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Love, California #6
Sparkle
An Academy Award night jewel heist. A suspicious insurance investigator. What happens when Jake falls for the sassy jeweler he’s investigating?
When jeweler-to-the-stars Elena Eaton is ensnared in a daring jewelry heist on the night of the Academy Awards, she discovers that nothing in La La Land is as it seems. As her sterling reputation and private life suddenly turn into celebrity tabloid fodder, a family emergency propels her back to her hometown of Sydney, Australia.
With her family's rare blue diamonds from India missing and her career in jeopardy, her problems mount when an infuriatingly handsome insurance investigator, Jake Greyson, follows her to Sydney, suspecting her of involvement in the robbery. Yet Elena’s grandparents see more in Jake than she does. After a night at the opera and a walk on the beach, Elena and Jake soon find themselves more attracted to each other than either of them planned. But can she trust him with an old family secret regarding the rare diamonds?
Sparkle is the sixth book in the Love, California series of linked, stand-alone novels that can be read in any order. Set in Southern California with international travel, this fun, heartfelt series features a group of best friends determined to live the lives of their dreams while navigating the turbulence of dating and family life.om the truth.
THE LOVE, CALIFORNIA SERIES
FLAWLESS (Verena and Lance in Beverly Hills and Paris)
BEAUTY MARK (Scarlett and Johnny in Beverly Hills and Spain)
RUNWAY (Fianna and Niall in Malibu and Ireland)
ESSENCE (Dahlia and Alain in Paris and Monaco)
STYLE (Penelope and Stefan in New York and Copenhagen)
SPARKLE (Elena and Jake in LA and Sydney)
Discover Jan's sweeping HISTORICAL FICTION from St. Martin’s Press
The A Novel of Wine and Secrets (A mother and daughter keep disastrous secrets from each other in Napa Valley and Italy of the 1950s)
Scent of A Novel of Perfume and Passion (A French perfumer’s obsession to reunite her family in the midst of WWII)
Tasteful romance/women's fiction.
When jeweler-to-the-stars Elena Eaton is ensnared in a daring jewelry heist on the night of the Academy Awards, she discovers that nothing in La La Land is as it seems. As her sterling reputation and private life suddenly turn into celebrity tabloid fodder, a family emergency propels her back to her hometown of Sydney, Australia.
With her family's rare blue diamonds from India missing and her career in jeopardy, her problems mount when an infuriatingly handsome insurance investigator, Jake Greyson, follows her to Sydney, suspecting her of involvement in the robbery. Yet Elena’s grandparents see more in Jake than she does. After a night at the opera and a walk on the beach, Elena and Jake soon find themselves more attracted to each other than either of them planned. But can she trust him with an old family secret regarding the rare diamonds?
Sparkle is the sixth book in the Love, California series of linked, stand-alone novels that can be read in any order. Set in Southern California with international travel, this fun, heartfelt series features a group of best friends determined to live the lives of their dreams while navigating the turbulence of dating and family life.om the truth.
THE LOVE, CALIFORNIA SERIES
FLAWLESS (Verena and Lance in Beverly Hills and Paris)
BEAUTY MARK (Scarlett and Johnny in Beverly Hills and Spain)
RUNWAY (Fianna and Niall in Malibu and Ireland)
ESSENCE (Dahlia and Alain in Paris and Monaco)
STYLE (Penelope and Stefan in New York and Copenhagen)
SPARKLE (Elena and Jake in LA and Sydney)
Discover Jan's sweeping HISTORICAL FICTION from St. Martin’s Press
The A Novel of Wine and Secrets (A mother and daughter keep disastrous secrets from each other in Napa Valley and Italy of the 1950s)
Scent of A Novel of Perfume and Passion (A French perfumer’s obsession to reunite her family in the midst of WWII)
Tasteful romance/women's fiction.
ebook
Published August 31, 2017
201 people are currently reading
154 people want to read
About the author
Jan Moran
75 books4,150 followersHi there, and welcome! If you like fun beach reads or romantic sagas that whisk you off to places like sunny beaches or Italy, Paris, and Napa Valley, then come on in. I write clean and wholesome feel-good novels.
Never miss a sale or new release! Tap "Follow" on Goodreads. Join my Readers Club and get a free read to download now, The Summer Beach Welcome Kit: https://www.janmoran.com/newsletter
If you like to binge read, visit my new online bookshop for special ebook, audiobook, and paperback bundles: https://store.janmoran.com/collection...
Join me in my Facebook Readers Group, too, where we celebrate good books and cheer each other on: https://www.facebook.com/groups/58425.... That's where I share sales, ARCs, and lots of fun times.
Here's where you can find all my books: https://viewauthor.at/JanMoranBooks.
So what's new? Look for the new SEABREEZE GALA, which earned a spot (thanks to readers!) on the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists, so we've been celebrating. Besides my women's fiction beach series (Summer Beach, Coral Cottage, and Crown Island series), I also write 20th-century historical sagas with a touch of romance. THE WINEMAKERS is my latest re-launch, and HEPBURN'S NECKLACE, set against the Audrey Hepburn film, ROMAN HOLIDAY, is my latest dual timeline historical.
If you enjoy Mary Kay Andrews, Elin Hilderbrand, Brenda Novak, and Mary Alice Monroe's beach reads, then you'll want to start with SEABREEZE INN. If you like to escape to another time with Danielle Steel, Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, or Fiona Davis, then check out THE CHOCOLATIER, a sweet read set on the shores of Amalfi, Italy, HEPBURN'S NECKLACE iN Lake Como, Italy, or THE WINEMAKERS, which will whisk you to 1950s Napa Valley and Tuscany.
If you're an audiobook aficionado, you're in luck! Most of my books are available in audio on my store: https://store.janmoran.com/collection..., and on Audible, Apple, and Amazon, read by the super-talented Erin Bennett (Elin Hilderbrand, Debbie Macomber, etc), an award-winning narrator.
My SUNSHINE & SECOND CHANCES series (aka LOVE CALIFORNIA) is also a lot of fun. It's a linked series of six best friends that I based on some of my favorite travel destinations. Each book is a mini-vacay, starting with Paris in FLAWLESS, Spain in BEAUTY MARK, Malibu and Ireland in RUNWAY, and three more fun locales. These are also widely available on audio Audible, Apple, and Amazon, as well as Kobo, and Barnes & Noble.
Let's keep in touch! Here's how:
- Follow me on Bookbub to learn of all my sales, new releases, and preorders: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jan-m...
- Come visit me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/janmoranbooks to find out more.
- And...get a free read when you join my newsletter group: http://www.janmoran.com/contact-jan.
If you're a library patron and prefer to borrow from a library, simply ask your local library to order copies for you and other patrons. Library ebooks are also available through Libby, Overdrive, and CloudLibrary, so your librarian can purchase ebooks through these services to make them accessible to you. Just ask; many of my books are there.
My books have also been translated into German, Polish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Turkish, Russian, Lithuanian, and other languages. Most titles are also available in audiobook and large print formats.
Thank you all for your support on this amazing writing journey. I love to hear from readers--that's how your beloved Seabreeze Inn has kept growing new books. And thank you for sharing my books with your friends. If you have book club meetings and would like to connect with me by Zoom, please reach out through my website at https://www.janmoran.com/contact.
Happy reading!
Never miss a sale or new release! Tap "Follow" on Goodreads. Join my Readers Club and get a free read to download now, The Summer Beach Welcome Kit: https://www.janmoran.com/newsletter
If you like to binge read, visit my new online bookshop for special ebook, audiobook, and paperback bundles: https://store.janmoran.com/collection...
Join me in my Facebook Readers Group, too, where we celebrate good books and cheer each other on: https://www.facebook.com/groups/58425.... That's where I share sales, ARCs, and lots of fun times.
Here's where you can find all my books: https://viewauthor.at/JanMoranBooks.
So what's new? Look for the new SEABREEZE GALA, which earned a spot (thanks to readers!) on the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists, so we've been celebrating. Besides my women's fiction beach series (Summer Beach, Coral Cottage, and Crown Island series), I also write 20th-century historical sagas with a touch of romance. THE WINEMAKERS is my latest re-launch, and HEPBURN'S NECKLACE, set against the Audrey Hepburn film, ROMAN HOLIDAY, is my latest dual timeline historical.
If you enjoy Mary Kay Andrews, Elin Hilderbrand, Brenda Novak, and Mary Alice Monroe's beach reads, then you'll want to start with SEABREEZE INN. If you like to escape to another time with Danielle Steel, Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, or Fiona Davis, then check out THE CHOCOLATIER, a sweet read set on the shores of Amalfi, Italy, HEPBURN'S NECKLACE iN Lake Como, Italy, or THE WINEMAKERS, which will whisk you to 1950s Napa Valley and Tuscany.
If you're an audiobook aficionado, you're in luck! Most of my books are available in audio on my store: https://store.janmoran.com/collection..., and on Audible, Apple, and Amazon, read by the super-talented Erin Bennett (Elin Hilderbrand, Debbie Macomber, etc), an award-winning narrator.
My SUNSHINE & SECOND CHANCES series (aka LOVE CALIFORNIA) is also a lot of fun. It's a linked series of six best friends that I based on some of my favorite travel destinations. Each book is a mini-vacay, starting with Paris in FLAWLESS, Spain in BEAUTY MARK, Malibu and Ireland in RUNWAY, and three more fun locales. These are also widely available on audio Audible, Apple, and Amazon, as well as Kobo, and Barnes & Noble.
Let's keep in touch! Here's how:
- Follow me on Bookbub to learn of all my sales, new releases, and preorders: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jan-m...
- Come visit me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/janmoranbooks to find out more.
- And...get a free read when you join my newsletter group: http://www.janmoran.com/contact-jan.
If you're a library patron and prefer to borrow from a library, simply ask your local library to order copies for you and other patrons. Library ebooks are also available through Libby, Overdrive, and CloudLibrary, so your librarian can purchase ebooks through these services to make them accessible to you. Just ask; many of my books are there.
My books have also been translated into German, Polish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Turkish, Russian, Lithuanian, and other languages. Most titles are also available in audiobook and large print formats.
Thank you all for your support on this amazing writing journey. I love to hear from readers--that's how your beloved Seabreeze Inn has kept growing new books. And thank you for sharing my books with your friends. If you have book club meetings and would like to connect with me by Zoom, please reach out through my website at https://www.janmoran.com/contact.
Happy reading!
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 18, 2023
I'm sad to see the end of this series because I loved the whole series. This story sparkled just like the title!
November 19, 2017
A lively romance with a case to be solved, Sparkle takes the reader on an adventure from the opening pages to the last chapter. Elena has received precious gems from her family, but their origins remain a family secret. She makes a unique piece of jewellery that an actress wears to the Academy Awards, however an unfortunate heist takes place, putting Elena in a spin when an investigation is implemented into the source of her diamonds. Jake is trying to do his job, but nothing adds up where it comes to Elena. Being of a suspicious nature, he follows Elena as she returns home to Australia when her father takes ill, and meets her family. Falling for Elena was not part of the plan and when he is unable to unearth the truth despite his best efforts, he leaves Elena behind. Elena is devastated but she holds onto her family secrets. This book is well written with a clean but passionate romance, taking the reader across the world to experience a little of the Aussie lifestyle. I felt that while the story focused on the loss of the diamonds and the romance, very little went into the investigation and follow up of the clues found. From that point of view, the story was a little light weight. Nevertheless it was an enjoyable romance that could be read by most age groups. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review.
August 27, 2017
Another fun read by Jan Moran.
Elena Eaton has invested everything into a high risk move. She designed a necklace, bracelet, and earrings for her friend Penelope to wear at an Academy Awards after-party. It was a calculated plan that orders would pour in after the visibility her jewels would receive this one evening. What was to be an evening of excitement and anticipation turned horribly wrong when shortly after Penelope entered the VIP room robbers relieved the celebrities of all their jewels.
Insurance investigator Jake Greyson is at the party and immediately takes charge. He advises Penelope and Elena is what to do in order to recoup the value of the jewelry from their insurers. However Elena has family secrets that prevent her from explaining where the rare jewels came from. Without this information the value of the jewels cannot be ascertained.
Jake follows Elena to Australia in his attempt to determine whether she was involved in the heist or she was a victim.
Enter the world of the rich-and-famous. I love how the women in her stories are always intelligent and strong business women. I especially love the strong female friendships in all her books. If you are ready for some escapism, read her books.
Elena Eaton has invested everything into a high risk move. She designed a necklace, bracelet, and earrings for her friend Penelope to wear at an Academy Awards after-party. It was a calculated plan that orders would pour in after the visibility her jewels would receive this one evening. What was to be an evening of excitement and anticipation turned horribly wrong when shortly after Penelope entered the VIP room robbers relieved the celebrities of all their jewels.
Insurance investigator Jake Greyson is at the party and immediately takes charge. He advises Penelope and Elena is what to do in order to recoup the value of the jewelry from their insurers. However Elena has family secrets that prevent her from explaining where the rare jewels came from. Without this information the value of the jewels cannot be ascertained.
Jake follows Elena to Australia in his attempt to determine whether she was involved in the heist or she was a victim.
Enter the world of the rich-and-famous. I love how the women in her stories are always intelligent and strong business women. I especially love the strong female friendships in all her books. If you are ready for some escapism, read her books.
December 10, 2017
Mystery within the mystery… Elena, an upcoming jewelry designer, doesn't want to let Penelope out of her sight. Elena has millions of dollars invested in the necklace that, her friend, Penelope is modeling at the Academy Awards after-party. When the necklace is stolen, Elena is devastated since money from her family and her own future was invested in that necklace without full protection of insurance. More importantly, the true value can't be determined due to family secrets. Jake, an insurance investigator, wonders if fraud is involved when he investigates the claim. Is it falling for Elena or just trying to find out her secrets? This is a very good romance with mystery involved. I enjoyed it very much and didn't want to put it down. This is the first book that I read by this author, but I plan to read more. I received a copy of this book from Ebook Discovery. This is my honest and voluntarily given review.
December 4, 2017
This book contained all of things I love in a book: great characters, a little historical mystery, and a little romance. Plus, it taught me a little about a new subject, colored diamonds. Elena is hard-working and driven by principles that allowed generations of her family to survive. Jake is driven also but lets his ego get in the way of lasting love. “I know now it’s not about the money, or even catching the bad guys. It’s about trusting those you love.” My favorite character is Jake’s mother, Barbara. Her wisdom and joy for life put the real sparkle in this book. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review.
December 6, 2017
Blue Diamonds
The author obviously knows a lot about gemstones, particularly diamonds which made the story that much more interesting. The love interest for me didn’t work. For an investigator, Jake seemed to make a lot of on the spot assumptions without asking questions and I couldn’t understand why they would jump into bed with each other without some semblance of trust or an overwhelming passion for each other. Sorry, not really for me but it was a light hearted OK read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from eBook Discovery. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.
The author obviously knows a lot about gemstones, particularly diamonds which made the story that much more interesting. The love interest for me didn’t work. For an investigator, Jake seemed to make a lot of on the spot assumptions without asking questions and I couldn’t understand why they would jump into bed with each other without some semblance of trust or an overwhelming passion for each other. Sorry, not really for me but it was a light hearted OK read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from eBook Discovery. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.
September 10, 2017
Elena and Jakes romance was captivating along with the jewel heist of the exotic jewels. Never a slow section and only stopped reading periodically due to I still work full time and am 68 and need my sleep! It was a great read but I started the set of books with this book and now I have purchased all the books and will start with the first book now called Flawless. Thanks Jan for a great read!
January 15, 2018
Warmed me up on a cold Canadian winter day. Love this series
June 25, 2021
A Homerun!
Elena Eaton is a very young and talented jewelry designer, who designs a beautiful, very valuable necklace for Penelope Plesson to wear to the Academy Awards! Using family jewels with a secret history that has been kept for nearly a century, Elena is devastated when a thief breaks in at an after party for the Academy Awards and steals from the guests money and their jewels. Enter Jake Greyson, the son of a famous movie star, and an insurance fraud investigator! Jake needs to establish the value of the diamonds for an insurance claim, but there's A story behind the missing diamonds that Elena, her mother, Honey, and her grandmother Lana are afraid to tell and are sworn to silence. This leads to an emotional roller coaster of emotions between Elena and Jake! Great read!
Elena Eaton is a very young and talented jewelry designer, who designs a beautiful, very valuable necklace for Penelope Plesson to wear to the Academy Awards! Using family jewels with a secret history that has been kept for nearly a century, Elena is devastated when a thief breaks in at an after party for the Academy Awards and steals from the guests money and their jewels. Enter Jake Greyson, the son of a famous movie star, and an insurance fraud investigator! Jake needs to establish the value of the diamonds for an insurance claim, but there's A story behind the missing diamonds that Elena, her mother, Honey, and her grandmother Lana are afraid to tell and are sworn to silence. This leads to an emotional roller coaster of emotions between Elena and Jake! Great read!
October 6, 2019
We got to travel to Aussie as we saw Elena's story unravel and you could feel her emotions as she went through them as she has always been fairly quiet out of the whole group. Your heart aches for her as her future seems to be ripped from her and the first guy in a long time to make her heart flutter may not be able to be trusted no matter how awesome his Mother is. I felt like smacking Jake on many an occasion due to his inability to be articulate and forever fumbling on his words cause for a smart guy good lord he has no idea how to act around women, thankfully he has his Mum bless her to help sort out his life! lol
May 10, 2022
The unbelievable behaviors again take away from the story. The normally overly protective bodyguard’s lapse in judgment, the male lead character getting intimately involved with a suspect, the female lead’s overly dramatic dislike of him… the grandparents were likable and the story of the stones was interesting. There wasn’t as much storyline with the friend group as I would have liked. This book was just okay for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 4, 2019
cultural shock
The initial approach was tactless rude and unnecessary. The subsequence inter counters were unnecessarily awkward the only good was the integrity of the grands the parents and their
Standing in society. The chemistry must have been off the charts because he totally acted an ass
The initial approach was tactless rude and unnecessary. The subsequence inter counters were unnecessarily awkward the only good was the integrity of the grands the parents and their
Standing in society. The chemistry must have been off the charts because he totally acted an ass
June 24, 2025
Overall, I enjoyed the story, which had a happy ending, including the jewels recovered. But I would have liked knowing who stole the jewelry and why... not just that the jewels were found and where. Knowing the identity of the thieves and the punishment for this crime would have offered a much more satisfying ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2019
Enjoyed the read. Jan Moran had my interest on the first page! I look forward to reading another one of her stories.
October 5, 2019
Elena
I again enjoyed this book about Elena, a jewelry designer and maker. Her best piece was stolen. The story evolves from there.
I again enjoyed this book about Elena, a jewelry designer and maker. Her best piece was stolen. The story evolves from there.
June 1, 2020
Just finished the series. Enjoyable!
October 9, 2022
Best for last
I've read this entire series and can say that Sparkle was the best! All were good, but Sparkle sparkled. Couldn't put it down.
I've read this entire series and can say that Sparkle was the best! All were good, but Sparkle sparkled. Couldn't put it down.
June 21, 2025
All the books in this series are the same basic plot and very predictable. Girl wants a guy, finds him, problem so they split and then happily ever after
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 23, 2025
Sparkle
All of the books in this series by Jan Moran were excellent. I have read several of her books. Sparkle was number 6 in the series.
All of the books in this series by Jan Moran were excellent. I have read several of her books. Sparkle was number 6 in the series.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews