This was a heartfelt, adventurous romance that blended with an emotional depth—and I absolutely adored it.

What truly stood out to me was the happenstance between Stella and Huck. Their connection was so palpable, it practically reverberated off the page. I could feel it, and that emotional resonance made me appreciate the story on a much deeper level. It wasn’t just chemistry—it was something more profound, something that lingered long after the final chapter.

The treasure hunts added a delightful layer of adventure that gave the romance a unique and playful backdrop. These moments of exploration weren’t just fun—they mirrored the characters’ emotional journeys and made the story feel even more immersive.

This is an author that does not write formulaic romances. At least in this reader’s humble opinion I’m surprised by the originality of each book and how different her novels are from each other. Heart Marks the Spot, about two people, Stella and Huck, who have had childhood trauma’s that have shaped the adults they have become. In Stella’s case, she’s always searching for a treasure that will gain the attention of her parents who both left her when she was a child. In Huck’s case, he is always battling that internal voice of his father who is tellling him he’s never going to be good enough, despite the many books he’s written that have landed on the bestseller list. In each other, they find an ease and friendship, then again a love that secures those wants and feelings for them, but of course, not without the trials and tribulations that all great romance novel heroes and heroines have to overcome. Libby Hubscher does such a fine job at building thier back stories that I’m truly rooting on this couple so that they can each get that happy ending they deserve.

As Stella says in this novel, treasure hunting is pretty boring, but it seems that Huck might be her good luck charm because with him around it doesn’t seem very boring at all. This group’s penchant for finding the goods is a little bit of fantasy, I’m sure, but it makes for very good reading. I enjoyed getting to know the crew and seeing the parallels between the constantly changing structure of that group of friends and the changes in the ocean with the ebb and flow of tides, shifting of topography, and movement of the treasure they are hunting. The author took her time helping us to understand the intricacies and interconnections of these friendships. Stella and Huck’s story wasn’t the only one I was invested in which made this a really well rounded bit of fiction that lives up to its name. This book drew me in with the story but kept me around because of its heart.

Well, that book was definitely one of a kind, might be worth to some.
Writing style ain’t for me though, I found myself drifting away from this book and so relieved to finish it, was bored 80% of the time. Now look, the treasure-hunting thing was cool, but the plotting itself wasn’t it, and I didn’t find myself interested in any of the characters.
Eventually, I was doom-reading and skipping lines because I really couldn’t keep up and wanted to finish it so bad.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange of a honest review.

3.5⭐ What an adventure! Literally, haha. I love a good treasure hunt story, so this was such a fun read! Beware of the insta-love at the beginning, but I suppose it’s also a second-chance romance, so you get a slight break from that! I was totally invested in the treasure hunt aspect and would absolutely gobble this up as a movie if it was one. Loved Stella and Huck (despite the insta-love), and their chemistry and banter were so great.

Overall, this was a fun and easy read that’ll definitely make you want to get a diving certification, buy a boat, and hunt for treasure 🤪 Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley Romance for sending me an advanced copy to read!

I dnfed 25% in. The dialogue was really weird. It felt unrealistic and stunted. The rest of the book was boring. Very much a let down.

4.25 stars!!

This summer’s vibe is adventure romcoms from spies to mistaken identities…to buried treasure!! This book was the perfect mix of adventure, emotionally complex friend and romantic partner dynamics, and summer fun!!

Stella Monroe and her treasure hunting crew, money-guy and goofball extraordinaire Ted, no nonsense former navy diver Gus, and brilliant and wise Zoe, have been looking for the Stolen Treasure of the Sea People, and it’s magnificent Elephant’s Heart Diamond, for a decade - over yearly trips filled with fun summer activities mixed with random searches. A fateful trip to Iceland brings them together with famed novels Huck Sullivan (later Finn McCool, in a sense)(and a fun name sense of course), Ted’s boarding school roommate - and the future love of Stella’s life (maybe). He joins them for an adventure on the island, builds a connection with Stella - and then just disappears without a trace. Until a year later, with a new book led by a suspiciously Stella-like character and an idea to “research” with his old buddy brings him back to the group.

While miscommunication features VERY heavily (and somewhat frustratingly) in this book, it doesn’t actually get in the way of our characters’ developments and journeys - and some might even say it plays in fun new ways! Stella and Huck are two people drawn to each other like magnets, but not quite lining up. They’ve both had some hurt in their past lives (yay daddy issues) and the energy of the adventure helps them move through those lines of miscommunication easily. Nothing like an adrenaline rush!!

The writing in this was so beautiful, the characters were all individually developed (maybe Gus less so than the others, but that’s fine he’s the arm candy of our girl Zoe), and the mystery of the treasure was so fun! A perfect summer read!!

Thanks so much to Libby Hubscher, Berkeley, and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this romance between Stella, a treasure hunter, and Huck, a best selling novelist. The settings are interesting, set in Iceland at the beginning, and the ocean off the coast of Key West in the second half, and the characters are, for the most part, likeable. I liked the dual storytelling, alternating between Stella and Huck. Overall, a great beach read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

3 Stars I was initially drawn to Heart Marks the Spot because it's by author Libby Hubscher and I've enjoyed her books before. Then, the description got me even more interested. I love romances with adventure and mystery to them! But I think the description provided gave away a little bit too much of what was going to happen through the first half of the book. This made it hard to get into and like I was just waiting for those plot points that I already knew was coming, rather than eagerly turning the page to find out what would happen next. Additionally, there are times when Stella's and Teddy's characters felt messy in an unrelatable way. Plus the fact that Stella really wanted to find an African diamond, but made no mention of wanting to return it to its rightful home country felt off. It's hard to shake the colonizer vibes with that one. Definitely a bit bummed that this one wasn't for me!

Thanks Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Perfect for fans of "Outer Banks" looking for a little bit more maturity and less angst, but with more swoon! I loved Heart Marks the Spot - this one is truly asking to be made into a movie. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of Heart Marks the Spot!

A year ago, he helped her find treasure then broke her heart. Now, they are reunited to continue the search for the Elephant Heart diamond, but will Stella and Huck be able to overcome their past?

I LOVED Heart Marks the Spot! The story started super strong, wrapped itself around me, and never let go. Hubscher combine a multitude of elements I love in this tale which blended perfectly resulting in a hit for me.

• Stella - I usually always gush about the hero in the books I read, but this time, it was Stella who won me over. Her backstory was heartbreaking, being abandoned by both parents by seventeen, but she was lucky to cross paths with Ted, Zoe, and Gus. Though her parental abandonment affected her in some ways, Stella was still strong and tenacious. She was sharp and spunky, and like Huck, I was drawn to her.

• Found Family - I mentioned how lucky Stella was to find Ted, Zoe, and Gus when she needed support, and they were there for her. In the ten years since they met, they formed a strong bond and became her family. I loved that they kept up their tradition of yearly treasure hunting trips, as it was their love of history and adventure that initially bonded them. But their friendships did grow and change over the years, as they grew and changed. This trip to the keys was a big evolution for this group, but I had faith that their friendship could withstand any challenges.

• Treasure Hunting - I am not the most adventurous person, but I really enjoyed reading about all the hunts. Hubscher did an incredible job transporting me to Iceland and the Keys, and it was fun watching them put all the pieces together. When they found something, I was just as excited as Stella or Huck or any of them, too. Lots of vicarious thrills here.

• Second Chance Romance - This is one of my favorite tropes, though I will admit, I was quite angry with Huck. At first, I was puzzled as to what happened, but details emerged, and I guessed why he left. AND I was still mad at Huck, but I was glad that he and Stella were getting a second chance to explore their connection. I truly believed they belonged to each other. I liked how Huck settled Stella while she made him push his boundaries when it came to adventure. They were simply better together.

• The Book - Huck was an author who had just crashed and burned prior to meeting Stella. He was in Iceland seeking inspiration, and he found it in her. I liked all the peeks we got into the book, and it really hammered home how much his time with Stella meant to Huck.

Heart Marks the Spot was a perfect blend of friendship, family, romance, and adventure. It had humor and warmth, and just the right amount of emotion. And the epilogue was perfection! I am trash for a good epilogue, and this one had me shedding some happy tears. Another solid hit from Hubscher!

The before and after of a second chance romance and treasure hunting. Huck meets Stella when she's looking for treasure in Iceland and then poof, he's gone. He's got issues,, what with being a writer with writer's block. She's lucky to have good friends. When they meet up again a year later, well, there's some miscommunication to resolve and a treasure to find. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. It's a different take on the genre, the characters are good and it made for a fine read on a day inside in the airconditioning.

3.75 stars - I really enjoyed the time I spent reading this one! The premise was fun and different, and

What I Liked: I'm not sure how accurate anything in this book is, but it felt incredibly well researched. It felt really believable that these friends have been treasure hunting together for so long and that they were experienced with sailing and diving. I liked how the second chance romance was structured in two parts - then and now, instead of flashbacks throughout the story. It was a different way to tell the story (for me) and it made the story feel fresh. The connection between Stella and Huck was really sweet and even though they fell for each other quite quickly, it all felt believable.

What I Didn't Like: Some of the explanations of the research, history and when they were out in the field were a little tedious. Again, I liked that it felt real and well researched, but I found myself skimming some of those sections because it wasn't truly relevant to the story. Because so much time was spend on some of the explanatory, the conflict at the end and the subsequent resolution felt rushed.

Overall, I genuinely loved this book - it was a fun quick story and a perfect summer adventure. Thank you to Berkley Romance for the eARC - all opinions are my own!

This was a soft and sweet romance with a hefty side of found family. I thought it would be a bit more adventurous or bold but it's really not. It felt pretty slow to me, and I'm sure I loved the colonizer vibes of searching for an African diamond.

Stella Moore has been treasure hunting for around 10 years. Still hoping to make the discovery that will put her name on the map. Huck Sullivan has been unable to write since his last book bombed. Together they meet serendipitously in Iceland and everything clicks. Stella finds a piece of her treasure and Huck's inspiration strikes. There's also the undoubted attraction they feel toward one another. Then Huck disappears leaving Stella behind. Now, a year later Huck is again looking for inspiration and Stella is on the hunt of a lifetime. Will they be able to work together or will their unresolved feelings get in the way?

The synopsis of this book promised so much adventure, and I was ready for it. However, it's more adventure-light, than pulse-pounding Indiana Jones-style treasure hunting adventure. A lot of the main exploration has already happened off-page and we're along for the more concrete discoveries. Instead, the story becomes more focused on the Stella and Huck of it all.

I like the way the story is formatted. We get the "before" when Stella and Huck first meet which is a good portion of the beginning of the book. There's a lot of built-up context for why Stella has complicated feelings about Huck upon his return and everything that takes place in the "after". It all hits a lot more poignantly because readers get to experience this all while it's happening and not get caught up after the fact. To this point, I absolutely loved the relationship between Stella and Huck. How they sparked each other and their ease with one another was perfection.

Still, I feel having the focus on Stella and Huck was to the detriment of deepening the other important relationships in the story like those between Stella and her found family of Zoe, Gus, and Ted. I also sensed the overarching conflict from a mile away and it was a little disconcerting that Stella didn't recognize it as well.

This was the first book I've read by Libby Hubscher, but it makes me interested for her other books. Overall, it was a fun quick read with a great central romance.

This was a fun adventure book. Who wouldn't want to be treasure hunting with your celebrity crush author coming along?

Huck has lost his inspiration for his novels. He's in Iceland when he meets Stella, a treasure hunter trying to find an elusive lost treasure called the Elephant Heart. Huck and Stella spend one night together and then he disappears, just to reappear a year or so later and suddenly goes on the next expedition with Stella's crew.

Stella gets left behind a lot and it's very sad. I'm glad she had her "found family" of Teddy, Gus and Zoe. Huck has a sad part to his past too. I think it makes them draw near to each other. I saw a part of the ending coming from a mile away but didn't foresee the potential consequences (the real dangerous ones... the emotional toll I did see).

I wanted to love this, as I enjoyed Hubscher's Play for Me immensely. However, it fell flat on pretty much all fronts for me.

As much fun as the treasure-hunting plot was, it never felt believable. Like, I didn't see them fail nearly enough. They were always actually finding stuff lol. We needed more red herrings, I guess?

It's not that I couldn't buy into Huck and Stella's romance, because they did have great chemistry. Huck's yearning is actually the high point of the book, along with Zoe. I just found their stubbornness more annoying than endearing. Let's not even get into the disaster of a character that is Teddy.

I also think this story could have benefitted from alternating the timelines instead of being told chronologically.

The raw material was great, but what was done with them could have been better.

In the end this was a good story but it took a while for me to get into it.
The ending was good but it took a little too long to get to it. I just wasn’t super invested in the characters.

Read if you enjoy
-treasure hunts
-close knit friend group/found family
-drama
-family issues

An adventure writer and a treasure hunter fall in love in this second-chance romance. I really wanted to like this book but it was a slow start for me. I found myself rooting for her and another guy actually, so I was not invested in the romance.

DNF at 23%.

Thank you for the opportunity to receive this ARC. I’m sorry this story did not resonate with me at this time.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group for the eARC of this book!

4 stars. This was a lovely little read that I immediately got sucked into. A perfectly beachy adventure, not too deep - though it does touch on some deeper topics such as abuse, abandonment, alcohol abuse, etc, it manages to do so while keeping the overall vibes of the story on the lighter end. You get found family and treasure hunting, with some personal growth thrown in for good measure.

You kind of know how the first part of the book goes, because its noted in the synopsis, but it was still really fun reading how everything unfolds. I absolutely loved the meet-cute and the chemistry between Stella and Huck, as well as the banter between the whole friend group.

The "break" between Stella and Huck is rough, even if we knew it was coming, and the reasoning behind it was something I never even imagined as I was reading the rest of the book, it was handled really well.

The sentence structures were a bit shorter sometimes that I prefer - I like longer, more complex thoughts - but it didn't really bother me in this book as much as it has in others, because the writing is still really well done.

Overall this book is a perfect summer read - easy to pick up, easy to get into, not too much world-building or details to recall, and well-portioned chapters that aren't too long or too short, perfect for sneaking in a chapter or two while on vacation.

I found this romance to be a charming and entertaining adventure. The premise revolves around Stella, a focused and driven treasure hunter and Huck, a talented but seriously blocked, bestselling author. The two are given a second chance at love when Huck breaks Stella's heart after tagging along on one of her expeditions the first time around.

I was surprised that the first half of the novel is set in the past when the two characters first meet. But I actually enjoyed this, since it allows for plenty of character development for this vibrant cast of characters. Not only do we get to know the two main characters, but we get to know Stella's crew who is also her family as well. Once we get to the present in the second half of the book, we know these people well and have a good handle on what's at stake for them. In addition to that, we also get some great glimpses into the landscapes where the treasure-hunting quests take place. The first half of the story is set in Iceland. The author does a good job of vividly painting this fascinating and rugged place, giving us a taste of its unique beauty and topography. She also weaves in elements about Viking treasure that are fun and seem like they could be plausible. In the second half of the story, we are introduced to the beauty and perils of deep-sea diving off the coast of Key West. But Hubscher sprinkles in some local flavor for that area as well with mentions of both real and probably some imagined places in Key West itself. One reference to Judy Blume in the story had me chuckling.

The love story between Stella and Huck was just the right balance between steamy and emotional. Both have wounds from their past that make them simultaneously guarded and rawly vulnerable when it comes to trusting someone else with their hearts. There is even a bit of intrigue about why Huck walked away from Stella the first time. I will agree with some other readers at the end about how much I'd love to get Teddy's love story someday. As Stella's best friend he was one of my favorite characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this romantic adventure and am thankful to both NetGalley and Penguin Random House for allowing me to read this eARC.