So firstly, I now know a lot more about cattle farming in Canada than I did before. That sounds dreary, but it was actually really interesting! The extreme weather, small town setting and the immensely hard work of running a cattle and arable farm are all described really well.
I thought the story itself was pretty good - Callie is faced by difficulties at every turn due to her inexperience in farming, including dastardly neighbours who are trying to force her to sell her land and Lauren is trying to patch things up with her children and not get involved in any new romantic liaisons. This is a romance novel, so obviously there is an HEA, but there are plenty of obstacles along the way.
The biggest problem for me was that I didn't really get the chemistry between the two MCs. They start off by not liking each other then they became friends and then lovers, but I just wasn't feeling it. Their path to romance seems to be littered with passive aggressive comments and hurt feelings. When I read a romance I like it when it's obvious that the two people should be together but they're kept apart by outside influences, not their own sulkiness. It almost seemed like they got together because they were The Town Lesbians, not because they were MFEO.
Other than that, it was totally readable. The writing itself flowed well and the author obviously has a talent for description. The dialogue could be a bit forced in places, but it wasn't disastrous.
This is a debut novel and I'd be interested in seeing what the author comes up with next.
I received a copy of Veterinary Partner from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Bold Strokes Books and Netgalley.
3.5 stars