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markalkman's review
3.0
I received a digital ARC of this book for reviewing from Central Avenue Publishing via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
‘The Artisan Heart’ is a heartwarming story about two people with quite some bagage who want nothing more but to find comfort with each other in the peace and quiet of Walhalla, a tiny town in Australia’s southern mountains. If you’re looking for an easy summer read with steady characters, a great setting and a storyline that keeps you intrigued: look no further. Dean Mayes has done a great job with this novel, he’s written a touching story with a romantic feel.
I really loved the concept of the story, and I loved the way it was set up. We start out with Hayden and his fast paced life down in Adelaide. We meet his wife, Bernadette, an ambitious event planner who doesn’t seem to be a big fan of Hayden’s hectic work schedule and his irregular hours. It doesn’t take long before you realize that Bernadette – or Berni, as Hayden calls her – only needs him as her trophy husband. So when he shows up late to her events (or doesn’t show up at all, due to work), she retaliates and hurts him in the worst way possible. Having no friends or family of his own in Adelaide, Hayden doesn’t have any other choice than to flee back to his hometown. Walhalla. Once he’s there, he reconnects with his old friends Max and Nette and he’s forced to face his strained relationship with his father. He also meets Genevieve, a deaf girl who doesn’t seem too keen on having him around at first, but warms up to him pretty quickly. It was hard to put the book down at times, I really wanted to know how the story went, especially when I found out there were some dark and gritty secrets that weren’t going to stay buried for long.
Mayes is a great writer, I’ll give him that. He does a superb job describing the surroundings, it felt like I was actually in Walhalla myself. As if I was there, every step of the way. His characters on the other hand, were just a bit too bland for my taste. Yes, I’m fully aware that I’ve called them ‘steady’, but I never actually connected to them. I wanted too, but it was difficult because he kept changing the POV from Hayden to Isabelle to Genevieve to Max to Annette to Bernadette to Mitchell to Amanda to even Gregor the police officer. Sometimes it was a bit difficult to keep track of whose thoughts I was actually reading. As the story progressed, it got easier to distinguish the difference between the various voices, but I still found it a little distracting.
Our main character, Hayden, is a kind and giving man who deserves the world – but is a bit of a Gary Stue at the same time. He’s a fantastic doctor, but he’s also really good with cars, he knows how to cook, he fixes the roof of his cottage, he’s an excellent driver and even though he seems to be a bit socially awkward – he manages to fix the townproblems in less than one evening. I did my best to love him unconditionally, but I failed miserably. Maybe if Mayes had made him a bit more flawed, I would’ve liked him a little bit better. I did love his interactions with Genevieve, though. Those conversations – in sign language – were definitely a highlight.
Isabelle is a great character, though. She’s sweet and lovely, yet determind and tenacious at the same time. A single mom and determined to make her bakery work while raising her daughter all by herself. As a reader, you know there are some dark secrets she’s trying to keep buried, especially from Hayden and Genevieve. It was lovely to see Belle and Hayden grow, both individually as well as towards one another… Even though I did think it was a little bit too fast for Hayden to fall in love with her when his marriage to Bernadette only ended a month prior to it. Fair enough, he states multiple times that there was no saving his marriage, but it still felt a bit rushed to me.
Nevertheless, I think ‘The Artisan Heart’ was a great story, told by a fantastic storyteller. Mayes is definitely a great writer and I’ll make sure to keep an eye out for his next book.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
‘The Artisan Heart’ is a heartwarming story about two people with quite some bagage who want nothing more but to find comfort with each other in the peace and quiet of Walhalla, a tiny town in Australia’s southern mountains. If you’re looking for an easy summer read with steady characters, a great setting and a storyline that keeps you intrigued: look no further. Dean Mayes has done a great job with this novel, he’s written a touching story with a romantic feel.
I really loved the concept of the story, and I loved the way it was set up. We start out with Hayden and his fast paced life down in Adelaide. We meet his wife, Bernadette, an ambitious event planner who doesn’t seem to be a big fan of Hayden’s hectic work schedule and his irregular hours. It doesn’t take long before you realize that Bernadette – or Berni, as Hayden calls her – only needs him as her trophy husband. So when he shows up late to her events (or doesn’t show up at all, due to work), she retaliates and hurts him in the worst way possible. Having no friends or family of his own in Adelaide, Hayden doesn’t have any other choice than to flee back to his hometown. Walhalla. Once he’s there, he reconnects with his old friends Max and Nette and he’s forced to face his strained relationship with his father. He also meets Genevieve, a deaf girl who doesn’t seem too keen on having him around at first, but warms up to him pretty quickly. It was hard to put the book down at times, I really wanted to know how the story went, especially when I found out there were some dark and gritty secrets that weren’t going to stay buried for long.
Mayes is a great writer, I’ll give him that. He does a superb job describing the surroundings, it felt like I was actually in Walhalla myself. As if I was there, every step of the way. His characters on the other hand, were just a bit too bland for my taste. Yes, I’m fully aware that I’ve called them ‘steady’, but I never actually connected to them. I wanted too, but it was difficult because he kept changing the POV from Hayden to Isabelle to Genevieve to Max to Annette to Bernadette to Mitchell to Amanda to even Gregor the police officer. Sometimes it was a bit difficult to keep track of whose thoughts I was actually reading. As the story progressed, it got easier to distinguish the difference between the various voices, but I still found it a little distracting.
Our main character, Hayden, is a kind and giving man who deserves the world – but is a bit of a Gary Stue at the same time. He’s a fantastic doctor, but he’s also really good with cars, he knows how to cook, he fixes the roof of his cottage, he’s an excellent driver and even though he seems to be a bit socially awkward – he manages to fix the townproblems in less than one evening. I did my best to love him unconditionally, but I failed miserably. Maybe if Mayes had made him a bit more flawed, I would’ve liked him a little bit better. I did love his interactions with Genevieve, though. Those conversations – in sign language – were definitely a highlight.
Isabelle is a great character, though. She’s sweet and lovely, yet determind and tenacious at the same time. A single mom and determined to make her bakery work while raising her daughter all by herself. As a reader, you know there are some dark secrets she’s trying to keep buried, especially from Hayden and Genevieve. It was lovely to see Belle and Hayden grow, both individually as well as towards one another… Even though I did think it was a little bit too fast for Hayden to fall in love with her when his marriage to Bernadette only ended a month prior to it. Fair enough, he states multiple times that there was no saving his marriage, but it still felt a bit rushed to me.
Nevertheless, I think ‘The Artisan Heart’ was a great story, told by a fantastic storyteller. Mayes is definitely a great writer and I’ll make sure to keep an eye out for his next book.
lmrivas54's review
4.0
A lovely story, evocative and contemplative, about loss, betrayal and new love. Dr. Hayden Luschcombe is a gifted physician, dedicated to his work, and sensitive to his wife’s demands. In trying to comply with his job’s demands, he frequently fails his wife, and is torn apart. I could tell from the first moment that his life was in shambles and his wife was not an understanding woman, appreciative of such a talented husband. Bernadette was a self-involved woman, with a demanding job as an event planner, and she expected her husband, an emergency physician, to be available to assist to all her events. Never mind that there may be lives to save!
An act of betrayal completely upends his life and he flees to his childhood town in Walhalla, where he finds the cottage where he lived as a child to be in sad disrepair. He is still torn by the loss of his parents, he’s melancholic in a house full of memories, not all of them happy. Yet, Hayden wants to honor his parents, so he starts working on repairing and bringing the cottage to its glory days.
Isabelle Sampi is running away from a violent past, and is working hard to bring her grandparents’ bakery to life. She has a precious seven year old little girl, Genevieve, who is deaf and a happily adapted girl, loved by everyone in the little town. She used to bully Hayden when they were kids and she spent summers in town.
I think Hayden first fell in love with Genie because she was so full of life and personality. They made good friends and then Hayden fell for Isabelle. I liked this couple because Hayden is the soft one, a curious, inventive scholar who tackles all the chores he faces using his brilliant mind and investigative personality. His manner is mild, well-mannered, considerate and kind. I loved him. Isabelle is more assertive, yet she comes to depend on Hayden for support and help on renovating the bakery. Their path to love moves slowly, strongly supported by Genie until their past explodes into the scene and threatens to tear them apart.
The setting of this book happens in a little town in Walhalla, full of good people who help each other. Max and Annette, Hayden’s parents’ best friends, are a column of support for both Hayden and Isabelle and love Genie like a grandchild. The feeling of a little town with lots of townfolk greeting and helping each other is very comforting. When the worst happens, they gather forces and get into action to help, no holds barred. The book starts slow and picks up speed until the dramatic finale. A very entertaining read, comforting and sweet.
An act of betrayal completely upends his life and he flees to his childhood town in Walhalla, where he finds the cottage where he lived as a child to be in sad disrepair. He is still torn by the loss of his parents, he’s melancholic in a house full of memories, not all of them happy. Yet, Hayden wants to honor his parents, so he starts working on repairing and bringing the cottage to its glory days.
Isabelle Sampi is running away from a violent past, and is working hard to bring her grandparents’ bakery to life. She has a precious seven year old little girl, Genevieve, who is deaf and a happily adapted girl, loved by everyone in the little town. She used to bully Hayden when they were kids and she spent summers in town.
I think Hayden first fell in love with Genie because she was so full of life and personality. They made good friends and then Hayden fell for Isabelle. I liked this couple because Hayden is the soft one, a curious, inventive scholar who tackles all the chores he faces using his brilliant mind and investigative personality. His manner is mild, well-mannered, considerate and kind. I loved him. Isabelle is more assertive, yet she comes to depend on Hayden for support and help on renovating the bakery. Their path to love moves slowly, strongly supported by Genie until their past explodes into the scene and threatens to tear them apart.
The setting of this book happens in a little town in Walhalla, full of good people who help each other. Max and Annette, Hayden’s parents’ best friends, are a column of support for both Hayden and Isabelle and love Genie like a grandchild. The feeling of a little town with lots of townfolk greeting and helping each other is very comforting. When the worst happens, they gather forces and get into action to help, no holds barred. The book starts slow and picks up speed until the dramatic finale. A very entertaining read, comforting and sweet.
mollyringle's review
Dean is a (long-distance) friend of mine, so admittedly I am a BIT biased here. But the reason I was drawn to him in the first place was that I loved his writing (when I read his first novel, The Hambledown Dream), and subsequently learned he was an awesome person as well, so if that's bias, I'm proud to have it.
As Dean likes to do, in another characteristic I like about him, he has switched genre yet again for this book; it's pretty much a contemporary romance, which none of his others have quite been so far. But he brings his unique fearlessness to it, giving our characters nasty and upsetting experiences from which they arrive damaged, ready for the tranquil setting of Walhalla, Australia, to heal them.
Dean also, of course, excels at bringing alive an Australian setting. (That's one thing all his books have in common.) This setting was especially lovely, with lush, cool, forested mountains you might not associate with the desert-covered southern continent. And the small-town feel, along with the family dramas and budding romance, sometimes gave me a delightful Gilmore Girls feel. (Dean also likes Gilmore Girls. Another point in his favor.)
In past books he's brought us paranormal romance, gritty interracial family saga, and medical thriller, and now he brings us a beach read of a contemporary romance that serves as a lovely virtual vacation. Enjoy!
As Dean likes to do, in another characteristic I like about him, he has switched genre yet again for this book; it's pretty much a contemporary romance, which none of his others have quite been so far. But he brings his unique fearlessness to it, giving our characters nasty and upsetting experiences from which they arrive damaged, ready for the tranquil setting of Walhalla, Australia, to heal them.
Dean also, of course, excels at bringing alive an Australian setting. (That's one thing all his books have in common.) This setting was especially lovely, with lush, cool, forested mountains you might not associate with the desert-covered southern continent. And the small-town feel, along with the family dramas and budding romance, sometimes gave me a delightful Gilmore Girls feel. (Dean also likes Gilmore Girls. Another point in his favor.)
In past books he's brought us paranormal romance, gritty interracial family saga, and medical thriller, and now he brings us a beach read of a contemporary romance that serves as a lovely virtual vacation. Enjoy!
krisandburn's review
4.0
This is a very human book. It deals with grief and relationships and finding yourself after losing your way. It never becomes fluffy or too overtly emotional. That is not to say I did not tear up at times...
The main scene for this tale is a small town in the mountains of Victoria, Australia, after our main character Hayden flees Adelaide when his marriage falls apart.
Although the book has a fairly dramatic, soap opera start, I started enjoying it much more once Hayden arrived in Walhalla. I liked the village's characters and the understated romance that develops between Hayden and Isabelle. I love the fact that the author wrote Isabelle's daughter as a deaf seven-year-old. I have not read a lot of books with disability representation. I liked the way there were snippets focused on a different character, so as the reader you knew trouble was brewing. You just did not know when it would hit.
In the end I found it this a satisfying read. I liked the characters and the relationships. However, I do wish I had more sense of place whilst reading it. Although the author wrote about the plantlife and some generic mountain scenery, I wanted a little more from it. But then, I really love it when an author really goes to town on descriptions of landscape and scenery, so that is a matter of preference. .
This is not a book that blows you away, but it has quiet charm and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The main scene for this tale is a small town in the mountains of Victoria, Australia, after our main character Hayden flees Adelaide when his marriage falls apart.
Although the book has a fairly dramatic, soap opera start, I started enjoying it much more once Hayden arrived in Walhalla. I liked the village's characters and the understated romance that develops between Hayden and Isabelle. I love the fact that the author wrote Isabelle's daughter as a deaf seven-year-old. I have not read a lot of books with disability representation. I liked the way there were snippets focused on a different character, so as the reader you knew trouble was brewing. You just did not know when it would hit.
In the end I found it this a satisfying read. I liked the characters and the relationships. However, I do wish I had more sense of place whilst reading it. Although the author wrote about the plantlife and some generic mountain scenery, I wanted a little more from it. But then, I really love it when an author really goes to town on descriptions of landscape and scenery, so that is a matter of preference. .
This is not a book that blows you away, but it has quiet charm and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
nazeerah's review
3.0
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a lovely book. Sweet, comforting and feel-good. It is a good book for those times when you need to read something that will just make you feel good.
This is the first book from this author that I have read and I will definitely be looking out for his others.
This was a lovely book. Sweet, comforting and feel-good. It is a good book for those times when you need to read something that will just make you feel good.
This is the first book from this author that I have read and I will definitely be looking out for his others.
cupofbooksreviews's review against another edition
5.0
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I have given The Artisan Heart by Dean Mayes five out of five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
From the very first page I could tell I was going to enjoy this book, which sounds a little far-fetched but the author's style of writing and detail drew me in almost instantaneously. The first few pages are set in a hospital, where we learn that our main character Hayden Lushcombe is a paediatrician. From working in a hospital, I understand quite a lot of the terminology so this book took me by surprise and I immediately felt comfortable with it. Little did I know that a few more pages in and I'd be completely hooked!
I absolutely adored our main character, Hayden Lushcombe. He's an incredibly caring and brilliant paediatrician who I thought deserved whatever greatness was thrown at him. We meet Hayden's wife, Bernadette, who is in the PR business. I started to form a negative opinion about this character quite soon after being introduced to her and boy, was I right! She made my blood boil so much!
Hayden flees to his childhood home in Walhalla, south Australia, after we find out his marriage and career have started to collapse where we meet two characters in Walhalla called Isabelle and Genevieve. Isabelle is an artisan baker and Genevieve is her daughter who we learn has impaired hearing. Genevieve was my favourite character in this book, I loved her humour and cheeky attitude the most, she brought such joy and a smile to my face. Soon we learn that Hayden and Isabelle knew one another from when they were younger. I enjoyed reading each scene they were in together and loved how their feelings started to blossom for one another and slowly saw how they started to let their walls break down.
We are also met by Mitchell 'Mitch' Crowley's perspective in this book. Mitch is Genevieve's father, who we learn has been in jail and out of the family picture for a very long time, but very soon it's time for him to be released from jail. We learn quite early on that Mitch is going to ignore the court orders he receives and try to find his daughter which is sure to create suspense and a little thrill to the plot. This whole books was written superbly but I especially thought that this scene was well-written and had me on the edge of my seat with worry. This book is filled with different twists and turns which were quite predictable at times, however I didn't mind as I was enjoying the story so much.
Although the book came together perfectly at the end I really didn't want the story to finish. I would love to read more about the town of Walhalla, Hayden, Isabelle and Genevieve. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading contemporary romance books with a hint of suspense. I look forward to reading more of Dean Mayes material in the future.
From the very first page I could tell I was going to enjoy this book, which sounds a little far-fetched but the author's style of writing and detail drew me in almost instantaneously. The first few pages are set in a hospital, where we learn that our main character Hayden Lushcombe is a paediatrician. From working in a hospital, I understand quite a lot of the terminology so this book took me by surprise and I immediately felt comfortable with it. Little did I know that a few more pages in and I'd be completely hooked!
I absolutely adored our main character, Hayden Lushcombe. He's an incredibly caring and brilliant paediatrician who I thought deserved whatever greatness was thrown at him. We meet Hayden's wife, Bernadette, who is in the PR business. I started to form a negative opinion about this character quite soon after being introduced to her and boy, was I right! She made my blood boil so much!
Hayden flees to his childhood home in Walhalla, south Australia, after we find out his marriage and career have started to collapse where we meet two characters in Walhalla called Isabelle and Genevieve. Isabelle is an artisan baker and Genevieve is her daughter who we learn has impaired hearing. Genevieve was my favourite character in this book, I loved her humour and cheeky attitude the most, she brought such joy and a smile to my face. Soon we learn that Hayden and Isabelle knew one another from when they were younger. I enjoyed reading each scene they were in together and loved how their feelings started to blossom for one another and slowly saw how they started to let their walls break down.
We are also met by Mitchell 'Mitch' Crowley's perspective in this book. Mitch is Genevieve's father, who we learn has been in jail and out of the family picture for a very long time, but very soon it's time for him to be released from jail. We learn quite early on that Mitch is going to ignore the court orders he receives and try to find his daughter which is sure to create suspense and a little thrill to the plot. This whole books was written superbly but I especially thought that this scene was well-written and had me on the edge of my seat with worry. This book is filled with different twists and turns which were quite predictable at times, however I didn't mind as I was enjoying the story so much.
Although the book came together perfectly at the end I really didn't want the story to finish. I would love to read more about the town of Walhalla, Hayden, Isabelle and Genevieve. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading contemporary romance books with a hint of suspense. I look forward to reading more of Dean Mayes material in the future.