The Artisan Heart

By Dean Mayes

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 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Central Avenue Publishing
• Release date: Sep 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781771681438

Dean Mayes

Dean Mayes is an Intensive Care Nurse who is fascinated by philosophy and the paranormal, so his stories weave an element of magical realism with deep humanism. He grew up near Melbourne, Australia, and now lives in Adelaide with his wife, Emily, his children, Xavier & Lucy, and his writing partner – a 10 year old spaniel named, Sam. Dean loves outdoor cooking, anything to do with Star Wars and (insanely) long-form podcasts.

Reviews for The Artisan Heart

[lorisbook · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[grandmacootie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[cathygeha · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Artisan Heart by Dean MayesHayden 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

[angelajmaher · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An Australian tale of relationships, of all sorts, and the finding of your true self.The country town setting is perfect for the book, and has a solid connection to the background of both main characters. This is a nice book and a decent story, however I didn't really connect with it. Hayden is so closed off and passive it's difficult to get a feel for his inner emotions and thoughts, with them being described more than shown. That, in turn, makes it hard to feel empathy for him, or get hooked into the story. Some of the actions of other characters don't feel authentic, either.I found the plot somewhat predictable, and the pacing slow. It's not a bad book, but I wouldn't describe it as a page turner, more as a book to wind down with.I received my copy through NetGalley. My review is my honest opinion.