The Wattle Seed Inn in Aussie Readers

Jul 02, 2021 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aussie-authors, sent-by-publisher, 2021-release, reviewing-by-request, 5000-2021, contemporary-fiction, arc, own-read

My word as I turned the final page. ‘Perfection!’

Gabrielle Moreau was keen to regain her passion in her renovation of the old Wurruldi Hotel on the banks of the Murray River in South Australia, which she and her fiancé Brendan Small had purchased three years prior. Now she was alone – Brendan was an ex although they were still business partners and friends. The small town of Settlers Bridge was near to Wurruldi, which was where she would base herself until she could live in the old hotel. The st My word as I turned the final page. ‘Perfection!’

Gabrielle Moreau was keen to regain her passion in her renovation of the old Wurruldi Hotel on the banks of the Murray River in South Australia, which she and her fiancé Brendan Small had purchased three years prior. Now she was alone – Brendan was an ex although they were still business partners and friends. The small town of Settlers Bridge was near to Wurruldi, which was where she would base herself until she could live in the old hotel. The state of it was worse than she remembered – would she even have the ability, the skills to turn it into her dream?

When Gabrielle walked into the Settlers Bridge pub, it was crowded with locals. But she was drawn to the table of young people, one of whom was Hayden Paech, and his dog Trigger. The group were obviously close friends; consequently, Gabrielle felt completely out of place – a city girl (from Adelaide) among the local farmers – she would never be able to mix with them. But as she started work on the Wurruldi Hotel, she came to appreciate the gift from the locals who were all too willing to help. But with secrets hidden in Gabrielle’s past, plus in Hayden’s and Ilse feeling so desperately alone, would there be peace in the future for those surrounding the Wattle Seed Inn?

The Wattle Seed Inn is another brilliant read from Aussie author Leonie Kelsall’s pen, and I loved it! I adored The Farm at Peppertree Crossing and this one is no different. A well thought out and executed story, the characters were perfectly crafted. I know the area around Murray Bridge, have lived in Adelaide, and spent time on the banks of the Murray River, so it was all familiar to me. The bushes of the wattle tree on the cover with the beautiful old 1800s building behind certainly catches the eye – I love seeing the wattle coming out on the sides of the road each year. The Wattle Seed Inn is one I highly recommend.

With thanks to Allen & Unwin for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
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Jun 29, 2021 Helen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: review-copy-from-publisher

I am not sure where to start on telling everyone how fabulous this book is, Leonie Kelsall has again written a story that is filled with emotion, wonderful characters, it is witty and fun and in a setting that I just want to move to and be with everyone. Another awesome story that is sure to pull readers in and keep them turning the pages.

Gabrielle Moreau has decided that it is time to take control of her life, she is in partnership in a top PR company and when her partner tells her that she lac I am not sure where to start on telling everyone how fabulous this book is, Leonie Kelsall has again written a story that is filled with emotion, wonderful characters, it is witty and fun and in a setting that I just want to move to and be with everyone. Another awesome story that is sure to pull readers in and keep them turning the pages.

Gabrielle Moreau has decided that it is time to take control of her life, she is in partnership in a top PR company and when her partner tells her that she lacks passion, Gabrielle is going to prove him wrong and takes ownership of the dilapidated hotel in the small riverside country town of Wurruldi to turn it into a fabulous B&B, not only will this show her passion it will change her life in so many ways.

Hayden Paech is a stonemason, builder and has lived in Settlers Bridge and Wurruldi for his whole life all he wanted was a woman to love and share everything with, but life didn’t turn out that way for him when a decision he made turned everything upside down. He does not plan to love again because that only causes pain when you lose them.

Ilse has lived her whole life at The Wurruldi Hotel, she has seen many changes over the years some not to her liking but the gardens were special to her as are her memories of the past but things change when the lovely Gabrielle arrives and starts bringing the hotel back to life and beautifully so, it sees her come to terms with her past as well.

Gabrielle and Hayden are drawn to each other on their first meeting, but neither were going to admit it, both have secrets that they are going to keep to themselves but before long Gabrielle is looking for builders to help renovate the hotel and Hayden is there to help and the more time they spend together the more their feelings grow, to something beautiful that they both deserves so much, of course true love doesn’t always run smoothly and they both need to open up about their past to let their love flow.

I loved this one so much, I savoured every word in this book, felt part of the community, as MS Kelsall bought the characters to life on the pages, so beautifully written. I loved Hayden and felt for him and was thrilled when he found what he needed to in his life to see him go forward with love and Gabrielle I loved seeing her leave her privileged life behind to find the true love that makes her soar and find the passion that has always been there and Ilse what at a lady there were tears from me when she found her peace again. I do highly recommend this one, it is a story not to be missed.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for my ARC to read and review
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Dec 09, 2024 Catsalive rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2024, discovery

A nice tale of two people, Gabrielle & Hayden, from very different backgrounds coming together, & bringing a certain amount of healing for past trauma to each other. Fairly realistic, likeable characters that you might come to know in any small town, & the supporting cast were good, too. I enjoyed it very much, except for the last couple of chapters that were a bit too contrived: a misunderstanding & a chance for a rescue were completely unnecessary & spoiled the otherwise admirable passage of t ...more

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Jul 16, 2021 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it really liked it

Shelves: provided-by-publisher, aussie-author, arc-are

To prove a point to her ex-fiancé, whom is also her business partner, Gabrielle Moreau decides that transforming the pub they bought as an investment in the tiny community of Wurruldi into an upmarket B&B would be an ideal project. She plans to be hands on but the building is in worse shape than she expected, and Gabby has no real idea where to start.

Hayden Paech dismisses Gabby as a stuck-up city girl from the moment she walks into the pub at Settlers Bridge, not that it matters given he believ To prove a point to her ex-fiancé, whom is also her business partner, Gabrielle Moreau decides that transforming the pub they bought as an investment in the tiny community of Wurruldi into an upmarket B&B would be an ideal project. She plans to be hands on but the building is in worse shape than she expected, and Gabby has no real idea where to start.

Hayden Paech dismisses Gabby as a stuck-up city girl from the moment she walks into the pub at Settlers Bridge, not that it matters given he believes he is no longer has anything to offer to any woman. But the more time he spends in Gabby’s company, particularly as he begins work on the Wurruldi Hotel, the more he wonders if the future he thought he had lost is possible after all.

The Wattle Seed Inn is the second heartwarming contemporary rural fiction novel from Leonie Kelsall set in the Murray River region of South Australia.

Kelsall explores familiar themes such as love, friendship, forgiveness and loss in The Wattle Seed Inn, and also issues such as self acceptance, trust and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Romance is still the key element of the story though, and I enjoyed the way in which the author developed the relationship between Gabby and Hayden.

Gabby and Hayden are drawn together in part because they have experienced the tragic loss of a loved one for which they have held themselves responsible, and recognise that wound in each other, even without knowing the details. The pain is much fresher for Hayden, who also carries physical scars as a daily reminder, and experiences panic attacks. I thought Kelsall’s portrayal of his PTSD was sympathetic and believable, and the inclusion of Hayden’s service dog, Trigger, and his role in supporting him was illuminating. Gabby seems to have it all -wealth, privilege and beauty- but she too carries emotional scars, and harbours hidden insecurities that make her wary of relationships.

The addition of a third perspective in the novel was somewhat of a surprise. Ilse can’t clearly recall how the Wurruldi Hotel, that has been owned by her family for generations, came to be so run down, but she is happy that her home is finally getting the attention it needs, and is eager to offer Gabby advice on how to restore it to its former glory. She drifts around the hotel recalling happier times when her husband was alive, but is also haunted by a sense of something being badly wrong.

I enjoyed the connections Kelsall makes to her debut novel, The Farm at Peppertree Crossing, with the main characters playing a small role in this story. Matt and Roni are two of Hayden’s group of friends which also includes Sharni, who is the first to welcome Gabby to the area, secretly hoping that Gabby could be her ticket off the dairy farm.

Written with warmth, humour and sincerity, offering appealing characters and an engaging story, The Wattle Seed Inn is a lovely read, sure to satisfy fans of the genre. ...more

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Jul 03, 2021 Bree T rated it really liked it

Shelves: australian, arc, rural-lit, romance, aww2021

I absolutely adored Léonie Kelsall’s first novel, The Farm At Peppertree Crossing, so I was so excited to read this. It’s set in the same area and readers of that first book will probably be happy to see quite a few familiar faces peppering this story, including Matt and Roni.

Three years ago, Gabrielle Moreau and her then-fiance and business partner, bought an old pub. Since then there’s been an earthquake that caused a little damage but Gabrielle now owns the pub outright and is determined to r I absolutely adored Léonie Kelsall’s first novel, The Farm At Peppertree Crossing, so I was so excited to read this. It’s set in the same area and readers of that first book will probably be happy to see quite a few familiar faces peppering this story, including Matt and Roni.

Three years ago, Gabrielle Moreau and her then-fiance and business partner, bought an old pub. Since then there’s been an earthquake that caused a little damage but Gabrielle now owns the pub outright and is determined to restore it to its former glory and hopefully, find her passion. On her first night in town, she meets a bunch of locals in a different pub and is drawn into their close knit friendship group. Even better, two of them have skills she desperately needs to help restore her building – her vision is for an inn rather than a pub.

Hayden Paech is damaged in more ways than one. Without his friends badgering him to stay part of the group, to go out, to live, he’d probably be a hermit, just his service dog for company. He and Gabrielle do not hit it off well due to an assumption on Gabrielle’s part and her wariness of his dog but the more time they spend together, the more something simmers between them.

I really loved the way this is told – the narrative is split between three perspectives: Gabrielle, Hayden and also Ilse, who lived most of her life in and around the pub and it was held her in family for generations. Gabrielle is from the city and is also from a wealthy background so she’s used to life being a certain way, things happening when you’re ready to offer money for services. Life in the country is different – contractors are quite happy to say they don’t work out that far or will come out when they’re ready, to give a quote. When she meets the group of locals and is able to hire cabinet maker Justin and stonemason Hayden, she also finds that friendly Sharna is willing to pitch in and Gabrielle can even do some of the work herself.

Gabrielle and Hayden get off to a prickly start, for a few reasons. Hayden is a character that is absolutely radiating with pain – both physically and mentally, which he tries to hide. His friends, especially Taylor, the local doctor, are always checking on his welfare and making sure he’s doing okay and the thoughts and nightmares aren’t getting on top of him. Hayden is suffering from PTSD and he has his service dog, who recognises the signs that Hayden might be experiencing times of high stress, and to wake him from nightmares and provide comfort. The support that the dog provides was showcased so well – he was such a part of the story he was almost a main character himself and not only does he provide that comfort and security for Hayden, looking after him when required but he also helps Gabrielle overcome her fear and wariness of dogs.

Hayden and Gabrielle both had some trauma, grief and loss in their past – and are still dealing with the after-effects of that. Hayden has a lot of guilt, for things that are not his fault. It can be hard to bear but sometimes a tragedy is just that…a tragedy. I think Gabrielle can understand those feelings because she’s had similar ones herself. I really appreciated the way their friendship developed from this snarkiness to this deep understanding of each other and all their parts. Before the end of the book, Hayden and Gabrielle have seen each other’s deep vulnerabilities, scars and raw wounds and are the stronger for it and that was something I really enjoyed reading. There’s no suggestion that this developing relationship will ‘fix’ Hayden, will change things for him but he’ll have support and love from a different direction, when he needs it.

I also really loved Ilse’s chapters. I don’t think her story is hard to discern even in the beginning but I felt it was done in a way that really worked and the slow reveal of all the parts of her story was well crafted. It gave the reader a chance to view the inn’s history, see how it had shaped lives and how Gabrielle was bringing it back.

You don’t have to have read the first book in order to read this one – it stands alone really well. But if you have read one and not the other (no matter which way it is) then I highly recommend you read both because they are both wonderful.

***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review*** ...more

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