I wish I liked this book. I really wanted to. I just couldn’t get past the main character’s negative and vague inner monologue.

I loved the premise of In the Event of Love-- Morgan, fleeing bad press, returns to her small town to help plan a local charity event-- which turns out to be for her ex-best-friend-slash-crush's family farm. Morgan and Rachel had a falling out just after high school graduation and haven't spoken since, and feelings immediately come back up. Morgan decides to help Rachel raise the money she needs to save her farm from the large corporation trying to buy it (spearheaded by Morgan's father's ex-girlfriend).
The dynamic between Morgan and Rachel is great-- there's a lot of tension, a lot of sweet moments, and a lot of steamier ones, too.

I liked In the Event of Love. I wanted to love it, and I almost did, but there were a few things that held me back from that:
1. When Morgan decides to return to her hometown, her boss offers the company's support in planning the event, which is never really mentioned again. Morgan does reach out to her at the last minute, but it was kind of jarring for it not to be brought up before then. I kept waiting for the moment when she leaned on her team of professional event planners, but it never came, and there was no explanation as to why.
2. The epilogue kind of ruined it for me. Morgan and Rachel have a big blow up and don't speak for seven years. Then they're together for less than a month, and then have another big blow up and get back together. The epilogue takes place a few months later, when Rachel proposes to Morgan and leads her straight to a surprise wedding when Morgan says yes. It felt way too rushed and pulled me out of the story enough to knock down a full star for it.

Courtney Kae's In the Event of Love is the steamy, sapphic Hallmark movie of your dreams! Kae creates the coziest holiday winter setting in Fern Falls, while the budding romance between her two leads burns red hot. Morgan and Rachel are both loveable characters working through relatable issues, and readers will quickly root for them to make it work this second time around. The themes of broken family and grief are handled with care, and the cast of secondary characters screams to have books of their own! I couldn't put this one down! It is truly a cup of hot cocoa in book form.

4.5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for proving this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Where do I start this book just was everything you want in a sapphic holiday romance it was so cute !! Both characters were written so well and extremely likeable in their character and character development and I think the author did a good job at the characterisation of them both. I also loved the town and the way the town was described and portrayed, as someone from a small town this felt very realistic ! Also the smut scenes were written very well and i didn’t find them to be cringe in the slightest which sometimes tends to happen when i’m reading contemporary romance. I think the author did an extremely good job with that.

Going into this book I didn’t expect any found family and was pleasantly surprised there was some (I don’t know why I didn’t think there would be any it’s a Holiday book after all) !! I just think this part really made the book even better and I was glad to see that not only a romantic relationship was explored but there were also a lot of friend and family relationships that were explored and built. While I would have loved a bit more development (especially family wise) I was very happy it was there to begin with.

The only negative thing I would have to say is, it did feel a little rushed sometimes with the romance in my opinion (that could completely be up to the fact that they use to be best friends and had that history) but I would have loved to see a little more development in that area. It felt like they were still struggling with what happened with the main character leaving the town for years and no contact between them and the ‘make up’ section felt short in comparison to the hurt the li felt when she left and came back suddenly. I was glad however that they showed the li brother being weary of main character coming back because the best friend seemed to not be that hurt at her leaving for how many years? and it felt like at least someone was cautious of her which you would expect after she left for 7 years I believe with no contact. I know personally I wouldn’t just be okay if someone did that to me. Despite that though as I mentioned previously I was rooting for the main character and i’m glad they built on the reason she ‘runs’ when things get tough almost and the author did a good job of getting resenting real characters instead of two dimensional ones that we sometimes see in romance.

Apart from that though I just really loved this book and the writing and I cant wait to (i’m hoping) to see other characters and relationships to be explored from this book in future books !! I think this book has the potential to become very big especially for readers getting into contemporary romance and I cant wait to read more of this authors work. I would 100%, definitely recommend this book to others !!

THIS BOOK!!!! Courtney really gave us the steamy, Sapphic, second chance romance, Hallmark movie book of our dreams and we can only thank her for her service. Five stars to everything from the festive small town charm to the incredibly sexy lumberjane love interest - I read this book in two days and haven't stopped thinking about it since!

Oh my goodness, IN THE EVENT OF LOVE was one of my most-anticipated books of 2022 and it did not disappoint. This is holiday romance at its best. Morgan is such a delight, and her chemistry with Rachel sizzles. ITEOL is swoony, fun, and heartfelt. I want to live in Fern Falls forever.

Cozy, heartwarming, and ADORABLE! Morgan travels back home to help save her first love Rachel’s family tree farm and their town from a corporation along with their childhood friends. This romance has the vibes of a steaming cup of hot chocolate with a generous amount of whip cream and marshmallows.

If you're looking for a Holiday romance to get you into the spirit of the season, then this is your book! Morgan is living her best life in LA until a media scandal sends her back to the small hometown she ran away from. And literally back into the arms of the woman who broke her heart (there's a tripping incident). Will Morgan and Rachel make amends? Guess you're going to have to find out and read this book!

What can I say about this book other than it is MAGICAL?! Courtney's debut is swoony and so sweet. Like a Hallmark Christmas movie, but with strong character development and a f/f romantic pairing. Everyone buy this book!

When I seen the cover and read the description I knew I had to snag me a copy of In the Event of Love.
And it was better than I anticipated.
Courtney Kae draws readers into her book with a pretty cover and a cute synopsis.
The author more than delivers with her amazing and lovable characters, engaging plot line, swoony romance, and unique setting.
This book was so special. It was beautifully written, full of touching moments, amazing people, wonderful humor. Everything I look for in a great romance novel, this book had it.
I absolutely loved this book and Kae has a new place in my heart for all the romance stories my little heart can stand.
I can't wait for book two!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Kensington Books,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review closer to pub date.

Delightful. I love second chance romances when the main characters haven't waited decades to reconnect. Morgan Ross is an event planner in Los Angeles. She has been steadily building up her career to get A-list events. When she becomes part of a viral blow-up her boss suggests she take a month and lay low. She returns to her hometown in the mountains five hours away. She hasn't been back since after her high school graduation. On day one at home she re-meets up with her HS best friend and first love Rachel Reed. Her tree farm is behind on payments and a big corporation wants the land for an outlet mall. Morgan wants to rally and plan an event to help Rachel and the town itself.

This is such a sweet book. The characters are kind but everyone has had challenges. There is snow in the air, Christmas on the horizon and a community that needs someone to bring them together. I like how the author lets Ross and Rachel (I smile every time I think of them that way) talk about their miscommunications from their past. Morgan's insecurities and her relationship with her dad are realistic. I love the friend group that welcomes Morgan home after she's been gone seven years. This is a formula book that is so well written it makes me laugh, cry and leaves me feeling very happy. I got a chance to read this early but it will be available for a winter or holiday read. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is so cozy and adorable!! A highly recommended first purchase for collections where contemporary romance is popular.

From the first chapter, this book was a roller coaster ride of good vibes! So.much.joy. I couldn’t put it down. Completely invested in #morthewhore (have to read it to find out!). Each character was completely drawn out - no one dimensional people here. The arc of Morgan’s fragile relationship with her father was so well done. And the author did not shy away from the sex scenes either (I am a fan of the open door … or open tent!). As a person of color, I also appreciated that when one person was described as brown, another was described as white - it’s the detail!!! The main draw, of course, was the sweet, developed love story between sassy Morgan and her shy Lumberjane. Recommend 100 percent.

This book is like a hug. A delightfully steamy, Hallmark romcom of a hug. I laughed out loud multiple times while reading this, and immediately wanted to be friends with Morgan. If Fern Falls is the Schitt's Creek of Christmas towns, then Morgan Ross is its Alexis. And what's not to love about sexy lumberjane Rachel Reed? Their chemistry was STEAMY, and much like the conspiring Fern Falls townsfolk, I was rooting for this second chance romance from the moment Morgan crashed into Rachel's sign (and into her flannel-clad arms). I couldn't put this one down, needing to see these two get their well-deserved Happily Ever After. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that the cast of characters outside of the main couple were equally as endearing, and I cannot wait to read more from Courtney Kae!