This was a great read from an author I trust to entertain.

The Spark sisters were a lot of fun to get to know, and I really got a sense of how close they are. The way her sisters support Avery, even though running the family business isn't their thing, was so heartwarming. I can hardly wait to read the next in the series!

And poor Declan. Such guilt. I admired the way he stepped up to help Avery after her accident, and then helped her work on her driving issues that inevitably multiplied. My heart ached for him having to work through his own issues, but I was proud of him for finally getting the help he so obviously needed.

Overall, the writing itself was solid, the pacing steady, and the dialogue witty and realistic. In fact, the story reminded me of a movie I saw many years ago. Not in a "I've seen this done before" way, rather in that one the broken arm and leg helped a couple reconnect and get a second chance at love. I thought it was a particularly clever way of motivating friends to become lovers.

Helena Hunting is one of my favourite romance authors, and I look forward to reading whatever comes next!

When sparks fly by Helena Hunting

As usual, the author brings to life a beautiful story between two characters that are so much like two magnets. Opposites attract with a heartbreaking life but a story full of life and emotions and where that love of life can lead.

It's not always easy for Avery to open up and it's not always easy to be present at all times even when not required, but Declan is there at all times and I just couldn't stop cheering for him along the way.

Their interaction was so interesting to watch and knowing Helena, she put her mark in with her humour in the most unexpected moments.

I've been a fan of Helena Hunting's novels for a few years, and I was thrilled to hear she was coming out with a new friends-to-lovers story. I knew I was getting into a slow-burn romance, and it definitely delivered! While I loved the book, it fell apart a bit at the end for me.

Avery and Declan have been best friends since college. Things have always been platonic between them, especially after Avery's ex (and Declan's former friend) was caught cheating and broke her heart. Declan knew he had to be there for her, so he pushed away all romantic feelings toward her. When Avery gets in a car accident that may have been prevented had Declan not acted like a fool the night before, everything changes.

Now Avery is totally dependent on Declan for her every need... and I mean her every need. This is where the slow-burn romance really begins. Avery and Declan are sure that they can maintain their friendship while also reaping the benefits, but, to no one's surprise, deeper feelings get in the way.

The second half of the book begins with the two working out a way to be together while keeping their friendship intact, and though I appreciate the way that this situation was handled, I started to get a bit less interested in the story. It felt like the flame that had been growing throughout the first half of the book started to dwindle away, and the story's focus shifted from their relationship to Declan and Avery's shortcomings. It really cooled everything down, and while I always know to expect a huge argument or reveal to halt the progress of the relationship in romance stories like these, I didn't love how their relationship seemed to competely fizzle out for a while.

Overall, this was an adorable story with a lot of highlights, my favorite being the well-done friends-to-lovers trope! The epilogue wrapped it up nicely which is always appreciated it, so I got to finish the book with a smile.

Special thanks to NetGalley for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

I really enjoyed this one. Avery was a great heroine - I would totally be friends with her. There were times where I wasn’t a fan of Declan but by the end, he did redeem himself. This was an enjoyable friends to lovers story and I so hope this isn’t the last we’ve seen of this world!

Title: When Sparks Fly
Author: Helena Hunting
Series: n/a
Pages: 320
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Date: September 21, 2021

Summary:

Running the Spark House, a hotel/event space that has been in her family for years, has been Avery Spark’s lifelong dream. After years of working hard and making personal sacrifices, Avery and her two younger sisters have turned the Spark House into the premier destination in Colorado Springs. Avery is living her best life—she works with her sisters and loves every minute of it, she has a great group of friends, and she lives in a fantastic condo with her best friend Declan. She might not have any love in her life, but she's happy.

But everything comes to a screeching halt when Avery is in a car accident, leaving her immobile for weeks. After nearly losing Avery, Declan insists that he will be the one to take care of her while she recovers. However, as Declan becomes Avery’s caretaker, lines begin to blur.

Avery and Declan have been best friends since college and always had an attraction to one another, but when she ended up dating his best friend, Sam, they successfully stamped down any feelings they may have ever had for one another. Now, as Declan and Avery spend more time together, they each begin to wonder what would’ve happened if she'd dated him instead of Sam. What starts as a friend helping out another friend turns into foreplay and, before they realize it, they recognize how deeply they care for one another. But when things get serious their past threatens to destroy everything they have built.

Review:

I have mixed feelings about this book. I only gave it three stars, but I think it’s because I’m the wrong audience for this book. First of all, though, I want to say what I liked about it.

From the description, it’s obvious it’s a friends to lovers book. I like Avery, Declan - not so much, but I love Avery’s sisters. I’m looking forward to their books even though I was not thrilled with this one. That’s it. That’s what I liked - Avery’s sisters.

The book is written in first person, alternating between Avery and Declan. That way, the reader gets a lot of information that would be hidden if it used a third person narrator. And that brings me to one of the two things I really didn’t like about it. I don’t like first person and I really don’t like alternating viewpoints. As I implied earlier, it’s a personal taste issue.

However, my real issue with the book is Declan is an immature jerk. He’s thirty-years-old, but acts more like he’s still in college. He makes stupid decisions that hurt other people. He regrets them and accepts his responsibility, but still!!!

Finally, in parts of the book, the dialogue is overblown. Declan and Avery talk to each other like they are sitting in a counselor’s office. No one talks like that in real life.

So yes, three stars, but I will read the sequels. As I said, I want the sisters’ stories.


This book was sent to me by NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I always know when I read a book by Helena Hunting that I am going to love it! I know when I read a book by her I am going to become absorbed with it, and not want to put it down. I read this one in just two sittings.

This was such a well written friends to lovers romance, and it even had some forced proximity in it too. Avery and Declan were just the sweetest characters, and I loved the buildup between them. The buildup between them felt very real. Also, the chemistry between them was so steamy! 🔥 Overall, this is such a cute book and it’ll make you smile when reading it. There is some trauma Avery has to overcome in this book, but the author does a great job at it. If you’re looking for a good romance book to read, I highly recommend checking this one out!

***I received an ebook copy from the publisher at no cost***

Avery and Declan are best friends who live together. They've known one another since college and are thick as thieves. Neither has ever really looked at the other in a romantic sense but low and behold, that might be about to change.

I enjoyed this book overall. It was easy to read and the story kept me entertained. It's a classic friends-to-lovers trope, with bits and pieces of angst woven in. Declan made a few dumb choices along the way, which irked me but I felt like he redeemed himself and proved himself to Avery and those closest to her. There were definitely sparks flying between Avery and Declan. Hunting drew this out into a slow-burn, which I like, and which made it even more satisfying.

I enjoyed the relationship between Avery and her sisters. There's the sisterly bond but beyond that they're the best of friends and they would do anything for one another. When it came to Declan, it was just as important for him to prove himself to the sisters as it was for him to prove himself to Avery. The Sparks sisters are a force to be reckoned with and I look forward to seeing some spin-off novels featuring them.

Four stars to this novel!

Avery e Declan se tornaram melhores amigos após se conhecerem na faculdade, eles tem a mesma paixão por esportes, principalmente futebol. Morando juntos, eles passam as noites de segunda com os amigos Mark e Jerome, se apoiam a todo momento e convivem bem. Até um erro de Declan fazer com que Avery dirija durante uma tempestade, terminando em um acidente que a deixa com várias fraturas.

Com as irmãs de Avery dispostas a levar ela para morar com elas enquanto se recupera, Declan se mantém firme em ser o único que deve cuidar dela a todo instante. Ele está cheio de culpa, e ajuda Avery com tudo o que ela precisa, a ampara em momentos de esgotamento e não cansa de pedir por perdão. A cada dia a proximidade entre eles fica maior, e isso pode trazer à tona sentimentos que eles nunca se permitiram sentir e explorar antes.

Tem um tempo que eu não leio um romance entre melhores amigos e foi bom mudar de cenário, é diferente quando os personagens já se conhecem tão bem, e o romance aborda uma outra parte que não é sobre se conhecerem melhor. Avery e Declan são parecidos quando se trata de relacionamentos, ela foi traída por um ex-namorado e acaba vivendo mais para o trabalho, deixando sua vida social de lado. Já Declan também foge de relacionamentos sérios, mas por não ter tido um bom exemplo em casa, seus pais nunca foram fiéis um ao outro e o usavam como peça dentro do jogo deles, por isso ele é adepto a encontros casuais. Essas duas experiências podem ser um obstáculo, principalmente para Declan que costuma se autosabotar quando as coisas ficam mais sérias.

Helena Hunting mais uma vez fez um bom romance, e tem um situação mais perto do final do livro que não posso comentar toralmente, mas que me deixou feliz em ver como ela levou os personagens a se reconstruirem, sem pular etapas para dar o final feliz. Espero que ela escreva livros para as irmãs da Avery, que eu desconfio que podem ser com os amigos dos dois, vou ficar no aguardo.

I really loved this friends to lovers book! In the beginning we see Avery and Declan and their friendship, and see some of their backstory and history as friends. When Avery gets in a car accident and needs round the clock help, Declan volunteers to help. Declan was such a cinnamon roll and those few times he called her babe didn't go unnoticed by me.

When an unexpected comment takes them both by surprise, things get steamy! I loved the evolution of their relationship. They both have their own issues, which they have to acknowledge and start to move forward in a healthier way, so I enjoyed how that was handled as well.

I read this so quickly, in only a few settings. I wanted to keep flipping the page to see how their relationship continually grew. I also loved the friendships and family in this book too. Avery and her sisters London and Harley were so supportive of each other. And Avery and Declan's friends also gave me the warm fuzzy feelings. The last few chapters had me on the edge of my seat wanting to see how this was going to work out, and the pacing of that I thought was perfect.

This was actually my first book by this author and I'll definitely be checking out others in her backlist.

I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Avery Spark and Declan McCormick have been best friends since college and roommates for the past few years but they’ve always managed to keep things purely platonic between them. Then one day Avery is in a car accident and Declan blames himself, so to help his friend and assuage his guilt over her getting hurt, he assumes the role of caretaker. It adds a new dynamic to their relationship and unlocks some romantic feelings that they’ve buried over the years. When they risk their friendship and finally give in to their feelings will they be able to find happiness together or will it all come crashing down?

Overall this was a sweet friends-to-lovers story. Even though Declan’s actions set things in motion that causes Avery to get hurt, I thought he did a good job of trying to make it up to her and proved that he was a good guy and not just the shallow player that he seemed at first. I loved them as friends and I can see how things could progress for them given their circumstances but, I don’t know, I didn’t really get a lot of romantic chemistry between them at times. There was just something that was missing for me. There was also some drama that unfolds in the last quarter of the book that annoyed me a little (poor communication and jumping to conclusions) however, the way they turned things around, in the end, was nice and I ultimately enjoyed the outcome.

Avery and Declan. Trope: friends to lovers. The slow build to Avery and Declan hooking up was everything! I was soaking up every second of Declan helping Avery in her rehabilitation. The sisters and the business drama was less than. I felt Avery's sisters were harsher on her then they should have been. If they lack how to run a business between them then that's something they need to work on. Avery had her own path to focus on. I could see myself rereading from Avery arriving home from the hospital to the pot brownie night over again.

Avery and Declan have been friends since college and are currently roommates. When Avery has a car accident and is laid up, Declan steps up to take care of her. He feels guilty because he was supposed to be with her when it happened. The constant close proximity and let’s just say some compromising situations, has them looking at each other in a new light. Can they move from friends to a committed relationship? How do their pasts shape the future for them?

My Thoughts:
A friends to lover’s romance with a little steam, need I say more! The characters are likeable, the story flows well and the progression from friends to lovers felt natural. A highly recommended read!

When Sparks Fly will grab you by the shirt and have you feeling all the feels! Avery runs the Spark House with her sisters and is determined to make it successful, but it takes its toll on her love life. Then we have Declan, Avery's best friend and roommate. These two have been friends since college and roommates for a while they have a routine down to a science. However, lines start to blur for these two when Avery is in an accident that leaves her with needing constant care until she heals. Declan has always been a lady's man and never takes anything serious, until Avery's accident. These two dance quite the tango with each other, push and pull, and feelings start to get confusing with all the time they spend together and don't forget the proximity. Avery and Declan have been friends, but will they cross that line and give the sparks a chance to ignite or will their pasts and future plans stop them before they even start to burn? Avery and Declan will steal your heart and leave you wanting more of these two and the Spark sisters!

When Sparks Fly is a new friends to lovers romance from Helena Hunting. I love a good friends to lovers story and this one was great! Avery and Declan have been friends and roommates for years. There might have been feelings years ago, but it's been a platonic relationship. Until it wasn't! Avery needed help recovering from a bad car accident and Declan needs to be the one to take care of her. All the time spent together twenty four-seven reignites the attraction they let go of years ago. Now it's on fire! But they are still friends and roommates and not sure what happens when life gets back to normal. Declan has some baggage he needs to work through and Avery needs to give him time to figure it all out! I loved this story. It was fun, sweet, sexy and emotional!

This is a hard no from me. I was bored right from the beginning, the characters are not developed enough, I found them very one-dimensional. There was not enough development of the main love interests and their past. They live together and have been friends for a long time but in the beginning it's completely platonic. So it goes from nothing to something, despite Declan not being very nice or considerate to Lottie whatsoever. All the characters to me felt young and immature, this felt like YA the way it was written, but with adult characters. There was also way too much describing and chatter and not enough action moving the story forward. I felt this story was unbelievably predictable and I couldn't buy into it.

Helena Hunting always understands the assignment. This book had my crying and laughing I was so invested in the story which at times pulled at your heartstrings. I would really like to see books for each of Avery's sisters but we will see! Can't wait to read more Helena Hunting in the future!

I mean who doesn’t love a good friends to lover’s romance!? – this is one of my favourite genres in romance. This has all the best bits of a romcom, the laughs, the drama and of course the feels!

I loved Avery and Declan I thought they were very well matched even though Declan had a buttload of baggage to work through, I thought how this evolved was done really well, his character goes through a lot of growth which really helped him feel like a fully flushed person at the end.

Of Avery had her own stuff going on but thing I loved about her was how understanding she was of Declan’s behaviour, things really wouldn’t have worked out if they didn’t have all those years as friends behind them as the core foundation of their relationship.

Overall this was a freaking awesome read, HH romance books are something special and alway enjoy the wit and humour she manages to inject into her stories no matter how much drama is going down.

A small town romance that is light on the heart. I enjoy this author’s writing style. It’s a story to make us swoon and feel good. Not too much angst and drama. Just the perfect amount. Standalone with an HEA.

Friends to lovers is one of my favourite romance tropes so it's no wonder I was so excited about reading When Sparks Fly, the latest novel from Canadian romance author Helena Hunting. I've been reading her books for years now and they're always enjoyable. Some more than others but that's par for the course when an author has a bazillion books published! This latest one, just published today, kept me entertained throughout and I had a good time reading it.

Here's the book's description:
Running the Spark House, a hotel/event space that has been in her family for years, has been Avery Spark’s lifelong dream. After years of working hard and making personal sacrifices, Avery and her two younger sisters have turned the Spark House into the premier destination in Colorado Springs. Avery is living her best life—she works with her sisters and loves every minute of it, she has a great group of friends, and she lives in a fantastic condo with her best friend Declan. She might not have any love in her life, but she's happy.
But everything comes to a screeching halt when Avery is in a car accident, leaving her immobile for weeks. After nearly losing Avery, Declan insists that he will be the one to take care of her while she recovers. However, as Declan becomes Avery’s caretaker, lines begin to blur.
Avery and Declan have been best friends since college and always had an attraction to one another, but when she ended up dating his best friend, Sam, they successfully stamped down any feelings they may have ever had for one another. Now, as Declan and Avery spend more time together, they each begin to wonder what would’ve happened if she'd dated him instead of Sam. What starts as a friend helping out another friend turns into foreplay and, before they realize it, they recognize how deeply they care for one another. But when things get serious their past threatens to destroy everything they have built.
As I said at the top, I love reading romances where the main characters are friends who eventually realize they have romantic feelings for each other. And Hunting worked this trope really well. I don't like it so much when the feelings are unbalanced or have been unrequited for too long. In the case of Avery and Declan, they settled into the friend zone first, never bothered to explore the little spark they had in college, and then Avery started dating someone else and they moved on. There were no pining moments from either of them until the feelings hit them at the same time when they were put into such an intense situation after Avery's accident. The romance was so natural and I absolutely loved reading it.

What I didn't really love was how boneheaded Declan was about his "relationship issues." I think that just kind of stems from the fact that I can't personally understand someone using their parents' relationship as an excuse - and I say this as someone whose parents divorced when I was really young. It just seemed like a cowardly decision for him to use that as a crutch and an excuse and I was proud of Avery for having those hard conversations and doing what was right for her, even though it hurt.

I really liked how close Avery and her sisters were (I also loved the friendship dynamic with Avery, Declan, and "the guys"). I do wish that we had had more time with the three of them together and really getting to know the other women but I'm pretty sure the reason we didn't is 1. that would have made the book enormous and 2. this is the start of a new series from Hunting. Which I'm OK with! Even though I wasn't WOW-ed by this book, I still liked it enough that I'd like to check back in on the characters. Anyway. Back to the sisters. I have a younger sister and we're really close (though not physically - she's always off working in far flung places!) so I like reading about characters who have great relationships with their sister(s) too.

Some important trigger warnings to note: a car accident (with deaths of other people in the crash but no characters we "meet"), toxic parental relationship, and death of parents in the past.

When Sparks Fly was a good read, not a great one. But I think if you're a fan of contemporary romance with some heat and heart, you might want to consider picking up Helena Hunting's latest novel. I'm looking forward to Starry-Eyed Love, which is about Avery's sister London and will be out next spring!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, St. Martin's Press, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

I'm very much a go in blind type reader. Truth told, I was a couple chapters in before I glimpsed at the description and saw friends to lovers. And let me tell you, I was NOT disappointed. Best of friends. Avery and Declan click. They work. They make sense.
Helena brought me a heartfelt story that left me feeling so happy.