Lesbian Romance Book Review of ‘A heart this big’ by Cheyenne Blue

Australian farm owner Nina Pellegrini runs a programme for city kids to experience rural life. When a lawsuit threatens to ruin her small business, Nina seeks help from Leigh Willoughby, a big city high-powered lawyer with no interest in country life. But somehow, big-hearted Nina and her challenging daughter manage to convince Leigh to help them. As the lawyer gets the defense prepared, she discovers that farms can be fun and that Nina is as beautiful as kind-hearted.

This is an opposites-attract, slow-burn lesbian romance with a setting in the rural outskirts of Sidney. The story is set in both countryside and city areas and the author manages well to describe the contrasts of both places as well as the women who work and live there. Nina, the country girl, is kind-hearted (hence the book title), nature-loving and always tries to see the good side in people. Leigh, the city girl, is a bit of a workaholic, lives in a high rise building and, as a good lawyer, is more realistic. Do opposites attract? Oh, yes…

As in ‘Code of Conduct‘, here again, Ms. Blue mixes romance with law and regulations. Even though I liked her previous book better, ‘A heart this big’ presents a good legal story that balances well with the beautiful countryside. She also presents a brief criminal subplot, though its resolution, while it’s functional to the romantic plot, didn’t convince me. It shows a naive side of Leigh that doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of her personality.

The mains chemistry is well-written. Even though it’s not sizzling hot, it’s coherent with both women’s personalities. The secondary characters are also well portrayed, especially Nina’s teenage daughter Phoebe, and Leigh’s best friend Grizz whose love for extreme adventures and tendency to get injured helps to break the tension.

If you are looking for a slow-burn romance with a light side of legal issues, then you’ll probably like this book. It’s well-written, entertaining and it gives a glimpse of the beauty of the Australian countryside. 4 stars.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.