The Promise of Home by Australian author Nicola Marsh is a beautiful rural story of soul-searching and love.
Karlana Vogel lives in the beautiful Victorian seaside town of Acacia Haven. Her parents died when she was a baby and her grandfather Jeremiah moved to the small town to raise her.
He opened the local real estate agency and when Karly became older, she started working for her pop. As Jem considers retirement, Karly wonders how she can carry on the family legacy on her own.
Hudson Grenville a leader in real estate from Melbourne is cut-throat and likes to get what he wants. He has come from nothing and has worked hard all his life to become the successful millionaire he is today.
When he hears about Jem’s retirement, he has his eyes set on taking Vogel’s real estate agency over but when arriving in Acacia Haven he knows he has a fight on his hands to convince Karly. Upon their first meeting, the chemistry between Hudson and Karly is undeniable.
The flirting, and the growing affection kicked this romance up a notch in my opinion. I thought Karly jumped to conclusions at times without allowing Hudson to explain and doubting his intentions. He may be hard-headed in business but has a heart of gold when it comes to his vision of a housing project for homeless children.
Karly is stubborn and doesn’t want to let go making the deal complicated. At the age of sixty-nine Jem is ready to move on with his life, especially since he has been secretly dating Heidi a widower, who runs the Kick Knack Shop.
I love the small country town feel in novels with a close-knit community, a place where everyone knows everyone and teeming with those who rely on each other. Nicola’s characters are well rounded and believable. She always finds a redeeming value in each of them, the villain included, and this makes all of them quite human and espouses the finest of human values.
The themes are intelligently woven into the story and there is a striking balance when it comes to character, setting, and the twists that come along the way in the plot.
Readers will walk the path of love, compassion, and patience. The Promise of Home is one of those stories to read with the heart. I highly recommend it.
Thank you, Beauty and Lace and Harper Collins Publishers for the opportunity to read and review.
A selection of our members are reading The Promise of Home by Nicola Marsh. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
My love of books started at a very young age. My mum has always been a reader and encouraged me to read, buying me endless book from classic fairy tales advancing to the world of Enid Blyton, CS Lewis, Louisa May Alcott, Kathryn Kenny, Carolyn Keene, Francine Pascal. In my adult years the list of authors is endless and every room in my house is filled with books.
One of my favourite novels is Narnia which has always has a special place in my heart. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 1978 and when I was given this book to read it let me escape to another world where I felt like I was in the book with all the characters, it wasfun and exciting to escape from reality and eased the ups and downs of the disease at such a young age.
In books nothing is impossible and there is endless potential and hundreds of places to explore or being taken to places that are only made up from the authors’ great minds, the past and future to navigate, characters lives you step into taking you on an emotional rollercoaster ride or being scared out of your wits. I can experience things that I can’t in real life because they’re not possible or real. It challenges my perspective and mindset expanding my worldview.
I find joy, comfort and peace with books, many people may not get it, but I know bookworms like me truly understand. Reading makes my heart happy.
Such another beautiful story written from the heart and captured in this rural storyline by the author. I have read one of Nicola’s books before and loved it then and love this one just as much. The cover is just lovely.
This storyline is mostly about the character of Karla who was raised by her grandfather after both her parents had died. As she got older she worked with him in his real estate business and was happy in what she was doing plus hanging out with her friends.
Of course you know there will be a man involved and how he comes into the story has to do with real estate. Obviously Karla and Hudson will meet but friendliness will take a while.
Another story is the one with Karla’s grandfather and his dreams of going around Australia but not until Karla is settled and taking over his business.
I love how you become engaged in all of the characters and places. I can always visualise the descriptions of everything.
I could not put the book down but I also didn’t want to finish it too quickly either. Every character in this book you actually warm too.
The story is about life and love but there is also pain and sorrow on some of the storylines.
Thank you to Beauty & Lace and Harlequin Enterprises for another gorgeous rural romance to read.
Thoroughly enjoyed this storyline and thank you Nicola Marsh for another fantastic story.
What a great book, not only are the characters interesting (and you will love everyone one of them) but it is a great story which explores the lives and struggles of the characters in a fun and positive way. Even the embarrassing is shared with humour not mockery.
This book has it all, love, weddings, priests in ladies clothes (!), loans, cooking, bullies, missing people all wrapped up in a beautiful story. Thoroughly entertaining and well worth the read.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this great book. I will certainly be looking for more books by Nicola Marsh!
Thank you for my copy of The Promise of Home by Nicola Marsh.
This is a lovely way to mix rural romance and the city. This made the story of Karlana Vogel all the more interesting. Her pop brought her up and she works in his real estate business and is determined to make it the best it can be. We meet Hudson Grenville who works in real estate also and to do his great charity work which means so much he has to take over rural real estate agents. when Karly’s pop is looking at retiring things really get interesting. When Karly and Hudson meet there is a definite attraction, but how can it go anywhere when their wants are both at odds.
As I got further into this book I enjoyed all the realistic, but different themes and real problems, but couldn’t see a way they could make it work. It just proves that life can take you in directions you didn’t think you’d take and what you once thought can change. Nicola has a really easy style to read and I would thoroughly recommend any of her books.
‘The Promise of Home’ follows Karlana and Hudson, two very alike people who although attracted to each other, both want Kaplan’s grandfather real estate agent. Neither are willing to give in and compromise. A nice light hearted book with a little side story thrown in that added to the storyline.
I enjoyed reading this book, thanks Beauty & Lace and Harper Collins for the chance to read it.
Thankyou for letting me read and review the Promise of Home by Nicola Marsh. I love outback Australian stories. I love what it conjures up for me as I read. The promise of home gives much in the way of how love and support come in many guises.
The promise of home is really two stories folded into one. The happiness of both Jed and his granddaughter Karly and the sacrifices made by both parties to ultimately get what they wanted.
This story was an easy read filled with lots of love , moments of happiness, regret, betrayal and sacrifice. There was no big moment for me but a lead up to events and changes of mind. A good weekend read.