Friday 30 July 2021

πŸ’œ LOVE NEXT DOOR πŸŒ… Helena Hunting πŸ›Ά #Lakeside1 πŸ’œ #BlogTour #Excerpt 🌞

   ©  Bianca ✰ Janeane 




• 27 July 2021
• standalone romance
• Book #1 in the Lakeside series

★★★★
4 Stars

When Dillion Stitch left her hometown, she had no intention of going back. But when her brother gets into trouble, Dillion reluctantly agrees to return home to take her place at the family business.

Being back in Pearl Lake after all these years feels familiar, but also brings a few surprises. She’s quick to notice that someone new has shown up at the cottage next door.  Dillion gets more than an eyeful when she goes to check out the newcomer and meets Donovan “Van” Firestone
her beloved neighbors grandsonin all his unclothed glory.


Having gotten off to a rocky start, it’s not long before they begin bickering with each other all over town. All that back and forth inevitably sparks an undeniable attraction. But Dillion’s family has issues, Van’s family resents him, and neither Dillion nor Van feels truly at ease in the small town. For these Pearl Lake exiles, home isn’t just where the heart is
its where things get complicated.



Dillion + Donovan

Dillion escaped her family and her little lake-side hometown as soon as she finished highschool. But now she's out of a job, out of a boyfriend and out of a place to live. So off she goes back home to help her family with their construction company. Her idiot brother broke his leg - so he's no help at the moment.

Donovan - Van - is in town to check out his late grandma's house - which he inherited. And he kinda is out of a job too, because someone is framing him for stelaing three million dollars from his own charity foundation!
Looks like he'll stay a while to do some renovations and to bicker with his new neighbor.

LET THE FUN TIMES BEGIN ... πŸ˜


Adorable!

This was such a cute small-town romance. Of course it's not all cute and funny and sparky and sexy - even though it is all that too. But we have some very serious and mysterious moments too - who is trying to frame Van? What's wrong with Billy? What happens when Dillion and Van or only one of them have to go back to their real lives?
I really enjoyed reading this. I love these gossipy small-town vibes! Everybody knows everbody's business. Adorable!
I wish we could've met Van's grandma - she seems like the greatest person!

Can't wait to read the next book!

Oh .. one tiny little thing. Dillion and her brother never met Van when he visited his grandma for two months every summer! His whole life basically. How is that even possible? I just don't understand. If a new kid shows up in the neighborhood - especially the house next door - you're all over that! You'll hang out, play, swim in the lake, ride your bikes around town and by the end of the summer you're all sad but also excited for him to come back next year, right? So weird!

LOVE NEXT DOOR was an adorable + funny + sparky + sexy + mysterious + just beautiful small town love story! I just loved it! Run to your nearest amazon for your own Van - he'll be sold out in no time!




ARC received for an honest review

OH no! I hate to say it, but I didn't love this book as I have most everything else I have read by Ms Hunting.

I hated nearly everyone! I hated her parents. I hated her brother (but finally came around to him, sort of).  I hated his friends (for the most part, but they got a little better).

I didn't really feel the spark between (I had to go and look for her name as i have forgotten) Dillion and Van, Oh, I felt the dislike at first, but I just didn't feel the romance.

I don't know, maybe I am just broken at the moment and not feeling all the feels,

I guess who the troublemaker was early on, just had to wait to watch it all unfold (and even then after a whole book of build up, it was pretty much done and dust in a New York minute.

I did like it enough that I will read more of the Lakeside series in the future though.




♥ EXCERPT ♥

I turn on the flashlight and trudge through the brush and past the campfire, which incidentally has been left unattended. It’s down to a smolder, but Van has left out hot dog sticks and a bag of buns.

I keep going, toward Bee’s front porch and the blinding spotlight. Standing in front of the cottage is Van. Shirtless. Sweaty and shirtless. The bright light shines directly on him, accenting the dips and ridges, the smooth planes of muscle.

Van is ripped. Probably because he spends a lot of time at the gym, staring at his own reflection in the mirror. He lifts his ball cap from his head and runs a hand through his deliciously sweaty dark hair before he flips his cap around and replaces it, backward this time.

I roll my eyes at myself. What the hell is wrong with me? Deliciously sweaty. “Hey!” I bark.

He startles and the hammer in his hand goes flying, but he was on the back swing, so it heads in my direction. I sidestep it, and it manages to miss me by about six inches. He spins around, eyes wide as they land on me. “What the fuck?”

“Do you realize what time it is?”

“Do you realize that you scared the living shit out of me and I could’ve hurt you, or myself?” He motions to the hammer lying on the ground next to me.

“Wouldn’t that have been a pity,” I snap.

“What the hell is your damn problem?”

“You.” I point a finger at him. “You are the problem. It’s after ten. There’s a bylaw in place around here that stipulates all construction takes place between the hours of seven a.m. and nine p.m. from June to August, and you’re violating that. And for what? It’s not like whatever you’re doing is going to matter when your damn plan is to parcel out the property!” I’m yelling now, and heaving. And my nipples are peaking under the white tank I wore to bed. I hug myself to hide them.

“This is the second time you’ve said that. What the hell are you talking about?”

“What do you mean, what am I talking about?” I flail for a second and then cross my arms again. “You called me about it. Bee wasn’t gone a couple of weeks, and you were already asking about acreage and subdividing. It doesn’t take a genius to know what your plans are!”

“I don’t even know what you mean by subdividing, and I never called you.”

“Yes, you did!” He’s just so infuriating.

“No. I didn’t. Believe me, I’d remember dealing with someone as hostile as you.”

“I am not hostile.”

“Really?” Van props a fist on his hip. His narrow hip.

I follow the movement, which leads my eyes to his waist, that enticing V of muscle dragging my gaze down farther. Of course, because my brain is a jerk, the image of him naked pops back into my brain.

As if he’s reading my mind, his brow arches. “You’re picturing me naked right now. Aren’t you?”

“What? No!” My eyes snap back up to his.

“Yeah. You are.” His lip curls, somewhere between a smirk and sneer, his tone needling. “You were staring at my crotch, probably thinking about the last time you visually molested my junk. Is that why you stopped by? To check me out again? This whole fake phone call thing is an excuse for you to come back over here and get a look at the goods again.” He runs a hand down his chest.

“You’re an egotistical asshole. I realize that this might be some kind of fun holiday for you, and that you’re probably sleeping until noon every day, but some of us have to be up at the crack of dawn. Bylaw hours are seven a.m. to nine p.m. Next time you break them, expect to get a visit from the sheriff.” I spin around and stomp over to the extension cord, find the place where it’s joined to the lamp, and break the connection, submerging us in darkness. “Next time I won’t be so nice about it.”

“Hate to break it to you, but you weren’t very nice about it this time,” he calls after me.

It drives me crazy how easy it is for him to push my buttons.

A few seconds later I hear an oof and a clatter, which means he’s tripped over something in the dark. I smile to myself. Hopefully this time he’ll get the message.

 LINKS TO THE BOOK & AUTHOR 
 



Pre-Order Book #2
Love on the Lake - 15 March 20202
 


ALL IN SERIES:
Book #1

  


Book #2

  


Book #3



Book #4
 


Shacking Up Universe #1 - SHACKING UP

  



#1.5 - Getting Down



Book #2 - Hooking Up
  



Book #3 - I Flipping Love You




Book #4

  

 

Shacking Up #5

   



If you haven't read Helena's amazing #PUCKED series yet...GET STARTED NOW!



STALKING HELENA ...



NYT and USA Today Bestselling author, Helena Hunting lives outside of Toronto with her amazing family and her two awesome cats, who think the best place to sleep is her keyboard. Helena writes everything from contemporary romance with all the feels to romantic comedies that will have you laughing until you cry.