Hayden Luschcombe is a brilliant paediatrician living in Adelaide with his wife Bernadette, an ambitious event planner. His life consists of soul-wrenching days at the hospital and tedious evenings attending the lavish parties organized by Bernadette. When an act of betrayal coincides with a traumatic confrontation, Hayden flees Adelaide, his life in ruins. His destination is Walhalla, nestled in … in Australia’s southern mountains, where he finds his childhood home falling apart. With nothing to return to, he stays, and begins to pick up the pieces of his life by fixing up the house his parents left behind. A chance encounter with a precocious and deaf young girl introduces Hayden to Isabelle Sampi, a struggling artisan baker. While single-handedly raising her daughter, and trying to resurrect a bakery, Isabelle has no time for matters of the heart. Yet the presence of the handsome doctor challenges her resolve. Likewise, Hayden, protective of his own fractured heart, finds something in Isabelle that awakens dormant feelings of his own. As their attraction grows, and the past threatens their chance at happiness, both Hayden and Isabelle will have to confront long-buried truths if they are ever to embrace a future.
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For the first few chapters, it was kind of hard to connect with the story as we witness the disintegration of a marriage. It makes it difficult to want to pick it up and read when you know the inevitable split is just around the corner! In the end though, it was definitely a necessary introduction, as all of the seemingly inconspicuous details of the beginning come back full circle in the end. The story truly comes alive though once Hayden travels to his childhood country home in Walhalla. It might be a small town, but it’s brimming with personality and memories from Hayden’s past, both good and tragic. It’s the one place he can escape to, and ultimately he is re-enveloped in its charm.
While the town of Walhalla was charming, it’s residents were a pure delight. This is one of those small towns where everybody knows everybody, which also means that it doesn’t take long before they all know Hayden’s business. But rather than sit back and judge, or gossip away in the shadows (which can be common of small town novels), instead we see an incredibly supportive group of townsfolk. I wouldn’t necessarily say they pity him, but rather they are saddened that something traumatic has impacted one of their own. Especially considering they all know about the sad fate which befell his parents, whom they all knew and loved.
Apart from the romantic aspect of the novel, we see that parental relationships are another key feature of the story. Hayden had always been close with his mother, but when he couldn’t make it home in time to say goodbye before she died of cancer, it ultimately strained his relationship with his father. Just three years later his father died of a broken heart. Hayden has been able to push aside the tragic details of his parent’s deaths by hiding away in Adelaide with his wife. However, upon his return to Walhalla he discovers he must inevitably confront the past, and try to remedy his relationship with his father even though he’s passed away. It’s a sad, yet touching exploration of the last few years between a father and son. Hayden doesn’t come to the eventual realization on his own though that his father loved him until the end. Isabelle and the other townsfolk help him realize it as well.
The other unique parental interactions we’re presented with in this book revolve around Isabelle and her daughter Genevieve. Whenever we have a romance where one of the lead characters has a kid, I get slightly nervous since the tendency is often to push them to the background. What I loved about this read though was that Genevieve was incorporated perfectly front and center. She’s an adorably curious child who manages to stay upbeat in spite of being deaf. Her mother was her savior, as they escaped from an abusive situation with Isabelle’s husband. They fled to the small town of Walhalla where they were greeted with open arms by the townsfolk who have become their family. When Hayden rolls into town he is wary at first of the headstrong lass playing with stuffed bears in his tool shed, but he eventually takes her under his wing. The fact his own mother was deaf means he is well versed in Auslan, and doesn’t shy away from actually speaking with Genevieve. In a way he becomes a pseudo father figure, which draws him and Isabelle together even more.
What’s clearly evident in this read is that every detail serves a purpose to the story, and we’re presented with an extremely well thought-out sequence of events. We start with the end of a marriage, then see Hayden become reacquainted with his home town, followed by a romance with Isabelle, a suspenseful encounter with her ex-husband Mitchell, and finally the drama with his wife comes back full circle. There’s a little bit of everything! When the shady characters of Isabelle and Hayden’s pasts come to town, we question if these outside forces will succeed in breaking apart this new family we’ve come to love.
I will say the culmination of events at the end was slightly predictable, but I appreciated that the suspense was drawn out over a few intense chapters rather than having a quick, two-page glimpse of drama at the end. What’s truly commendable though is that we once again see this community rally together to safeguard one of their own. Rather than it feeling contrived or cheesy, their instinct to protect felt completely natural. As an adult I’ve always striven to live in a big city with a lot of people, but this was definitely the idyllic representation of a small town I’d love to live in!
My wife bought this book for my birthday and what a fantastic present it was.
The Artisan Heart by Dean Mayes is an outstanding novel. This was my first read of a book by this author and I’ll be going back for more.
Hayden lives in Adelaide where he works as a doctor in a hospital and lives with his wife, Bernadette. When serious problems arise both at work and at home, Hayden makes his way back to his hometown, Walhalla. He takes up residence in his deceased parents once beautiful but now rundown cottage. After a spell of isolation, he begins to settle down thanks to old family friends, Max and Annette, and an at first troublesome but wonderful young deaf girl called Genevieve whom he eventually befriends.
The story is wonderful and far too good to fill this review with spoilers. It is a story that needs and should be read. It’s so beautifully written that the town of Walhalla becomes a main character, which is no mean feat. I have never read a story in my life that makes me want to pack up my things and relocate. I’m not even joking! I fell in love with not only the town but nearly every person living there.
True to form as with any romance novel, not only is there the sublime smell of freshly baked bread in the air, but true love is also circulating. I have to point out that I’ve also never read a story that makes me want to set off for the local bakers in the early a.m. for a freshly baked loaf that’s only just left the oven. I’m sure I once read that the aroma of baked bread is soothing for the soul. If that wasn’t written, then it should have been. Soothed is exactly how this novel will make your soul feel.
As we have all come to know: you can’t have a perfect romance without a hint of trouble and believe me, it’s brewing.
This is truly a superb novel and it would be a shame if you let it pass you by. I would love to see this adapted for the screen as I believe it would make a tremendous movie. Dean Mayes has written a magnificent novel and all I can say to anybody who reads this review is: go read it!
Dean Mayes always paints a gorgeous picture with words, but The Artisan Heart exceeded my expectations. This is the perfect book to pick up when you want an intelligent, warm, beautifully written read.
Dean’s writing is very eloquent. The author has a brilliant ability to describe settings and characters making you feel as though you are there, smelling the bread, or standing in the “storybook” garden unlike any writings I’ve read in a long time.
The main characters; Hayden coming from a recently destroyed marriage and Isabelle from a troubled past, come back home to heal their wounds. They are beautifully broken characters that need to rediscover and love themselves. As they go through the healing process their friendship builds. The catalyst for their connection is Isabelle’s daughter, Genevieve. She is a breath of fresh air. Her disability doesn’t stop her from her independence, nor from invading Hayden’s life, despite her mother’s ‘stay away’ warnings. The relationship between Hayden and Genevieve is heart melting.
I quickly grew fond of the town’s characters. There was a sense of community instilled by the writing. I enjoyed how the town’s people had an acceptance for each other’s faults and looked out for each other despite the faults. I liked how the author took the time to develop all of the side characters. There were parts of the story that were predictable. But the beauty of the story itself and my fondness for the characters overshadowed any predictable parts.
“A smile formed on his lips and suddenly, desperately, she wanted him to kiss her. Their laughter had dropped away and in its place was something powerful. An attraction she hadn’t felt in years. Her breath hitched.”
The relationship Hayden and Isabelle develop is a slow building romance. But this story is more about the friendship that builds and binds. The strength behind that is one that is ever lasting. It was a beautiful journey to witness.
I enjoyed reading this story. If you are looking for a story about second chance romance and enjoy eloquent writing then this is a must read.
I read an ARC of this story via netgalley. My honest review is voluntary.
The Artisan Heart by Dean Mayes
Hayden Luschombe works hard as an emergency room pediatrician in a children’s hospital in Adelaide, Australia. No matter how hard he works he seems to manage to let his wife Bernadette down. He is a skilled diagnostician who puts his tiny patients first even when it means being late to attend an event his event planning wife has asked him not to be late to. Now, having grown up in a home with an anesthesiologist father I know how difficult it can be for a doctor to carve out time for a personal life…an emergency or patient must come first. Bernadette’s inability to put her husband’s work in perspective and her being more than a little selfish led to a situation in which Hayden sees his wife for what she really is, has a bit of a meltdown at work and heads off to Walhalla to regroup.
Walhalla is a real place…I had to look it up because it sounded too good to be true. Online it looks like a beautiful remote mountain town that would be a perfect place to spend time on vacation or perhaps forever. In this town we meet a number of characters. Some were good friends of Hayden’s parents while others are newer on the scene. I can see this location being a place the author could continue a series of books should he want to. There is a sheriff that needs a partner at the minimum and perhaps there are others lurking about that could do with a bit of romance, too.
So, Hayden has turned his back on Adelaide, is fixing up the family home and is unsure of his future when he meets Genevieve. At seven she is formidable, feisty and also friendly once you get to know her. Hayden has a bit of a head start with Genie as he is already fluent in Auslan (Australian Sign Language) although their first meeting is not all that friendly. Genevieve’s mother, Isabelle, runs the bakery in town and her childhood days in town make her sound a bit of a bully…at least in regard to interactions with Hayden.
This book has small town charm with wonderful characters that provide warmth and generosity to most within. There is a romance in the making that has potential to be great or be derailed by the ex’s of both Isabelle and Hayden. I have to say that from what I read I would love to live in this small town and get to know the people who live there and no doubt become their friends. Perhaps the story has predictability but if so it has the good kind that warmed my heart and made me happy as I wished Hayden, Isabelle and Genevieve a happily ever after together.
Thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.
4-5 Stars
3.5 stars–THE ARTISAN HEART by Dean Mayes is an adult, contemporary, stand alone romance story line focusing on ER paediatrician Dr. Hayden Luschcombe, and artisan baker Isabelle Sampi.
Told from third person perspective THE ARTISAN HEART, set in the small Australian town of Walhalla, follows Dr. Hayden Luschcombe in the wake of both personal and professional disasters. On forced leave from the hospital, Hayden returns to his hometown, searching for the peace that has long eluded our story line hero. An easy-going and well-respected paediatrician, Hayden Luschcombe, is lost and struggles to make sense of where it all went wrong. A welcome home by the locals is met with disdain by artisan baker Isabelle Sampi, a woman Hayden remembers from his childhood days. What ensues is the building relationship between Hayden and Isabelle, and the potential fall-out as Isabelle’s past comes looking for revenge, and Hayden’s past comes looking for a second chance.
On the surface, Hayden Luschcombe is the perfect man with the ability to do and fix anything with exception of his personal life. Years as a doormat for his ambitious wife pushes Hayden one final time until the realization of what was, and what will never be forces our hero back home. Isabelle Sampi is a struggling, single mother to a deaf, seven-year old daughter, a precocious child who captures Hayden’s attention from the very start. Isabelle remembers Hayden from their childhood days, memories that Isabelle had hoped to forget, along with a darkened past that threatens to her present and future.
THE ARTISAN HEART is a slow building story line and thusly a slow building romance. Family secrets are revealed; the past is revisited; lies, manipulation and revenge threaten our story line couple. THE ARTISAN HEART is a predictable story of family, love, betrayal and vengeance. The colorful people of Walhalla mean well but tend to gossip and know everybody’s business. Hayden’s wife Bernadette is nothing short of bitchy and manipulative, eliciting neither sympathy nor tears for her behavior and end result. The premise is enjoyable; the romance is sweet and affectionate; the characters are broken, real and uncomplicated.