the anguish Harley has felt since that night so long ago. What is he looking for now? Someone to help with Peyton or something more?

I enjoyed listening to this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to an ARC of this novel. #NetGalley #MakeaWish

I adore Peyton, she is very unafraid to speak her mind but also sensitive about others. Hayley is very compassionate and Gavin is very reserved. All three main characters are so relatable along with the story. What I love the most on this story is that it showcases realistic emotions especially in the aftermath of losing a loved one and even the meddling in law. Though it is a bit predictable, I do like that Helena kept the story intriguing and delightful. The narration is superb! 4⭐

Helena Hunting did a great job with book three in this trilogy about the sisters of Spark House. Each sister got their own book, and this time it was Harley's turn. Harley loves children. Prior to working at Spark House, her family's event hotel, she was a nanny for a baby named Peyton. Peyton's mom died giving birth to her and Gavin, her dad, needed help, which Harley provided for 1.5 years until the night she almost kissed him and Gavin and Peyton immediately moved away. This is one of Harley's biggest regrets, but one she thought she was over, after seven years. At Spark House, she was doing kid birthday parties, which she adored, but with the current growth of Spark House they have decided they cannot continue to have these parties. At her very last kid birthday, Peyton and Gavin show up, beginning Harley's opportunity to perhaps have a second chance. With Helena Hunting's humor, delightful characters and engrossing plot, along with great narration by Jason Clarke & Stella Bloom, this audiobook is a slam dunk.