Even if It Hurts

by Molly Barlowe

My life and career have conditioned me to be prepared for—and desensitized to—traumatic events. Rather, they should’ve. But one phone call blindsided me in a way I never expected, and now there's a screaming eight-month-old in my custody.

I would’ve done anything to ensure my niece didn’t enter the system, but I never wanted a family. I never wanted ties to anyone, period.

But then my meddling office administrator forcibly hires a nanny for me, and all my resolute vows start crumbling when I come face to face with Lainey Pearson . . . again.

She’s no one—should be no one. Just an oblivious girl I saved nearly a year ago. But she’s the only one who’s ever rocked me. Consumed me. I immediately want to fire her, but with the social worker breathing down my neck, I need her.

Then again, now that she’s fallen back into my life, having a working boundary might be for the best. My life doesn’t allow for relationships, and last I checked, it was frowned upon to date your employees.

Especially when they’re already in a relationship.

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Clean Romance, Contemporary, Closed Door Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fiction

Unknown Binding

About the author

Molly grew up in California but now lives in the oh-so-amazing state of Texas. When she's not diving into the world of her characters, some of her hobbies include hiking, snowboarding, traveling, and long walks on the beach . . . which roughly translates to being a caffeine-fueled homebody. She has a weakness for nerdy movies and loves curling up in a fluffy blanket during a thunderstorm . . . or under one in a bathtub if there are tornados. That way she can pretend they aren't really happening.

Wrote as Molly McAdams from 2012-2024

Reviews

[Christy]

4 stars

Such a great start to a new series! I love small town romances and this one was great. Grumpy sunshine/nanny book with the most adorable little girl. I loved Asher and Lainey. I've always enjoyed Molly McAdams writing and for those that don't know, this is her new pen name :)

[Tawni Suchy]

Wow wow wow!!!
I absolutely loved this story. It had me in its clutches from the very beginning. The perfect mix of romance, suspense, with a lovable heroine and tortured hero.

[Toni Shiloh]

This was my first Molly Barlowe read and it won't be my last. I definitely enjoyed this.

[Alicia (aliciasalwaysreading)]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: contemporary romance with a bit of suspense
Content: makeouts, PTSD from childhood abuse & neglect, mentions of an overdose, mentions of cancer

First, let's judge this book by this cover. LOOK AT THE CURLS ON LAINEY! Look at the bow on Kaia! I'm obsessed. It is gorgeous.

But this book is more than its cover. I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT. Why are more people in the closed door/ just kisses bookstagram space not talking about this one?!?! It was incredibly well written and super engaging. I didn't want to put it down.

Asher owns a private security company. He is closed-off and trusts almost no one, only those on his team. He's carrying BUCKETLOADS of trauma from childhood abuse and neglect, and we see a bit of that PTSD throughout the story. Asher is what we dream of when we think of a protective man, even going so far as to rescue a random woman from being tracked by mafia members in a coffee shop.

Lainey is that random woman. She's crumbling under the suffocating weight of her family's expectations for her because they are not what she wants for her life. When an opportunity arises for her to put her knowledge of early childhood to use as a nanny, she takes it, only to realize the job is for the man from the coffee shop and his niece.

I loved seeing the way Lainey and Asher's relationship and interactions evolved, and especially watching Asher slowly let her in. I loved the way Lainey loved Kaia, and I loved how Asher stood up to Jackson and to Lainey's parents. In short, I LOVED IT ALL.

Dearest Molly, please have the next book ready soon. It is a NEED.

Dear everyone else, GO READ THIS BOOK! What are you waiting for?!?!

Favorite Quotes:
😂 "It's effective. Touch can do things words can't."
"Like have people contemplating if they've just met a serial killer."

‼️ "Don't let their frustration with your decisions steal your light. Own them and move forward."

😍 "For as long as I'm able, I will do everything to make sure you're surrounded by joy and love and understanding, so when you learn this pain, it won't be what defines you."

❤️ And to have that look after everything I'd shared with her? To feel this light when my past had always been so heavy and sickening? It did something to me
This dangerous, dangerous girl.

🎤 "You did nothing to deserve that. Even if he hadn't left marks, he doesn't get to talk to you the way he does. He doesn't get to control you the way he's trying to. Men like that shouldn't be in relationships. Men like him don't deserve women like you.”

🔥 I wanted to ask for him to put a shirt on because, oh my gosh, that at-home gym was absolutely working for him, and he was already entirely too distracting to look at when fully clothed.

⭐️"You've consumed me from the first moment I saw you, and I've hated every second as much as I've craved the next.”

💋 She'd barely gotten the words out before I captured her lips in a kiss that was nothing less than a claim and a vow. Slow but powerful. Gentle but filled with months of longing. And I knew in the way it felt like it would never be enough that there was no going back from this.

‼️"Honesty?"
"Always.”
"Even if it hurts?"
"Always," I repeated without hesitation.

🥰Protecting strangers and people we hardly know is one thing…” Those dark eyes found me again. "Protecting what's mine is another."

❤️ And I wondered if this was what it really was to love someone… Finding someone who consumed your every thought. Someone you couldn't imagine living without. Someone who challenged you to be better and made you better just by being in your life.

🤣"Correct me if I'm wrong," she began, "but you and tall, dark, and terrifying are definitely way past the I think I like you stage and are fully strapped into the we're doing this forever ride."

[Nicole]

3.5 ⭐️
The story was good, Asher was the kind of H I like, grumpy, dark, tall. This is a clean romance, no spice at all, even the kisses were chaste. Anyway, I need more spice in my books, so this will be a one-time trip into clean romance.

[Carrie Cotten]

This is my first Molly Barlowe book and what the heck?!?! Why have I waited so long? Devoured this swoonfest in a day and a half (relentlessly messaging Molly the whole time- sorry not sorry)
It was sweet, it was swoony, it had depth, it had all the feels. I was 100% there for it.
I’ll be reading all the rest and pretty much anything Molly writes now and forevermore.

[Amy | Foxy Blogs]

EVEN IF IT HURTS
● Asher (31) & Lainey (24)
● Their first encounter: when he saves her from some guys who put a tracker in her bag at a coffee shop (a year before she started working for him)
● Asher is the guardian of his 8-month-old niece, Kaia. his brother and sister-in-law died from a drug overdose
● Lainey is a disappointment to her family because she has no plans of taking over the family business
● Lainey’s boyfriend is upset by her not wanting to take over the family business - they grew up thinking their family businesses would merge after they got married (drama)
● grumpy/sunshine
● workplace romance

Audiobook source: Audible
Narrator: Stefanie Kay & Derek Dysart
Length: 10h 03m

[Hope]

dnf - what's the point of it if she's with her boyfriend/om for almost half the book? 🤷‍♀️

[Ella Noelle]

if you love grumpy x sunshine, protective MMC’s, and suspense moments this book is definitely for you!

⭐️5

The moment I saw this book I knew I was gonna love it, and oh boy, I absolutely did!
Mollys writing is beautiful and full of heart!
Asher and Lainey (and Kaia of course) are my favorite. The way Asher treated Lainey was so sweet. Never before did Asher let himself fall for a woman until Lainey. That’s why I feel like it was so special how he protected her and cared for her.
This man I’m telling you. He was a grump with a soft inside, just for his girls. He would do anything just to keep them safe.
Asher’s trauma wrecked my heart. What he went through as a child was horrible. And I was so happy that he was slowly healing from his trauma, with Lainey’s help.
Lainey was soft and caring, she was a perfect person for Asher. The way she loved Kaia as her own was absolutely adorable! Her passion for kids I could definitely relate to. I love that Asher encouraged her to do what she loved.
Asher’s whole team was amazing as well. I love that they always had each other’s backs and the way all of them had a soft for Kaia just did something to my heart.🥹 It was the sweetest thing ever.
One of the most special moments was definitely the proposal. Asher was adorable and I cannot wait to see him and Lainey and Kaia in the upcoming books!

tropes:
🌾strangers to lovers
🫐grumpy x sunshine
🌾boss x nanny
🫐single guardian
🌾protective MMC
🫐small town
🌾healing
🫐dual pov

CONTENT:
- kisses only (closed door)
- no language

[Jessica's Book Review]

Even If It Hurts (Huntley Square #1) by Molly Barlowe started off strong. The first 50% of the book was really good and I couldn’t set it down.

Lainey was born into a farming family. Her life was written out for her by her parents and their friends the McCoy’s. She was to take over the family farm, merge together with the McCoys and marry Jacob McCoy. They were not happy when Lainey left to go to college and when she stayed for her masters and they especially were not happy when she admitted her truth. She didn’t want to take over the farm and wanted to be a teacher. Her boyfriend wasn’t happy either as his life was planned for him as well and he expected Lainey to follow. But both were not really in love with one another. At least not anymore.

Upon arriving home and fighting with her family, Lainey gets a job as a nanny for a man Lainey knew from a year prior with a mysterious in counter that still left her thinking about him.

Asher is dark and grumpy. He just was given custody of his newborn niece and has no idea how to raise a baby. He closes himself off to everyone but for some reason Lainey has made him feel feelings he never felt before.

So this is where I adored the story. It is told in dual POV’s between both Asher & Lainey. I love their connection. I liked Lainey’s storyline of following her dreams and not doing what is expected of her.

After that the story lost it for me… they threw in a mafia storyline… and the weirdest part of there was no conclusion of the mafia drama…. Maybe it will be continued in the next book of the series even though there are different main characters…. I just felt the story was very unfinished.

When Lainey and Asher finally got together the story just became so blah…. There was absolutely no spice. Which isn’t a bad thing but I need something!! Even some kissing… something… this grumpy closed off guy suddenly wants marriage and kids. Like no buildup. No hiding emotions…

So I am confused on the nonconlusion of the weird mafia drama… and I didn’t really care for the second half of the book. The first half was really good. I just wish the story kept up with the first half…

I give Even If It Hurts (Huntley Square #1) by Molly Barlowe 3 stars.

** Those who enjoy Molly McAdams books, this is her new pen name **

[Maven_Reads]

Even if It Hurts by Molly Barlowe is a heartfelt, emotionally charged contemporary romance about Lainey Pearson, a woman eager to break free from family expectations and carve her own path, and Asher Briggs, a guarded, brooding man who suddenly finds himself the unexpected guardian of his eight‑month‑old niece. When Lainey reappears in his life as the nanny he did not want but desperately needs, old sparks, tender vulnerabilities, and the desperate hope for connection begin to surface in ways neither of them expected. It is the first book in the Huntley Square series and blends small town charm, found family, personal growth, and slow‑burn romance.

From the first moment I grasped Lainey’s struggle to choose her own dreams over the rigid plans others laid out for her, I felt deeply invested in her journey toward self‑determination and authentic love. Her interaction with Asher is layered and intimate, not simply a meet‑cute, but the unfolding of two very broken people learning that love can be both tender and terrifying in its demands. Asher’s fierce protectiveness and struggle with loss made his gradual softening toward Lainey and his niece feel achingly real, and the way they lean on each other brought out both vulnerability and strength in them that had me rooting for them with my whole heart. The novel is mostly closed‑door romance, focusing on emotional intimacy and connection rather than explicit scenes, which made every quiet moment between these two feel rich with meaning.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
This book moved me with its warmth, its resilient characters, and its tender portrayal of finding love and family in the most unexpected circumstances. I loved how Lainey and Asher’s story made me feel hopeful and seen, and I’m eager to continue exploring this new series.

[Cait | GoodeyReads]

I LIKED THIS ONE!

BLOG || INSTAGRAM || TIKTOK

I love finding new to me authors and this is another one I will definitely be continuing with. I didn’t know that this had some suspense elements and I loved finding a closed door author who writes suspense. It’s a hidden gem.

I loved the connection between Asher and Lainey. From that first meeting you could see that there was something there and I loved the push and pull. There’s a lot of walls that had to be taken down and I liked the arguments and quiet moments that created a great atmosphere.

The family bugged me a LOT though. It got to be repetitive and unnecessary and really beating the situation to death. And I always struggle when one of the MC’s is in a relationship most of the book. It makes some of the romance aspects a little less believable.

I did enjoy how things came together and eventually worked out. I loved the security firm aspects and the details and the hints of found family/future book relationships. I absolutely want to continue.

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Romance
- Language: none
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: moderate
- Content warnings; partner abuse, parental abuse, weapons violence

[E.L. Irwin]

Truly wish I could give this more than 5 stars. Exceptionally well written. Every sentence, every moment, every line. These characters, the chemistry, the tension and turmoil. All of it. Everything. I loved it.
I paused at the last three chapters, simultaneously wanting to finish it and not wanting it to end.

[Brandon Gilbert]

For the depth that the author brought to the characters, I give this 4.5 ⭐️

[Alayna Steadman]

AMAZING!!! I absolutely loved this book!! The slow burn, the trope and then all the mini tropes blended in, and most of all it’s CLEAN, no spice, and no foul language. 10/10 recommend and should def be added to everyone TBR.

[☆Laura☆]

3.25⭐️

Que despreciables son los padres de Lainey.

[Vanessa]

**4.5 Good, Clean Fun, Stars**

Molly has once again done it with her words! Although under a new pen name, the emotion and prose in which she writes is very much the same work of art as it has always been. And I love this clean romance so much…all of the romance still remains, an intimacy that has nothing to do with the acts or even the harsher words…and everything to do with the solid connection between two people who find solace in the other.
This is a grumpy-sunshine, nanny/security, family drama, romance…one with zero profanity and a hallmark vibe (kisses only, the forehead ones are my fave). I loved every meaningful word…and cannot wait for the next book in this series.

[Tiffany McNair]

She may have changed her name, but her writing remains the same. Absolutely fantastic.

Once again, you will find yourself wishing you could fall into the fictional world Molly creates. From the characters to the small town setting - Even If It Hurts is a hit for Molly's new turn at writing closed door/fade to black romance.

Can't wait for the next book in what will clearly be an awesome interconnected standalone series.

[loren]

Very cute read. Grumpy broody hot protective guy = always a win.

[Holly]

Oh my gosh! I absolutely devoured this book! Truly I went in mostly blind (only knowing the tropes) and my gosh I was blown away! I couldn’t put it down! I enjoyed this book so much! I loved how grumpy Asher was but how you get to see the softer side of him. Lainey Ray, sunshine in human form, a people pleaser, and one amazing nanny! These 2 were amazing together. While things are closed door you still get the tension and chemistry between them! Such an amazing first book to a series I have a great feeling about!

[Randi Sampson]

Right from the very start with their unconventional meet cute, Asher and Lainey completely drew me in. I'm honestly not sure what I initially expected going into this book, but this was absolutely so much more than that... in the best way possible. Asher is perhaps the grumpiest, broodiest MMC I can recall ever reading... but not without good reason with so much trauma in his past! He prefers things just so and is absolutely not prepared for Lainey to come back into his life. Aunt Ada was the perfect meddler and added a little humor to the story too--- which was great because it does deal with some pretty difficult topics throughout (to include mentions of addiction, abuse, trafficking, etc.). Admittedly, I'm not always the biggest fan of stories where one of the main characters is with someone else through part of the story as Lainey is in this one... but it was done so well. It's clear from the beginning that there's no real competition... and it allowed for the perfect slow burn... I couldn't get enough of the chemistry between them. Their story was the perfect blend of tender romance and a dash of danger and suspense to keep me turning the pages, and I absolutely adored it! I cannot wait to see what happens next in the series!

Even if It Hurts is a closed-door romance with kisses only and no language.

**ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own.

[Sarah Beth G. (a.neverending.tbr)]

3.5 rounded to 4. I struggle with stories where one of the main characters is in a relationship at the beginning and especially if it goes on for too much of the book. This one drug that out a little too long for me and then I felt like the switch was pretty instant. I did like Lainey and Asher together once the relationship could progress but it was hard to get invested when the other relationship was there for so long. I also liked the lessons that were addressed in this book but ultimately, I’m a romance reader and that part fell flat for me.

Content Notes: Kisses

[Amanda Shinn]

I loved this story. Honestly, it was the reverse "just go with it" that got me hooked. The mmc approaches a female he doesn't know in a coffee shop, puts his arm around her, and tells her to just go with it. The mmc is ex-special forces and happily single (or so he thinks) when he is suddenly the guardian of a new baby and in need of a nanny. Of course that nanny turns out to be the woman he met 9 months earlier in the coffee shop (that he may or may not have been able to stop thinking about).

[Lindsey IG: BookishlyLindsey]

Wow this one pulled me in quick. This my first book my Molly Barlowe and I’m already anxiously waiting for the book 2 of this series!

[Vanessa Laas]

4 Stars

Fav Characters

Lainey
Asher
Wren
Aunt Ada
Kaia
Evans

Tropes

Closed Door Romance
Work Place Romance
Suspense
Family feud
Drug Abuse
Mafia (Sort of)

Take a Way

If you live your life in fear, you will not be happy
Be aware of your surroundings
Don't let anyone dictate the way you should live your life
Family can be your main source of Trauma
Open your heart to love, to acceptance and to happiness

Fav Quotes

“Frustrating to be this hurt by you and so in love with you.”

"this has anything to do with the way it looked like you were seeing the sun rise for the first time this morning . . .” He shrugged. “I’m not gonna help you avoid that either.”

“I guess it’s just an automatic response to your glowing personality.”

“I looked for you every time I set foot in that shop until, suddenly, you were standing right in front of me. In my apartment.”

“Like wanting you to be mine.”

“You’ve consumed me from the first moment I saw you, and I’ve hated every second as much as I’ve craved the next.”

“Lainey, I’ve dreamt of driving my hands into these wild curls.”

“And your eyes? I can’t think of anything more uncontrollable than a storm, and that’s what I see every time I get trapped right here.” Dipping my head lower, I kept my mouth hovering just over hers as I meaningfully said, “The way you look is the definition of chaotic: wild and uncontrollable. Do you understand now?”

reasons why I shouldn’t entertain even the idea of you and me, I knew I’d never want anyone the way I want you. And if I ever found out you felt the same, I was gonna ignore every one of those reasons and never let you go.”

“Ada, you drive me insane on the best of days,” I began, my head bobbing a little, “but I never had a real mother figure in my life until you.” I shrugged. “You can’t go.”

“The things you do to my heart.”

“With a look, with your actions, with your words . . .”

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” she began, “but you and tall, dark, and terrifying are definitely way past the I think I like you stage and are fully strapped into the we’re doing this forever ride.”

“I could spend an eternity with you just like this, and it still wouldn’t be enough.”

“Goodness, the things you say,” she said reverently before twisting in my arms just enough to look at me, her smile soft and breathtaking in the dark. “Honestly, Mr. Briggs? You should tell me you love me more often.”
“Before you and Kaia, my life made sense to me,” I began and took her left hand in mine. “Then the two of you crashed into my life, and now nothing makes sense without you.” I placed the ring on the tip of her third finger, then met her joy-filled eyes. “Raise her with me. Spend your life with me. Marry me.”

Review

Molly Molly Molly you did it again. I want to start to thank you for being brave and by choosing your path with the Lord.

I had very big doubts about a closed door romance, well I loved this one. Your writing style did not change one bit, your banter, humors and your way with words remain fully intact. That said I did hoped for some action, obviously I did, Asher is such a main man, rugged, stiff and I would have loved to see the tender and intimate side of him. The why he would love on Lainley and on Kaia.

I want to say I think this is why this was only a four star. I felt like something was missing.

For Molly's first book in, lets call it a new genre, it was really good, amazing even. She will find her footing and we will make it worth our while, I can promise you that.

At least every one was alive at the end. I mean yes she only killed of one MMC and then un-killed him, but the trauma remains.

Molly you are a true tressure and I love your writing, your posts and your journey.

Cant wait for the rest.

#honesty

[Steff Fox]

Molly Barlowe’s Even If It Hurts had a very promising start, but was ultimately just incredibly over the top in every way. Its first mistake is that the prologue is followed by a time jump, one in which we’re meant to believe that this grumpy man has spent all this time pining for the unobservant woman he steps in to save even though he knew nothing about her. The second mistake is how the novel manufactures the manner in which these two characters reconnect by way of a nanny job that’s orchestrated by her aunt. In all of this, it seems to me that the author had multiple ideas that could have been two completely separate books and she decided to blend them together as best she could, even though it didn’t really make for anything interesting.

When you add in the extremely exaggerated, cartoonishly-villainous behavior of the main character’s boyfriend and family and the mafia ties of the love interest’s job, and you’re left sort of feeling that the book is desperate to be as dramatic as possible. I could have done without a lot of it, especially since these side plots—as they’re genuinely meant to be side plots rather than the main focus, since that is instead the romance—take precious time away from these characters actually getting to know each other.

If I were to boil this story down to just the character interactions that are meant to make me believe that these two are falling in love, it would probably account for just one chapter’s worth of material. I don’t believe they love each other at all. The miscommunications and rude comments don’t lend themselves to presenting characters who even like each other, let alone have such intense feelings that they desperately want to protect each other. I’d more readily believe that Lainey is only entertaining being with this man because she’s desperate to become the child’s replacement mother. And as for Asher? He’s so besotted so instantly that I’m certain he must’ve hit his head and convinced himself he has some long-standing relationship with this woman, because that’s the only thing that makes his feelings and behavior make any sense.

In fact, a grand total of 0 of these characters make any sense at all. No one is realistic, no one acts like an actual person would, and it’s so very clear that everyone who exists in the pages of this novel are simply plot devices meant to push the story or other characters in a specific direction. Everyone is so exaggerated and cartoonish that you just know there was no genuine time spent on thinking about how to develop the characters past “I just want them to feel this way and act like this because it follows the outline idea I had.”

[Veronica Pham]

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: closed door

•Asher & Lainey
Huntley Square Book 1

*I was provided an eARC of this book by the author and their promotion team

Former Special Forces agent Asher Briggs is content. He’s built a security team from the ground up and prides himself on his ability to protect people. He used to living a solitary life. One year ago, he saved a girl in a cafe and never forgot about her, but in his line of work, he’s accepted he cannot get close & risk anyone’s safety. Then, in one call, he learns he’s not only lost his only brother, but he is now the only living relative to take custody of his niece…

Lainey Pearson is back in Huntley Square after earning multiple college degrees. During her time away, Lainey has realized her passion is education and her dream is to become a teacher. However, when she returns home with this news, no one is happy with her “betrayal”. Her parents have always had a plan for her—she was expected to marry her childhood sweetheart, merge their family farms, & run the business together. But that’s not what Lainey wants, & now her relationship with not only her boyfriend, but her family is on the line.

The only person who hasn’t ostracized Lainey is her Aunt Ada, & when Aunt Ada mentions her boss is in desperate need of a nanny, Lainey jumps on the opportunity to get away from the farm & cultivate her passion for childcare. What she didn’t expect was to be now be working for the man that saved her in the cafe all those months ago, & realize that connection she felt back then never faded. Now Lainey has to decide if she’s willing to settle into the life Jackson & parents have planned for her like she’s always done, or stand her ground & pave her own path. (Btw, NO cheating occurs in this book.)

This is @authormollybarlowe first closed door romance & I can honestly say I did not miss the spice. I truly enjoy Molly’s story telling and I was so invested in this story! Both Asher & Lainey’s individual stories were great & I was so eager to learn how they were going to overcome the obstacles to get their HEA! There were so many secondary characters introduced in this book I feel in love with and I am SO excited to see where Molly will take us with the rest of this series! 🖤

*available September 16
*original post on instagram @veronica.reads.romance

[Travis Peak]

3.4

I read this book because I needed a break. The last couple books were high spice low plot and this book said it was clean and wholesome so I decided to give it a listen. It started off strong. Lainey ans Asher are familiar character tropes. She's kind of shy. A people pleaser who has a tendency to fall in line but is taking her life in her own hands by heading off to college to get a degree her boyfriend and parents aren't happy about. Asher is a closed off jerk who talks to people any way he wants. This includes Lainey for a big chunk of the book so I didn't care much for him. They have a run in at a coffee shop where she is the target of a human trafficking scheme but doesn't realize it. Asher saves her and then 9 months later she becomes his nanny after he gets custody of his niece unexpectedly. Lainey's grandma has a hand in that and she's a likeable character. The author does a really good job of building a gradual connection between Lainey and Asher because she doesn't rush her scenes. Their lengthy and it allows the characters to get to know each other. The book kind of dips in the middle and then goes down hill in the end for me. Her parents and boyfriend are really over the top controlling to the point of almost being cartoonish. It just didn't make a whole lot of sense why they were so adamant that Lainey take over the business when the other daughter clearly wanted it more. The problem with the end of the book is that nothing outside of the relationship between Lainey and Asher gets resolved. I guess that is because this is gonna be a series but if you're writing them to also be able to be read as stand alone it's really unsatisfying. There's a threat from the mafia that goes absolutely nowhere. Her dad's health is just left up in the air. There's no climatic moment. The book just kind of ends with a proposal and the epilogue is about the next couple in the series. I'm not against reading more of this series but it's not a priority for me at this point. I liked it, but I didn't love it.

[Jeanine Levy]

Lainey and Asher!! Love this start to a new series.

Even if It Hurts  -Huntley Square series-Molly Barlowe .

I cannot tell you how much I love a book with kids in them ! Kaia is such a sweet baby.

Lainey is finally home,  but is still burdened by her family and boyfriends expectations on  taking over the family farm. She wants to teach. No one but her Aunt Ada seem to see her! 9 months ago she shared a kiss with a stranger who said her life was in danger, and she's still thinking about it.

Asher has his found family of brothers and his crazy office manager Ada, he doesn't need anyone else. He still thinks about the woman he kissed 9 months ago to thrwart men trying to take her. When tragedy strikes and he gains custody of his neice Ada hires a nanny for him.

When Lainey walks in and sees who she's working for both her and Asher are completely shocked.  While they both navigate getting his neice Kaia settled and on routine,  they fight what neither has been able to forget for nine months. 

Lainey is getting arguments every time she's home from her family and boyfriend to do what they want.  As time as Kaia's nanny solidifies her love for what she wants,  she has to make a decision for herself,  and not her family's wants fir her to do. Secrets come out that her family and boyfriend have been hiding.  Asher has backlash from a group that has him and his group fighting to secure this new family he has to fight for their safety.

Ada is the best comic relief! Love a meddling older Aunt! They guys are almost as meddling and I love it. The world that is built is beautiful,  and we see all the characters and where we may see other characters stories going as well. 

Molly Barlowe,  formerly writing as Molly McAdams,  still gives us all the feels and emotions,  the suspense and surprises we weren't expecting,  but with the closed-door romance.  I devoured this one and I can't wait for more in this series. 
5⭐️

[Misty (Red's Romance Reviews)]

Asher likes his solitary life, it's simplistic, it's what helps him contain the demons that haunt him daily. Having a family, doing the house with white picket fence thing just isn't something he's ever wanted, it's just not him. Or so he's always believed...

The pages of Even If It Hurts paint a beautiful and heart rending picture of two souls who find that once in lifetime love after so much tragedy. Both have been living half lives, basically living just to survive the day, not for happiness or joy. As we meet them we learn that Asher has just found himself in a place he never thought he'd be, a parent to an eight month old baby. His niece needs someone to care for her and he's been chosen for the job. He's never wanted to be tied to anything or anyone, but the idea of her going into foster care is too much to bear, he cannot let that happen. Even if it means giving up his solitary life. But he also knows there is no way he can do it alone, he has to hire a nanny to fill in where he lacks skills... and that's where Lainey Pearson enters his life. Not for the first time.

Oh how I loved this story, it put a nice little squeeze on my heart, made me smile, brought tears to my eyes a time or two, and left me wanting more. I did not want to let these characters go when that last page found me!! Wow! What a beautiful and all consuming escape!! Highly recommend you take a chance on this one, it's words are destined to leave an imprint on your heart.

I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.