4.25 stars

A sweet, slow burn, age gap, ice queen Sapphic romance with wonderful disability representation.

Hazel likes her life. She's striving to grow her handywoman business while working as a part-time delivery driver for a grocery store. That's how she met George, a sweet elderly man with a snappy dog. When George breaks his hip, his niece Imogen comes to town to help out. Imogen is an ice queen businesswoman who mistrusts Hazel's kindness. No one can be that nice, right?

I'm not a big fan of age gap, and this book reminded me why. Imogen complained about how young Hazel is even though it's a 9-year difference and Imogen acted more immature than Hazel most of the time. Hazel, on the other hand, is a kind bisexual amputee who's handy with tools and sweet to George. I liked the care that went into Hazel's life and taking care of George. Though the middle part of the story dragged a bit, Imogen grew on me by the end. And I love that the book showed more of the couple after the reconciliation than is typical of romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

I liked the book, the start and ending were great however I did feel like it dragged on a little in the middle but not enough to make me stop reading.

I loved how much it educated the reader on amputees, I honestly didn’t realise how much work it was to simply go to sleep and I’m grateful the book taught me that.

It’s a ‘enemies’ to lovers book well I say enemies they weren’t just wasn’t friends for awhile.

Overall I enjoyed the book and thought the plot was great.

This opposites-attract romance brings together Hazel, a small-town handywoman, and Imogen, a high-powered businesswoman, in a story that's full of personality and charm. Hazel’s no-nonsense, down-to-earth character contrasts perfectly with Imogen’s polished, corporate style, creating plenty of sparks. The inclusion of Hazel’s elderly friend and Uncle George adds a sweet, heartwarming element, with some humorous matchmaking antics along the way.

4,5 *****
This is a sweet enemies-to-lovers, opposites-attract, smalltown and age-gap romance.
An unusual romance.
Not unusual because Hazel only has one leg and has had to learn to deal with it in life and prove herself again and again.
Not because Imogen is a rather sober, complex and infuriating Ice - Queen who, however, feels a lot of warmth and affection for the people she loves and who are important to her.
She just can't show it very well or needs a lot of time to do it.
What is unusual is the development and rapprochement between the two.
Which is constantly ups and downs throughout the entire book.
They have to overcome many small and large hurdles, overcome misunderstandings and overcome their opinions and prejudices.
I just would have liked more warmth a little earlier in their romance.
Because when the time finally comes, they are incredibly gentle, tender, sweet and understanding towards each other. Especially Imogen regarding Hazel's amputation.
All I can say is that I really like the unusual and with George and especially Chip as part of the story it was an extremely fun romance!
Thank you to Ylva Publishing and Cheyenne Blue for this ARC via NetGalley!

Hazel lives in a small town where she works as a part time delivery driver for a local supermarket. Her dream? To get her handywoman small business going. But first, she has to build her professional reputation.

Imogen works at a successful company in Brisbane but her work isn't getting the recognition it deserves. When she's brought to spend some time in Dry Creek after her uncle George has a bad fall, she starts wondering if what she needs is some change in her life. But the change she doesn't expect in this new life is the bubbly handywoman who's always helping her uncle, whom she's growing closer and closer to.

A Heart Full of Hope is the first book that made me understand the hype of the small town romance trope. The environment it's set in is so pretty, and I found the close knit community of Dry Creek so endearing.

Hazel was also an adorable character. I'm a fan of bubbly characters but she's one that I instantly got attached to. I loved how straightforward she was, she's clear about her boundaries and her intentions but also so caring towards others.

I also liked how the book explored her relationship to disability though I cannot speak at length about it since I'm not an amputee and am not educated enough on it to judge the representation. I did learn quite a few things about it through this book, however, and I appreciated that.

I didn't really feel as attached to Imogen because I was a bit put off by her insistent suspicions towards Hazel in the beginning. I wish that part was cut a little shorter because I thought it felt a bit too offensive for her to keep jumping to such ideas when Hazel isn't giving her any reasons to do so. It frustrated me a bit too much and played a significant a part in why I ended up not really rooting for the romance much.

As for the romance, I think it could've used a bit more time to develop because I couldn't really feel that much chemistry between the two main characters, but that could've also been because of the aforementioned reason.

Overall, this was an entertaining read, and even though it wasn't my favorite romance, it's still a sweet book with a lot of reflections about what it's like trying for a change when you've already had a life and dreams previously established. I also love how this is shown not just for Imogen and Hazel but also for George!

I would recommend this for those looking for a small town romance book with some really lovely characters!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.

4.5 bumped up :)

A charming and sweet enemies-to-lovers, opposites-attract, smalltown, age-gap (25 vs. 34) story that packs a little more bite than you might expect. Uptight career-driven Imogen finds herself at a crossroads in her life; smalltown, perky Hazel is about to approach hers. Can these women learn from each other? Can they even stand each other?

The enemies-to-lovers trope is well used here to illustrate the way we present ourselves to the world before the author peels back the layers of both the leads to reveal how one, Imogen, is more caring than you might first think while the other, Hazel, faces daily challenges to present herself as outgoing and positive. The disability that Hazel endures, caused by her leg amputation is written very well, beyond the cliches and expected issues you might expect to find. Kudos for that; Cheyenne Blue ensures we get a rounded and nuanced trait that very much informs the character of Hazel but doesn't define her. Or does it? Some harder-hitting (for the genre) scenes will reveal this and more.

There's also a lovely B-plot, tying in organically and providing impetus for the A-plot, involving the care of an elderly relative. Imogen's uncle, George, is feisty and fun, and his friendship with Hazel is beyond sweet :).

I enjoyed the setting, too. Ms. Blue again takes us down under for a slice of smalltown Australia and takes the opportunity to drop in some commentary about the challenges smalltown inhabitants face, like jobs and how small businesses have to adapt in the face of national chains moving in.
There is much to admire and enjoy here in this neatly constructed story that feels authentic in a number of ways. Why have I taken a 1/2 star away? For me, it took more pages than I'd expect to find the chemistry between the leads. And so it took me a little while to emotionally engage with the story (while still admiring its setup and construction, tho).

Maybe just me, of course. But perhaps forewarned is forearmed, so if you find the same I urge you to press on. You'll be well rewarded.

Thank you to the author, the publisher (the amazing Ylva), and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

A low angst, slow burn romance, nice work for the author for making an inclusion representation for an amputee, I gained quite a lot of knowledge and insight on how an amputee function on day-to-day life, especially when Hazel described what and how she needs to get through her routine each night to care for her leg to Imogen during their first night. The friendship between Hazel and George was sweet too, also chip the grumpy ankle biter was adorable too.

This is definitely my favorite Cheyenne Blue book thus far. From the start, Hazel and Imogen are at odds, making negative assumptions about each other. As the story progresses, they become friends and eventually start to let each other in, almost without realizing it.

I will say, this book is very much a slow-burn. Though there is some attraction admitted to earlier in the book, nothing concrete forms until much later on. I saw this as a positive thing, I think it allowed for a lot of great development for both characters, and got them both to a place where they were ready for a relationship.

This book also had a lot of sweet moments. I particularly liked that George was so cared for by both Imogen and Hazel, and his attempts at matchmaking were very cute. In addition, there was a lot of great conversations about Hazel's disability and I think the way it was mentioned directly and never skirted around was great. I also learned a bit more about prosthetics than I knew previously.

Overall, I liked this one quite a lot and it's perfect for anyone looking for a story of a sweet, slow building relationship. 4.5/5 stars rounded up.

Hazel is a part time delivery driver and part time a handywoman who's friends with an elderly George. When George has an accident and breaks his hip, his niece Imogen visits to help George around. Obviously things between Imogen and Hazel start off on the wrong foot and equally obviously they don't stay that way.

This is a very cute romance with fun characters. George especially was honestly the best part of the story, though I do wish some of the other side characters were developed a little more.

Hazel is an amputee and I'm pretty sure this book is the first sapphic romance involving an amputee that I have ever seen. It's nice that romance genre gets more and more inclusive, even if there's still far to go. To me it did feel like a really good representation and we knew how being an amputee affected Hazel's life without making it feel like Hazel needed to be some kind of disabled hero capable of doing everything. I also really liked how the book dealt with this idea that even if your life plans change it doesn't mean you're a failure. For both of the characters in slightly different ways.

All in all this was a quick and enjoyable read.

I appreciate the cover and depiction of a woman with a prosthetic leg. I think this is the first time I’ve read a romance where the mechanics of having a prosthetic is part of the storyline. Hazel her lower leg as a child. She is now 25 and while she still lives with her parents she is independent and works as a home delivery grocery driver. She’d like to grow her handy-woman business as well. One of her friends is the elderly, George (84), who she does chores for and home maintenance. After he has a fall and gets a new hip, his niece Imogen, comes to stay with him. She works for a large grocery store chain at the corporate headquarters. She is distrustful of Hazel’s motives in befriending her uncle.

This is a slow burn romance as during much of the story the female leads are living their work lives. Even a kiss doesn’t mean more because Imogene’s life is in the city. But George pushes and nudges them to spend time together. The story is sweet and genuinely educational about prosthetics. As always, I love the little Australianisms, that are part of the author’s writing. Thank you to NetGalley and Ylva Publishing for the ARC and I am leaving an honest review.

3.5 rounded up.

My first Cheyenne Blue book did not disappoint. I adore an age-gap Ice Queen sapphic romance, and this one delivered beautifully. Chip was a hilarious addition to the cast, and George was an absolute sweetheart, always with the best of intentions. The pacing felt just right throughout, and I really appreciated the representation of a strong female protagonist with a disability.

I also loved the nod to Requiem for Immortals by Lee Winter—it’s always so great to see sapphic authors supporting each other. The cover art was fantastic as well. There were a few spelling errors and some inconsistencies in name spellings, but they didn't take away too much from my enjoyment.

A highlight for me was the gentle intimacy Imogen showed when removing Hazel’s prosthetic—it genuinely made me emotional. Overall, a lovely read

Thank you to NetGalley and Ylva Publishing for the chance to read an arc of this book

As a queer disabled person, after seeing the cover of this book and Hazel’s prosthetic leg proudly displayed, I couldn’t resist giving it a read.
It contained one of my favourite tropes, enemies to lovers. The story was a slow burn of two women learning that opposites truly do attract as they bond while both caring for one of their favourite people, 86 year old George who is recovering after a hip injury. I enjoyed the representation of disability and I also enjoyed seeing the couple’s relationship develop