Happy New Year everyone! May the year 2020 bring in more blessings and adventures. May the new decade be filled with abundance and love.

Christmas and New Year was a bit solemn for us because my brother-in-law had to be admitted to the hospital. What we suspected as just a spike in blood sugar and a slight stroke turned out to be a tumor in the brain which is blocking the fluids from draining and is growing near the brain stem. He had to undergo an operation immediately than risk a coma. Thankfully, we were able to borrow money for the operation. He was operated on the 26th to put a shank on his brain to drain the fluids and to lessen the building pressure. Another operation will be performed in a few days to remove the tumor which is benign and is just level one when tumors are concerned. Apparently, there are four levels or stages. At least, that's one thing we are thankful for and that we found it early, least he would just drop down into a coma while in the loo. That's how critical the situation would have been. We continue to pray that the next operation would be as smooth and there would be no complications and that he would make a faster full recovery. So, for those who will be reading this, please help pray for my brother-in-law. Thank you in advance.

When I chose this story as the first story to be reviewed for 2020, I did not have any conscious reason except that this should have been reviewed last year. After telling you about what our Christmas and New Year's celebration were like, I realized that this book has a lot of relevance to our experience mostly because the story is about a doctor. So, my telling you about my brother-in-law's case is actually a good introduction to this story or about the main character - Dr. Hayden Luschcombe.

Hayden is a very skilled pediatrician. He can easily spot things that most doctors would miss, thus is a very valuable asset to the hospital he works for. But after a very painful betrayal of his wife, he lost his cool while attending to a burned child at the emergency room and had an altercation with the child's father. He was suspended and might lose his license to practice. It was like Hayden's whole world came crushing down on him. His marriage is in shambles after he caught his wife cheating and now his career is lost as well. Worst, he had nowhere to go. No friends to find solace or comfort. His last and only resort was to go back to the one and only other place he knew - Walhalla. His hometown.

I had to reread the earlier parts of this story that led to Hayden's misfortunes. I had to make sure I had it right. What was imprinted in my consciousness was the part where Hayden spent in Walhalla after he lucked out, which is probably most of the story and the most amazing part. It turned out, life has a way of working out and for Hayden, it was Walhalla. Walhalla, along with its very kind-hearted people, had helped Hayden get back on his feet and rediscover his first love - woodworking. Aside from being a very good doctor, Hayden is a very skilled wood worker. It was in Walhalla where he found the strength and the inspiration to get his hands working again and create wooden masterpieces. It was also the place where he comes to terms with his past and his present and eventually, consider plans for his future.

Aside from Hayden, the two other inspiring characters in this story are the mother and daughter pair - Isabelle and Genevieve Sampi. Isabelle is a very talented baker. She could bake delicious and mouth-watering goodies. While reading this book, I could imagine the delicious aroma of bread baking and I can't help but miss the relaxing and uplifting mood baking brings to me. It's a very good form of stress relief which I have missed badly. I haven't done a lot of baking lately. But last New Year's eve, I got to relive the high of baking again because my sister asked me to make a banana cake when she saw that we had too many bananas that had gone too ripe. They were leftover from the hospital given by friends who visited.

One very memorable scene in this story is how Hayden and Genevieve first met. It was a very hilarious one. The pint sized Genevieve packed a very mean kick and Hayden's unfortunate groin could attest to that. Also, Genevieve is deaf. She was so surprised that the doc is really good at sign language. These three souls (Isabelle, her daughter and the doc) turned out to find solace in each other and fixed whatever is broken within themselves. As fate would have it, Walhalla is definitely the "Valley of the Gods" as it is called because these three people have found the healing they needed to start life over.

This is a very touching story which tugged at my heart in so many different ways. I emphatized with Hayden. With him losing it and going ballistic with the parent was to me a very classic human reaction. I can understand his frustration and if I were in his place, I would have done the same thing. I would have creamed that abusive father till he admits to what he did to his own child. But then, society and values require us to be the bigger man, damn it! To be rational in a very frustrating situation. What the heck, right? But then, with the doc ending up in Walhalla, a place where he remembered he was loved, was a way for him to find hope once again.

Love, hope and that dreams do come through if you work hard enough, are the main themes of this story. In spite of the very unlucky start of Hayden, with his marriage and career ending, he found comfort and hope in the welcoming and very kind arms of Walhalla. He then resolved to fixed his messes, starting with his parents' cottage. I guess, for some of us, whose issues aren't as tangible or the damage can't be literally fixed or put back together, we have to start the healing with the things that we can manually do something about. With Hayden, it was the cottage, then his dad's last wood work and then when he felt better enough about himself, he started fixing his life. The story tells us to take one thing at a time because to take on everything at once is too overwhelming. Instead of making things better, we may end up doing more damage. No one came back from the ashes in one go. Even the phoenix requires time to build strength and start the embers before rising to its rebirth. One step at a time because healing is gradual. It doesn't take overnight. It's a slow process. For others, much slower, depending on the person's drive to make things better and how much the emotional, physical and mental damage is. And it doesn't hurt also to have people who believe in you. That no matter how much you messed up, they believe that you can pull through because they've seen you when you were at your best. They have faith that you are a lot bigger than your messes. You can be better. You can do a lot better.

I give this book 5/5 doctor's bag. It's a very good story of starting over and doing what we truly love. And it couldn't be just one thing but we could be passionate about many things. Just like Hayden, he doesn't have to choose between being a wood craftsman and a doctor, he could be both. He could do well with a chisel and a stethoscope. He's skilled at those two things. He could heal people with compassion and create works of art with wood with a passion. He could be an artisan doctor. He only has to be reminded of the joy that woodworking brings to him and from there he could feel better. To learn to forgive himself and start over. With that in mind, I hope that whatever our misses in 2019, we leave it there. We start over this year just like Doc Hayden, Isabelle and Genevieve and make a better life than the one we had the previous year or the years before that. To just aim to be better. Cheers to new beginnings and to living life with a passion and living our passions. If you have not found your passion or anything that makes you feel so alive, then find it!

What we were as children doesn't necessarily translate to the people we are now.
- Dean Mayes, The Artisan Heart -

Thank you again Dean Mayes and Netgalley for the review copy. Sorry, this review took a whole year to come out. Happy New Year! ( )

As the story starts off we see a talented pediatrician, Hayden Luschombe, is married to Bernadette, a successful and overbearing event planner.

Dean Mayes does a superb job of giving us an insight into the stress of someone who spends a large part of their day working in a critical care unit. What I gathered early on in this love story is there was a great need for a sense of calm.

It seems Hayden couldn't catch a break. He struggles to accomplish many tasks and participate in more events in less time. He soon recognizes his out of control pace has cost him unrest and discontentment. After a traumatic event at work, and at home, Hayden flees, and Mayes brilliantly paints a picture of the transition of new beginnings.

Hayden settles into a dilapidated cottage he's inherited, in Walhalla and begins restoring it and here we see reconstruction not only of property but of life.

Walhalla is a place where there is a greater sense of connection, and where one can listen to hillside music and hear rain pelleting on the tin roof, all the while being comforted knowing nearby is a babbling brook and the alluring aroma of pumpkin bread.

But this is not a place of seclusion. Into Hayden's new life comes Isabelle Sampi and she is not alone, she has a daughter Genevive.

The paint-spattered bib-and-brace overalled Isabella appears to be the opposite of Bernadette and just as Hayden's life is beginning to gear down Isabella's is ramping up and that is where this love story of the Artisan heart begins.

In conclusion, this is a beautifully told story of new beginnings. One where we find unresolved feelings are identified and priorities defined to embrace life.

I received this lovely story through the generosity of the author for an honest review. ( )

After disciplinary action at work and his marriage falling apart Hayden feels his life is spiralling out of control. He needed time to think and contemplate his future. With no family and no real friends in Adelaide he decides to return to his home town of Walhalla, in country Victoria. When he returns to the town of his youth, and the dilapidated house of his deceased parents, he is welcomed back with open arms.

Soon after Hayden arrives home he meets Isabelle (Belle) who is also starting over in Walhalla. Hayden and Belle have history and the memories aren’t pleasant. However in a small town it’s very hard to avoid each other.

At the beginning of the story you may think Hayden is a bit wishy washy. Belittled by his charismatic and powerful wife; he is reserved and downtrodden coming across as awkward and aloof. Don’t let this deter you. Hayden does grow and gain self confidence. However, the confidence he lacks in love does not carry over to his professional life. He is an excellent doctor well revered by his peers.

This is a sweet romance story of two broken people finding each other and falling in love.

Mayes touches on the societal issue of child abuse with the introduction of Genevieve a 7 year old deaf child. Placing a child as one of the main characters can be quite tricky however was well executed with Genevieve never pushed to the background or forgotten.

I especially loved Mayes’ depiction of life in the small rural town. The descriptions of the town, from the local cafe to the pub, are welcoming and warm. It’s easy to fall in love with this beautiful town and its friendly, unpretentious people.

I liked how Mayes weaved the word ‘artisan’ throughout the story making it more than a title; it became the essence of the story.

The Artisan Heart is as much a story of the town and its people, banding together in a time of need, as it is about Hayden and his finding himself, reconciling with his past and embracing his future. ( )

There are so many psychological thrillers with unreliable narrators on the market these days, we forget what joy there is in reading a book that is “just” a story, a story about people at their best and worst, places, events, little joys, big tragedies, decisions, heartbreak – and love. That’s what The Artisan Heart is by Dean Mayes. “Just” a story, but so much more. And so very satisfying.

Hayden Luschcombe isn’t all that likable at the beginning of the story. In fact, he was so abrupt and such a loner that for a while I thought he might be on the autism spectrum or something. But as more is revealed, it becomes clear that he cares, he does want to engage, he ventures out and tries, exposes himself a bit, but he never quite seems to fit or meet expectations so he pulls back. We learn that he has a long history of feeling rejected and misunderstood and foolish, hapless and hopeless, and nothing seems to be changing. Instead, his life has just gotten dramatically worse. Which is sad, because Hayden is a sweet, talented, generous man with quite the romantic nature.

Hayden escapes to his childhood home in the former gold mining town of Walhalla, Australia to try and put his life back together. Or to at least hide out until things don’t feel so raw. Even though many of his own memories aren’t that happy, he is welcomed back to Walhalla; everyone remembers him so fondly.

As he begins to repair his parents’ home he meets Genevieve, a precocious little deaf girl, and The Artisan Heart takes off from there. Turns out Genevieve’s mother is Isabelle – no happy childhood memories for Hayden there. Turns out Isabelle has some history of her own. But can things change? Is a happy future possible?

The Artisan Heart is an enchanting story, with a strong, smooth-flowing plot and characters that will keep you turning pages. The village of Walhalla is so interesting it’s like another character in the book. But all is not small town charm. People have secrets and bad things happen. There is suspense and drama and danger and mystery. But throughout it all there is heart.

I unexpectedly received an ARC of The Artisan Heart from the publisher. Dean Mayes was a new-to-me author, but this most definitely will not be the only book of his I read. The Artisan Heart is a marvelous, touching, warm story. As I neared the end I was torn between wanting to know how things would be resolved and wanting to stay in Walhalla forever with Hayden, Isabelle, Genevieve, Max, Annette and everyone else. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. I was not asked or required to provide a review and all opinions are my own. ( )

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 ( )