3.5 stars for the second Spark sister!

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

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

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

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

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

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

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

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

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

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

Love this second book of the most fun sisters. Could be second chance could be enemies to lovers but it’s definitely a great romance story.

Pub date: 5/10/22
Genre: romcom
Series: Spark House, book 2
In one sentence: Businesswoman London finds herself with the opportunity of a lifetime - a collaboration with a multi-million dollar company - but what happens when she's even more interested in the CEO?

I loved the first Spark House book (When Sparks Fly - London's sister Avery's story), so I was really excited for this one. London is a character who's easy to love and relate to - she's hardworking but overwhelmed, and she's a creative person stuck in a more 9 to 5 role. I enjoyed seeing her stand up to her sisters and figure out what she really wanted in life. Jackson was charming as well - sometimes he went a bit overboard trying to woo London, but who doesn't love a Cinderella story? Co-worker love stories can be problematic, but I thought Hunting did a good job handling the complexities of this kind of relationship.

This is a sweet story that feels like a real-life fairy tale, and it was just what I needed after a stressful week at work. I hope you enjoy it too!

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A really great story, charming, atmospheric, great characters. Filled me with warmth and spirit. Well written and flowed nicely, was romantic and funny, charming and full of fun. A great read, i really enjoyed it.

We are back at the Spark House and this London’s story. The sisters are out to catch up talk about up coming events being held at Spark house and most importantly Avery & Declan’s wedding. The conversation goes off track when London orders another Drink & Harley celebrates the fact Fun London is back, the commotion leads them to be noticed very handsome mountain man, he especially has eyes for London. The mystery man approaches there table after he paid their bill. After a word Billy back and forth he gives London his number and asks her out & she surprises her sisters when she declines because she has a boyfriend, since they know she broke up with Daniel. He takes his number back and hope they meet again when she is single. The Spark girls are still in a stalemate about hiring more help to help run the Inn, Avery is dead set against this idea, so London & Harley decide to let it go until after Avery’s wedding. London would love to focus on the creative side making decorations for the events & her Etsy store. Until then she will make her paper stars to keep her calm. 3 months have passed & London gets a call to meet with
Holt media they want to talk to London to see if Spark house would be a good fit with their new initiative. The meeting is interrupted by the CEO of Holt Media and it hits London that Jackson Holt is the mountain man she lied to & turned down. All kind of crazy thoughts go through London’s mind, was this a set up to get back at her? Does her recognize her & if not why? She finally reals herself in & serious London takes, and the whole time Jackson Holt smirks. Jackson & London both have relationship phobias but at the same time are comfortable in each other’s presence. They both adamantly tell everyone they are just work Colleagues. Starry Eye Love is funny, quirky and heart wrenching. It has all the feels, come on this journey; will the Spark sisters work out how to handle the explosion of business and will London & Jackson Holt find happiness. Helena weaves her magic once again.

This is book two in the Spark House series.
I had read the previous one and liked it but I think I like this one more.
London and her sisters are out one night and a really handsome guy asks her out. She turns him down because she just got out of a relationship. Several months have passed and she meets him again during a business venture. Their relationship takes off from there.
It’s a fun romantic book that I had a hard time putting down. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to book three.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

I adore the Spark sisters from Helena Hunting’s Spark House series!! They are funny, goal oriented and are proud to carry on the tradition begun by their grandmother, as the owners of The Spark House, an event hotel. London, the middle sister, has a creative side that she puts on the back burner as her job as the hotel’s Business Administrator, takes up all of her time. She has no room for romance as she is constantly looking for new business and ways to market the hotel. Who would have thought that the sexy and handsome bearded man she had turned down in a bar three months ago would turn out to be a very influential prospective client?

Jackson Holt is a successful businessman who is easy on the eyes and very charming. London’s older sister, Avery, thought Sebastian was a “superhero-businessman mashup” with his mesmerizing green eyes and perfectly sculpted jaw. London’s nerves were shot when Jackson unexpectedly appeared at the meeting she was invited to, and immediately began asking her questions. Fate brought London and Jackson together at the bar, but luck sent her to his office where their romantic journey began

Jackson was fascinated by London’s brilliant mind, her work ethic and her natural beauty. London and Sebastian are a passionate couple and I loved watching them tip toe around their feelings as they planned Spark House events. Sebastian knew how to make London feel comfortable, took her on fun adventures and listened intently as she shared with him her hopes and dreams. He even accompanied London to an estate sale because he knew that was one of her favorite things to do. Little did she know that this was only the beginning of Jackson’s pursuit of her heart. Was Jackson the spark London had been hoping to find or was she just not ready to fall in love?

Starry-Eyed Love (Spark House, #2) by Helena Hunting
This book was a lot of fun - but also I felt my heart break for both London Spark and Jackson Holt and then get put back together in the best way. There is laughter, tears, misunderstandings, wonderful family and friends, angst and plenty of steam to get us to a very HEA. I am looking forward to the third book in the series.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Easy-to-read Entertaining Funny Steamy Tear-jerker Wonderful characters Unpredictable Page-turner Romantic Happily Ever After

I liked this second book in Helena Hunting’s series about the Spark sisters.

London Spark loves working with her sisters at Spark House, but the administrative side of her job doesn’t come all that naturally. With the success of the business, London has set a lot of her personal life aside, recently breaking off a relationship she’s not as invested in.

Enter Jackson Holt, mega-successful CEO of a company that can help take Spark House to the next level and someone who London definitely finds herself fully invested in.

I appreciated London’s unapologetic desire for greater work/life balance, so it was interesting to see that tension between the sisters. And, London and Jackson’s interactions and sudden interest in each other made for fun reading.

The story did start to feel repetitive, but Hunting’s writing is fresh and fun, so that’s a positive. I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the first one, or those who like the office romance trope.

I did enjoy this story a lot more than the first book!

London was my favourite of the Spark sisters so I really enjoyed her story. It did start off a tad bit slowly, but once it hit the ground running, the book stole my heart.

Is there any familial relationship more complicated than sisters? It’s London’s turn this time and I really, really liked her character. She gives her all to her sisters and yet, she has dreams and goals of her own. She is also willing to put her own hopes and dreams on hold so that their shared business will be successful.

There’s some banter amongst the sisters – boy can they give each other a hard time! They’ve carved London up into “Serious London” and “Fun London”, depending upon whether or not she is in a relationship, or not. Too funny.

London Spark is getting ready for a very big Spark House Event Hotel presentation that will help propel the sisters’ business into the next stratosphere. She takes the meeting at Holt Media by herself…except that she is more of an introvert and gets really nervous. The CEO drops by the meeting, Jackson Holt, and introduces himself. Except that he and London HAVE met before. I’m honestly not sure which meet-cute is better!

The book has some intrigue, betrayal, fear (from their pasts and upbringing), that gives these two a rocky road to an HEA. But I think they are both good people and eventually, they get it right, despite the world around them.

The sisters are working on their relationship as well, and it sometimes gets rocky, too. The author did a wonderful job of telling the sister story, along with London’s and Jackson’s. I enjoyed this book.

Didn’t realize until I was a bit into this one that it was second in a series. There are references to the first, so — all things being equal— I’d recommend reading in order. That said, a cute romance lies in here. But, the other issues faced by the protagonist sometimes overshadowed and distracted from what, for me, is the main event.

Starry-Eyed Love is such a great addition to the Spark House series! The romance between London and Jackson is so sweet and special I really didn't want this book to end and now I'm looking forward to Harley's story!

Helena Hunting was a new-to-me author when I read book 1 of Spark House, but she's becoming an auto-buy for me. I already pre-ordered this book for a friend and highly recommend this to anyone who loves a good love story with a slow burn.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for an ARC at my request. All thoughts are my own.

Starry-Eyed Love definitely has some Cinderella vibes with real life messiness mixed in. Middle sister London is overwhelmed at family business Spark House, when she and her sisters have an opportunity to make their business more successful than ever by partnering up with Holt Media. But lo and behold, the CEO of the company that could make them a household name is none other than Jackson, a man London turned down when he asked her out months ago in a (slightly) scruffier form. Sparks fly both between London and Jackson, and between London and her older sister Avery, with both leading to some major decisions that have to be made. London, in the second book of the series, gets seen for taking on responsibilities that she never wanted, making this is some ways a more serious book than the first one that featured older sister Avery. Ironically enough, for as much as I enjoyed Avery from her perspective, she annoyed the living daylights out of me for most of this book. And Jackson, while in many aspects is very appealing, is very oblivious about one of the few things a guy should not be oblivious about in a new relationship - old (and current relationships). I enjoyed the story itself, but felt that at times the dialogue felt very formulaic, and not like a conversation people in a close relationship would have. The setting itself was enjoyable, and I look forward to reading Harley's story next! A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

4.4⭐️

I love Helena’s books. She does a fantastic job with descriptions, balancing and flushing out the whole story.

I was pretty hooked straight from “He’s not just kinda hot, he’s Bunsen-burner-blue flame hot” which my nerdy and smut loving heart really loved.

I dropped to 4.4 (which means I save it as 4) because I did feel like something was missing near the end but I’m not sure what. I did really enjoy the book and it was a super quick and easy read.

I absolutely LOVED this story, the Spark sisters are phenomenal and I loved getting to revisit them! In true Helena Hunting fashion this book is full of funny moments, hilarious banter, and romance that will give you all the butterflies!

London is extraordinary, she’s a hard worker and she’ll do anything for her family. Even if that means working herself to the bone. She’s much stronger than she sometimes gives herself credit for. As for Jackson, talk about one swoony hero! He’s the whole package of hotness, good looking, business owner, sweet and caring, he checks all the boxes! The two of them together are explosive, chemistry is off the charts!

This book made me so incredibly happy. The Spark girls have been through a lot and they all deserve their own happily ever after, and this book has me even more pumped for Harley’s story!!!

I enjoyed this book. The chemistry between the two main characters was HOT!

This is the second book in the Spark House series. This story has just the right mix of humor and romance to make this a fun and engaging story.

London has just ended a relationship with her mot recent boyfriend and is out celebrating being sing with her sisters Harley and Avery, when she is approached by an attractive man. This man pays for their food and drinks and also gives London his number, but she says no. Flash forward a few months, a multi million dollar company wants a meeting in order to learn more about Spark House. They wan to talk to them about becoming a part of their network. London soon realizes that the guy that the guy she turned down at the club is the CEO of the company they are hoping to work with.

The characters of Jackson and London are both very well developed and have good depth. They are not perfect characters, they have flaws that you are able to see. Often the characters in books are hard to relate to because they are perfect.

I liked that the author took her time to show the love blossom between the two characters. It is very well written and flows very well. This story has a good focus on friendship, hard work and family. Even with the other serious themes in this story, there is a romance that the author takes her time developing. There are other themes that play a role in the development in this story. Like finding a balance between work and life, dreams, goals and listening to others.

This was an entertaining and delightful story with some good humor. I really liked it and can't wait to read the next story in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.