While You Were Speaking

Harvest Ranch Romance #11

by Maria Hoagland

♥♥ Kissing your best friend is a gamble. One amazing lip-lock could destroy the friendship or be the start of true love—but you won’t know unless you try it . . .

Part of the Billionaire Bachelor Cove series. ♥♥

Billionaire next-door neighbors Mary Alice Howe and Ryland Neilson have mothers who are lifelong best friends. But throwing their children together for everything from Camelot Cruise birthday parties to cotillion classes has ensured a close friendship, not the hoped-for romance.

Excited to become the newest CEO of his father's company, Ryland takes a risk that just might ruin the company. Taking a chance on a relationship with his best friend Mary Alice, however, seems even more foolish. Sure, he’s had a slight crush on her for a while now, but they can’t get their timing right to give a romantic relationship a shot.

Already unsure what she wants to do with her career and her relationship with pro soccer player Camden Sharpe, adding new and thrilling feelings for her best friend causes Mary Alice’s world to spin upside-down. One thing she does know is that she wants a fairy-tale romance. Ryland may look like the part of the handsome prince—tall, dark, and gorgeous—but can a woman be swept off her feet by someone she shared orthodontist appointments with?

When a personal ad brings the two together, they realize that maybe they don’t actually know everything about each other. Discovering new sides to their personalities adds a surprising layer to their relationship. Yet when old expectations arise, they’ll have to decide if it’s better to stay in the safety of the friend-zone or jump down the rabbit hole of the unknown and risk everything for love.

♥♥ Inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, this full-length sweet/clean contemporary billionaire romance is similar to your favorite Hallmark movie and will bring a smile to your day! ♥♥

Genres: Contemporary, Romance

260 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 29, 2021

About the author

Maria Hoagland writes about hearts, homes, and happily ever afters. Known for her fun and flirty sweet romance and women's fiction, Maria's novels make great book club choices. She's published over a dozen books including two Whitney Award finalists, and has no plans to stop writing any time soon.

When Maria is not working at her computer, she can be found combing used furniture stores or remodeling houses with her husband. She loves crunching leaves in the fall, stealing cookie dough from the mixing bowl, and listening to musicals at high volumes.

Reviews

[M.K. Dymock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucy and Zach are a couple destined to fall in love. Like all good love stories it's journey to get there that's the most fun. I loved the little details about the drive-in and the town that made it come alive.

[Lucy McConnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, loved it!!

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

While You Were Speaking is book eleven in the Harvest Ranch Romance by Maria Hoagland. Lucy Morrowitz had a dream of opening her family's Drive-in Theater. Lucy Morrowitz had one problem with her plan: she needed the money to update the equipment. However, her co-worker Crew Keller at the Harvest Ranch Times office decided to use his listeners to help raise funds for Lucy. Lucy never thought that this idea of Crew Keller would work. However, it did, and her other dream to meet celebrity Carter Hughes came true when he accepted her invitation to attend the first day of cleaning the site. Carter Hughes brought his brother Zachary. Who will Lucy Morrowitz end up with? The readers of While You Were Speaking will continue to follow Zachary and Lucy to discover what happens,

While You Were Speaking is a lovely, sweet romance that would be lovely to read on a wet and cold day. I engage with the characters and the story from the first page. I love Maria Hoagland's portrayal of her characters and their interaction with each other throughout this book. While You Were Speaking is well-written and researched by Maria Hoagland. I like Maria Hoagland's description of the setting of While You Were Speaking, which complemented the book's plot.

While You Were Speaking, readers will learn how a small radio station works. Also, While You Were Speaking, readers will understand the importance of community involvement in a project.

I recommend this book.

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Familiar, yet original

Harvest Ranch strikes again! I love this charming town and I love meeting more of its citizens. Lucy is trying to get the old drive-in movie theater up and running again and when Zach and his family descend upon the town to support his brother, Carter, who is a big-time motivational speaker helping with an event, all the sparks break loose.

The mid-90s film that this story pays tribute to was one of my favorites and I loved the modern take with the small town twist. There were a few scenes that were very reminiscent of the movie and had me smiling and laughing as they played out in my mind. Hoagland does a great job of incorporating the familiar with the original, and the events tied in nicely with the rest of the series, showing a different angle to the big events.

I loved Lucy and Zach! From their interesting occupations to their sweet interactions to the undeniable chemistry, they slipped right into my heart. Obviously, the supporting cast of characters was as zany and quirky as I hoped they would be and I just couldn't get enough.

This was another great addition to the Harvest Ranch series. Now...would someone grab me a Dr. Pepper and surprise me with a mix-in?

Content: mild romance

*I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.*

[Kristen Lewendon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just so sweetly adorable. It’s filled with misunderstandings and angst, but that just kept me on the edge of my seat while reading. Because, I needed to know how Lucy and Zach were going to handle it when the real truth was finally revealed. I was swept up in their comedy of errors and quickly invested in seeing them get their Happily Ever After. Even though this book is over already, I can’t wait to find out what’s going to happen next in Harvest Ranch.

[Sonya Wasden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucy is in charge of the Clean up day in Harvest Ranch. She has the bright idea to invite her celebrity idol, Carter Hughes, to be the keynote speaker for the kickoff event. She is certain he won't accept but what does she have to lose. When he accepts and brings his whole family along on a family vacation, she is inundated with Hughes family members. But, instead of the "crush" she thought she had on Carter, she is intrigued by his brother, Zach. Unfortunately, Zach, thinks Lucy is his brother's "secret" fiance'.

Zach is instantly drawn to Lucy but he has to do his best to stay away for his brother's happiness. But, she is like a magnet and he is constantly being drawn to her.

This is a sweet rom-com with hilarious family members, a derelict drive-in theater and hope to follow your dreams. It is a clean, wholesome story that brings the reader along for the ride.

I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.

[Ru4repeat · Rating 5 out of 5]

"She was a sucker for a good proposal story..."

"“Aww.” Lucy placed both hands over her heart. She was a sucker for a good proposal story and always had been."

This delightful novel contained all the swoony goodness from Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman's hopelessly romantic relationship in the 1995 film, "While You Were Sleeping" without throwing in the bad language or inappropriate dialog. Plus, there was so much more enjoyable moments in this version!

I too am a sucker for a good story, but especially when it truly is a sweet clean romance!
This book is definitely worthy of a repeat read.

[Heather Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you fall for your crush’s brother

I’ve really enjoyed this series. If you like Hallmark movies you will too. Lucy has had a celebrity crush on inspirational speaker Carter for a while so when she reaches out to have him speak at an event she’s beyond excited. His entire extended family ends up coming and making a vacation out of visiting her small town. Through some misconceptions his family thinks Lucy is his fiancé. You will love the roller coaster of events as Lucy grows close to the family but starts having feelings for Carter’s brother instead.

[Tandy Oschadleus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy to review: a sweet, small town romance with new and old Harvest Ranch characters, Zach and Lucy's story is swoony! A delightful read full of warmth, humour and love.

[Harmony · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a clean romance with no swearing and no sex. It takes place in the fictional Harvest Ranch, VA. I always look forward to reading another book in this series and revisiting the town. It's fun catching up on old characters from previous books.

If you're noticing that I've yet to say anything about this book it's because I'm torn. I love this town and I love this series. Unfortunately, I didn't like this book. I feel bad about that and maybe a little guilty somehow.

Because I do love this series so much, I'm hiding my review under a spoiler tag to be kind. There may be spoilers so be forewarned.



Where to start. The book is incredibly slow and boring. It took till 30% of the way into the book before Zach and Lucy even meet! Before that, it was her going about her day in the town and him with his family. My eyes were starting to cross waiting for something, anything to happen, as I watched the percentage going up and knowing that the ending was going to be rushed.

They finally meet and what a mess. It was one misunderstanding after the other, all on Zach's part. He is incredibly immature and directionless. He hates his job as a mortician but has zero motivation to try something else. I kept thinking he was 18 or something with the way he acted. I didn't like him, not even a little bit. He is the one that overheard something and then jumped to conclusions. Then he runs and tells his "mommy" that Carter (his older brother) is secretly engaged to Lucy. Instead of asking either Carter or Lucy for clarification, he acts like a child and jumps to conclusions and creates a massive mess.

At 69% from Zach because he once again jumped to conclusions when he saw another man hugging Lucy (communication is clearly beyond his abilities) ...

he couldn’t watch this woman who apparently flirted with everyone. No wonder he’d gotten the impression she’d wanted to kiss him last night. Zach was an idiot for thinking that somehow he’d been special, that she really liked him. Carter had said they were engaged ...

As if that's not bad enough, Lucy somehow feels guilty over all of this! She thinks they are going to hate her because she lied. HOW THE HELL DID SHE LIE??!?! She didn't even know that Zach had jumped to conclusions. SHEESH. She had no idea that he told his family that she was engaged to Carter and that they all believed it. NONE. So how the Sam Hell was it her fault?

I'm used to insta-love in romances. It's the job of the author to enchant me so much with the characters and the story that I want to believe it. That didn't happen here. I was so irritated with Zach and the fact that this couple barely spent anytime together that I couldn't feel it. I didn't feel their romance and therefore didn't care about it. So much time was spent apart or inside their own heads that I'm not even sure how this was a romance.

They don't even kiss till almost the very end!!

GAH.

It didn't help that Lucy and Zach have very little chemistry. I was looking forward to Lucy's story so much. I feel disappointed, frankly, and let down.



I'm giving it a 3-star rating because of how much I love this series. The writing is good and I liked the flow of the words. I'm just missing the charm and heart that was present in other books in this series.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

While You Were Sleeping is one of my very favorite Romantic Comedies. It gets quoted at our house in some way or other at least weekly and sometimes even more than that. I was really excited when I saw that Maria Hoagland based her next book on it. And I LOVED how she wrote this one. It’s original enough to stand on it’s own. But there is plenty of While You Were Sleeping thrown in there.

I started reading this one just looking for a light, fun, read the other day. I read the first chapter and knew this was just what I was looking for. The first chapter made me laugh so hard. I need that sometimes.

Lucy is our main character. She works on the radio in Harvest Ranch. But Lucy dreams of one day bringing back the drive in movie theater that her parents had loved so much. Of course, that costs money, lots of money. Lucy made me smile. She is the down to earth kind of girl that doesn’t mind working and getting a little bit dirty. I had to laugh at the way her drink order was always wrong. Lucy is trying to get the whole town involved in clean up. And that’s how she meets Zach.

Zach’s brother, Carter, is a motivational speaker. When Carter gets asked to go to Harvest Ranch to speak, it quickly becomes a family affair. Zach’s family is hilarious. I especially loved his Grandpa Moose and Grandma Minnie. They were so funny. Zach works at his family’s funeral home, but he’s ready for a change. And Harvest Ranch just might be the change he’s looking for.

I loved everything about this one! Make sure you read all of the Harvest Ranch romances. You don’t need to read them in any order. And they are all great!

I was sent an e-copy of While You Speaking as a gift from the author. All opinions are my own.

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucy lives in Harvest Ranch working at the local radio station. Her family owned the local drive-in theater but it's gone into disrepair and out of date with technology since her father's death. Lucy has been listening to a motivational speaker, Carter Hughes, and decides that she can follow her dream of reopening the drive-in and raising funds to help her secure the financing. She invites Carter to speak at the annual clean-up and he agrees. Carter's grandparents have a history with the drive-in and decide to make it a family trip to Harvest Ranch. Carter's brother, Zach, meets Lucy and has a spark of interest in her even though he's under the mistaken idea that Carter and Lucy are engaged. Lucy feels it, too and doesn't understand why Zach keeps pulling back. I thought there was so much goodness going on with the people of Harvest Ranch getting behind Lucy to re-open the drive-in. She has really great friends that help bolster her confidence. Zach has some things going on also with wanting a change in careers from the family business to what he loves to do with woodworking. I think it's great how everyone is pulling together and accepting of each person's dreams. There are some side stories that happen trying to derail the dreams but I like how they're resolved. I received an advanced copy of this book to read early with no expectation of anything in return. I'm leaving my honest review.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucy was excited that her crush, famous motivational speaker, Carter Hughes, agreed to come to her small town of Harvest Ranch to speak to its citizens about pursuing their dreams and goals. He was her inspiration for attempting to renovate and reopen her late parents’ drive-in theatre. When the Hughes family learned that Carter was going to be in Harvest Ranch, they decided to make it a family vacation so that they could take the “nostalgia tour”—and see all the places where their elderly parents/grandparents grew up, met, and fell in love. Due to a misunderstanding, when the family met Lucy, they thought she was Carter’s secret girlfriend and they all fell in love with her. Lucy had a great connection with the Hughes family—especially with Zach, Carter’s brother. Zach was smitten too but what kind of a man would he be to pursue his brother’s girlfriend? It was a moral dilemma. This book was all about figuring out what you really want and working to make it happen instead of just letting life happen to you. I recommend it! I was entrusted with a copy of this book by the author and this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story blew me away with how cute it was! While You Are Sleeping is one of my favorite movies so I was bound to either love this nod to that chick flick or absolutely hate it. Maria Hoagland did an excellent job!

Lucy is a radio deejay, inheritor of the drive-in movie theater, and chair person for the community clean up project. Motivational speaker, Carter Hughes has inspired her to follow her dreams and try to reopen the drive-in. After his impact in her life, she hires him to speak at their community clean-up. She has a celebrity crush before meeting him, and nothing but respect when they do meet in person. His brother Zachary on the other hand raises butterflies in her stomach. Unbeknownst to her, the family, and Zach, somehow get the impression that she and Carter are engaged.

I loved the humor that ensued from this misunderstanding. I eagerly watched for the small nods to While You Were Sleeping and how Maria Hoagland adapted them to her own story. I laughed out loud. I smiled. A lot. Just talking about it makes me want to pick it up again. Read it. You know you want to!

Content: clean (a few kisses, no language, no violence)

[Shanna Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Springtime in Harvest Ranch and we get to spend time with Lucy, a co host at the local radio station. She is the owner of the old drive in theater and with encouragement from Crew and the town, she decides to open it back up. She calls in motivational speaker Carter Hughes to inspire the town, little does she know, he is bring his whole family along.

It is always enjoyable spending a day or two in Harvest Ranch. Being able to learn more about Lucy, Crew, Carter, and Zach was a fun adventure. I did have a more difficult time connecting to this story than the past ones in the series, and the large amounts of characters introduced had me getting lost a few times. However, the storyline was beautiful, and definitely put some smiles on my face.

If you have enjoyed any of the past Harvest Ranch books, are a fan of drive in movies, or find humor in your food and drink orders being wrong, you'll have a great time with While You Were Speaking.

[Brandy Hatchel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy the Harvest Ranch series so much! I feel like I know the town and the people. I root for everyone to find their happily ever after. Lucy is one of the local DJ's who has inherited her family's drive in which is in severe disrepair. She loves listening to Carter Hughes the famous inspirational speaker. After her fellow DJ pushes her into a corner to get the local drive in up and running; she asks Carter to come speak to the town. Carter Hughes family has ties to Harvest Ranch and the whole family decides to come to the town to visit all the places they have been told about.
Carter has a brother named Zachary that is unhappy in his current occupation in the family business. He wants to break free to pursue his passion of hand crafted wood pieces.
A fun story of mistaken identity brings two of them together. It gives an orphan a family and brings a driveway back to town.
I received an advanced readers copy of this book, but the review is my own words and opinion.

[Marie Bourgery · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story played heavily on my favorite romantic comedy movie. I kept picturing how the similar characters and scenes in the movie were portrayed as I was reading it. The Hughes family were a riot with their boisterous loving interference in each others lives. Lucy like in the movie lost her family, but she had plenty of friends who wanted to help achieve her dream and a potential new family that welcomed her with open arms. Like in the movie Zach thinks she's engaged to his brother, but he can't help falling for her and he also dreams of another creative life outside of the family business. I loved the hidden staircase he built at the bookstore. I questioned why Lucy kept ordering a plain soda when the place she was ordering from is known for their unique drinks. She could have just bought bottles at the store. I laughed out loud reading this book that took me back to that movie and watching movies at the drive-in.

[Kaytlen Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

While You Were Speaking is a cute addition to the Harvest Ranch Romance Series. With characters coming back from other books in the series along with a whole extended family of new characters, it is a great continuation of the small town of Harvest Ranch. I love the small town trope as the whole community comes together to help each other, everyone knows everyone, and there really is feeling of family within the town.

Add in mistaken identities, lifelong dreams coming to pass, and finding happiness in life and you get this sweet story. Lucy and Zachary both think each other are unavailable to start but as they get to know each other and are pushed together over the course of a week, their feelings grow and their chance for true love may just come to pass. I really enjoyed reading all about this couple's journey to a happily ever after.

[Michelle Ferrari-Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old and New Love

Lucy really wants to reopen the drive-in her parents left her. It needs so much work and she isn't sure if she can afford to do it. She emails her celebrity crush and he has agreed to give the opening kick off speech. Lucy can not believe her luck and carefully plans what needs to be done.

Zach Hughes has come to Harvest Ranch with his family to see the town his grandparents met. His brother Carter, will be speaking to kick off the refurbishing of the town's movie theater.

When Zach and Lucy meet, there is an instant attraction and desire to get to know each other. The problem?, Zach thinks she is his brother's fiance. He has never wanted anything his brother has, until now. All he can do is support Carter and keep his feelings a secret.

Can he actually succeed?~

[Laura Hundley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucy is not going to let her dreams slip away. At least not if she can help it. There are only two things she feels she needs to do. Fix up the movie theater that was left to her and meet the one man who she has dreamed of, Carter Hughes who is a motivational speaker, speaking right to her heart. Lucy’s friend and coworker, a morning DJ, has put out the word that she needs help with fixing the theater. Somehow, both of her dreams are now in reach. Carter took her up on her offer to have him speak at the fundraiser. There is another man in the picture. Carter’s brother, Zachary Hughes. He will be a force to reckon with and he wants Lucy as much as she wants Carter. This is a fun rom com that takes you back to when movie theaters like that were popular and that’s where you would go on your dates.

5 stars for this one

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great story. Although a little too like While you were sleeping. I love books, but don't especially love when they take the story line from something else. Which was very obvious in this case. This was a story of Lucy, she is a small town girl living in Harvest Ranch. She invites her celebrity crush Mr. Hughes to come speak at the city clean-up activity. However when his family all arrive it is his brother Zach that grabs her attention. However due to a misunderstanding Zach thinks she is engaged to his brother. So, he is struggling with attraction to her thinking she if off limits. After some clarification they find their happily ever after.

I was given an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed in review are my own and were left voluntarily.

[Lori R · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is another great addition to the series with enjoyable characters and a fun plot. I enjoyed the fun, romantic story set in Harvest Ranch, Virginia. Lucy, the program director at the radio station was a breath of fresh air and it was funny how she was mistaken for someone else in the story.

I enjoyed the Hughes family that ventured from Hawthorne, Massachusetts to Harvest Ranch, while their son, Carter was going to give a motivational speech to help the town. The antics that followed a misunderstanding by the Hughes family quickly made me want to turn the pages to find out how the book would end. I really liked the ending. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.

[The Flipped Page (Susan K) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romance, clean, contemporary; series, but stand alone read
Lucy and Zach's story is a cute retelling and setting of "While You Were Sleeping". Loved the fun setting in Harvest Ranch, and the save the Drive-In moments along with the radio station, and so many other facets of the story. The family moments, the misunderstandings that made the movie fun, are all part of this one too. Lovely, sweet, clean, romantic read, and two honest hearts with some hopes, and sweet attraction made for a fun read. Perfect escape and visit again to the town of Harvest Ranch. Lucy and Zach will win and warm your heart! If you are a fan of the movie, you'll love this cute retelling!
I received an ARC of the novel from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review, my opinions are my own.

[Pamela Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed every minute of this charming and heartwarming story and didn't want the book to end when I got to the last page with unforgettable characters, a great family dynamic, small town southern charm, sweet romance and so much more. I have fallen in love with the citizens of Harvest Ranch who jump out of the book and into your heart and can't get enough. I really liked the Hughes family who traveled to this small town where the grandparents met and married. This is such a wonderful multi-author series and I look forward to a new book each week. I received an advance reader copy of "While You Were Speaking" by Maria Hoagland from Gelato Publishing and am voluntarily leaving my review.

[Ellen Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Hughes family descends on Harvest Ranch after Lucy invites Carter to give a motivational speech for their town cleanup. Because of flippant comment by both Carter and Lucy the family thinks they are engaged. However brother Zach has his eye on Lucy. A delightful story filled with love and laughter. There is lots of chemistry between Zach and Lucy, the sparks fly. The whole Hughes family are cheerful and engaging. Loved this book and am looking forward to more by Ms Hoagland.

I was given this advanced copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sunshinemeg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great spin in one of my all time favorite movies! I laughed many of my favorite quotes and situations, all in the new environment and relationship of Lucy and Zach. The "reaching" instead of "leaning" wasn't quite as good, but idk if that was not a possible copy. It was still a perfect moment. I love Lucy and her energy and love for Harvest Ranch and restoring her family history of the drive in. Zach and Lucy fit so well together, inside the community and the Hughes family! I love their individual personalities, the Hughes family hilarious characters and seeing dreams become reality!

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute, clean story set in Harvest Ranch, VA. I grew up going to drive-in movies so this brought back fond memories. Lucy wants to start her parents drive-in back up. She gets a motivational speaker to come to town to help the town. His grandparents have ties to Harvest Ranch and so the whole family comes for a week. Will Lucy fall for Carter or his brother Zach? A great addition to the series.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a sweet romance! This is a wonderful read that brought back so many memories of summer nights going to the drive in movies. Lucy and Zachary's story has just the right amount of conflict and romance to keep you turning the pages. This book was a joy to read. I received a complimentary copy and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Tabitha · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite movies is While You Were Sleeping, and this book was so fun to read with that in mind. The ticket booth, the brothers, the overhearing rumors, the falling.... The big fun family dynamics, perfect. Clean romance, super cute interactions with so much to giggle over if you like the movie, and just what I needed to read right now. Highly enjoyed, definitely recommend!

[Connie Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay

While the story was a good one with this series, it wasn't very original. A copy of the movie "While you were sleeping ", right down to the words and events with very little changes. So I was a little bit disappointed. Now I usually enjoy Fairytale retelling and always try to see how and where it is retold, this is a bit too close.