When I read the description for In the Event of Love I couldn’t wait to read this story of two old friends reconnecting a few years later in a wintery mountain setting. Although I generally enjoyed the story, I initially had a hard time connecting with the main characters, especially Morgan. There wasn’t too much initially that made me want to learn more and invest in this character. The story did have redeeming qualities in a Hallmark movie sort of way, but overall the writing seemed flat. 3 stars

I received an ARC from Kensington Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book had its charm. As former sweethearts, Morgan and Rachel have a rocky start when they reconnect. Still they can't stop caring for one another. I thought some events happened a bit too quickly, but enjoyed the story overall. Morgan makes mistakes, but she changes for the better. 3.5/5

Content Warnings: Loss of parent due to cancer and an alcoholic family member.

Formula wise this book has a lot of tropes, and themes, that I love, we have childhood BFFs with a second chance at romance, set in a small town at Christmas…and yet I didn’t love this book like I thought I would.

This book is set entirely from the perspective of Morgan Ross…who I found to be really unlikeable and narcissistic. Understandably when Morgan originally left home she was young and immature but it felt like she didn’t really do any emotional growth during the seven years she was away. If we’d gotten Rachel’s POV, as well, maybe I could have connected to her perspective, and it would have helped me understand why everyone so readily forgave Morgan’s behavior.

I wish more time would have been spent on Morgan self-reflecting and perhaps getting therapy to help her work through the trauma she still let’s affect her relationships…instead of so much time having Morgan blame everyone else for the problems she’s faced. With the lack of time spent on self-reflection, although this book ends with a seemingly HEA, it really just feels like an HFN. I don’t feel like the story showed growth in Morgan, in a way that would lead me to believe she won’t self-sabotage again…and that makes me so sad.

When I originally read the summary of this book I was so excited to read a sapphic romance, between two estranged childhood best friends, and watch a second chance romance occur in a small town during the holiday season…sadly this book just didn’t hit me in the feels like I thought it would. The flashbacks and stories told to Morgan, by her father and old boss, gave me the warm fuzzy feelings I was looking for but the overall story just fell flat for me.

Y’all this book was a literal lesbian Hallmark movie and I am here for it!! The classic romance trope of estranged best friends in a small town with a Christmas tree farm then throw in some icy accidents for fun. Morgan and Rachel’s love story will give you all the feels! It’s funny and cute as well as showing the importance of family, friends, and home. Read this book for a warm and cozy Hallmark romance while drinking a hot chocolate. Coming soon this holiday season! 

Thanks NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Reading In The Event of Love was such an experience, I felt seen because for the first time since ever I read a book with bisexual representation. This book had representation galore for LGBTQ+ and I loved that most of all. The only reason I didn’t give it a five star was just a few editorial errors here and there but nothing too major!

I particularly wanted to see how Morgan would navigate the broken relationship with her dad because I found myself relating a whole lot to that part of the book too. Not the exact situation of course, but the feelings that were there of wanting to fix the relationship but not quite knowing how.

Now let’s talk about Rachel Reed 😍❤️ the moment she was introduced in the book I was clapping and jumping in a very literal sense. If you think her holding an axe in the cover is hot just wait until you see her chopping wood! And i say see because this book made it so easy to be able to picture the story as if it were a nice and cozy Christmas movie.

One of the things I felt throughout the book in regards to the community of Fern Falls was just happy because of the support and acceptance of sexual orientation which as we know in reality it can be quite the opposite so this book just does a great job at creating a safe place for the characters to interact and it also makes it a safe place for the reader. I am definitely planning on buying the actual physical copy of the book when it comes out to be able to have it on my bookshelf :)

This book is utterly wonderful. It gave me Hallmark movie feelings of the best kind with some hot sexy times in between. The characters are nothing short but lovely and what I especially liked was the exquisite pining that practically jumps off page. Morgan and Rachel are a truly wonderful couple with so much love and feeling between them that it's impossible not to swoon.
At times, I felt like some scenes dragged a little and some of the sentiments (especially Morgan's internal monologues) were repeating themselves at times, which is why I was able to put the book down in between and not devour it in one sitting, which in turn is why I gave this four stars, but that might just be me. As I said, I thought this was wonderful, it gave me all the feelings and I wished myself into this small, quirky mountain town more than once. Treeshow? Lovely bar and coffee shop? That sounds like my kind of gig. I am already super excited for when I can re-read this come winter and for the next installment of this lovely Series.

In the Event of Love is the perfect feel-good holiday romance novel. Courtney Kae definitely delivers on the cozy hometown vibes. It’s the kind of book you want to curl up with in front of the fireplace with after you’ve eaten your weight in holiday treats.

After a drunken mistake at a bar goes viral, Morgan Ross returns to her hometown of Fern Falls to get away from the tabloids and to try to get her career back on track. However, Morgan hasn’t been back to the small mountain town in years. Not since that fateful night when her best friend and high school crush, Rachel Reed, walked out of her life. But now, thanks to old high school pal Ben, Morgan finds herself planning a fundraiser to help save the town - including Rachel’s tree farm.

Ben, bless him, he might be my fav character. I love a good meddling friend scheme 😂 I hope we get a book about him (and maybe Adam? 👀) at some point. Overall, I really enjoyed In the Event of Love! I felt like the ending was maybe a smidge rushed, but I can totally see myself coming back to this book in December. Also, inquiring minds would like to know where I sign up to get my official fairy name 🧚🏻‍♀️

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

Single POV
Second-chance, friends to lovers sapphic romance
Big city event-planner FMC
Small town lumberjane FMC
Bisexual representation

Thank you, Kensington, for allowing me to read In the Event of Love early!

I devoured this book in a matter of hours. I just couldn't stop reading because of the mighty need to know how it would end. This sapphic romantic comedy is perfection in my eyes. No negative feedback whatsoever. Head-to-toe excellence.

I really enjoyed this queer rom-com - it was so adorable to see Morgan and Rachel's romance rekindled and I also thought that the cast of supporting characters was great as well (bring on Adam and Ben's book, please!). It was a sweet and quick read!

I enjoyed this book! LGBTQ reads are always my first pick and this one was captivating and had me spending a weekend afternoon lost in its pages!

This book was everything I was expecting and then some. The queer holiday Hallmark romance that we've all been dying for. The corporate business lady who returns home to her once kissed Lumber Jane, enemies to lovers, found family, requited blood family reconciliations; this book had it all. I would recommend this to anyone wanting a great winter read. I'm already looking forward to reading it again with a mug of hot chocolate while the snow falls!

This was definitely like a steamy hallmark holiday movie, but sadly it was a bit too steamy. It felt like when the author didn't know what else to do they just stuck in another sex scene. It was fine but just more than I am used to.

4.5 stars

Friends to lovers! Second chance romance! Homecoming story! Small town charm! I was pretty much destined to love this, and I DID.

God, this was just the sweetest romance. There is so much that I loved about it. First and foremost, the romance itself: Morgan and Rachel are so incredibly cute together. What I always look for in a romance is a sense that the characters need to be together; like if I'm not rooting for them, then what even is the point of reading the romance to begin with? And listen, I was rooting for Morgan and Rachel so hard!!!! You really get a feel for how much history they have--I loved the little tidbits we got of their time together as kids and teens--and that history translates so well into the dynamic that they come to have as adults. They care for each other so deeply, and you see it in every one of their scenes, in the big moments and in the small ones--and Kae is especially good at writing those small moments, too, the little things and details that, to me, speak so much louder than the big, punchy moments often do.

Aside from the romance, there are also so many other things that impressed me about this novel. For one, the narrative voice is pitch perfect. I feel like when it comes to narrative voice, a lot of the contemporary romances I've read try really hard to be quirky and funny in a way that ends up being offputting rather than charming. You feel like they're trying really hard because they are trying really hard. I never felt like that was the case here, though. Morgan's narrative voice was just right all the way through: fun in a way that gives the narrative levity without it feeling forced or cringey.

Another thing that stood out to me about In the Event of Love is how it manages to effectively develop a sense of community with memorable side characters and plots. The story is set in a small, tight-knit town in the winter, and Kae does such a great job at bringing to life the charming ~vibes~ of this town. It's a setting I normally don't gravitate towards--I was never a Cozy Winter kind of person--but it just worked so well here. Plus you've got a host of other side characters that get their chance to shine--namely Morgan's friends, Ben and Adam (I can't wait for their book!!!!), and her dad--without detracting from or overpowering the main romantic plotline.

I don't know what else to say--I just loved this a whole lot. It flows well, it's well paced and well written, and it's a debut to boot, which makes it that much more impressive. You can really tell just how much time and care has gone into this book, and that translates into such an endearing and moving reading experience. It's one thing for a book to make me cry because it's sad, but for a book to make me cry because it's happy?? That's when I know I have a new favourite on my hands.

Thanks so much to Kensington Books for providing me with an e-ARC of this via NetGalley!

Courtney Kae's debut novel is a warm holiday treat filled with friendship, family and a steamy romance. When Morgan heads back home to redeem herself for a very public professional goof, she knows she has much to make up for in the small town of Fern Falls as well since she left years ago with nary a backward glance. But the town is as welcoming as ever, and she's dismayed to discover that it's on the brink of disaster, if the local conglomeration can get its hands in there. Along with her loyal friends and the girl she thought she'd lost a long time ago, she hopes to save both her own professional reputation and the many independent businesses struggling to stay afloat. In the Event of Love is a real Hallmark Christmas movie with a much appreciated queer twist.

Morgan and Rachel have my whole heart! This story about second chances and returning home was exactly what I needed. From the picturesque setting to the fantastic cast of characters to the swoony romance, I didn't want this story to end. I can't wait to see what Courtney Kae writes next!

What’s better than a second-chance sapphic romance? One that is sent in December in a cozy mountain town!

Morgan Ross has spent the past seven years becoming a successful event planner all to have it come crashing down in a minute. To overcome this woeful turn of events, Morgan will have to return to her home town and plan the event of her life. Easy, right? Wrong! Returning home means seeing the girl she loved all those years ago and working side-by-side to save her family’s tree farm. Will she make it out of Fern Falls without her heart breaking all over again?

The bi-representation and support from family, friends, and the community truly did it for me. Morgan and Rachel felt like real people with real problems. Their chemistry was undeniable from the very beginning. I wish I lived in a town like Fern Falls!

A steamy queer romance in a beautiful Christmas landscape, full of love, laughs, and lessons. What more could you ask for? In the Event of Love is a refreshing story, with well-thought out and honestly written complex characters, with complex relationships, and thorough backstories, providing an incredible look further into the individuals you come to know and love. Morgan and Rachel’s relationship is certainly not one without bumps and curves, but it is real—their love and passion for one another is raw and apparent, even when not entirely clear. Courtney Kae writes a stunning story that will draw you in, tug on your heartstrings, and make you care so deeply for these wonderful characters. A must read for all queer romance lovers!

This is basically a pure sapphic Hallmark movie in a book, which is excellent. There is the basic premise of a city girl returning to her small town reconnecting with her roots and her ex/ex-bestfriend. The one non-Hallmark aspect is the spicy scenes (which are only jarring if you are so used to the Hallmark format like me).
The ending was pleasantly surprising because I found a simple ending where a Hallmark movie would cut to Happily Ever After was achieved, but then the book continues and develops the relationship more. The way it discusses their future more in a way that I had higher hopes for the couple to actually work out in the long term.

[All thoughts are my own] I thoroughly enjoyed this adorable and steamy romance! It was giving me strong "'tis the damn season" vibes (#gaylor). Kae created a fun small town with memorable characters. The main romance was off the charts. I can't wait for more in this series!

This book is the perfect LGBTQ hallmark romance. Morgan is a superstar event coordinator who ends up going home to be out of the spotlight after a PR nightmare. Morgan never thought she would find herself back home after her heart was broken there by her best friend, Rachel.

The memory of their perfect, doomed first kiss is still fresh as new-fallen snow. Way fresher than the freezing mud Morgan ends up sprawled in on her very first day back, only to be hauled out via Rachel’s sexy new lumberjane muscles acquired from running her family tree farm.

When Morgan discovers that the Reeds’ struggling tree farm is the only thing standing between Fern Falls and corporate greed destroying the whole town’s livelihood, she decides she can put heartbreak aside to save the farm by planning her best fundraiser yet.

I really enjoyed the characters of Morgan & Rachel. I loved The Whole idea of the book (I’m a sucker for a hallmark movie!) I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.