This book was really good, I enjoyed it a lot.
The best parts were:
- the sapphic rep. I really loved the romance and the relationship between Rachel and Morgan!
- Ben!!!!! Uh, he was such a good character, I loved all the parts he was in but boy, did he deserve better in terms of a certain friend.
- The holiday vibes!! The farm! The inn!!

The parts I didn't really like/care for:
- the motives behind everything that was happening were not well executed. It just felt very shallow and unexplored in depth. I would've felt more sympathy for Morgan and Rachel than I did had they been well executed.
- most of the characters here felt like caricatures like the author assigned a certain character trait(s) to a character while writing this novel and then ran with only that trait(s) without exploring any other facets of them.
- a lot of times the writing got repetitive when talking about the past stuff. I get it you can't just start having an inner monologue about something that happened in the past without rehashing how it happened but how many times??? It got very irritating when even some new info about the events was prefaced by rehashing what we already know.
- morgan's relationship with her dad. Uh, I just didn't feel this was executed well. Her dad seemed more of a friend/acquaintance than a parent which is not a bad thing IF they are both but he wasn't. I'm trying not to give any spoilers but I just kept waiting for things to go differently in their relationship but they never did like an actual parent-child relationship. It always seemed like more of an acquaintance/friend than a parent except for when they talked about Morgan's mother.

If the reasons that disappointed me a little don't bother you, you should definitely check out this novel for some amazing bi (both Rachel and Morgan are bi) and sapphic rep!!

actual rating: 3.5

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. August 30, 2022.

This was a cute female female second chance romance that is basically a Christmas Hallmark movie in book form.

Our main character Morgan is an event planner in LA who goes back to her home town Fern Falls to salvage her career by helping to save the Christmas tree farm. Rachel is the owner of the Christmas tree farm. Morgan and Rachel pined for each other back in high school, and this is the first time they’ve been reunited in seven years.
The book follows Morgan and Rachel trying to put on a fundraiser to save the tree farm while also falling for each other.

What worked for me:
-Cute Christmas small town atmosphere
-The pining and steam

What didn’t work for me:
-Slow paced. Lots of boring setup before Morgan even gets to Fern Falls, then lots of explanation and introduction of side characters in Fern Falls before we even meet Rachel
-Disconnected writing style. The writing of the Morgan and Rachel scenes had a completely different tone than the scenes where they talk to anyone else or have internal monologue. This also added to the slow pace.
-Lots of caricature side characters and quirky Fern Falls places that were only superficially discussed. It was hard to tell what and who were important so my brain started to blur them all together as unimportant.

Despite those issues, it was super cute and I had fun reading about saving the Christmas town. I will definitely read the second book if it’s about Adam & Ben (Rachel’s brother & Morgan’s childhood friend).

This book felt very much like a Hallmark movie but in book form. I don’t typically watch Hallmark but other family members often have them playing on the TV around Christmas so I have gotten a sense of key themes that they tend to feature. This story was fun and sweet, with a cast of characters who immediately endeared themselves to me.

One theme of Hallmark movies is a big-city career person discovering the important things in life in a small town. Here we meet Morgan Ross, event planner for LA, who is forced to return to her childhood small town, Fern Falls, after a situation with a client in the city. She left the town 7 years before after a series of events that left her feeling unwanted there and has not returned since.

This book has a lovely second chance romance between Morgan and her former best friend, Rachel. At the beginning, the feelings that Rachel has towards her are unclear but I think they work through their pasts well, without a lot of miscommunication or difficulties. There are some complications near the end, as often happens in romances, but I think these are resolved well.

Aside from the second chance romance, I think a lot of this is in some ways about second chances. Morgan and the people of Fern Falls both have to give each other a second chance. Morgan gives a second chance to her relationship with her dad and to her friends from high school that she hadn’t spoken to in years. Seeing these relationships develop again feels meaningful and true to life.

An important character in the book is the small-town itself. Fern Falls has the charm and cute restaurants and shops characteristic of small towns. This story is also about keeping this charm and not losing it to something more corporate that lacks that heart and soul. Saving that small town from corporate developers is a big part of the story. The story shows how people caring and coming together can help so much.

This was a lovely, holiday story that would be perfect to read with a mug of hot chocolate on a cold and snowy day! It releases on August 30th.

This was literally the epitome of a Hallmark movie in a book just make it a little spicy and sapphic. I enjoyed my time with it but it was cheesier than I usually like my romance novels and I could see the third-act conflict coming from a mile away. It definitely wasn't anything new or original. It's a bummer people are giving this bad reviews for being too spicy or fetishizing queer women. I didn't get that at all and the author is bisexual herself so saying the only people who write sapphic romance well are lesbians is quite biphobic in my opinion. If you just want a sweet holiday read come this December and don't mind that it's not anything new in the romance genre (besides being a sapphic holiday romance, which is why I requested this in the first place) I'd recommend picking it up. It's like candy.

I loved the premise, second chance romance, small town, the uber cute cover and there was so much buzz about this. I wanted to love this book so much, however getting into it, the read didn’t quite match my expectations and by the looks of things, mine might be the unpopular view. 😞

Morgan ran away to the big city in LA and after working tirelessly for a event management firm lands in hot water because on an unexpected event that has her reputation in ruins.

The story is told from Morgan’s POV and right of the bat, you realize she is a bundle of anxiety, self doubt, low self esteem and a healthy dose of imposter syndrome. Now I’m all in for a good growth and self discovery journey, but I thought the narrative didn’t flesh this out properly. All of Morgan’s issues are resolved really quickly with a quick sorry from either side and it felt like all of the issues she’d been worried was overblown. All those moments felt like lost opportunities to show Morgan’s growth. I think the Rachel Reed character(the other MC) was more flushed out and I felt I could relate more to that character.

As the story progressed, I felt the narrative relied on a lot of cliched situations and the dialog at some points became a little cheesy-cringey. I love romance, especially sapphic romance but even though the setup was a classic hallmark Christmas romance, I just couldn’t get into it and I found myself wincing a lot towards the end.

As I said before, I’m probably holding the unpopular view here, but this book just didn’t work for me. 3.5⭐️S

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the protagonists so much. I’m so glad we’re getting more sapphic rom coms.

They were both so great. I loved their background history and their chemistry, the love and support for one another, the angst, the push and pull, the sexual tension between them, everything was so well executed by the author. The characters were not perfect, they had their own struggles and obstacles they had to overcome before they came to the realization that they are better together than apart.

I’m so happy with how everything wrapped up at the end. It was such an enjoyable book. I hope the author continues to put out more stories like this!

Broken career dreams, your first broken heart, and a lost identity through family drama - get out your kleenex.

Morgan ran from home at 18 and has barely looked back. Working hard, barely taken a moment away while building her brand as a seller event planner 8n LA.

One night, a moment's indiscretion and her career is fodder for the LA paparazzi. Morgan returns to home, waiting for her loss of reputation to be yesterday's news.

Back home, Morgan faces the demons of her past - broken hearted first love, letting herself and others down - while attempting to redeem her 18 year old self she was and bringing her 25 year old self to the party for a win.

This book was like such a warm hug!!! So wholesome and heartwarming! I couldn't stop smiling!!

Both Morgan and Rachel are extremely likeable and a perfect match, I adored them together and was rooting for them from the beginning!! Second chance romance at its best! And oh my god, Ben and Adam were so cute! Really enjoyed all the side characters, the cast was perfect and the whole atmosphere of the small town was so well done.

I really liked the bi representation and I think many will see themselves in Morgan. We need more books like this! It was also quite steamy, so if you're into open door romance, this fits the bill. I totally understand why they call this a Hallmark-esque book because the vibessss!! It's such a sweet story with so perfectly crafted characters. I would recommend this to everyone and I can't wait to see what's up next for Courtney Kae.

Omg thissssss book is so adorable! In the Event of Love is so cozy and heart warming! It is chock full of Christmas cuteness and sappy romance, it is just perfect! I loved all of the characters. Everyone had great character development, and fantastic personalities. This book is just…… *chef’s kiss.* please do yourself a favor and READ IT!

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington for an advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun read! I love a good second chance romance and think that Kae delivered here. I felt the yearning between Morgan and Rachel and enjoyed their journey to reconnection. Add in some great side characters like Ben and a cozy small town during the Holiday season, and we've got a good read.

Despite enjoying the tropes and the storyline of this book, I did feel like some of the writing was staggered and hard to follow, especially with the insertion of flashbacks. While I do enjoy steam, I think this story may have featured too generous a sprinkle.

All in all, a solid seasonal read with a town that I will gladly return to if Ben gets his own HEA!

FLEW through this excellent, incredible book. Tightly written, earnest, laugh-out-loud funny at several parts—one of the best page-turning sapphic books I've read in ages.

I adored all the characters and the atmosphere so much and I hope the author continues putting out more books like this!

Firstly, I’d like to say how much I adore this cover! It’s so lovely and I couldn’t stop staring at it while reading the book.

Secondly—this book! I was nervous because this has been an anticipated read of mine but I had no reason to be. I enjoyed the main characters and their relationships. Taylor does such a beautiful job curating these endearing and wonderful characters with seemingly real personalities and ambitions. I absolutely busted out laughing so many times! This book was so fun, witty and honest! And it warmed my heart to see such a fun light hearted novel about two women falling in love.

Any who, I AM SO HONORED I GOT THE CHANCE TO READ THIS NOVEL. It hooked me immediately and I love how much we focused on all the side characters as well.. I really enjoyed the storyline and wow my heart melted so many times.

I think this one even topped so many lgbt novels this month, and I can't wait to tell everyone to buy it when it's in stores or be annoyingly persistent about it when I’m at the library.

I adored all the characters and the atmosphere so much and I hope the author continues putting out more books like this!

There are not enough words to describe how much I love this book! I actually read it several months ago and I have not stopped thinking about it. The characters, the setting, the holiday vibes, the second chance tension and the STEAM! This book is off the charts good. Courtney has a fabulous voice and the wit and banter is top notch. I cannot wait to read what she comes up with next (no but seriously send it to me immediately please!).

I've just finished reading the ARC of this book, and it's absolutely wonderful. It's a perfectly LGBT hallmark film in book form. The characters are loveable, the town of Fern Falls is like a dream- I felt represented in this book, and frankly I want to live in it. Can't recommend it enough, especially if you liked "Delilah Green Doesn't Care" by Ashley Herring Blake - however I'd say this is even more romantic than that book!

Straight up Hallmark movie right here! Morgan returns to her hometown after seven years to get away from a scandal in LA. She reconnects with old friends as well as her former best friend, Rachel, who was “the one who got away”. You know what, let’s also throw in saving the small town and it’s businesses (a Christmas tree farm and small B&B!) from a money grubbing corporate takeover.

Now, can I please read Ben and Adam’s story next?!?! 😉

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Kensington Books and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A queer love story that’s absolutely heartwarming, sweet, well crafted with the perfect character choices.

This book was the epitome of sweet and heartwarming. The characters, while I couldn't necessarily relate to them beyond being queer, were interesting to read about and I became invested in them and their journeys throughout the story. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book considering I don't usually enjoy Hallmark-style romances, but this one was a ball to read. It was heartfelt and steamy and everything I could want in a holiday romance, enjoyable even when read in the middle of summer!

I think that I would give this book 3.5/5 stars, but I'll round up to four. Although I enjoyed it very much, I thought that it dragged at times and occasionally I was bored. I felt like the main character, Morgan, didn't learn very much until the very end so her character development seemed very sudden. However, I don't think that majorly impacted the story in a negative way; it was just a minor issue that I had with the story. I'll definitely read anything else that Courtney Kae writes, especially if it's sapphic!

While this is far from a beach read, this sweet and spicy winter read is a lovely repreive from the heat. Morgan and Rachel demonstrate how hard it can be to reconcile past hurt yet love can persevere with communication and community as the cornerstones of support.

I loved this book. It’s the perfect sapphic Christmas time hallmark like book.

Morgan such a great main character and her romance with Rachel was perfection. The slowburn, second chance, childhood friends to lovers was done so well. My favorite part of this book was probably the epilogue because it was adorable and so perfect.

Nope, apparently it’s not too early for the first wave of Christmas-related romance novels to hit the market.  In The Event of Love is sweet and just a touch quirky, making it a fun and fast-paced intro to the season. 

Morgan Ross is an event planner extraordinaire.  She’s busy and successful, but when she gets a business offer from her home town, Fern Falls, she’s reluctant to return to the nest.  Then a video of her making out with the scandalous Chad McTannum in a nightclub goes viral, and suddenly, Fern Falls looks awfully appealing.  She saves her job by convincing her boss that making good with the charity event she’s been asked to plan in Fern Falls will save her reputation.  Then she learns she’s been hired by her high school crush. 

Rachel Reed was Morgan’s first crush and best friend back when they were kids.  Now she’s a lumberjane who owns a tree farm and even though Rachel shattered her heart years ago, Morgan is drawn to her.  Rachel and Morgan both struggle with family issues and try their darndest to prove themselves in their individual industries.  But will it be enough to get them where they need to go? 

The interesting thing about In the Event of Love’s setup is that it absolutely subverts expectations while happily playing into the tropes that tend to be found in good, solid small town romances.  You get Christmas cheer, a warm town that’s queer-friendly and rooting for Our Couple, and a sweet and tender romance between two women.  But Morgan and Rachel are dealing with distant parents, one of whom is alcoholic, so it’s not all sweetness and light, and Morgan works hard to reclaim her relationship with her father, which is truly touching to watch.  This book is like sinking into a nice warm bath, or indulging in a Hallmark movie just as the first fat flakes of winter snow start falling.  

Between all the holly and snowballs and mugs of hot chocolate, Kae makes  pertinent points about slut shaming and familial expectations, and her writing is tops, smart and fluid and easy to fall in love with.  But I had to dock this one a little bit for some pacing issues when a little too much timeis spent dawdling in the midsection before leading into a truly wonderful final act. 

Even with my quibbles, In the Event of Love is a good read, and the perfect novel to put you in the Christmas mood. 

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