Once again H Hunting has written a beautiful and bold story with plot and character depth, as well as surprises you won't see coming.

From the moment we first meet Aaron, I knew his broody self would have a broken past and story to tell, and that he did. Teagan's sass and fearless personality were everything he needed, and nothing he expected. The push and pull between the two of them was obvious from their first encounter and only grew from there. I loved Teagan's feisty attitude when it came to Aaron's closed-off personality - she didn't let him get away with shutting her out, and that's when their relationship bloomed. They both showed their vulnerabilities and held the other accountable to face their pasts and how it was affecting their future. Neither of them gave up on the other, and their love was unspoken at times yet so apparent.

Aaron was oh-so swoon-worthy - once he let his walls down; and the way in which he loved Teagan made me fall for him SO hard. My heart both broke and soared for him over and over. And oh sweet Teagan... she is beautiful inside and out. This girl is my spirit animal - she's a people pleaser, and her sunny disposition and over-the-top dedication to others won over the hearts of the town, but at the cost of her own. She is a fighter though, and both she & Aaron fight until the end for their HEA that you can't help but cheer for.

I absolutely loved this book, but I did feel the ending was a bit more rushed than I would have liked. If you are a lover of small town romance with a grumpy hero and sunshine heroine then this one is for you! Well done once again H Hunting!!

* 4.5 STARS *

Teagan Firestone has lived with her dad for as long as she can remember. After her mom passed away when Teagan was a young child, she's been the one to look after her dad. Teagan is kind and sweet and often finds herself the one keeping the peace. But soon Teagan finds herself moving out of her house with her dad to live next to her brother Van in the small lake town of Pearl Lake.

Aaron doesn't like uppity women and Teagan is exactly that. An uppity complication that he doesn't want time for. Soon Aaron finds himself spending more and more time with Teagan and finds out she's more down to earth than he thought. Aaron and Teagan end up spending a lot of time together and Aaron feels like he can be himself and let down his guard around her. But Teagan isn't so easy to open up and soon Aaron finds out things about Teagan that she's been hiding from him. Will they find a way to work through their issues to be together or will they tear them apart?

I really loved the first half of Love on the Lake. Aaron and Teagan had so much chemistry together and it was a lot of fun watching them fall in love with each other. Aaron was perfect and I loved his character and character arc. Dealing with the death of his brother hasn't always been easy on Aaron and I like how he knows it's hard for him to work past his issues and is open and honest about that with Teagan.

Towards the last quarter of the book I had a hard time reading Love on the Lake and I think a lot of that is how heavy the book got. Issues of substance abuse, lying, anxiety all came to the forefront for Teagan and she became a character that I didn't really like. Aaron was the perfect book boyfriend and I loved him so much for trying to help Teagan when she needed it the most. I realize that this is how it is for a lot of people going through substance abuse, and I appreciate the way that Helena sheds light on this very difficult topic.

Overall I would give Love on the Lake 3.5 stars!

Love on the Lake was cute, funny, and filled with emotion. Teagan and Aaron have both been through hard times in their lives, and unfortunately for them it isn't over. Neither of them are perfect, they both have improvements to make and that's what a lot of the book is about, growth. Because of that, their relationship is full of ups and downs. They may have chemistry right away, but it takes a while for more of a connection to develop between them. They both have walls up and issues that they have to overcome before they can be strong individuals, and then a strong couple. I admired how much work they each put into themselves and their relationship; they're both tough and hardworking individuals. This book surprised me several times while reading. It wasn't quite what I expected going into it. It was even more emotional than I thought it was going to be and covered some difficult topics. Helena did a great job writing the book, especially some more hard hitting parts towards the end of the book. Overall I enjoyed Teagan and Aaron's story, it was different, but still quite enjoyable. *I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I love anything by Helena Hunting and her newest book Love on the Lake is another fantastic book to add to the list! I fell in love with Teagan and Aaron. She is quirky and sweet and Aaron as so many different layers that you find out throughout the book, you can’t help but love him. It had me laughing and crying. You also get some of the characters from Pearl Lake for her previous book like Van and Dillion. I loved it! I am voluntarily leaving my honest review after reading this arc. Which I will purchase my own copy of.

4.5 stars
I absolutely loved Teagan and Aaron. The chemistry, the friendship, everything. I liked the parts that real rough in life. A definite must read.

This is the story of Teagan as she leaves her father’s house to find out who she is and what she wants to do with her life. She has spent her life putting herself and her needs last and wants to figure out what will make her happy. She moves to Pearl Lake where her brother, Van lives. His story is book one in this series, Love Next Door, and although this can be read as a stand-alone, I highly recommend reading that first so as not to ruin the story.

I was pulled in from the very beginning and could not put this book down until I had finished. It was not what I expected from the little I knew of Teagan from reading Love Next Door, it was so much better. There is laughter, drama, steam, and self-discovery that you do not want to miss. I highly recommend this!

If I could I would give Love on the Lake 10 Stars ⭐️!
I love Aaron & Teagan so hard. I pulling for them both through the whole story. At first Teagan thinks Aaron despises her but that is furthest from the truth. They both have secrets & ghost putting others first; living double lives to protect the ones they love while supporting each other. Teagan is a people pleaser & has a hard time saying no, she never wants to disappoint or hurt anyone. I don’t want to ruin their story for anyone. Be prepared to laugh, cry and yell at the characters. Thank you Helena for the Easter eggs left for us in Teagan & Aaron’s story! I can’t wait for everyone to find them. Even though I’m emotionally exhausted; I can’t wait for the next story.

I cannot begin to express how Love on the Lake spoke to my soul at this moment. This book was on another level all together. Touching on some serious struggles within these characters lives. Teagan and Aaron are my first favorite couple of 2022!

“I will love you even when you can’t love yourself. "

I was so excited to finally start on Book two of Lakeside I really loved the first one and was excited to go back to get Teagan's story. I want to say I couldn't put the book down and devoured the story.
This story started out pretty steamy, hot and heavy but then sorta cooled down once the story progressed. Not saying that is a bad thing it was sorta of backwards though. Aaron had his own set of issues and Teagan puts herself last to help him while doing that she looses herself. Both of these characters are flawed trying to hide their own secrets but it all comes busting to the surface. The ending was sorta rushed but overall I enjoyed the book and cant wait to see if there is a third story.

This was a great book and not what I was expecting. Teagan is a people pleaser and has always tried to support everyone but herself. She moves to Pearl Lake to find herself and figure out what she wants to do with her life. Aaron grew up in Pearl Lake and works for the construction company that is owned by Teagan’s brothers fiancée. Aaron and Teagan both have demons they need to face, but some are more hidden than others. Although there are sparks at the beginning, it is a bit of a slow burn for them to get together. I loved how Teagan helped Aaron work through his baggage and then he was there being supportive when she had to work through hers. I also once again loved how we get some Easter eggs from Helena Hunting’s other series.

I really enjoyed Teagan and Aaron’s story. Teagan is kind of a hot mess, but she is trying so hard to find herself. I liked how she took different jobs to figure out what she likes, but I could feel her anxiety in the writing. It was heartbreaking to see her spiraling down. Aaron has his own secrets and demons lurking in his life. I thought the way he worked through it and released that burden was wonderful. I could feel the weight lifted off his shoulders. I thought these two had great chemistry and a lot of potential, yet their own issues made it hard to find something real and lasting. This was a great story about taking care of yourself, physically and emotionally, and understanding what is best for your health. I loved that Teagan got the help she needed and took the time necessary to get stronger and ready for more with Aaron. Love on the Lake was another great story in this series.

I cannot tell you how happy revisiting the small town of Pearl Lake made me. Not only did I adore the first book in the Lakeside standalone series, Love Next Door, but Hunting’s latest offering is just as much, if not more engrossing. However, in Love on the Lake, she’s delved into some pretty painful matters. Not surprisingly, the author handled them with utmost care and sensitivity, but why I had trouble putting this one down was also the combination of humour, well-suited characters and her realistic storytelling.

Hunting drives home Teaghan Firestone’s unselfishness, but while observing her try to please others, I liked how she woke up to the fact that it was time to discover her true self. The question I had was if she’d be able to come to grips with an issue affecting her day-to-day life.

Why Aaron Saunders is so short-tempered with the lovely Teaghan is a conundrum of sorts, especially seeing that he’s considered to be a lady’s man. Granted, they didn’t get off to a good start, but as their friendship develops into something else, everything slowly comes to light. At times I thought Aaron was walking on hot bricks, and it could all backfire. Teaghan can’t admit her vulnerabilities, and he can’t face his tragic past. Will they open up their hearts and learn to trust each other? Wait and see what Hunting has in store.

Ooh, my word! It truly felt like Hunting had gone out of her way to wreck me. If I was giggling to myself in one scene, I was sobbing my heart out in another. I applaud the author here for her exceptional writing skills! And should I mention the scorchers? Nope, no one’s stopping you use your imagination, lol! What I loved to bits was meeting up with Van and Dillion again, the villagers per se, Teaghan’s dad, his love interest, and a supporting player who made me shed even more tears than I’d already had.

Hunting’s crafting of Teaghan and Aaron’s story has the power to bring out all the emotions in even the most sceptical of readers, so hold on tight folk—it’s going to be a bumpy ride so well-worth jumping on. I wish I could have given this poignant read double the stars. Simply bravo!

ARC kindly received from Montlake via NetGalley for an honest review.

Outstanding!

These characters have so much depth to them. The story is so beautiful and incredibly believable. I guess that’s what makes this such a raw and real book. There’s no angst but secretive moments that I did not see coming!

There were vulnerabilities, insecurities and truths. It was an excellent book with all the feels.

A must read.

This story grabbed my attention from the beginning and kept it until the last page. I loved these characters and their story. I found it to be extremely relatable and refreshing to read how it all unfolded. I am truly loving Pearl Lake!

I fell in love with Teagan and Aaron in Love Next Door and their story did not disappoint! I loved getting to go back to Pearl Lake and fall in love with these two. Their stories are so touching and heartbreaking, that you can't help but root for these two. They carry so much with them, yet they are so perfectly suited to one another that it has you in all the feels. This story was heartbreaking, heartwarming and everything in between! Everything you love about a Helena Hunting book is wrapped up in Love on the Lake!

If you’ve been around for a bit, you’ve probably noticed that Helena Hunting is one of my favorite authors. Her Lakeside series debuted in 2021 and the characters immediately wormed their way into my heart so when the synopsis for book 2 was available and I learned which characters would be the focus, naturally I was over the moon. Love on the Lake deals with some heavier topics like addiction & abandonment while also giving us the love and steam we’ve come to love from HH novels. This one releases in Spring 2022 from Montlake so don’t miss it!