Book Review: Fall at Once by Nora Everly

Official Synopsis: I'm in Cozy Creek for two To get over my breakup and help my grandmother run her bakery while she recovers from a sprained ankle.

I am absolutely not here to fall in love.

But my grandma's smoking hot firefighter neighbor keeps rescuing me—from the side of the road, from a tree (don't ask), and then finally from my ex with a steamy kiss in a bar.

So when he needs my help, how can I say no?

As a party planner, I'm the perfect person to step in and work with him on preparations for Cozy Creek Fire Brigade's Fall Fundraiser.

Sparks fly as we spend more time together, but we've both been burned by love before.

I do my best to beat the heat, but then he kissed me for real, and (f)all at once, I realize we might just be perfect for each other.

Madi can't seem to stop being saved by Cole Sutter, first he helps her when her car dies on the side of the road, helps her save a cat from a tree and keeps being nicer to her than she thinks she deserves. They can't seem to avoid each other, and each moment they are together is full of tension and longing looks that even their friend's and family are catching onto it. Madi needed a change after breaking up with her long time boyfriend, while Cole Sutter is 8 years older than her, he is also struggling to move on from getting a divorce, where him and his ex-wife share kids and see each other frequently while in town.

Cole is trying to put his kids first, especially with everything going on with their mom. He tries to be the best dad for them, while still working at the firehouse and trying not to fall too hard for Madi. But he can't seem to get out of her universe, he is drawn to her in a way he didn't expect and its hard for him to keep his head on straight when she is around. When Madi ends up changing his life in ways he didn't think was possible, he gets scared, finding back in the feelings his ex-wife left him with.

Madi is also hurting, having left Colorado Springs to get away from her ex and taking a break in Cozy Creek to help out her grandmother, Gigi, after she sprains her ankle. As Madi spends more time in Cozy Creek, and around a certain firefighter, she starts to wonder if maybe she should just stay. The town feels more like home then her actual home and she doesn't see much left for her in Colorado Springs.

This book has a lot of moments that deal with finding your place within the world around you, while also being able to accept that you are allowed to have nice things. Both Cole and Madi need to learn to accept their feelings for each other and how it effects then when they aren't together. Cole definitely has a lot to learn in the book, especially with having kids. I think there are also a lot of sweet moments in the book, with Gigi constantly scheming to get what she wants, along with having a lot of other people in the town supporting Madi and Cole. Let's not forget that the three cats in Madi's apartment are definitely paid actors and we love them dearly, even when they try to ruin moments of the two. I also really liked the characters that were around Madi and Cole, including the children, who helped them figure out how they fit together. Kenzie making sure to 'help' with the firefighter calendar was a really great scene and definitely deserves to be noted.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and how the character's worked through their respective trauma and emotions to be able to work together. I do like the smalltown vibes with everyone in everyone's business, and how that impacts how choices are made in the story. I think Cole and Madi are written and how we get to see both of their POVs. I think overall this book was a fun read, and is apart of an interconnected series with a bunch of different authors, which I also think it really cool. I really enjoyed the town of Cozy Creek and how the story itself worked within the town.

I rated this book 3.5 out of 5 stars!

Fall At Once comes out Oct 28, 2025!

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