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Hardly Complicated
The death of her grandpa devastates Lauren and complicates their planned takeover of the family bull-breeding business. Having sold her successful company, broken up with her fiancé, and moved to the country, she’s not sure what to do with her life.
As she explores her options and starts growing new roots in old family soil, Lauren meets her handsome next door neighbor. Their attraction is instant. His kisses make her weak.
Then Lauren learns two facts that complicate everything. She is pregnant with her ex’s baby and the man she’s been kissing is engaged to her best friend and ex-business partner.
As she explores her options and starts growing new roots in old family soil, Lauren meets her handsome next door neighbor. Their attraction is instant. His kisses make her weak.
Then Lauren learns two facts that complicate everything. She is pregnant with her ex’s baby and the man she’s been kissing is engaged to her best friend and ex-business partner.
393 pages, Paperback
Published March 19, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 17, 2026
A warm, contemporary romance that follows Lauren Ross as she rebuilds her life after heartbreak, career upheaval, and inheriting her family’s ranch. Virginia Babcock delivers a realistic, character-driven story full of messy relationships, strong female friendships, and the challenges of starting over. The novel blends romance, family drama, and rural life, with relatable themes of resilience and self-discovery. I enjoyed the contrast between the two cultures/lives of Lauren, and the all too realistic representation that relationships are messy, and we do bring remnants of the past into our expectations of the future. The characters are well written, if at times, numerous (ok, I struggled to keep track of them all at times, but that may just be me).
While the plot is sprawling and the pace gentle, the authentic characters and emotional honesty will be enjoyed by fans of women’s fiction and modern romance in small town settings.
While the plot is sprawling and the pace gentle, the authentic characters and emotional honesty will be enjoyed by fans of women’s fiction and modern romance in small town settings.
November 1, 2025
In a still-very-religious society, Lauren leaves Nixon and finds herself falling for his closest friend Noah. Problem? Her best friend is engaged to Noah….but in Japan, cheating on him.
This one would have worked better as a serialized story, in my opinion. There was a huge cast of characters and really that main storyline (above), kept getting lost underneath details and subplots.
One of the better subplots, however, was the focus on (although fade to black, so no on-the-page steam) Lauren’s relationship with her sexual identity. On the one hand, her religious beliefs told her to want sex before marriage was wrong. On the other, she lived with a man out of loneliness - and the sex was bad (he couldn’t perform after a while). As part of being with Noah at the end, as a married woman, he helps her understand physical intimacy vs “just sex” - a refreshing turn for a romance novel.
This one would have worked better as a serialized story, in my opinion. There was a huge cast of characters and really that main storyline (above), kept getting lost underneath details and subplots.
One of the better subplots, however, was the focus on (although fade to black, so no on-the-page steam) Lauren’s relationship with her sexual identity. On the one hand, her religious beliefs told her to want sex before marriage was wrong. On the other, she lived with a man out of loneliness - and the sex was bad (he couldn’t perform after a while). As part of being with Noah at the end, as a married woman, he helps her understand physical intimacy vs “just sex” - a refreshing turn for a romance novel.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews