Thank you NetGalley and Ylva Publishing for this ARC. I gave this book several chances, I picked it up and put it down, but ultimately it was not my cup of tea. The story seemed tempting, but the age gap started to get uncomfortable for me with the number of times they almost called the the love interest a baby. It got to a point where I couldn't enjoy the book without getting weirded out.

This is a delightful and steamy age-gap romance that perfectly balances humor, heart, and heat. At its core, the novel follows Eve, a teacher fresh from a bad breakup, and Scarlet, a devoted mother and yoga instructor who has long prioritized her daughter over her own love life. Their attraction is instant, but the obstacles—age, responsibility, and a pesky Hollywood ex—make their journey anything but simple. Zedde’s writing brings both women to life with vivid, dynamic personalities that make their banter and flirtation feel effortless and fun.

Beyond the sizzling chemistry, the novel shines with its playful character interactions and spicy, well-crafted romantic scenes that keep the energy high. Eve’s charm and enthusiasm contrast beautifully with Scarlet’s initial resistance, creating a push-and-pull dynamic that is both entertaining and deeply satisfying. And when Scarlet’s glamorous, drama-inducing ex-wife enters the picture, things only get more complicated—and more fun. With a perfect mix of emotional depth and lighthearted passion, *Eve Falls First* is an engaging and wildly entertaining romance that keeps readers hooked from start to finish.

Sweet drama filled romance!

Scarlet meets teacher, Eve, when she needs a tutor for her daughter. When Eve finds herself attracted to Scarlet, Scarlet is caught up in their age gap and when her starlet of an ex also returns, things get even more complicated.

To start everything about this story seemed very sweet, all an innocent crush shared between two women with broken hearts and complications from the past. Then, as if out of nowhere in true Hollywood style came a drama of an equal size. I adored Scarlet’s hesitance about their age gap because it didn’t stop her enjoying Eve’s company and building a friendship, it just made her wary. When we learned more about her and her past relationship that started making more and more sense.

As with all romances where a kid is involved Scarlet’s daughter was a catalyst for events and definitely helped to make sure they spent cute, and sometimes awkward moments together. She was quite the little character but did all she could to get her mother and Eve together and make sure they knew she approved. Those moments had me smiling and loving the idea of them building a life together. I really had to hope because with Eve’s broken heart, she deserved this happiness.

A really enjoyable romance that had me hopeful for a happy future for Eve and Scarlet.

While this book has a style that reads easy, it’s not one that’ll stick with me.
The cover is very cute and colourful, similar to the story. Although I do think this cover is more befitting a different type of story.
This story is an age gap, lust at first (or second) sight, turns to sort of a romance. And when I say romance I don’t even really believe that part. There is talk of love and commitment and seeing each other completely, appreciating the other person fully, but for me the story is more about lust than anything else.
Some secondary storylines and characters only add to my annoyance. Especially a both storylines about exes. For me the story is just too flimsy, it’s just lust filled and very young and “easy”. Nothing wrong with that, maybe not something I would read again.

I’ve read other books by Zedde and they spoke to me more because u felt like the characters were better developed and the storyline want just based on sex.

3.5 stars.
I am a but worried about myself. There were a lot of good things in this book. Chemistry between the characters, hot sex scenes, an endearing and meddling too smart for her own good daughter. I don't know why I could not get invested in Scarlet and Eve...They are attracted to each other that's clear, and I appreciated that how the age gap was treated, with realistic questions. But I didn't get why they fell in love, and the love realization came a bit quick to me, even if there are sweets scenes. But I really liked all the drama around them, with annoying and toxic exes, and a tiny dose of mystery. The third part got the perfect dose of drama. PS : why was a famous ballerina brought by Scarlet's ex? Was there a point there ?

This was a pretty cute romance book.
Scarlet is a yoga instructor and a single mom still dealing with her ex wife leaving her for a Hollywood career. Eve is a substitute teacher and part time influencer who's been harbouring a crush on Scarlet for months. She finally has a chance to make her move when Scarlet looks for a tutor for her daughter.

It's honestly an enjoyable story and a very quick and delightful read. Maya, Scarlet's tween daughter, is probably the most enjoyable character in the whole book but the main characters are not far behind. I think the main best friends of both Scarlet and Eve felt pretty similar to me but in the end they are just side characters and easy to ignore.

There was some limited angst but I thought it was well built up towards and made sense within the story. All in all it was a cute story.

4 ⭐️
After Scarlet was left by her wife Nita, the aspiring Hollywood actress, she moved to a small town in California with her now twelve-year-old daughter Maya. After this massive disappointment, she had to work on her self-esteem and struggled to get back on her feet. She now works as a yoga and Pilates teacher in her own business. At a PTA meeting at Maya's school, she meets Eve, a much younger teacher. She likes the admiration in Eve's gaze when their eyes meet - and she is attracted to this much-too-young woman, even though she knows she will never give in to her lust. Eve also tutors to supplement her income and has a social media channel to show off her fashionable creations.

I liked the small-town feel and the smaller and bigger dramas. Scarlet, Maya, Eve, and their friends are good people with all their flaws and fears but also with big hearts. Their fears and problems are real and still relevant today. There is also a bit of drama, but it is not overused. The attraction is palpable, the chemistry is hot, and the sex is sizzling.

If you love the combination of single motherhood and age difference, you've come to the right place. There's even a bit of Hollywood glamor sprinkled in. Best friends, an adorable daughter and a somewhat bitchy ex are also woven into the mix. The whole thing is written fluidly and with enough eroticism to enjoy a few happy and sometimes hot hours.

An entertaining romance with lovable characters and an adorable kid.

Thank you to Ylva and NetGalley for receiving an ARC.

Another awesome erotic romance by Fiona Zedde. This time a single lesbian mother, Scarlett, falls for Eve, 20 years younger, who becomes her daughter’s tutor. The bold proximity but respectful boundaries of the child to the flirtations and sexuality of the mother and her tutor were very well done. Eve Falls First was a light and fun read and very welcome in these times.

Fiona’s erotic writing is just the best. There is such a nice variety in the novel, from the “human circus” scene to the intimacy of—
“Joy, relief, tenderness.
Their lips slotted together, then clung as sweet emotion shivered through Eve’s body and Scarlett’s arms wrapped around her.”

I enjoyed the structure of the novel with the alternation of the two voices driving the plot, never awkward or repetitive—very smooth. And Fiona’s details are always so entertaining— after Eve and her friend Trish just had something to eat, Trish’s dog “barked and jumped up to lick Eve’s face, his doggy breath smelling suspiciously like pizza.”

Born in Jamaica, Fiona has made both the U.S. and Spain home. Fiona Zedde is her pen name. She has written more than thirty queer books—erotica, fantasy, vampire, romance.

Once I heard Fiona Zedde express the idea of wanting to explore and reveal the many varieties of lesbian and queer relationships in her writing. What an admirable ambition! In Eve Falls First she tackles the theme of lesbian motherhood and generational differences and it was a great read. Thank you for your work, Fiona Zedde.

In Eve Falls First Fiona Zedde delivers a wonderful mix of sexiness, fun and mild angst as she weaves the story of teacher, Eve (24) and yoga instructor Scarlett (41) as they catch all the feelings despite their respective histories and baggage and a double dose of abandonment issues to be overcome. Alongside these two wonderful MCs we meet a wide range of quirky, characters including Scarlett's absolutely charming daughter, Maya and a couple of scheming exes.

Between Scarlett's ex, Nita suddenly reappearing wanting to play happy families in order to improve her reputation in Hollywood and the nasty piece of work that is Eve's former lover still hanging around and wanting to break up the budding relationship between the two MCs it isn't long before secrets are revealed and tensions boil over. The question is whether Eve and Scarlett can let go of their fears and to learn to trust each other before everything goes up in flames.

Although this is not necessarily one of those stories that would end up on my multiple re-read list, I definitely enjoyed it as a whole. It should appeal to anyone who enjoys a relatively light-hearted (albeit with a small dose of angst) age-gap romance. Fiona Zedde is one author who I have followed for a while and I will continue to look out for future releases coming from her.

I am grateful to NetGalley, Ylva Publishing and the author for providing me with an honest review.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

have to say i thoroughly enjoyed reading this one, kept me entertained and reading throughout the night

eve is a teacher and broke.... so she takes on jobs that help her income....

scarlett and her daughter maya have settled into town.... scarlett runs a yogo and pilates business very succesfully

her daughter needs help with some of her schooling so she takes on eve to help her

they already know each other as they have met at the pta meetings and have met up doing some of the activities

but trouble is brewing and its coming from both sides when scarletts ex breezes into town and one of eve ex isnt happy about what she is seeing between eve and scarlett....

watch out

what a book.... some hot spicy scenes and grief....what more could anyone want....

Eve Marshall is 24 and teaches at the middle school in her home town. Scarlet Hunt (41) teaches pilates and yoga while raising her daughter Maya. When Maya needs help with math Scarlet hires Eve for weekly tutoring sessions. Attraction sparks are flying but Scarlet is concerned about the large age gap. But of course that isn’t going to keep them apart.

Eve is a nice mix of loneliness and bold flirtation. Scarlet is a caring mother and good friend. I like that both are adult enough to talk to one another. But that doesn’t mean there are not misunderstandings. A couple of things felt clunky to me. Why did Scarlet’s ex bring a famous ballerina to town? It adds nothing to the story. And how did the ex come by the information that causes complications? I actually searched back a page or two to see if I missed something in my reading. . I didn’t quite understand Eve’s concern about her job and finances either but I live in an area with teacher shortages. If you get hired by a school you’re golden unless there is some misconduct. And her father left her a house that I am guessing was paid off. Maybe I made some wrong assumptions.

Other than my few comments I enjoyed this age gap romance. The main characters are likable, including their friends and Maya. I’ve only read one previous book by the author which was in a different genre, so it is hard to compare to this lighter romance.

I really enjoyed this book.
This is the story of Scarlet and Eve.
Scarlet is new in town with her daughter Maya. Her ex Nita, ended their relationship when Maya was a baby to try to make it in Hollywood but is now trying to spend time with them to give herself a family image.
Eve is a substitute teacher who is struggling to get people to take her seriously. She is young and struggling to make ends meet when she gets some tutoring work with Maya. This is good news for Eve - not only can she now afford to eat but she was already looking for a way to get to know Scarlet.
Of course where people are concerned nothing goes smoothly, unless it is a building going up in flames!
There is of course an epilogue.
This is set 10 months later than the main story and shows them getting on with life together.

So we have an age gap romance with a side serving of celebrity, with both having abandonment issues. The romance has a sub plot of mystery and intrigue.
I recommend it.

House of Agnes has long been my favorite by this author until now! Eve Falls First quickly tied for favorite.

Eve and Scarlet are so relatable and likeable that I easily fell into their story. The author smoothly addresses issues couples face regarding age gap and past experiences that are influencing the present. Scarlet’s daughter, Maya, adds a fun sweetness to the story and the side characters are just as engaging.

I enjoyed the flow of the story as it unfolded. This book has sweetness, playfulness, a bit of angst and sexy spice that moved the story along nicely. The third act (not really) break up was well done and made sense for the story. As always, I look forward to reading more from Fiona Zedde.

I received and arc of this book from NetGalley and Ylva Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Eve and Scarlet’s love story is SO sweet. I loved each main character, their backstories and details, and their strong friendships. Scarlet’s daughter was so precious. Fiona Zedde is always SO good every time.
This book is perfect for fans of age-gap romances, open communication, teacher-parent combos…and more.

This book is really cute. Eve is a marvellous characters but this book is full of well written characters. I fell in love with the romance and the small town setting. I laugh a lot. This books is like a duvet, warm and comfortable!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Fiona Zedde brings the heat and the sweet in this one (4.5 stars)
If you're wanting an age gap, single parent story with easy to root for main characters who are relatable and fun to follow around, ride or die besties, meddling exes and one adorable child this one is so worth reading. If you love a main character who is awkward and overthinking when they're around their crush, or you have a thing for collarbones, this book meets those needs and gives you plenty of cuteness to coo and aww over, whether it's due to the adorable child or the mains getting together. It's very low angst with some drama but tons of chuckle worthy dialogue and shenanigans to keep you smiling as you read. For the scenes that scorch the pages of the book you may want to choose your reading location carefully and have some water or a fan nearby to help cool yourself down.
I laughed thru the book and fell hard for the small town where the story is set, along with most of the characters. The less likable characters are meant to be that way. I thought I knew ahead of time what would happen in the story's plot trajectory but there were some twists that proved me wrong, where things turned out better than I expected. Mains Eve and Scarlet read like real people rather than idealized characters; chapters are told alternately from their POV's so you get the different perspectives on certain scenes. Keep that in mind if you tend to only read a chapter at a time. This is great reading material to get lost in for a few hours or over a weekend if you're stuck indoors due to weather or some other reason. I've read several stories by Fiona Zedde before this one and appreciate her storytelling ability. Also in this story it's a nice touch to have a pair of characters handwrite and physically mail letters to each other in addition to texting and talking on the phone. The relationships between mains and their besties are the kind you'd want in your real life where their friendship is solid, no bs, tell it like it is and are there for each other in meaningful ways, without keeping score.
If you need a break from real life drama and stress give this book a read and check out Zedde's other writing as well. I look forward to reading whatever she publishes next, be it short story or full length novel.