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Fern Falls #1
In the Event of Love
Morgan Ross can plan world-class events, but she didn't plan on returning to the hometown that broke her heart seven years ago - and re-discovering the girl of her dreams . . .
With her career as a Los Angeles event planner imploding after a tabloid blowup, Morgan Ross isn't headed home for the holidays so much as in strategic retreat. Breathtaking mountain vistas, quirky townsfolk, and charming small businesses aside, her hometown of Fern Falls is built of one heartbreak on top of another . . .
Take her one-time best friend turned crush, Rachel Reed. 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. She has all the inspiration for a spectacular event: delicious vanilla lattes, acoustic guitars under majestic pines, a cozy barn surrounded by brilliant stars. But she and Rachel will ABSOLUTELY NOT have a heartwarming holiday happy ending. That would be as unprofessional as it is unlikely. Right?
With her career as a Los Angeles event planner imploding after a tabloid blowup, Morgan Ross isn't headed home for the holidays so much as in strategic retreat. Breathtaking mountain vistas, quirky townsfolk, and charming small businesses aside, her hometown of Fern Falls is built of one heartbreak on top of another . . .
Take her one-time best friend turned crush, Rachel Reed. 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. She has all the inspiration for a spectacular event: delicious vanilla lattes, acoustic guitars under majestic pines, a cozy barn surrounded by brilliant stars. But she and Rachel will ABSOLUTELY NOT have a heartwarming holiday happy ending. That would be as unprofessional as it is unlikely. Right?
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First published August 30, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,791 reviews
January 25, 2022
STEAMY AND COZY AND ROMANTIC AND SEXY AND BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN full of that amazing second chances pining angst we love to read GUYS MY LOVE FOR RACHEL KNOWS NO BOUNDS and the chemistry between her and Morgan is *BOB ROSS CHEF KISS GIF* 900 stars would recommend A+ my crops are abundantly watered.
September 4, 2022
2.75 Stars. I’m sorry to say but overall this was disappointing. It was okay at times, but other times I had to force myself to keep reading. I have been so happy and supportive of mainstream publishers finally catching up with LGBTQ+ books, and for my personal tastes sapphic books, these past few years. It has been wonderful to see and I was really excited about this read (Kingston is a smaller publisher but distributed by Penguin) since I like sappy Hallmark stories, and dream of watching a day full of gay stories, and not just the rare LGBTQ+ Hallmark story here or there. But as excited as I was to see the book blurb shout-out names like McQuiston and Bellefleur, I’m sorry to say this book didn’t live up to that type of hype. While mainstream is working on catching up, I’ve read dozens of sapphic holiday romance books by self-published and small sapphic publishing houses so I have to compare this book to them all, and while it does okay, it just doesn’t really hold up like I had hoped. But who knows, just because this is not my dream “halmark” holiday read, doesn’t mean it won’t be for someone else.
I purposely waited as long as I could to read this so it would be closer to the holidays and hopefully I would be more in the mood. I didn’t think early July and 90 degree weather was going to work for this book. This summer has been so brutal that even imagining snow has been a hard task. I’m glad I waited as it was easier to get into the book but still, I really struggled with this read. It took me a whole week to finish and this was not a long book. It was average size for a romance and I just kept picking it up and putting it back down. It wasn’t anything bad or awful, it was just that there was nothing to grab me and to keep me reading. I have paint by numbers app, on my phone, that is great for when my mind is racing and my anxiety is bothering me a bit, it’s so peaceful that I love it. I can’t tell you how many times I went to pick up the book and instead I thought oh I’ll just paint a few pictures and just skip reading the book and after that it started to feel like a chore to actually read this.
I love first person, I’m a big fan, but plain romances, were there is no mystery or big fantasy adventure or anything else, is not the best for first person. Not really getting to know anything about the other love interest really limits us readers and we just don’t know what to feel about the other character. In this case we think she was pretty great, but we don’t know enough about her to know for sure so we mostly feel bad for her and we end up thinking the main character doesn’t deserve her, well at least I did. The main character was in first so you do know her pretty well, but it doesn’t mean you like what you know. I also didn’t feel much of a connection between the mains so I’m a bit worried about their relationship as a whole.
This is getting long already so I don’t really want to go into how much sap actually formed on top of the sap already there, like the ending was sappiness to the extreme. Plus add in the whole dead mom part and the evil almost mom thing and eh it just got really super corny/eye roll maximus at the end. And the worst part of the whole book, IMHO, was the EPILOGUE. I actually didn’t even realize what it was at first and I thought it was a sneak peek for the next book in the series. That’s how much it doesn’t fit into the book and just stands out so oddly. The book didn’t need an epilogue at all and it was forced and felt weird. In seven years of reviewing, this is only the second time I have ever had to complain about a book epilogue.
TLDR: There was some potential here but I cannot recommend this holiday romance. The setting was cute, but it was hard to form a first person connection with a character I did not care for. While I wanted to believe in the couple, I could not feel the sparks between this sapphic couple with lines like “It’s convenient for me that I can’t get a visible boner, because everything you do turns me on.” This was not the “hallmark” romance I was looking for but I hope others might enjoy this one more than I did.
An ARC was given to me for a honest review.
I purposely waited as long as I could to read this so it would be closer to the holidays and hopefully I would be more in the mood. I didn’t think early July and 90 degree weather was going to work for this book. This summer has been so brutal that even imagining snow has been a hard task. I’m glad I waited as it was easier to get into the book but still, I really struggled with this read. It took me a whole week to finish and this was not a long book. It was average size for a romance and I just kept picking it up and putting it back down. It wasn’t anything bad or awful, it was just that there was nothing to grab me and to keep me reading. I have paint by numbers app, on my phone, that is great for when my mind is racing and my anxiety is bothering me a bit, it’s so peaceful that I love it. I can’t tell you how many times I went to pick up the book and instead I thought oh I’ll just paint a few pictures and just skip reading the book and after that it started to feel like a chore to actually read this.
I love first person, I’m a big fan, but plain romances, were there is no mystery or big fantasy adventure or anything else, is not the best for first person. Not really getting to know anything about the other love interest really limits us readers and we just don’t know what to feel about the other character. In this case we think she was pretty great, but we don’t know enough about her to know for sure so we mostly feel bad for her and we end up thinking the main character doesn’t deserve her, well at least I did. The main character was in first so you do know her pretty well, but it doesn’t mean you like what you know. I also didn’t feel much of a connection between the mains so I’m a bit worried about their relationship as a whole.
This is getting long already so I don’t really want to go into how much sap actually formed on top of the sap already there, like the ending was sappiness to the extreme. Plus add in the whole dead mom part and the evil almost mom thing and eh it just got really super corny/eye roll maximus at the end. And the worst part of the whole book, IMHO, was the EPILOGUE. I actually didn’t even realize what it was at first and I thought it was a sneak peek for the next book in the series. That’s how much it doesn’t fit into the book and just stands out so oddly. The book didn’t need an epilogue at all and it was forced and felt weird. In seven years of reviewing, this is only the second time I have ever had to complain about a book epilogue.
TLDR: There was some potential here but I cannot recommend this holiday romance. The setting was cute, but it was hard to form a first person connection with a character I did not care for. While I wanted to believe in the couple, I could not feel the sparks between this sapphic couple with lines like “It’s convenient for me that I can’t get a visible boner, because everything you do turns me on.” This was not the “hallmark” romance I was looking for but I hope others might enjoy this one more than I did.
An ARC was given to me for a honest review.
September 6, 2022
2.5 Stars
“In the Event of Love” is a steamy small-town holiday sapphic romance. If you watch and appreciate Hallmark movies at all, you will most definitely love this book.
Morgan Ross is an event planner in LA when her career is put in jeopardy after a night out. She’s forced to go home to Fern Falls and lay low for the holidays to help save her career. After arriving, she finds out her ex-best friend’s family tree farm is in need of saving and decides to use it as a way to make her company look good and help save her career. The only down side is she has to interact with Rachel Reed, her one-time best friend and long-time crush. They had a kiss and falling out right after high school and haven’t seen or spoken to one another in the seven years since.
There were some things that I really loved about this romance. First of all, I loved all the representation. Not only does Fern Falls have a healthy queer community, Kae also showed that it’s a diverse cast in terms of race with the townspeople as well.
I loved the small-town setting and wish we had seen even more of the town. The townspeople were eccentric and fun and I loved the sense of community that was there. Morgan’s friend group was also fun. I really liked Ben and thought he was incredibly sweet. I’m guessing his and Adam’s story will be next!
Unfortunately, there were more things I didn’t I didn’t like than I did. Morgan and Rachel have very few actual conversations to get to know each other as adults. All of their emotional connection is about their past when they were teenagers. The only current connection they seem to share is a sexual one. It wasn’t enough to make me believe in their love or future.
My biggest issue was Morgan herself. This is told from her point of view and I found her to be immature and selfish. There is also no character development with Morgan or Rachel. The issues that led them to not speaking for seven years are repeated almost exactly in the present and they react the exact same way. It was frustrating to see that nothing at all changed from their time apart.
While this was more of a miss for me, I think others will be able to appreciate it more. It’s got the big gesture hallmark type romance in a winter-wonderland setting that will make this an easy read over the holidays.
I received an ARC from Kensington Publishing via Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review.
“In the Event of Love” is a steamy small-town holiday sapphic romance. If you watch and appreciate Hallmark movies at all, you will most definitely love this book.
Morgan Ross is an event planner in LA when her career is put in jeopardy after a night out. She’s forced to go home to Fern Falls and lay low for the holidays to help save her career. After arriving, she finds out her ex-best friend’s family tree farm is in need of saving and decides to use it as a way to make her company look good and help save her career. The only down side is she has to interact with Rachel Reed, her one-time best friend and long-time crush. They had a kiss and falling out right after high school and haven’t seen or spoken to one another in the seven years since.
There were some things that I really loved about this romance. First of all, I loved all the representation. Not only does Fern Falls have a healthy queer community, Kae also showed that it’s a diverse cast in terms of race with the townspeople as well.
I loved the small-town setting and wish we had seen even more of the town. The townspeople were eccentric and fun and I loved the sense of community that was there. Morgan’s friend group was also fun. I really liked Ben and thought he was incredibly sweet. I’m guessing his and Adam’s story will be next!
Unfortunately, there were more things I didn’t I didn’t like than I did. Morgan and Rachel have very few actual conversations to get to know each other as adults. All of their emotional connection is about their past when they were teenagers. The only current connection they seem to share is a sexual one. It wasn’t enough to make me believe in their love or future.
My biggest issue was Morgan herself. This is told from her point of view and I found her to be immature and selfish. There is also no character development with Morgan or Rachel. The issues that led them to not speaking for seven years are repeated almost exactly in the present and they react the exact same way. It was frustrating to see that nothing at all changed from their time apart.
While this was more of a miss for me, I think others will be able to appreciate it more. It’s got the big gesture hallmark type romance in a winter-wonderland setting that will make this an easy read over the holidays.
I received an ARC from Kensington Publishing via Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review.
August 31, 2022
I received an eARC of this in exchange for an honest review!
After an incident with a client, event planner Morgan Ross needs some good publicity. While her boss wants her to relax, she views her long awaited return to her quiet hometown for the holidays as an opportunity for redemption. But the fundraiser she’s been asked to organise was the idea of a friend she’s long since lost touch with, and is in aid of her childhood best friend and first love, Rachel Reed. Will they be able to work through their past problems in time to save Fern Falls’ beloved tree farm? Or will the appeal of money from developers steal the heart of the town first?
This was the coziest holiday read that warmed my heart even without the heat of August. We have the sweetest postcard-looking town and small businesses that I can picture perfectly, a second chance romance, friends and family reuniting, all the coffee and the snow and the big gestures of love (and also some 🌶, in true adult book with illustrated cover fashion). It was truly funny and romantic and also handled the ways past and present struggles with parents still affected these characters in their adult lives.
It’s described as a Hallmark kind of narrative if it were more queer inclusive and that’s exactly what this is! I love to watch cheesy Christmas romance movies with my mom over the winter, and reading such a queer normative book with a plot in the same vein just made my heart so happy. There were two bi MCs, achillean SCs, and a trans SC to name a few, and that inclusion is what is so lacking from those otherwise quite warming films. I loved the central friendship group (definitely have a soft spot for baker boy Ben, my beloved) and actually put my iPad down to smile a massive smile at the ceiling when a line towards the end made me remember there is a whole sequel coming! I get more of them!
I’ve never been able to relate when people talk about their book boyfriends, but I will tell you for free that (precious, head-over-heels lumberjane) Rachel Reed made my heart absolutely ache and if I don’t find her or become her for someone else then what am I even doing with my life.
In the Event of Love is a touching rom-com that celebrates romance novels and love in all its forms. It is about community and puts queer people and romances firmly at the heart of the story where we belong. This book really captures the magic of the holidays and the pride and joy of togetherness, showing up for each other and creating something special with family and friends.
I’m so looking forward to a wintry re-read and I’d love your thoughts if you read it!
And I should probably stop saying the word ‘heart’ so much.
After an incident with a client, event planner Morgan Ross needs some good publicity. While her boss wants her to relax, she views her long awaited return to her quiet hometown for the holidays as an opportunity for redemption. But the fundraiser she’s been asked to organise was the idea of a friend she’s long since lost touch with, and is in aid of her childhood best friend and first love, Rachel Reed. Will they be able to work through their past problems in time to save Fern Falls’ beloved tree farm? Or will the appeal of money from developers steal the heart of the town first?
This was the coziest holiday read that warmed my heart even without the heat of August. We have the sweetest postcard-looking town and small businesses that I can picture perfectly, a second chance romance, friends and family reuniting, all the coffee and the snow and the big gestures of love (and also some 🌶, in true adult book with illustrated cover fashion). It was truly funny and romantic and also handled the ways past and present struggles with parents still affected these characters in their adult lives.
It’s described as a Hallmark kind of narrative if it were more queer inclusive and that’s exactly what this is! I love to watch cheesy Christmas romance movies with my mom over the winter, and reading such a queer normative book with a plot in the same vein just made my heart so happy. There were two bi MCs, achillean SCs, and a trans SC to name a few, and that inclusion is what is so lacking from those otherwise quite warming films. I loved the central friendship group (definitely have a soft spot for baker boy Ben, my beloved) and actually put my iPad down to smile a massive smile at the ceiling when a line towards the end made me remember there is a whole sequel coming! I get more of them!
I’ve never been able to relate when people talk about their book boyfriends, but I will tell you for free that (precious, head-over-heels lumberjane) Rachel Reed made my heart absolutely ache and if I don’t find her or become her for someone else then what am I even doing with my life.
In the Event of Love is a touching rom-com that celebrates romance novels and love in all its forms. It is about community and puts queer people and romances firmly at the heart of the story where we belong. This book really captures the magic of the holidays and the pride and joy of togetherness, showing up for each other and creating something special with family and friends.
I’m so looking forward to a wintry re-read and I’d love your thoughts if you read it!
And I should probably stop saying the word ‘heart’ so much.
November 10, 2024
Morgan is an event planner whose career is on thin ice after a big scandal in the tabloids. She goes home to plan a big event at a local Christmas tree farm and winds up reconnecting with her ex, Rachel, who she hasn’t spoken to in years. This book was super cute. It had all the elements I love in a good Christmas book—cold, snowy setting, Christmas trees, great chemistry between the leads, and I really liked the friend group as well. 5/5 stars.
November 20, 2022
Another adorable Christmas romance! Morgan makes a big mistake that puts her career on the line, so her boss tells her to take the holidays off. Morgan agrees to go home only because she's able to plan a big event that could help her image with her company. But that means running into Rachel, who she definitely didn't leave on good terms with. Rachel is working at her family's tree farm that has been struggling, and Morgan wants to help. The two end up spending a lot of time together to plan the holiday event and save the small business of the town from being taken over by a big corporation. This has your typical city girl going back to her small town and having to confront and old love and I really enjoyed it! The ending had a lot of soul searching involved and having to communicate in order to find their HEA together. Definitely a cute small town, second chance romance that's also ex-friends to lovers over the holiday season that I'd recommend picking up!
March 31, 2022
If you made me pick two words to describe In the Event of Love by Courtney Kae, those two words would be: abundantly sexual.
So much sex. So. Much. Sex. I prefer closed bedroom doors so I’m not the best person to report on the very detailed, multi-page sex scenes. And I won’t. I have to say, though, that in all my professional meetings throughout a career longer than I’d like to say right now, I never lost track of a conversation because I was fantasizing about having sex with my client, even when they were really hot. But maybe that’s just me.
The story concept is familiar: prodigal daughter returns home to recover from a public embarrassment and meets up with a high school love interest. They’ve managed to be mean to each other and/or ignore each other since their confusing high school breakup. And I think that’s the crux of the problem with this book – the two love interests begin lusting after each other almost as soon as they meet up again but they never seem to know/get to know each other at all.
I completely believe that they want to have copious amounts of sex. The author describes this in detail. In fact, protagonist Morgan fantasizes very frequently about things she’d like to do with her client, Rachel. And then they work really hard at fulfilling all of those fantasies.
Maybe the sex is supposed to be fantastical, like unicorns and tinkerbell? The scene for their first sexual encounter makes more sense if it’s supposed to be titilating without being realistic. I wish I could say more but NO SPOILERS. Personally, I also can’t imagine a first encounter as such a public experience but what do I know?!
Other than sex, though, they don’t seem to have much in common and their communication skills are terrible. More importantly, they never improve. We never get to know Rachel. Morgan isn’t particularly likable. She sure is horny though and I’m glad that she’s been able to relieve that itch multiple times by the end of the story.
What does she offer? How does she grow? She’s immature. She’s presumptuous (most of the book’s conflicts occur because she assumes that she knows the answer to every problem without ever talking to anyone else). She’s a terrible friend, a terrible daughter (a great event planner), and a coward who runs away from everything.
The author relies on speeches to move people unrealistically. The ending? Oh lordy. It’s Hallmark-movie-cringe but if you like that stuff, you will probably be okay with it here too. In addition, there are several beneficial coincidences (involving money and relationships) that aren’t believable. They too are cringy but no spoilers, even though I’d love to talk about why they don’t work. I’ll have to wait until a few more of you finish the book.
One comment though: the alcoholic parent and (past) parent death feel tacked on, as though someone said "Add some trauma so the reader identifies with the protagonists." It would have been better to leave off trauma that serves almost no purpose in the story. It certainly doesn't move the story forward.
The writing itself would benefit from a thoughtful re-write – there are a lot of clunky mistakes that aren’t grammatical errors. I can’t reference any here, of course, because I reviewed an ARC. Trust me, though, that hearts can’t do what Morgan’s heart does in this book. Want to know more? Sorry. You’ll have to read the book.
In the Event of Love is scheduled for release on August 30, 2022.
I received a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
bookbuzzblog.com
So much sex. So. Much. Sex. I prefer closed bedroom doors so I’m not the best person to report on the very detailed, multi-page sex scenes. And I won’t. I have to say, though, that in all my professional meetings throughout a career longer than I’d like to say right now, I never lost track of a conversation because I was fantasizing about having sex with my client, even when they were really hot. But maybe that’s just me.
The story concept is familiar: prodigal daughter returns home to recover from a public embarrassment and meets up with a high school love interest. They’ve managed to be mean to each other and/or ignore each other since their confusing high school breakup. And I think that’s the crux of the problem with this book – the two love interests begin lusting after each other almost as soon as they meet up again but they never seem to know/get to know each other at all.
I completely believe that they want to have copious amounts of sex. The author describes this in detail. In fact, protagonist Morgan fantasizes very frequently about things she’d like to do with her client, Rachel. And then they work really hard at fulfilling all of those fantasies.
Maybe the sex is supposed to be fantastical, like unicorns and tinkerbell? The scene for their first sexual encounter makes more sense if it’s supposed to be titilating without being realistic. I wish I could say more but NO SPOILERS. Personally, I also can’t imagine a first encounter as such a public experience but what do I know?!
Other than sex, though, they don’t seem to have much in common and their communication skills are terrible. More importantly, they never improve. We never get to know Rachel. Morgan isn’t particularly likable. She sure is horny though and I’m glad that she’s been able to relieve that itch multiple times by the end of the story.
What does she offer? How does she grow? She’s immature. She’s presumptuous (most of the book’s conflicts occur because she assumes that she knows the answer to every problem without ever talking to anyone else). She’s a terrible friend, a terrible daughter (a great event planner), and a coward who runs away from everything.
The author relies on speeches to move people unrealistically. The ending? Oh lordy. It’s Hallmark-movie-cringe but if you like that stuff, you will probably be okay with it here too. In addition, there are several beneficial coincidences (involving money and relationships) that aren’t believable. They too are cringy but no spoilers, even though I’d love to talk about why they don’t work. I’ll have to wait until a few more of you finish the book.
One comment though: the alcoholic parent and (past) parent death feel tacked on, as though someone said "Add some trauma so the reader identifies with the protagonists." It would have been better to leave off trauma that serves almost no purpose in the story. It certainly doesn't move the story forward.
The writing itself would benefit from a thoughtful re-write – there are a lot of clunky mistakes that aren’t grammatical errors. I can’t reference any here, of course, because I reviewed an ARC. Trust me, though, that hearts can’t do what Morgan’s heart does in this book. Want to know more? Sorry. You’ll have to read the book.
In the Event of Love is scheduled for release on August 30, 2022.
I received a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
bookbuzzblog.com
November 30, 2022
I really enjoyed this book, it was so good! Perfect Christmas small town vibes, and set on a Christmas tree farm!
I think the blurb saying this book is a Hallmark-style holiday romance really does it a disservice, I always think of Hallmark Christmas movies as over the top cheesy and low steam and this book was not that at all. While it did have some Christmas movie vibes it was way better and this book was also very steamy. I absolutely loved the ending too!
It was single POV and I wish it had been dual POV. Also took a few chapters to get into it, but once I did it was hard to put down. It is considered a second-chance romance - but there was barely a first chance and the reason the first chance ended was kind of weird, so I would really actually consider this as more of a friends to lovers than anything.
Excited for book 2, Ben & Adam's book!
I think the blurb saying this book is a Hallmark-style holiday romance really does it a disservice, I always think of Hallmark Christmas movies as over the top cheesy and low steam and this book was not that at all. While it did have some Christmas movie vibes it was way better and this book was also very steamy. I absolutely loved the ending too!
It was single POV and I wish it had been dual POV. Also took a few chapters to get into it, but once I did it was hard to put down. It is considered a second-chance romance - but there was barely a first chance and the reason the first chance ended was kind of weird, so I would really actually consider this as more of a friends to lovers than anything.
Excited for book 2, Ben & Adam's book!
Read
November 15, 2021There is really no better way to describe this book than as the perfect Sapphic Hallmark holiday movie with a sexy lumberjane. It's just exactly that, in the best way, complete with ridiculous amounts of festive small-town charm.
April 8, 2022
dnf. why lord, why? WHY??? this was one of my most anticipated 2022 reads!!!! and it was going quite well! but the sex ~ oh lorrrrd *insert puke face emoji* it read like a dude wrote it, no kidding. and this is why I prefer my f/f stories from lesbians. everyone else just fetishizes the hell out of us.
I read an advance copy (and wish I could go back and undo that)
I read an advance copy (and wish I could go back and undo that)
September 4, 2022
This was hard to keep reading, but because it's an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, I felt I needed to push on. It's not badly written, it's just that the MC is so utterly infuriating and pretty unlikable.
Her 'feel sorry for me' vibe is only maxed out by her denial of any wrong-doing. Then flip-flopping into self blame that never really feels honest, and completely detaching herself from what's going on, while still also entwining herself in the lives of people and a place she's trying to be aloof about. It's maddening!
Like I get it, it's supposed to be a wake up call for our MC Morgan, and her coming to terms with hurt from the past, and growing the heck up - realizing others have their own demons to fight and deal with too... But It just never seemed to really get that far, or feel convincing.
There's your typical spitting dagger moments between the long lost couple, then the tentative trying to work together, then the penultimate confessionals, and the trying again. All very standard operating procedure for a rom-com - Which is fine, but I just felt a complete detachment of emotion.
It's really hard to root for someone so shallow, and inconsiderate. She literally keeps repeating the same mistakes, while being selfish and self-absorbed - it's tedious. I don't understand why anyone even keeps giving her more chances. It was all forgiven, glossed over and 'fixed' a little too easily, time and time again - all without her having to do much more than apologies. She desperately needed that reality check, and 'come to Jesus' moment, that we never got. That Christmas Carol moment that makes it all click. It just never happened.
It just wasn't satisfying, or amusing. It didn't feel Christmas cheery, either. It felt sarcastic and self indulgent. and very much your standard Rom-Com with no real heart or soul.
About a person who needed to learn something, but never really did? And yet still won out, despite the odds and hurt she gave others, while she never seemed to truly step up or learn, or make amends. So I felt bad overall while reading, and especially in the end.
As always, check it out for yourself. I just may not be the right audience for this story.
ETA: I also felt that for a Sapphic romance, it came off sounding very 'straight' for lack of a better word. Like I have no idea if the author is actually Queer, but I would doubt it just from reading this. It certainly feels they are far more immerse in straight culture - and that's how it feels like it's being portrayed. A queer romance, with very straight sounding characters and dialogue - palatable for very straight audiences or people who aren't really immersed in queer women's culture.
I also took issue with the 'evil (almost) step mother' storyline and how it just worked out without any effort, at all - it really blew my mind... It does not deserve to be advertised alongside Casey McQuiston in any way. Disappointing and maddening.
Her 'feel sorry for me' vibe is only maxed out by her denial of any wrong-doing. Then flip-flopping into self blame that never really feels honest, and completely detaching herself from what's going on, while still also entwining herself in the lives of people and a place she's trying to be aloof about. It's maddening!
Like I get it, it's supposed to be a wake up call for our MC Morgan, and her coming to terms with hurt from the past, and growing the heck up - realizing others have their own demons to fight and deal with too... But It just never seemed to really get that far, or feel convincing.
There's your typical spitting dagger moments between the long lost couple, then the tentative trying to work together, then the penultimate confessionals, and the trying again. All very standard operating procedure for a rom-com - Which is fine, but I just felt a complete detachment of emotion.
It's really hard to root for someone so shallow, and inconsiderate. She literally keeps repeating the same mistakes, while being selfish and self-absorbed - it's tedious. I don't understand why anyone even keeps giving her more chances. It was all forgiven, glossed over and 'fixed' a little too easily, time and time again - all without her having to do much more than apologies. She desperately needed that reality check, and 'come to Jesus' moment, that we never got. That Christmas Carol moment that makes it all click. It just never happened.
It just wasn't satisfying, or amusing. It didn't feel Christmas cheery, either. It felt sarcastic and self indulgent. and very much your standard Rom-Com with no real heart or soul.
About a person who needed to learn something, but never really did? And yet still won out, despite the odds and hurt she gave others, while she never seemed to truly step up or learn, or make amends. So I felt bad overall while reading, and especially in the end.
As always, check it out for yourself. I just may not be the right audience for this story.
ETA: I also felt that for a Sapphic romance, it came off sounding very 'straight' for lack of a better word. Like I have no idea if the author is actually Queer, but I would doubt it just from reading this. It certainly feels they are far more immerse in straight culture - and that's how it feels like it's being portrayed. A queer romance, with very straight sounding characters and dialogue - palatable for very straight audiences or people who aren't really immersed in queer women's culture.
I also took issue with the 'evil (almost) step mother' storyline and how it just worked out without any effort, at all - it really blew my mind... It does not deserve to be advertised alongside Casey McQuiston in any way. Disappointing and maddening.
August 30, 2022
amazing! showstopping! spectacular!
five reasons you'll want to read this one
Rep: bi mc, bi li, gay side character, bi side character, (East?) Asian trans side character, Jewish side characters
five reasons you'll want to read this one
Rep: bi mc, bi li, gay side character, bi side character, (East?) Asian trans side character, Jewish side characters
March 7, 2023
I am always excited to see books with queer representation. This book was like reading a Hallmark movie (but with queer love interests and a bit more spice and sexual innuendo). I have to admit that the second chance trope is one of my least favorites, but I thought it worked pretty well here. Morgan has moved from her small town of Fern Falls to be a successful event planner in LA, but when she finds her way into scandal she’s told to take a month off. Coincidently she had been asked to help with an event in her home town so she thinks it’s perfect to use her time off from her job planning a successful event that can help relaunch her career. Only she wasn’t counting on the people she left behind especially her best friend turned first girl crush Rachel. This was a quick read that has that sweet, light, holiday vibe.
September 8, 2022
Morgan Ross is so close to her dream promotion as head of the New York division of the event planning company she works for that she can taste it. Until she kisses the wrong guy and has to get away from Los Angeles for a while. A request from a potential client in her hometown of Fern Falls could give her the opportunity to prove herself again, even if it means going back to the place she left in a hurry several years ago. And probably having to reconnect with her dad and with the only girl she ever loved.
I went through all sorts of states with this book. Some really good, some not so much. The cover got me at first sight and the synopsis sounded cute. It’s meant to be the book equivalent of a Hallmark movie yet things that work in a two-hour-long film won’t always translate on the page. It made me smile and roll my eyes and grind my teeth in frustration. I would have loved to be a little more delighted and a lot less frustrated.
On the positive side, there’s some character growth and the chemistry between the MCs is real. Which is a good thing since that’s what the relationship is based on, as there’s not a lot of getting to know each other as adults. As a whole, there’s not a lot of talking, and that’s a problem both for the characters and for the story itself. A lot of trouble could have been avoided if the characters (Morgan and Rachel, Morgan and her dad…) had talked to one another, and I know miscommunication or lack of communication sound like a pet peeve but when they’re done well, I love them. A Whisper of Solace by Milena McKay is a good example of that. Miscommunication/lack of communication has to make sense for the characters as more than them simply acting like idiots, jumping to conclusions and such. Also, I love grand gestures but I also believe some moments deserve privacy. Again, that’s just me, an introvert, who felt uncomfortable several times reading about all these characters living pretty much everything in crowded places.
Despite all this, I enjoyed reading this story. If you’re in the mood for a heartwarming second-chance/holiday rom-com, complete with Christmas tree farm-saving and quirky secondary characters, and if you don’t mind predicaments being solved as if by magic, give In the Event of Love a chance.
I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Read all my reviews on my blog: Jude in the Stars
December 19, 2023
In the Event of Love is a fast paced, romantically driven, Hallmark-style holiday novel. It's got a fun but easy to follow premise, endearing characters, and a very cute romance. I'd recommend it as a holiday read, to anyone looking for some more WLW contemporaries, or simply anyone looking for a quick but enjoyable romance.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 9, 2022
“sometimes, mistakes are the beginning of something wonderful.”
to whoever writes book blurbs: please stop claiming that every queer romance is “for fans of casey mcquiston.” no ❤️
in the event of love is a hallmark movie of a book about an event planner returning to her hometown post-scandal to save the local christmas tree farm (coincidentally owned by her first love) from a corporate buyout. i wanted to like it, but i found it generic and contrived with none of the heart i expected from a small town holiday romance.
the setting was easily my favorite part—fern falls is a quirky, charming town and i would have liked to see more of it and its residents.
the plot is unrealistic and barely there, which i don’t necessarily mind in a romance if the romance itself carries the book. unfortunately, it doesn’t here. morgan is immature and all i know about rachel is that she’s hot. i never felt any spark between them despite morgan constantly fantasizing about rachel, and there is too much focus on their bond as teenagers and not enough on their relationship as adults outside of their supposed intense physical attraction. they also have significant communication issues that are never resolved.
all the relationships suffer from telling instead of showing, so what should be meaningful moments feel unearned. i wish some of the time dedicated to multiple cringe-worthy sex scenes had been spent on character development or conflict resolution instead.
i love that mainstream publishers are finally publishing more sapphic romances, but this one was a disappointment for me. it reads like a checklist of romance novel tropes with nothing to set it apart aside from an unlikable main character and a quaint, progressive small town setting.
thank you to netgalley for the arc!
rating: 1.0/5.0 stars
February 1, 2022
I have read this book a few times and it's not too bad! 🥰
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With early review copies just starting to trickle out, I wanted to go ahead and post some content warnings here. I will also place them on my Twitter and IG. Thank you for reading.💛
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One character deals with caring for a parent who is struggling with alcoholism and divorce.
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Another character processes grief of a lost parent (during childhood, off-page).
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With early review copies just starting to trickle out, I wanted to go ahead and post some content warnings here. I will also place them on my Twitter and IG. Thank you for reading.💛
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One character deals with caring for a parent who is struggling with alcoholism and divorce.
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Another character processes grief of a lost parent (during childhood, off-page).
April 2, 2022
Morgan and Rachel were the best part of this story - and by that I mean their relationship. It was definitely full of cute moments and they truly were perfect for one another.
Mostly everything else though just didn’t mesh with my tastes. The second chance romance of it all didn’t add much in my opinion, some plot threads that were opened up just didn’t seem to get tied up or they had a quick out of the blue resolution, and at times, the style of writing reminded me more of a YA book instead of an adult romance. I also couldn’t imagine a lot of the scenes described - none of the writing sparked much visualization for me.
Overall, I thought this book was okay - but just had too many things that didn’t work for me to truly let the romance shine.
I received an ARC of this story from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Mostly everything else though just didn’t mesh with my tastes. The second chance romance of it all didn’t add much in my opinion, some plot threads that were opened up just didn’t seem to get tied up or they had a quick out of the blue resolution, and at times, the style of writing reminded me more of a YA book instead of an adult romance. I also couldn’t imagine a lot of the scenes described - none of the writing sparked much visualization for me.
Overall, I thought this book was okay - but just had too many things that didn’t work for me to truly let the romance shine.
I received an ARC of this story from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
October 2, 2022
3.5 ⭐️
It’s pretty cute. I liked the holiday vibes. But I really wish it was dual POV and the conflict felt repetitive… if that makes sense. I’ll try to write a review, but overall pretty good!
It’s pretty cute. I liked the holiday vibes. But I really wish it was dual POV and the conflict felt repetitive… if that makes sense. I’ll try to write a review, but overall pretty good!
January 6, 2025
✩ 4.5 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓼
~
“𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐲, 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞.”
~
this made a squealing mess & i swear only dogs could hear my screams
~
“𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐲, 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞.”
~
this made a squealing mess & i swear only dogs could hear my screams
April 13, 2021
I love this book SO MUCH. A cozy, joyful, steamy delight.
March 23, 2022
i enjoyed reading this queer holiday rom-com!
with a whimsical small town and so much holiday spirit, this book felt so cozy. this story is brimming with love and hope and it was so cute to read.
although i liked the overall vibes, this just wasn’t really my sense of humor. that’s definitely a personal preference, but it was so different from mine that i couldn’t enjoy this as much as i wanted to.
this wasn’t my cup of tea, but i’m sure a lot of readers will still love this! 3.5 stars
thank you kensington for sending me an arc!
with a whimsical small town and so much holiday spirit, this book felt so cozy. this story is brimming with love and hope and it was so cute to read.
although i liked the overall vibes, this just wasn’t really my sense of humor. that’s definitely a personal preference, but it was so different from mine that i couldn’t enjoy this as much as i wanted to.
this wasn’t my cup of tea, but i’m sure a lot of readers will still love this! 3.5 stars
thank you kensington for sending me an arc!
August 16, 2022
courtney kae’s in the event of love is second chance sapphic love meets hallmark. the book is steamy enough that if turned into a classic christmas film, i am convinced it would kill a large portion of hallmark’s target audience. naturally, that means half a star extra from me just for that alone.
i say this as a compliment, this is everything you imagine it will be - cute, funny, full of tropes, and set in a small town that needs saving from a ruthless corporation at christmas time. kae’s writing is simple and easy but full of care for lgbt stories, allowing for a quick read. to put it simply, i loved it. i was invested in morgan and rachel’s requited love the moment they met again after years of yearning and secretly pining for the other as they were separated by a misunderstanding, distance and silence. the payoff of their shared journey was special to witness after spending countless years watching and reading heterosexual couples get their happy endings in the hallmark rom-coms that came before this one. and let me just add, wlw do it better.
”i swallow hard and take in her gorgeous work. ‘ross and reed, huh?’
‘except on days we're bickering. then i reserve the right
to the first r.’ she grins. ‘and i hope i can make you laugh, even during the hard days, and make you feel all the love i have for you every day, the love i’ve had for you my entire life. i love you always, morgan ann. always.’
i wrap my arms around her neck and let the tears fall. ‘i love you, too.’
then rachel kisses me like the world has just been saved, because for us, it has.”
thank you to netgalley and kensington books for this arc and for allowing me the opportunity to visit fern falls before the publication date.
- 3.5 stars rounded down to 3.
i say this as a compliment, this is everything you imagine it will be - cute, funny, full of tropes, and set in a small town that needs saving from a ruthless corporation at christmas time. kae’s writing is simple and easy but full of care for lgbt stories, allowing for a quick read. to put it simply, i loved it. i was invested in morgan and rachel’s requited love the moment they met again after years of yearning and secretly pining for the other as they were separated by a misunderstanding, distance and silence. the payoff of their shared journey was special to witness after spending countless years watching and reading heterosexual couples get their happy endings in the hallmark rom-coms that came before this one. and let me just add, wlw do it better.
”i swallow hard and take in her gorgeous work. ‘ross and reed, huh?’
‘except on days we're bickering. then i reserve the right
to the first r.’ she grins. ‘and i hope i can make you laugh, even during the hard days, and make you feel all the love i have for you every day, the love i’ve had for you my entire life. i love you always, morgan ann. always.’
i wrap my arms around her neck and let the tears fall. ‘i love you, too.’
then rachel kisses me like the world has just been saved, because for us, it has.”
thank you to netgalley and kensington books for this arc and for allowing me the opportunity to visit fern falls before the publication date.
- 3.5 stars rounded down to 3.
June 11, 2022
Oof. This was not it. The characters were all flat and bland and I felt that Morgan and Rachel had ZERO chemistry. Morgan was really annoying. Also, for a cutesy small town setting, there was so little atmosphere! Too many side characters who weren't developed and oh dear lord the sex scenes were bad. Cringeworthy. I had to skip through them. And that epilogue? Major cringe. I really hated that. Major letdown.
December 7, 2022
It was well written and an easy plot to get emersed to but didn't feel original and felt like a plot I've both seen and heard a million times before. But I'm also understanding I'm not in a Christmas mood to read happy, sweet and romantic holiday romances as Christmas don't bring much cheer for me. Still pretty much a Grinch for Christmas. So I'll finish the next one I'm reading and then I won't read anymore of those this year. Rather reading something I'll hopefully would enjoy more
Read
April 5, 2022I need the Hallmark adaptation of this story ASAP
March 20, 2022
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 (keep in mind I read an ARC, so I don't know if these are true of the final version):
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.
That said, I loved the writing and am really looking forward to reading more Fern Falls books. I loved the bi rep, loved how casually queer this book-- and the small town of Fern Falls-- is. I am very much looking forward to Ben and Adam's story (and Whitney and Tanner's, I assume), and am excited to spend more time with Fern Falls in the future.
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 (keep in mind I read an ARC, so I don't know if these are true of the final version):
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.
That said, I loved the writing and am really looking forward to reading more Fern Falls books. I loved the bi rep, loved how casually queer this book-- and the small town of Fern Falls-- is. I am very much looking forward to Ben and Adam's story (and Whitney and Tanner's, I assume), and am excited to spend more time with Fern Falls in the future.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 25, 2022
I love me a sapphic holiday romance! This takes the tropes that are typically seen in Hallmark-esque Christmas romances (big city person returns to small town & tries to save a beloved town landmark and finds love along the way) but provides much steamier fare.
After a scandal at her event planning job in LA, Morgan has to return home to Fern Falls. There she runs into her former best friend and crush Rachel. Things between the two women didn’t end on the best of terms. But when Rachel’s Christmas tree farm is in danger of being bought out by an evil corporation, Morgan decides to put her event planning skills to the test to try and save the farm. And perhaps start a romance with Rachel as well.
I really enjoyed the chemistry between Morgan and Rachel. They both had things they needed to work through and resolve from their past in order to make this new romance work. However, I did wish that they would’ve spent a bit more time learning how each other changed and developed in the years they spent apart. I also loved all of the side characters, they added a lot to the story and fleshed out the town.
My extremely picky nature when it comes to romance epilogues kept me from fully loving this one. It just felt so rushed to me. But overall I think this is a super enjoyable sapphic holiday romance.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
After a scandal at her event planning job in LA, Morgan has to return home to Fern Falls. There she runs into her former best friend and crush Rachel. Things between the two women didn’t end on the best of terms. But when Rachel’s Christmas tree farm is in danger of being bought out by an evil corporation, Morgan decides to put her event planning skills to the test to try and save the farm. And perhaps start a romance with Rachel as well.
I really enjoyed the chemistry between Morgan and Rachel. They both had things they needed to work through and resolve from their past in order to make this new romance work. However, I did wish that they would’ve spent a bit more time learning how each other changed and developed in the years they spent apart. I also loved all of the side characters, they added a lot to the story and fleshed out the town.
My extremely picky nature when it comes to romance epilogues kept me from fully loving this one. It just felt so rushed to me. But overall I think this is a super enjoyable sapphic holiday romance.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 24, 2022
So much potential here. This could have been a such a sweet, queer Hallmark-esque holiday romcom…but it suffers from clumsy writing, confusing gaps in the story, and some misses in character development.
There are times when you find yourself asking why something is happening or what the motivation was for a character, especially at the beginning. Withholding info is obviously a tool in writing. It just wasn’t wielded effectively here. Sometimes, you get to the answer and sometimes you don’t.
There are some smaller parts that are sloppy or confusing and a time/location jump at the end isn’t introduced…it just happens.
For clunky phrasing we have Morgan smoothing frown lines above Rachel’s cheeks. Cheeks? We have a repeat of glasses that rise when someone smiles (different people). And a lot of little clues that parts were written in the same sitting or session because of repeated use of a phrase.
I wanted to like this. I think romcoms could use some more queer stories. I just wish for some more editing.
There are times when you find yourself asking why something is happening or what the motivation was for a character, especially at the beginning. Withholding info is obviously a tool in writing. It just wasn’t wielded effectively here. Sometimes, you get to the answer and sometimes you don’t.
There are some smaller parts that are sloppy or confusing and a time/location jump at the end isn’t introduced…it just happens.
For clunky phrasing we have Morgan smoothing frown lines above Rachel’s cheeks. Cheeks? We have a repeat of glasses that rise when someone smiles (different people). And a lot of little clues that parts were written in the same sitting or session because of repeated use of a phrase.
I wanted to like this. I think romcoms could use some more queer stories. I just wish for some more editing.
January 3, 2025
~ 3.5 rounded up ~
This was a cute, hallmark-esque holiday romance. The childhood friends to almost lovers to “enemies” to lovers worked really well, and had the perfect amount of pining (pun intended🌲). I always appreciate when the relationship isn’t just angst and spice, but also the characters genuinely caring for each other. This was definitely the case here - Rachel and Morgan were very much invested in each other’s dreams and happiness outside of their relationship. The only reason it’s not 5 stars is the third act breakup. I feel like it could have been really easily avoided with more communication, and climax could have instead focused on the event or another one of the obstacles that Morgan and Rachel faced together. But overall, this is an enjoyable, cozy romance that I loved reading over the holidays.
This was a cute, hallmark-esque holiday romance. The childhood friends to almost lovers to “enemies” to lovers worked really well, and had the perfect amount of pining (pun intended🌲). I always appreciate when the relationship isn’t just angst and spice, but also the characters genuinely caring for each other. This was definitely the case here - Rachel and Morgan were very much invested in each other’s dreams and happiness outside of their relationship. The only reason it’s not 5 stars is the third act breakup. I feel like it could have been really easily avoided with more communication, and climax could have instead focused on the event or another one of the obstacles that Morgan and Rachel faced together. But overall, this is an enjoyable, cozy romance that I loved reading over the holidays.
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