Old flames trope? Check!
Friends to strangers to lovers trope? Check!
'I stayed near you so you won't have a hard time finding me' trope? Check!
'It has always been you' trope? Check!
Angst? Loved it!

I don't know what y'all are waiting for, but this book deserves to be read!

The short memories going back and forth on Morgan's mind made me know her and Rachel in the past. Young innocent love. (Insert a song by The Neighbourhood: Are we too young for this~~~) There was more to Rachel's story than Morgan ever knew. I deeply understand why Morgan avoided going back to where she was from and the unintentional self-sabotage due to her emotional capacity. I mean, why go back to a place you had your heart broken? They were young and naive, but now that they've matured, the chance of getting back with your old flame is higher than they think.

I love Courtney Kae's writing style, how she put the story together, how Morgan found out the little details about Rachel after she left Fern Falls, and overall the POV of Morgan. This book captivated me the moment I read the first chapters, and a hard time putting the book down. I even forgot to keep track of what chapter I'm in; when I was at the end of the chapter, I wasn't ready to let go. I was left speechless for days because I couldn't convert my love for this book into words. Until now, this review falls short of conveying my adoration for In the Event of Love by Courtney Kae.

I associate these lyrics from All Too Well by Taylor Swift when Morgan saw the message of Rachel wanting to meet up:
"Well maybe we got lost in translation
Maybe I asked for too much
But maybe this thing was a masterpiece
'Til you tore it all up
Running scared, I was there
I remember it all too well
And you call me up again
Just to break me like a promise
So casually cruel in the name of being honest
I'm a crumpled up piece of paper lying here
'Cause I remember it all, all, all
Too well"

I was so excited for this! This seemed like such a good way to kick off my 2022 holiday reading, what could be better than a queer Hallmark type Christmas book?

Unfortunately, it didn't quite work out for me. It was a lighthearted and fluffy Christmas book but it lacked any sort of depth or character development. It also lacked the emotion that I think a second chance romance needs (they see each other again after seven years and are pretty much in love again right away without a lot of convo about what happened before and what they want now - and guess what, they repeat the exact same mistakes as they did the first time around)

It also started off VERY slowly and took a while for me to get into it. Some of the humor I just didn't connect with (she tells a coworker she doesn't like to "go fuck a pair of plaid capris" ... I don't know what that means?) It's told strictly from Morgan's point of view and I didn't find her to be a particularly likeable character so it was hard to root for her.

If someone is looking for a fun, fluffy, low angst holiday book with a bit of steam then maybe they'll love it! I just needed a bit more.

I was really hoping to read this and while it wasn't exactly what I was hoping for, I still enjoyed it.

I fell in love with the atmosphere immediately! This story takes place in a small, cozy town called Fern Falls in December. Winter and a sapphic romance? Sounds like the perfect book to me.

The characters were great as well! I loved watching them grow closer together after everything that happened in the past, as well as make new friendships and fix bonds that had been broken.

Plot wise, I was rooting for the characters the whole time, hoping that they would be able to save the farm, and the town by extension.

(minor spoilers start here!! I don't go into specifics though!)

However, I do have a couple complaints about this book.

My main issue was about two thirds into the book, when everything was starting to come together and work out. Of course I expected something to go wrong around this time since there was still a bit left in the book, but I wasn't a fan of the way the fallout happened. Throughout the book, we saw the main characters growing and learning from their past mistakes, and allowing other people into their lives when they hadn't before, but should have. At this point, I was thinking that they really had changed from that, but unfortunately, not so much. One problem turned into a big argument, with the two main characters acting just like they had seven years ago when they stopped speaking to each other. They both made the same mistakes again, without a second thought, and didn't realize that until they separated themselves again. Usually at this part of a book, I start thinking things like, "how are they gonna fix this?". But this time, I just really didn't care that much. I was just disappointed. It all worked out beautifully in the end, but I just couldn't feel bad for them.


This one is just a matter of personal preference, but I wasn't a fan of the spicy parts of the book. There were 2 or 3 chapters dedicated to just that, and again, this is just a personal preference, but it was a little much for me. There was also some dialogue during other chapters in the middle of a conversation or during an event where a character would suddenly just start making sexual advances and I was just like, wow okay, that's happening. Some of it just felt a little weirdly timed to me. It just seemed... excessive.

Thank you to netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have been waiting and anticipating this book since I first laid eyes on the cover. I finally got a chance to read the ARC and not only did the book take my breath away, but I couldn’t put it down. I was rooting for Rachel and Morgan the entire time. They were such an easy couple to fall in love with. I read it in one sitting and loved every page. It’s a touching love story about second chances, finding what’s important to you, and loving who you are. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

If you love winter drinks, being cozy, cheesy hallmark movies, and romance I highly recommend this book. It was everything I could have hoped for and more 💜 it’s definitely going to be one I read every time it snows! ❄️

A special thank you to Courtney Kae for writing this book. Growing up there was absolutely no queer representation in cheesy holiday movies, and for years I’ve been wishing for one. Thank you for making my dreams come true with this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for letting me review this book.

This was a Hallmark movie in a book, just make it sapphic and open door. Unfortunately, I'm not a big Hallmark fan, so this was a little TOO cliched and therefore predictable to be a standout. While I know a lot of romance has some level of predictability, I knew from about the 10% mark EXACTLY how the story would wrap up - which just doesn't work for me personally. Plus I probably spent about 30 minutes trying to sort how a lemon tree is successfully growing in a locale that's completely covered in snow in the winter when I can't even grow one in Texas where we only get measurable snow every few years. Yes I had to stop reading to research on google. No, the location portrayed in this book could not have had a fruiting lemon tree growing outdoors. Yes, I tend to get hung up on and overanalyze small inconsequential details.

Don't get me wrong. I didn't actively dislike the book, it just wasn't to my taste. It was a relatively quick read, the story moved along well, and there were lots of sappy and heartwarming moments (as would be expected). If Hallmark holiday movies are your thing, this is your book.

This romcom was sweet and it’s always nice to get a holiday setting in sapphic romance novels. We do not have enough of that.

This book is cute and worth the read if you love romance and the holidays, just fell a little short for me in certain areas such as humor and some other things that felt a bit bland. Especially since this was such an anticipated read for me this year. Maybe my expectations were just a bit too high.

I loved this established atmosphere and setting. I was transported into a small town during the holiday season every time I sat down to read. The found family trope in this book is also super comforting.

I am looking forward to reading more of the Fern Falls series despite this not being one of my favorite books by any means. I do not want to say goodbye to this universe yet!

Thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for review.

I was always going to enjoy this book. You’d have to write pretty darn poorly for me to not enjoy a small town Christmas second chance sapphic romance!

This book was just very sweet and so full of emotion. I found myself laughing out loud at times and crying at others.

Morgan was such a relatable character. Her own self doubts and the way she treated people because of them, the way she put up walls around herself as protection, felt so real and raw and I understood her completely even if I didn’t always agree with her.

Rachel, I found a little harder to understand, but she was still an absolute delight to read. She was smart and passionate and funny and sweet and the perfect book girlfriend, really.

The supporting characters in this book are all delightful too. I really adored Ben. He’s such a wholesome, patient, kind character and I hope the next book in this series focuses on his and Adam’s relationship!

This was a super cute, sapphic holiday story that had a large amount of representation. It is very comparable to a Hallmark movie and included the spice that I'm always craving. The side characters really made this story and I cannot wait to see them all again. A few times it did feel like it dragged on a bit in the middle, but maybe I was anxious for their happy ending. I know grand heroes are a thing, but I would've liked Rachel and Morgan to have worked out their happy ending together. Overall it was a really sweet read.

If you love Hallmark movies, this is definitely the book for you.

One major theme of this book is the idea of belonging and who belongs where and the idea of finding your place both spatially and emotionally.

I feel I would have connected with this book more if I had liked the setting more - it was just a little too quirky for me.

In the end, this is a LGBT+ fairy tale and it definitely succeeds as that. I highly recommend it to people who need a fairy tale in their lives or any lovers of small town romances.

This book is well-paced, well characterized and excellently written.

I received an eARC from NetGalley and the publishers for review free of charge. Opinions remain my own.

Thanks Netgalley for the copy of this book!
It was adorable, sexy, and left me wanting another book about two of the side characters. That’s always a good sign.

I’m always on the hunt for more sapphic romances and this one really was great if you’re looking for a holiday small town romance. My only complaint would be the ending felt a bit rushed.

Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

“Our scarred hearts deserve a different story, a better one”

Morgan Ross is a successful event planner in L.A. but after a very public mistake turned media disaster she is forced to return to her hometown of Fern Falls where she will have to face her strained relationships with her father, her first love Rachel and her friends and community she left behind.

This was such a good read! A second Chance romance pairs perfectly with the Holidays, and this book hit every single mark perfectly.

The book starts with the plot quickly, so we get a lot of time to connect with the characters and each one of them is lovely, even the ones that you want to punch you get to care for them, is the holiday spirit that gets to you!

But for me, the connection between Morgan and Rachel takes the cake, it's sweet and also pretty steamy, and it feels a bit of a coming of age story because we see them resolving their past together but also their own particular issues, and you can't help but root for them the entire way.

I really enjoyed this story and I can not wait for Ben and Adam! And hopefully Whitney and Tanner too.

(btw, I cannot stress this enough, I would kill for a chapter in Rachel's POV!!!!)

I received an ARC of this book to read and review. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for
this opportunity.

This one was just okay for me. The plot started off a little slow but I did enjoy the wintery, small town vibes. This was a romance that didn't have quite enough 'wow factor' to make it stand out from other similar contemporary romances, but of course I really liked the f/f aspect.

5/5⭐️
2.5/5🌶

Morgan Ross is an event planner in LA, and after stumbling into a PR nightmare of a scandal she returns to her small-town home in the mountains. There, in Fern Falls, she begins organizing a fundraiser for the town and reconnects with old friends, family, and gets a second chance at her high school love.

"'𝘞𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦.' 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦."

In the Event of Love is such an adorable gay holiday romance. I loved the vibes of this book, the relationships, the humour—it was just so fun and heartwarming. I also loved the way this book tackled deeper topics like strained families, alcoholism, self worth and sexuality. I really enjoy when books have a good balance of fluffy romance and emotional character arcs and this book delivered!

Morgan was my favourite. I felt like her character was really relatable, and the way she grows throughout the story was great. She dealt with so much self worth issues and loneliness, and I was so happy when she was finally able to open herself up to everyone again. I loved her relationship with Rachel, they were so adorable together and it was lovely watching their progression. It was really sad learning about what was happening in Rachel’s life though, and how that affected both her and Morgan, her family and the business. But through that we get to see them supporting each other, and the strength in their friendship and partnership is really sold.

"'𝘐𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦. 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘐’𝘮 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩.'"

The side characters were also amazing and not lacking at all. Christy namely, even though she was meant to be the unlikeable main antagonist throughout the book she was actually quite a nuanced character, and by the end her change of heart was such a nice moment. Her character was a mirror to Morgan’s, and I’m so glad she grew too and chose to live her life for herself. I’m also so intrigued by Ben, and I really REALLY hope we get a book following him in the future.

I’d highly recommend reading this if you want a holiday themed sapphic love story with some moderately explicit spicy moments and great character development.

"'𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬?' 𝘐 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦. '𝘈𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺.'"

**If there’s anything I want to criticize this book over, for me it would be the epilogue. It felt really jarring how *that* just happens. I understand that it was a way to fit in the complete happily ever after ending and bring their love story full circle but it just hit wrong for me personally.**

In the Event of Love
(Fern Falls #1)


The book is a beautiful hallmark type story. I do love how the author adds diversity into the story with the supporting cast. It’s a sweet and very sexy story line. Cozy Holiday Vibes with a sexy sapphic romance.

The Main Characters had a great chemistry. I really enjoyed this book, it’s my first book by the author and it won’t be my last.

I would like to thank the author and NetGalley for the Arc 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! I highly recommend this book.

EEeeeeeEEEEeee this has me so ready for Hallmark Christmas movie season, though the movies will undoubtably be less satisfyingly gay.

In The Event of Love is a sweet and spicy Christmas Romcom featuring a second chance romance between two bisexual heroines teaming up to save a small-town Christmas tree farm — and the town itself, which is about to be bought up by an evil corporation.

Though I have some quibbles with a few minor plot points (the epilogue in particular had a strange moment that I didn’t like, and I was not a fan of the way the third act conflict went down), for the most part this sweet little romance had the perfect blend of Hallmark-y tropes and sapphic sexual tension.

For real, the spice here was good and I very much enjoyed the flirtations between the two characters. The chemistry was solid and believable. I don’t normally love second chance romance, but with a love interest like Rachel Reed…I’d be moving back to Fern Falls, too. It all worked and it worked for me!

There were plenty of secondary characters making googly eyes at other secondary characters, so this is my official request for Courtney Kae to explore some of those in a future novel!!!

PERFECT FOR FANS OF:
🧡 Christmas Romances
🧡 Happily Ever Afters
🧡 Second Chance Romances
🧡 Small Town Vibes
🧡 Sapphic Romances

It may seem a little too early for a Christmas romance, but for me, it's never too early. I absolutely adore all things Christmas and romance.

I was a little nervous about starting this one. I find I rarely enjoy a second chance romance, but this one had a lot to love.

The small town vibes were great, and it made me want to immediately drive to Mammoth with Christmas music on the radio and hot cocoa in my tumbler. The town's residents were sweet, loving, quirky, and loaded with representation, including LGBTQIA+, multiple races, and religions.

I enjoyed the deeper subplots in this book. A lot of romance books are fairly surface level, but this one had real family issues that both the romantic leads were dealing with. I was also pleasantly surprised by the female friendships because I'm so tired of women tearing each other down to move the plot along.

My only real complaint was the pacing of the romance between the leads. I felt like their past issues were resolved too quickly, and when the inevitable third act breakup occurs, all the growth Morgan showed is gone. However, I really loved Rachel. We need more lumberjanes in our sapphic Christmas romances.

If you love steamy, sapphic love stories with Hallmark movie vibes. I highly recommend this one.

This will be published on August 30, 2022.

Thank you to Kensington and NetGalley for the gifted copy of this book. All opinions above are my own.

Morgan Ross is on the road to success. She's about to get a coveted promotion to head the NYC branch of a famous event planning business. Everything goes to crap when she ends up, through no fault of her own, on tabloids everywhere. Forced by her boss to leave LA and "take some time off", she heads home to Fern Falls, where her heart was broken in oh-so-many places. She decides to take a job planning a fund raising event there in the hopes that the fundraiser will be a success and it will save her career. 

She knows she will have to face her one time best friend and eventual crush, Rachel Reed. who stopped talking to her when they kissed. That kiss, 7 years later, is still fresh in Morgan's mind and is the reason she never managed to commit to anyone. When she finds out the fundraiser she is supposed to plan is to save Rachel's tree farm from being turned into an outlet mall by a corporation, she knows this event has to be a resounding success. T add insult to injury, the mastermind behind this takeover is her father's past girlfriend, who jilted his marriage proposal publicly and abandoned them. Oh, it's on! Take it, corporate America! Let's save the town! 

This book was a delight! It's cheesy and Hallmark-y but in the best possible way (and in no Hallmark fashion, there is some nice steam in it!). This "second chance"/ friends to lovers story is perfect for when you want to get hit right in the feels. The secondary characters are quirky, fun (we even have a "witchy coven of aunts") and diverse. I hope we get to read about them too. Will Adam and Ben get together? Will Tanner manage to woo Whitney? May them find their HEA, just like Petunia Pie and Pickle Pop!

Rep: queer romance; LGBTQIA+rep (including a trans character); ethnic diversity

Possible triggers: dealing with an alcoholic parent, abandonment 

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.   Thank you @NetGalley, Kensington books and the author for the advanced copy.

This book seemed like a very generic Christmas romance book. Nothing about this plot seemed original. I have read to many books and seen to many movies with a simliar plot to this one. Nothing really stood out to me in this book. Persoanlly I think you can skip this book.

Wow!! It was the perfect combination of romantic comedy in the perfect setting. The author did such a fantastic job describing the small little mountain town in December that it just made me want to pack my bags up (including a suitcase full of books of course) and rent a cottage in the mountains to sit in front of the fireplace and read! I loved the different characters in this book and loved to see how they grew over the years and in the short span of this novel. I really hope there is a follow book in this same universe because I really loved the setting and the small town charm that just flows through the pages. Overall, I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants a fun rom com, especially during the winter/holiday time!

I’ve been reading romance for a year now, and this was the first F/F book I’ve finished. If you find reading outside of your usual romance lanes a little intimidating, please just allow me to remind you that love is love and all good romance novels have a few things in common besides the HEA. For instance…

☕️ A main character with a caffeine addiction.
🌲 A love interest who smells like the forest.
🔥 Forearm porn.
🥵 Grey sweatpants.

In the Event of Love is Courtney Kae’s debut, and it’s such a swoony, second chance romance about two childhood friends who drift apart to lead very different lives. But when a big corporation threatens the small town of Fern Falls, the pair reunite to save the town with a fundraiser. A sexy lumberjane and a Hollywood event planner plus their quirky supporting cast serve all the cozy Christmas, Hallmark vibes.

Side note on the cozy: This book has more references to flavored hot beverages than all the holiday books I read last year combined ☕️ @court_kae, do you have a hot chocolate bar in your home year round? Inquiring minds need to know 😂

🌲This book is out at the end of the month! Special thanks to @kensingtonbooks and the author for the advanced copy 🌲