The Scent of Promise by Heather Reyburn is an endearing story of a family farm, rural life, financial hardship, love, setbacks, and a determination to succeed.
This is the third book in the Fantail Ridge series. It is not necessary to have read the previous two to enjoy this story. Although if you do read Peninsula Promises and The Lupin Fields I know you will enjoy them too.
Fantail Ridge is set in picturesque South Head, New Zealand. It’s the year 2006 and Hannah Simpson is about to turn 30. She is feeling disillusioned by a chain of setbacks.
Hannah is a Research Scientist. She has worked for the same company for 6 years but has been overlooked for a promotion. She had believed all her hard work and innovative ideas would have put her in a good position.
As a keen rider, she still has the Horse of the Year Show to look forward to until her beloved horse Afternoon Delight seriously injures her leg.
Hannah has just ended a 4 year relationship. She hadn’t recognised the signs of manipulation, until a domestic violence incident.
The final straw is when she finds out her father has been diagnosed with cancer and does not have long to live.
Hannah immediately takes time off from work and returns home to Fantail Ridge. Her welcome home, on arrival, is the forced realisation that her parents have aged and neither looks well. She can see by the state of the farm that her parents have not been coping for some time.
With her characteristic determination, Hannah decides to extend her time off from work and she would run the farm for the next two months.
With a growing list of jobs and financial worries, how on earth will she turn things around!?
The family is dealt more challenges. For each problem, Hannah looks for a solution.
With a business plan sorted and the cottage rented to a new tenant, Justin, who happens to be tall and handsome. It is a bonus that Justin is a shearer and can turn his hands to most things. Initially, Hannah’s only contact with him is as her employee.
Could things lead to more, or is Hannah misreading the signs? Will her brilliant idea of growing lavender for oil and tourist products help to turn the finances around?
Fantail Ridge is her grandparent’s legacy to her family, but will her determination be enough to keep it in the family?
Heather Reyburn’s own experiences of being raised on a farm and then raising her own family on a farm have certainly contributed to the authenticity of the characters and their lives in a rural setting.
From start to finish you are drawn into this family. It is a wonderful read, showing the resilience of women involved in farm life.
I know this is the third book in the series, but why stop at only three stories of this intriguing family? I would love to know the legacy Hannah will leave for future generations of the Simpson family.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this story. A great read. 5 stars.
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading The Scent of Promise by Heather Reyburn. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
I love to read, any book on any topic. I now love ebooks as they are easier to store, I was running out of bookshelves! My other interests are family, gardening and our beautiful King Charles spaniel dog who is my reading companion.
The Scent of Promise by Heather Reyburn is the latest installment of the family saga that began with Peninsula Promises. This is the third book of the Fantail Ridge series, and it centers around Hannah. She is the grand-daughter of Alice and Harry Simpson and the only child of John and Dawn.
Hannah has been away from the family farm at Fantail Ridge for some time pursuing a research career, as well as achieving some success as a show jumper with her horse Afternoon Delight. However recently things have not gone well either at the farm which is facing financial ruin, or for Hannah personally.
Heading back to Fantail Ridge seems the best thing for her to do and Hannah soon realises that its up to her to turn things around both for her family and herself. It also certainly doesn’t hurt that a handsome stranger arrives in the area, ready, willing and able to help with the backlog of farm work that needs to be done…
This is a light and entertaining read, which neatly captures the resilience needed as well as the healing power of living off the land.
I really enjoy the Fantail Ridge novels,
Hannah is a research scientist and also an accomplished horse rider, Hannah receives the devastating news that her father is very ill, so returns home to the farm with her beloved horse who has been injured just before a major horse riding event,
Extending her leave of absence from work she is determined to save the farm as her parents have not been coping,
Heather is such a strong willed character and a hard worker, she decides to stay on the farm and make a go of it
She formulates a business plan and has new ideas for the farm ( no more spoilers )
A truly lovely book to read
Once again I enjoyed the latest installment of the Fantail Ridge stories.
Hannah has come home to help her parents on the farm after her father is diagnosed with cancer. Its an uphill battle for her but she gets a lot of help from friends and neighbours and a certain young handyman about the area.
I hope there will be another story in the series.
The Scent of Promise by Heather Reyburn is a rural historical fiction filled with love, sacrifice and family devotion.
Hannah Simpson’s life could not be any better, her thirtieth birthday is approaching, she is awaiting a promotion at work that she has strived for some time and she is training to compete in The Horse of the Year; New Zealand’s Premier Equestrian Event Showcase with her beloved horse Afternoon Delight.
Life isn’t always good and fair as Hannah finds out in one day, her relationship with Todd is truly over even if it a good thing, she doesn’t get the promotion at work, Delight suffers an injury and her dream of competing at an elite level is over, to top it off her mother calls and informs her father has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and doesn’t have long to live.
Hannah makes her way home to Fantail Ridge; the family farm in South Head, New Zealand to be with her parents, Dawn and John. To see her father so ill breaks Hannah’s heart, she realises she needs to step up and take on the responsibility of running the farm whilst giving her mum more time caring for him.
To her surprise the farm is more rundown than she expected, when an unexpected and very handsome shearer Justin arrives and offers help she is hesitant due to his mysterious background. Due to financial burden and no other options she takes a chance and lets him stay in the family cottage while he helps on the farm
Hannah and Justin’s relationship is the bedrock of the narrative, and their dynamic provides the thrust that moves the story along. It was easy to enjoy their palpable chemistry, and I found myself rooting for them until the end.
While the plot is fairly simple, the author builds on the emotional part of the story, creating characters that win the hearts of readers. You really get inside the life of Hannah and those around her, you feel her struggle and appreciate her growth as the story progresses. As far as personality traits, I liked her intelligence, strength and resilience.
Heather’s attention to detail, vivid descriptions, and poetic way with words make this book special. Strong emotions coupled with real-life scenarios make for realism and truth.
The novel is a wonderful mix of angst, loss, love and a hope to live life once again. I highly recommend.
Thank you, Beauty and Lace and Heather Reyburn for the opportunity to read and review.
The Scent of Promise is the third book in the Fantail Ridge Series by Heather Reyburn, although you could easily read this as a stand alone book. The Scent of a Promise continues the family saga of the Simpson Family with Hannah Simpson, Granddaughter of Harry and Alice and daughter of John and Dawn. Hannah, an accomplished horse rider and research scientist returns home to help run the family farm when her dad is diagnosed with cancer. Finding the farm run down and in financial difficulty, Hannah sets out to save the farm. With the help of her family neighbours and a handsome shearer named Justin, she does her best to save the farm for the next generation.
Beautifully written and with yet another strong female character, this is a great read. I hope there is another book in the future as I have enjoyed the family saga of the Simpsons of Fantail Ridge. Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Heather Reyburn for the chance to read this great book.
I really enjoyed this storyline which was quite light reading but also very inspiring.
Hannah has entered a period in her career where she doesn’t seem to be getting promotions she feels are warranted to her. During the last career knockback she has also found out her father is dying. Heading home to help and coming to terms with her life stage she determines she will look after her parents farm and take a leave of absence from work for 3 months.
Hannah has been riding horses all her life and her horse is her love.
Upon returning to the farm the realisation of how I’ll her father is and how much work the farm needs basically kicks Hannah into action and her life is now the farm and the community surrounding it.
When a stranger, Justin, turns up to rent their vacant cottage he reveals he is a shearer and farm hand amongst others and offers to help.
As Hannah makes some changes to the farm to generate income and to bring it back to life her and Justin’s relationship starts to be one of closeness.
I love this story and recommend it to anyone who wants some inspiration and also loves a light romance.
I’ve now read the three instalments of the Fantail Ridge series and although they are each standalone stories, it was nice to know the history behind each person and the farm. I did find this instalment, The Scent of Promise, a bit disappointing though. It reminded me of the first book which I felt was a bit disjointed. I also felt that the ending of this one was really rushed with all of the loose ends being tied up suddenly in just a couple of pages and then ‘the end’. I still appreciated very much being allowed to read it and finish off the series. Thank you Beauty and Lace >:o)
Thank-you Beauty & Lace for giving me the chance to read & review ‘The Scent of a Promise’ an e-book by Heather Reyburn.
This is the third instalment about a family that is held together with ties of blood but also with friendships formed on Fantail Ridge, New Zealand. Hannah is the next generation to care for the land at Fantail Ridge, bringing in new ideas to solve the financial mess that she has inherited. Along with old and new characters and a bit of hard work, Hannah creates a new business plan for the property with the future looking bright, could Justin the new tenant also be a part of this future?
I enjoyed reading all three of the books on Fantail Ridge, although in the last book it was hard and a bit sad to let go of some characters that I had met in earlier books. Thank-you ‘Beauty & Lace Bookclub’ for the opportunity to read ‘The Scent of a Promise’ an e-book by Heather Reyburn.
This is my first time reading a book by Heather Reyburn. Until I read the comments above, I didn’t realise that it was the third book in a series. Heather gives you enough to get to know the characters without having read the previous books. In fact, I quite enjoyed the start of the book. It was the end of the story that I didn’t love, as it did seem like a rushed ending. Because I was reading an ebook, I didn’t realise I was coming up to the end until it was the end!
It is a light, romantic read. I might just go back and read the first two books in the series. Thank you for introducing me to another Australian author.
The Scent of Promise was my first Heather Reyburn book, but it won’t be the last! I hadn’t read the others, but it didn’t impact on enjoyment or my ability to follow the story., as they are standalone novels Because I enjoyed it so much, though, I would recommend starting with books 1 and 2, as I’m sure there are even more treats along the way. Loved the characters, and the themes of friendship, family, career and life, but I also adored the small town setting, and the way the setting becomes another character!
Thanks to Beauty & Lace for a copy of this book in exchange for a voluntary, honest review.