A Case for Forever

by Julia Underwood

Genres: Romance, Lesbian, Contemporary

240 pages, Paperback

Published July 14, 2026

Reviews

[Leonie]

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 (3.5 stars, rounded up here)

Tess and Bree meet as strangers at an overbooked Lake Tahoe cabin, agree "what happens in Tahoe stays in Tahoe,” and then discover back home that they're both judges in Corazon Cove.
Doesn’t that sound like something that keeps you hooked from the beginning to the end?
Let me tell you, I thought it would, and in some parts it actually did...but let’s start at the beginning shall we?
Both of the main characters, Tess and Bree, were well fleshed out in my opinion and right from the start, I liked getting to know them and see how their relationship developed. However, the set up promise in the premise of their "Tahoe meet-cute” is over before one knows it...which was quite a bummer for me because it felt like the chemistry between Tess and Bree barely had any time to develop. Yet, as the two then get back to reality and find out they’re both judges in the same town, the irony speaks for itself. I really liked this part of the story and how "what happens in Tahoe stays in Tahoe,” definitely did NOT stay in Tahoe. Moreover, I also liked the “will they, won’t they” dynamic the two had going on over the course of the story, and in my opinon it added another layer of anticipation to the whole. Now, let's talk about the mystery or to put it in better words; Tess's unsolved shooting from a year earlier. I wanted this subplot to be the tension that kept me flipping pages, and honestly? It's a mixed bag. There were moments where the "who did this to Tess" question actually pulled me in, and I appreciated that it gave the story something beyond just the romance. But if I'm being honest, the mystery never quite gets the spotlight it deserves. For me it often felt more like background noise than a real driving force, popping up just enough to remind you it exists before fading into the margins again. Besides that, I also have somewhat conflicting feelings about the constant back and forth between Bree and Tess. While I did understand the reasons behind this (for examples Bree’s recent divorce), it felt a bit repetitive as well as unfair towards Tess in this case. I really would’ve loved to see more backstory here in order to really understand both of the characters a bit beter. That said, the side characters carry their weight nicely, and if you need a reason to smile, there are also two bossy little cats who steal the scene more than once (hihi). Overall though, I liked thr story but as one can probabky guess, I have mixed feelings towards it. In my opinion, the story spends more time apart than together (literally and emotionally) and by the time things pick back up, I found myself wishing we'd lingered longer in Tahoe before rushing everyone back to their separate corners. Still, there's enough charm, good writing (and jokes), tension, and a genuinely interesting setup here to make it worth the read. It’s definitely a solid, if imperfect, story and if you like reading slow-burn romances, with just a bit of mystery and solid characters (and don’t forget the cats) then I’d definitely suggest to give this a chance.

[Sharon]

Theresa ‘Tess’ Fairchild and Brianna ‘Bree’ O’Brian met by accident as they had to share a cabin in Tahoe. But both of them embraced the week vacation with no personal details and with full awareness that it was only for just that week. Buṯ to both their surprise, they met again as they are now working in the same courthouse as Bree joined as a new judge. But can what happened in Tahoe really stay in Tahoe?

I enjoyed getting to know both the MCs in this book. It is nice to see the attraction between them yet you can tell the past holding them back or affecting how they react. Some parts were too repetitive or indecisive as they go to and fro from decisions. The little mystery in the storyline also kept me interested. Otherwise I found some parts a little unclear. The are good side characters too. As well as 2 adorable yet bossy cats.

[Kaye]

Theresa (Tess) Fairchild and Brianna (Bree) O”Brian meet at a cabin in Lake Tahoe. Through miscommunication they were both invited to enjoy it for a couple of weeks. They decide to make the best of the situation and enjoy the cabin and area. And after they hook up, they agree what happens in Tahoe, stays in Tahoe.

Tess is a judge and when she returns to work she learns that Bree is a newly appointed judge at the courthouse. They are surprised. Bree is still recovering from a divorce and is adjusting to a new city and career (she was a defense lawyer). She doesn’t think she is ready for a new relationship. But their attraction is still there.

This kind of story is usually cat-nip to me. Two successful women who can talk honestly are lovely. I appreciated the unofficial dates, school play, dinner, dancing etc. I also liked Tess’s best friend and Bree’s family that welcomed Tess easily. The let’s be friends or maybe we can be more, dragged on a bit too long. It felt repetitive and I could not see Bree making steps to overcome her obstacles. There is a side story involving court corruption and threats against the judges. The scariest incident has already happened to Tess. The rest plays out predictably. It could have been developed more if it wanted to be a truly menacing point.

Overall I enjoyed the story and characters, but it had a few flaws along the way. Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the eARC and I am leaving an honest review. (3.5 Stars)

[Fran Sappharc]

I will confess I worried the start of this would be straight on to physical..... I like chemistry first. It wasn't but was rather a good set up for the rest of the book.
Once the mains move to phase two, professional relationship battling with their attraction, and the beginning of the blend plot, I felt pacing stuttered slightly. Too much to-ing and fro-ing and not much else.
There is a lot of to-ing and fro-ing and I didn’t quite get all of it and to be honest there were points I wasn’t sure I cared. I was possibly more interested in the blend plot, but it was very vague.
The blend plot tension made up a bit for the lack of pace in the romance, so slightly rounded up to a 3.

[Aleana]

Tess and Bree both meet when there a misunderstanding that have them both sharing a cabin. They decided to make the most of it and have a one time fling they don’t give too much away about themselves. They go their separate ways and is shock to learn when they meet again both are judges and will be working in same courthouse. Tess and Bree now have the question will they want to continue what they thought was one time thing both have things to overcome Bree who is still hurt over her divorce and Tess who always focus on her job then anything else and the mystery behind her being shot gives a bit of intrigue into the story I like Bree niece who meddles to get them to spend more time together. I enjoy the simmering attraction between the mcs it’s wasn’t force it felt organic.


I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

[Demetri Papadimitropoulos]

The Couch Is Terrible, the Chemistry Is Not
Julia Underwood’s “A Case for Forever” makes a Tahoe lodging error into a warm, crowded, emotionally candid sapphic romance.
By Demetris Papadimitropoulos | July 14th, 2026

Despite its title, “A Case for Forever” is most persuasive before forever arrives, while its heroine is still confusing poise with shelter. Julia Underwood gives Judge Theresa Fairchild a robe before she gives her a romance, and the order matters. The robe is black cloth first: something Tess can put on, stand inside, and let speak for her. It is also a credential, an inheritance, a shield. She has learned how to be respected in court so fluently that she has almost forgotten how little that respect warms the rooms afterward. The novel’s best idea is sewn into that garment: authority can become a well-lit hiding place, and a life that looks properly adjudicated from the bench may still be waiting for someone to hear the missing testimony.

Everything begins with an engineered accident polished enough to introduce itself as Exhibit A. Tess, a Corazon County Superior Court judge still living in the aftermath of an unsolved shooting, goes to a Lake Tahoe cabin with her middle-aged rescue cats, Thelma and Louise. Bree O’Brian, newly divorced and about to begin her own judgeship in the same county, reaches the same cabin by way of another family key. Each woman has access; neither has the facts; both have enough legal training to turn a midnight misunderstanding into cross-examination with sparks. Tess appears with a two-by-four. Bree survives the arraignment. The couch is dreadful. The bed, in due course, proves more persuasive.

Much of the early pleasure lies in how knowingly Underwood builds a holiday from omission. Tess and Bree decide on no last names, no work talk, no histories, no future. Tahoe becomes the place where names, scars, ex-wives, dockets, robes, and old injuries are checked at the door. Naturally, this is the kind of rule a romance makes so it can later fail with ceremony. The bargain lets Tess become merely Tess, not Judge Fairchild, not the dutiful daughter shaped by parental expectation, not the shooting survivor scanning parking lots before she crosses them. Bree, bruised by her marriage to Cora, receives her own reprieve from consequence. They are two grown women pretending that experience has made them practical, when mostly it has taught them to make fear sound reasonable.

Early on, Tess and Bree’s jokes do the confessing before they can. They spar over who has standing, who is guilty, who is passing judgment without all the facts. Bree calls Tess “princess”; Tess promotes herself to queen bee. Later, the jokes drift into rescue language – mouth-to-mouth, torpedoes, rogue waves, full-body compressions – and the joke says what neither woman is ready to say plainly. Want has entered the cabin and is pretending to be banter. The cats, bless their reckless little hearts, serve as unlicensed character witnesses. They trust Bree before Tess does, which may be the book’s most efficient ruling.

Tahoe is where “A Case for Forever” moves with least drag. The opening chapters go from mistaken intrusion to wary cohabitation, shared meals, beach days, paddlewheel cruise, first kiss, and bed without dawdling. The erotic scenes are sexually candid, but they are not detachable. Their purpose is not only heat; they change the case Tess has been making against her own need. A night with Bree matters because it breaks the seal on a self Tess has kept too carefully preserved. What gives the scene its charge is not simply that Tess wants Bree. It is that Tess recognizes, almost at once and almost against her will, that the woman Bree summons cannot be folded back into a suitcase without leaving creases.

Returning to Corazon Cove gives the novel its sharpest reversal. The anonymous fling becomes a courthouse fact. Tess and Bree discover they are judges in the same building, which changes the courtship from private indulgence into a problem with chambers, calendars, gossip, security, and doors that should probably stay open. A lighter workplace romance could coast on elevator glances and badly timed coffee. This one has case assignments, judicial discretion, and the appearance of impartiality. Underwood does not turn the book into a procedural novel; readers wanting the daily machinery of court administration may notice how quickly the scenery slides into place. Still, the premise gives the love story more voltage than coffee-room awkwardness. Desire is risky here because these women are serious people whose offices have consequences.

Illuminating as shelf markers, “Love’s Verdict” by Carsen Taite and “The Killing Room” by Gerri Hill also show what Underwood is not doing. Taite’s legal romances often draw heat from rivalry and case pressure; Hill’s romantic suspense is more willing to darken the hallway. Underwood’s temperament is more hospitable, more kitchen-table than squad room. She is less interested in making the law thrilling than in making it interrupt dinner, desire, privacy, and sleep. The courthouse is not the book’s deepest subject. It is the weather that keeps moving indoors, forcing the women to stop treating feeling as something that can be quarantined beside a pretty lake.

Prose, in Underwood’s hands, is a generous host with one bad habit: it pours the wine, then reads the tasting notes aloud. Her sentences often move from gesture to motive to feeling in one sweep: a glance, the reason for the glance, the old wound beneath the reason. No ache stays unnamed for long. That openness will satisfy readers who come to romance for tenderness, clarity, and the pleasure of watching guarded people finally say what they mean. It may test readers who prefer implication to accompaniment. The novel sometimes tells us what a scene has already shown, then tells us again, just in case we wandered into the wrong courtroom.

At its best, though, that plainness suits Tess. She is not a confessional person, so the narration has to loosen what pride keeps buttoned. The prose returns to her scar, robe, cats, loneliness, and magnificent talent for treating happiness as a subpoena. This repetition can become heavy, but it also captures trauma as overfunctioning rather than collapse. Tess has not fallen apart after being shot. She has become even more efficiently herself, which is to say more trapped. The wound beneath her clavicle has healed; the life arranged around it has not.

Plot, by contrast, overfiles the case. Bree is approached in a parking lot by a hooded man carrying what appears to be a bribe or warning. Her tires are disabled. Tess is nearly run off the road. A confidential Commission investigation circles courthouse misconduct: manipulated assignments, traffic-case fixes, criminal-case payoffs, old resentments, administrative access. Eventually the scheme produces a bagman, bribed colleagues, a too-helpful paper trail, federal involvement, convictions, and a courthouse swept clean enough for dancing. Each piece has a square, but the board gets crowded.

As suspense, the corruption plot points, accelerates, and resolves more than it probes. It supplies menace, delay, and a real reason for Bree to keep a dangerous secret from Tess. That secrecy is one of the book’s better inventions because it is not a flimsy misunderstanding. Bree’s silence has professional weight. When she finally tells Tess about the Commission inquiry, she risks consequence because Tess’s safety matters more. Bree is not simply the patient rescuer of Tess’s buried self; she is a woman trying to decide when caution becomes cowardice, and when confidentiality becomes complicity. Still, the courthouse rot is less finely imagined than the private terror it exposes. The building can be investigated, named, and cleaned. Tess’s terror cannot be settled with paperwork.

Domestic pressure arrives by committee. Flo, the best friend who sends Tess to Tahoe, has the brisk patience of someone who has watched a beloved fool litigate against happiness for decades. Alice, Tess’s aunt, supplies gentler wisdom, asking whether the woman Bree met might be more real than the official version everyone else sees. Hank, Bree’s brother, is all teasing bulk and emotional competence, blessed with the romance-novel gift of saying the obvious at exactly the necessary moment. Around them gathers a small committee of affectionate meddlers. The sweetness sometimes becomes convenient, but it matters. Love here is not a sealed duet. It requires witnesses, meals, keys, rides, doughnuts, and someone willing to suggest that noble self-sacrifice may in fact be stupidity wearing formalwear.

In Tess, the novel does its finest work. Bree is appealing, decent, and believably cautious after divorce, but Tess is where the book’s objects keep gathering: scar, robe, bench, cabin, bed, parking lot, cats. Bree’s question is whether she can trust attachment after a bad marriage. Tess’s question is harsher: whether the controlled self is truly the self, or merely the one that has been most rewarded. The best scenes show her trying to maintain judicial bearing while desire keeps rearranging the files. Even her humor feels like a door opening before she can issue an order to close it. Bree does not complete Tess, a notion the novel is too adult to need. She makes Tess answer for the incompleteness Tess has dignified as discipline.

Much of the book’s pressure comes from a simple fact: Tess’s robe cannot protect her body. Her shooting and later attacks make one fear plain: a judge may symbolize authority in daylight and still walk alone to a car after dark. The robe can command a courtroom, but it cannot keep fear from following her into the parking lot. Public office does not save people from dread; sometimes it merely teaches them to carry it with better posture.

If the book asks less of its courthouse than it asks of Tess, that is where its limits show. The Commission investigation, bribery scheme, attacks, culprit cooperation, institutional cleanup, elections, marriage, and honeymoon return to Tahoe are all dispatched with impressive administrative morale. Readers who want every open file stamped and shelved will be pleased. Readers who want more residue may feel the book has mistaken a cleared docket for justice itself. The same softness appears in the middle, where Tess and Bree repeat variations of advance, retreat, reset, almost-confession. The pattern makes sense. The rhythm occasionally circles when it might have cut.

The fairest rating is 76/100, corresponding to 3/5 Goodreads-compatible whole stars. That score fits a satisfying, sexually frank sapphic romance whose strongest pleasures are Tess’s unrobing, Bree’s patience under pressure, the banter, the heat, and the sturdy comfort of a love story that knows exactly which verdict it wants. It stays below a higher rating because the prose overexplains, the procedural material compresses, and the suspense machinery sometimes files too many motions on behalf of a simpler truth. “A Case for Forever” is not a book of glittering sentences or great institutional bite. It is a candid adult love story about two women who know better, then find better reasons to proceed anyway.

Readers most likely to enjoy it will want feeling in chambers and at the kitchen table: tenderness, heat, jokes, cats, family meddling, shared desserts, and grown women trying not to look foolish while behaving exactly like people in love. Readers with a lower tolerance for stacked coincidence may begin counting the moving parts instead of surrendering to them. A cabin mix-up, two judges in one courthouse, an unsolved shooting, a secret inquiry, a bagman, several attacks, and a wedding epilogue: the novel is not traveling light. But then neither is Tess, and part of the pleasure is watching her unpack.

One of Underwood’s most effective reversals is that Tahoe begins as exception and ends as evidence. The first trip depends on anonymity: no last names, no baggage, no future. The honeymoon return carries every name, wound, witness, and complication the first visit excluded. What happened in Tahoe not only refuses to stay there; it follows Tess home, enters her courthouse, unsettles her habits, ruins her protective loneliness, and sends her back with Bree as a wife rather than a stranger. The lake stops being an escape and becomes evidence.

Perhaps that is why the epilogue’s sugar, however tidy, knows where it belongs. “Forever” here is not the discovery of flawless love. It is the refusal to let love remain a lakeside ordinance. Tess has to let the Tahoe version of herself survive fluorescent courthouse light, family teasing, danger, administrative duty, and the daily indignity of needing someone. Bree has to decide that caution is useful only until it becomes another locked door. Their marriage is less the reward for solving the case than the consequence of overturning the book’s first ruling.

On the last page, what lingers is not the corruption scheme but the image of a woman who once hid inside a robe returning to the place where she first took it off. The cabin even has a better couch now, merciful to future backs and quietly perfect for a book about repair. More important, Tess no longer has to divide herself between the woman who commands a courtroom and the woman who wants to be held when court adjourns. Underwood’s novel may overfill its case file, but it knows its truest evidence: sometimes the self we call temporary is the one that has been waiting longest to come home.

[Quinn]

Special thanks to NetGalley, Bold Strokes Books and Julia Underwood for this ARC. I am grateful to share my honest review.

I love courtroom dramas and have never had the pleasure of reading a sapphic romance about judges before! This really piqued my interest and I couldn't wait to read this! A Case For Forever was such a treat to read and I really enjoyed it. It was a delicious one night to forever romance that took its time. I loved this slow burn sapphic romance with an exciting touch of mystery and intrigue. This was such a fun read and found it to be much more thrilling than I'd expected.

Tess Fairchild and Brianna O’Brian have a bit of a cabin mix up and spend a very fun and very hot vacation in Lake Tahoe together. I love Lake Tahoe and was so excited at revisiting this idyllic place. Their spark is bright and their chemistry jumps off the page. They allow themselves to enjoy each other free of expectation because they believe this is a one time thing with no strings and just carefree fun and it is…until they go to work lol. I loved that Tess and Bree are both Judges at the same courthouse! Yes, they are both highly accomplished badasses that have punched through the glass ceiling in their field. I both respected them and envied them if I am to be totally honest. Okay so the working together thing throws them for a loop and they agree to keep it professional…and they really try to do that. But this is a sappchi romance after all so they fail spectacularly and fall one another despite trying their darndest not to. I loved it!

I wasn't ready for the mystery and suspense part of this story. This was such an exciting component and I found myself totally riveted. I couldn't tear myself away during these parts and I do feel that it highlighted the romance for me. I usually worry that these types of thrilling elements will detract from the romance but I feel like Tess having to battle demons from her past made the growing relationship between Tess and Bree all the more compelling. I feel like the danger strengthens their bond and leads to more trust and truer feelings between them. I felt their connection and watched them fall in love.

I enjoyed this book and found that the writing was quite good. Julia Underwood definitely delivered. The writing was character driven to be sure as Tess and Bree were deep and highly complex women with captivating histories and so much to them. But I appreciated that the writing was clear and not confusing or muddled as can sometimes be the case in suspenseful stories. I found A Case For Forever to be fun, exciting and easy to read. I was most certainly entertained and very invested in both the mystery and the love story. I like the use of dialogue as it helped to further the connection between Tess and Bree. Their conversations are real, genuine and made me believe in them. They happily ever after is satisfying and realistic. I was rooting for them all along and felt truly happy for them in the end.

Overall, you won't be disappointed if you read this! A Case For Forever is a unique blend of mystery, suspense, intrigue and a very special one night to forever sapphic romance. I loved the tension created by the taboo of working together and feeling like they had to keep their hands to themselves…so to speak. Angst and tension just highlighted the story but in the end this book delivers a powerful love story with strong and compelling women. Must read!

[Brigitte]

This was a hot and lovely read! It was the first sapphic romance I read that centers on the law, with two judges as the MC’s. It starts of very hot and steamy with Tess and Bree meeting eachother due to a mix-up with a family-owned Lake Tahoe cabin.
Tess, a 47-year old judge, catlady and a bit reserved when it comes to social interactions, ends up at this cabin first. Her best friend Flo suggests she take a well-deserved break. When she’s about to end her first night in the bedroom, a stranger enters the cabin. It is Bree, a former defense attorney lawyer, freshly divorced, who moved up north from Los Angeles to be closer to her family. She switched jobs and before her new job starts, her big brother offers her the key to the Lake Tahoe cabin, not knowing that his family member offered it to Tess already.
So what now? The two ladies decide to make the best of it, have a good time and Bree agrees to take the lumpy couch in the livingroom. Slowly they join in on eachothers daily activities, beaching, dinner and a boat tour. Tess lets her armour down and gets close to Bree. Bree can’t resist the pull from Tess and the chemistry that’s undeniably there. Eventhough her heart is still hurting from a previous marriage. With the promiss of “we don’t know eachother outside Tahoe, so let’s go for it” they experience a very steamy night that will stay in Tahoe after they both return to their real lives.
But is that possible? When Bree turns out to be the newly appointed judge at the same courthouse Tess is swinging her gavel? And to put on some extra pressure, the courthouse is under investigation since Tess was shot in the parking lot a year ago and the shooter was never caught?

I thought this was a very well-written romance. You get a lot of insight in the emotions and feelings of Bree and Tess. And their interactions and witty banter are so well done. The reasons for stepping into their relationship or putting a hold to it, felt very relatable and authentic as well.
I did expect to read a bit more about the cases they were dealing with, but you only read about their after work experiences and sometimes a bit about Tess’ duties. It would make the courthouse as a workplace a bit more relevant.
Read this if you like:
- Spice
- A tiny bit of suspense in your sapphic romance
- Honest conversations about relationships
- Witty banter
- Cats

Thanks to #NetgalleyUK and #BoldStrokesBooks for the #ARC of #ACaseforForever

[Scott Cutlip]

In A Case For Forever, Judge Theresa Fairchild takes a well-deserved break at a cabin. Tess had been shot the previous year, in a case that was sstill unsolved. While she is at the cabin, Brianna O’Brian (Bree) is also there, because of a miscommunication between people allowing them access to the cabin. Rather than one of them leaving, the two of them both decide to stay, and eventually they sleep together, with the caveat that what happens there, stays there. Because, obviously, it’s not like they’re going to see each other again, right?

Of course, it ends up they will see each other again. The two of them, who had made the rule of not sharing personal information with each other, find themselves working together, when Bree joins as the newest judge. Bree is off what we are told is a nasty divorce, and Tess is put in a new position at the court, so there is a limited reasoning why they can’t get together.

The novel explores court drama, particularly when it comes to why someone may have wanted Tess shot. This really revs up in the last half of the novel, which is too bad, because it’s honestly the least interesting part of the book. I d not, in any way, consider myself a master sleuth, but I pretty quickly figured out one person involved, one definitely not involved, and didn’t feel bad about what I got wrong, because honestly the breadcrumbs had been picked up by birds or something, because they weren’t there.

The relationship between Tess and Bree carries this. I do think it honestly could have been resolved a bit earlier, but I don’t have much complaint about it. I understand obstacles are necessary in a novel, but I honestly feel like the whole court drama part of it brought the novel down a bit. Looking at Underwood’s bibliography, I see a few books that look interesting from their description, and based on this book, I’d be willing to give them a chance, but I don’t see me ever picking this one up again.

If I were rating this how I’d rate it, I’d give it a 3.5 stars, but as we can only rate in full stars, I’m not sure where I’d put it. I don’t feel 4 is earned, but I also feel like 3 is too low. I guess look and see what I ultimately decided to give it, but in my heart it’s 3.5.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Parker]

Rounded up from 3.5 stars.

I've always enjoyed the awkward second meetings after a casual sexual encounter and A Case for Forever gave that to me.
Tess and Bree both end up at the same Tahoe cabin having each been told to get away and enjoy from well meaning friends who had no idea the other had lent out the cabin the same week. Despite the initial reservations they have, the two quickly make the best of the week they share the cabin ending it a great spicy scene. They agree what happens in Tahoe stays in Tahoe - famous last words...
Inevitably Bree and Tess are thrown together again shortly after leaving Tahoe with Bree being the newly appointed Judge in the same courthouse where Tess is also a judge.
There is a push/pull as they meet and spend time together again. I felt for Tess as I think she got the raw end of the relationship stick with Bree teasing and flirting before resetting boundaries.
There was an element of mystery in the book, Tess was shot before and there could be corruption in the courthouse. I liked the intrigue, but felt that there could have been more done with this story line to increase the intensity. That being said, I loved the callbacks to characters we met earlier n the story that became integral later on.
Bree's niece and Tess' cats were good foils in the story, giving the MC's topics of conversations and reasons to end up in certain places together.
This is probably more of a me thing, but I got tired of the MC's talking about their positions as judges especially when they were alone together. It just didn't strike me as being realistic.
Tropes included one week to forever, only one bed, forced proximity, and awkward second meetings. There were good secondary characters and a touch of mystery/intrigue. It was more romance heavy, rather than mystery, so take that into consideration when choosing to read this book.
Thank you to Bold Strokes Books for providing me with a digital advanced copy via NetGalley to be able to read and leave this honest review.

[Fiona Sawyer]

I've always enjoyed a good romance set in a legal environment, whether that be one of the MCs being a lawyer or detective. However A Case for Forever is a little different in that both MCs are judges which is not a scenario I've come across previously. I really enjoyed this shift in gears.

Theresa (Tess) Fairchild is an established judge with the Corazon County Superior Courthouse. She is committed to her job, despite the unsolved shooting which sidelined her for several months the previous year. Her life revolves around her job and there is no room for downtime or a social life. Brianna (Bree) O'Brien has recently gone through a nasty divorce and has decided to make a change in her life by moving to Corazon Cove to be closer to her family after securing the vacant judge position with the same courthouse where Tess works. However, before they meet up at work, a miscommunication between their friends/relatives finds them sharing a cabin at Lake Tahoe for a week. As their friendship evolves into more they both agree that "What happens in Tahoe stays in Tahoe". The question is whether they can keep to this script once they both return home to discover that they are now fellow judges in the same courthouse.

What follows is a wonderful mix of push and pull as the two women attempt to maintain a cordial, professional working relaionship while also fighting the urge to give in to their undeniable attraction. Meanwhile, shifts in their balance of power at work, combined with the ongoing mystery surrouding Tess' shooting combined with some added intrigue about possible corruption within the courthouse and a lot of meddling from Bree's neice lead to them spending more time together but finding more reasons why one of them can't let themselves give into the attraction that's simmering between them.

I really enjoyed this read and am very grateful to Julia Underwood, Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy of A Case for Forever. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Maria]

Both Tess and Bree have a lot to process, need to get away for a bit and somehow end up borrowing the same cabin in Tahoe the same week. Even though strangers they must share the space with each other and soon their chemistry is palpable. They decide to have this one-time thing before they depart and never meet again, they don’t even share full names with each other. The night they share is amazing but not meant to be, what happened in Tahoe must stay in Tahoe, Tess is open to more but Bree that is recently divorced from a player is not ready for anything more.

Tess returns to her job as a judge and surprise a new judge has been hired and that is Bree. Bree really liked Tess, but she is not ready for more, the timing just not right. Tess must accept this, understand that being friends only option for now, but clear she is pining quite a bit and Bree is so elusive.

They both process the pain from their past that still haunts them. There is also quite a bit of mystery to who shot Tess in the past and Bree’s role in all of this. It is a bit much of this mystery and too little about their evolving relationship, that is more than enough for the book and the most interesting part. It feels a bit frustrating at times, but overall, an enjoyable read.

[SusieQ]

A Case for Forever delivers exactly what it promises: a slow-burn romance between two women who are trying to keep their walls up and failing spectacularly. Judge Theresa Fairchild is still shaken by an unsolved shooting, and when a cabin mix-up in Tahoe throws her together with the magnetic Bree, they strike a deal — no last names, no baggage, no future. Of course, Tess comes home with more than she bargained for, and things get complicated fast when it turns out she and Bree are judges in the very same courthouse.

What I loved most is how real the characters feel. Both women carry the kind of baggage that comes from actually having lived — a bitter divorce, unresolved trauma, fear of getting hurt again — and watching them learn to navigate that, both individually and together, felt genuine rather than manufactured for drama. The mystery thread woven through the story gives it real body, adding tension and stakes without overshadowing the emotional core, and the balance between the suspense and the personal growth of Tess and Bree is well done. It's an engaging, satisfying read that never feels like it's coasting on tropes alone. I'm already looking forward to this author's next book.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book.

[Michele]

I was really anticipating the meeting of two strangers, Tess and Bree, at an overbooked Lake Tahoe cabin and everything that would entail between them. But I was disappointed when that portion of the story only spanned the first ten percent of the book. After their initial meeting at the cabin, the author quickly moved from Day 2 to Day 6 in a blink of the eye. I felt like the reader hardly got to know Tess and Bree and to allow them to develop any chemistry before they landed in bed. Then the story quickly shifted to post vacation mode and their work lives where Tess especially struggled with their agreement that "what happened in Tahoe stays in Tahoe".

Once back in the work world, where each woman discovers that the other is a judge (Bree being a new judge) in Corazon Cove, there was a lot of "will they get together or not" that their chemistry really did not get the opportunity to develop further. It seemed that they spent more time apart than together. The mystery element in the story seemed to be lacking and, in my opinion, did not add much to the overall book. 3 stars

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

[Sue Plant]

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

ohhh this had all the elements that i love ..... a presiding judge.... court case and threats

when tess and bree met in tahoe is wasnt what they expected... they both were looking for a week away in a cabin on their own what they got instead was each other sharing a space

so without knowing each others history they spent a great week together and then went their separate ways... yeah life has a way of kicking you

when they next met is was as presiding judges in the same court room....

tess was getting over being shot the year before...the crime wasnt solved

bree was getting over her very nasty divorce and didnt need complications in her new town.... what they had in tahoe should stay there.... but they were both bad at sticking to the rules.....

and then strange things started to happen and danger was all around them though they didnt know it... but when tess was nearly pushed off the road things had to change....

well this storyline had me hooked from the get go... and it didnt stop till the epilogue... really enjoyed this storyline

cant wait to see whats next from this author

[Rach]

We start with a “what happens in Tahoe stays in Tahoe” mantra, Tess and Bree meet when they accidentally both end up staying in the same cabin, an instant spark leads to a pact. No last names and no real life info they are here for fun and fun only.

Back to real life Tess an establish judge working her way up the chain she’s had some drama after a courtroom shooting that leaves her with a permanent scar from an unknown shooter. But there is a new judge that she has not yet had time to introduce herself to - when she meets eyes with her newbie instant memories come to the fold as Bree is in front of her.

So now we have two women who have the hots for each other but given their professional relationship can it ever be more. Honestly this was okay but a lot of filler and not really getting to the point, it’s so focused on their jobs and finding the shooter that I struggled to see any real connection to the one night to forever trope.

The start is great, middle is slow then a bit better at the end to solve a supposed mystery. Thank you to NetGalley and bold stroke books for the opportunity to read this.

[Brandy]

I absolutely loved A Case for Forever by Julia Underwood. From the very first chapter, I was completely hooked and couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

Tess and Bree’s relationship develops so naturally, starting as strangers enjoying a passionate, no-strings-attached getaway at Lake Tahoe. Watching them go from strangers to friends to forever, with a little one-night-to-forever magic along the way, made their love story even more special.

What I really enjoyed was that this wasn’t just a romance. The suspense kept me turning the pages as Tess’s past came back to threaten everything she and Bree were building together. The balance between heartfelt romance, emotional healing, and edge-of-your-seat action was done really well.

The chemistry between Tess and Bree was undeniable, and I found myself rooting for them from the very beginning. If you enjoy sapphic romances with mature characters, emotional depth, and a healthy dose of danger and suspense, I definitely recommend A Case for Forever. It’s a story about healing, resilience, and finding love when you least expect it. I was pulled in from the start and thoroughly enjoyed the journey.

A very good read!

[Henriette]

f/f romance with humor, heart and heat
From the get-go I really liked the two main characters: mature, competent women with baggage but essentially good people. There was a palpable chemistry between them and I loved the humor and banter, the warmth and heart as well as the heat and yearning. The side characters added to the positive vibe (go Gabby! go cats!).
A reservation mix-up brings the two women together in a cabin at Tahoe and they decide to just enjoy the stay on a first name basis without revealing their lives outside: Reserved Tess lets herself reveal the lovely person beneath her professional persona and Bree is her wonderful, playful self. When they meet again at the courthouse where judge Theresa Fairchild (Tess) serves and Brianna O‘Brien (Bree) is a newly appointed judge their (non-) relationship gets interesting and on a rollercoaster, esp. when Tess is elected as presiding judge. Add to this shady dealings at the courthouse with a pinch of suspense and you get a book which entertained me very well.

I received an ARC. The review is left voluntarily.

[Francesca]

3.5 stars (rounded to 4 stars)

I liked that this book did not focus solely on the romance, and I enjoyed the mystery aspect of the novel. I liked the story and both the main characters, but would have preferred a bit more depth to them. The fact that the book was sort of a slow burn, despite the beginning, meant that they had pretty good chemistry. I thought this was a well-written book, and I liked that it was a workplace romance. I also really liked Gabby and thought that she was an incredibly entertaining character.

Nonetheless, I really struggled to get into this book. Whilst I found the first part very intriguing, with the whole cabin scenario, once that ended, I felt the pace was a little too slow until around 40%.

Despite the wobbly beginning, I would still recommend this to others!

Thank you Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Red Dragon]

A story of two judges who initially met at Tahoe and agreed on not revealing personal information and what happened in Tahoe stayed in Tahoe!
.
Both Tess and Bree struggle the impact of their past to see their future despite their acknowledged pull towards each other.

This was a slow burn story with an element of mystery relating to Tess’s unsolved shooting a year earlier. However, I struggled with the story as for me there wasn’t enough intrigue and focus on the mystery/crime element, it felt like this was an aside or ‘filler’ in the story.
There were a couple of ‘fun’ elements but overall the book felt a bit pedestrian in its pace for me sadly.
Thanks to BSB and NetGalley for the ARC - this is a honest review.

[Andrea (looseleftlesbian)]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Overall, I enjoyed this. I liked the mystery aspect of it. We got to see some excitement with trying to figure out who shot Tess earlier in the year. It was something different from the romance novels I usually read so I appreciated that.

I did get a little annoyed at the back and forth that Bree did throughout. I get that she went through a divorce but she was being so unfair to Tess.

I wanted a little more depth to the characters. We get their backgrounds but I feel like we just scratched the surface. This was a good read, but I was left with feeling like something was missing. 3.5 stars!

[Cherie]

I liked this one, the meet up was fun and I thought it was fairly believable. both characters were very likable. I enjoyed reading about a bit older couple. Teresa is the main focus and we learn about her in detail. Brianna remains more of a mystery, we don't learn much about her previous marriage or the emotional damage it caused. If we would have learned more about her, it would have enhanced the story emotionally.

The back story of the court corruption made for a bit more interest. I thought it was a bit unrealistic for the supervising judge to be in a relationship with the other judge. But anyway it was an enjoyable book.

Thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

[Meghan]

Strangers to forever trope and I really wanted to like it, but I had a very time enjoying it.

It was supposed to be mystery, but there was no intrigue. It seemed like filler and not at all what I was expecting. There were some good parts with the slow burn and not reveling any personal information when they met but that was all. The pacing was slow and even though they were trying to solve Tess's shooting, it was all, just not the best.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Dr E]

I enjoyed the beginning and the middle of this book, but wasn’t too keen on the end. The conclusion to the drama felt a bit tame, which was a shame as I thought some of the suspense and possible danger was building up quite nicely. There was a definite sense of menace, but that just kind of petered out. I honestly had to look back and check at the end as the peripheral was suddenly important. Lots of potential, but needed more bite.

[Maria S.]

This is one of the books that read like starving person getting a bite. It was addictive. A Case for Forever by Julia Underwood is an interesting story with beautifully developed characters and impossible choices before them. I loved Judge Theresa Fairchild and Brianna O’Brian. I could step into their shoes, empathize with their reactions to fate’s twists and turns, and their struggle with irresistible attraction kept me glued to the book. Although the legal subject matter may be boring to some, Julia Underwood has a delightful and light writing style, weaving humor into her stories and a masterful psychological perspective that helps build realism into the fictional world of her works. There is a nice spiciness, great writing, juicy humor, smart lovable characters and a completely satisfying ending, what more could you want from a book? Give it a try :)

[Jamie P-Kretzschmar]

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5 Stars)
A Highly Engaging Legal Romance!
Julia Underwood delivers a delightfully tense and chemistry-filled romance in A Case for Forever. Balancing workplace stakes with a deeply engaging romantic progression is always a tricky line to walk, but this book handles it beautifully.

The courtroom drama and professional rivalry add a fantastic layer of tension to the narrative, keeping the pacing tight and the interactions incredibly sharp. The banter is quick-witted, and the author does a great job of making the professional world feel grounded without bogging down the romance. If you love a workplace romance where the sparks fly just as much in the office as they do behind closed doors, this is a fantastic, highly satisfying read.