Make a Wish (Spark House #3) – Helena Hunting

Genre: Romance
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Pages: 368
Release Date: January 24, 2023

Haven’t read the previous novels? Check out my reviews of When Sparks Fly and Starry-Eyed Love.

With her signature charm and sense of humor, bestselling author Helena Hunting creates a novel about love, family, and second chances in Make a Wish.

Ever have a defining life moment you wish you could do over? Harley Spark has one. The time she almost kissed the widowed father of the toddler she nannied for. It was so bad they moved across the state and she never saw them again. 

Fast forward seven years and she’s totally over it. At least she thinks she is. Until Gavin Rhodes and his adorable now nine-year-old daughter, Peyton, reappear at a princess-themed birthday party hosted by Spark House, Harley’s family’s event hotel. Despite trying to avoid the awkwardness of the situation, she can’t help but notice how unbearably sexy he looks in a tutu. Add to that a spontaneous hives breakout, and it’s clear she’s not even remotely over the mortification of her egregious error all those years ago. 

Except Gavin seems oblivious to her inner turmoil. So much so that he suggests they get together for lunch. For Peyton’s sake, of course. It’s the perfect opportunity to heal old wounds. Or it could just reopen them. This is one of those times Harley wishes she could see the future…

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Make a Wish surprised and disappointed me. I enjoyed the first half of the novel, despite my aversion to children centric romance novels. Nine-year-old Peyton is adorable and a pleasure to read as she learns to cope with the changes around her. Seeing her through the main character, Harley’s, child loving eyes made Peyton very hard to dislike. However, the relationship hurdles Harley and Gavin need to clear are cliche.

Harley, the third and final Spark sister, loves children, but put her dreams on hold to help her sisters with Spark House. Now that the business is striving, she’s realizing she made a lot of sacrifices. Enter Gavin, the father of a child she was nannying nine years ago before they abruptly moved away.

Gavin is a flawed character. He’s a typical Hunting love interest, but on the softer side. Gavin’s issues are the driving force of the conflict in his relationship with Harley. The relationship hurdles Harley and Gavin need to clear are cliche and just when you think they worked out their problems, another more serious problem emerges. This more serious problem was glossed over in a way it shouldn’t have been.

Harley and Gavin’s chemistry is lukewarm as their connection is one based in family rather than solely on physical attraction. This isn’t surprising considering the more family centric focus of this series.

Overall, Make a Wish started out strong but faltered in its use of cliche relationship hurdles.

*** I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.

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Will you be reading Make a Wish?