Lakeside Books in Order

The Lakeside series takes Helena Hunting’s storytelling to Pearl Lake, a lakeside town with just enough gossip, family history, and second chances to keep everyone busy.

In Love Next Door, Dillion Stitch reluctantly returns home after her life in the city goes sideways. She’s there to help her family’s construction business, not to revisit old wounds or make new friends. That plan falls apart the minute she meets Donovan "Van" Firestone, her beloved neighbor’s grandson, in all his unclothed glory at the cottage next door. Their early interactions are pure friction—snark, pranks, and mutual annoyance—until the bickering starts to feel a lot like flirting. Both are carrying complicated family baggage, and the book spends as much time on their separate healing as it does on their romance.

Love on the Lake follows Teagan Firestone, the dutiful daughter who has spent years putting everyone else first. When her father finally begins to move on after a major loss, Teagan gives herself permission to do the same and heads to Pearl Lake for a reset. There she meets Aaron Saunders, a construction worker with a playboy reputation and a past he doesn’t talk about. Their connection grows against a backdrop of community events, small‑town rumors, and Teagan’s own battle with self‑worth and mental health.

The series leans into quieter stakes than the big‑city or pro‑sports books. Work is hands‑on: fixing up cottages, keeping local businesses afloat, showing up for family even when it’s hard. Romance grows out of shared projects, late‑night talks on docks, and the decision to stay when leaving would be easier.

Pearl Lake itself acts like a character—full of nosy neighbors, long memories, and the sense that you can’t truly outrun who you used to be. For readers who like their contemporary romance grounded, a little slower, and packed with community and family dynamics, Lakeside offers a gentler but still emotionally rich corner of Helena Hunting’s universe.