Falling for Keeps

Falling for Autumn

by Kasey Stockton, Stephanie Rose (Narrator), Logan Anare (Narrator)

Emma Harper wants a love story. Carson Price wants nothing to do with one.

As the children’s librarian in Autumn Ridge, Emma spends her days surrounded by happy endings. But between restoring her old farmhouse, keeping her family together, and searching for a decent man in a very small town, her own romance feels permanently shelved.

Then one impulsive night at a bar, she kisses Carson Price—the popular guy she crushed on in high school.

For Emma, it’s a reckless little dream come true.

For Carson, it’s a fun night with a beautiful woman he never expects to see again.

Until the next morning… when he moves in across the street.

Newly divorced, cynical, and focused on raising his daughter while rebuilding the dental practice he just bought, Carson has no interest in love. Marriage? Never again. Romance? Absolutely not.

Friendship with his warm, bookish, unexpectedly tempting neighbor? That might be safe enough.

Except Emma has never been good at doing anything halfway. And the more he lets her into his life, the harder it is for either of them to pretend friendship is all this is.

She’s ready to fall. He’s determined not to. But in a small town, staying just friends might be the hardest thing of all. Falling for Keeps is a sweet, single dad, sworn-off love romantic comedy set in the small town of Autumn Ridge.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Autumn, Clean Romance, Rom Com, Audiobook, Contemporary Romance

Audible Audio

First published September 2, 2026

Reviews

[CatsBnB]

Sometimes, one kiss is all it takes to turn a long-held dream into something your heart never quite knew it needed.💕

A childhood crush, a sparks-fly kiss, and the unexpected discovery that the man you've dreamed about is now living right across the street. For Emma, the warmhearted, bookish children's librarian who has always been more accustomed to giving than receiving, Carson Price is the dream she never quite dared to believe could come true. But Carson, a newly divorced single dad, has built his world around protecting his daughter and keeping his heart safely guarded. What begins with a kiss soon becomes a friendship filled with undeniable chemistry, delicious tension, and a whole lot of yearning.✨

And of, how I adored this story!🥰

Emma and Carson completely captured my heart. Their characters felt genuine and wonderfully real, each carrying their own struggles, fears, and tender places they had learned to protect. I loved Emma's selfless heart and the way she always showed up for the people she loved. Even more, I loved watching her discover that she was worthy of having someone show up for her, too. And Carson? Watching him face his fears and slowly open his heart to the possibility of love again was everything. His unwavering devotion to Penny, his sweet nine-year-old daughter, made me fall for him even harder. Penny completely stole the show for me with her sweet personality and all the little moments that made her so endearing. And seeing the love Emma had for Penny made my heart melt.💗

This cozy fall small-town romance had me completely invested in their journey. I found myself feeling every emotion right alongside them and hoping with all my heart that they would find their way to each other. And the pantry moment? The Kiss the Pig event? The Mayor Monroe bet? I loved every bit of it! 😂Those lighthearted, unexpected moments woven throughout the story made this such a delightfully heartwarming read.🍁💕

With dual POV and a closed door, clean romance, this is the kind of love story that wraps itself around your heart and leaves you smiling long after the final page.🥹💕

I am utterly obsessed with the Autumn Ridge series! ❤️This can absolutely be read as a standalone. But it has me even more eager to return to Autumn Ridge and see what comes next. Kasey Stockton is an auto-buy author for me, and I know every book will bring heart, warmt, and a romance I can't resist.📖✨

A beautiful reminder that sometimes the love we spend so freely giving to others is the very love we need to allow ourselves to receive.💓

I wholeheartedly recommend this one and it deserves all the stars!!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[BookLoverAmanda]

Falling for Keeps by Kasey Stockton
4 Stars
https://bookloveramanda.blogspot.com/...

Thank you to Kasey Stockton for a gifted e-book of this book to honestly read and review. All thoughts are my own.

This one was SO CUTE! I loved the intro of this book the most. It was the best "re-meet-cute" if you will....Emma kisses the guy that is unknowingly living across the street -- OOOOOPPPSSS! Her and Carson had a lot of good chemistry. He's a single Dad, divorced after his wife left, not wanting to be their little girl's mother.....and he is so reluctant to a new relationship, for good reason. Emma is the town's children's librarian and is so passionate about her work. She is the one who cares for the people around her and never puts herself before others. Carson and Emma think they can be "just friends" but it ain't workin' out too well😂❤️

I loved seeing how devoted Carson was to his little girl Penny and how naturally Emma fit into their sweet family. I LOVEEE a single Dad story and Kasey gave us a good one here! A sweet little girl in a book brings so much depth to the story for me and Penny was the best.

If you like:
- Single Dad Trope
- Opposites Attract
- Bookish FMC
- FALL Vibes
- Sweet Little Girl
- Small Towns
- Friendships
- Teenage Crush
- Found Family
- Clean Romance

Then this is going to be for you. Recommend!

Romance is clean with kisses only and no language.

[Kait]

Can we discuss how I frequently give 5 stars to romcoms that feature single parents, please help me understand why my heart turns to mush when the other person goes “I love you *and* your kid, your ex is the worst, and I will never leave/abandon both of you like they did.” Anyway, loved this fall love story. Also: props to everyone behaving like adults and talking through feelings– the tension came from normal circumstances (like, can I ever trust another person after what happened to me and how will these next steps affect my kid) and not contrived “omg, I have feelings, I better just squish ‘em down by kissing the girl.”

[Valerie]

I DNFd at like 5% because the MMC irritated me. The audacity of this man to think that Emma stalked him after one kiss when she’s his mother’s friend and neighbor. I really didn’t like how he was talking to her and I, very quickly, decided that I did not care for this character or any redemption he would’ve had from finishing this book. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Am I being petty? Perhaps, but my TBR is much too long to be wasting it on a book I’ll probably not love.

[Maria]

A cute rom com set in Vermont in the fall. I was here for all the small town fall vibes and the librarian and single dad main characters. Just a sweet read after reading Bel Canto. A good “palate cleanser”.

[Megan Scholle]

4.5 ⭐

[Madison Allshouse]

Cute read! My favorite part of this book was watching Emma fall in love with Carson’s daughter, Penny - it was just the sweetest! I also liked the emphasis placed on Carson finding ways to make Emma, as the eldest daughter trying to put everyone first, feel seen and cherished❤️‍🩹

This one wasn’t my favorite compared to the rest of the series, I think I had a harder time connecting to Carson, but I do enjoy the single parent trope!

Excited for book 5!

[Shayla Riley]

FALLING FOR KEEPS
(Falling For Autumn Book 4)
by: Kasey Stockton
@authorkaseystockton

••I give 5 stars!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

-I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

~He was supposed to be one kiss...not the neighbor across the street...

-My friends, FALLING FOR KEEPS, is an adorable story! It is so delightfully and cleverly filled with such pure goodness, that I was ever so intrigued, engaged, and smiling the entire time reading! The pages flew by fast and each moment within reading was well-spent. I thoroughly loved how this story had such delightful sparks of chemistry flying off the pages, the wonderful balance between heartwarming, fun, and tender/vulnerable moments along the way! The book references, the fall vibes, the first meet-cute, the dear family relationships, and the friends who are in for the long haul were extra sweet bonuses! But, what I loved most about this cute story was watching dear characters choose bravery, healing, trust, and unselfishness, and setting up healthy boundaries ! I loved watching them stand for, support, and encourage others in the struggle to be happy, and to give new possibilities, and connection a chance! I loved seeing how genuine care, compassion, hope, and loved were weaved within the pages and how they make such a wonderful difference for the better in one’s self, in each other, and with others all around! FALLING FOR KEEPS, is absolutely a story worth reading!📚🩷‼️🍁

•Content: divorce (off page; mentioned on page), strained ex relationship /custody, death of loved one (off page; mentioned on page, some feelings of grief, brokenness, loss, putting others before one’s self, no language, small-town gossip, no violence, lack of honesty-excuses for dropping ball with attending meetings/planning from side characters, kisses only!(some makeouts)

#fallingforkeeps
#fallingforautumnseries
#authorkaseystockton
#allaboutthebestreads

[Heather.loves.books]

Falling for Keeps by: Kasey Stockton

TL;DR: 5 stars. No notes.

📖 Carson is focused on his daughter. Unfortunately the hot librarian from the bar is his new neighbor.

I loved ♥️
🎧 DREAM narrators!!!! Loved them both

Act 1 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Kasey Stockton threw me the best curveball scene one.
➡️Swipe for other act one faves

Carson and Emma are both genuinely kind people and I rooted for them.

This book pairs perfectly with Jess Heileman's book since it has shared characters. I loved being back in Autumn Ridge.

Toe-curling kisses and swoon for days!!

Loved it, no notes

[Bri Petrarca]

The way this book started absolutely SUCKED ME IN from the very beginning. I adore Emma and Carson… and Penny! Their story is so sweet. Although they had a steamy start, their relationship was more of a slow burn the rest of the book. They built something real and truly learned to care for each other. We got a good sense of who they are as people and who they are as a couple. Love their new little family!

[Allyson Anthony]

Falling for Keeps is an adorable read involving a meet-cute and is a clean read with no language; a single, divorced dad; a librarian; fall vibes; and small-town life. The plot was engaging, the characters were likable, the chemistry between Emma and Carson was great, and I enjoyed the bond between Emma and Carson's daughter Penny. Wonderful read.

[Janssen]

Very cute

[Kim Golding]

“It’s my Cinderella hour. I’m in a tight green dress bestowed on me by my fairy bride-mother, flirting with a man who oozes main character energy. His strong jaw and particular attention are part of this bubble, and I don’t want it to pop.”

Falling for Keeps is the super cute story of Emma, a librarian, and Carson, a dentist/single dad who has moved back to Autumn Ridge to open his own dental practice and be closer to family. After Carson mistakes Emma for someone else at the bar and their chemistry is off the charts, he can’t stop thinking about her, but he has his daughter to think about. When he finds out Emma is his neighbor, guarding his heart gets even harder!

I loved Emma and Carson so much! I loved that at the beginning he called her Glasses, and I loved that she knew who he was, even though he didn’t recognize her—and that first kiss was 🔥! He was the cutest dad to Penny, aka Nickel, and I loved how quickly she took to Emma. It made my heart happy that Emma finally had someone to take care of her, since she was so used to taking care of everyone else! They had incredible chemistry, and I was rooting for them from beginning to end!

Favorite quotes:

“The book should be enough to distract me, but it isn’t. Not when I can still feel the heat of Carson’s gaze on my skin. Not when every time I glance up, I find him watching me.”

“She’s into me. I’m not being cocky about it; I can just tell. No one looks at your lips that often unless they want to kiss them.”

“I wish you could see you the way I see you. Because you are worth staying for.”

“You’re the first person to make me feel so cherished in a really long time.”

[Kav]

Hello! Glasses wearing librarian heroine looking for love in a picture perfect small town where Cupid seems to be working overtime this autumn?! Yes please! Bonus points because Emma is a children’s librarian and there were some fun bookish references throughout the story.

Honest truth: was not over the moon about a dentist hero…I just can’t, major dentist phobia here…mind you if Carson was my dentist I’d probably feel differently. Like sugar binging to ‘grow’ cavities so I could see him more than a couple of times a year. Bwahahaha!

And what follows is a thoughtful, sweet and swoony (cue a few toe-curling kisses!) romance. There’s a wee bit of a kinda/sorta love triangle, but not really (doesn’t that make sense?) which scared me a bit but, phew, really nothing to fret over at all! Handled beautifully by the author, I’m relieved to say.

I enjoyed being back in Autumn Ridge and getting to visit with some familiar faces – this is my third ‘Falling for Autumn’ book. It’s a multi-authored continuity series set in the same small town and during the same timeline, but each book reads well as a standalone too.

I listened to the audible edition and enjoyed the dual narration by Stephanie Rose and Logan Anare. Always fun when we get two performers for a rom/com. I thought both actors matched well with Kasey Stockton’s storytelling style and characters.

https://kavsbestreads.ca/2026/09/22/f...

[Whitney Hopperton]

4.5 🌟

A sweet, clean rom-com about finding love in unexpected places, learning to let go of the past, and allowing yourself to heal. No language, closed door romance, and just an all around feel good story.

I really loved these characters! They felt so real and vivid, and I especially enjoyed all the friendships, family ties, neighbors, and the darling small town setting. It made the whole story feel warm and inviting.

The FMC was absolutely stunning as a character and just an amazing human being. I loved her! I also really enjoyed the single-parent trope and, especially, the connection between the FMC and the MMC’s daughter. Those moments were some of my favorites and added so much heart to the story.

The ending felt a little rushed and didn’t tie everything up quite as nicely as I had hoped, but overall, I really enjoyed this one and knew I was going to love where the story was headed. A sweet, wholesome romcom with characters and relationships that made it easy to root for them!

[Natalie]

Review of the story:

The single-dad trope doesn’t usually work for me because there’s almost always drama with the child’s mother. That was the case in this book as well. Jen was horrible and Carson was basically emotionally unavailable for most of the book. He spent a lot of time being attracted to Emma, but also talking himself out of liking her AND being jealous of any guy she spoke with. He was not my favorite.

Emma was a likable character, though, and I really liked her friendship with Penny.

And, not only is this part of a series of interconnected standalones BUT there was also a mention of a “Sunny Palmer” romance novel — which was a fun crossover to the “Falling for Summer” series! I loved that.

As with the others in the series, I really enjoyed the fall atmosphere of the book. I just wish I had enjoyed the romance a bit more.


Review of the audiobook:

This audiobook has a male and female narrator, but it was not done in duet style so that let me down a bit. They both did a good job though. A pretty solid listen.



Characters: Emma Harper (sister of Dominic from book 2) and Carson Price (brother of Maven from book 3)
Trope: single dad

[Jenna Killpack]

I fell in love with Penny and Carson in Resisting the Fall and loved getting to learn even more about their story and really get to know Emma, who is an absolute gem of a fictional human.

Carson is a recently divorced single dad of 9yo Penny. He goes out for a night with friends outside of town and does something totally uncharacteristic of him, after ten years of not even thinking of another woman, he kisses Emma thinking they will never see each other again.

Fast forward to the next morning and Emma goes to her neighbors house to borrow some flour and she finds Carson in the kitchen.

After moving back home to Autumn Ridge for a fresh start the last thing Carson expects to find in his mom’s kitchen is the woman he kissed senseless the night before but he can’t stop thinking about her, no matter how hard he tries to just focus on getting his life back on track.

I absolutely loved this one! It was full of insightful wisdom about love and healing and I loved Penny’s blossoming relationship with Emma. Carson has some great character growth as well and learned a lot about love along the way. I would definitely recommend this one! I devoured it in one day and it left me feeling like a warm hug! Cozy fall
Vibes for sure- now someone take me someplace with seasons because I’m getting really sick of this 100+ degree weather! I need some pumpkin spice and leaves and that crisp fall air! But until then I will just jeep reading this multi author series and turn down my AC and just pretend! ❤️🍁💛🍂🧡

I received an advanced copy of this book all thoughts are my own

[Haley Taylor]

falling for keeps
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
🫑 Closed door
No swearing

This was a sweet read about finding love in unexpected places, timing, and moving on from the past. A great palette cleanser if you need a quick easy book!
I loved the FMC! She was perfection and always so kind and considerate.
I didn’t love the dishonesty in one aspect of characters going on dates but also secretly caring/pining for other people and in one case actually texting the other person.
I would skip the audio on this one and go for the physical book!

Meet Kiss
Single dad
Forced proximity
Secret dating?

[Venus Booklover]

This was a lovely story with a cute romance.
I really enjoyed the fall atmosphere; I can already picture the beautiful scenery of this fictional little town in Vermont 🍁☕
I liked how Emma and Carson always put the well-being of his young daughter first, while at the same time giving themselves a chance to find happiness and love.
The chemistry between them was great 😍 and I was very happy with the ending—especially the extended epilogue, which is so sweet!
I’ll be reading other books in this series as well.

You will find:
🎃 Small town in Vermont
🎃 Recently divorced single father
🎃 Kind-hearted librarian
🎃 High school crush
🎃 She falls first
🎃 He falls harder
🎃 Neighbors
🎃 They help and support one another
🎃 Lessons in fatherhood
🎃 Found Family
🎃 Fall season

[Shelby Brown]

CUTE book!! Loved the mention of sunny palmer from the summer series. And who doesn’t love a sour dough starter being part of a plot?? Also my vote is for Sharon to be dating the mayor.

[Laura A.]

I ADORED this one. The characters felt so vivid and I loved everything about the story! 👏🏼👏🏼

[Kitrina Godding]

Absolutely adorable love story and looking forward to reading the rest of the series’

[Happy]

Fantastic

Fun and tasteful. I enjoyed all the characters, their friendships, family ties, and of course, romance! This is the second book in the series I've read. So great.

[Hannah Erickson]

4.5 ⭐️ would’ve easily been a 5 because it was SOOOOOOO good, but I didn’t love that she tried to get Carson “out of her system” by dating another guy….

[Katri]

Meh. The author seemed so focused on getting all the Autumn Ridge characters and events included that she forgot to tell the story of Carson and Emma. Or maybe there really wasn't much to tell...

[Chelsea Darbouze]

Cute little fall read!

[SarahLooHoo]

Really enjoyed this book! It wasn’t my absolute favorite in the series, but I still really enjoyed it! Loved Penny!!

[Sara Schnabel]

Cute. Male narrator was not my favorite.

Emma = single librarian looking for love
Carson = single dad not looking for a relationship

Spice: 🌶️ (kisses only)

[Cristina]

“Where’s the inhaler? Because he’s messing with my breathing in a good way.”

Umm, cringe 🥴🤢

[Rachel]

The series just got even better

I loved this single dad, Carson and Emma haven't pipped my favourite couple but they came close. I can't believe how good this series is, also love that this one had a link back to the summer series when they mention reading a Sunny Palmer book. 😍