This is my favorites in the Spark House Series but can definitely be read as a stand alone. I absolutely loved this story and the narration is perfection! The dual POV and the way Stella Bloom and Jason Clarke portrayed Harley and Gavin was everything I needed! 5 ⭐️!

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the early copy!

First off, I'd like to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read and review this book. I did not read the first two books to this series, but I honestly did not feel like I was missing any important details from the first two books. You could absolutely read this book as a standalone, but I loved this book so much that I may actually go back and read the rest of the series. The author pulled me in to this book from the very first page. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 due to some of the book being predictable, but I truly loved the characters and caught myself smiling while listening to the book more times than not.

This was a sweet and simple book. It was a cute romance book. I really liked the main character Harley. This was the third in the Spark House book series (which I didn't realize). It can totally be read as a stand alone. I would love to now go back and read the first two books.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book to read and review!

This is such a sweet series that I have really enjoyed and this book might be my fave from the series.

This is a single father romance which I often shy away from cause as a teacher sometimes the kids are too much the catalyst in the story but this is done so well with the second chance romance element.

I love that we meet Harley in a more independent and successful era of her life when Gavin waltzes back into town. She isn’t looking for someone she is happy and living her own life.

This series continues to be oh so sweet and makes your heart melt throughout. My only critique is as someone who spends all day with 8 year olds Peyton reads much younger than she is said to be. I kept having to remember that she wasn’t 5 years old. It threw me off a bit but I still truly enjoyed the book.

Thank you @macmillian.audio and @netgalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of time!


Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5

4/5 ⭐️

Ugh this book was so freaking sweet, it literally gave me a tooth ache. I am going to mourn the loss of this series because it’s actually my favourite of all Helena Hunting books (the pucked series coming at a close second).

It’s a combination of the sisterhood and each sister having a distinct personality and something different to bring to each of their stories but this book was extra sweet ❤️ and made my heart melt

We’re talking single dad (with the cutest 9 year old ever) and the nanny! Theres a mini age gap and all and all a VERY cute book

🔊Song Pairing: Daddy Issues - Demi Lovato

💭What I thought would happen:

I will not lie….I did not enjoy the first two yet felt some kind of optimism or need to finish the series off…plus ok the covers are all ooo soo pretty.

📖What actually happens:

We are back with the Spark sisters for the final instalment (finally). This time the youngest, Harley, is the star. She joined her sisters in their boutique inn when her nanny job was terminated after she kissed the widower father and he moved himself and his daughter to Boulder.

That same father returns some years later and happens to run into Harley at a Spark House event with his now 9 yo daughter, Peyton. An immediate connection between daddy and Harley sparks and a romance is sure to blossom.

🗯Thoughts:

Welllll I hated this one the least so that is a win! Will I read more from this author? Likely not. But keep up with the pretty covers and I may change my mind.

I think daddy got a little weird and creepy pretty quickly once he acknowledged his feelings for the once nanny he knew at 19 but is now “acceptable” at 28. Age gaps are cool but I just wasn’t feeling this one. Bro just seemed split between wanting a new mom for his daughter and wanting to check off a nanny fantasy 🤷🏼‍♀️

Not the best. Not the worst. At least Avery Sparks was much less bitchy and annoying in this one. Don’t need to read the others to enjoy this one but I’d say don’t jump in at all. ✌🏻

4 Stars
Make a Wish
Helena Hunting
Spark House Book 3
Audio
Harley Spark & Gavin Rhodes

I was lucky enough to review this book via audio. The lovely voices of Jason Clark & Stella Bloom made it such an enjoyable experience.

This book gets you right from the start. We can feel Harley's heartbreak when she is unable to see Gavin & Peyton daily. Now they have moved back and all the emotions have rushed back too.

The feels in this book are REAL!!!! Be ready with the kleenex. You are going to need it.
This is the final installment in the Spark House Series.

Make A Wish is the 3rd book in a series about the Spark sisters, all of which are likable and quirky. Our main character in this book is Harley, who is so fun and silly that you can’t help but to love her. The story follows Harley as she falls in love with Gavin, the father of a little girl that she Nannies for. It was a sweet story that had some funny moments as well as a nice romance, but it was entirely too long. You know from the beginning that the 2 main characters are going to end up together so I don’t know why there was so much fluff added and was sometimes very depressing. (Story deals with parental loss). The ending is very sweet and very much a HEA.

The narration was great!

Sometimes I want to read a witty and comedic rom-com, and sometimes I want that tender happily-ever-after rom-com (ok, all are happily-ever-after). I adored this sweet rom-com that was more than just a love story. There was unresolved and unprocessed pain that needed to be dealt with before love could truly take place.

I read this as a stand-alone as I haven't read the first two Spark House novels, but I absolutely want to, and I don't think it will hurt anything to read them out of order.

I recommend!

Harley Spark nearly kissed the widowed father of the toddler she was the nanny for and it ruined everything, causing the family to move to the other side of the state. She never saw them again and that became a defining moment in her life.

After seven years, Harley would like to think she’s totally moved on, but she’s proven wrong when she sees Gavin and his adorable daughter Peyton, now nine years old, at a birthday party hosted by Harley’s family’s event hotel, Spark House. She tries to keep the situation casual and not be awkward, but she can’t help but notice how attractive Gavin still is and it becomes clear that she’s still very mortified over what nearly happened the last time they were together.

Gavin is completely oblivious to Harley’s anxiety and invites her to lunch with himself and Peyton. For the adorable little girl’s sake, he says, and it’s the perfect chance for Harley to finally apologize and rid herself of her regret and mortification for good. Or make things so much worse for everyone.

This was a pseudo-second chance story unlike anything I’ve read before. Harley and Gavin had a bit of a history and, though nothing ever really happened between them, that connection was still there. When they reconnect nine years later they’re both in very different places than they were then and what starts as merely Harley spending time with Peyton rapidly becomes a friendship with Gavin. It’s clear there’s more between them, but it takes a bit for them to admit that and do something about it and I actually enjoyed that process a lot, even if they were also at times frustrating in their reticence and cluelessness. This wound up being heavier than I had anticipated as Gavin finally had to face his grief over the loss of his wife and try to find a way to move on, but it was all handled really well. I loved how mature Harley was as a heroine and how she was able to have serious conversations with Gavin without sinking to any childish antics. She called him out when he needed it and refused to settle for less than she deserved in a relationship, all while being sensitive to his grief and giving him the support and encouragement he needed to work through it. Harley also learned to stand up for herself and give voice to her desires and it made me wish I was so empowered and sure of myself.

I really enjoyed the dual narration of this book and my only wish is that the female narrator had voiced all the female dialogue and vice versa, I think mainly because male narrators trying to do female voices, and especially the young child’s voice for this story, can get a bit jarring after a while. Otherwise, I loved how the narration pulled me into the story and kept the chapters and dialogues clearly delineated between Harley’s point of view and Gavin’s. Harley and Gavin both demonstrated a lot of growth and I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop as they faced some serious challenges together and worked through them as a team. This was an unexpected emotional roller coaster for me and a very satisfying conclusion to the Spark House series.

I voluntarily listened to and reviewed an audio advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Happy Pub Day!

This is the third book in the Spark House series and I have loved them all. We are following the youngest Spark sister, Harley, in this book and I really like her character. I loved that not only did we explore Harley's romantic relationship with widowed father, Gavin, but also her relationship with his daughter and all that entailed. I also love how these explore the sisterly relationships between the Spark sisters. We also have Harley trying to find her place at Spark House with all the changes going on. I thoroughly enjoyed this series and always enjoy Helena Hunting's writing.

Harley and Gavin’s book has now topped as my favorite of the series. I had so many feels for this story. Plus the background on Harley and Peyton was a delight. I laughed, I cried, I definitely felt so many emotions for this book. Both the ebook and audiobook were a delight. Can be read as the third in the series or as a standalone!

This is the third in the Spark House series, and it's also set in Colorado Springs. I'm always looking for romance books set in Colorado so was extra excited for this.

Harley used to nanny for Gavin Rhodes and his daughter Peyton when she was 19. Gavin lost Peyton's mom during childbirth and was grieving and trying to raise a baby. Harley lived with them for a year and they all got very close. When things were about to turn into more, Gavin moved him and his daughter to Boulder, saying it was to be closer to his in-laws.

Seven years later, and they all run into each other at Spark House, the event center where Harley works with her sisters. They fall back into each other's lives, but is it what's really best for all of them? Each of them know what it's like to lose the people you love most, and can they afford for that to happen again?

Harley and her love of glitter and crafting really spoke to me. I'd been waiting to get to know her better. I had a few issues with Gavin to begin with and felt like he was taking advantage of Harley's kindness, but I came around to him in the end.

Even though this is part of a series I feel like the books work pretty well as stand-alones because they're each about a different Spark sister. If you like second-chance, single dad, friends-to-lovers, or age-gap romances you might want to pick this one up. It has some lighter (and some steamier moments) overlayed on top of a lot of serious themes. It definitely made me feel all the feels.

I loved the audiobook performance by Jason Clarke and Stella Bloom. They both narrated the first two books in the series so their voices were familiar to me. The audio comes in at 9 hours and 56 minutes.

A very nice second chance romance. A could be stand alone in a triplet of related novels, the final sister tries to find love with a single father she met 7 years before and has to work with ghosts of the past and MIL of the present.

Happy book birthday to Helena Hunting @helenahunting and Make a Wish 💫

I’ve been alternating between dark and gritty and light-hearted and fun, which is honestly kind of my personality 😂😂. Thanks to my friends at @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio I had the perfect choice for the lighter side of things.

This is the third book in the Spark House series, but I read and listened to it as a stand-alone. In this genre, there’s always a rom-com rough patch, and Make a Wish is no different. Let’s just say Harley might be slightly more forgiving than I am. Like I said, a dark and gritty side.

Thanks for the opportunity to review!

We've seen the two older Spark sisters get their HEA, and now it's Harley's turn!

Years ago, Harley worked for a recently widowed Gavin, serving as nanny for a toddler aged Peyton. An almost kiss between Harley and Gavin seemingly sent Gavin (and Peyton) running, and Harley didn't see them again for 7 years. Now he's back, and what starts as wanting to spend time with Peyton quickly turns into enjoying her dad's company too.

Make A Wish is similar to the other books in this series in that it is lighter on the comedy and steam but heavier on the emotion that some of the other books from this author. There's definitely some laughs in this story, but with a guilt-ridden single dad still dealing with grief over his wife's death in childbirth and Harley trying to find her place with Spark House and with Gavin, the emotional moments are strong here.

Both Gavin and Harley are well-rounded, layered characters that you can't help but root for. Even Gavin's daughter Peyton is well written. I don't love RL kids, but I do adore a single dad romance. Unfortunately, sometimes the children in those stories are barely more than a prop in the story, but that's definitely not the case here.

As this series wraps up, it was great to catch up with the other Spark sisters and their SO's and catch a glimpse of the future of Spark House. Overall, Make A Wish is a very heartwarming, satisfying end to an enjoyable series.

I read this one on audio, and the narrators are superb (which is to be expected- Jason Clarke is a favorite of mine). 4+ stars for the story, 5+++ stars for the narration!

Harley Sparks use to be a nanny for Gavin Rhodes who tragically lost his wife during child birth. She was twenty and spent the first year raising Peyton his daughter. One evening an attraction sparks and a week later Harley learns through a text that Gavin and Peyton are moving to be closer to his in laws. She is divested and upset with herself that she almost crossed a line. She turns to her family business and joining her sisters at the Spark house. A decade later while running a birthday party at her family hotel Gavin Rhodes walks back in her life unexpectedly. It starts with helping him watch at 10 year old Peyton when he is in a bind after moving back. The more time spent together, the more the sparks start up again. This is a sweet story and liked to see a journey of a father going through his grief journey and learning to love again.

I can’t say enough good things about Make A Wish. It's a wonderful mix of all the emotions, a bit of steam, and some humor. Everything that I expect and love in a Helena Hunting book!

Big-hearted, people-pleasing Harley is the youngest Spark sister. The phenomenal growth of the family business has left her adrift. Amidst all of this change, Harley runs into Gavin, her former employer when she served as a live-in nanny for Peyton, his toddler daughter. After seven years, Gavin still represents Harley’s biggest regret. The two almost kissed one night and then Gavin and Peyton moved away shortly thereafter. Is it chance that these two have reconnected? Or has the universe brought them back together to help them realize what they didn’t want to (or couldn't) acknowledge all those years ago?

“Love is scary because it has the power to make you feel whole or tear you apart.”

Harley and Gavin’s relationship is a messy, difficult, and complicated. They both have issues to work through. I enjoyed watching them grow and find the happiness that both deserve.

I'm so glad I listened to this book. Jason Clarke and Stella Bloom are such a great narration team. Clarke conveys Gavin’s guilt, uncertainty, and desire to move on. Bloom portrays Harley’s genuine love of children (particularly Peyton), angst about her future, and kindness. Their narration was a joy to listen to!

Helena Hunting fans will appreciate the involvement of the other Spark sisters in this story and the connection to the Mills family (Shacking Up series) on the business side.

Overall, Make A Wish is a wonderful conclusion to a great series!

Thank you to St. Martins Press and MacMillan Audio for an early listening copy.

Thank you NetGalley, McMillan Audio, and Helena Hunting for the an Advanced audiobook of Make A Wish.

Make A Wish by Helena Hunting is released January 24th, 2023.

3⭐️

Make A Wish is the third book in the Spark House series.

If you like age gap tropes and workplace(ish) romance, this would be a book to consider. Harley was young when she worked for Gavin as a nanny. They get close, but something happens that causes Gavin to pick up his daughter, Peyton, and leave town. Years pass, and an unexpected reunion occurs.

My rating may have been affected by the fact that I did just jump into this series without reading/listening to the first two books. With that being said, I did not feel connected to the main character or Gavin, Peyton was funny and was really the only character that I was able to somewhat connect to. Another reason, was because I really couldn’t get passed the female narrator’s voice. It didn’t match how I imagined Harley sounding,
I feel like if I read Make A Wish instead of listening, I would have a connected with Harley.

Overall, the story was enjoyable, I just chose the wrong format.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This can be read as a standalone. I had no problem reading this book without not having read the two previous books in the series.

This is a nanny trope, second chance at romance, age gap, spice, single father, and slow burn...whew it had a lot. I enjoyed the story line, the main characters, and that they could finally come together after so many obstacles. I liked how they had both gone through loss and could relate to how each was feeling and understand the others point of view. It showed a lot of maturity. I think my hang up was how Harley would describe herself as being child-like. In stature and just looking so young that she would be mistaken for someone quite young and then throw the older man, age gap into I just had a hard time picturing them together. Also, Peyton, Gavin's daughter is 9 going on 10 and she just seemed a lot younger than her age.

Overall, I enjoyed the story.