This one read like a cozy and comfy hallmark rom-com - in the best way possible. I felt like there was actual connection and communication between our main characters. The fact that this hardly contained any of the miscommunication trope was honestly refreshing. At times it was a bit too cheesy - the villain who quickly turns around and admits her faults, the parent/child relationship quickly being fixed, an event seamlessly pulled off...BUT sometimes we have to suspend some disbelief with holiday romances.

I loved the small town, cozy vibes and the idyllic inclusivity, but it just wasn’t enough to salvage Morgan. Morgan, the main character, was annoying to the extent I could not overlook it as she was constantly in your face doing or saying or thinking one ridiculous thing after another. The romance was rushed, the conflict cringe-worthy, the ending was a succession of perfect-happy-ending-bows. Sadly, this was just not it.

This is a very enjoyable and lovely book to read. I really enjoyed the characters, the pace and the way in which it was written. If was an easy read and would highly recommend it. Also, I am Obsessed with that gorgeous coverrrrr.

The amount of queer holiday books that have been released this year is joyously astounding. Seeing media begin to not only embrace but promote queer stories has been such a wonderful transition from how things were even just a few years ago. Granted, I understand most companies don’t do this out of altruism or pride. They go where the money is and have finally started to embrace that those in the LGBT+ community have purchasing power outside of June. While I can’t always show support with my wallet, I did pre-order 3 or 4 Sapphic holiday novels once they were announced. In the Event of Love was one of those ordered long before I was granted access to an ARC.
 
Unfortunately, this book was just fine for me. Not great, not awful, just fine. My biggest problem is that phrases and dialogue are used that have become trite. It’s yet another book that uses “mediocre white man” and “smash the patriarchy.” Which, yes absolutely, but there has to be another way of wording these ideas. Of course I may just be online too much, or have read too many books by people with the same type of vocabulary. At this point though, it just feels like a bot inserted those lines, instead of an actual living, breathing human being.
 
The main character also started out pretty unlikeable for me, but eventually was just bland. The rest of the characters and the chemistry between the leads were all just bland. I will absolutely concede that I may not be in the space for this type of book which may have impacted my lack of buy-in. I’d be down to try it again next year to see if this experience changes. However, there is one character who feels as if they are never enough who ironically continuously makes others feel as if they are not enough. My opinion will stay the same that they need therapy no matter how many re-reads occur.
 
Upside for those looking for steam, they fuck. A lot. They think about it, talk about it, allude to wanting it, do it. It’s steam city here and there ain’t nothing fading to black.
 
In the end, while this wasn’t what I’d hoped for, I’m glad it exists. More queer stories need to be told. Those that are good, bad, mediocre, and the rare ones that are utterly perfect. One of the wonderful things about books is that my mediocre is someone else’s perfect.
 
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After a not-her-fault career ruining moment happens in front of a camera, Morgan Ross makes the hard decision to return home. To her at arms length father. And Rachel. The best friend turned crush she left behind right after high school. After suffering heartbreaking losses in her youth, Morgan has spent the last few years trying to prove she's worthy and pushing anyone away who tries to get too close. If she can leave first, she won't experience such severe heartbreak again. With her career on the line, Morgan sets out to pull off an event of a lifetime. One that'll save her hometown of Fern Falls from encroaching developers, and will also provide her with career saving publicity in the process. She just didn't anticipate also finding out that she hadn't left Fern Falls, and Rachel, as far behind as she thought.

This book will turn even the Grinchiest heart into a Mariah Carey level Christmas lover by the end of the book!! Morgan and Rachels chemistry is sizzlingly hot, and watching them find each other again leads to one of the very best love stories I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Fern Falls is such a wonderful little town that if it actually existed I'd be booking a Christmas vacation there asap! Add in the fact that each and every character is a gem in their own right, I have to confidently say this is the hands down very best Sapphic Christmas story I've ever had the pleasure of getting lost in. Easy five stars, and I truly can't wait to read Ben and Adams story next!!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Books, and Courtney Kae for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is a cute and cozy Christmas second-chance sapphic romance with small town vibes, which I am a sucker for! In classic Hallmark-esque fashion, this is about a woman who leaves the big city to visit her small hometown to plan a big event in order to renew her image at work because she makes a mistake that put her job on the line, but ends up having to hash up old wounds with her ex-friend Rachel, volunteers to help Rachel with her family’s struggling tree farm and navigates through communication, digging deep into what it is she truly wants, and hopefully making it through to the other side to have a HEA with the woman she loves and has been yearning for for years *swoon*

This is an amazing book to curl up and savor on a chilly winter day!

This second chance romance had me swooning. I really enjoyed the characters growth and development and was hooked from beginning to end. Morgan and Rachel’s love story is epic and I cannot wait to pick up the audiobook and fall in love all over again!

I loved the concept of this romance - Former best friends who had a falling out and who fall in love for a second time. The fact that Morgan was going to help her small town survive seemed like the making of a great romance.

The things I liked
- I loved the small-town vibes along with the festivals
- I enjoyed the supporting characters
- the drama was rightly dramatic and made sense for the story
- The spicy scenes were great * chefs kiss

Things I didn't love
- Morgan's selfishness - she constantly forgot about how things affected other
- The repeat conflict - like full circle all over again

However, this was a cute romance, with some super spice

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was the last book in the now IG infamous "Holigays" group that I had left to read. I initially downloaded the first few samples for free on Amazon but when I got approved for the ARC I screeched.

If you are looking for a fun, Hallmark style, LGBTQ rom-com with all the holiday feels, this is the one you should be picking up. It was my personal reading goal this year to read more sapphic romance and I think I accomplished that. This was probably the last F/F romance I'll be able to get to this year but it was one of the best I came across! I'm very excited to see the continuation of this world and Kae's characters. You can bet I'll be checking out whatever this author writes next!

This book sincerely made me sob. It checks off all of the typical Hallmark holiday tropes and it's honestly just so sweet.

This was fine. I didnt connect really with the main character and thought it would benefit from a dual POV. The town was fun and I liked the side characters more than the main.

A cute f/f holiday romance! Definitely has the chemistry and the hallmark vibes. The whole city girl comes back into her town and has a way to save it. Cliche but really cute. I enjoyed reading this. It’s just not one i don’t think I will remember deeply.

Well this was a Hallmark-ishy with a splash of spice-delight! So many moments in this book warmed my heart, got me into the holiday spirit and honestly, this book is just another example that I can totally love big city to small town and second chance romance tropes when done right! Morgan was a funny and relatable MC, I fell in love with Rachel as soon as we met her and the relationships with all the small townsfolk just had me 🥺. Can I move there? I wanna work on a Christmas tree farm! LOL. That being said, I was also mad at Morgan for running away and thinking like the lives of people in this town are small - broke my heart. These are good people, with big hearts and the sense of community is like no other. I’m glad she figured that out in the end.

Also, can we talk about how I totally need an Adam and Ben book??? PLZ, PLZ, pretty please!?

Thank you to the author, the Holigays22 group, Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I really wanted to like this and I’m not sure if it just wasn’t right for me right now or what but I just really struggled to enjoy it as much as I thought i would.

I had to keep rereading a lot of it because it just seemed all over the place.

I did like the characters a lot though and related to them!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for alllowing me to read this arc in exchange for my honest review

This was just like a hallmark movie except gayer, which is exactly what I wanted. It was very sweet with a lot of heart and hurt in the main characters life. I look forward to reading more in the future from Courtney Kae!

In the Event of Love by Courtney Kae is reminiscent of the typical holiday romance books and movies we all love with a couple of exceptions. First, the couple in this book is two females. Second, the romance portion gets MUCH spicier than anything those other books (or movies) even allude to. With that being said, I would highly recommend this title to anybody that’s looking for a holiday romance.

The main characters more or less follow the standard format…Morgan is the big city professional that needs a break from the city and escapes to her charming hometown. Once there, she encounters her childhood best friend (and former love interest), Rachel, who now runs the family Christmas tree farm. A shared challenge gradually brings Rachel and Morgan back together in a professional sense, but will they be able to maintain that professionalism as old feelings rise to the surface?

The main thing that initially drew me to this book was the adorably illustrated cover. It does a great job of alluding to Rachel and Morgan’s professions as well as their relationship. It also does a great job setting the scene for the story.

As far as the book itself, the author does a great job incorporating humor into the romantic elements. This is what really drew me into the beginning of the story as we’re getting to know Morgan. The two main characters obviously have flaws and they both recognize those flaws and grow as individuals by the end of the book. There are quite a few side characters that make regular appearances, but I felt that helped create the small town feel. I wasn’t sure that everything was going to be resolved by the end of the book, but I was pleasantly surprised with how everything turned out. One key factor is that I was left with that warm satisfaction that I’ve come to expect when enjoying a holiday romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to review a digital ARC of this title.

This was a cute sapphic romcom that just tried to do too much. It’s a small town romance, second chance, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers all while also saving the town’s Christmas tree farm from corporate greed. It needed to maybe do a little less, but it was an enjoyable read.

Thank you so much to @kensingtonbooks.


Bonus points for the term “lumberjane!”

I liked this one! I would say it's about a 4 to 5-flame rating. The storyline was very on-brand for the holidays, throwing in a family reunion after much distance after a loss.

What can I say, sapphic Christmas romances are my jam. I absolutely do not like slow burn, though, and wouldn't you know, this book was so fast-paced and funny that I didn't even care about the slow burn being there in the first place (that speaks to great writing talent, let me tell you, I DNF more slow-burn stories than you'd think). There's also so much sweetness and spicyness thrown into the mix that I just couldn't help but devour Kae's debut!
If you're a fan of quirky characters, fast-paced stories and a gorgeous sapphic then this book is perfect for you!
Perfect also for fans of Kiss Her Once For Me and The Holiday Trap!

This was an adorable queer Romcom. I liked the characters and the representation in this book but I didn’t feel a great connection between them.