Bodyguard couture is seriously hot.
It Seemed Like a Good Idea
Darling Springs
Romance
Cosmo Reads
March 3, 2026
Paperback, Ebook, Audiobook
432
He ghosted me once, now he’s supposed to protect me?
I don’t need a bodyguard—I run a small-town lavender farm, for bee’s sake. But when my identical twin sister lands the movie role of a lifetime that’s being shot in my hometown I get one anyway.
And guess which broody, tattooed protector the studio sends to keep the paparazzi off my porch?
Last month’s almost one-night stand.
The guy with the wicked mouth and heated eyes who slipped out before the fun even started. But turns out the sexy jerk is excellent at rescuing me from sneaky photographers at the market. Then the coffee shop. I’m trying hard to stay mad after the third time my new bodyguard saves me.
To top it all off, he’s staying in the cottage at my farm. With me. And there’s only one bed.
Maybe if we finally give in and finish what we started, it’ll relieve the tension? But one night quickly turns into another. Then into late-night secrets and soft confessions we shouldn’t say out loud. Especially since he’s leaving and I’m staying, and there’s no way we can be more than a summer romance that ends far too soon.
Escape into a spicy and hilarious forbidden small town rom com from #1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blakely!
Tropes: Small town, rom com, grumpy/sunshine, bodyguard, mistaken identity, forbidden romance, only one bed
Book 1 in a New Series!
Lauren Blakely’s backlist is intense. Girlfriend has given readers plenty of material to work with. If you’re a romance reader, you’re bound to find something that you’ll like amongst her work.
Hockey? She’s got it.
Holiday romance? She’s got it.
Second Chance? She’s got it!
What do they all have in common? Temptation. You’re absolutely going to be tempted to devour Blakely’s published works. Don’t know where to start? Let me tell you a little more about “It Seemed Like a Good Idea”, book one of the new “Darling Springs” trilogy. It’s an excellent place to dive in.
It Seemed Like a Great Idea!
“I’m not sure there’s enough room on my farm for him, my attraction, and me.”
A chance meet-cute in a bar while on vacation sparks something in both of our main characters, Ridley and Banks. What’s more fun than having a little fling when you’re away from your real life responsibilities? As we all know, though, reality has a way of sneaking up on us when we least expect, and we all must wake up from our dreams and face what awaits us.
Ridley’s inner monologue steals the show right from the jump. After being hit on by a skeezy, slimy pick up at a bar, Ridley is rescued by Banks, an observant bystander made to protect.
Blakely’s storytelling prowess is found in descriptions and mounting tension. The build up is just what you’d expect from a spicy, open door romance, but somehow Blakely’s characters don’t behave like others in romances I’ve read before. Like Banks himself, Blakely pays attention to more than the standard foreplay and leans into a unique reader experience.
Both of our main characters share the carrying of a burden that’s not meant for them to carry. It brings them together in a way that feels natural, kismet even, and allows for them to grow to what they should have been all along.
Final Thoughts
“It Seemed Like a Good Idea” will be a great pick up if you like: miscommunication, only one bed, teaching something/lessons, forced proximity, mistaken identity, and/or a whole lot of temptation.
I hope you love reading this funny, snarky, quick bop of a book. I know I loved reading it and I can’t wait to see what hijinks are next for Darling Springs.
I’m Val, and I’m excited to share my love of books with you! I’m a sassy Sour Patch kid from New Jersey, dog mom to Chance the beagle, and much like the rest of the Hive, I’m a coffee lover (I think it’s a requirement to be here). The first book I remember reading voluntarily involved a boy wizard who lived in the cupboard under the stairs, and I’ve been chasing magic ever since. I love Happily Ever Afters, and I love love. My favorite genres are romance and rom-coms, fantasy, and young adult/new adult. If I’m not reading, I’m probably kayaking, watching the Great British Baking Show, or discovering a new craft beer.
