In the case of heartbreak

Kae's tasty second Fern Falls rom-com (after In the Event of Love) serves up a sugary friends-to-lovers tale seasoned with heaps of parental and professional drama. Shy small-town baker Ben Parrish is on the cusp of winning reality TV competition Take the Cake using his family cinnamon roll recipe when his friend and secret crush, mechanic and guitarist Adam Reed, rebuffs rumors that they are dating by adamantly insisting they're just "good friends" during a live episode. Worse, his narcissistic music producer father, who abandoned him as a child, publicly claims that the recipe is his. Ben is mortified on both counts and in hot water with the show's producers, but he has to go to California for the two-week-long birthday celebration of his raunchy, meddling grandmother. Unbeknownst to him, she's also invited Adam in hopes of sparking a romance. The men, when they finally talk things out, discover deep feelings. Their ensuing relationship is blissful; conflict comes from the outside pressures that threaten to tear them apart. Though the plot over-relies on characters keeping secrets, the chemistry between dreamboat Adam and sensitive Ben is lovely. Replete with sexy banter and foreplay, this strikes a great balance of sultry and sweet. Agent: Claire Friedman, InkWell Management. (Aug.)

Ben Parrish has always loved Adam Reed. Afraid of ruining their friendship, he's never confessed his feelings to Adam. When Adam rejects Ben live on national TV, it stirs up past trauma, and Ben spirals into anxiety and depression. He escapes to his grandma's beachside home for her 80th birthday extravaganza, hoping distance will heal his heartbreak. However, she's invited Adam to be the fill-in guitarist for her birthday band and lodged him in the same space as Ben, forcing both men to confront their feelings for each other. Adam and Ben's chemistry has been simmering for years; when it finally consumes them, the sex is steamy, and their love blossoms. This beautifully written novel is filled with authentic characters and heartbreaking, realistic scenes, but it is not all deep feelings. Humorous scenes abound, and the dialogue is as witty as it is revealing. VERDICT Kae (In the Event of Love) gives readers a world where queerness is open and accepted, people support each other during mental health breakdowns, and true love comes with a side order of self-awareness. Fans of Casey McQuiston and Alexandria Bellefleur will fall in love with this small-town, friends-to-lovers romance.--Heather Miller Cover